Love Wins..Craig Denison Ministries

 Love Wins

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

James 2:26 tells us,“Faith apart from works is dead.” If we are going to experience the fullness of life offered to us through our faith we must be those who put our words into action. We must not profess to love God on Sundays and live as if he isn’t present, real, or good on Monday. May your faith come alive this week as you seek to be a doer of the word.

Scripture:“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

Devotional:

Through Jesus, God has obtained victory in the earth. The dominion the devil had over humanity was crushed by the cross of Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:13-15 says, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Jesus has triumphed over everything that stood between us and a life lived in relationship with God.

One of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture, Romans 8, tells us, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).We’ve been given victory over the enemy and all his schemes. But even though we have obtained victory in Jesus, the devil still works to lead you and me back into our former ways. Even though Jesus has defeated the enemy, we still must live out that victory every day and help others around us do the same. Even though love has won, we still must fight for the victory in others.

We need each other to experience the freedom available to us in Christ. Scripture admonishes us to engage in confession, community, worship, and spiritual battle together. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” James 5:13-16 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” We must engage with one another and fight for a life lived victoriously in Christ together. The Bible is clear that sanctification is a process worked out, and it’s a process meant to be worked out together.

We must call out the greatness in each other. If you see a brother or sister struggling with temptation, fight for them through prayer. Speak life into them. Encourage them in who God has made them to be. Stand with them through whatever circumstances and consequences come their way. See them through the fight until they experience victory over the power of sin and darkness in their life. Open up to those around you and ask for their help in your own life! You don’t have to fight spiritual battles alone. There are people around you who will fight for victory in your own life.

Through Christ, love has won. He has paved the way of victory for you and me. We are the world’s no longer. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Walk in the works God intends for you today and, in love, fight for those around you to do the same. You and I are meant for more in this life than the struggle with sin. Let’s fight for the victory in each other.

Guided Prayer:

1. Renew your mind to the victory available to you in Christ.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Colossians 2:13-15

2. Who needs you to fight for their victory today. Who needs encouragement from you? Who needs you to speak truth over them in love? Who needs you to intercede on their behalf?

3. Pray for their victory. However the Spirit prompts you, pray that they would overcome the power of sin in their lives. Trust that God will move when you pray.

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16

You don’t have to be perfect before you can fight for the victory in someone else’s life. You don’t have to be fully experiencing freedom before your Father would use you to help someone else. If the only people that could engage in ministry had to be perfect, the movement of Christianity would have died long ago. You are equipped to help right now exactly as you are. Engage in community with fellow believers as God intends and experience more life together as you walk in the victory laid out before you by the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 2

Resurrection: Our New Body..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Resurrection: Our New Body

 Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

What a scene will occur at the sounding of the Lord’s trumpet! The “dead in Christ” will emerge from their resting places all over the earth and soar into the sky; these saints’ resurrected bodies will reunite with their spirits, which will have been residing in heaven with Jesus. Close behind them will follow believers who haven’t yet departed this life—at that moment, they’ll miraculously be changed as they are “caught up . . . to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The description sounds extraordinary, but in fact, the plan is practical. We’re going to need a body with which to enjoy the new heaven and new earth that Jesus is preparing for His followers. However, earthly flesh and bones will not do. They age, break, and succumb to sin. So God promised to transform our humble structures into glorious bodies like the one Christ had after His resurrection. Common temptations and limitations will be gone. In addition, our physical substance will be altered so that we are not restricted by time and space. Remember, Jesus didn’t bother with doors (John 20:19)! Our new bodies will be suited for the environment where we are to dwell forever—an ageless eternity in which all of our needs are perfectly met.

Each believer will still be him- or herself. Friends and family long separated will recognize one another; our personalities will be unchanged, except that we’ll be absolutely sinless. At last, you and I will be the persons that God intends for us to be. And we’ll be housed in a body fashioned like that of Christ—perfect, sinless, and complete.

Frustrated with Prayer . . . and Loving It!..Rev. Kyle Norman

 Frustrated with Prayer . . . and Loving It!

By Rev. Kyle Norman

“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26)

Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your prayers? Have you felt that despite your best efforts, you have never plumbed the depths of everything that prayer can offer you? Have you looked longingly to the saints before you, wishing to uncover a fraction of the prayerful intimacy they seemed to enjoy? I know I have.

When I was in seminary, learning how to be a pastor, we were made to attend a service of prayer every morning. Before breakfast, we would all gather in the chapel and go through the liturgy of Morning Prayer. Every day, rain or shine, snow or sun, we would be expected to gather. While I was dutiful in this activity, I struggled with it. Inwardly I felt lost and restless. Although I desired a deeper connection with Christ, my prayer times were filled with questions: Was I praying correctly? Was I praying for the right things? Was I praying long enough? 

And then there were the doubts. Why didn’t I hear a response? Why didn’t I receive prophetic messages? Was the Lord even listening to me?

For many years, I condemned myself for these feelings. Although I loved prayer and would speak about my “prayer life,” secretly, I felt I was describing something of which I was only scratching the surface. At times, I’m sad to say this dissatisfaction with prayer drove me away from prayer, even as a pastor. I believed that all the struggles I was having, the ways that my prayers did not seem as robust as they should be, indicated that I was failings in prayer.

But what if this isn’t the case? What if frustration in our prayer life is a sign of our deepening faith, not the absence of it? What if our feelings of inability in prayer indicate the movement of the Spirit deep within?

We can spend an exorbitant amount of time condemning ourselves for our own frustrations and perceived lack. We believe that such things highlight our lack of faith. But deeper prayer always begins with a sense of restlessness, a desire for more. Satisfaction in our prayer life is indicative of a stalled prayer life. The Lord always calls us forward beyond the boundaries of our comforts. This is as true in our prayer life as it is for our call to witness. Thus, frustration in prayer is but Christ’s invitation to journey deeper with him. Prayerful frustration indicates that the Holy Spirit works within us to move us toward deeper prayer experiences.

The saints before us, to whom we often turn, knew this reality well. Their lessons on prayer did not come from a point of mastery but from the heart of desire. They desired more in prayer. It is because they wrestled with things like wandering minds and worldly distractions that they learned the deeper way of Christ. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Frustration in prayer is not the same as casualness in prayer. Believing that the Spirit groans in the places where our human capacity for prayer falls short does not give us the license to treat prayer superficially. To do so is to drift into a casual prayerlessness, giving a nod to prayer in form and action but not in spirit. Prayer demands a heart of adoration and worship; it demands that we focus on the presence of Christ. True prayer, like true worship, necessitates that we come to Jesus in spirit and truth. In prayer, we place ourselves before the Lord honestly and humbly.

Prayer must move past simply reading words on a page or sitting in silence with our minds floating off in a myriad of directions. Christ calls us to engage in prayer from deep within our hearts. Prayer is not a skill we master. Prayer, for the follower of Jesus, is an internal movement of heart and spirit through which we respond to the Lord’s presence in us and in the world. Prayer is not simply something that we add to our lives, it is the very ground out of which our spiritual life grows. Without prayer, we simply cannot, we do not, live the Christian life. 

Where is Christ calling you in prayer? Do you have an internal restlessness, a desire to plumb the depths of your relationship with Jesus in a new way? Would you say that you are frustrated with your prayer life? Countless Christians harbor inward guilt because of this. They look upon their internal feelings of frustration and believe that it equates to failing. Yet prayer is a journey. We need to recapture the radical notion that our frustration in prayer is but an invitation to a deeper way. 

So, if you are feeling dissatisfied with your prayer, be comforted. Instead of shunning the activity of prayer, stand in that place of frustration, that place of inward groaning, and allow the Spirit to guide you into a deeper place of intimacy and ministry.

Further Reading:

• Romans 8

How to Overcome Evil..Lynette Kittle

 How to Overcome Evil

by Lynette Kittle

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” -- Romans 12:21

Do you realize by doing good, you are defeating evil?

Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Yet many still believe you have to fight evil on its own playing field. Recognize how the enemy of God wants you to play at his level, rather than understanding how your simple, loving acts of kindness and compassion throw a wrench into his most devious plans.

1 Peter 2:15 explains, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”

Unlike popular belief, shouting others down or putting them in their place isn’t the most effective approach in responding to angry words. Rather, the way to silence tactless talk is through good works.

Because of your relationship with God, doing good should come easy, too, since, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (Matthew 12:35)

Scripture describes how Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit went around doing good (Acts 10:38).

As Jesus lived, you are called to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 spells it out explaining, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Like Jesus went around doing good, God has prepared good things for you to do, setting it all up ahead of time so all you have to do is follow His lead.

In the same way, Galatians 6:10 directs, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

As 3 John 1:11 urges, “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

Likewise, Amos 5:15 urges you to hate evil and love good because as Proverbs 17:13 explains, “Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.”

By doing good, you follow God’s example of kindness and mercy towards you, as described in Titus 3:4,5. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

A Prayer for Missional Motherhood..Laura Bailey

 A Prayer for Missional Motherhood

By Laura Bailey

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

For most people who grew up in church and even those who are not closely associated with the Christian faith, Matthew 28:18-20 is a familiar passage. We learn that disciples make more disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father and teaching others to obey God’s command.

As a mother, I have often neglected the daily discipleship opportunities in my home because I believed the lie that my gifts, talents, and resources were for more important people or tasks. That the mission field was “out there,” and I was missing out. I deeply desired to go and tell the world, but not my own children.

But nothing is farther from the truth. Our children are our most significant mission field. We are their commanders, preparing them for battle- no greater joy or job is more important than investing in your child’s spiritual growth; it is an issue of eternal life and death.

I saw these words about missional motherhood on a social media post: "Mamas, raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is not neglecting your fulfillment to the great commission but rather the opposite, your talents, skills, and educations are not wasted on your family. Your family is your ministry. Do not neglect the disciples God has blessed you with.”

Momma, we have a tremendous opportunity and great responsibility to show, tell, and lead our children to Christ. We can't secure the outcome; only God can- but we get to be co-laborers with him in the process; how great is that!

Discipling our children is not just a one-and-done thing; it isn't a checklist but a way of life. Yes, we should work toward a daily prayer and bible reading routine, but a big part of discipling our children is constantly talking to them about God in all situations.

Okay, so you might be sitting there thinking, I have that desire, but what if I say the wrong thing or don’t have all the answers? That’s okay, we can pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us. We can call on our church community to help as we guide and grow our children in Christ. And we can acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers and graciously point them to Christ.

Discipleship is challenging work; some days, it will be easier than others. But, "we must not grow weary in doing good ( Galatians 6:9)." Teach your child about God, and help point them to Christ is the most critical work you will do!

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the beautiful gift of children.
We are so grateful that we can grow children to know and love you. Grant us patience and perseverance as we navigate our children’s questions and address their concerns and confusion about our faith. Please be with us as we strive to make discipleship in our homes a priority. We pray for our church community, family members, and friends that they will walk alongside us as we teach our children about You. Convict our hearts when we have neglected our personal spiritual growth, remembering that, above else, a personal relationship with you is most important. We love you, Lord; help us be good stewards of the lives you’ve entrusted us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.