God Rejoices Over Us..Craig Denison Ministries

 God Rejoices Over Us

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

As children of the Most High God, we are to be marked by contagious, unceasing joy. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to an unending supply of joy that comes from the wellspring of restored relationship with our heavenly Father. God longs to fill us with his joy that we might live the abundant life Jesus died to give us. He longs to make us children fashioned in the image of our Father that we might share his unending joy to a world without hope. May you discover the greater portion of joy available to you through the Spirit as you encounter the heart of your Father this week.

Scripture:“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Devotional:    

Zephaniah 3:17 provides a constant source of joy by revealing insight into the heart of our loving, present heavenly Father. That scripture says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” As we look at this verse today, I pray that you will be filled with an abundant joy that can only come from a fresh, tangible revelation of your heavenly Father’s overwhelming love for you.

“The Lord your God is in your midst.” You can have joy today because your God is totally and powerfully present right where you are. Scripture says that he will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6), his presence will go with you to the ends of the earth (Psalm 139:7-12), and at salvation you were made into a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). You can have joy because you are not alone in anything you do. God longs to make his presence known to you in every area of your life. He longs to do life with you—equipping you to live with total joy by filling you with his love every minute of every day.

“The Lord your God is . . . a mighty one who will save.” You can have joy because you have been totally redeemed from the destitution of the world that surrounds you. You are saved from the perils of life without relationship with your Creator. You have been offered to spend eternity with the God of love who laid down his own life for yours. Your God has done a mighty work. You are now his child, healed and set free through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

“He will rejoice over you with gladness.” You can have joy because your God rejoices over you. You are not a failure in his eyes. He loves who you are. He is wholeheartedly glad you are his. He longs to fill you with the knowledge of his gladness today. He longs to give you a revelation of how deeply in love with you he is. The Creator and Sustainer of all rejoices over you as his creation. You are not a mistake. You were made intentionally because your God longed to have relationship with you.

“He will quiet you by his love.” You can have joy because your God will shepherd you to the still waters. His love will guide you to quiet places where your heart can be at rest. He will calm the areas of your life that are burdened and stressed by freeing you with the depths of his affections. You can have peace today in the presence of your heavenly Father no matter what situation you find yourself in. Your God will “quiet you by his love” as you follow the leadership of his Spirit.

“He will exult over you with loud singing.” To exult is to be joyful or jubilant because of a triumph or success. You can have joy today because your God sees you as a triumph. You have been transformed. You are a new creation. You are what God has most desired in the earth. His chief longing has always been relationship with us, and by your faith in Jesus Christ you have given him what he has always wanted. God exults over you today just as you are. He longs for intimate relationship with you. He wants to give you ears to hear his “loud singing” that you might have the same perspective for yourself as he has for you.

In The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning says, "My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it." May you come to the awareness of how deeply you are loved by your God today. May you allow God to love what you have deemed unlovable in your own life. And may Zephaniah 3:17 be a foundation on which you experience the overwhelming joy that comes from God’s inexplicable love for you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Zephaniah 3:17. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight a part of the verse that you especially need today. Take time to allow Scripture to lay a foundation of truth on which you can have abundant joy.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

2. Ask the Lord to reveal his nearness. Rest in his presence and allow his love to quiet and flood the weary places in your heart.

“For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with abundant joy for today. Ask him to teach you how to live a joyful lifestyle where you experience the fruit of his presence through any circumstance.

“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:11

In Scripture, we have a source of constancy and steadfastness for our emotions. If we will allow Scripture to be the basis on which we think and feel, we can experience a joy that is unshakable by the passing tides of circumstance. Scriptures like Zephaniah 3:17 are vital to a healthy emotional life. We need constant reminders of the truth so that we can base our emotions on who God is rather than what is going on with the world around us. May you enter into a new season of abundant joy as you allow God’s word to be your emotional source and guide.

Extended Reading: Zephaniah 3

The Source of Jealousy..Dr. Charles Stanley

The Source of Jealousy

Dr. Charles Stanley

Galatians 5:17-21

Most likely, you have been caught off guard by a wave of jealousy at some point in your life. Was it a spiritual attack? Did the Enemy make you covetous? Was someone or something working to make you resentful?

The answer—which may surprise you— is no. Jealousy actually springs from within us, even though we might try to deflect the blame. For example, we may say, "Well, they just shouldn't have that. They don't deserve it, so I'm perfectly justified in feeling this way."

Do you see what is actually going on here? We are not only feeling envious of someone, but we're also saying that our jealousy is the other person's fault! That's simply not true. We are each 100 percent responsible for our own feelings of envy.

Jealousy is a product of the flesh. In the Bible, it is listed among such sins as idolatry, immorality, drunkenness, and sorcery—sins which stand against our holy God and are described as "earthly, natural, demonic" (Gal. 5:17-21; James 3:15).

Envious feelings can lead to unhealthy comparison of one's own success to someone else's. That pattern can grow into a competition to out-perform others—and may result in full-blown fear and resentment. What a horrible way to live!

Though jealousy is a common emotion, it has no place in a believer's life. So each of us should try to look objectively at our heart motives. Are you plagued with an attitude of jealousy today? Lay your honest feelings out before the Lord, and ask Him to cleanse you of this sinful attitude. 

Find Release through Forgiveness.. Jessica Van Roekel

 Find Release through Forgiveness

By Jessica Van Roekel

“If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”-  1John 1:9,ESV

Have you ever counted the cost of holding onto a grudge? Bitterness and resentment are deadly. I know because I've allowed these two rascals to cause much mischief in my life. Bitterness becomes a mason and builds thick walls between me and another person. This wall pretends to protect my heart, but in reality, it prevents new relationships with other people to form. Pretty soon, I'm trapped.

Resentment becomes a general who unfurls his battle plan with elaborate ways to attack and conquer. This plan ends with more hurt because anger makes me impossible to be around, which leads to more isolation. Bitterness and resentment work together to divide us from the people around us and prevent us from coming to God for the help we need. I'll never forget when my friend kicked me out of her life and the pain it brought. It also brought a whole host of other emotions like anger and revenge. Bitterness and resentment played on these feelings like two impish rascals who found a new playground. The more they played, the more I struggled. Not only did I need to forgive my friend, but now I needed forgiveness for my heart's attitude toward her.

Confession is one of those steps which takes a great deal of courage. We can get so caught up in our determination to justify our angry feelings we lose sight of God's way of responding to offenses. All we see is our hurt and our right to our hurt. The wound in our heart festers as we pour thoughts of revenge and bitterness into it. Not only must we deal with the hurt from the relationship, but we must also deal with the infection these responses create. These infect us by blinding us to what is real and true about walking with God. God's feelings about forgiveness were spectacularly demonstrated through Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Jesus taught the importance of forgiveness by teaching the disciples how to pray with The Lord's Prayer. Jesus gave this prayer to the disciples and us as a daily prayer, not an occasional prayer.

The Psalmists write of forgiveness, and, most notably, Psalm 51 shares the confession and reconciliation of David to God. David, the man after God's own heart, sinned against God and his ways. He couldn't see it and God sent Samuel to open his eyes. The result led him out of darkness and into the light. His confession brought freedom. It is a heart that stays tender toward the Lord, including his correction, that makes a person known as a man or woman after God's heart.

In our lives, God can use people, sermons, devotions, music, or the Word of God to show us the status of our hearts. Each of us is responsible for acknowledging whatever heart position God reveals to us, which is the type of confession in 1 John 1:9. When we confess, God grants us a complete and perfect cleansing. Our heart wound, which we infected with bitterness and resentment, can finally begin to heal. We can be comforted to know God's forgiveness is absolutely assured. We can count on God to be faithful to his promises. He holds our hearts, infected with the petty responses of bitterness and resentment, with gentle hands. He turns our hearts toward him, and because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, he forgives and cleans us.

Intersecting faith and life:
Sometimes our wounds are so great, and we don't think we can forgive, so bitterness and resentment play hard in our hearts. Forgiveness is the release we need to kick these unwanted rascals out of our lives. God enables us to do the impossible. He helps us forgive. He guides our hearts to his, where we find the relief we long for. He helps us take a diligent stand against letting those twin rascals back in our hearts. With God, you can stand alert and strong against the temptation to entertain bitterness and resentment. God's forgiveness leads the way back to wholeness and healing.

Further Reading:

• 1 John 1:5-10

4 Things to Know Before Engaging in Spiritual Warfare..Greg Laurie

 4 Things to Know Before Engaging in Spiritual Warfare

By Greg Laurie 

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: "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

When it comes to the Christian life, we will either gain or lose ground. We will either win or lose. But we have to be involved in the spiritual battle. Spiritual pacifists will be knocked down, because the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. It is up to us to fight the good fight of faith. So we need to suit up and learn the principles from God’s Word that teach us how to be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.

First, we need to put on the full armor of God as we engage in the spiritual battle. Ephesians 6:11 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (NKJV). The phrase “put on” carries the idea of doing something once and for all. It speaks of permanence. The full armor of God is not something we put on and then take off again. We are to keep it on all the time.

Second, we need to be aware of the fact that Satan is not the equal of God. The devil would like us to think that whatever God can do, he can do, as though they were two sides of the same force. Although Satan is a powerful spirit being, he is far from God’s equal. You see, God is omnipotent. God is omniscient. God is omnipresent. God can do anything that He wants to do, anywhere and anytime. Satan is none of those things. He has limitations as to what he can do.

Third, we need to realize that the devil will primarily attack us in the realm of the imagination. The apostle Paul mentioned this in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (NKJV). The devil knows that if he can get us to think about something, we are only a step away from actually doing it. He knows that our minds are “command central.” It is here that we reason. It is here that we remember. It is here that we dream. Our minds are the hard drive, the place where everything originates. Satan knows that it is only a short step from a thought to an act.

Last, we need to understand that the devil works with two very close allies: the world and the flesh. “The world” is the world system that is hostile toward God. It is living for personal gratification, our own will above all else. Then there is the flesh. When the Bible speaks of the flesh, it speaks more of the depraved, fallen human nature in which we are gratifying sensual appetites.

A Prayer to Dive into True Rest..Christopher Eyte

 A Prayer to Dive into True Rest

By Christopher Eyte

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28 - 30

I stood at the top of the diving platform, jutting out from the side of the small ship, and looked out across the wide tranquil expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. Then I studied the frothing blue abyss below and deliberately inhaled a sharp intake of air. My feet pushed out and launched my body upwards, creating an awkward arch in the azure sky before the weight of gravity pulled me down to the waters, and I fell through the mellow waves, dropping like a heavy stone as I disappeared into the depths. My breath was knocked out as I plummeted into the deep. A cold rush streamed across, and I sensed a freezing darkness. I was floating alone, far below the surface of the waves. 

It was very exhilarating, and I quickly felt insignificant and lonely in this sublime marine underworld. I didn’t know what surrounded me. I felt a strange sense of vulnerability and exposure. My lungs started to throb in need of oxygen, and I began kicking my feet furiously, pulling myself upwards towards the light in clumsy maneuvers. The swim to safety seemed endless until I broke the surface and gulped fresh air. The ship was still there, and I crawled slowly until I reached a metal ladder to get back on board.

A year later, I stood in a large basin inside a church building in a city in the north of England. Two men - older than me, full of love and wisdom - stood at my side. I proclaimed my identity in Jesus Christ publicly. Then hands gently laid hold of me to plunge me into a pool of water. I wanted to stay under that water forever. It wasn’t the physical liquid that absorbed me but the sense of closeness to Christ. It was a different feeling than my dive off the ship into the deep Mediterranean. That time I felt exhilarated but then quickly afraid and alone. This time, in these baptism waters, I felt at home. I was pulled out of the waters with a smile on my face and a crowd cheering in celebration. I am not alone. When I was in the sea, I had to push to the surface by myself. In the baptism, the hands of godly men held my arms and helped me.

Do you have memories of moments in your life that stand out like that? When you experienced how different the closeness of God feels compared to times when you’ve felt alone? There have been many hills to climb and valleys to get through since my baptism. I have limped rather than run the race. The promise of Jesus stands firm. Come to him if you feel weary. Come to him however you feel. Come and rest. He wants us to do this with our lives: to rest in Him every day and open the door for others to rest in him too. Remember his words in John 6:37:

“I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.” 

Life-changing words, which still hold true. I encourage you to spend time reflecting upon this beautiful invitation from God: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods." (Isaiah 55: 1 -2)

Let’s pray:
Father of all compassion. You have known me since before I was born. Thank you for being with me in every moment of my life, and I am your child. Help me to order my memories and put them where they belong—forgetting the unhelpful moments of the past and straining for the joy ahead—recollecting times of closeness to you. More than anything, when I said publicly, that moment of baptism, I belong to you. Today, I commit my life to you again and, in your precious name, the service of others. Amen.