Weapon: April 15, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016.

WEAPON

DEFINITION:

Any instrument used in fighting.

SCRIPTURE:

But everyone went down to the Philistines to sharpen his man’s plowshare, his mattock (pickax), his ax, and his sickle. I Samuel 13:20.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In I Samuel 13, the Israelites were facing a severe predicament. They were about to be attacked by their detested enemies, the Philistines. The Philistines had superior metal-working craftsmen and their army was well armed with weapons of iron. Among the Israelites only Saul and his son Jonathan had swords.

So the children of Israel did the best with what they had. They had all of their tools they used for farming sharpened, per the verse we have put above. They had no swords but they planned to use the sharpened farm tools to inflict deadly blows as they fought hand to hand.

It never dawned on the Philistines metal workers that they were getting these farm tools sharpened to fight them. Even though the Children of Israel had all of their farm tools sharpened and ready for battle they never had to use them because God won the battle for them.

The lesson for us is that we need to go into all of our battles prepared. God can and will use whatever tools we have if we are obedient and willing to follow His commands. We are in a battle against evil just like Saul was and the Children of Israel. Our weapons are not made of iron but they need to be constantly sharpened. Our weapons are faith, the knowledge of God’s Word, prayer, and obedience.

The battle between good and evil rages all around us day and night. Satan never sleeps so we need to be prepared for battle at every moment. We need quickness of perception. This means we must be alert to see and recognize evil when it approaches us. We need unwavering faith, strength, energy, and a prepared heart to respond to evil. All of the resources that God has given us must be employed daily in our Christian walk as weapons to fight against evil we face.

For the Children of Israel it was a war to protect what God had given them. For us it is a war to protect our faith in Jesus Christ. God has promised to be with us just as He promised the Children of Israel. He kept His word with them and He will do the same for us.

The best weapon we have to protect us from the evils of the world is the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s Word as the sword: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, and it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

God’s Word penetrates our mind and heart, showing us who we really are by revealing our faults and our sinfulness. God’s Word has cleansing power to save us from our sins and redeeming power to mold us to be what He wants us to be.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1.

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

Thank you for the abundant resources You have given us to fight the battles we face in life against Satan. Help me to understand that these resources need to be continually sharpened so we can be well equipped and ready to fight the evil challenges of the devil.

Special Price
Only $10.00
Click Here for More

ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.

If you have not received your FREE BOOKMARK from us, please click on either:

Get your FREE bookmark

or

Write Ken and Dottie a note

And we will send one to you.
It includes 10 golden rules for a happy family.

Wealth: April 14, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY APRIL 14, 2016.

WEALTH

DEFINITION:

A great quantity or store of money, property or other riches; plentiful amount; abundance; being rich or valuable.

SCRIPTURE:

Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother. Psalm 49:6-7.

And you should remember the Lord your God, for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant. Deuteronomy 8:18.

As for every man that God has given riches and wealth, this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastics 5:19.

Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. Proverbs 3:9.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Wealth can be a wonderful asset or it can be a terrible liability depending on how one uses wealth. Here are three principles on wealth that we would like to share with you:

•    All wealth comes from God.

•    God releases His wealth to His children.

•    God releases His wealth to those who use it for His divine purposes.

We need to understand, as believers in Jesus, that all wealth comes from God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He created the world and all that is in it; He created us and we are blessed according to His will. Proverbs 3:9 reminds us that God will really bless us if we, “Honor the Lord with our possessions.” When one honors the Lord it does not matter how wealthy he or she is because God in turn multiplies what is given in what He gives back to the giver. And remember God will give you only what He can trust you with. Money or wealth is not in itself evil but the love of money or wealth is evil.

Luke 12:48 reminds us that “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” This includes money, time and talent. In Ecclesiastics 5:10 we are told that money never satisfies. I Timothy 6:6-8 reminds us that we bring nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of this world when we die. Earthly investments are uncertain and bring only short term rewards. Eternal investments in heaven are guaranteed by God and bring lasting rewards.

God wants us to honor Him and give Him glory for and with all the possessions He gives us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1.

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

We thank You for all that You have given us to use while we are on this earth. Help me to use what wealth, time and talent You have given to me wisely and may I give back to You over and above what is due You according to Your commandments in Your Word.

Special Price
Only $10.00
Click Here for More

ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.

If you have not received your FREE BOOKMARK from us, please click on either:

Get your FREE bookmark

or

Write Ken and Dottie a note

And we will send one to you.
It includes 10 golden rules for a happy family.

Warfare: April 13, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 13, 2016.

WARFARE

DEFINITION:

State of war; fighting; combat; armed conflict between two factions.

SCRIPTURE:

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, which is the devil. Hebrews 2:14.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Any person that would say that there is no spiritual warfare in life today believes the lie that Satan and evil do not exist. We were all born into an ongoing war that has already been won for us. It is a war between God and Satan and Jesus defeated Satan and sin and death forevermore by dying on the cross of Calvary for us. The verse we have written above from Hebrews makes this fact very clear.

But Satan has not surrendered. Satan is actively still opposing God and is constantly at work using every sort of scheme and form of deception to snare those who love and honor God and bring them under his control. This is why we need to put on the armor that Paul talks about in the verse we have put above from Ephesians as permanent life-long attire. Be assured that these battles will continue to persist until Jesus returns and the last battle against Satan is fought and won.

Many people today seem to feel that spiritual warfare only affects some people. Paul warns in Ephesians 6 that the day of evil will come to everyone and spiritual warfare will be faced by all believers, and we must be prepared. Satan’s goal is to defeat Christ’s Church and if he can lull believers to sleep he will win. Satan and his army of demons will use every conceivable device and scheme to turn us away from following the Lord and lead us back into a life of sin and destruction.

Satan has methods of deception like immoral practice, false theology, false religion, and worldly enticement. He will find your weakness and will hit you hard at that weakness.

Paul in Ephesians 6 wants us to understand that spiritual warfare is real and no one is exempt from its effects. God has given us some answers through Paul as to how we are to fight Satan.

First, we must be prepared and put on the whole armor of God. We are to stand firm in what we believe girding our loins with truth and with His righteousness. Paul, when he said girding, he was referring the way that soldiers prepared for battle in his days by tightening their robes with a belt so their robe would not get in the way. The belt is the truth of the gospel. To defeat Satan we need to know the truth that is given us in God’s Word so that Satan’s deceptions do not hinder us in the battle.

Paul then uses the example of a soldier who wears boots with nails in them to grip the ground in combat. We call these cleats today. He is saying that we need to be grounded in the Word in order to stand firm in our faith that God is on our side.

We are to take up our shield of faith to protect us from flaming arrows of Satan just as shields protected soldiers in Paul’s day. Satan’s arrows are what we will call today temptations he attacks us with.

Paul reminds us in these verses in Ephesians 6 with illustrations from the armor of his day to wear the helmet of salvation. This is a protection for the head. Satan will do all he can to destroy what is in our mind and head of the believer. The head is the major target in battle and Satan does all he can to destroy the believer’s assurance of salvation by attacking one’s mind with doubt.

Paul then reminds us to carry the sword of the Spirit and to pray at all times, in the Spirit, for leadership and help as we face each and every battle. God’s Word is more powerful than any of Satan’s weapons. The key to winning the battles of life that Satan brings our way is our relationship with Jesus.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1.

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

Open my eyes so I can see the world around me with a new vision as to how I can reach this world with the message of Your love and Your free gift of salvation. Enable me to step out on faith believing that I can fulfill the vision You give me knowing that You will be with me and will be guiding me every moment of the day.

Special Price
Only $10.00
Click Here for More

ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.

If you have not received your FREE BOOKMARK from us, please click on either:

Get your FREE bookmark

or

Write Ken and Dottie a note

And we will send one to you.
It includes 10 golden rules for a happy family.

Vision: April 12, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY APRIL 12, 2016.

VISION

DEFINITION:

The act or power of sensing with the eyes; the act or power of anticipating that which or may come to me; foresight.

SCRIPTURE:

When your eye is good, your whole body is also filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Matthew 6:22

Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Three things come to mind when we think of the word “VISION.” First, is the vision we have when we see things as they are now. Secondly, we think of vision as it relates to things in the future that we want to accomplish. Most people today see things only as they are now and cannot see past today.

Thirdly, as believers in Jesus we have spiritual vision. Spiritual vision is to see what God wants us to do and to see ourselves from His point of view. The good eye that Jesus spoke about in the verse we have put above is an eye that is focused on God. It brings God’s light into our life and gives us vision to see God’s purpose for us and gives us the desire to fulfill that purpose.

The scriptures give us two examples of how God gives spiritual eyes to fulfill His purposes. In Acts 9:17 we read that God temporarily took away Paul’s physical sight in order to open his spiritual eyes so he could see that Jesus was the Son of God and his Lord and Savior and that God’s purpose for him was to take the gospel across the Roman Empire.

God gave Nehemiah spiritual vision to rebuild the broken down walls of Jerusalem. It was a monumental task, but Nehemiah organized, supervised, encouraged, and stood up against opposition and got the job done. Men of vision do not stand around and just talk about their dream but they act to make it happen.

It has been said that worse than blindness is living without vision. Believers need to have a vision of what they will do for Jesus. Fear of the unseen should not be a hindrance to stepping out on faith because Jesus told us in Matthew 20: 26, “With God all things are possible.” For us we had a vision for our ministry down through the years. We had a vision for our family. Without these visions life for us would have been unproductive and unsatisfying not only in our sight but more importantly in God’s.

Columbus had a vision to find the new world and he set out on a course that was unknown to man and his vision resulted in finding this new world, the one that many live on today.

We grew up in an era where we watched ordinary people who loved the Lord have a vision to serve the Lord and they acted upon that vision and God honored their faith. God is waiting for all of us today to ask Him for a vision and then when He responds for us to act. Whether your vision is large or small it is important to God. Close to 60 years ago, even before we were married, we began to pray daily for God to use us and give us a burden for the world that needed Jesus. Start today by asking God for a special vision that He has for you. Then when God responds take action as God leads you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1.

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

Open my eyes so I can see the world around me with a new vision as to how I can reach this world with the message of Your love and Your free gift of salvation. Enable me to step out on faith believing that I can fulfill the vision You give me knowing that You will be with me and will be guiding me every moment of the day.

Special Price
Only $10.00
Click Here for More

ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.

If you have not received your FREE BOOKMARK from us, please click on either:

Get your FREE bookmark

or

Write Ken and Dottie a note

And we will send one to you.
It includes 10 golden rules for a happy family.

Unshakeable: April 11, 2016

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY APRIL 11, 2016.

UNSHAKEABLE

DEFINITION:

Determined; stable; steady; unwavering; not open to persuasion.

SCRIPTURE:

Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Our world is changing daily and so fast it is difficult to keep up with it. Many people are seeking wealth, better relationships that benefit themselves, and power. What people find out is that these things come and go and there is no guarantee that security will be found in them that will last day by day. No wonder there is so much fear and despair in our world today.

For believers our reality is not based in what we see or feel but we build our trust and hope in the Lord and believe the unchanging truth of His Word. This gives us a foundation for life and not just for a short time or even just a day. We can find stability and security in our unchanging God.

No matter what circumstances we might face and no matter what happens to us, the verse we have put above reminds us that our certainty is found in our relationship with God. Bad things may happen to us but we will never lose God’s love. In tough times we may feel that God has abandoned us, but we can be assured that God will never abandon us nor stop loving us. God proved His love for us when He gave His life for us on the cross. It is important for us to understand that we must never allow our circumstances, no matter how difficult they are, to shake our faith in our Lord.

Is your faith in the Lord today unshakeable? When difficulty comes your way and circumstances seem overwhelming, can you respond with confidence and strength because of your relationship with Jesus? The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 91:2, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” God’s steadfast and unshakeable love provides a refuge of comfort and a fortress of divine protection through all the dangers and trials of life for those who love Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1.

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

Help each one of us in my family to be unshakeable in our love for You. Guide us to read Your Word in order to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Your unchanging nature. Give us a firm foundation of faith that cannot be shaken even in times of fear and uncertainty.   Help us to put our total confidence and hope in You.

Special Price
Only $10.00
Click Here for More

ONE FINAL SUGGESTION.

If you have not received your FREE BOOKMARK from us, please click on either:

Get your FREE bookmark

or

Write Ken and Dottie a note

And we will send one to you.
It includes 10 golden rules for a happy family.