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What Do You Delight In?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." Proverbs 10:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are people in every fellowship who take joy in finding something bad about somebody else. When they hear something ugly, they take great delight in exposing it. Love does not rejoice in iniquity. Love wishes that it never happened. Love tries to cover it up. That doesn't mean we condone sin, we just cover it. Let me illustrate. Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Ham came and saw his father's nakedness and was quick to tell others. Shem and Japheth covered their father to help him cover his shame not to condone what he had done, but to cover it. Wouldn't the world be a lot better place if we had that spirit?

ACTION POINT:
Write down the names of 1) someone who has hurt you recently, 2) someone who appears to have a better life than you, 3) someone who has done something wrong, but no one else knows about it. Now, lift that person up in prayer for God to forgive him or her. Ask God to give you an opportunity to show this person His love.

Are You Worrying Too Much?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee." Psalm 116:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I heard of a woman who woke up her husband because she thought she heard a burglar downstairs. He went down with a flashlight and was shining it around. Sure enough, there was a burglar in their home. He said, "Hold it right there. I've got a gun on you." He dialed the phone and called the police. "And another thing," he said, "Before you go, I want my wife to come down here and meet you. She's been looking for you for 24 years." A lot of people are that way. They are borrowing trouble by anticipating or worrying about what may happen. What you need to do is stop looking to yesterday in guilt or anticipating tomorrow with anxiety.

ACTION POINT:
Simply rest in the day the Lord has given you today. How do you do that? The first time someone irritates you or something frustrating happens, take a deep breath and thank God for whatever it is. Ask and He will give you what you need to handle whatever it is in His grace, patience, and love.

Are You Anticipating HIS Return?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." 1 Peter 4:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Years ago, G. Campbell Morgan was a great expositor of the Word of God. He said, "I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that perhaps before I awake, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin work without thinking that He may interrupt it to begin His own." Every night before we go to sleep, we ought to say, "Jesus may come tonight." And every day we get our tools and go to work, this may be the last day of work that we do. We are to be looking for His return. We are also to be longing for His return. Are you praying for Jesus to return? If you love Him, you ought to be longing for His return. I have Him in my heart, but I long to lay my eyes upon Him and walk with Him and talk with Him. "Even so, come Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).

ACTION POINT:
Make today seem like the last day you have on earth. What will you do differently? How will you spend your time? Think about it...then go and live like Jesus may come at any minute. And you know what? He just might!

Daily Bible Devotional

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Proverbs 29:23

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever taught someone to drive? What was the first thing you showed him? If you’re like me, even before I showed my children the ignition switch, the accelerator, or the blinker, I showed them the brakes. Now, suppose your learner said, “I don’t want to know anything about the brakes. I just want to know how to make this thing go!” You would probably reply, “Forget the accelerator. Before you can go, you’ve got to learn to stop.” Put this in a spiritual realm. If I asked you to submit to God and you said, “I’m not interested in submission. I want the victory!” God is not going to pour out His power upon you, until He sees in you a spirit of submission.

ACTION POINT:
If you are physically able, get on your knees and bow low in reverence to God. Allow this position of humility to transform your spirit into one of complete surrender and submission to the Almighty.

Got A Minute?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:23

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Did you ever play king of the mountain as a child? When you were on high ground, you could shove the others down, even though they were entrenched and determined to overtake you. In Joshua 14, we read that Caleb faced a city of giants, and yet because he had wholly followed the Lord, he had the strength of the Lord and said, “give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:11-12). All of us face giants every day giants of doubt, fear, discouragement, financial ruin, sickness, broken relationships. Do you think that the giants that were in the Promised Land took God by surprise? God knew they were there all the time they were part of His purpose to strengthen their faith. It’s time you got a bulldog grip on the Word of God and believe what He says to be true.

ACTION POINT: 
What are the giants you are facing today? Ask God for the faith to conquer those giants.

Joshua 14

14:11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

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How Do You Justify Your Rebellious Nature?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Every rebel has a reason for his or her actions. You’ve probably heard a young person say, “Well, my dad drinks, so I smoke pot.” Do you know what kind of reasoning that is? Brute beast reasoning, like Peter mentions in 2 Peter 2:12. This young person doesn’t think he has to obey his father. And he further reasons, “Well, he’s not worthy of my obedience.” Do you know the only people who can demand perfect parents? Perfect children. The only person who can demand a perfect pastor is a perfect church member. The only person who can demand a perfect politician is a perfect citizen! There is never a license for rebellion. There are ways to reason together in a church, home, and government. A spirit of rebellion will bring a nation to its knees.

ACTION POINT: 
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus gave His life for you. Ask yourself what you should do in response. Now, go do it!

2 Peter 2

2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 2 Corinthians 5     5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

What Is Faith?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have so much faith, others have weak faith, and some have no faith at all? Is God unfair? No, God is no respecter of persons (see 2 Chronicles 19:7). He has given to every man a measure of faith (see Romans 12:3). And so, what is faith? Let me first say what it is not. Faith is not positive thinking or optimism. It is not a feeling that you can do something. It is not a hunch or looking on the sunny side of the street. Faith is getting a word from God and acting upon it. You see, you can get a word from God and believe that word, that is belief. But, when you act upon it, that is faith. Faith is belief with legs on it. Today is the day that you put your foot of faith upon the promises of God and say, “That promise is mine!”

ACTION POINT: 
Most ministries have a statement of faith a list of beliefs to which they ascribe. Take some time this week to do the same for yourself. Start each sentence with “I believe...” Some topics you will want to cover are salvation, the nature of God, faith, God’s Word.

Where Do You Find Your Gold?

BIBLE MEDITATION: 
“But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In order to refine gold, a goldsmith places gold over a fire until it bubbles and glows. He skims off the impurity from the top and knows that when he can see his reflection, the gold is pure. That is what the Lord is doing when you go through trials. When He can see His likeness reproduced in your life, He’ll know that you have become gold fit for His use and for His glory. But, the fire is hot! Yes, but God controls it. No jeweler is more careful with his gold than a father with his children. He knows what He is doing. But, what about those things He is burning out of my life? You don’t need them. If you needed them, your loving Father would make sure you kept them.

ACTION POINT:
Has God taken anything out of your life recently that you thought you couldn’t live without? Thank Him.

What Is Your Fortress?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Believers are “kept” by the power of God. This word “kept” in 1 Peter 1:5 is a military term. It literally means to be garrisoned about as soldiers around a fort. Think of the power of God as a fortress and you are on the inside. Now, how do you feel? Pretty secure, right? So many people get the idea that we keep ourselves safe. Friend, He keeps us. A father was crossing a street with his son. The son had hold of his daddy’s hand, then the light changed and the cars surged forward.  The father grabbed his son’s chubby little hand and almost lifted his son across the street to escape the oncoming traffic. That is the way God holds us. Psalm 37:24 promises, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand.”

ACTION POINT:
You are in God’s right hand. Write that down and post it in a place where you can meditate on it throughout the day. Now, ask yourself, “Knowing this…can anything that happens today change that truth?”

Can You Lose Salvation?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are some people who think that you can lose your salvation once you have it. I have one truth that will dispel that idea. Whether or not you can lose your salvation depends upon how you got it. If you were saved by your good works, then you can lose your salvation by your bad works. But, God’s Word is very clear on this point. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” How is someone saved? By grace. And if it is by grace, then you’re kept by grace. Salvation is not rooted in the merit of man, but in the mercy of God.

ACTION POINT:
Praise God for the regenerating work of His Holy Spirit, for the atoning blood of His Son, and for His calling upon your life.