Loving Friends..Craig Denison Ministries

 Loving Friends

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Loving others is one of the most important and difficult commands Jesus gave us. We are a messy, broken, needy, and sinful people. We constantly deal with our own wounds and those of others. Because there is no perfect person, the foundation for loving others must be based outside of the merit or worth of others. The foundation for love must come from the God who is love. As believers we must be constantly tapped into the love and grace of our heavenly Father so that we can love others selflessly and powerfully. May you receive the love of your Father and be empowered to love others this week as we look to grow in our obedience of Jesus’ command to love people.

Scripture:“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” >Proverbs 17:17

Devotional:

Good friends are one of God’s greatest gifts. Not one of us is meant to go through life alone and without help. God longs to use you as his hands and feet to those he has placed in your midst. He longs to make you a friend as he is a friend to us, in order to bless others and extend the reach of his kingdom.

1 Samuel 18:1-3 tells of the powerful friendship of David and Jonathan. Scripture says, “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.”

Jonathan was an incredible example of God’s heart for friendship. Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. Behind Saul’s pursuit of killing David was his desire to make Jonathan king. But instead of seeking earthly success, Jonathan humbled himself before David and served him, thereby serving his heavenly Father as well. Jonathan chose friendship over worldly power. As a result, David became Israel’s greatest king and ushered in the lineage of Christ.

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” God longs to transform you into a friend who loves others unconditionally. It’s in the hard times that we most need our friends. Yet in the hard times, many friends abandon us for relationships that require less of them. The heart of God is to stick with us through trials, sin, and bad decisions. He never leaves us or forsakes us, and he longs to make us like him. He longs to make us friends that will love through every season of life. He longs to empower us to love, serve, honor, and bless those he has intentionally given us.

God is calling you to love your friends “at all times.” He is calling you to a lifestyle of service and grace. What friend of yours needs your help right now? Who can you choose to serve over yourself? What friend is God calling you to love with the love he has shown you today?

1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” May you exhibit the heart of your heavenly Father to your friends by loving them as he has loved you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire for you to pursue godly friendship. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to love friends well today.

“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.” >1 Samuel 18:1-3

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” >Proverbs 17:17

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” >Proverbs 18:24

2. How can you be a better friend today? In what ways can you love those God has given you as friends? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you ways you can better love those around you today.

3. Ask God to empower you to be a friend who loves unconditionally. Ask him to make you like himself. Spend time resting in his presence and allowing his love to fill you and empower you.

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” >1 John 4:16

Living sacrificially without the burden of entitlement and self-satisfaction is absolutely the most peaceful and joyful way to live. You deserve nothing from others. Christ, Lord of all who deserved everything, sacrificed his life to the point of death for the very people who shouted, “Crucify him!” (Luke 23:21).If he pursued love over what was owed him, you are called to do the same. Choose to follow the example of Jesus and love others around you well today. If you do, you will discover a wellspring of abundant life directly connected to the heart of your heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: 1 Samuel 20

When Faith Wavers..Dr. Charles Stanley

 When Faith Wavers

Dr. Charles Stanley

James 1:5-8

If we believe that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised, why do so many of us habitually waver in our prayers? Instead of exercising bold faith, we come to the Lord “hoping” He will hear us and answer our requests, but we’re just not sure He will. With this kind of thinking, we cannot expect to receive anything from Him.

One reason we are so prone to doubt is that we fail to see God at work in our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But the Lord is not some cosmic bellhop who jumps in response to our requests. He sees past, present, and future and knows the right time for every answer. His invisible hand is already at work on our behalf—arranging situations to accomplish His will, opening hearts,
and preparing us to receive what He wants to give.

Another cause for uncertainty is ignorance. If we don’t know God’s ways, we will be disappointed in His response. All too often our prayers are accompanied by expectations of how He will work. When He fails to intervene according to our timetable or anticipated method, we start to doubt. But placing our faith in the Lord and trusting in His good and perfect ways gives us stability as we wait for His answer.

To overcome doubts, spend time in the Word to learn God’s principles and ways. Then you’ll begin to grasp what He wants to achieve in your life and how He goes about it. Examine your past from a biblical perspective—faith will grow as you see the unexpected ways He answered your prayers.

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Emotional Health for Believers.. Ashley Moore

 Emotional Health for Believers 

By Ashley Moore

"In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.” - Psalm 120:1, ESV

Recently, I read about a girl who had lived through a house fire. Her immense grief over the incident led her to seek therapy. During one of her sessions, she shared with her therapist that a well-meaning church member offered some ill-timed advice. That day the sermon made mention of a family who was also involved in a house fire and pointed out how they made the best of a bad situation and implied that she should too. Even though they meant no harm, their comments were trite, insensitive, and premature. 

Has anything like that ever happened to you? Has someone tried to hurry you along in the grieving process because your sadness lingered too long and caused them discomfort? Or maybe you’ve tried to rush yourself through a hard circumstance, telling yourself that you need to buck up and move on, even though you still felt sad or disappointed. Or perhaps, like me, you are prone to stuffing your negative feelings down until you think they’ve gone away, only to find they rear their ugly heads at the most unexpected and unwelcome times.

We have all experienced some versions of the scenarios above. But, we don't have to push down, dampen, or just move on from the hard emotions we experience. Did you know that God gave us those emotions for a reason?

Our Emotions Are Indicators
Much like the lights on the dashboard of a car, our emotions are signals that something is happening that requires our attention. And regardless of any ill-placed beliefs you may have received from the culture about our emotions, God desires that we go to Him in our distress.

The Bible calls God Abba, meaning Father. This is interesting because, according to neuroscience, children require a secure, emotionally-stable parent to regulate them when they are upset. Their brains are not developed fully enough to self-soothe without the help of another. God designed them to need an external source of security and comfort. This is why children often look to their caregivers when they get hurt. Just like children need the comfort of a loving parent in their distress, our emotions indicate to us that we, God’s children, need the tender comfort of our Heavenly Father. 

Healthy Emotions Are Processed Emotions
Therapist and author Aundi Kolber says that, “Emotions are meant to peak and pass much like waves and stormy weather.” Despite our best efforts to hurry along a storm or stop a wave in the ocean, we don’t have much chance of doing either successfully. The same is true of our emotions. They need to be metabolized by our bodies or they become stored as unhealed trauma that will resurface throughout our life. Again, our emotions are indicators that something is happening or has happened to us that need our attention. 

Hiding our emotions or trying to rush the processing of our feelings is unhealthy. Becoming an emotionally healthy believer means practicing taking our feelings to our loving Father like a little child and trusting Him to help us and give us the wisdom to process our pain. We never outgrow our need for God, and He longs to comfort and answer us and help us. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Journaling is a great way to process grief or anger. Set a timer for five minutes and journal and pray about a memory that comes to mind that brings up big emotions. When you finish, talk to God in prayer about what you wrote. If you feel led, share any significant memories with a trusted friend or counselor. 

God Will Lead Your Way..Lynette Kittle

God Will Lead Your Way
by Lynette Kittle

 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” - John 10:27

God Will Lead Your Way
by Lynette Kittle

How are you making decisions in life? Do you believe it’s all up to you or do you rely on God to direct your steps?

You may believe since God gave you free will, it’s for you to choose what to do and where to go. And yes, God has given you the ability to choose but He wants you to choose His ways.

Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages you to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight.”

So by choosing to follow God, you don’t have to depend on your own knowledge because He will lead you. By doing so, you’ll gain the ability to hear His voice. John 10:27 describes how “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Of course, you still have the choice to listen to God or go your own way. If you choose to venture out on your own, you may want to ask yourself if are you listening to your own voice or following another’s leading?

If you’re not sure how to distinguish the various thoughts that come into your mind, 2 Corinthians 10:5 directs you to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So in a practical, living-it-out daily kind of way, what does this look like?

When the devil tried to lead Jesus astray in the wilderness, Luke 4:1-13 describes how He handled bringing thoughts into captivity. He turned to God’s truth in responding, understanding “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

As Hebrews 4:12 explains, “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Through studying the Scriptures, Jesus was prepared to reject wrong thoughts from leading Him astray. Like Him, you, too, can prepare yourself to recognize and take ungodly thoughts captive by studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

If you want to be confident you are hearing God’s voice and following His leading, the key is to know God’s Word. Studying Scripture equips you to recognize His voice and gives you the ability to distinguish between what is true or false.

A Prayer to See Spiritual Progress..Laura Bailey

 A Prayer to See Spiritual Progress

By Laura Bailey

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” - 1 Timothy 4:8 NIV

I once read that forming a new habit takes roughly 2-3 months. Conversely, I’ve also read that most people give up on their goals within a few weeks of starting them. We are impatient and live in an instant gratification world; we desire fast results with minimal effort.

• Have you ever quit something before you started because you didn’t see results fast enough?
• You’ve been watching your diet and exercising daily, but the scale doesn’t move.
• You’ve made a point to speak kindly to that difficult co-worker, but your relationship still remains tense.
• You’re dedicated to putting a few extra dollars aside each month, but the debt pile barely moves.

I’ve experienced all the above, but where I tend to get most discouraged is in my Christian walk. I become impatient with God, irritated that His timetable isn’t mine, and want to throw in the faith towel too often. But just as eating one good meal won’t move the needle on the scale, neither will a lackadaisical commitment to growing our faith.

Paul understood the commitment it takes to grow our faith. In a letter of encouragement to Timothy, a new pastor charged with growing a church, Paul urges Timothy to give the same, if not more, attention to his spiritual training much like he would his physical training ( 1 Timothy 4:7). While it is necessary to take care of our health and give attention to our physical health, Scripture exhorts us to provide more focus to living a godly life.

One day our bodies will fail us, and our brief time on this earth will end, but our souls will last forever. As Paul instructs us, let's spend more time investing in the spiritual over physical heart work. However, we shouldn’t be so consumed by our eternal future that we ignore our current reality. We, and others around us, have genuine physical needs that must be met daily. We can glean from Paul’s words that the person pursuing a godly life will naturally develop an eternal prospect that translates to a well-lived earthly life.

Friend, don’t give up on your spiritual growth. Even when progress is slow, know that the Lord is doing a good work in those whom He loves and that He is faithful to complete it! Continue to be obedient in the small things, not neglecting to meet with Lord in Bible study and prayer and gathering with a local body of believers. Be encouraged by these words from Galatians 6:9, “ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Let us Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you’ve done for us. You’ve known us before the beginning of time, so you know the human struggle to persevere in our faith. Lord, we want to serve you faithfully, but sometimes we question, doubt, and wonder if it makes a difference. Help us in our unbelief; let us experience an unshakeable faith, a confidence in Christ that guides us to lean farther into You and Your will for our lives.

Lord, we ask for steadfastness as we navigate the ups and downs of our life. May our lives testify to your faithfulness, goodness, and all circumstances. We pray for those who don’t know you as Lord and Savior and humbly submit ourselves to your will. Keep us from growing weary; give us strength and peace that only comes from you as we pursue godliness. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.