The Lord Gives Contentment..Craig Denison Ministries;

 The Lord Gives Contentment

Craig Denison Ministries;

Weekly Overview:

Our heavenly Father is the giver of every good gift. His mercies are vast, powerful, and real. His love has the ability to completely overwhelm and satisfy every one of our needs. Everything he gives us satisfies, transforms, and leads us to abundant life. As we spend this week stirring up our affections toward God, allow your heart to become soft and open. Allow his loving character to draw you close and provide life to every dry and weary place in your soul.

Scripture: “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.”  Proverbs 19:23

Devotional:

In Philippians 4, Paul describes what he calls “the secret” to contentment. Scripture says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Similarly, Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Imagine a life of total contentment regardless of your possessions or status. Imagine the peace, joy, and strength you would find in this kind of freedom Paul experienced from the ways of the world. The question before you today is this: what is keeping you from living your life consistently and completely content?

Scripture is clear that true contentment transcends circumstances. True contentment is found apart from abundant provision. God longs to draw you into a lifestyle of situational transcendence. He longs to provide contentment for you on every level, but it will take surrendering your system of values and pursuits to experience the satisfaction of God’s perfect perspective. Contentment comes solely through a lifestyle of surrender.

The truth is, we consistently believe a lie that the world can offer us true contentment. We believe that the next purchase, friend, job, or hobby will satisfy foundational needs that can only find their fulfillment in God. We reach out to the world for help as if the world wasn’t in immense need already.

Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If your value lies in possessions and status, they will own you rather you owning them. If you search after the opinion of man above God’s, your contentment will come and go with the fleeting whims of those around you. But if you place your treasure with your heavenly Father, your heart will find its home in the loving arms of God.

If you will find the courage to surrender possessions, family, friends, jobs, and status today, you will find wonderful strength and contentment that transcends this world and finds its source in God alone. Spend time in prayer cutting your emotional ties to the world and placing your hope and trust in your heavenly Father alone.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to bring you contentment that transcends your circumstances.

“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.” Proverbs 19:23

2. Where have you been finding your contentment? What have you been seeking after to satisfy your emotional needs? Where have you placed your treasure?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

3. Repent of any area in which you have been pursuing the ways of the world, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you value what he values. Ask him how he feels about your possessions and to give you the courage to give away or sell anything that is keeping you from reaching contentment. All that God would lead you to do is perfect and absolutely for your best interest.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5

When it comes down to it, what’s more valuable than contentment, peace, joy, fulfillment, and love? What possession, friend, job, or status is of greater value than what God has to offer us? The world seeks contentment from avenues which only ever lead to greater need. God has placed before you the avenue of surrender and promised an unconditional and limitless supply of contentment if you will simply take his hand and trust and follow him. May you gain the perfect perspective of your heavenly Father today and pursue the contentment that comes from him alone.

Extended Reading: Matthew 6

Waiting on God..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Waiting on God

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 37:1-9

Waiting on God is an important spiritual discipline in our walk of faith. King David’s life teaches us about the value of following the Lord’s plan and the danger in moving ahead of Him.

When David was a young shepherd boy, the prophet Samuel anointed him as Israel’s next king. Yet he did not become the ruler for many years. Waiting for the Lord to place him on the throne was made more difficult because the current king, Saul, turned against David and repeatedly tried to take his life. Despite the opportunity to take matters into his own hands and kill his enemy, David held back. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to attack Saul either (1 Sam. 24:1-7). He waited on God and was greatly blessed for his obedience.

King David also knew what it was like to move ahead without the Lord. One year he chose not to join his troops in battle, even though that was one of his duties (2 Sam. 11:1). During the time he stayed home, he noticed Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and he coveted her. Acting upon his desires, he conceived a child with her and then tried to cover up his sin. What a mess he made of his life. Instead of following the Lord’s plan and being blessed, he experienced divine chastisement and much heartache.

As believers, we want to obey the Lord, but there may be situations when intense desire propels us forward without waiting for His direction. Like David, we will experience the blessing of obedience or the heartache of disobedience. Be sure to seek out God’s plan before you act.

The Battle for Our Hearts.. Amanda Idleman

 The Battle for Our Hearts

By Amanda Idleman

“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” - Matthew 5:30

The battle for our hearts is ongoing. Sin is sneaky, and before we know it, we are in an all-out war with sin. God is keenly aware of this fact. Sin is like a virus; once one tiny germ gets under our skin, it spreads like wildfire. To prevent the spread, drastic measures have to be taken!

In our more polished appearing culture, it can be hard to understand the God of the Old Testament. His commands to annihilate people groups can feel vicious, but the spiritual world of the time was much more physical than spiritual when the Israelites were wandering in the desert. God showed up in all kinds of crazy ways! He appeared to Moses and the community as smoke, clouds, fire, and even in the flesh. When the people sinned, the consequences were tangible and immediate. God was really there with his first people. 

That being the case, the way he addressed those not willing to follow his ways was dramatic because they represented sin. Those that rejected the God of the Isrealites became physical embodiments of sin, temptation, and evil, and once they infiltrated the people's lives, it seems that the Isrealites quickly were led astray. We truly are like those easily distractible sheep that God loves to compare us to all throughout the Bible.

Jesus in the New Testament is also pretty serious about our sin. In Matthew 5:30, he tells us that if our hand makes us sin, then go ahead and cut it off! He knows that your soul is much more valuable than your body. While I don’t recommend amputating an arm, I think it’s important that we internalize how focused God and his Son Jesus are about our holiness. 

I know we want to focus on God’s grace because we need it, but there is a danger of overlooking the ways God’s word instructs us about how to conduct ourselves. God is our protector, and some of that important protection comes from the wisdom God imparts to us from his Word. God knows what is best for our minds, bodies, and souls. That is why he sets important guidelines for us to follow. 

How can we become as serious about sin as God is? Well, the first step is studying God’s Word about what godly living should look like. Here are a few lessons we can apply to our lives about God’s desire for us to be holy: 

1. Be Careful What We See
Seeing is often the prelude to bad decisions. Our eyes do not tell us the whole truth. Consider Eve in the garden. Her eyes told her that the fruit was pleasing to look at and, consequently, would be enjoyable to taste. She believed that because the apple looked good, it must be good, even though God had told her otherwise. How often do we doubt God’s way because we think something that he says is no good appears to be good? 

2. Think on These Things
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Our mind is another place where sin can get a foothold in our life. The Bible tells us what we meditate on matters. 

3. Set Guard to Your Mouth
Psalm 141:3 instructs, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” Matthew 15:11 further adds that it's what comes out of our mouths that can defile us. Our mouths are full of power! 

Think of the last time you lost your temper, maybe with your child or spouse, and how much damage a few moments of angry words did to your relationship. We can cut people down in a heartbeat if we are not careful with our words. How many of us are carrying wounds from years ago from something a person of influence in our life said, probably thoughtlessly, about us? 

4. Live with Humility 
Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Pride is so sneaky. It’s so hard for us to live daily in the reality that we do not have the power we need for righteous living on our own. We are each called to trust the Lord so he would provide the strength we need to follow his ways. 

Humble living is tough, but it’s one of the most important parts of holy living. We can’t please the Lord on our own. Step one to a holy and pleasing life is humbly surrendering ourselves to him daily in obedience to his Word. Not our will be done but his alone! 

God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs, but it’s not to be abused. We have to choose to follow his path, and then he promises to gently lead us toward Heaven. Holiness is a part of Christian living, and no matter how trendy a sin becomes, God’s Word is the truth and standard for our lives. Surrendering our desires to him is what is required for us to follow his way. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Consider what boundaries you need to put in place for your life to guard your heart from sin. Take steps to implement these safeguards. Pray a prayer of repentance today for how you have sinned against God and others. He is faithful to forgive. 

 

The Swiftness of God’s Provision.. Meg Bucher

 The Swiftness of God’s Provision

By Meg Bucher

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.”Joel 2:26

“Can I have more fish?” my daughters both looked at me with plates extended….

Second, third and fourth helpings of dinner that night had me thinking somebody had swapped my children.

“Are you even taking the time to chew this?” I asked, as barrels of laughter answered me back.

Today’s verse is a reminder of how God has provided for us in our lives. In the good times, and in the problems solved and health restored, we are quick to inhale and ask for more. But in the not so good times …in the hard places of life that are not so easy to chew and almost impossible to swallow, we rarely even finish the first helping.

In order to digest the nutrition God gives us properly, we must consider the following.

• “You will have plenty to eat…”If we’re still standing on this earth, God is assuredly providing a way for us to be here another day. And if He’s provided another day, He’ll get us through it.
• …”and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.”Good entrees in life call for a side or two of praise.
• …”who has worked wonders for you…”By recognizing the miracles God has woven into our everyday lives, we acknowledge the fact that He’ll do it again! The Israelites had to be reminded constantly of the way God brought them out of Egypt and provided for them. If they were privy to forget the massive miracles that God had bestowed upon them …then we are surly prone to forget what He’s done in our lives. We must choose to remember.
• “…never again will my people be shamed.”When Christ died on the cross, the guilt and shame and wrath we deserve for our sin was wiped out. In one last breath, He sealed those that believe in Him for good. Though our lives remain imperfect, grace forgives us over and over as we grow in holiness all the way to heaven.

When we get a good Word from God, let’s vow to write it on our hearts …to turn back and look at the way those Words have already marked our lives, and take them forward with us as the sharp sword they are …to cut through the calamity and follow Christ.

Father, Praise You for remembrance. Thank You that we can search our memories and see the tracks and traces of Your love marked on our lives. Forgive us for falling short and turning back …for delaying and doubting, and strengthen our hearts to believe in You more and more each and every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer for Enduring Marriages..Lynette Kittle

 A Prayer for Enduring Marriages

By Lynette Kittle

“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband”—Ephesians 5:33

Sadly, marriage is under attack. It’s being devalued, avoided, redesigned, and mocked. But God designed marriage as a sacred union to be respected and revered, holy before Him. Unlike current cultural trends, marriage is not a legal contract but a covenant with God. It’s His idea, design, and set of laws surrounding it. Human laws do not trump His ways, and He has not given us the freedom to reinvent it. Marriage is vital to God’s plan because it represents the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. The breaking down of it on earth is the enemy at work to try and destroy God’s will for the Church. Revelation 19:7 paints the picture of what is to come with Christ and His Church. 

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”

Marriage is something to fight for, just like the Church of Jesus Christ is worth fighting for. If Christians are unwilling to fight for their marriages, how can they stand up and fight for the Church?

Marriage Is God’s Mystery
Believers in Jesus Christ must consider their earthly marriage covenants with reverence and commitment. Ephesians 5:25-33 explains the mystery of earthly marriage, designed to form an unbreakable bond between husband, wife, and God. He reveals the mystery of His Bride, the Church.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through word and to present her to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27

Marriage is our God-designed model for what the Church is to become, which is the body of Christ on earth. Ephesians 5:28-30 explains, “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the Church—for we are members of His body.” Ephesians 5:31 explains God designed marriage as a profound mystery that reveals His eternal plan for Christ and His Church. “’For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the Church.” Like a physical, earthly marriage, God calls us to purity, as it is key to becoming one with our spouse and with the Church becoming one with Jesus Christ. 

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” (Hebrews 13:4)

Let’s pray:
Dear Father,
Marriage is Your sacred, holy design under Your authority alone. Today holy matrimony, Your vision for the relationship between Jesus and the Church is under attack. But You, O Lord, can strengthen and bind us as one in our marriages so that the enemy cannot tear apart what You have joined together. We ask You today to embolden us to stand up against his assaults and remain faithful to our vows to You and each other.

It’s not by our might or our power that we can stand, but by Your Spirit, who empowers us to withstand the enemy’s attacks against our marriages. Thank you, Father, for daily strengthening and encouraging us to be holy as You are holy. Let us be a picture to the world of Jesus’ unfailing faithfulness to His Church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.