DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 7.17.21

Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life by Alex Crain Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:1 Just before our second son Henry was born, I remember standing with my wife in the nursery, looking around and just taking everything in. The wooden crib stood assembled and accessorized with matching mobile, blankets, padding and pillows. Diapers, bootiesand footie pajamas were tucked away in the bureau. The oak rocking chair sat sturdily in the corner nearest the window. In only a matter of days a tiny boy would fill that little room with life and great joy. People love babies. There is an inexplicable excitement that surrounds the beginning of life. But as soon as the day of birth arrives, it becomes simultaneously the most important day and least important day of one's life. It is the most important because,without it, one wouldn't have life; but it is also least important because it is only the starting point and then it's past. After the moment of birth, the most important thing is, of course, living. Obvious as it seems, I was reminded while reading Francis Schaeffer's book, True Spirituality, that many professing Christians seem to languish in denial of this fact regarding the moment of their own spiritual birth. Ask a friendly question of, "how is your relationship with the Lord?" and you may hear an answer emphasizing apast decision, a moment of crisis, or an experience—as if past events were all that mattered. Schaeffer wrote, "In one way, the new birth is the most important thing in our spiritual lives, because we are not Christians until we have come this way. In another way, however, after one has become a Christian, it must be minimized, in that we should not always have our minds only on our new birth. The important thing after being born spiritually is to live." (ch. 1) Yes, we are grateful for the past. We look forward expectantly to the bright future ahead with Christ in His manifest presence. But our present walk with Christ, right now, is the most important moment. Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is [present tense] ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." 1 John 1:7 reaffirms this emphasis on the present—true spirituality is concerned with walking [present tense] in the light "as He is [present tense] in the light, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us [present tense]from all sin." --------------------------------------------------- How to Cry Out to God Matthew 14:29-30 The phone rings, and you answer. A sullen voice informs you of a tragedy. Your heart is so heavy that you feel as though you could die. What do you do? Bad news, danger, and pain all cause us to look for help. As believers, we dwell with the almighty God, who is able to aid us. At those moments when we are sideswiped by life’s circumstances, we should cry out to Him. In the Bible, crying out refers to speaking audibly with great emotion concerning an urgent need. God invites us to use this form of prayer to communicate that we desperately need His mercy. It takes both faith and humility to share our heart’s concern aloud. Crying out, then, is a way for God’s children to express trust in the Lord’s ability and willingness to help. By calling upon Him with such urgency, wealso lay down our pride and any attitude of self-sufficiency. The Word of God assures us that our Father hears our cries and responds. In Psalm 3:4, for example, David wrote, “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered from His holy mountain.” When we call aloud for help in Jesus’ name, we invite His power into the situation. Remember that there is strength in just speaking Hisname. When we cry out to God, He may remove the problem immediately, yet we often have to wait for His perfect timing. Harsh circumstances might even be allowed to remain for His good purposes. But we can always count on His comfort and presence, which enableus to live with joy and hope. --------------------------------------------------------- TheRight Man on Our Side “Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, thatthy faith fail not.” (Luke22:31-32) Satan wanted Peter to fall, and fall he would (v. 34), but Christ had prayed for him that victory would come. The second verse of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” reflects our vulnerability on our own and our invincibility on His side. Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right man on our side, The man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He, Lord Sabaoth, His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle. After revealing many thrilling blessings, Paul asks: “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans8:31). Furthermore, neither “principalities, nor powers” nor any thing else in all creation is “able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans8:38-39). With Him, Satan cannot win the battle for our minds or destinies. But on our own, we cannot win. The term Sabaoth is the Hebrew word for “hosts,” in particular the “host of heaven.” The term Yahweh Sabaoth or “Lord Sabaoth” occurs some 300 times in the Old Testament and constitutes a most majestic name for God. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the wholeearth shall he be called” (Isaiah54:5). This is none other than “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews13:8). Creator (Colossians1:16), Sustainer (v. 17), Redeemer (v. 20)—He must win the battle. JDM ---------------------------------------------------------- Dive In by Ryan Duncan For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Galatians 5:13 One summer when I was younger, my church organized a week-long camping trip to Glacier National Park for all the high school boys. It was after one particularly long day of hiking that a few of us decided we’d cool off by taking a swim in a nearby lake.So we grabbed our swim trunks and towels and ran full speed into the lake, desperate to escape the summer heat. Now, I’m going to pause here and ask two questions… First Question: Where does the water in these lakes come from? Answer: Well, ice from the glacier melts and runs down through the waterfalls until it empties out into the lake. Second Question: Does the water ever get warm? Answer: No The moment our feet hit the water we were stopped cold. We all stood ankle deep trying to figure out what to do next. A handful of the boys tried to edge gradually into the water, but after almost twenty minutes they still hadn’t made it past their knees.As for me and a few other boys, we decided it was best not to wait. We dove headfirst into the water. For a time it was unbelievably cold, but eventually our bodies adjusted and we spent the entire afternoon diving and swimming far out in the lake. Followers of Christ can encounter the same problem my friends and I had on the beach of that lake. God wants us to dive headfirst into the Christian life, to forget our worries and troubles and just focus on Him. Instead, many of us will stand on the fringesof our faith, trying to slowly and comfortably ease our way into God’s plan for our lives. We aren’t meant to stand in the shallows of God’s love, however, so even though jumping in can be difficult at first, it’s the best way. Only by surrendering to God as thecenter of our lives do we become truly free. -------------------------------------------------------------- AMighty Fortress Is Our God “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.” (Psalm46:1-2) Martin Luther’s journal entries inform us of his continual battle against evil forces and that Psalm 46 was a great comfort to him. As he meditated on the words of our text, the thrust of a mighty song was born that openly declared victory in the great battle: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. The battle to be fought is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians6:12). Satan, along with his henchmen, is an ancient foe, “a roaring lion,” as it were, “seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8). But there is no need for alarm, “the LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm46:11). He “is our refuge and strength” (today’s text), a bulwark never failing. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8). Only God could accomplish this victory, for Satan is “the prince of this world” (John14:30), “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians2:2). No man on Earth is his equal. But how did the Son of God gain the victory? By taking on Himself “flesh and blood” and dying a substitutionary death, “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews2:14). JDM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Day at the Beach That Wasn't Any Such Thing by Shawn McEvoy For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me… (2Samuel 22:5). Your wrath lies heavily upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves (Psalm88:7). I have many times stood upon the shore of a peaceful Atlantic ocean gazing East to the sunrise, pondering the vastness and the depth of God. This was not one of those times. Today, I wanted to catch some fish. It was my only two hours of alone time during the whole week of family vacation to Isle of Palms. I decided to bike down to the point I’d walked to earlier that morning. This was mistake number one. I popped the chainon that old bike about half-way down the beach, and ended up having to push it the rest of the way with one hand while holding my fishing pole (and trying not to hook myself) with the other. When I finally got there the waves had risen to a height I’d not encountered in any of my last four seasons on Atlantic beaches. I could barely cast my lure over them, and if I did succeed, I’d soon get knocked over. So, alright. You know what? I’ve beenwanting a showdown. “Let’s see whatchya got,” I said, to either myself, God, or the forces of nature. I took my pole back to shore and I waded out to war. I adopted my best linebacker stance and stood up to the six-foot waves as best I could. I tried body surfing and nearly swallowed a gallon or two of seawater. I tried jumping over, diving under, and shouldering through. And while I was doing all of it Iwas telling God or whoever would listen how hard a time I’d been having of it. ("Sure," you're saying, "a week of luxury beach vacation with the family; you’re really struggling." But it’s true). Why do I put on weight so easily? Why do you not seem to hear me anymore? Why am I not satisfied in my soul? Why do my simplest desires – like to ride a bike down a beach and catch a fish – result in such discouraging and powerful setbacks? Why is my faith bruised and how do I start to care for the people of God again? Huh?! Nothing. Just wave after wave after pounding after pounding. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Developing Faith through Adversity 2Corinthians 11:23-30 It doesn't seem fair, does it? Paul spent his life serving Christ, and yet he experienced continual suffering. Why would God let one of His most faithful servants go through so much pain? This isn't just a question about Paul; it's an issue we face today.In our minds, the Lord should protect His loyal followers from hardships, but He doesn't necessarily do so. Maybe our reasoning is backwards. We think faithful Christians don't deserve to suffer, but from God's perspective, suffering is what produces faithful Christians. If we all had lives of ease without opposition, trials, or pain, we'd never really know God,because we'd never need Him. Like it or not, adversity teaches us more about the Lord than simply reading the Bible ever will. ----------------------------------------------------------- How to Win Spiritual Battles - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org They have made God�s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. �Psalm 37:31 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/how-to-win-spiritual-battles/- Listen Have you ever noticed that when the Bible talks about spiritual armor, only one piece is an offensive weapon? This armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteous,the shoes of the gospel of peace, and the helmet of salvation. Then we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Now, a soldier in the first century wouldn�t fight his opponent with a helmet or his sandal, would he? No, he�d deflect blows with his shield, he�d take a hit with his breastplate,and he�d fight back with his sword. In the spiritual battle, we fight back with an offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It means that we remind ourselves of the truth of whatGod has said. Isn�t it amazing how an entire situation can be transformed by putting things into perspective? The Bible says, �How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed accordingto Your word� (Psalm 119:9 NKJV). For instance, the devil might whisper in your ear, �You�re worthless. God doesn�t love you. He wants to ruin your life.� But you can reply, �You know what? That�s a lie, because it is written, �For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,to give you a future and a hope� (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV).� We respond with the Word of God. Jesus knew the Scriptures, and we need to know them as well. Are you memorizing God�s Word? Psalm 119 says, �Your word I have hidden inmy heart, that I might not sin against You� (verse 11 NKJV). And Psalm 37:31 tells us, �They have made God�s law their own, so they will never slip from his path� (NLT). Fill your mind with God�s Word. And be ready to use it because it will give you the defense you will need in the hour of spiritual attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HisKingdom Is Forever �Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patiencethe race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.� (Hebrews12:1-2) The final verse of �A Mighty Fortress Is Our God� describes our tools and comportment while in the battle, and the final victory. That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro� Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God�s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever. As the King�s soldiers, we have God-given abilities and possessions, most notably the indwelling God�s Spirit and empowering gifts. �If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his� (Romans8:9). �Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit� (1Corinthians 12:4). We should �fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul� (Matthew10:28) and focus on Him, �denying ungodliness and worldly lusts� (even goods and kindred [Luke 9:60-62] if need be). �We should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of thegreat God and our Savior Jesus Christ� (Titus2:12-13). As of yet the battle continues. �To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne� (Revelation3:21), �and so shall we ever be with the Lord� (1Thessalonians 4:17). JDM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who Wants a Free Gift? by Ryan Duncan Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. � Hebrews 4:16 �Who wants a free gift?� I don�t know about you, but that�s a statement that often gives me pause. The reason why is because almost every day I�m bombarded with offers to receive a �free gift� that isn�t really free. You probably know what I�m talking about.Credit card companies offer me �free rewards� if I spend more that eighteen thousand dollars with one of their cards. Airlines say they�ll give me �free miles� if I book a trip to China right now, and then there are those pesky infomercials that offer me �free� steak knives if I buy their grease cooker for only $19.99! As a Christian living in a world where there�s no such thing as a free lunch, it�s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of grace, and even harder to teach it to others. So when my father was asked to teach a group of middle school students about grace,I admit I had no idea how he was going to pull it off. But my father is a pretty shrewd guy (you�re welcome Dad), and as soon as he got the lesson he went out, bought a Hershey bar the size of a laptop computer and covered it in wrapping paper. On Sunday morninghe walked to the front of the room, held up the present, a said �Who wants a free gift?� No one moved. Finally, one brave kid got up and ran forward to take the present from my father�s hand. It�s that simple. Every day God calls to us, offering the free gift of his grace, and all we need to do is accept it. Grace doesn�t require a down payment, it doesn�task you to do something first, and it�s never a bonus for something you�ve already accomplished. Grace is a gift, the only thing in this world that is truly free. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers in Times of Great Disaster Deuteronomy 29:29 Almighty God reserves the right to reveal some things and conceal others. Although we may not know why natural disasters occur, the biblical truths we do know with absolute certainty allow us to trust the Lord even in times of great suffering. These include: 1. God is in control (Ps. 103:19). Nothing in heaven or on earth is outside of His rule and authority. He does notreact to events but sovereignly ordains or permits them to run their course. Although we cannot know for certain if He has sent a catastrophe or allowed it, we can trust in His goodness and wisdom. 2. The Lord loves people and wants them to be saved (John 3:16-17). Giving His Son for the salvation of the world proves without a doubt that He loves each person. This truth stands firm despite the fact that many reject the Savior. He cares for us, even when we can�t feel it or won�t accept it. 3. God ordains or permits events for His good purpose (Isa. 46:10). Though we cannot fully comprehend what He is doingin each incident, every disaster is a wake-up call for humanity. He is alerting us of the need to repent�so the lost can be saved and the saved can be revived to live totally for Him. Catastrophes open our ears to hear from the Lord. The One who loves us perfectly is in full control, working everything out according to His good purpose. Knowing this should fill us with hope, even in the midst of crisis situations. The Lord even promises to turn disaster to good for those who �are calledaccording to His purpose� (Rom. 8:28). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- His Doom Is Sure �Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning,and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.� (John8:44) The third verse of �A Mighty Fortress Is Our God� focuses on Satan�s end. God has willed triumph through His truth. And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear; for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim�We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. When Satan was cast from heaven, fully a third of the angels fell with him (Revelation 12:4), such that a �legion� of them could inhabit one individual (Mark5:9). But God has other plans for His children. He desires �to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins� (Acts26:18). He desires us to �resist the devil� (James 4:7) and not �give place to the devil� (Ephesians4:27). He also has plans for Satan, including �everlasting chains under darkness� (Jude 1:6), and �everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels� (Matthew25:41). Just one word and Satan will be �cast into the lake of fire and...tormented day and night for ever and ever� (Revelation 20:10). Jesus, anticipatingHis execution, spoke of it triumphantly. This had been His Father�s will all along. �Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me� (John12:31-32), and now the battle is His. JDM --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Religion? - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed thempublicly by his victory over them on the cross. �Colossians 2:14�15 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-little-religion/- Listen When people want to change, they might say, �Maybe I need a little religion.� But �a little religion� isn�t going to help them. What they need is a whole lot of Jesus, not a little religion. That�s because Jesus Christ dealt a decisive blow against the devil and his minions when He cried out from the cross of Calvary, �It is finished!� (John 19:30 NKJV). I believe those words reverberated through the corridors of Hell and sent a shiver down the spine of every demon because they realized the stranglehold they had on humanitywas broken. During Jesus�s temptation in the wilderness, the Bible tells us that �the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the worldand their glory. And he said to Him, �All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me�� (Matthew 4:8�9 NKJV). But Jesus told him, �Away with you, Satan! For it is written, �You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve�� (verse 10 NKJV). In other words, �No, I am not giving in to that temptation. I�m going to go the cross. I�m going to bear the sin of the world, and I�m going to rise from the dead. And fromthe cross of Calvary, I�m going to say, �It is finished!� You know what that means, and I know what that means.� The Bible says that at Calvary, Jesus �disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross� (Colossians 2:14�15NLT). When you put your faith in Christ, you can be free of the power of sin and no longer have to live with the guilt. And best of all, you can know with complete assurance thatwhen you die, you will go to Heaven. ------------------------------------------------------------------- When Temptation Calls - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. �Psalm 119:11 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/when-temptation-calls/- Listen I�m amazed sometimes at all the things we fill our minds with. For instance, some people know the names of every character in the Star Wars films along with all the plottwists. Others seem to know the scores of every professional baseball game that has been played in the last four decades. As for me, I have in my memory banks the lyrics to songs I�ve heard years ago, including the theme song to The Flintstones. I don�t know when I consciously learned them,but I know them. We have all kinds of data floating around in our minds, but do we know the Word of God? Do we know what verses deal with specific subjects and what the Bible says aboutcertain topics? In our own strength, we don�t have the power to resist temptation. That�s why we need to take time to memorize the Word of God. When Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, the devil came to Him and said, �If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread� (Matthew 4:3 NKJV). Yes, Jesus had the power to do that. No doubt He was hungry�hungry to the point of starvation, even. But with His response, Jesus gave us an example to follow. He showed us how to deal with temptation. And He stood on ground that we, too, can stand on. Jesus said, �It is written, �Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God�� (verse 4 NKJV). He fought temptation with the Word of God. It�s good to carry a Bible, of course, but the best place to carry the Word of God is in your heart. Memorize it so you can draw upon it when temptation comes knocking atyour door. And indeed, temptation will come. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon Says Walk by Faith by Shawn McEvoy Jesus said... "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matthew16:24 You remember how to play Simon-Says, don't you? It's probably been a few years. It's the children's game where a leader gives verbal commands that are to be followed if and only if they are preceded by an explicit statement of permission bearing the warrantof mighty Simon himself. Non-"Simon-Says" commands are worthless, and following them only gets you in trouble. Aside from being fun (for a few minutes anyway), the game also helps kids work on motor skills, coordination, listening skills, manners, and respecting authority. But, shhhh... don't tell them that. I'm not convinced the game's so popular these days, as everyone's more interested in raising leaders than followers anymore, but I digress. Let's just look closely at the three actions in the verse above, which begins not with "Simon Says," but rather, "Then Jesus said..." 1) Turn Around ("let him deny himself..."). This is what denying one's self is all about. Repentance. Seeing things God's way. Going from darkness to light. Playing the fool for God. Even the notion of playing a child's game isapropos here, as we must not use our own adult human knowledge and wisdom to accomplish this step, but instead we die to self and come willingly in faith like a child. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Consequences of Drifting Hebrews 3:12-13 Spiritual drifting--the gradual wandering away from God and His will--takes place when a believer ceases to steer toward the Lord. Like an empty boat set loose upon the waters, he or she makes a slow and lazy glide away from good practices like disciplinedobedience, regular Bible study, prayer, and assembling with fellow Christians. And there are consequences for casting yourself on uncharted and dangerous waters. A life adrift is outside of God's will and therefore in sin. The Holy Spirit pricks a believer's conscience to send a message when he is off course, but the drifter is prone to ignore such warnings. If a Christian continually excuses his wandering ways and denies sin, then his conscience gradually numbs. A person whobecomes desensitized to wrongdoing has paved the way for more sinful behavior with less guilt. Can you imagine a more dangerous situation? As the drifting believer's conscience becomes anesthetized, his spiritual ears are also deadened--truth cannot gain entrance because he has invited wrong attitudes and philosophies into his thinking process. What's more, his heart hardens to the things ofGod. Shrinking away from testimonies about divine power, grace, and mercy, he avoids situations that might reawaken the conscience and stir his spirit to repentance. People drift from God in search of more--more freedom, choices, and pleasure. But since the consequences are a hard heart, a numb conscience, and dead ears, what they end up with is less. The drifting believer sacrifices the victorious life in Christ foran existence devoid of permanent satisfaction. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Almighty God �And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the AlmightyGod; walk before me, and be thou perfect.� (Genesis 17:1) This is the first of 48 occurrences of the designation of God by the term �Almighty� in the Old Testament. There are also nine times in the New Testament where God is called �Almighty,� plus once where He is called �omnipotent.� The last time it occurs is verynear the end of the Bible, telling us that there is no special temple in the holy city, �for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it� (Revelation21:22). Thus, in the first and last books of the Bible, and often in between, we are reminded that our God is an omnipotent God. As Jeremiah prayed; �Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there isnothing too hard for thee� (Jeremiah 32:17). Sarah �laughed� when God said that she would bear a son in her old age, but God responded: �Is any thing too hard for the LORD?� (Genesis 18:14). Many yearslater, the angel told the Virgin Mary that she would have a son, and she said: �How shall this be?� (Luke 1:34.) The angel replied: �With God nothing shallbe impossible� (Luke 1:37). Some things God cannot do, of course, for �God cannot be tempted with evil� (James 1:13) and He �cannot lie� (Titus1:2), so whatever He does is right and whatever He says is true. We may not always understand just why He does or says something, but in eternity we shall learn that He was indeed able to do what He says. He is omnipotent! God did create the cosmos in all its macroscopic complexity and all the living kinds with their microscopic complexity. �I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?� (Jeremiah32:27). HMM --------------------------------------------------------- The Greatest Revival in Human History - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah ishere. �Matthew 12:41 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-greatest-revival-in-human-history/- Listen The greatest revival in human history that we know of took place in the city of Nineveh. The population of Nineveh at that time was around one million people, and an awakeningswept through the entire city. Yet it wasn�t thanks to Jonah, the prophet whom God sent. When the Lord told him to go to Nineveh and preach, he caught a boat going in the opposite direction. He was swallowedby a great fish, and after he repented, the fish vomited him onto dry land. Jonah wasn�t happy about preaching to these people. He didn�t even care if God judged them. So he simply told them, �Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!� (Jonah3:4 NKJV). Loosely paraphrased, Jonah was saying, �You�re going to burn, so deal with it.� There was no offer of forgiveness, yet amazingly, God worked in Nineveh. The people turned to Him. They repented. And because of that, God spared them. Later Jesus said, �The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greaterthan Jonah is here� (Matthew 12:41 NKJV). The people of Nineveh didn�t have the message that we have today. They didn�t hear that God loved them so much that He sent His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the crossand pay for their sins. They didn�t hear that if you will put your faith in Jesus, you can know that when you die, you will go to Heaven. And they didn�t know that forgiveness could be given and received instantaneously if a person would believe. Perhaps your life is falling apart right now. Christ can transform it. Whatever problem you�re facing today, Jesus Christ can fix it�if you will come to Him on His terms. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WhomShall I Fear? �The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whomshall I be afraid?� (Psalm27:1) Think back to your youngest childhood days. Do you remember being afraid of the dark? Were you scared when your parents turned off the nightlight? Flash forward to more logical adult fears�thieves, natural disasters, negative bank account balances, unemployment, public speaking, shark attacks, political turmoil, and death. While some of those fears may seem far-fetched, there are other fears you mightencounter that will truly drive you to your knees in prayer. How would you respond to life-threatening persecution? What if your children recant their faith and abandon everything you�ve taught them from Scripture? Could you handle the loss of loved ones and all of your possessions? The Bible is filled with examples of faithful believers who suffered (Hebrews11:36-38). Many of the sorrow-filled Psalms were written by King David. But he wasn�t the only subject of fear, suffering, and trauma. Perhaps you are reminded of Job. He was a godly man. Yet the Lord allowed Satan to torment him, removing nearly everygood thing from his life (Job1:12; 2:6). How could he respond in faith to the One who protected his soul? In today�s text, David draws our hearts to what Spurgeon calls �a threefold cord which could not be broken.� The Lord is our light, salvation, and strength. And then he asks two rhetorical questions: �Whom shall I fear?...Of whom shall I be afraid?� With the Lord on your side, you need not fear anyone or anything. His love for you is sure and steadfast. Nothing in the entire universe�darkness, disaster, demons, or the devil�can separate you from His love (Romans8:38-39). MH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For Rainy Days by Ryan Duncan �And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.� Isaiah 35:10 Recently, my Small Group decided to take a weekend retreat down to the coast. I�ve got to say, I was pretty excited. In the days leading up to the weekend I couldn�t help but imagine hanging out at the beach, playing some football with the guys, and grillingcopious amounts of meat for evening meals. When Friday finally rolled around, we loaded up our cars and made the two hour trip down to the coast where we had rented our cabin. Well, it rained. All weekend. It wasn�t the fun kind of rain either, the kind where if you get a few people brave enough you can run around outside like maniacs until you�re soaked. No, this was the cold, unrelenting kind of rain that makes you want to crawl back in bed and hibernatefor a week. So I was a little surprised when Stephanie, one of the girls in our group, announced that she wanted to get baptized. She had planned on doing so at the beginning of the trip, and decided that she was going to follow through despite the weather. She couldn�t have picked a more miserable day. The sky was gray, the sea was white and foamy, and as we stepped onto the beach, I knew it would only be minutes until we were all close to freezing. I remember watching Stephanie and her friend wading intothe sea and thinking that when I got baptized it would be somewhere tropical and sunny. But when Stephanie broke the surface, the joy on her face seemed uncontainable. You couldn�t help smiling with her as she climbed out of the water. Suddenly the sky didn�t seem so gray, the rain wasn�t so bad, even the wind, which was just as cold as ever, didn�t bother me so much. It was one of those moments where you knew God was there. Life is full of bad moments and rainy days, and it�s temptingto think God doesn�t care when cloudy skies remain the same. But here�s the thing about God, you never know him better than after he�s taught you to laugh in the rain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Back on Course 2 Peter 3:17-18 No matter how far away from God you have drifted, you're always welcome back. That's the lesson from Jesus' parable about the prodigal son--the foolish boy who followed a pleasure-filled path to ruin before returning to his father and finding redemption (Luke 15:11-32). Perhaps ruin has not yet come to you, but you know that your heart has grown coolto the things of God. Whatever your drifting story, make this the day that you point yourself back to the Lord. As with any sin, the first motion toward getting back on course is to acknowledge that you have slipped away from the Lord. Then you confess and repent, which is like turning your boat in the opposite direction and paddling toward God with all your strength.If you're wondering exactly how to do that, I suggest a strategy I use every morning. Before I step out of bed, I give myself to God by acknowledging, I surrender my entire life to You for this day. When something comes up that runscounter to His plan and I consider pursuing it, the Holy Spirit reminds me that I am not my own. Only God's way will do for me. Every day we choose whether to row or drift. As for me, I choose to vigorously pursue God. Peter gives a warning to be on guard against attitudes and ideologies that would carry you away from truth (2 Peter 3:17). Instead,choose to paddle your lifeboat toward the Lord by meditating on Scripture, praying, and living obediently. Practicing the spiritual disciplines keeps a heart warm toward God. ----------------------------------------------------------- Partakers of the Promise �That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ bythe gospel.� (Ephesians 3:6) There are many Christians who regard themselves as almost exclusively New Testament believers, arguing that the Old Testament was for the Jews under the dispensation of law and thus not applicable to Christians today. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the old animal sacrifices, temple rituals, and Levitical priesthoods have indeed been superseded by Christ�s �one sacrifice for sins for ever� (Hebrews10:12), there are many �exceeding great and precious promises� (2 Peter 1:4) of the Old Testament that can be properly and joyfully appropriated byChristians. �All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable,� wrote Paul (2 Timothy 3:16), speaking particularly of the Old Testament Scriptures. In the context of our verse for the day, Paul is stressing that his own new revelations, given in connection with the Christian gospel, actually involved bringing Jew and Gentile together as one body in Christ. The �dispensation of the grace of God...by revelationhe made known unto me,� he wrote, but in previous ages, it had not been �made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit� (Ephesians3:2-5). And what was it that had not been made known? The hidden mystery was simply �that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs� with the Jews, and therefore �partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel� (Ephesians3:6). Thus, Gentile believers can now share in all the gracious promises of God in the Old Testament (e.g., Psalm 23; Isaiah 26:3; etc.), except those directly dealing with the future of Israel as a nation, �that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ� (Galatians3:14). HMM ------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM