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Practice The Fruits of the Spirit - Daily Devotional

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control . . . 
—Galatians 5:22,23 (TLB)

Christ can rid you of inner conflict. Man without God is always torn between two urges. His nature prompts him to do wrong, and his conscience urges him to do right. Antagonistic desires and crossed-up emotions keep him in a state of personal instability. Medical men have almost concluded that this conflict is the basis of much physical breakdown and nervous collapse. Many doctors now believe that among the contributing causes of the common cold are stress, tension, and inner conflict. Paul must have been in the midst of such a personal civil war when he cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Then he answered his own question when he said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Prayer for the day

Only Your Holy Spirit, Lord, can control my innermost feelings. Help me to be conscious of Your presence this day.

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Daily Devotional - Responding to Our Trials

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

1 Peter 4:12-19

What is your usual response when you face times of trouble? Are you inclined to stand and fight? Perhaps you are convinced that you’re strong enough to handle any obstacle. Or maybe you do what so many others do: run as far and as fast as you can.

Trials are unavoidable in life. Instead of deciding how best to avoid them, we should instead focus on the way to respond to them. There are several things for the Christian to do when confronted with conflict.

First, we should trust God, based on His holy Word. Scripture assures us that the Lord knows our limits and will therefore never allow us to be pushed or tempted beyond our ability to persevere (1 Cor. 10:13).

Second, we must trust in His faithfulness. In times of trouble, take time to reflect on previous hardships. Did God help you then? What was the result of that trial? How has He shown Himself to be faithful at other times? (See Ps. 37:23-24.)

Third, we must make a conscious decision to persevere. Romans 5:3-5reveals that persistence is a vital part of a healthy growing Christian life. Our encouragement is that perseverance in the face of trials leads to the hope which “does not disappoint” (v. 5).

Finally, it is important to acknowledge the sovereignty of almighty God. Our heavenly Father is never surprised by the tragedies in our lives. Rather, He stands ready to work in us (Phil. 2:13), through us (1 John 4:4), and for us (Rom. 8:31) to bring us to the point of victory in His Son Jesus Christ.

Daily Devotional - Victory in Our Trials

Monday, February 23, 2015

1 Peter 1:3-9

Obviously, we don’t enjoy times of trial or conflict. Despite the assurance we have that God will always be by our side through any and every circumstance (Heb. 13:5), it is still natural to fear and bemoan such occurrences.

In hardships, however, we often forget the very words Christ spoke in John 16:33. We hear and certainly relate to the first part of His instruction: “In the world you have tribulation.” We've all faced enough problems to know that it is not possible to avoid them altogether. In fact, Jesus takes it a step further by asserting that our faith in Him will actually lead to even more attacks and criticism (15:18-20). Truly it is impossible for a devoted Christian to live trouble-free in a world that is hostile toward God.

What we tend to miss in Jesus’ statement, however, is the second half of the verse. After delivering the “bad” news that we would have tribulation in our life, He offers a word of hope: “But take courage! I have overcome the world.” Notice that He didn't say, “I will overcome,” but rather, “I have overcome.” In Christ, the victory has already been won. He has victory over all things. Even the world’s greatest threat, death itself, has already been defeated by Jesus Christ.

Life certainly isn't easy. However, we have a loving God who not only understands our suffering but also chose to experience it Himself. Because He did, we can now claim participation in the ultimate victory over every trial of life.

Daily Devotional - The Door of Opportunity

Revelation 3:7-10

In New Testament times, the city of Philadelphia was strategically located on travel routes between Rome and the east. This made it an important conduit for Greek culture and language. The church there received an exciting opportunity when God planned that the region would become known for a new export—the good news of Jesus Christ.

For the loyal church at Philadelphia, this was a tremendous blessing. In Revelation 3, Jesus Christ acknowledged the congregation’s deeds, which means they must have carried out their work with diligence and dependence on the Lord. That community of faith also followed God’s Word and didn't deny His name, despite opposition from “the synagogue of Satan”—the worldly people who also inhabited the city.

The Lord opens doors, not simply for mission organizations and churches, but also for individual believers. A chance to do His will in any area of life must be taken seriously, as His opportunities always lead to the path He has designed for us. Some seem too good to be true, others are cloaked in hardship, and still others defy human reasoning. We need to know how to listen for and discern God’s voice so that we can be certain when it is His hand opening a door.

We all desire that the Lord give us His best for our life—in our vocation, finances, service, and spiritual growth. So we must build a proven record of faithful obedience, as the Philadelphian church did. When we serve Him with loyalty, humility, and diligence, God will open doors for even greater blessing.

Daily Devotional - The Positive Power of Confidence

Philippians 4:4-13

Paul was a confident man. During his earlier years, the apostle’s positive attitude came from trusting in his credentials—namely, his background, education, and position. However, his encounter with the Lord (Acts 9:1-6) caused him to realize those things were worth little. So what was the source of his new boldness?

Paul’s relationship with Jesus became the new foundation for his life. Viewing his former ways as a chapter that had ended, he embraced his new life in Christ. Not only did Paul recognize the inadequacy of everything he had previously relied upon—his knowledge, achievement, and authority—but he also relinquished any notion of living independently of God. The apostle became a man of action, who lived his life through total reliance upon the Lord (Gal. 2:20).

Paul’s unwavering trust in God’s faithfulness also played a key role. He believed God’s promise to strengthen and equip him; to guide him in every situation; to meet all his needs; and never to leave him. In facing trials, Paul experienced the power of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through him. Because he took God at His word, he could meet adversity with boldness. His confidence was not in himself but in the Lord’s presence, provision, and power; that’s why it remained strong.

Do you see why we can be confident followers of Christ? What matters isn't who we are, what we believe about ourselves, or what strengths and abilities we have. Developing a wholehearted trust and reliance on Jesus is what brings about confidence. How much do you trust Him?

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Daily Devotional - Mirror, Mirror

How often do you see your reflection in a mirror? Some studies say that the average person looks in a mirror 8 to 10 times a day. Other surveys say it could be as many as 60 to 70 times a day, if glancing at our reflection in store windows and smart phone screens is included.

Why do we look so often? Most experts agree that it’s to check our appearance, especially before meetings or social gatherings. If something is amiss, we want to fix it. Why look if we don’t plan to change what’s wrong?

The apostle James said that reading or hearing God’s Word without acting on it is like looking in a mirror and forgetting what we’ve seen (1:22-24). But the better alternative is to look closely and act on what we see. James said, “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (v.25).

If we hear God’s Word without taking action, we fool only ourselves (v.22). But when we examine ourselves in light of God’s Word and obey His instructions, God liberates us from all that keeps us from looking more and more like Him each day.

Thank You, Lord, for the Bible, Your Word to us.
Give us wisdom and guidance as we
read its pages. Make us sensitive to Your
voice and give us hearts to obey.

Read: James 1:19-27 

Daily Devotional - The Danger of a Hardening Heart

Hebrews 3:7-9

God repeatedly calls to His children, but the condition of each heart determines the result. Those with soft and tender hearts hear His voice and yield to Him in obedience, but those with hard hearts resist His warnings and instructions. Surprisingly, upon hearing the same voice, believers will have different reactions.

Since hardening is a slow process that is often accompanied by excuses and rationalizations, the danger signs may not be readily recognized. How do you respond when the Lord speaks to you through His Word, your conscience, or messages based on Scripture? Carefully consider the following characteristics of a hardening heart:

• Insensitivity or resistance to what the Lord says

• Refusal to put yourself under His authority

• Disobedience to what you know God is instructing you to do

• Justification of sinful conduct

• Resistance to the reproof of others

• Preoccupation with the things of this world (career, relationships, possessions)

• Little interest in spiritual matters

• Absence of private devotion (Bible reading and prayer)

• Avoidance of corporate worship (gathering with other believers)

A hard heart does not have to remain brittle. If you've discovered any of the above traits in your life, begin today to return to the Lord. Ask Him to give you a new heart and the desire to know Him (Jer. 24:7). Remember, He specializes in making all things new (2 Cor. 5:17). 

Lit Like Bic - Rae Sremmurd

Daily Devotional -

Scripture says that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16 NKJV). Effective—that is exactly what we want our prayers to be, especially in a crisis. When we meet God’s requirements, we can be confident that He’ll not only hear our concerns but will also act on them in accordance with His purposes.

Requirement #1—Fervent prayer. Motivated by a deeply burdened heart, fervent prayers are filled with passion and a strong sense of personal helplessness. They also have a narrow focus on some specific difficulty about which we care deeply. Scripture calls this type of prayer “laboring earnestly” (Col. 4:12).

Requirement #2—Righteousness. As soon as we place our trust in the Savior, we become rightly related to God as His children. At that moment, we are permanently sealed with the Holy Spirit and are declared righteous forever because of our position in Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:9). While salvation is by faith rather than by deeds (Eph. 2:8-9), genuine faith will result in an obedient lifestyle and good works (James 2:26). If we willingly and knowingly engage in sin, then we are not living righteously and our prayers will not be effective.

When the Lord hears an impassioned prayer, He knows who is praying. If it is a righteous person whose life reflects God’s ways, Scripture promises the Holy Spirit will begin His divine work.

God responds with great power to the prayers of even one righteous person. That person can be you!

Straight Outta Compton (Red Band Movie Trailer)

Daily Devotional - Accountability

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.
- Romans 3:19

Do you ever say, "I know I shouldn't do this, but . . ."; "I know I shouldn't say this, but . . ."; "I know I shouldn't act like this, but . . ."; "I know I should forgive her, but . . ."? What we're really saying is, "I know I'm making a wrong choice, but I hope I can get by with it."

We live in a society where many people do not want to be accountable. A lot of people want to be able to make wrong choices and not have wrong results. But it doesn't work that way. Accountable means "answerable." Sooner or later we will have to answer for our choices. If we don't choose to be accountable, eventually our circumstances will force us to be accountable.

Power Thought: I make right choices so I will have a right result.

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Daily Devotional - The Best Time to Give

And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. 
—Numbers 21:8

At one point in Israel’s history, Israelites were dying in large numbers because a plague of snakes came upon them and were biting them as a result of their sin (see Numbers 21:6). What did their leader, Moses, do? He prayed. To solve the problem, Moses turned his attention immediately to God, not to himself or anyone else.

I have found that victorious people in the Bible faced their problems with prayer. They did not worry; they prayed. I ask you today: Do you worry or do you take your needs to God in prayer? Moses sought God about how to handle the snakes. He did not make his own plan and ask God to bless it; he did not try to figure out an answer in his mind, nor did he worry. He prayed, and his action brought a response from God. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent, set it on a pole and put it in front of the people. Every snake-bitten person who looked at it would live. The New Testament tells us this action represented the cross and Jesus’ taking our sin upon Himself: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must . . . the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], in order that everyone who believes in Him . . . may not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14, 15). 

You and I still sin today, but the message of the bronze serpent still applies: “Look and live.” Look at Jesus and at what He has done, not at yourself and what you have done or can do. Hebrews 12:2 has great advice: “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith . . .” The answer to your problem, whatever it may be, is not worry, but praying and trusting that Jesus is leading you. 

Love God Today: Look to Jesus for the answer to every problem that you have! He loves it when you lean on Him.

Daily Devotional - In the "Deep End"

Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]—to the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity).
- Jude 24–25

Just as a little three-year-old girl in the middle of a swimming pool can feel in over her head, at various points in our lives, all of us feel we're getting "out of our depth" or "in over our heads." But the reality is that without God we're always in over our heads.

There are problems all around in this life: a job is lost, someone dies, there is strife in the family, or a bad report comes from the doctor. When these things happen, our temptation is to panic, because we feel we've lost control. But think about it—just like the child in the pool, the truth is we've never been in control when it comes to life's most crucial elements. We've always been held up by the grace of God, our Father, and that won't change. God is never out of His depth, and therefore we're as safe when we're in life's "deep end" as we were in the kiddie pool.

Lord, I'm glad that I am safe in Your arms, even when I feel I'm in over my head. Hold me by Your grace. Amen. .