Monday, August 31, 2009

Building Faith



Consequently, faith comes from hearing
the message, and the message is heard
through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17






Faith is like a muscle, which must
be exercised in order to become
strong. Christians are to believe
God, not only for salvation, but
for everything. Faith is actually
a process that involves increasing
degrees of trust throughout life.
The Lord may not do every miraculous
thing you ask of Him, but He does
some extraordinary work in and through
each person who is obedient and willing
to trust Him. He not only works through
people of faith; He transforms them.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Friday, August 28, 2009

Double-Minded


Those who cling
to worthless
idols forfeit
the grace that
could be theirs.
Jonah 2:8


What we depend on--or give priority to--
anything besides the Lord, it becomes our god.

He gives us relationships, possessions, and
meaningful work, but we are constantly tempted
to cherish the gifts more than the Giver.

An accurate measure of priorities is the use of
our time. Do you reserve a part of each day
for God, or is every minute consumed by the
demands of life?

On what or whom do you depend? The Lord gives
us His strength and provision, but so often we
choose to rely on ourselves, others, or even
money. The tendency to worry or control is a
sign of self-reliance rather than dependence
on God.

Double-minded service will not work. We must
make up our minds and follow through with actions.
If we really believe that the God of the Bible is
the only true God, we ought to give Him our whole
life, follow Him faithfully, and serve Him with all
our gifts and abilities.

~Charles Stanley~
from: In Touch Devotional Booklet

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Thief


The thief does not come
except to steal, and to
kill and to destroy.
I have come that they
may have life, and that
they may have it more
abundantly.

John 10:10

Jesus warns us to be on guard for thieves who
will try to rob us of what God has for us. The
world seeks to convince you that you will find
fulfillment if you adopt its standard of morality
for your marriage, raising your children, advancing
your career, or pursuing pleasure. If you believe
this, you will never experience the blessings God
intended for you.

Jesus wants you to live your life with security,
knowing that you are a beloved child of God. If
you are not experiencing love, joy and peace, you
have settled for less than what God intends for you.
If you have been making excuses for why you are not
experiencing an abundant and joyful life, determine
today to settle for nothing less than God's best for
your life. Stop following the world's way of finding
satisfaction. Instead, listen to the Savior's voice,
and you will find true fulfillment.

~Henry T. and Richard Blackaby~
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Our Choice


Set your minds
on things above,
not on earthly
things.

Colossians 3:2



We choose what we let ourselves be filled
with and God respects our choice.

How easy it is to let the world squeeze me
into its mold, into its ways of thinking.
Enable me, Lord, to fully commit my mind
to You in all that I think and in all that
I expose it to. Give me grace to be careful
what I listen to and think about, knowing
that my life is shaped by my thoughts.

~Ruth Myers~
from: 31 Days of Power

Monday, August 24, 2009

Christlikeness


being confident of this,
that he who began a good
work in you will carry it
on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6




As God leads you in your Christian growth,
He will allow challenges that match your
character and relationship to Him. God
will not totally change your character at
once when you become a Christian. Rather,
He will lead you through a process to become
more like His Son. He will keep working in
an area of your life until it is controlled
by the Holy Spirit. God will not take short-
cuts in His process of making you like Christ.
He sees your life from eternity and will take
as long as necessary to produce lasting spiritual
growth in you.

~Henry T. and Richard Blackaby~
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Thursday, August 20, 2009

God's Help














Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine, according to His power
that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21


If God has called us to His highest and best,
each of us will have a time of crisis, when
all our resources will fail and when we face
either ruin or something better than we have
ever dreamed. But before we can receive the
blessing, we must rely on God's infinite help.
We must be willing to let go, surrendering
completely to Him, and cease from our own
wisdom, strength, and righteousness.


L. B. Cowman
from: Streams in the Desert

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Self Reliance



And my God will
meet all your needs
according to his glorious
riches in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19






Self reliance robs us of Gods good gifts.
As long as we rely on our own resources,
we will never place our trust in Him.

True wealth is found in a relationship with
God. Those who realize their inherent spiritual
poverty apart from God will trust in Him, and He
will enrich their lives immeasurably.

Henry T. and Richard Blackaby
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

His Will


Nevertheless,
not as I will,
but as You will.

Matt. 26:39





It is as we seek God's kingdom on earth,
and not our own purposes, that we gain
the same mind as our heavenly Father.

Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby
from: Experiencing God Day by Day

Monday, August 17, 2009

Waiting


I waited
patiently
for the
Lord.

Psalm 40:1





Waiting is difficult, for waiting requires patience,
and patience is a rare virtue. Many of us are lacking
the strength we so desire, but God gives complete power
for every task He calls us to perform. Waiting--keeping
yourself faithful to His leading--this is the secret of
strength.

God has a purpose in all of His delays. Victory is then
to be won by standing still and quietly waiting. It re-
quires much more courage to stand and wait and still not
lose heart or lose hope.

...after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

L. B. Cowman
from: Streams in the Desert

Friday, August 14, 2009

Choose


Shall we accept
good from God
and not accept
adversity?

Job 2:10




It's easy to want our lives to be all beauty
and no cost, all gain and no loss. If our
Father did not pamper His beloved Son, should
we expect Him to pamper us? Jesus Himself
assures us in John 16:33, "In this world you
will have trouble [pressures, trials, tribu-
lations,hardships, sorrows]. But take heart!
I have overcome the world".
We can choose to
take heart, to cheer up, and therefore to
experience His peace in the midst of pressures
and costly trials. This can motivate us to
open our arms wide and receive what God gives
us to do, along with His sufficiency to accom-
plish it.

~Ruth Myers~
from: The Satisfied Heart

Thursday, August 13, 2009

He Knows Us


God is not
disillusioned
with us. He
never had
any illusions
to begin with.

~Luis Palau~


O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in — behind and before;
You have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:1-6

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Perfect Love


God is love.

1 John 4:8










Since His love is perfect, it cannot
be improved. God already loves us perfectly,
so we never have to try to get Him to love
us more!There's a reason God's love is perfect:
it is linked inseparably with everything He is.

God's strong side is revealed in His power,
majesty, holiness, glory, righteousness, and
sovereignty. His tender side is revealed in
His warmth, graciousness, kindness, goodness,
mercy, and understanding. All these qualities
and more are behind God's love.

~Ruth Myers~
from: The Satisfied Heart

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Praise


Praise be to the LORD,
the God of Israel, from
everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

Psalm 41:13




True praise is unconditional. It's not an attempt
to manipulate God into producing the precise results
we hope for. Instead, it helps us accept our situation
as it is, whether or not He changes it.

Praise can flip the switch that, so to speak, turns on
that mighty, glorious presence and tunes us in to His
sufficiency. Any form of sincere, believing prayer
directs God's power into our lives and situations.

~Ruth Myers~
from: 31 Days of Praise

Monday, August 10, 2009

Take up your Cross


If anyone wishes to come
after Me, he must deny
himself, and take up his
cross and follow Me.

Matthew 16:24




May I ask whether anyone looking at how you spend
your days would see evidence of self-denial, indi-
cations that you have take up your cross to follow
Christ?

We want heaven, life, eternity! Who doesn't? We hear
the good news about eternal life through Jesus Christ.
It's free, so we take it, tuck it under our arms, and
walk away. We're relieved. No hell now; heaven's our
home. Then we imagine we can get back to living our
lives as we please.

But, can we? Does true Christianity allow us to go back
to living our own lives? You cannot belong to God and
live any way you please. True Christianity is discipleship.
It's the willingness to turn around, to leave everything,
and to let Jesus Christ be all in all. It's the willingness
to follow Him wherever He leads and do whatever He says.

~Kay Arthur~
from: Lord, I Give You This Day

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Your Word


All Scripture is inspired
by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training
in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16






Dear Lord, may I look intently into Your Word day by day
with a longing to know You better and do Your will at all
times. May the Spirit unfold its truths to me; may He
motivate me to meditate on it and apply it to my life.
Make me diligent to hear and read it often. Empower me to
trust You and obey all Your commands. Amen.

~Ruth Myers~
from: 31 Days of Prayer

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Renew Your Mind




The mind
justifies
what the
heart has
chosen.





Graphic by Amy Sumrall

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:12

And just how do we "renew" our minds?
By reading and meditating on God's Word daily.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

All


Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your mind and
with all your strength.

Mark 12:30



This wonderful Person--the supreme Ruler of the universe,
Creator of all things, the One possessing all power and
exalted far above all--He asks me to love Him with all
my heart. He tells you and me, "This is what I want from
you first of all, more than anything else."

Before time began God decided He wanted to include others
in that circle of love. God is always yearning for us and
always has been.

For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world.

Ephesians 1:4


~Ruth Myers~
from: The Satisfied Heart

Monday, August 3, 2009

Trust and Worry


I will put
my trust
in You.

Hebrews
2:13







Remember always that there are two things that
are more utterly incompatible even than oil and
water, and these two are trust and worry. When
a believer really trusts anything, he ceases to
worry about the thing he has trusted. And when
he worries, it is a plain proof that he does not
trust.

~Hannah Whitall Smith~

...when the Son of Man comes, will
He find faith on the earth?

Luke 18:18