DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 8.12.23

 Thingsof the World “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” (1John 2:15) We must be wary of the world’s “things,” because we are “in the world,” not “of the world” (John17:11-16). The command in our text is that we are not to love the world or its things, not that we should remain blissfully ignorant of them. We are to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew10:16). There are big things of the world like nations and kingdoms (Matthew4:8; Luke 12:30), as well as cares and riches (Mark4:19), that can sap our focus and drain our loyalties. And there are “rudiments” and “elements” (Colossians2:20; Galatians 4:3) that can twist our thinking and “spoil” us (Colossians2:8). We are warned that friendship with the worldly lifestyle and that which espouses the “things” of the world makes us an “enemy of God” (James4:4). That’s because such people embrace the “spirit of the world” and not “the spirit which is of God” (1Corinthians 2:12). Those people speak about the things of the world, and the world listens to them (1John 4:5). God’s people may be “base” and “weak”—even “foolish” in the eyes of the world (1Corinthians 1:27-28). Since the great Creator God has chosen us out of the world (John15:19), it should not surprise us that the world “hates” those who belong to the Lord Jesus (John17:14). Hence, the ungodly passions that drive the ungodly behavior of the world, “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1John 2:16). Those passions and the people who embrace them will “pass away.” But “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1John 2:17). HMM III ---------------------- PrayerfulJoy in Anticipating Deliverance “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; send thee help fromthe sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will setup our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name ofthe LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.” (Psalm20:1-9) David prepares for a huge battle, “the day of trouble,” by crying out to his Creator in prayer. Note that his prayer is penned before the battle’s beginning. “But we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD” (vv. 8-9). David has a sure hope in victory evenbefore picking up his sword, despite being faced with the high-tech equipment of the day, horses and chariots (v. 7). Finally, his heart’s desire is coupled to Yahweh’s receiving His due glory (v. 4). When was your last day of trouble? In addressing these huge battles, our hope can’t be in the material things of this world but only in a sure, prayerful hope in the One who answers our persistent pleas—along with the saving strength of His right hand. OurGod grants our heart’s desire and future victories through persistent prayer according to His will. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1Peter 4:7). CM ------------------------ ThePresence of the Lord “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and hiswife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” (Genesis3:8) The presence of the Lord can be either a cause of fear or a source of blessing. Adam and Eve were greatly afraid of His presence because of their sin, and their son Cain “went out from the presence of the LORD” (Genesis4:16) because of his sin. Yet it will also be to many a time of great joy. “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” (1Thessalonians 2:19). The difference, of course, is the presence or absence of unforgiven sin in the presence of the Lord. Most of the 16 occurrences of the phrase stress the judgmental aspect. Those who reject Christ’s offer of forgiveness through repentance and faith in His deathfor our sins will eventually be banned forever from His presence, like Cain. “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord JesusChrist: [They] shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2Thessalonians 1:7-9). But for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ for salvation, the prospect of the coming and personal presence of the Lord Jesus is one of joyful anticipation, for “in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasuresfor evermore” (Psalm16:11). When He comes again, we shall be presented “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude1:24) and shall thenceforth “ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). HMM --------------------------- TheWill of the Lord “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians5:17) There is no more exalted theme in the world than the will of God, nor is there a more important practical question than how to know the will of God. Of greatest significance is the recognition that it is His will—not man’s will—that’s important. God desires for us to know His will—both His will in general, as revealed in Scripture, and His specific will in each particular decision. The latter must in every instance, of course, be fully compatible with the former, as the Holy Spirit, who leads us, willnever contradict the Scriptures that He inspired. Thus, an indispensable prerequisite to finding the personal will of God is knowing His general will. The general will of God is expressed, first of all, in the fact of special creation (Revelation4:11). Then Christ became man in order to accomplish God’s will (Hebrews10:7) as our sin-bearing substitute. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews10:10). It is His will that this should provide salvation to all who believe. “This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life” (John6:40). This in turn entails individual regeneration of all who receive Him, “which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John1:13). Furthermore, His will includes absolute security in Him (John6:39), our sanctification (1Thessalonians 4:3), and ultimate glorification (John17:24). Thankfulness in all things (1Thessalonians 5:18) and a virtuous (“well doing”—1Peter 2:15) life are also God’s will. A believer who understands, believes, and obeys God’s general will is then prepared to know and follow His specific will. HMM --------------------------- AnEnd to Sin�s Control - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. �Romans 8:4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/an-end-to-sins-control-2/- Listen Do you ever find yourself doing the thing you don�t want to do or thinking the thought you don�t want to think? The apostle Paul described a similar struggle in Romans 7. Yet there�s not a single mention of the Holy Spirit in this chapter. In Romans 8, however, Paul made at least twentyreferences to the Holy Spirit. In chapter 7 we see Paul trying to live the Christian life in his own strength. But by chapter 8, he realizes that help is available. There is someone who will enable us to live the life God has called us to live, and that is the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, �God declared an end to sin�s control over us by givinghis Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit� (Romans 8:3�4 NLT). If you�re a spiritual person, then you�ll naturally want to do spiritual things. For instance, some people get up in the morning and make spending time with God a priority.While they�re driving, they might listen to a Christian radio station, worship music, or a Bible study podcast. They attend church regularly and are even involved in a small group. As a result, they�re getting stronger spiritually. In contrast, there are some who neglect Bible study and prayer. They listen to talk radio while they�re in their car. They�ll go to church, but only occasionally. And they�renot involved in a small group. Is it any wonder, then, why some people do better spiritually than others? The best way to stop going backward in your walk with Christ is to keep moving forward. This is not a works-based righteousness. Rather, it�s a working righteousness. Andthe way to do it is with the help of the Holy Spirit. ------------------------------------------------- The Sin of Human Trafficking - Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com With the movie �Sound of Freedom� amplifying the horrors of human trafficking, Americans are faced with a huge dilemma: America is among the worst nations partaking in humantrafficking, including sex trafficking on minor children, and now there is no excuse to look the other way. It is time to hold the federal government accountable to proliferating this sin upon children and conveying it unto a nation where good and moral peopleare repulsed by it. Joe Biden�s open border policy is massively contributing to human trafficking while at the same time hiding behind rhetoric that supports ending human trafficking. Actions, in this case, speak louder than words. Our government is complicit. A July 14 Epoch Times story revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) removed sections of its website relating to child sex trafficking and how US minors, yes kids righthere in the US, were being recruited and exploited in the commercial sex industry. Epoch Times reported: �The updated version of the webpage completely erased all three sections, which were added during President Donald Trump�s tenure on May 28, 2020, to counselAmericans about tactics that are being used by pimps and human traffickers targeting vulnerable children and luring them into prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation using psychological manipulation.� The site was updated without fanfare in mid-May.Think about that�three years after the Trump Administration had posted it. In a July 11 Twitter post, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) stated: �The DOJ specifically deleted a section that implicated the Biden Administration�s open-border policiesin correlation to the sex trafficking of children. The deleted portion read, �One form of sex trafficking involved the cross-border transportation of children. In these situations, traffickers recruit and transfer children across international borders in orderto sexually exploit them in another country�DOJ�s blatant move to distance Joe Biden�s harmful policies from the global crime of sex trafficking should be no surprise to any of us who have seen the blatant sexualization and abuse of children this administrationis comfortable with promoting.� Customs and Border Protection data indicates that some 345,000 minors have come across the US border unaccompanied since Biden took office. Couple this with the over-the-topobsession of this Administration and many of its supporters to allow the LGBTQ+ community to continue confusing and recruiting children in government schools, and this Administration is no less than perverse. Christ said in Luke 17:2, �It would be better forhim if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.� We are not ignorant of the sins of human trafficking and child sexual predation supported by this government. Let us pray andact. A millstone would indeed be better for these policy perverts than allowing this abomination to continue before our very eyes. ---------------------------- Hospitable Hearts - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org And do not bring sorrow to God�s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. �Ephesians 4:30 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/hospitable-hearts/- Listen Have you ever noticed that different homes have their own smells? Some have odd odors, and you don�t want to stay very long. Others have inviting scents, like the smell ofdelicious food cooking, and you enjoy being there. There is a difference between being in a home and being at home. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of every Christian. Romans 8:9 says, �But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by theSpirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you� (NLT). When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit seals and indwells you. But is the Holy Spirit at home in your heart? Is He comfortable in your life? The Holy Spirit has a personality. Yes, He is God. And yes, we might even sin against Him specifically. The Bible tells us that it�s possible to insult the Holy Spirit, resistthe Holy Spirit, and blaspheme the Holy Spirit. We also can make the Holy Spirit sad. The apostle Paul wrote, �And do not bring sorrow to God�s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption� (Ephesians 4:30 NLT). Have you ever done or said something that reduced another person to tears? It�s hard to look at someone who is crying because of what you said or did. In the same way, wecan do things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Paul went on to say, �Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior� (verse 31 NLT). These things make the Holy Spiritsorrowful. So, how can you tell if you�re living a Spirit-controlled life? The Holy Spirit will be at home in your heart. ------------------------------- PutOff the Old, Put On the New �But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth...seeingthat ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man.� (Colossians3:8-10) Paul sets a high standard for Christian living. And the means to live this way��put off�put on��may come across as too simple. This doesn�t sound like modern self-help books. He doesn�t offer 10 steps. We simply put off bad habits and put on good ones. Justlike that. But how? First, we need to know who we are. Paul reminded believers, �For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God� (Colossians3:3). We believe (i.e., reckon as true) that the old self who wanted to chase its own lusts has died. When we trusted Christ, we relinquished that life of sin. Now the Lord gives us all the power to live right. �And what is the exceeding greatness of hispower to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead� (Ephesians1:19-20). Once we understand our new identity, then we �put off� the vices Paul listed in our main text. Believers can do this. We show it when we answer the phone while feeling angry and then put on a kind voice. Just like that! That�s what we could have done beforewe let anger invade in the first place. Paul again cites believers� new identity, saying, �Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved�� Armed with the truth of who we are, we can put on �mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving oneanother�.And above all these things put on charity [love], which is the bond of perfectness� (Colossians3:12-14). Just like that. BT --------------------- Walkingin Truth �I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment fromthe Father.� (2John 1:4) This beautiful metaphor, �walking in truth,� is found only in the two one-chapter epistles of John�here in our text, and in 3 John 1:3 and 4. This principle should indeed characterize our daily lives, since our Lord and Savior is Himself �the truth� (John14:6), the Word of God that we believe is �truth� (John17:17), and the Holy Spirit who indwells our bodies is the very �Spirit of truth� (John15:26). The New Testament also uses other characteristics of the Christian life under this figure of walking. When a person is born again through faith in Christ and testifies of this by following the Lord in baptism, he or she is said to be raised to �walk in newnessof life� (Romans6:4). Then, since the Holy Spirit has come to indwell our bodies, to comfort, guide, and constrain us as needed, we are exhorted to �walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh� (Galatians5:16). Furthermore, we are commanded to �walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us� (Ephesians5:2). This is not erotic love, of course, or even brotherly love, but unselfish agape love that sacrifices its own interests for the needs of others. There are still more such exhortations. �Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time� (Colossians4:5). Furthermore, we are to �walk in the light, as he is in the light� (1John 1:7). All of these and other similar admonitions can be summarized as simply following the example of Christ. �He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked� (1John 2:6). �He that followeth me,� said Jesus our Lord, �shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life� (John8:12). HMM ---------------------- ThisIs Your Moment - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! �2 Corinthians 5:17 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/this-is-your-moment/- Listen I didn�t ever know my biological father growing up. But my mother married a man named Oscar Laurie, and he formally adopted me. He treated me as a father should treat a son. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then God has adopted you. Romans 8:14 tells us, �For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God� (NLT). Are you achild of God? That comes through believing in Jesus Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is to show us our need for Christ. The danger is that people can continue resisting Him until they reach a point where they�ve gone too far. The writer of Hebrews says, �So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered tous by those who heard him speak?� (2:3 NLT). Maybe you�ve been running from God for years, perhaps even decades. This is your moment to come to Him, be forgiven by Him, and come into a relationship with the God who lovesyou. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to come to Planet Earth on a rescue operation. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead.And now He stands at the door of your life and knocks. If you will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. Are you worn out? Are you filled with sadness and depression? There is hope. But it isn�t in religion or in rules and regulations. It�s hope in Jesus Christ coming to liveinside you. He can pardon you of every sin you�ve ever committed. You don�t have to be controlled or crippled by your past. You can become a new person in Jesus Christ. ------------------------------ Thingsto Flee �Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lordout of a pure heart.� (2 Timothy 2:22) There are times to stand and there are times to flee. There are some things so fearful and deadly that it is foolish to try to face them at all. The only rational course, when confronted by them, is to flee! The most obvious of all such enemies is the wrath of God, for His judgment is terrible and eternal. Therefore, His message to all unsaved men and women is to �flee from the wrath to come� (Matthew3:7�the first occurrence of �flee� in the New Testament) by receiving Christ as Savior. It is wise to refrain from all kinds of sin, but certain sins have such deadly consequences, even in this present life, that the Scriptures warn us to flee from them. �But thou, O man of God, flee these things� (1Timothy 6:11). In context, the apostle Paul is here warning against �the love of money� (v. 10) and those who suppose �that gain is godliness� (v. 5). Those who desire to be rich, he says, �fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtfullusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition� (v. 9). Therefore, flee from this temptation! He also warns us to �flee from idolatry� (1 Corinthians 10:14)�that is, from worshipping and serving any part of the creation �more than the Creator� (Romans1:25). This warning is especially appropriate today when there is such a wide resurgence of evolutionary pantheism. Also, we must �flee fornication� (1 Corinthians 6:18). This is a deadly danger to the Christian in this day of amorality. Finally, as our text says, youngbelievers (and old believers, too!) should �flee also youthful lusts,� if we are to be able to �call on the Lord out of a pure heart.� HMM -------------------------- Well-Placed Hope - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again�my Savior and my God! �Psalm 42:5�6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/well-placed-hope/- Listen Have you ever been working on your computer when things suddenly froze up? You needed a reboot to get everything working again. In our life as Christians, sometimes we need a reboot too. We need a refresh because we�re feeling down. This isn�t strictly a modern phenomenon, by the way. The psalmist wrote, �My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leadinga great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!� (Psalm 42:4 NLT). He continued, �Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again�my Savior and my God!� But then the psalmist shifted gearsand essentially preached to himself, saying, �Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you� (verses 5�7 NLT). I�ve found myself doing that. I�ll feel down, so I will quote Scripture to myself, sometimes out loud. Do you need some spiritual refreshment today? Ephesians 5 reminds us to �be filled with the Holy Spirit� (verse 18 NLT). In the original language, this is a command. It alsoimplies that it�s continuous. Effectively, God is saying, �I command you each day to be filled with the Holy Spirit.� The Holy Spirit brings refreshment into our lives every day. And remember that even when things look bleak, all things ultimately will work together for God�s glory and your good (see Romans 8:28). God is in control of all circumstancesthat surround the believer. We read in the Book of Job that before Satan could bring hardships into Job�s life, he first had to get permission from God. And the same is true of you. God knows what youcan handle. And because He loves you, He�s always keeping His eye on you.