The Longing for Greatness..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Longing for Greatness

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

All of us have insatiable longings that can only be satisfied in communion with our heavenly Father. The longing to be enjoyed, fascinated, to gaze upon beauty, and to be someone great are driving forces within each of us. The longing to experience intimacy without shame, to be wholehearted, and to make a deep and lasting impact resound within each of us at the foundation of who we are. God created these longings knowing that they can only be fully satisfied in him—that they would be avenues to deeper relationship with him. As we look at each of these longings individually, I pray your heart would find its fulfillment in the loving nearness of your heavenly Father.

The titles and main concept for this week are all derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert.

Scripture:"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Devotional:

As children, we dream of a life of adventure and impact. We pretend to be astronauts adventuring into the unknown, police officers serving and seeking justice, or even a king rightly deserving respect from all in our kingdom. No child ever dreams of doing something mundane or meaningless. But as we grow older, we accept reality—that few ever attain what society deems the most respected and honorable professions. We settle into mediocrity and work to attain greatness in whatever ways we can. We give our lives to a business, a social circle, or even a church position, all in an attempt to fulfill our need to do something or be someone great.

The truth is that our longing for greatness will never be satisfied until we surrender our concept of greatness to the truth of Scripture. Jesus tells us, “Whoever humbles himself…is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).And in Matthew 20:26 Jesus says,“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” You have a heavenly Father who longs to make you great in his sight. He has a plan for you filled with eternal reward, significance and satisfaction. But it will cost you everything. His plan is the exact opposite of the worlds. To be eternally great is to lay down your life, stop seeking greatness in the world’s eyes and give your heart entirely to the service and plans of your heavenly Father.

The Bible tells of the wonderful life in store for those who would devote themselves to the Lord. Matthew 5:19 tells us that “…whoever does them and teaches them [God’s commandments] will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." In John 10:10, Jesus proclaims that he came to earth in order that we might have “life, and have it abundantly.”

The opinion of man is fleeting and fickle. But your heavenly Father’s plans and purposes are entirely steadfast. You can live a life so great that all of eternity is changed as a result. You can live your life so devoted to God that heaven meets earth through your life and changes the eternal trajectory of souls.

You were made for greatness. You are called to a specific task that only you can do. Take time to surrender your life entirely to your heavenly Father as you enter into guided prayer. May your time be marked by the peace, passion and purpose that comes from wholeheartedly living for God.

Guided Prayer: 

1. In what ways are you seeking greatness in the world? Take time to confess any of your pursuits that aren’t in line with the heart of God as stated in Scripture.

“Whoever humbles himself…is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 18:4

2. Now ask God to reveal his heart for what he deems to be great in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to instill in you a desire to lay down your life that you might find it in God.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 20:26

3. Now commit yourself to live in pursuit of his opinion instead of the world around you.Ask the Spirit to help you live in line with his perfect leadership. Commit yourself to trust him as he leads you into the perfect plans of your heavenly Father.

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

Follow whatever the Spirit would lead you to do today. True repentance requires us to turn away from the life we've been living and live for God instead. It always leads us to a better, more abundant life. Know that whatever the Spirit leads you to do, it is out of love for you. Responding to his leading is the only way to live a life full of the fruit of the Spirit and the only way to satisfy your longing for greatness. May your day be marked by the purposes and plans of your loving heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 1

Following God's Schedule..Dr. Charles Stanley

Following God's Schedule

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 11:33-36

Most of us enjoy feeling in control of our own schedule and grow frustrated when things don't go according to plan. Yet if we truly desire to walk in the center of God's perfect will, we must become willing to cooperate with His time frame.

Consider how you pray about situations in your life. Without realizing it, you may be demanding that God follow the schedule you've constructed according to your very limited human wisdom. Yet if we believe He is who He says He is, how can surrendering to His way not be to our benefit? Think about His unique, praiseworthy qualities:

• His all-encompassing knowledge. Unlike us, the Lord has complete awareness about our world and the details of every individual life--past, present, and future.
• His complete wisdom. God understands man's every motive, whereas none of us are able to accurately discern people's intentions. We make choices based on partial information, whereas He has the wisdom to take action based on truth.
• His unconditional love. Our Creator is always motivated by love and constantly has our best in mind. Unless we trust His heart, our view of reality will be distorted.
• His perfect sufficiency. At just the right time, God will provide us with everything we need to carry out His plan.

Submitting to God's timetable requires faith and courage. Believe in the goodness of His heart and His plans--and determine to wait until He gives the signal to move forward. Then, as you follow His schedule, you'll experience the joy of watching Him make all things beautiful in His timing.

Evangelism: Every Believer's Calling..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Evangelism: Every Believer's Calling

Dr. Charles Stanley

Acts 1:6-8

One Sunday, a man approached me between services to share his story. He'd been addicted to drugs and was leading a hopeless life when he heard a Scripture verse in a sermon. He said that one passage led him to place his trust in Jesus. The man was saved, and God transformed his life.

Every believer has a story. Oftentimes, the more we surrender to God, the greater our ability to see His hand in our life. And the more we watch Him work, the stronger our desire to share with others all that He has done.

The same was true of the early disciples. A small crowd gathered around Jesus before His ascension. They heard His command to spread the gospel around the globe, making disciples and baptizing people from all nations. Surely this seemed like an overwhelming task for a handful of followers, but they obeyed. Their personal experiences with Christ undoubtedly motivated them to share the good news, and they also must have gained confidence from Jesus' promise of His presence and power.

We, too, should be taking Christ's command seriously. One of our highest callings as believers is to tell others about Him. As was true for the early Christians, our own experience with the Savior is the most exciting and convincing story to tell.

Are you passionately telling others about Christ? Loving God involves not just having a personal relationship with Jesus but also sharing Him with others. The world around you needs the power of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit guide and enable you to share effectively with those around you.

How to Go to Battle with the Enemy (and Win!)..Courtnaye Richard

 How to Go to Battle with the Enemy (and Win!)

By Courtnaye Richard

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:10-11

When you are in a battle, I know it's hard. I know the weight feels really heavy to bear. I know the tears and the lack of understanding, "Why is this happening?" But when those things happen, I want to encourage you to pray for starters, but also call someone to pray for you as well.

Also, seek ways to calm down, release the stress in a godly manner, and allow the Lord to work it all out in His perfect timing to either ease the pain or hurt, or to work out the situation for everyone's good and best interest. He is a very BIG God and He cares about you and all that concerns you (See 1 Peter 5:7). He is with you in the battle. He's totally got your back! So trust Him for the victory.

Always remember that our battle is not necessarily with people. Our true battle is with our great enemy Satan.

Put on the Belt of Truth – Break out the Word of God. Whether that is reading your Bible in devotion or app, on your refrigerator, on a coffee mug, on an index card, or whichever method you use. Put that Word on! But also be truthful in all you do. In your conversations, writings, texts, inboxes, emails, etc. Make a conscious choice to live out God’s truth and be truthful.

Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness – Know that it’s His righteousness. So always make your boast in Him. Putting on this piece of God’s armor guards your heart from unwanted sin and it also tells the devil, “I’m living right according to God’s Word. So back up, because my heart is for God!

Put on the Gospel of Peace (Shoes of Peace) – Protect your feet by putting on the gospel of peace. Be ready to share the Good News about Christ, which brings peace to those who are ready to receive Him or hear about Him. Be ready to move when God says move.

Put on the Shield of Faith – When the enemy throws arrows of doubt, fear, worry, unbelief, defeat, lack of hope, lack of trust, depression, guilt, condemnation, you name it…raise up your shield of faith and raise it up quickly, so that it doesn’t penetrate your heart or head.

Put on the Helmet of Salvation - Guard your mind. Protect it at all cost. You do this by casting down unwelcome or unholy thoughts, a negative mindset, worry, fear, doubt, unforgiveness, and more. All of this weighs heavily on the mind. So think about God’s Word and what He says about you while in the battle you're facing.

Pull Out the Sword of the Spirit – This is the WORD OF GOD! And it’s a very powerful weapon used against the enemy. Second Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” God will help you tear down strongholds in your life and help you fight against the enemy through His Word. So use it! And use it wisely. It’s there not only to help you fight against him, but also sin in your life.

Use the Weapon of Prayer - Whatever you do, don't stop praying. There is so much power in prayer. It's another great weapon. So use it! Ephesians 6:18 says, "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit." (NLT)

I want to also remind you that if you’re going to do anything for the Lord, know that you are going to experience spiritual warfare. It’s inevitable. And that battle can come from within and the outside of your home. But remember, we’re fighting unseen enemies that will stop at nothing to try to hinder us from fulfilling God’s plan for our lives or to just wreak havoc! However, you and I need to understand that we’re not alone and we have power. We’ve got supernatural protection for a supernatural fight.

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

~Courtnaye

A Prayer for Courage..Meg Bucher

 A Prayer for Courage

By Meg Bucher

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

Circling town for the several-ish time one day, I saw a text from my youngest daughter pop up on my dashboard alerts.  “Come to the school. I need you right now.” 

My daughters aren’t little anymore, and unfortunately, I can’t always get to them as fast as they prefer me to be there. Instead, I remind them to remember what I have taught them to do …take a deep breath, and remember who and Whose they are. When we face fearful moments and hard days in life, it’s easy to forget the peace we have in Christ. The strength and courage available to us are repeated often throughout the Bible! 

• “Don’t be afraid!” 
• “Don’t worry!” 
• “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 
• “I will be with you always.”

When my daughter feels like she needs me right now, and I can’t get there right away, those truths are rock-solid reminders to stand on. Today’s verse reminds us who God is and Whose we are! 

The NLT Life Application Bible explains: 
“God is the only one who can make us truly happy. Zephaniah points out that real joy breaks out in our lives when we live in community with God and he delights us. This happens when we follow him and obey his commands, and he purifies and transforms us. Then he rejoices over us with singing. If you want to be happy, draw close to the source of happiness by following God with all your heart. When you feel God’s delight, you will never want to live apart from Him.”

Let’s choose to remember these truths in moments of fear and pain. Life is going to throw us some challenges. It’s not going to be easy all of the time. But in Christ, we have the strength to get through it. 

Let's pray:

Father,
Praise You, God, the source of our true happiness. God, you are living among us and in us! You are our mighty savior! You take delight in us with gladness! With Your love, You calm all of our fears. You will rejoice over us with joyful songs! Praise You, God! The truths throughout Scripture remind us who You are and that we are Your children. Thank you for adopting us into Your family and for giving us an identity that cannot be stolen or shaken. Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus to us to save us. 

Father, when we need courage in times of fear and pain, let Your Holy Spirit be quick to remind us You are with us and in us and that You will never leave us or forsake us. Let us live our daily lives in obedience to You, God, not just calling on you when things are hard, or we feel like we need Your help. Help us to develop good habits of prayer and reading the encouraging words of wisdom in Scripture, Father. Create in us a desire to know more and more about You and Your plan for our lives. Facing fear is scary, God! We need You to fill us with supernatural courage when we are afraid! Help us to pause and press into You when life seems overwhelming, and we don’t think we can do what is set before us. 

Father, we pray for relief from pain today. Physical, mental, and spiritual pain is debilitating, and we pray for the chains of all pain to break and fall off of us today. You are mighty to save us. You calm all of our fears. Help us to remember these incredible truths, God, as we walk through a world that aims to trip us up and cause doubt and worry to flourish. You rejoice over us, Father. You take delight in us! You’ve never broken a promise. We can trust You and find true happiness as we abide in You.
In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

Love Takes Time..Lynette Kittle

 Love Takes Time

By Lynette Kittle

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” - 1 John 4:7

As Christians, we are encouraged to love one another. So in a world where love is defined in many different ways, who better to look at and follow His example than God, who is love (1 John 4:8)? 

Like 1 John 4:16 explains, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

Love Others First
For many, love is a reciprocal response. Someone loves us, so we love them back. This all started with God, as 1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love because He first loved us.”

So what if, like God, we just start loving people first? Often this is easier said than done. Especially if, maybe like me, you’ve experienced a time when someone decided they just didn’t like you. In these cases, we usually don’t know why or what is the reason behind their feelings. When something like this happens, we can choose to overlook their attitudes toward us and love them anyway. Sometimes our unconditional love will win them over, but sometimes it doesn’t. 

Still, that’s the risk we take when we choose to love others first. In these situations, we get a taste and a very small glimpse of what God has been dealing with down through the ages in loving those who don’t love Him back. In everyday life, we’re given countless opportunities to step out and love others in our homes, churches, workplaces, and communities.

Love Even When It’s Messy
God knows loving men and women in their sins is pretty messy. Romans 5:8 explains, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Likewise, parenthood helps many men and women understand how God could love us in our messes. It’s also good training ground for learning how to love others in their disarray. All around the world, moms and dads face unpleasant scenarios in taking care of children. From diaper disasters, food mishaps, exploring incidents, and more, parents push through the chaos to keep loving and caring for their children.

Likewise, loving others can be messy, especially when walking through various situations with them that are uncomfortable, unpleasant, or inconvenient.

Love Sacrificially
Real-life TV shows of love, romance, and marriage often give insight into how individuals view love and what they believe loving one another involves. Frequently when a prospective bride or groom is asked how they fell in love with the other person, his or her answer involves how the other person’s love makes them a better person or feel special and loved.

But what if once married, the other person stops making them feel like a better person? What happens if they stop feeling loved by their spouse?

For many couples, whether married for a few years or longer, they start to realize that love isn’t about how a spouse makes us feel but rather what cost are we willing to pay to show them love. Are we willing to give up our pride, selfishness, resources, plans, and more if needed to love our husband or wife?

John 3:16 describes the high cost God was willing to pay to demonstrate His love to us “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God demonstrated the high cost of loving others and how to love sacrificially. He paid the ultimate price to prove His love to us. As the Author, Creator, and only Source of love, He modeled what it means to express love to those around us by loving us first, loving us in our messiness of sin, and loving us sacrificially.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Are you willing to lovingly reach out to others this week? If so, ask God to help you love others like He loves you, by loving them first, sacrificially, and in their messiness.

Courage for the Days Ahead..Senior Living Ministries

 Courage for the Days Ahead

Senior Living Ministries

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

Each year at this time, thousands of people stand in the cold in Times Square, New York. No big event beckons them. No ballgame is being played. No rock concert is getting underway. It's simply a huge, lighted ball that drops from a tall building. And within a few seconds, hardly worth fighting traffic and crowd pushing for, it descends marking a new year.

Why has this nonevent turned into a huge, money-making holiday? Most other holidays celebrate a reputable person, famous birthdays, document signings, or a noted event. But New Year's Eve only celebrates the passage of time—something that most of us would rather not recognize. We make a huge deal out of it because it signals the end of an old era and the start of a new one.

The old year's problems, heartaches, and struggles seem to vanish and become a faded memory when we think of getting the chance of a new year and a new start. It must have been the same way for the Israelites when they stood with Joshua looking forward to a new era ahead of them. They had wandered for 40 years in the desert, and finally they could see land flowing with milk and honey ahead. Better yet, they had God's promise that He would never leave or forsake them.

As you stand with your back to the old year and look forward to the new one, you can have hope in the promises of God. You will certainly face both trying and joyful times ahead, but you can rest assured that He "will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). That promise is enough to celebrate the new year ahead!

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to give you courage, strength, and faith in Him to face the days ahead. Thank Him for being faithful and for never leaving your side.