God Wants to be Known..Craig Denison Ministries

 God Wants to be Known

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

To know God is to experience God. Just as we experience aspects of one another as we grow in friendship, we experience the wonders of God as we seek to simply know him. God is calling us to a life of seeking him with all we are. He is calling us to value relationship with him above all else that we would love no other but him. May you encounter wonderful aspects of relationship with your heavenly Father this week as we wholeheartedly seek to know him with all we are.

Scripture:“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

Devotional:

The single greatest privilege in life is to know God. The God who formed you, provides for you and sent his Son to die for you longs to have real relationship with you. He longs to be known by you. And through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus, we truly can know him like any other person. And in fact, in some respects he is infinitely more knowable than any other person. Jeremiah 31:33-34 says,

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

“From the least of them to the greatest,” says the living God. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, you can know the God of love. Knowing God is no longer reserved for those individually appointed as his leaders. Knowing God is no longer reserved for those like David, Isaiah, Peter, or the clergy. All of us have equal access to the living God.

And from the place of knowing God, we are granted the ability to experience his incredible attributes and be blessed by a greater awareness of our union with him. When we seek to know God, the Bible is clear that we begin to experience his love (Romans 5:5), hear his voice (John 10:27), and feel his peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16). We can partner in his purposes (1 Peter 2:9), experience his freedom (Romans 6:4), and rest in his presence (Psalm 16:11).

When we center our lives around knowing God, we gain experience with him like we do any other person. I don’t seek to hear my wife’s voice, rather I seek to know her and have conversation with her as a byproduct of that. I don’t seek just the emotion of love from my wife; rather, in getting to know her and walking in relationship with her, I experience her affections for me. So it is with God. When we simply seek to know him we gain experience in return.

I pray that as we look at the individual aspects of experiencing God this week your heart is stirred to simply seek deeper relationship with your heavenly Father, whatever may come as the result. Your Father loves you enough to pay the ultimate price to have relationship with you. Seek him and discover the wealth of his affections for you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the availability of knowing the living God. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to seek him with all your heart.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

“You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Psalm 27:8

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34

2. Is your life centered around the pursuit of knowing God? Check the posture of your heart today. Look at the way you spend your time, your emotions, your thoughts, and your actions. What seems to be your greatest pursuit?

3. Spend some time centering your heart around true relationship with a knowable God. Ask him to help guide your heart through your day toward this pursuit. Ask him to give you a check in your heart when something takes his place as the greatest desire in your life. Live today with him as your highest priority.

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” Psalm 119:10

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says,

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.

May we be those who boast solely in our relationship with God. May his love and nearness be our highest joy. And may it be said of us at the end of our days that we sought the Lord above all else.

Extended Reading: Psalm 46

Right Heart Space..Heidi Vegh

 Right Heart Space 

By Heidi Vegh

“God, who had set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace…” Gal 1:15

Paul is my favorite apostle in the Bible. Are you wondering what an apostle is? It means “person sent.” Paul was formerly known as Saul. He was a persecutor of Christians. He was on a mission to kill and destroy anyone who was a follower of Jesus because he believed that the message of Jesus was dangerous to Judaism. 

In a dramatic turn of events, Jesus physically met Saul on a road leading to Damascus. Jesus confronted him about persecution and blinded his eyes. The Lord then sent Saul to a man named Ananias in Damascus. The Lord told Ananias to pray for this man so that he may regain his sight and turn from his wicked ways.  

When Saul found Ananias, he prayed for him, and “something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength” (Acts 9:18-19). This is the most profound and miraculous conversion story in the Bible. After his encounter with Jesus, Saul changed his name to Paul and began preaching the good news to anyone who would listen. He spent his years traveling from place-to-place teaching that Jews and Gentiles alike are acceptable to God. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and He is the way everlasting (John 14:6) 

Paul authored 14 books in the New Testament in the form of letters. He wrote to churches across the ancient world encouraging them in their faith and praying for them to have the strength to endure the hardship that came with being a follower of Jesus. Paul was transformed by the power of Jesus. Have you been transformed by the power of Jesus? If the answer is yes, then you also have a responsibility to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:16-20).

Here are three foundation attitudes we must possess to effectively share the Good News:

1. Paul surrendered all control of his life to serving Jesus. Paul chose to live his life as a slave to God with his only purpose being to spread the Gospel. This was not something that was forced upon him, he simply chose to live a life fully devoted to sharing Jesus with the world. 

When we understand God’s goodness, our responses turn out to be total abandonment of ourselves to God’s plan. (Romans 12:1) When we truly understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for us to be fully forgiven our attitude ought to be one of utter thankfulness and a high priority of sharing this with others. Paul had a willing heart to abandon everything else in his life. 

“Do you not know that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price…” ( 1 Cor. 6: 19-20) 

Our mindset should be that in heaven we will rest but on earth, we shall work. We ought to live in full surrender and abandonment of personal comfort, daily agenda, control, and self-protection, among other things. This attitude led him to excruciating persecution, but he endured to be able to share the truth of the love of Jesus with everyone he found. 

2. Have you been called? 

Has God put something in your heart that you can’t help but let out? Have others told you about their vision for your life? When we know what we are called to do it produces boldness, focus, and perseverance.  If you are not sure of your calling, spend some time with the Lord seeking Him and His plan for your life. If you know Jesus, then He has a plan for you to spread the Gospel. The question is how and when. 

Where does he want you? To be an Apostle of Christ you must have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you, have godly character, and possess a healthy doctrine. We are to plant seeds of truth wherever we go. 

3. Set apart for Jesus

When we do find our calling, it doesn't always mean that it will happen right away. The Lord needs to prepare our hearts, and our minds and align our lives with what He has for us to do. It took Paul 17 years to finally reach the place where he could effectively share the Gospel and plant churches in desolate places. 

Living for Jesus and sharing who He is not something to be taken lightly. We are influencing people to become like us, like Jesus. Our attitudes and reactions reflect who we are in Christ. Jesus explained this to us in Matthew chapter 7. “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit”. This was a warning that we will become like those we follow. 

God takes His time to work with us so that we can become effective ministers of the gospel. We don’t want our brokenness spread to others. This is not to say that he waits for us to be perfect, but he will wait for our hearts and attitudes to be in the right place, and He will wait until we are fully surrendered to all He has for us. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Is there anything holding you back from sharing the gospel with those around you? Perhaps it is fear of death, ridicule, or loss? Have you been poorly taught or are you too distracted to listen? Are you struggling with distrusting human authority, pride, or impatience? 

Ask God to bring you to a place of surrender. Acknowledge God’s call on your life and if you are not sure what that is then spend time with Him and pursue what He wants from you. Surround yourself with a church of people that can support your calling. In the meantime, be active in the church. Don’t get frustrated if your calling takes time, His timing is always perfect. 

Further Reading: 

• Acts 9:1-18
• Romans 1:1
• Hebrews 13:7

3 Ways to Be Thankful Through the Holidays..Lynette Kittle

 3 Ways to Be Thankful Through the Holidays

By Lynette Kittle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” - Colossians 3:15

Especially during the holidays, it’s easy for a heart of thankfulness to fade. And as with most things in life, it’s easier said than done. So how do I go through the holiday season with a thankful heart?

Scripture offers three directives in how to prepare my heart towards an attitude of gratefulness.

1. Be Thankful in Actions. Colossians 3:17 gives me clear direction stating “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him,” encouraging me to live out my faith through my actions and reactions.

This can be anything and everything I do from waking up in the morning and deciding to thank God for the day, to being a courteous and safe driver on the roadways. With each action and reaction, I can determine beforehand to have an attitude of gratitude towards God.

2. Be Thankful By Remembering. Psalm 77:11 encourages me to remember the deeds of the Lord, which can be as simple as thanking God for His comfort, presence, and peace in daily challenges, remembering that He never leaves me or forsakes me (Hebrews 13:5). Of thinking how I can cast all my anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

It can be as easy as picking up my Bible and reminiscing through the underlined and highlighted verses and passages, remembering God’s goodness, mercy, and love.

Likewise, as Psalm 105:5 urges me to remember the wonders God has done, it’s good to talk with family members and friends of the ways God has answered prayers and met needs.

Reminding myself of His faithfulness stirs my heart towards thankfulness.

3. Be Thankful in Everything. Giving thanks in everything can seem like a hard task to accomplish at times, especially in difficult circumstances. Even so, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 directs me to make this choice stating, “give thanks in all circumstance; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

One way our family lived this out was when my husband’s job at a church ended rather abruptly. Being the only breadwinner at the time, along with hitting us unexpectedly, we felt tremendous disappointment with what had happened in the situation, as well as combating the uncertainty associated with the loss of income.

Wanting to respond in a way that pleased God and set a godly example for our four young daughters, we looked to express it in a way they would understand and could also be involved in, which resulted in baking a “Thankfulness” cake.

Even though at the time being thankful felt like an opposite kind of reaction to have in such a serious circumstance, doing so made a life-long impression on all of us and surprisingly not only comforted us but also cheered our hearts concerning God’s plans for our future.

An Advent Prayer to Our Prince of Peace ..Lisa Appelo

Advent officially runs from December 3 - December 24 in 2023.

 An Advent Prayer to Our Prince of Peace

by Lisa Appelo

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-2 [NIV]

This passage talks about stumps and shoots. We have several big oak trees in our yard and when one of them started endangering the house, we had it cut all the way down to a stump. A few months later? New green shoots with glossy green leaves began growing right out of that stump.  

That’s the picture that the prophet Isaiah uses. Seven hundred years before Jesus was ever born, Isaiah prophesied that a Messiah would come from the root of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David, an ancestor of both Mary and Joseph. While nearly all of King David’s royal line would be wiped out, God promised a Messiah would come from the stump of Jesse.  

Out of what looked like a dead royal line -- when a pagan, Roman government rather than a Hebrew king ruled over Israel -- God brought about that new shoot: the Messiah – Jesus.

Jesus, didn’t rule like King David with an earthly palace or majestic throne or royal robes conquering enemy nations through a mighty army. Instead, Jesus came in poverty and humility, to reveal a heavenly kingdom and to conquer the curse of sin through his own death.

Advent Prayer:

O Father, we praise you that before the foundation of the world You chose Jesus, our Messiah, to come to earth and show us the Way to the heavenly kingdom and to be the Way to the heavenly kingdom. We thank you for making room for us who are redeemed in Your heavenly Kingdom.

Jesus, we worship you as King of Kings and Lord of lords. You are my King. You have rule over my heart and my life, my thoughts and time and goals. I bow to You only and give you full and free reign over my life. Help me not to grip anything so tightly that I am unwilling to release it to You. You are a just King; our Prince of Peace. Help me to desire Your kingdom above that of my own making and bow to Your will above my own.

Holy Spirit, lead me in the ways of the heavenly kingdom. Teach me wisdom from above and guide me in truth. Help me to have eyes that see and ears that hear all that God has for me. Help me to know the Lord, to fully understand His might, to fear turning away from Him and to know His grace.

We love you Lord. With all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength we love you. We lavish you with our worship. We come to adore You today. Amen.

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Reset Your Gratitude Meter..Daniel Darling

 Reset Your Gratitude Meter

Daniel Darling

What are you thankful for? We gather, every year at this time, to reflect on the blessings of God over the past year. But in most families, Thanksgiving is less about real gratitude and more about stuffing your face, watching football, and hanging with the family. Some actually dread Thanksgiving, because they're forced to sit in a room with people they really don't enjoy. 

Now I'm all in favor of the food and the football. But this year, let's make Thanksgiving about giving and about thanks. This year, more than any, might force us to dig deeper. For many, it will mark a year since they've had employment. For others, Thanksgiving will bring another reminder that they haven't found that significant other. And there are those couples who have to face the family questions of why they still can't have children. 

For many, this was a year marked by pain. So how do we summon the gratitude? Well, if you're a Christian, you're basis is not your circumstances, but something greater. Paul tells the people of Thessalonica that they could "give thanks in everything." Why? Because this was the "will of God in Christ." 

In other words, followers of Christ believe that every piece of hardship is a grace gift from the Lord, sent for their growth, sanctification, and further intimacy with the Almighty. We don't believe we're here on this earth all alone. We believe God is firmly in charge. 

Though life may get hard--and it does--it all falls under God's sovereign will. And so we give thanks. 

As Americans, we really have cause for gratitude. I have to periodically remind myself of this and remind my family. We so easily get caught up in the easy lust for more stuff. Bigger house, nicer car, better clothes, newest gadgets. But then I remember my travels to third world countries, where I've seen real poverty--and real gratitude on the part of the Christians there. 

Tonight, my kids will go to bed with full stomachs. They'll have a roof over their heads. They will have two parents in the next room. They will ride in a nice car. They will have a future that includes a good education. All of those are things most kids in the world don't have. And so, they should be grateful. 

Let's not sit around the table carping about the election, complaining about our job status, whining about injustices from friends. Let's instead reset our gratitude meters and offer genuine, heartfelt thanks to God. For salvation in Christ. For His daily care. And for friends and family He graciously provides. Oh, and for wives that allow us to stuff our faces and watch football.