Are Your Words Causing Others to Stumble?.....by Lynette Kittle

 Are Your Words Causing Others to Stumble?

by Lynette Kittle

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’” --Matthew 16:23

If you were Peter, how would you feel to have Jesus turn to you and say what He said to him in Matthew 16:23?

If one of the twelve Apostles could be a mouthpiece for Satan, does it cause you to consider the possibility of the evil one trying to speak to others through your words, too?

But maybe you wouldn’t have been so bold as to take Jesus aside and rebuke him for speaking of His upcoming death and resurrection saying, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22)

Of course, Jesus was really addressing Satan, who was behind Peter’s words, but still. The realization of who was influencing what was coming out of his mouth must have been hard for Peter to swallow.

Like Peter, it’s so easy to believe an idea or thought is your own, not realizing how the enemy of your soul works to influence others through what you say. Like most Christians, it’s easy to be naïve of how Satan may be attempting to discourage God’s will in another individual’s life or trip them up in some way through your mouth.

Yet Peter’s example illustrates how it can happen to even those who have a personal, close relationship with Jesus.

Most may think it’s so obvious to spot Satan’s plots, but Scripture describes how the evil one disguises himself stating, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Like Peter’s words could come across as just a concerned friend trying to calm Jesus down from talking about a coming death and resurrection, you may believe you’re just being helpful in advising friends. Yet in reality, you may be oblivious of how the enemy is at work through your conversation to motivate someone to stumble away from God’s will.

In trying to help guide a family member, friend, or co-worker away from something you think is off track in their lives, having the best of intentions in trying to encourage them in the right direction, you could unknowingly be pointing them towards man’s will rather than God’s will.

Scripture cautions you to, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (Romans 14:13).

So how do you keep from being a stumbling block through your words? 1 John 2:10 states, “Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.”

A key to prevent yourself from becoming a stumbling block is to stay in the light of Christ by staying in prayer and obeying His Word.

As you do, 2 Thessalonians 3:3 states the Lord is faithful and will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

The Spirit.....Craig Denison Ministries

 The Spirit

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

One of the greatest privileges as a child of God is that we can have the heart of our heavenly Father. We don’t have to wonder how he feels about us. We don’t have to wonder if he will guide us. We don’t have to question whether he loves us or cares about us. Through the Holy Spirit we have continual, free access to the heart of God. May your relationship with God go deeper and become freer as we learn how to have God’s heart this week.

Scripture:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

Devotional:   

The Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us as believers is our gateway to the heart of God. It’s through him that we can know the thoughts, emotions, and will of the Father. It’s through him that we grow in our revelation of God through Scripture. And it’s through him that we encounter God’s manifest presence.

In John 16:13 Jesus says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says, “The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Encountering the heart of God through the Holy Spirit is meant to be normal for believers. It’s not supposed to be weird to hear from God. It’s not only for the chosen few to know God’s heart moment to moment. We’re created to know the Father and the Son by the Holy Spirit. We’re created for real, authentic, and transformative relationship with the entire Godhead.

Unless we allow God to create a new normal for us, we will never experience the fullness of life Jesus died to give us. Unless we open our hearts to the Spirit and allow him to teach us how to live life in communion with him, we will never be rooted and grounded in God’s love and grace. And without being rooted in the love of God the storms of this life will always wreak unnecessary havoc.

The Spirit longs to lead you to the heart of God today. He longs to share with you the “thoughts of God.” He longs for you to know the depths of his love and grace. Allow God to create a new normal for you today. Seek out his will before decisions you are unsure of. Seek out his heart when you feel distraught, insecure, or frustrated. And seek out his manifest presence when the cares of the world begin to weigh on you. May you grow in fellowship with the Spirit who dwells within you as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the availability of knowing God’s heart through the Holy Spirit. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire for a new normal.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

“The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-11

2. How connected are you with God moment to moment? Are you living with a continual awareness of his heart? Journal an honest assessment of your relationship.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into a lifestyle of deeper, more continuous encounters with the heart of God. Decide today that you don’t want to live apart from an awareness of God’s will, love, and nearness.

In Exodus 33:14 God says, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” God will go with you today. There is nowhere you could go that he won’t be ready to love you and reveal himself to you. You’ve been granted wonderful, supernatural access to the heart of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. May you find rest in the presence of the living God today.

Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

The Peace I Need.....LYNN COWELL

 The Peace I Need

LYNN COWELL

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) 

All three of my kids are marrying in the first six months of 2022. This year.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I don’t have to tell you that these weddings, in addition to the demands of work projects and normal, everyday life, are a lot! And while my family is blessed to have our stress be mostly positive stress, it is stress all the same.

In the past, control has been my go-to relief for anxiousness in times like these. But this time, I am looking to God’s Word for the help I need.

One morning recently, I read my Bible, figuratively sitting with the Apostle Paul. He spoke to me about how to thrive in this beautiful season.

It’s like he was there, coffee in hand, sitting on the couch across from me, saying: “Listen, Lynn. ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’” (Philippians 4:6-7).

I could hear the Lord, through Paul’s words, telling me not to fret or worry. He challenged me that, each time my mind went to another detail that needed to be taken care of, I should pray first. Let God know (as if He doesn’t already) that I need His help for it all to come together.

Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired guidance helped me to settle down my spirit and know that, as I reach for Jesus instead of control, He will help me to receive His peace, which I so desperately need.

Paul has every right to tell you and me how to do this. He lived it. His experiences were not joyous, like weddings where I will gain new family members, or exciting work projects where I can use my talents. No, he experienced prison, shipwrecks, snake bites and stoning. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) We can trust Paul when he says we can let God know our concerns while praising Him at the same time.

Paul says that when we choose to pray and praise instead of worrying, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV).

So I’ll pray with gratitude on my lips and take the peace Jesus gives as I trust Him to work out every little detail. As I do, I am seeing this practice of prayer not as a one-time or one-day thing but an every-time, everyday thing: I am choosing each day to walk with Him, whatever each day holds.

Jesus, thank You for Your peace that is available to me in every type of situation in my life. I am thankful! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Prepared for Betrayal.....Dr. Charles Stanley

 Prepared for Betrayal

Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 22:1-13

We’ve all experienced or witnessed betrayal at some point. And no example in the Bible illustrates the pain, guilt, and shame caused by that sin more clearly than the story of Judas.

Chosen as one of the twelve, Judas was privileged. John 12:6 says that he was even granted the responsibility of maintaining the disciples’ money box. But that same verse reveals an important truth about Judas—he was a thief.

John indicates greed was Judas’ weakness. After Mary had anointed the Lord’s feet, Judas complained, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” (v. 5). The following verse, however, clarifies that he wanted the money only for himself. One can safely assume that if Judas had reached the point of stealing cash from Jesus’ supply, then his greed had gone unchecked for some time. That hidden sin was all Satan needed to interfere with his life. And once the Enemy stepped in, the disciple began “seeking a good opportunity” to betray Jesus (Luke 22:6).

First Peter 5:8 says the Devil is like a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And in Judas, Satan found a willing victim. If we’re honest with ourselves, each of us has a natural tendency toward sin.

Daily communion with God keeps hidden sins from becoming greater problems. Left unchecked, the “roaring lion” will also come after us, no matter what our  weakness may be. Ask the Lord to reveal any sins you need to confess. Deal with them today—don’t let sin lead you down the path of Judas.

Christianized Karma.....by Katherine Britton

 Christianized Karma

by Katherine Britton

“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…”– 1 Peter 3:15

Christians give really good hugs during trials and tragedy. As my own family has experienced recently, the body of Christ has long arms to embrace those in need, easing the burdens of bad times. The church at work offers silent – and strong – evidence of grace when we pick each other up off the ground.

Now, imagine for a moment that your community didn’t provide any support during a trial. Imagine that instead of offering encouraging words and providing meals or other support after a tragedy, the whole community pulled away. Imagine if they acted like you were a disease they didn’t want to catch while you shouldered the burden alone. And not only that -- they believed that your problems were your own fault, pure and simple.

That’s karma at work. And it’s a lonely road.

A missionary couple recently visited our church before heading to London, where they planned settle in an immigrant community that’s mostly Hindu. The wife expressed her desire to see people set free from the bonds of karma. That caught my interest. I’d slipped into viewing karma through an Americanized lens, as a pseudo-Christian philosophy of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Faithfulness and selfishness often have their rewards in this life, after all, and good deeds are often repaid with a smile and expression of gratitude if nothing else. Karma may not be the full picture, but it seemed like an innocuous truism to me.

The missionary went on to describe the ugly side of karma, in which the community pulls away from its members who are suffering. Lose a job? It’s a karmic effect – you must have cheated your employer or at least talked badly about him. Did you – heaven forbid – lose a child? Somehow, that’s your fault too, as the universe balances out some evil you’ve done. If such horrible things are somehow your fault, it would also make sense for people to pull away. That’s the bond of karma.

Christians rely on the promise that “all things work for the good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28). We fight to believe that, while “no discipline seems pleasant at the time… later on it produces a harvest of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). Like Job, we may never know the reason for our earthly suffering. But we know that, because of grace, suffering is not a quid-pro-quo retaliation for our sins. Even our suffering has been redeemed by God’s grace through Christ’s supreme act of love.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Unlike the Hindu system of karma and its effects, we know even our pain is used by a loving God. Because of that, we have real hope for tomorrow – because our future doesn’t depend on us! No matter what trials we experience, we can rest in the knowledge that even when we are not good, God is. That’s mercy, and that gives hope. Are you ready to give an answer for that hope?

A Prayer for Healthy Boundaries.....By Debbie McDaniel

 A Prayer for Healthy Boundaries

By Debbie McDaniel

Life is precious. Yet all too often, we may find that much of our time is spent around negative, toxic people, draining the life right out of us. Sometimes they’re co-workers, friends, or sadly, even family members.

God never intends for us to spin our wheels, waste our days, trying to make others happy who can never be happy. Because in reality, it doesn’t depend on us. It’s not up to you. They may want you to think it does, as if you possess the power to improve the value of their existence, but that’s not a burden meant for you to carry.

God’s greatest desire is to set us free. And sometimes what propels that change is for some brave soul to be willing to say, “Stop, no more.” One who will choose what is better, and learn to set boundaries that will protect and limit the control an unhealthy person might be placing on another’s life.

Sadly, when we look deep into the mirror of our souls, we may realize that we are the ones who have some unhealthy tendencies that God wants to change. Today’s a good day to stop wasting time in toxic patterns of living. For he has better in store for us.

He can accomplish great things through your prayers. He can move mountains. He can change hearts. Anything is possible through his great power. Understand that though it is never up to you to make someone different, he’s set you in their lives for a purpose, for a reason.

He loves you, he cares for you, and he has good in store for your future.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” ( John 8:36).

Let’s Pray:

Lord, 

Protect me from the abuse and harm of toxic people. I know you desire to set me free—free from the hurt of others, but also free from my own sin and bondage in that sin. Help me have eyes to see toxic behavior around me and in me… and give me the strength, courage, and resilience to break free from that toxicity and choose the path of life. Thank you for always protecting and guiding me Lord. Thank you for always being good, gracious, kind, and loving.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Remembering His Sacrifice.....Senior Living Ministries

 

Remembering His Sacrifice

Senior Living Ministries

And they crucified Him.
--Mark 15:24

A medical doctor once gave a detailed description of what happens when someone is crucified:

"The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders again the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.

"The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain--the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid the stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

"As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

"Hours of this...pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over--the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level--the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues--the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues...finally he can allow his body to die."

The Bible records this process of death by crucifixion in just a few simple words. How often we take for granted the pain and suffering Jesus endured when He died on the cross for you and me. Let us remember the sacrifice He made.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank Jesus for the price He paid for your sins through His painful death on the cross.