The Power of a Discerning Spirit ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

The Power of a Discerning Spirit

Dr. Charles Stanley

In a world filled with endless sources of information and opinions, believers need to develop a discerning spirit. Otherwise, how will we know what is true? Much of what we see and hear is based on a worldly perspective that is influenced by Satan, the Father of Lies. Deception is found even in the religious realm: cults mix lies with enough truth to make some people consider them legitimate Christian institutions.

The only way believers can guard against deception is to ground themselves in God's Word. The more time you spend filling your mind with the Lord's thoughts, the more discerning you will be. However, just knowing biblical truth isn't enough. You must put what you learn into practice so that it becomes more than head knowledge.

The goal is to let God's Word become such an integral part of your thinking that it guides all your decisions. Even if the situation you're facing isn't specifically addressed in the Bible, scriptural principles provide the needed wisdom for every choice. In addition, the Holy Spirit was given to each believer as a Helper, whose job is to guide you into all the truth (John 14:26; 16:13). However, your responsibility is to put God's Word into your mind so that He can bring it to your remembrance. If you neglect the Word, you'll lack discernment.

What are you allowing into your mind? Is Scripture high in your priorities? Unless you're careful, worldly thinking will overpower spiritual discernment. It's difficult to keep God's perspective in the forefront if you spend two or three hours in front of the television and only ten minutes in the Bible.

Obedience..... Craig Denison

Obedience

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Trust is something we are not created to give away lightly. We value trust like we value our own lives, constantly scrutinizing others to see if they're worthy of our trust. But still we are made to do life with help. We are made to place our trust in that which will provide us with more life, joy, and peace. I pray that this week you and I will discover how trustworthy our heavenly Father is. I pray that we will willingly hand over control of our lives to a capable, loving, and near God. And I pray we will experience the abundant life that can only come through placing our trust in a God who gives up everything for relationship with us.

Scripture:“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19

Devotional:

Throughout our lives we are commanded to obey. Whether it be a parent telling us, “Pick that up,” or, “Don’t do that,” or a government laying down a law, we acknowledge obedience as a necessary part of life. And so often because we grow up with some sense of the purpose of obedience, we apply our worldly notions of obedience to our relationship with God. We see the commands of Scripture or feel a prompting from the Spirit and sense a similar tone of command.

The problem with carrying a worldly notion of obedience into our relationship with God is that no one, no matter how loving, can or will fully care for us the way our heavenly Father does. No matter how good the lawmaker, parent, friend, or teacher, no one truly knows the future like God does.

Isaiah 1:19 promises us, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” God asks for us to be obedient to him because his plan is always for our betterment. He sees what lies ahead of us. He knows the potential perils or fruits of our actions. And like a Good Shepherd, he longs to guide us into an incredibly abundant life filled with all the goodness of his kingdom.

If we are ever going to experience the wealth of glorious inheritance God has for us, we must learn to trust him and obey. God cannot lead us to still waters and plentiful pastures if we are unwilling to follow him. He cannot lead us into the depths of his love if we don’t trust in his loving-kindness. He cannot lead us into consistent encounters with him if we don’t trust that he is as near as his word promises. And he cannot satisfy the deep desires of our hearts if we don’t trust that his purposes for us will truly satiate our longings.

1 Samuel 15:22 says,“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” God longs to fashion us into children who are quick to obey him. He earnestly desires our obedience because he earnestly desires abundant life that only comes through acting upon a foundational trust in his goodness.

Take time in guided prayer to think about reasons why you aren’t fully obeying God’s word or the promptings of his Spirit. What doubt do you have in your heart? Why don’t you fully trust that he will completely satisfy your deepest longings? Make space to rest in his presence and trust that he is who he says he is. Trust that he will do what he has promised. May you experience the abundant life that comes through total obedience to your loving heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of obedience. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to obey God sooner and to greater measures.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6:46

“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

2. Why do you have a hard time obeying God’s word or his promptings? In what ways do you not trust him?

3. Reflect on his promises in those areas and place your trust in him. Rest in his presence and experience his wonderful character. Ask him to reveal how trustworthy he is that you might place your trust more fully in him today.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9

Placing our trust in someone is always a process. God does not assume that you will fully trust him until you truly get to know him. To know his love and kindness in a way that will result in trust takes time spent daily developing your relationship. If you want to experience the fruit of obedience and trust, you must make time to get to know your heavenly Father. In a moment where you feel like going your own way, you must have a solid foundation built on knowing the goodness of God and his word. Have patience with yourself and center your life around developing a greater relationship with your heavenly Father. May you come to know the heart of God as described in Ephesians 3:17-19:

That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Extended Reading: 1 Peter 1

Facing the Sorrow of Unfinished Business..... By Lynette Kittle

Facing the Sorrow of Unfinished Business

By Lynette Kittle

Today’s Bible Verse: “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” - John 20:23

Have you known someone who passed away, an individual with whom you had unsettled business? A person you had worked hard to forgive in life, even though as far as you know, they never felt sorry for how they had hurt you, and never sought your forgiveness?

Even though in your heart, you forgave them, you had hoped and prayed they would one day be truly sorry for what they had done to you. Yet they left this earth, and you, with unfinished business.

If so, you’ve most likely tossed and turned at night, experiencing a range of emotions including disappointment, anger, sorrow, regret, and more. Especially if the person knew their life was coming to an end, yet they still didn’t reach out to seek forgiveness in their final hours.

Sometimes we believe that if the person who hurt us passes away, like a parent or spouse, their death will bring peace to our lives. However, in reality, it usually brings more sorrow and regret because it leaves us with a sense of things being left unfinished.

So how do we face the sorrow of unfinished business? How do we deal with dashed hopes, the ending of our dreams for a sweet reconciliation, and the letdown of unanswered prayers?

Below are three ways to let go of the sorrow.

1. Believe in God’s Justice

<< Your Daily Bible Verse

Facing the Sorrow of Unfinished Business (John 20:23) - Your Daily Bible Verse - November 13

2021Nov 13

Facing the Sorrow of Unfinished Business
By Lynette Kittle

Today’s Bible Verse: “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” - John 20:23

Even though in your heart, you forgave them, you had hoped and prayed they would one day be truly sorry for what they had done to you. Yet they left this earth, and you, with unfinished business.

So how do we face the sorrow of unfinished business? How do we deal with dashed hopes, the ending of our dreams for a sweet reconciliation, and the letdown of unanswered prayers?

Below are three ways to let go of the sorrow.

1. Believe in God’s Justice

Jeremiah 9:24, assures us of God exercising justice on the earth. Luke 18:7, explains, “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?" Because we can trust God to make things right (Romans 12:19), we don’t have to hold onto feelings of unfinished business, or the sense of failure because we didn’t have the happy ending we wanted.

2. Examine Ourselves

2 Corinthians 13:5 urges us to, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

We need to be willing to examine ourselves to see if we’ve really forgiven others or if in reality, our forgiveness was hinged on the hope of them coming to a point of asking for our forgiveness. Our sorrow may be a sign of lingering unforgiveness towards them in our lives.

3. Accept God’s Forgiveness as Enough

John 20:23 states, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

If we discover we haven’t really completed the process of forgiveness because we didn’t receive the result we were hoping for in the situation, we can turn to God for our happy ending. As Philippians 1:6 promises, He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion.

We can rest in knowing when God forgave us, and we extended His forgiveness to those who hurt us, the process is completed because Jesus finished it on the cross saying “It is finished" (John 19:30).

Being Thankful in “All” Things..... By Debbie McDaniel

Being Thankful in “All” Things

By Debbie McDaniel

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I must be honest, sometimes it's the "all" in that verse that gets me. Most of us can be thankful, for lots of things, at lots of times, but in "all" circumstances? That can be tough.

What about when you find yourself suffering illness, or defeat, or you're walking through huge loss...what about when a loved one leaves this world too soon and you still can't see past your tears...or when you've been praying for your prodigal loved one to come home and it seems like the prayers are unanswered...what about when you're discouraged, disillusioned, and struggling with disbelief...or when you're overwhelmed, overextended, and just fighting being over-stressed...what about when the needs mount high and the way doesn't look clear...or when people are cruel, life seems unfair, and the enemy's breathing down your back...what about when the storms come, and the car breaks down, or the air conditioner stops working on a holiday weekend (true story)...

Yes, these are the "all" things that can be hard to find gratitude in, whether it's huge losses or just life irritations. But God's word never changes to fit our circumstances. His Truth rises above our circumstance, so that we can too. He doesn't say give thanks "for it", but "in it all," for He knows He's building more deeply into our lives and character than He could ever build without the hard times.

We're gaining strength. We're gaining perseverance. We're being reminded that true joy is never based on how we feel or our outside situations. We're understanding that God's ways are bigger, His thoughts are higher, and we can be assured that He holds us in His hands.

And He is with us.

Always.

No matter what you might be facing, the good news is this, you woke up. He's given us today. And if we're still here, living and breathing, may our every breath bring honor to Him.

Be assured my friend, you never fight the battles alone. Stay strong. Choose joy. Choose to be grateful in it "all." For He is building greatness. He's working things out for good. He hears our prayers, He sees all, and knows all. He has purpose for our pain, and brings hope for our tomorrows...

Grace to you this day.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Recognize today, that the most difficult challenge you’re facing right now, may actually be a greater blessing, as God is working in and through your life in powerful ways. No matter how hard, choose to give Him thanks, in “all” things.

Further Reading: Psalm 118:24, Ephesians 5:20, Psalm 100:1-5

A Prayer for When Your Soul Is Downcast...... By Tiffany Thibault

A Prayer for When Your Soul Is Downcast

By Tiffany Thibault

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. - Psalm 43:5

Life these days is like riding a rollercoaster! If you go to any theme park, you will see people who are willing to stand in a very long line for the thrill of riding a very short ride. However, that one short ride is filled with such incredible twists, turns and drops causing the rider to scream with terror and thrill at the unexpectedness of each new jerk of that ride. The incredible rush of emotions is probably the main reason people get in line in the first place, and most certainly why so many of them return to that same ride over and over again.

Every single person I know has been impacted in some way from the coronavirus. Some have lost jobs, some haven't been able to see their elderly parent buried, some haven't been able to graduate like “normal.” People are full of worry and stress, and most definitely fear and anger. Should schools reopen? To mask or not to mask? How to work at home? How to school at home? How to safely visit elderly parents? How to pay the bills when the job is gone? How to get peace and quiet when everyone is stuck in the same house? Every single day there is conflicting news, and even more difficult decisions to be processed.

As we journey through this weird world, we are most certainly going to experience many twists and turns in our well thought out plans. Accidents still happen, sickness still comes, jobs are still being lost and the list could continue forever. Our human minds and emotions can only handle so many stressful situations before we begin to reach our limits. Our brains get tired, our souls grow weary.

As the weeks and months continue with life continuing to bear down hard, sometimes we fail to see how heavy the weight of it has become as we have adjusted to this “new normal.” When we look at the words in Psalm 43:5, we see this question: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” The author who penned these words was journeying through an incredible season of stress. He had been so absorbed in the decision making, in the stress of living through each new problem that he suddenly realized that he had sunk into a depression and that had no peace in his heart.

He seriously asks himself the question why, even though his circumstances should have been proof enough. However, as he asks himself the question, he immediately turns around and answers the question himself. He says: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Regardless of our circumstances, regardless of the unknown, we can always find hope in God. He is at work in every single situation in your life. He will be right there with you through every single circumstance. There will come a point when you will be able to praise Him once again. He has never stopped being your salvation. He has never stopped being your God.

It is so important that when you are feeling discouraged and tired in your roller coaster life, that you remind yourself again and again that God is with you. Praise Him through these difficult times. We certainly cannot change the strange world happenings all around us, but we can choose to keep our eyes on Jesus and we can choose to share the hope that is only found in God.

Dear Lord,

Thank you that You have never left me alone to fight my battles. Thank you that even in the midst of all the uncertainty of my life and the world right now, that you are still God. Help me Lord, as I am dealing with so many different situations in my life, help my heart and mind stay focused on you. Help me to not grow downcast, but to remember that my hope is always in you.

Thank you that you are my God, that you are my salvation and that you will always provide a way for me. I am trusting you Lord for this.

In Your Name I Pray,

Amen.

Thanksgiving around the Father's Table..... Anne Graham Lotz

Thanksgiving around the Father's Table

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb!
Revelation 19:9, niv

For years our family have celebrated Thanksgiving at my father's house. The meal was always abundant and delicious - turkey with dressing and gravy, ham, green beans... my mouth waters just thinking about it! But the highlight of Thanksgiving was not the food, or the televised football games, or the fun. The highlight was always the fellowship around the dining room table. As we sipped our coffee and gorged on one last piece of pie, my father presided at the head of the table as each person shared what he or she was most thankful for... We still celebrate this way today, although our family circle is so large we have our dinner at a conference center. But the highlight is sill the story of thanks.

One day, in My Father's House, the table will be set and supper will be ready. One day you and I and all of the Father's children will be seated around that table. One day our Father will preside as He gathers us to Himself, listening intently and lovingly as we share our love for each other and our love for Him. One day My Father's House will be filled with His family, and it won't get any better than that!

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