GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY MARCH 29, 2014.
PROVERB:
A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man. Proverbs 12:2
PROMISE:
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming. The power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. Psalm 37: 12, 13, and 17.
PRAISE:
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and fortress. My tongue will tell of Your righteous acts all day long. Those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. Psalm 71: 3, 4, and 24.
March 30, 2014
Redemption: March 28, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MARCH 28, 2014.
REDEMPTION
DEFINITION:
The act of buying back by paying a ransom; restoration; to free from the consequences of sin.
SCRIPTURE:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many people not only do not understand what redemption is, but do not know why they need redemption. So the question that we want to answer is, “Why do we need redemption?”
The theme of the Bible is redemption. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible teaches that the law of God has condemned us all, without exception, because as we read in Romans 3:23 (above) we have all sinned. By sinning we separate ourselves from God and miss the beauty of God’s plan for our life. Because of our sinful nature we stand condemned and we need redemption. Because of the grace of God, He stands ready to rescue us from our sins and redeem us.
In the book of Romans the apostle Paul speaks of three phases of redemption. They are justification, sanctification and glorification.
Paul illustrates the meaning of justification by saying that justification means that God gives us a right to stand before Him on the basis of the work of Christ, not because of anything that we have done. Justification is God’s act of declaring us not guilty. He wipes our record clean and God no longer sees our sin. We stand before Him just as if we had never sinned because Jesus, God’s own Son, died on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all of our sins.
In ourselves, we are incapable of pleasing God in our own strength with our own shabby ideas of righteousness. Righteousness is not something we earn but comes to us by faith when we accept the gift that God gave us to pay our penalty for our sins, His Son Jesus Christ.
Redemption also must include sanctification. Many believers stop with justification feeling that all they need is an escape from going to hell. But Paul reminds us in Romans four the necessity for all believers to be set apart for God and God’s purpose to deliver our soul, our mind, our emotions and our will from the control of our sinful nature. Being sanctified simply means that we as believers need to be dedicated to God or set apart for God. Sanctification comes by the working of the Holy Spirit within us (I Peter 1: 2).
The ultimate state for every believer is glorification. “Those who He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). When Jesus returns to rapture His church, believers will receive new glorified bodies which will be like Christ’s after His resurrection (Philippians 3:21). What a glorious day that will be! Believers will spend eternity in Christ’s glory (Romans 8:17) and giving glory and honor to our Lord and God (Revelation 4:9-11).
And finally when we are redeemed it is the plan of God for us to glorify God through all of our words and actions. Nothing is more important for us today then to be certain that we understand that we all are born sinners and because we are sinners we must pay the penalty for our sins. But God in His great mercy provided His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and for this we should glorify His name.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
PRAYER:
I am so grateful that You sent Your Son to this earth to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You for the glory that is waiting for me in heaven. Help me to completely set apart my life to You so that all that I do and say will glorify Your name.
REDEMPTION
DEFINITION:
The act of buying back by paying a ransom; restoration; to free from the consequences of sin.
SCRIPTURE:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Many people not only do not understand what redemption is, but do not know why they need redemption. So the question that we want to answer is, “Why do we need redemption?”
The theme of the Bible is redemption. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible teaches that the law of God has condemned us all, without exception, because as we read in Romans 3:23 (above) we have all sinned. By sinning we separate ourselves from God and miss the beauty of God’s plan for our life. Because of our sinful nature we stand condemned and we need redemption. Because of the grace of God, He stands ready to rescue us from our sins and redeem us.
In the book of Romans the apostle Paul speaks of three phases of redemption. They are justification, sanctification and glorification.
Paul illustrates the meaning of justification by saying that justification means that God gives us a right to stand before Him on the basis of the work of Christ, not because of anything that we have done. Justification is God’s act of declaring us not guilty. He wipes our record clean and God no longer sees our sin. We stand before Him just as if we had never sinned because Jesus, God’s own Son, died on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all of our sins.
In ourselves, we are incapable of pleasing God in our own strength with our own shabby ideas of righteousness. Righteousness is not something we earn but comes to us by faith when we accept the gift that God gave us to pay our penalty for our sins, His Son Jesus Christ.
Redemption also must include sanctification. Many believers stop with justification feeling that all they need is an escape from going to hell. But Paul reminds us in Romans four the necessity for all believers to be set apart for God and God’s purpose to deliver our soul, our mind, our emotions and our will from the control of our sinful nature. Being sanctified simply means that we as believers need to be dedicated to God or set apart for God. Sanctification comes by the working of the Holy Spirit within us (I Peter 1: 2).
The ultimate state for every believer is glorification. “Those who He justified He also glorified” (Romans 8:30). When Jesus returns to rapture His church, believers will receive new glorified bodies which will be like Christ’s after His resurrection (Philippians 3:21). What a glorious day that will be! Believers will spend eternity in Christ’s glory (Romans 8:17) and giving glory and honor to our Lord and God (Revelation 4:9-11).
And finally when we are redeemed it is the plan of God for us to glorify God through all of our words and actions. Nothing is more important for us today then to be certain that we understand that we all are born sinners and because we are sinners we must pay the penalty for our sins. But God in His great mercy provided His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and for this we should glorify His name.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
PRAYER:
I am so grateful that You sent Your Son to this earth to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You for the glory that is waiting for me in heaven. Help me to completely set apart my life to You so that all that I do and say will glorify Your name.
Community: March 27, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MARCH 27, 2014.
COMMUNITY
DEFINITION:
Group of people who live in a particular locale; a group having interests or religion in common or have the same cultural or historical heritage.
SCRIPTURE:
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We can remember our grandparents talking about the community that they lived in. Every person within miles was considered part of their community. When one was sick everyone would endeavor to help out. If another was facing a concern everyone wanted to be with them in their time of need.
Community life today has all but left us. Many people do not even know the names of their neighbors let alone show any interest for them if they are in need. This is a by-product of the “ME” generation that we live in. Everyone is concerned about self and no one else.
In chapter 5 (above), James paints a beautiful picture for us of an authentic Christian community. A community is not limited to neighbors but for most believers a community consists of people with like mind --- a love for Jesus.
James shares with us four qualities that make a Christian community of believers. They are confession, prayer, honesty and love.
As believers in Jesus we need Christian fellowship. This fellowship requires us to talk openly with fellow Christian brothers and sisters about our situations and concerns and then to pray for insight and healing, with honesty and love.
If Christians were committed to live this way then the grace of God would flow through us individually and as a family of faith. We would become a dynamic and invigorating community and the world would press its nose against the glass, trying to see what we have and desiring to have it too.
Most Christians today live in isolation cells not willing to let anyone else into their lives and not willing to let anyone see exactly who they are. You can ask someone how they are and they will answer something like, “just fine.” But they really are not just fine but have hurts and concerns that basically, they feel, no one cares about.
The real problem today, as we see it, is that most Christians do not want to share with others because in the past they have been betrayed by others who were not trustworthy. Christians need to learn to share with trust-worthy believers who will encourage them, share in their concerns and pray for them. This is how it should be among the community of those who love the Lord.
Take the time now to look for several people that you can trust because they have the same spiritual desires that you have and begin your community. Start with prayer for others and then allow God do His work.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Help my family to find that Christian community that will serve as a support base for us and that we, in turn, can be a support base for them. Give us a renewed desire to serve others and make known the love of God that He has for each of us.
COMMUNITY
DEFINITION:
Group of people who live in a particular locale; a group having interests or religion in common or have the same cultural or historical heritage.
SCRIPTURE:
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We can remember our grandparents talking about the community that they lived in. Every person within miles was considered part of their community. When one was sick everyone would endeavor to help out. If another was facing a concern everyone wanted to be with them in their time of need.
Community life today has all but left us. Many people do not even know the names of their neighbors let alone show any interest for them if they are in need. This is a by-product of the “ME” generation that we live in. Everyone is concerned about self and no one else.
In chapter 5 (above), James paints a beautiful picture for us of an authentic Christian community. A community is not limited to neighbors but for most believers a community consists of people with like mind --- a love for Jesus.
James shares with us four qualities that make a Christian community of believers. They are confession, prayer, honesty and love.
As believers in Jesus we need Christian fellowship. This fellowship requires us to talk openly with fellow Christian brothers and sisters about our situations and concerns and then to pray for insight and healing, with honesty and love.
If Christians were committed to live this way then the grace of God would flow through us individually and as a family of faith. We would become a dynamic and invigorating community and the world would press its nose against the glass, trying to see what we have and desiring to have it too.
Most Christians today live in isolation cells not willing to let anyone else into their lives and not willing to let anyone see exactly who they are. You can ask someone how they are and they will answer something like, “just fine.” But they really are not just fine but have hurts and concerns that basically, they feel, no one cares about.
The real problem today, as we see it, is that most Christians do not want to share with others because in the past they have been betrayed by others who were not trustworthy. Christians need to learn to share with trust-worthy believers who will encourage them, share in their concerns and pray for them. This is how it should be among the community of those who love the Lord.
Take the time now to look for several people that you can trust because they have the same spiritual desires that you have and begin your community. Start with prayer for others and then allow God do His work.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Help my family to find that Christian community that will serve as a support base for us and that we, in turn, can be a support base for them. Give us a renewed desire to serve others and make known the love of God that He has for each of us.
Walls: March 26, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 26, 2014.
WALLS
DEFINITION:
Structures to enclose, to separate, support or protect.
SCRIPTURE:
And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned by fire. Nehemiah 2:13.
KNOWLEDGEAND EXPERIENCE:
A wall is a very symbolic structure. Down through the ages walls were built to protect the people and things inside the walls. But walls are more than just a barrier of stone and mortar. The walls of the city of Jericho symbolized the pride and arrogance of that godless city and that is one reason why God chose to pull them down with nothing but the faith of the Children of Israel and Joshua, their leader. The arrogance of Jericho was no match for the humility of God’s people when it was aligned with the limitless power of God.
The Berlin wall not only symbolized the division between east and west, but also the misery and despair of the people living under communism. The 1500 mile long wall of China symbolized the vast power of the Chin Dynasty and was built to defend China from the warring tribes of the north. It was so long and tall that it made a clear statement, “Do not even think of invading our land.”
In ancient cities, massive walls were the first, last and only line of defense. The walls of the city of Babylon, according to Daniel, were not as long as the Great Wall of China but were much higher and more massive.
The wall that Nehemiah went to look at by night, verse above, was the wall around Jerusalem that God had called him to rebuild. And it had even a deeper spiritual meaning than any of the other walls ever built. The walls of Jerusalem were symbolic of God’s protection and power. The rebuilding of these walls around Jerusalem, symbolizes an act that must be taken by everyone who is spiritually broken down. They must rebuild the walls of their lives.
For the Jewish people Jerusalem represented God’s dwelling place and the center of life in the Old Testament. It was in Jerusalem that Solomon built a temple and God blessed it with His presence. From the time of Abraham, Jewish history centered in and around Jerusalem.
In the New Testament, we see that God’s ultimate dwelling place is in us, His people. If we have allowed the walls of our spiritual life to become broken down now is the time to rebuild our wall of faith and surround ourselves with God’s protection and strength.
There were 5 steps that Nehemiah shares with us that he took in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We need to adhere to these same steps as we rebuild the walls of our lives.
First, Nehemiah had a CONCERN about the ruins. We will never rebuild the walls of our lives unless we have a concern and mourn the ruins of our lives, just as Nehemiah mourned the ruins of the wall at Jerusalem.
Secondly, Nehemiah wept and prayed for days over his concern for the way that the nation of Israel had forsaken God. He prayed and CONFESSED the sins of his people and asked God for forgiveness. We need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness if we are to rebuild the walls of our spiritual lives.
Thirdly, Nehemiah was COMMITTED. He didn’t just pray. He got to work and took immediate steps to fulfill his commitment. When we take the time to pray God will empower us to solve “impossible” situations. Rebuilding the wall would have not been possible without God’s enabling power.
Fourthly, Nehemiah needed COURAGE to rebuild these walls. Nehemiah was mocked and threatened but he did not give up because he knew God was directing him. Whenever one says that they will arise and rebuild, Satan always responds by saying that he will arise and destroy. We can be sure that Satan will put roadblocks and obstructions in our way when we start to return to God by building up our faith as a wall of protection against Satan’s temptations. We must be courageous and not give up.
Finally, Nehemiah approached the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem with CONFIDENCE. He did not just rush out and start laying bricks or recruiting people to help. He went out at night and secretly surveyed the damage to the wall to determine exactly what needed to be done. In spite of the enormity of the task he inspired the Jews to be confident they could rebuild the walls because the “hand of God was upon them.” When he was ridiculed Nehemiah confidently replied, “The God of heaven will give us success.” Nehemiah 2:20. We will be ridiculed by those who do not believe, but we can have confidence that the almighty God of heaven will give us success just as He did Nehemiah if we put our trust in Him.
We can learn by these 5 steps as we work to rebuild the walls around our lives. Start by reading the Bible and then communicating to God through prayer. You will be amazed at what God will do through you if you just trust and obey.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Give me the courage of Nehemiah as I work to rebuild the walls of my faith. Help me to be willing to follow Your leading in all that I do as I work diligently to serve You in this evil world that we live in
WALLS
DEFINITION:
Structures to enclose, to separate, support or protect.
SCRIPTURE:
And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned by fire. Nehemiah 2:13.
KNOWLEDGEAND EXPERIENCE:
A wall is a very symbolic structure. Down through the ages walls were built to protect the people and things inside the walls. But walls are more than just a barrier of stone and mortar. The walls of the city of Jericho symbolized the pride and arrogance of that godless city and that is one reason why God chose to pull them down with nothing but the faith of the Children of Israel and Joshua, their leader. The arrogance of Jericho was no match for the humility of God’s people when it was aligned with the limitless power of God.
The Berlin wall not only symbolized the division between east and west, but also the misery and despair of the people living under communism. The 1500 mile long wall of China symbolized the vast power of the Chin Dynasty and was built to defend China from the warring tribes of the north. It was so long and tall that it made a clear statement, “Do not even think of invading our land.”
In ancient cities, massive walls were the first, last and only line of defense. The walls of the city of Babylon, according to Daniel, were not as long as the Great Wall of China but were much higher and more massive.
The wall that Nehemiah went to look at by night, verse above, was the wall around Jerusalem that God had called him to rebuild. And it had even a deeper spiritual meaning than any of the other walls ever built. The walls of Jerusalem were symbolic of God’s protection and power. The rebuilding of these walls around Jerusalem, symbolizes an act that must be taken by everyone who is spiritually broken down. They must rebuild the walls of their lives.
For the Jewish people Jerusalem represented God’s dwelling place and the center of life in the Old Testament. It was in Jerusalem that Solomon built a temple and God blessed it with His presence. From the time of Abraham, Jewish history centered in and around Jerusalem.
In the New Testament, we see that God’s ultimate dwelling place is in us, His people. If we have allowed the walls of our spiritual life to become broken down now is the time to rebuild our wall of faith and surround ourselves with God’s protection and strength.
There were 5 steps that Nehemiah shares with us that he took in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We need to adhere to these same steps as we rebuild the walls of our lives.
First, Nehemiah had a CONCERN about the ruins. We will never rebuild the walls of our lives unless we have a concern and mourn the ruins of our lives, just as Nehemiah mourned the ruins of the wall at Jerusalem.
Secondly, Nehemiah wept and prayed for days over his concern for the way that the nation of Israel had forsaken God. He prayed and CONFESSED the sins of his people and asked God for forgiveness. We need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness if we are to rebuild the walls of our spiritual lives.
Thirdly, Nehemiah was COMMITTED. He didn’t just pray. He got to work and took immediate steps to fulfill his commitment. When we take the time to pray God will empower us to solve “impossible” situations. Rebuilding the wall would have not been possible without God’s enabling power.
Fourthly, Nehemiah needed COURAGE to rebuild these walls. Nehemiah was mocked and threatened but he did not give up because he knew God was directing him. Whenever one says that they will arise and rebuild, Satan always responds by saying that he will arise and destroy. We can be sure that Satan will put roadblocks and obstructions in our way when we start to return to God by building up our faith as a wall of protection against Satan’s temptations. We must be courageous and not give up.
Finally, Nehemiah approached the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem with CONFIDENCE. He did not just rush out and start laying bricks or recruiting people to help. He went out at night and secretly surveyed the damage to the wall to determine exactly what needed to be done. In spite of the enormity of the task he inspired the Jews to be confident they could rebuild the walls because the “hand of God was upon them.” When he was ridiculed Nehemiah confidently replied, “The God of heaven will give us success.” Nehemiah 2:20. We will be ridiculed by those who do not believe, but we can have confidence that the almighty God of heaven will give us success just as He did Nehemiah if we put our trust in Him.
We can learn by these 5 steps as we work to rebuild the walls around our lives. Start by reading the Bible and then communicating to God through prayer. You will be amazed at what God will do through you if you just trust and obey.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Give me the courage of Nehemiah as I work to rebuild the walls of my faith. Help me to be willing to follow Your leading in all that I do as I work diligently to serve You in this evil world that we live in
Grow: March 25, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MARCH 25, 2014
GROW
DEFINITION:
Mature; develop; progress; increase.
SCRIPTURE:
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
New believers come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some may have gone to church before they found Christ but never accepted Jesus as their Savior. Others may have come from a very worldly and sinful background and never darkened the door of a church or ever even opened a Bible to read it.
Spiritually they are as newborn babies. Just as a baby needs to be fed to thrive and grow, a new believer needs to be fed from God’s Word in order to grow and mature in their new found faith.
In Ezekiel 47, Ezekiel shares with us that he had a vision of a river flowing out from the temple. The temple symbolizes God and the river the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this vision, stages of spiritual growth, is depicted, of those who have accepted Christ into their life.
When we first find Jesus it is likened to walking ankle deep in the water, as portrayed by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 47:3 and we experience only a shallow sense of God’s grace and power in our life. If a person does not begin to learn more about Christ the Scriptures calls one a babe in Christ. Such a person has not learned how to live a Spirit-lead life which is a life of obedience, trust, surrender and peace.
A lot of people today who say they are Christians want to wade ankle deep into the grace of God. They are not motivated to want to take the next step as portrayed by Ezekiel (47:4) by wading into knee deep water which is hungering and thirsting for God. At this stage a Christian is not satisfied by being merely born again but hungers for a deeper knowledge and closer relationship with their Savior and Lord.
In Ezekiel 47: 4 the prophet talks about walking into the water up to the waist. At this point the Holy Spirit is now captivating the believer in Jesus to be possessed by His Lord giving the believer the desire to search deeper into the things of the Lord. There is less of the believer now and more of the Lord.
You can see we live today among so many Christians who are still just babes in their faith and need to be motivated to wade up to their waist in God’s Word in order to be possessed by God. Where does this motivation come from? For the most part it is not common in our churches and not taught by our pastors. It is not seen within our family structures. So the result is that we live in a world where Christians are living according to the will of the flesh rather than living according to the will of the Spirit of God.
The motivation comes from the Holy Spirit but we must be willing to listen to Him and allow Him to lead us into the deep water of His Word. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can grow into the mature Christian that our Lord wants us to be.
The apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians about how the people in the church at Corinth were divided into factions and cliques and continually at each other’s throats, dragging one another into courts of law, gossiping against each other and undermining each other. What a mess it was! Does it sound a little like we may be facing today among those we know and perhaps even among friends and family?
The source of these divisions that we read about in the church in Corinth and what we see today in our society is pride, the fleshly desire for preeminence, and to be idolized and praised. Paul reminds us that as long as the desire to live for worldly pleasures is alive and well in our lives, as believers we will remain spiritual infants and will never grow up into what God wants us to be.
God is not the least bit impressed by what we do in the flesh. Only what we do in the Spirit will last. The cleansing power of the cross, the shedding of blood, must come into our lives and cut off the flesh so we can experience growth and maturity. Until we learn to walk up to our waist in the water as Ezekiel tells us division and conflict will reign in our lives. To serve the Lord we must do more than just get our feet wet. We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Help me to step out by faith into the deep waters of Your Word and submerge myself so that there is more of You and less of me. May Your Holy Spirit become more real to me today so that others may see Christ in and through me. Help me to grow spiritually each day of my life and may I lead my family to draw closer to You.
GROW
DEFINITION:
Mature; develop; progress; increase.
SCRIPTURE:
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 3:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
New believers come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some may have gone to church before they found Christ but never accepted Jesus as their Savior. Others may have come from a very worldly and sinful background and never darkened the door of a church or ever even opened a Bible to read it.
Spiritually they are as newborn babies. Just as a baby needs to be fed to thrive and grow, a new believer needs to be fed from God’s Word in order to grow and mature in their new found faith.
In Ezekiel 47, Ezekiel shares with us that he had a vision of a river flowing out from the temple. The temple symbolizes God and the river the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this vision, stages of spiritual growth, is depicted, of those who have accepted Christ into their life.
When we first find Jesus it is likened to walking ankle deep in the water, as portrayed by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 47:3 and we experience only a shallow sense of God’s grace and power in our life. If a person does not begin to learn more about Christ the Scriptures calls one a babe in Christ. Such a person has not learned how to live a Spirit-lead life which is a life of obedience, trust, surrender and peace.
A lot of people today who say they are Christians want to wade ankle deep into the grace of God. They are not motivated to want to take the next step as portrayed by Ezekiel (47:4) by wading into knee deep water which is hungering and thirsting for God. At this stage a Christian is not satisfied by being merely born again but hungers for a deeper knowledge and closer relationship with their Savior and Lord.
In Ezekiel 47: 4 the prophet talks about walking into the water up to the waist. At this point the Holy Spirit is now captivating the believer in Jesus to be possessed by His Lord giving the believer the desire to search deeper into the things of the Lord. There is less of the believer now and more of the Lord.
You can see we live today among so many Christians who are still just babes in their faith and need to be motivated to wade up to their waist in God’s Word in order to be possessed by God. Where does this motivation come from? For the most part it is not common in our churches and not taught by our pastors. It is not seen within our family structures. So the result is that we live in a world where Christians are living according to the will of the flesh rather than living according to the will of the Spirit of God.
The motivation comes from the Holy Spirit but we must be willing to listen to Him and allow Him to lead us into the deep water of His Word. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can grow into the mature Christian that our Lord wants us to be.
The apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians about how the people in the church at Corinth were divided into factions and cliques and continually at each other’s throats, dragging one another into courts of law, gossiping against each other and undermining each other. What a mess it was! Does it sound a little like we may be facing today among those we know and perhaps even among friends and family?
The source of these divisions that we read about in the church in Corinth and what we see today in our society is pride, the fleshly desire for preeminence, and to be idolized and praised. Paul reminds us that as long as the desire to live for worldly pleasures is alive and well in our lives, as believers we will remain spiritual infants and will never grow up into what God wants us to be.
God is not the least bit impressed by what we do in the flesh. Only what we do in the Spirit will last. The cleansing power of the cross, the shedding of blood, must come into our lives and cut off the flesh so we can experience growth and maturity. Until we learn to walk up to our waist in the water as Ezekiel tells us division and conflict will reign in our lives. To serve the Lord we must do more than just get our feet wet. We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
“You shall have no gods before Me.”
PRAYER:
Help me to step out by faith into the deep waters of Your Word and submerge myself so that there is more of You and less of me. May Your Holy Spirit become more real to me today so that others may see Christ in and through me. Help me to grow spiritually each day of my life and may I lead my family to draw closer to You.
Battles: March 24, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MARCH 24, 2014.
BATTLES
DEFINITION:
A fight; a hostile encounter between opposing forces; struggle.
SCRIPTURE:
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each and every day we hear and perhaps even witness battles taking place. We can’t turn on the news without hearing about a battle somewhere between two warring factions. It could be on the streets of your city between two people or two groups. Of late we heard and saw battles in Syria and most recently the battle between Russia and Ukraine. In a battle both sides think they are right but sadly people on both sides suffer and often many die.
Today we want to talk about the battles we face personally in our own lives. We constantly are fighting battles in our mind between right and wrong. We often want to do something or go somewhere but something inside of us says that we should not. Thus the battle begins.
In Exodus 17, we come to a battle, symbolic of the Christian’s battle with the flesh today. The battle against the sin of the flesh is always startling to a new Christian. They have experienced the emotional and spiritual high of discovering their new faith in Christ.
And suddenly temptation pops up its ugly head and we wonder, “What happened?” This is the situation that the Children of Israel faced in Exodus 17. They had just experienced the glory of the Passover, the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, and the demonstration of God’s Fatherly love for them as He provided all of the manna needed to eat.
Life was going so good for the Children of Israel. They had been chosen by God to represent Him to the world. God was meeting their every need but soon a shocking realization confronted them. Those who belong to God have enemies. They were soon to learn that the sinful state of our fallen world requires believers to fight battles.
In Exodus 17:10 we read that Amalek attacked Israel. The Amalekites were a pagan and evil nomadic tribe. They attacked and killed others for pleasure and carried off their possessions. They saw the Israelites as an opportunity for pleasure and profit. What they did not see was that to battle against Israel they would be doing battle against God. Israel obeyed God and fought the battle according to His instructions, and because they obeyed, God gave Israel the victory.
In the verse above from Galatians, we read what the Apostle Paul tells us about the nature of the battle that constantly takes place in our lives as believers. Basically, our sinful nature often desires what is contrary to God’s Holy Spirit, and the Spirit desires for us what is contrary to our sinful nature. Thus the battle is in our inner being between God and our sinful desires.
After God gave the Israelites victory over the Amalekites Moses warned that “the Lord would be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 18:15. The same is true for each of us who are believers in Jesus. We live in an evil and sinful world and we must daily prepare ourselves to be spiritually ready to fight the desires of our flesh which are contrary to God’s will for us. God has given us His Holy Spirit to fight our battles if we will just let go of our fleshly desires and do as the Holy Spirit leads us to do.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
PRAYER:
Give me the strength today to fight the fleshly battles that come my way and give me victory over my evil desires. May I learn to rely on Your Holy Spirit to guide me and keep me on the path that leads to righteousness.
BATTLES
DEFINITION:
A fight; a hostile encounter between opposing forces; struggle.
SCRIPTURE:
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:17.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Each and every day we hear and perhaps even witness battles taking place. We can’t turn on the news without hearing about a battle somewhere between two warring factions. It could be on the streets of your city between two people or two groups. Of late we heard and saw battles in Syria and most recently the battle between Russia and Ukraine. In a battle both sides think they are right but sadly people on both sides suffer and often many die.
Today we want to talk about the battles we face personally in our own lives. We constantly are fighting battles in our mind between right and wrong. We often want to do something or go somewhere but something inside of us says that we should not. Thus the battle begins.
In Exodus 17, we come to a battle, symbolic of the Christian’s battle with the flesh today. The battle against the sin of the flesh is always startling to a new Christian. They have experienced the emotional and spiritual high of discovering their new faith in Christ.
And suddenly temptation pops up its ugly head and we wonder, “What happened?” This is the situation that the Children of Israel faced in Exodus 17. They had just experienced the glory of the Passover, the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, and the demonstration of God’s Fatherly love for them as He provided all of the manna needed to eat.
Life was going so good for the Children of Israel. They had been chosen by God to represent Him to the world. God was meeting their every need but soon a shocking realization confronted them. Those who belong to God have enemies. They were soon to learn that the sinful state of our fallen world requires believers to fight battles.
In Exodus 17:10 we read that Amalek attacked Israel. The Amalekites were a pagan and evil nomadic tribe. They attacked and killed others for pleasure and carried off their possessions. They saw the Israelites as an opportunity for pleasure and profit. What they did not see was that to battle against Israel they would be doing battle against God. Israel obeyed God and fought the battle according to His instructions, and because they obeyed, God gave Israel the victory.
In the verse above from Galatians, we read what the Apostle Paul tells us about the nature of the battle that constantly takes place in our lives as believers. Basically, our sinful nature often desires what is contrary to God’s Holy Spirit, and the Spirit desires for us what is contrary to our sinful nature. Thus the battle is in our inner being between God and our sinful desires.
After God gave the Israelites victory over the Amalekites Moses warned that “the Lord would be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 18:15. The same is true for each of us who are believers in Jesus. We live in an evil and sinful world and we must daily prepare ourselves to be spiritually ready to fight the desires of our flesh which are contrary to God’s will for us. God has given us His Holy Spirit to fight our battles if we will just let go of our fleshly desires and do as the Holy Spirit leads us to do.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the first of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
PRAYER:
Give me the strength today to fight the fleshly battles that come my way and give me victory over my evil desires. May I learn to rely on Your Holy Spirit to guide me and keep me on the path that leads to righteousness.
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