The Blessing of Spiritual Poverty.. Craig Denison Ministries

The Blessing of Spiritual Poverty

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

The biblical concept of being poor in spirit is foundational to every aspect of the Christian life. Foundational to salvation is a heart-level acknowledgment of our need for a Savior. Foundational to experiencing God’s love is acknowledging our great need of love. Foundational to heavenly peace and joy is an acknowledgment that this world truly offers us neither. If we want all that God in his grace offers, we must pursue a lifestyle of being poor in spirit. May you experience more of the depth of God’s love this week as you discover God’s heart to minister to those desperate for him.

Scripture:“I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

Devotional:

To be rich in spirit based on our own accomplishments is to bear the weight of our own spiritual growth. In comparison, when we acknowledge our spiritual poverty before God, thereby contributing all that we do and are to his limitless grace, the weight of our spirituality is lifted off and placed squarely on the shoulders of Jesus, where it belongs. To be spiritually poor is to be incredibly blessed.

I’ve spent much of my Christian life seeking to do good. I’ve gone to church, Bible studies, small groups, accountability groups, and have played in worship bands. I’ve gone on mission trips, fed the homeless, served at food pantries, given up sleep, spent nights out to invest in others, and even dedicated my career to God. But it seemed like with every good work I was doing I had to continually look to the next. I couldn’t take time to rest or enjoy God because the weight of my righteousness and the fruit of my life rested solely on my shoulders. I didn’t know how to live by grace, so instead I filled every waking moment with a fight to do all I could on my own.

Now it’s not that any of those works were inherently bad. In fact, I am continuing to do most of those things today. The difference is found in John 15:5-9 where Jesus says,

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

When we live in acknowledgement of our immense need for God’s help, we place ourselves on the path to abiding. Just as a sheep cannot find food, shelter, or water without abiding in the help of a shepherd, we are in immense need of our Good Shepherd. Problems arise when we see ourselves as more than helpless sheep and try to go our own way by living in our own strength. Pride covers up our true state of need. Being poor in spirit opens our eyes to see our true state of helplessness and helps us lean on the ever ready, capable, and available help of our good and faithful Father.

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isaiah 57:15). May your day be blessed by abiding in a God who is “high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy,” but is “with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.” May your spiritual poverty lead you to a life filled with the glorious, incomprehensible presence, grace, and love of your Good Shepherd. And may you abide in the loving arms of your heavenly Father as he wholly enriches your life with his loving-kindness.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the blessing of being spiritually poor. Allow Scripture to fill you with courage to look at the state of your life and acknowledge your need of God.

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Isaiah 57:15

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

2. Where have you been living life in your own strength? Where is your life not marked by the fruit of abiding in God’s grace and presence?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:5-9

3. Take time to cast the weight of your spirituality on the shoulders of your Good Shepherd. Abide in the love of your heavenly Father. Allow him to take the weight of all you’ve been working toward and replace it with the joy of simply knowing him.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” Psalm 40:17

It is a process to learn to bear fruit out of abiding in God. It’s a place of trust to begin good works by simply enjoying the love of your Father. But Scripture is clear that it is only in resting in the grace and help of our Shepherd that we will bear any form of good fruit. God has good works in store for you that will extend far past the reach of this life. He has an amazing plan to use you to bring his kingdom to earth all around you. But the blessing of making a deep and lasting impact all begins by continually enjoying the love of a good God who would come down to meet you even in your weakness, need, and sin. Rest in the love of your Father today and allow him to plant desires in you that he will come and fulfill by his limitless grace.

Extended Reading: John 15

Peace with God..Dr. Charles Stanley

Peace with God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 5:1-2

One day I posed a question to the waitress at my table: “If you could ask God for anything, what would your request be?” Her answer was immediate. “I want to feel at peace.” She tearfully explained that her grandmother had died and emotional turmoil resulted.

Many in our world are like this young woman, in that they desire inner calmness but have no relationship with the Lord. People often seek contentment by trying to improve their appearance, physical fitness, financial situation, or social status—or by abusing substances. But such things can’t bring tranquility of heart or mind. Only a relationship with Jesus leads to true peace.

Prior to salvation, we were slaves to sin and living in opposition to God (Col. 1:21). Our transgressions had formed a barrier of hostility between Him and us, which we were helpless to cross on our own. Without God’s intervention, we could not have found the way of peace. But our heavenly Father provided the perfect solution to our sin problem. He sent His Son to pay for our iniquities and remove the separation that existed between us and Him.

When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were reconciled to the Lord (Rom. 5:10) and no longer at odds with Him. In Christ, we have peace with the Father.

Our triune God has provided everything we need for inner tranquility. The Father opened the way for us to be in His family. Jesus continually offers His peace so we can experience serenity of mind and heart (John 14:27). And the Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of peace in our lives (Gal. 5:22).

A Prayer for Gathering When Relational Tension Is High..Ashley Moore

 A Prayer for Gathering When Relational Tension Is High

By Ashley Moore 

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12, NLT

I recently called one of my siblings to ask about holiday gathering plans. I wanted to know if he’d be okay with having the thanksgiving meal at our house this year. The conversation was going great until we began to go over the guest list.

For most, if not all of us, sometimes the holidays can be a source of contention rather than a time of gratitude and joy. Maybe we have wayward loved ones who won’t make it home this year for fear of judgment? Or perhaps we have divorced parents who can’t stand to be in the same room as each other?  Or do political opinions seem to snuff out the holiday spirit, creating a divide in guests?

Families can often be a huge source of relational tension, and the stress of the holidays seems to exacerbate the issue. But what if we started this holiday season off differently by laying some ground rules and adjusting our expectations? What if, as far as it depended on us, we attempted to live at peace with our family like Paul encouraged the church in Romans 12:18? 

My counselor taught me to keep the relational tension scale in mind when making holiday plans. Relational tension is measured on a scale from 1-10. Healthy relationships and normalcy can occur between two people if the relational tension is anywhere between 1-3, or maybe 4 at most. Conflict will occur if either party agrees that the relational tension is a 5 or above. 

Think about those you will engage with this holiday season and decide if conversations and conflict resolution need to occur before the holidays. If the tension is at 5 or above, then it’s safe to assume, if those conversations don’t happen beforehand, the holidays risk becoming an unhappy memory in the making. On the other hand, when considering relational tension, if the conflict exists at a 2 (for both parties involved), we can expect that things might get a little tense, but maybe not enough to ruin the entire gathering. 

With those things in mind, we can never completely ensure that our holiday gatherings will go perfectly because let’s face it, we live in a broken world with broken people who are tainted by sin. But this holiday season, even if you don’t know what precautionary measures to take when it comes to your family’s relational tension, commit to praying before you gather. 

We have a very real adversary who is committed to destroying families (John 10:10). Satan hates to see God’s children enjoying and worshiping God by gathering, rejoicing, and celebrating. But God has given us victory over the enemy, and we need to fight back with our spiritual weapons while remembering our battle is not with flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). 

This holiday season if you do nothing else, remember that your family members are not the enemy and put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to stand firm against our real enemy’s attacks. Finally, pray at all times and on every occasion! (Ephesians 6:13-18).

Let’s pray:

Jesus,
Thank you that you have promised and secured for us perfect union with you and our brothers and sisters in Christ for eternity. Lord, help us put on every single piece of your spiritual armor while we live in this broken world full of relational tension. Help us stand our ground by putting on the belt of truth and breastplate of your righteousness. Lord, let our feet be ready with the good news of peace your gospel provides. God let us take up our shields of faith to protect us from the fiery darts of our enemy. God, help us put on our helmets of salvation and to wield our swords of truth (Ephesians 6:13-17). 

Lord, help us remember that our battle is not against our family. Lord, we pray that you protect our family, guide our conversations, and make this holiday season glorifying to you! Jesus, will you give us the wisdom to navigate the holidays with grace and kindness that reflects who you are to our family and those onlookers who watch how we interact and wonder if you are worth following. Thank you for the holidays and reminders to take the time to give thanks for all the blessings you pour out on your people.
In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Right Heart Space..Heidi Vegh

 Right Heart Space 

By Heidi Vegh

“God, who had set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace…” Gal 1:15

Paul is my favorite apostle in the Bible. Are you wondering what an apostle is? It means “person sent.” Paul was formerly known as Saul. He was a persecutor of Christians. He was on a mission to kill and destroy anyone who was a follower of Jesus because he believed that the message of Jesus was dangerous to Judaism. 

In a dramatic turn of events, Jesus physically met Saul on a road leading to Damascus. Jesus confronted him about persecution and blinded his eyes. The Lord then sent Saul to a man named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord told Ananias to pray for this man so that he may regain his sight and turn from his wicked ways.  

When Saul found Ananias, he prayed for him, and “something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength” (Acts 9:18-19). This is the most profound and miraculous conversion story in the Bible. After his encounter with Jesus, Saul changed his name to Paul and began preaching the good news to anyone who would listen. He spent his years traveling from place-to-place teaching that Jews and Gentiles alike are acceptable to God. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and He is the way everlasting (John 14:6) 

Paul authored 14 books in the New Testament in the form of letters. He wrote to churches across the ancient world encouraging them in their faith and praying for them to have the strength to endure the hardship that came with being a follower of Jesus. Paul was transformed by the power of Jesus. Have you been transformed by the power of Jesus? If the answer is yes, then you also have a responsibility to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:16-20).

Here are three foundation attitudes we must possess to effectively share the Good News:

1. Paul surrendered all control of his life to serving Jesus. Paul chose to live his life as a slave to God with his only purpose being to spread the Gospel. This was not something that was forced upon him, he simply chose to live a life fully devoted to sharing Jesus with the world. 

When we understand God’s goodness, our responses turn out to be total abandonment of ourselves to God’s plan. (Romans 12:1) When we truly understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for us to be fully forgiven our attitude ought to be one of utter thankfulness and a high priority of sharing this with others. Paul had a willing heart to abandon everything else in his life. 

“Do you not know that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price…” ( 1 Cor. 6: 19-20) 

Our mindset should be that in heaven we will rest but on earth, we shall work. We ought to live in full surrender and abandonment of personal comfort, daily agenda, control, and self-protection, among other things. This attitude led him to excruciating persecution, but he endured to be able to share the truth of the love of Jesus with everyone he found. 

2. Have you been called? 

Has God put something in your heart that you can’t help but let out? Have others told you about their vision for your life? When we know what we are called to do it produces boldness, focus, and perseverance.  If you are not sure of your calling, spend some time with the Lord seeking Him and His plan for your life. If you know Jesus, then He has a plan for you to spread the Gospel. The question is how and when. 

Where does he want you? To be an Apostle of Christ you must have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you, have godly character, and possess a healthy doctrine. We are to plant seeds of truth wherever we go. 

3. Set apart for Jesus

When we do find our calling, it doesn't always mean that it will happen right away. The Lord needs to prepare our hearts, and our minds and align our lives with what He has for us to do. It took Paul 17 years to finally reach the place where he could effectively share the Gospel and plant churches in desolate places. 

Living for Jesus and sharing who He is not something to be taken lightly. We are influencing people to become like us, like Jesus. Our attitudes and reactions reflect who we are in Christ. Jesus explained this to us in Matthew chapter 7. “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit”. This was a warning that we will become like those we follow. 

God takes His time to work with us so that we can become effective ministers of the gospel. We don’t want our brokenness spread to others. This is not to say that he waits for us to be perfect, but he will wait for our hearts and attitudes to be in the right place, and He will wait until we are fully surrendered to all He has for us. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Is there anything holding you back from sharing the gospel with those around you? Perhaps it is fear of death, ridicule, or loss? Have you been poorly taught or are you too distracted to listen? Are you struggling with distrusting human authority, pride, or impatience? 

Ask God to bring you to a place of surrender. Acknowledge God’s call on your life and if you are not sure what that is then spend time with Him and pursue what He wants from you. Surround yourself with a church of people that can support your calling. In the meantime, be active in the church. Don’t get frustrated if your calling takes time, His timing is always perfect. 

Further Reading: 

• Acts 9:1-18
• Romans 1:1
• Hebrews 13:7

Why I Give Thanks to God..Keneesha Saunders-Liddie

 Why I Give Thanks to God

By Keneesha Saunders-Liddie

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. - 1 Chronicles 16:34

There are times that, because of God’s extraordinary goodness, I overflow with thanks. One such time, I was about 13 years old when I got off at the wrong stop while traveling to see my aunt. It was supposed to be a simple and very short trip across the ocean, from one island to the next. But I got off at the wrong port.

At the time I didn’t realize that the island had two ports, and I picked the wrong one. It was around 3 pm in the afternoon, and everyone who disembarked with me was picked up. I didn’t think anything about it until I realized that it was about 6 pm. At the time, the little flip phone I had was unable to make calls, and I wasn’t receiving calls either.

I sat there until it was about 10 pm. I tried calling my aunt’s house several times with a payphone until I ran out of quarters. A family drove into the lot and exchanged their vehicle for another one. When the mom spotted me sitting there, she stopped the car and asked me, “Do you know where the person that was supposed to pick you up lives?”

Despite my fear and the gnawing in my belly, I decided to accept the lift. They took me straight there.

That night before I went to sleep (after being scolded by every possible family member from near and far), I thanked God for his goodness.

Anything could have happened to me. But God. I was sitting by the side of a closed building while the sun descended. It was literally a dead end, just a parking lot full of cars. And yet, God’s love is enduring. It is particular. Do you understand what that means? It means that, he loves you. And his love never ends.

All your earthly relationships, the love of your mama or husband or fiancé will never, ever be able to compare to the enduring love of God.

This is why I give thanks. When I look back on his goodness over my life that night, I have to give my God thanks and praise. I could have easily become a statistic. I would have been another unsolved murder or just disappeared without a trace, but God.

Look at your life and honestly ask yourself, “Are you truly thankful for all that God has done, is doing and will continue to do for you?” If we are honest, we know that the answer is no. Every day is a gift, an opportunity that we have been given to thank God for his goodness and his enduring love.

It pays to remember that there is none who is good and no one that seeks after God (Romans 3:10-11). This is why we shouldn’t downplay or take for granted the goodness of God. He is a good God and he alone can carry the title of good. He is the definition of the word ‘good’ and he is our father. I’m thankful for all that he has done and will continue to do, are you? Then give him the glory that is due him.

Dear Jesus,

Right now, I want you to know just how thankful I am that you are my God. I am so grateful that you are so good to me and that the love you have for me is enduring. In Jesus’ name, Amen.