God is Trustworthy...Craig Denison Ministries

 God is Trustworthy

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

It’s vital to the Christian life that we as sons and daughters of the most high God allow our affections to be stirred by the loving, powerful nature of our heavenly Father. Too often we feel that God is distant or separated from us. Too often we allow misconceptions or lies to place a rift between us and experiencing God. It’s in reminding ourselves of God’s character that lies are broken and a pathway is laid for us to encounter his tangible love. Open your heart and mind and receive fresh revelation of the goodness of God this week. Allow your affections to be stirred and your heart to be filled with desire to seek the face of your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

Devotional:    

Our heavenly Father calls us, his children, to place our trust solely in him for provision, well-being, and guidance. We see God call his people to a lifestyle of trust throughout Scripture, but time and time again the people of God take matters into their own hands. Why is trust so difficult? Why do we have a hard time placing the burden of provision, well-being, and guidance in the capable hands of our heavenly Father? The only good posture of our hearts is total trust in our God. The only way we will experience the full reality, love, and power of our heavenly Father is in trusting him. It’s when we trust him that we allow him to move in our lives. It’s when we trust him that we position ourselves to receive the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. It’s when we trust him that we allow him to work in and through us to see his will done on the earth. So, let’s allow God’s word to be our guide today as we open our hearts to receiving the courage and faith to place our trust in God.

Psalm 9:10 speaks to the core of trusting in God: “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Trusting God is first and foremost a matter of knowing his character and faithfulness. We must know his name, or who he is, and know in our heart of hearts that he will not forsake us. Trusting God starts with a knowledge of his trustworthiness, but must make its way down to the heart. If we don’t allow God’s character and faithfulness to become a transformative reality of our heart, we will never bear the fruit of trust. So in order to begin a lifestyle of trust in areas in which we have taken control for ourselves, we must begin by asking God for a fresh revelation of his character and faithfulness. We must see God for who he is, reflect on his faithfulness as demonstrated in Scripture, in the lives of other believers, and in our own lives, and allow these revelations to transform our hearts’ desires and bear the fruit of trust.

Oftentimes it takes me being at my wit’s end, where there is nothing possible left for me to do, before I pray and ask God for his help. In reality, I should begin every part of my life with surrender to the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance. I should follow God’s leadership from the beginning. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” My life should be a continual response to the love and faithfulness of God rather than a trial of my own strength ending in cries of desperation to my heavenly Father who longed to help me all along. God’s desire is that we would be a people marked by the peace that only comes from continual trust in response to his trustworthiness. Continual peace comes from continual trust.

Psalm 37:3-5 offers what I believe to be a blueprint for the abundant life God desires for each of us. David writes, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” When we place our trust solely in God we are filled with delight in him in place of the burden and weight of living life in our own strength. And when we delight ourselves fully in God, our desires come into line with his, allowing us to simply “do good” and “dwell in the land.” If we will trust in God he will both fill us with the desires he has for us and then satisfy those desires. When the people of God respond to his faithfulness with trust, he does mighty and incredible works. God delivered the entire nation of Israel through the trust of one man, Moses. He destroyed the walls of Jericho through the faithful marching of his people. He scattered the Midianites in response to the trust of Gideon. He delivered Paul and Silas from prison as they worshipped him in trust. The stories go on and on, but they all have this in common: God spoke his desires to his people, his people trusted him at his word in response to his character and faithfulness, and he did a mighty work in their favor.

Where do you need a powerful work of your heavenly Father today? Where do you need his help and guidance? Spend time meditating on the character and past faithfulness of your heavenly Father and place your trust in him in response to his trustworthiness. Your God loves you and longs to help you. He has a plan to deliver you from whatever comes against you. Just as he destroyed the enemies of his people time and time again, he will help you overcome whatever obstacle stands in your way today. Place your hope and trust in God and follow him as he leads you to a life of victory and freedom.     

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the character and faithful works of God.

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” Nahum 1:7

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

2. Reflect on your own life. Where do you need God’s help today? Where do you need his favor or guidance? Where do you need a miracle?

3. Place your trust in God, ask for his help, and follow his leadership. Spend time placing your trust solely in him. If it feels too difficult to trust him completely, ask for his help! Ask him to uncover whatever lie is keeping you from trusting him. Ask him to reveal his nearness, love, and power to you. Trust is meant to be a response, not something you conjure up. Allow him to reveal himself in deeper ways so that you can simply respond to his overwhelming reality, love, power, and faithfulness.

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:3-5

May you grow in your knowledge of the trustworthiness of your God today. May you experience the joy of having the Creator of all working in the details of your own life. God is not too busy for you today. He doesn’t have better or bigger things planned than your problems. He is infinite, vast, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. He longs to work in the little things along with the big things. Listen to him as he speaks Isaiah 43:1-2 over you today:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Extended Reading: Psalm 37

Living Unrushed When Work Is Unfinished..CHRISTINA PATTERSON

 Living Unrushed When Work Is Unfinished

CHRISTINA PATTERSON

“But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” Luke 10:40 (ESV)

I grew discouraged as I put away the seemingly infinite amount of folded laundry, knowing there was already another load, ready to fold, in the dryer.

I’d promptly get to it after I put the groceries up, which I couldn’t do until I cleared the refrigerator to make room for said groceries.

The magnetic calendar on my refrigerator door reminded me of a project I’d put off for months and the endless list of other responsibilities awaiting my attention and holding hostage my hope for accomplishment.

I immediately felt like the list of tasks I needed to finish that week: undone.

If I can speed up, I thought to myself, I can get more done faster. However, I only ended up feeling like a hamster on a wheel, moving fast but getting nowhere. This rushed pace of life left me frustrated with my work, impatient with my family and restless in my thoughts that were more focused on what needed to get done than on my God, who would empower me to do it.

As busy women, it’s easy to think our worth is tied to our productivity and fall into the temptation to speed up our pace so we can get more done. This lie only leaves us empty and agitated with ourselves, those we love and even God.

When Jesus visited the house of Martha, in Luke 10, Martha was in a rush to get preparations together for His visit. I imagine her cleaning the house, cooking the meal and preparing the table, only to realize there was more to be done than there was time to do it.

In her rushed frustration, she accused her sister Mary of not helping and blamed Jesus for not holding her sister accountable.

“... ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” (Luke 10:40)

The same woman who had the heart to invite Jesus into her home allowed her own rushed pace to make her accuse her most honored Guest of not caring. The danger of a rushed life is that it hinders us from loving well because love is patient; it’s not in a hurry. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Like Martha, we often rush in an attempt to outrun the unfinished work always looming over our heads — because we believe unfinished work means we’re undone. But that’s not true. We find the truth in Jesus’ loving response to Martha’s hurried heart:

“‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41-42, NIV).

Jesus did not condemn Martha for her unfinished work but invited her to let go of the trap of rushing so that she could embrace what was more important.

The truth is, we have a choice. We don’t have to live rushed lives and accept overwhelmed hearts as a usual way of life. There will always be “many things” to worry about or do, but not all things are an emergency deserving of a rushed heart.

Jesus invites us to focus on one thing better than them all: Himself.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for never rushing me. As I face responsibilities and work each day, I pray for Your grace to cover me that I may always choose better by choosing You first. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How to Handle Praise...Dr. Charles Stanley

 How to Handle Praise

Dr. Charles Stanley

Proverbs 27:21

How do you respond when someone compliments you? Some people absolutely love receiving praise because it lifts their spirits and makes them feel valuable. Others are uncomfortable with it. They look down at their feet or offer reasons why they really don't deserve such praise.

For Christians, there's another dilemma. We're called to be humble, so what are we to do when others say good things about us? Because pride is always waiting to raise its ugly head, we need to be careful not to let praise puff us up. Some believers think that accepting a compliment is a sign of pride, so they make a big show of giving all the glory to God. That's fine, if it's really what's in their hearts, but too often it becomes a rote "Christian" response that's geared to impressing others.

My advice is simply to say, "Thank you very much." Then whisper a prayer in your heart to the Lord, thanking Him for the blessing, recognizing that anything worthy of praise ultimately comes from Him. If you felt encouraged, let the person know how the comment blessed you. If you receive praise for an achievement that was really a group effort, be sure to redirect the compliment to all those who were involved. A blessing is always more enjoyable when it's shared.

Our character is tested by the praise that comes to us. Every compliment that bounces into our ears should quickly rebound up to the Father. If we hold onto it, the poison of pride will begin to infect our hearts. But if we pass the praise to God, humility takes up residence in our souls.

Does Jesus Really Want You to Hate Your Family?..By Lynette Kittle

 Does Jesus Really Want You to Hate Your Family? (Luke 14:26)

By Lynette Kittle

Today’s Bible Verse: If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, bothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple” - Luke 14:26

Many of us have tried avoiding a close look at Luke 14:26, often skimming over it in Bible reading. We don’t want to address what Jesus is saying. We wonder, “how could He possibly be telling us to hate our families?”

At first glance, it just doesn’t seem to make sense. It seems like Jesus is telling us to do the opposite of what His Word tells us to do over and over again: to love one another as we love God (John 13:34).

Hating those we love the most doesn’t seem to match up with all those verses about loving one another. It doesn’t seem to fit with a God defined by love. So, what is Jesus saying to us in this passage? What does He mean?

What Does Jesus Mean in Luke 14:26?

Hate in Scripture is often interchangeable with “choosing” someone over another. Romans 9:13 is an example of this: “Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated’”.

Jesus instructs us to hate our own life by choosing God over ourselves. “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

The Apostle Luke stresses, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to Me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

Again, Jesus emphasizes, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).

What Does Choosing Really Look Like?

Luke 9:57-61 describes Jesus walking on the road while individuals approached Him. They wanted to follow Him wherever He went. But when Jesus extended invitations to them, saying, “Follow Me,” they said they had a few things to do beforehand.

Their requests sounded reasonable, with one asking to bury his father first and another wanting to go bid to his family before bidding them farewell. Most of us would see these things as the loving and compassionate things that these individuals to do before following Him.

But Jesus’ response was this: ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62).

Jesus wants us to choose Him. He wants us to unconditionally walk forward with him. Looking back demonstrates there are still some things taking priority over following him.

God Is Love

God is love (1 John 4:8) and He does call us to love our families and neighbors. Yet, He also asks us to choose Him over our own lives and our families.

Following Jesus means making Him our first priority in life and loving Him over everyone else. Today, consider if Jesus really is the first priority in your life.

A Prayer for Soldiers...By Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Soldiers

By Emma Danzey

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The life of a soldier is a life of sacrifice. It is dedication and selflessness. It is putting others' lives above one’s own to protect a nation. We see countless soldiers throughout the Bible. Men of God would fight in battles and many times see incredible victories because of the Lord. It is one thing to know that there are soldiers, it is another to know one or be related to one personally. Although war is a result of sin, God does not avoid it. In fact, there is a spiritual war going on. Jesus already won the battle. The Lord knows and personally relates to soldiers. He knows the great sacrifice and lengths that men and women go to in order to protect and serve their people. Jesus Himself modeled laying down His life for the world in a battle against sin and death. God cares about soldiers, He was the best of them, fighting the battle against His adversary, the Devil. 

Today’s verse reminds us, that we do not need to be afraid or discouraged because God is with us wherever we go, and we can be strong and courageous because of Him. Soldiers' lives are unpredictable. They might wake up on a base and get called overseas, to sleep in a foreign land that night. They could be in the most dangerous places trying to protect others from harm. They might be separated from family and friends for extended periods of time. However, one thing remains, that Christ never leaves them, He is with them wherever they go and He is with us too.

Let's pray:

Lord God,

I praise you that you are ever-present in times of need. Thank you for never leaving a soldier’s side. I pray for the men and women serving in the military today. Would you minister to their hearts in a special way? Help them to feel seen and loved in their service. In the midst of their physical battles would you remind them that You already have given them eternal victory in you and they do not have to fear death. Help them to know that they are in the palm of your hand.

I pray for soldiers to remember Your words in Joshua 1:9. Remind them to that You have told them to be strong and courageous. When they are tempted to be afraid or discouraged, give them strength to choose Your peace and endurance. When they feel alone and distant from loved ones, speak comfort to them and reveal Your presence to them in a unique way. Bless them with hope. Help them to not lose the joy of hoping for victories in You.

Lord, we pray over their family and friends who equally sacrifice their lives to serve their country. Give them extra strength in knowing that You are constantly there and always able to diminish their fears and help them to regain confidence in You and Your plan. Help them to have community and not be isolated during spouse deployments. Help them to remain faithful and strong in the midst of uncertainty.

“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11) Thank you that You are protecting the soldiers. We praise you that your angels minister and guard soldiers. 

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) Thank you that soldiers or anyone else does not have to worry about death because of Jesus. We can be confident that even if current sufferings are great, they will not compare to the glory that will come. I praise you for this everlasting hope and peace in knowing that soldiers are in Your loving hands. 

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  In this world soldiers and all people will have troubles, but help us to all remember the peace that comes from You because You have overcome the world. 

Thank you for soldiers. I am so grateful for their courage and strength to do hard things to protect me and others. Lord, bless them today with a reminder that you are always with them and You are their eternal prize and victory. Amen. 

Facing Earthly Struggles...by Lynette Kittle

 Facing Earthly Struggles

by Lynette Kittle 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” -Ephesians 6:12

Growing up my junior high best friend, Peggy, loved professional wrestling. It was an unknown world to my sheltered pastor’s kid background. Little did I know when she invited me to watch it with her, I would be taken on an emotional roller coaster as she cheered, cried, threw herself on the floor, beat the tabletop, and shouted throughout the match.

Oh, the drama! To her, it was all so real, while I watched her and the matches in disbelief. Although I’ve heard it’s mostly staged for entertainment and wrestlers are putting on a show, to fans like Peggy it’s a real battle being fought between good and evil, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes pitted against his Evil Nemesis.

Looking Beyond Appearances
Like many fans may be unaware of what’s really happening in pro-wrestling events, often real-life situations can be deceiving to those looking merely at the outward appearances and actions. It can seem and feel like individuals and groups coming against us are our personal enemies, however, Scripture reminds us that there is more to what’s really occurring beyond what we see, hear, feel, and experience.

Although opposition may look and feel personal, in reality, they are really opposing God and those who represent Him on earth. Most of our earthly opponents are unaware of how they are actually being played by the devil and his cohorts to go after us.

Although it’s easy to seem like our opposition just hates us, it’s much deeper than most of us and even many of them understand. There are spiritual forces behind their feelings and actions causing them to believe they are expressing their own thoughts and feelings when in truth they are being influenced by evil spiritual forces that hate God.

Like 2 Corinthians 4:4 describes, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Beyond their own comprehension, unbelievers are being used to war with God, with many being completely unaware of who is leading them in their thinking and actions.

So How Do We Successfully Face Struggles?
Often we as believers can lose sight of who is fighting us, too, causing us to start trying to wrestle on a human level. But God has called us to a higher form of defense on a spiritual level because that’s where the real scuffle is taking place. So how do we face struggles on spiritual levels from our human standpoint?

1. Prayer is our first point of defense. James 5:16, explains how the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Spending time in prayer is number one defense against the attacks of our spiritual enemies. As well, 1 Chronicles 5:20 describes how when some of the tribes of Israel were in combat with their enemies, God heard their cries during the battle and answered their prayers for help because they trusted in Him.

2. Praise defeats the enemy. 2 Chronicles 20:21,22 describe a battle scene where King Jehoshaphat sent men ahead of his army to sing to the Lord and praise Him for the splendor of His holiness saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise the Lord, God caused the enemy to begin fighting among themselves rather than attacking his army. 

Praise is a powerful line of defense in the life of every believer. Like Exodus 15:2 describes, “The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Spiritual Weapons Win the Battles
As Christians, what happens in the spiritual directly affects the outcome of the struggle in the physical. Protection from the enemy’s attacks comes when we trust God and turn to Him for help. Like Isaiah 54:17, assures, “’No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me,’ declares the Lord.”

By putting into practice God’s spiritual ways of dealing with the enemy through speaking words that come from our heart to the heart of God through prayer and praise, we will see Him move on our behalf.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Set some time aside to look at the struggles you’ve been facing. Examine ways you can address them using the spiritual weapons God has provided.

Further Reading:
2 Corinthians 6:4-10
2 Corinthians 10:3-6