Thursday Devotional...SO MANY BATTLES OR...

                                                                ...CHOOSING MY BATTLE

I am finding it very challenging to watch the news nowadays. I am so sorry for the lives that have been lost, the lives that have been stolen, and the killing of innocents in order to achieve control. Every terrorist attack, every riot, and each murder is forcing me to face the fact that we do not live in a world of peace. It is simply not true that if we just let everything be then all will be happy. From sex trafficking to domestic violence to poverty to oppression to civil unrest: people are in terrible trouble all over our world; even in our own neighborhoods.

I cried out to the Lord that I didn’t know how I could pray for everyone and everything every day when each day brings a fresh supply of new troubles. I felt in my spirit that He told me that it wasn’t my burden to try to carry everything (not that I could!). Then what should we do when we see or hear of those who are in turmoil?

EPHESIANS 6:10-18 (The Message)

10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,

15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].

17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.

18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Dear Lord, only by Your grace can I hope to follow Your Word. But I know You wouldn’t tell us to do something if it couldn’t be done. Please give me the courage to push through anything that would make me hesitate, stumble, or forget to follow the above. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

"Surrounded By A Great Cloud Of Witnesses"

This evening my husband and I took a stroll at my favorite park. It is encircled by a beautiful body of water with many types of birds. We also saw several lovely deer. It was quite a treat with the exception of one thing. During one point of our walk, we were surrounded by a cloud of male mosquitoes that seemed to follow us for several minutes. There were literally hundreds of them. They were of great hindrance and agitation to us and slowed us down to some degree. We had to continually bat at them to keep them at bay, but we continued to press on in our walk.

I began to ponder about these cloud of mosquitoes, which led me to start thinking about the scripture out of Hebrews 12:1 which says "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

 

We are surrounded daily by a cloud of Godly men and women who have gone before us and ran the race. They are cheering us on, encouraging us to press onward no matter what we may face in life. God's word tells us to not allow any hindrance or sin to weigh us down. We are called to run with great endurance the race that God has set before us to the very end.

With the cloud of mosquitoes that we faced today, we chose to carry on and not be ensnared by them in our walk. I encourage each of you as you walk each day and are faced with difficulties that may tend to weigh you down, remember the great cloud of witnesses that surround you and run that race with amazing endurance in the strength of the Lord.

In His Amazing Love,

Sandy Billingham

Love Is Blind

There are songs that say that love is blind. Some want to believe that while others say that this is pure nonsense. Why do people think that they have to prove themselves to others…to behave in such a way that others will think that they are good or even wonderful? So they work and work to show themselves in a favorable light. It is an impossible thing to achieve. If they work at it they will never have success. Because they do not understand this impossibility, they are doomed to failure. They live in a frustrating world of breakdown and disappointment.

We who know and love God…who are his children by our invitation to Him to be our Father…are blessed. We work to be our best because we love Him. It is not because we feel we need to win Him or earn His love. How wonderful to know that God loves us with an Agape love. That kind of love is pure and without requirements of behavior. It is defined as a love that is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. This Greek word and variations of it are found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers:

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.
The one who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I too will love them and show myself to them.
John 14:21

Now I am not saying it is a free ride no matter how badly we behave. What it is, however, is equivalent to the phrase. “Love is blind.” God loves us without conditions or expectations. I am not saying that there are not consequences to unacceptable choices and actions. What I am saying is that God will work with any choice and turn it for good. His patience is beyond our understanding. His love is beyond our understanding. Everything about Him is beyond our understanding. That is why we need faith. We need to believe that God loves us, that this is agape love that causes Him to constantly have our best in His intentions.

WHY IS IT THAT WE CANNOT BELIEVE IT AND UNDERSTAND IT?

Heavenly Father, I ask you to help people to believe that you love them unconditionally. Help them to know that they do not have to earn your love. When they became one of your children with the prayer of salvation they fell under your perfect umbrella of Agape love. Thank you Lord…..Amen.

Written by Corinne Mustafa

THANKING THE THORNS

Devotional for Sunday 10/07/12

Thorns are painful when they pierce our flesh.  They can draw blood if they poke deeply enough.  Even if no blood appears, the nerves in the skin are very sensitive.  It is most frustrating if the thorns are so tiny you can't even see them to pull them out.  Even after they are removed, the wound can be in an area that is easily re-aggravated, especially if alcohol or vinegar gets into the cut. Thorns come in a variety of shapes and sizes with varying degrees of injury that can be inflicted on our skin.

A thorn can also mean something other than a sharp barb on a plant. "A thorn in the side" can be used to describe anything that annoys or causes discomfort.  It can be something we have to bear that is disconcerting.  Someone or something that causes suffering in our lives could be called a thorn in the flesh.  It could be something that we know will pass like a student that a teacher will have for one year, or it might be something where there is no end in sight like a chronic disease.  Where do they come from and how are we to respond to these types of "thorns"?

Paul spoke of a thorn in his flesh: 

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV

We are not told what his "thorn" was, except that he looked at it as a messenger of Satan.  God doesn't cause us pain, Satan does.  Paul's response was to ask God to remove it, and when it was not removed he boasted about his weakness to celebrate God's power.  So when we experience our own "thorns" in life, perhaps we too can see them simply as a reminder by Satan that we are weak, and that we can celebrate God's strength to carry us through it.  The next time we are haunted by a memory of something in the past, for which we have already received forgiveness, we can try to remember to thank Satan for the reminder that we are God's child, and our God is a mighty and powerful God who has already forgiven and restored us.  When we are suffering through the storms of this life, we can remember that God is our anchor who gives us internal peace in spite of what our lives/bodies are experiencing.  Thanking the thorns can give us a new perspective to look beyond our pain to the One who suffered more than any of us with a crown of thorns on the cross in our place.  He is the one who is full of grace and mercy, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

written by Jan Andersen

Saturday Devotional....Beauty and Danger...

                              .....dangerous things can coexist...so "keep a cool head"

As I drove down a 2 lane highway I was awed by the beauty of God's creation. A silk ribbon of water wound it's way along side the road. Bright butterflies flitted amongst bright flowers that sprung from nooks and crannies of the lush foilage. It was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that danger lurked. I was in an area known as alligator alley. Sometimes travelers see a few gators while others have seen hundreds.

I thought how sometimes the circumstances of my life give the appearance of everything being safe and beautiful. But I am reminded by this incredible part of creation that safety is an illusion.

I Peter 5:8-11 (MSG)

Keep a cool head.

Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better

than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones

plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world.

So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long

before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal

and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good.

 He gets the last word; yes, he does.

Dear Lord, please help me to keep my focus on things that are important to You. Help me to continue to stay in Your Word and in prayer so that I will be ready to resist the enemy when he attacks. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Friday Devotional...Least Esteemed...

                              ...think of how God esteems you and you will find peace

The scriptures declare in 1st Corinthians 6: 3-4...

Know ye not that we shall judge angels?

How much more things that pertain to this life.

If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life,

set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

I came across this scripture this week as I myself was in a heavy trial. I was searching for a comforting scripture, when this word of God shed light to my understanding. Read it carefully…Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life. If then ye have judgments of things pertaining this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

How often do I get myself in a turmoil over something that someone said to me that really put me in a frenzy. My self-esteem dropping to rock bottom thinking that I am least of anyone, my mindset in a frame of feeling unintelligent and just plain old down in the mully grubs in the despairs of life…. over this one person that is causing me great grief.

When I read these two scripture verses, it was like God picked me up by the back of my shirt collar and said >>>“Glenna, stand up! don’t you see although you may be least esteemed….you have the grace of God with you, and you have judgment of good, not bad toward you. You have judgments of things pertaining to this life and you can have the confidence in God to judge things pertaining to this life. For no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, therefore stand in judgment and declare victory… for God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”

In other words….”YOU GO GIRL”

When I came to my senses and stood firm on the word of the Lord to LET him fight my battles…I received peace, not as this world gives but as He gives. Feel like I could do a little Victory Jig about now.

Written by:

Glenna Williamson

Thursday Devotional...10/4/12...God Cares

I sat down in the recliner with a sigh. Opening my book I started reading the last of 20 or so pages. Within a minute I grabbed a tissue as a few tears started to flow, my heart beating with anticipation and sympathy for the main character. Then my son asked me an important question. I know it was important because he paused his Xbox game and turned in his seat toward me.

“Why do you read books that make you cry?” he asked, looking at me seriously.

Inside I was a little miffed at the implication that I was doing something silly or questionable.

“I am reading a story about a young woman’s life and I am crying with relief and joy as she discovers God’s love for her and how He is moving in her life,” I replied somewhat defensively. This answer seemed to satisfy my son and he went back to his game.

I have to say that I love reading novels. I used to restrict myself from reading because once I started I wouldn’t put it down not for love nor money, nor dinner, nor dirty diapers, nor sleep! I especially enjoy novels that show the real insides of people. I ache when they ache, I sob when they are broken or crushed, and I hold my breath every time they get close to recognizing that God loves and cares for them. Relief floods through me and my shoulders relax as they take a step of faith and accept His offer of salvation. But as we all know the story never ends there.

The sky may be blue and the trees full of birdsong but the world we live in comes quickly at us trying to rip this wonderful gift of God’s love into shreds. Soon a voice we know too well (a friend, a relative, a co-worker, or an enemy) will spit out words at us that will dive deep into our heart grabbing at the seed of Truth God has planted there.

The gift of salvation fills us with hope. But the working out of that salvation takes time and work. It takes lots of hard, painful, intense work to free ourselves of the ties and lies of those who do not know God’s grace.

So, I read books that make me cry because the human condition is worth crying over. I want to be reminded that I have no idea what secret pain, shame, or sorrow may exist deep in the soul of the woman beside me.

Romans 12:15 (NASB)

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep.

Hebrews 13:3 (NIV)

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,

and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Dear Lord, Please help me to have compassion for all of mankind. Please help me to remember to pray for those You have brought to my attention. Please open my eyes, heart and mind to any practical way that I might relieve someone’s suffering. In Your precious name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

The book that had me so absorbed:
The Penny
by Joyce Meyer and Debbie Bedford