Armor: January 6, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 6, 2017.

ARMOR

DEFINITION:

Any covering worn for protection against offensive weapons; any quality, characteristic, situation, or thing that protects.

SCRIPTURE:

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Every believer can be assured that we are in a spiritual war with Satan and all the demons of his army. The reason for this is that we were all born into this world as sinners because of the actions of Adam and Eve and Satan is the ruler of this sinful world. The goal of Satan is to defeat Christ’s church which is made up of those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Since we were born sinners, we have a penalty to pay for our sins. God sent His Son to this earth to die and pay the penalty for our sins. We as sinners need to ask God for forgiveness, accept Jesus as our Savior and then live for Him until He returns to take us to heaven.

In our own power, we cannot withstand the attacks of Satan. There is no doubt that we need armor to protect us. The scriptures give us a clear picture of the armor that God has provided for us. We face a very real enemy in life who seeks to deceive and distract us from becoming who God wants us to be. So, it is very important that we remain alert, at all times, watching for the deception that Satan will use to weaken our faith in Jesus, our Savior and God our creator.

We need to prepare for spiritual warfare by taking time every day to communicate with God and by making sure that we put on the various armor pieces that God has provided for us. The apostle Paul has outlined for us what God has available for us in Ephesians 6:13-18.

We are to put on the “helmet of salvation” to protect our mind and imagination from Satan’s weapons of doubt and discouragement that he uses to destroy our assurance of salvation. We need to focus our thoughts on the love and power of our Lord that is ours because of our Lord’s victory over sin and His death on the cross.

We need to claim the righteousness of Christ by wearing the “breastplate’ that will protect our heart and our emotions. The “belt of truth” should be wrapped around the core of our being to protect us from deception and so we will not be governed by feelings rather than the truth of God’s Word.

By putting on the “sandals of peace” God will guide our steps and see that our feet are planted firmly in the good news of God’s redemption and His love and saving grace for all the world. It is the good news of God’s redeeming love that brings peace. These “sandals” will also empower us to stand firm against any and all attacks that will come our way by Satan.

We need to put on the “sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God. There is no greater weapon to combat and defeat Satan. We must keep God’s Word ready and available at all times by reading it and planting it in our hearts. This will allow us to always be ready to deflect and cut down Satan’s lies against the truth of God and give us victory over all his evil ways. The key to defeat Satan’s attacks is to not only know God’s Word but to obey it.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.

PRAYER:

Help me to never be so preoccupied with the anxieties in my life that I lose my focus that I need to be placing on the joy of knowing You. Help me to daily “dress” for battle knowing that You will enable me to be fully victorious over every temptation and evil desire that Satan tries to use to draw me away from You.

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Perseverance: January 5, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 5, 2017.

PERSEVERANCE

DEFINITION:

Patient endurance of hardship; effort maintained in spite of difficulties.

SCRIPTURE:

Tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Have you ever watched a bird try to build a nest in a tree? What about a squirrel digging a hole to bury a nut? It is painstaking work and takes perseverance, but the bird and squirrel always seem to persevere. Sometimes strong winds blow the nest away for the bird or someone digs where the squirrel stored the nut but the bird and the squirrel seem to never give up and soon begin the process all over again.

This perseverance can be inspiring to the person who watches. You can almost catch yourself cheering for the bird or the squirrel because it is a huge project and yet they do not stop until the job is done.

Contrasting these two illustrations with Christians today trying to live a Christ-honoring life reminds us how frustrated and discouraged many get. As believers in Jesus we need to learn how to persevere in doing the things that God wants us to do. Many people today are facing insurmountable hardships such as the loss of a job, the loss of a home or broken families. The world is in great turmoil. But God does not want us to give up. He wants us to persevere.

Satan is alive and well in this sinful world. We can expect trouble and tribulation, especially as a believer. In times of difficulty it is easy to think that God has forgotten us. This is not the case. God never forgets us. Often when times are good it is we who tend to forget God. When times are tough, that is the time that many believers seem to look to God to help them through their difficulties.

Difficulties are sometimes of our own making. Some are not. Whatever the cause God often uses them to get our attention and to draw us closer to Him.

We all need to remember whether our situations are good or bad, God will empower us to keep on going even when we cannot see the resolution of our problems. In many situations God is using a seemingly insurmountable challenge in our life to produce perseverance. And as the verse says, that we have written above, perseverance will produce in us character and through character, hope.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:9 not to grow “weary while doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Paul then goes on to tell us not to give up. We are to persevere in everything we do and put all that we are going through in His hands and He will get us through every situation. Paul knew from experience that if we persevere and we do not give up, in due time we will reap a harvest of blessing.

When others around you suggest that you give up on a situation do not let them discourage you. Put everything in God’s hands then hope will whisper to you, “Try one more time.” Try it and we can assure you God will not fail you.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.

PRAYER:

Help me get through the trials that I may face today that may burden me down and tempt me to consider giving up. Give me perseverance to overcome strife and keep me faithful to You. Thank You for the assurance that I have that with Christ I can have victory and that Satan cannot defeat me.

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Parenting: January 4, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4, 2017.

PARENTING

DEFINITION:

The rearing of children by parents; to bring up, raise, care for, train, educate, develop, nurture and cherish a child.

SCRIPTURE:

Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives. Proverbs 19:18 (NLT)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

There are so many dysfunctional families today that we need to look at what God says about the responsibilities of parenting. In Jeremiah 32: 18 we read that God brings the consequences of one generation upon the next. This unfortunately makes the children the victims of the sins of their fathers.

Jeremiah in these verses (17-19) speaks about generational cycles of sin. Unless someone in the family line makes a deliberate choice to change, sin and dysfunctional behavior will be passed from parent to child for many generations. This is just a confirmation of the principle of sowing and reaping.

But the opposite also is true. When parents pass down to their children standards and conduct that honors God and His Ten Commandments, their children and children in future generations will be blessed of God if they stay true to what they were taught and learned.

Parents cannot expect to have good children if they are not good parents. Children must be taught, right from wrong, both by instruction and by example. Parents must be good role models because actions speak louder than words.

We are seeing today the sad consequence of generations of parents failing to live according to God’s will. This is reflected in the high percentage of marriages that end in divorce. Typically, it is the father who moves out of the house. When the father is not in the home it leaves a void of leadership in the lives of the children. It is the role of the father to be the spiritual leader of his family and to shape their perception of God. Depending on the type of role model a father is he can either draw his children to the Lord or drive them away.

Sometimes the easiest way to understand what we are saying is to look at NEGATIVE examples to make that point. Here are five very typical examples for you to consider. (Taken from Charles Stanley’s “In Touch” magazine)

•    The angry, unpredictable father instills fear in his children and teaches them by his actions that God is a tyrant who lashes out unexpectedly.

•    A critical, demanding dad makes his kids feel inadequate. They see God as a strict task master who is never pleased.

•    The uninvolved or absent father sends the message that his children are unimportant, and both he and God are too busy for them.

•    A macho dad’s tough, uncaring nature leads his children to feel unloved and they in turn conclude that the Lord doesn’t love them either.

•    A fault-finding or abusive father conveys that his children are worthless and God is full of condemnation

The story is told of a little boy riding alone on a train on a hot day. It was very hot and all the travelers were extremely uncomfortable and the scenery was not too interesting as they passed through the desert of Arizona. A lady sitting beside the boy asked him if was tired of the long and hot ride.

The little boy smiled and said that he was a little tired but I do not mind it much. You see I love my father very much and he is going to meet me when I arrive in Los Angeles.

Sometimes we get a little tired as parents from the heavy responsibility of raising children. But isn’t it wonderful that just as this young boy was so excited about seeing his father at the end of his trip, we can feel exhilarated to know that all of the frustrations that we go through as parents someday will be all behind us and at the end of our journey our heavenly Father will be waiting for us.

A man with a Christ-like character provides children with a healthy emotional connection, not only to their earthly father but also to their heavenly Father.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.

PRAYER:

As a parent help me to be a Godly role model for my children so that by example my children are drawn to You. As I read Your Word, open my heart to the leading of Your Holy Spirit so I can demonstrate the love and compassion of God not only to my children but to others I associate with each day.

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Motive: January 3, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY JANUARY 3, 2017.

MOTIVE

DEFINITION:

Intention; a determining impulse; the goal or object of a person’s action; something that causes a person to act in a certain way.

SCRIPTURE:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me. Psalm 139:23-24.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Recently it was brought to our attention, several times, a situation where a person was overpowering in trying to help someone in need and the results were not positive.

It is very important to note that we encourage you, because the scripture encourages us, to be helpful to people in need. Most believers ignore the needy but God wants us to reach out to help the needy.

With that in mind let us share with you several words of caution.

Have you ever thought that you could be too helpful to someone? Have you really thought about your true motive when you reach out to help a person in need? Our helpfulness can actually make life more difficult for the person we are trying to help, especially if our motive is wrong.  Your response probably is that that is impossible. Let us explain what we think.

If you are bothersome to someone that you are helping by being too available to the point of being intrusive you could be hurting instead of helping your relationship with that person. Possibly you are smothering, manipulative or controlling when you try to help that person. What we do to help others should never stem from a desire, or even look like we want, to make ourselves look good or feel good.

If the help we are giving is driven by our own insecurities, we may be just trying to make ourselves look good and give ourselves a “pat on the back.”. This is why we need to take a real good look at our motive as to why we are helping someone. In Proverbs 21:2 it reads, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

We encourage you to look carefully at your reasons for helping someone before you act. Does your desire to help come from a pure heart? Our motives should always be to bring glory to God and not to ourselves.

We should always pray first, for God’s direction. In prayer we can ask God to show us any way we are hurting or hindering others. The scripture we have written above would be a good prayer for you to pray. God will answer your prayer if your heart is right before Him.

If you have a concern that you may be over stepping your welcome with someone, we suggest you ask God to help you show love to that person that “suffers long and is kind -- and is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil,” as it is written in I Corinthians 13:4-5.

Keep asking the Lord to help you to show love with pure motives and for the good of others and not yourself.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.

PRAYER:

Help me, Lord, to act and think today with proper motives. It is my prayer that You will reveal the sins in my life, that would affect my motives, so that I can help others with pure motives and with the love in my heart that only you can give.

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Guidance: January 2, 2017

TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 2, 2017.

GUIDANCE

DEFINITION:

The process of giving direction; advice or counseling.

SCRIPTURE:

Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait on all the day. Psalm 25:4-5.

Who is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. Psalm 25:12.

He will guide you into all truth. John 16:13.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When you are facing the need to make a decision, big or small, it is important to seek God’s direction and timing. Most people, believers and non-believers instead rely totally on their own feelings to make decisions and forget what God can do for them. We want to share with you three things you can do while preparing to wait on God.

First, you need to examine your heart, asking the Holy Spirit to expose any wrongs in your life. If something comes to your mind that the Holy Spirit brings to you it is important that you take care of that sin immediately.

You accomplish this by confessing, repenting and doing whatever is necessary to correct the situation. At times, we often put this aside because the impending decision we need to make is our main concern. We cannot expect God to work in our lives as long as we allow sin to control our life. In order to receive God’s full blessing, we must first deal with any sin our life.

Second, when we seek direction from God we need to learn how to listen patiently and attentively for the Lord to give us the guidance we are praying for. We find it very difficult to wait on the Lord because we want quick answers and a quick fix. Our timing, however, is not the Lord’s timing.

Another reason why we find it hard to wait is that we want the Lord to do it “our way.” We cannot allow ourselves to be tempted by our feelings and our own logic if we want guidance from God. God knows what is best for us and He will give us the guidance we ask for which we can be sure is best for us because it will be in accordance with His perfect will for us.

Third, the answer to our request for guidance sometimes requires our involvement. For example, if you are out of work and trusting God to provide a job for you, God expects you to actively look for a job. Some people just sit back and pray several times a day reminding God of their need. Waiting on God is not an excuse for inaction on your part or to be just lazy.

How can you be sure that you are making the right decision? What do we need to do to hear the voice of God responding to our need for guidance?

We need to clear the pathway. We already mentioned above the need to get rid of the sin in our life but we also must be willing to make our desires secondary to His.

We need to exercise patience. Sometimes it takes a great deal of perseverance when you feel time is of the essence for a decision. But if you rush ahead of God, you may not only miss His will but miss a special blessing that He has for you.

You need to search the scriptures. Many people pray about what concerns them and want answers immediately, but how do they expect God to communicate to them if they do not read His Word? The Word of God has an answer for every need and the Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.

PRAYER:

When I face a critical need in my life and need to make a decision help me to wait on You. Help me to be patient, search the scriptures, wait on the Holy Spirit and not rush to a quick answer that is not according to what You want for my life.

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