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

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

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

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

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

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

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