Night Light for Couples - Growing with God

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2

Our culture tends to emphasize personal growth at the cost of marriage commitment. Humans are made for a lifelong growth curve, and the best place to experience it is inside a faithful, God‐blessed marriage. When the Lord Jesus is the “third person” in our union, we can flourish with a spiritual intimacy and growth unavailable to others. I (jcd) am reminded of a letter a woman wrote to me:

Dear Dr. Dobson: My husband recently left me after fifteen years of marriage.

We had a great relationship, but something was missing—we had no spiritual bond between us. Please tell young couples that there will always be a void in their lives together without Christ. A good marriage must have its foundation in Him in order to experience lasting love, peace, and joy. I am now growing steadily in my walk with the Lord, but I am alone.

Don’t forget to grow with God together. The “pure spiritual milk” Peter writes about is the Word of God. Along with Christian fellowship and prayer, the Bible will feed the deepest hungers of your heart. And you’ll find the soul‐mate of your dreams—sitting right beside you!

Just between us…

• Do our church experiences nurture our spiritual life?
• Do we have friends who encourage our spiritual growth?
• How can we do a better job of growing together in God’s Word?

Lord, give us a hunger for Your Word. May we claim the spiritual growth You promise and the emotional and physical intimacy that can come with it. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Girlfriends in God - Whose Voice Will You Listen To Today?

by Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Friend to Friend

My son played on his high school’s basketball team. At one of the games, I noticed a man on the home side of the court video recording of the game. I also noticed a man on the opposing side doing the same.

“Steve, who are those men with the video cameras and why are they recording the game?” I asked my husband.

“The guy in the opposing stand is from the team that we’ll be playing next week,” he explained. “He is recording the game to study our weaknesses, so our opponents will know where to attack and defeat us. The man on our side is recording the game also looking for weakness, but for a different reason. He will show our team their weaknesses so they can learn from them and improve . . . to make them better. Same video. Different purposes.”

Ah, a sudden glory moment. I don’t know much about sports, but I do know a bit about how the enemy works. He records the video of our lives and looks for our weakness to bring us down—to plan his attack, to defeat us.

The Bible has many names for that enemy: Satan, the great serpent, the deceiver, and the devil. But the most telling name is found in Revelation 12:10: the accuserwho accuses believers before God day and night.

Some say that the devil’s main role is tempting mankind to sin. But I believe what trumps even temptation is his role as the accuser who shackles us with shame and condemnation once we succumb to the temptation. He paces before God saying, “She did this and she did that.” He plays and replays the video in the theater of your mind, pointing out all your faults and weaknesses to bring you down. He is AGAINST you.

But remember, there were two men creating a video of Steven’s game. Just as the accuser is against you, there is someone else who is for you. Before Jesus went to the cross, He assured His followers that He would not leave them as orphans. He promised to send the Spirit who would encourage, enlighten, empower, and intercede for all believers. And then Jesus gave the Spirit a name: the Advocate. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

An advocate is someone who is for you and acts on your behalf. Yes! He is for you! And one of the ways that He is for you is to convict you of sin—of something that you have done that is contrary to the ways of God. God will never reveal a weakness, a sin, or a flaw in your life just for the sake of exposing it. He always reveals a deficit because it’s time to make it right—to conform you to the image of His Son. The Holy Spirit awakens your senses to an area of your life that you need to change, and then helps you do it. He shows you the video and says, “Right there. See that move. Let’s work on that area and improve your game.”

While the accuser points out your weakness and makes you feel you can never change, the Advocate points out your weakness so that you can change. It’s the same video, but seen from a different perspective. So tell me, who’s voice are you going to listen to? Who’s voice are you going to believe?

Remember this, the voice you listen to will determine your destiny.

Let’s Pray

Dear LORD, help me distinguish between the accuser’s voice and the Advocate’s voice. I know I have a choice when it comes to whom I listen to: condemnation or correction. Thank You for Your great love that never condemns, but lovingly corrects.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Think of a scenario in your life from the past few weeks in which you felt condemned. Now, think about your thoughts. Were they more like the man with the camera pointing out your weaknesses to bring you down, or like the man with the camera who wants to make you better?

Remember…same video…different purpose.

More from the Girlfriends

Today’s devotion was taken from my new book, Take Hold of the Faith you Long For: Let Go, Move Forward, Live Bold. And if there is anything we need to let go of in order to move forward it’s shame and condemnation. A mediocre, mundane faith is not what you were made for! In Take Hold of the Faith You Long For, I reveal the most common reasons we get stuck in our Christian faith, living less than what we had hoped. I show you how to break free of all that holds you back, move forward with all that God promises, and live the adventurous faith of bold believing. It’s time to TAKE HOLD of all that Jesus has already taken hold of for you and placed in you! Click on the book cover to download a sample chapter and view a quick video. And if you’re looking for a new study for your women’s group or individual study, Take Hold includes a Bible Study guide in the back.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311Huntersville, NC 28070

 

Standing Strong Through the Storm - THE HOLY SPIRIT

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13

Imagine the Christian movement in your country suddenly cut off from all those who are now its leaders! In the period of confusion that immediately follows a takeover, some small groups of Christians may be able to move to a different locality and become underground churches, but they must leave their “institutional forms” behind.

But who would lead such groups? Who would provide leadership for “house” churches and “family” churches? God, through the Holy Spirit, would raise up and equip leaders for His church in such circumstances, as He always had in the past. The members of a home fellowship must be prepared to accept the leadership of the Spirit and of those through whom He chooses to minister.

When regular lay Christians actually begin to understand that they can pray directly to the Lord, when they can take a passage of Scripture, written or memorized, and understand it under the direction of the Holy Spirit, they are then on the road to surviving victoriously in whatever set of hostile circumstances that may come along. One exciting discovery will lead to another. These Christians will begin to let the Holy Spirit use them to touch the lives of others and minister to their needs. No authority on earth can destroy this kind of spiritual church!

In China, a Christian woman was in charge of security at a coal mine. The woman suddenly felt the Holy Spirit urging her to pull the alarm lever, even though there was no apparent reason to do so. Although everything seemed quiet and normal, she obeyed the prompting within her. The whole mine was evacuated as a result of the alarm sounding, but when all the men had assembled on the surface, it seemed as if a huge mistake had been made. Just moments later the ground beneath their feet shook and a large section of the mine collapsed from the earthquake.

Because of this sister’s sensitivity and willingness to obey God’s Holy Spirit, everyone’s life had been saved. Additionally, however, 400 of the miners surrendered their lives to Christ after recognising that God had miraculously saved them from death.

RESPONSE: Today I will thank God for the gift of His Holy Spirit.

PRAYER: Lord, use me today through Your Spirit to touch the lives of others and minister to their needs.

His Princess Every Day - Promise

Devotionals for Women - Inspirational author and speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd imagines what a letter written from God to you would look like.

My princess,

I will never break a promise to you my Bride. I will always do for you exactly as it is written in my Word. Please don’t let those who have disappointed you make you insecure about who I am. Remember my beloved, I am not man; I am your eternal husband and your Lord. You never need to worry about if I will come through for you. Every vow I have made to you will prove to be true in my perfect time. Every word I speak is divine truth. I will never disappoint you if you will learn to wait on my perfect time.

Love,
Your Prince you can trust

For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does. - Psalm 145:13 (NLT)

This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit HisPrincess.com for devotionals, books, videos, and more from Sheri Rose Shepherd.

Verse of the Day - June 22, 2016

Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV) The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Read all of Psalm 121