During the days of Queen Victoria there was a young lady who had to take...
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"God Is There"
September 8, 2017
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
During the days of Queen Victoria there was a young lady who had to take a long journey on the newly constructed railroad, and she had to travel alone. This young lady had learned enough geography to know her trip would cross any number of large rivers. Crossing those rivers was a matter of concern to the girl as she had no idea how such a passage could safely be made. As she drew near the first river, she saw the bridge which took her over the river as if it had not been there. Soon there was another river and another bridge. It didn't take long before the girl leaned back and with a relieved sigh, said, "I don't have to worry, somebody has built bridges for me all the way!" She had it figured out. Somebody had delivered her. That little girl had learned a valuable lesson. All of us ought to echo her and say, "I don't have to worry, the Lord has built bridges for me that will take me over every dangerous place." We can say that; we can believe that, because it is true. God has built bridges, He has always built bridges so humanity might be delivered and ultimately reach our final destination. Look to the Garden of Eden. Mankind's rebellion had created a gulf between heaven and hell; between the Creator and His created. Adam and Eve could not bridge that gulf, but the Lord did when He promised His Son as the Sacrifice which would buy our freedom. When the world had become evil, God spoke to Noah and his boys. He had them build an ark which bridged the world which once was, and the new world which offered humanity a second chance. When the Children of Israel were caught between the chariots of Pharaoh and the Red Sea, God opened that body of water and created a bridge of dry ground over which His people were delivered. God builds bridges. Before we were ever born He knew our pains, our problems, our sins, our shortcomings, our demons, our diseases, our disobedience. He saw these things and in love He built bridges whereby people of faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit, could safely cross. Again, and again He extends the invitation: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you." And again, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." To these Jesus adds the invitation: "Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." It is a promise and an invitation for deliverance that He keeps. THE PRAYER:Dear Lord, grant that I may believe and trust You to be there to provide that which I need to be Your faithful follower. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
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Ocozías, hijo de Ajab comenzó a reinar sobre Israel... Pero Ocozías siguió el mal ejemplo de su padre, de su madre y de Jeroboán hijo de Nabat, e hizo lo malo a los ojos del Señor, haciendo pecar al pueblo de Israel.
A veces todo tiene que ver con la forma en que fuimos criados. Permítame contarle la historia de dos familias muy diferentes. El padre de la primer familia tenía fama de ser muy malo. La gente le temía tanto, que le habían puesto el sobrenombre de "hombre malo". Cuando murió, el hijo mayor ocupó su lugar, y fue aún más malo y corrupto que su padre. Muy pronto, todos lo conocían como "el hijo mayor del hombre malo". Al igual que su padre, vivió y murió miserablemente, y nadie lamentó su muerte. El padre de la segunda familia era un policía que luchaba contra todo tipo de corrupción. Una mañana, después de la devoción familiar, le dijo a su hijo que se pusiera sus sandalias. Mientras la familia observaba, el joven se las calzó. Entonces el padre le dijo: "Sigue mis pasos, así como yo he seguido con fe los pasos de Jesucristo, nuestro Salvador". Y, tras haber dicho esas palabras, el hombre falleció. El hijo de ese hombre ha mantenido la fe hasta el día de hoy así como su padre se lo enseñó y se lo pidió, y actualmente sirve como voluntario en el ministerio de Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones en Nigeria. La Escritura de hoy nos dice que el Rey Ocozías hizo cosas que ofenden a Dios, al igual que su padre Acab, quien reinó antes que él. La verdad es que son muchas las personas que sufren en la vida por seguir los pasos de sus padres. Hay quienes crecen viendo a sus padres pelear todo el tiempo, o sufriendo abusos verbales o emocionales, y cuando crecen repiten las mismas conductas. Pero eso no es lo que Dios espera de nosotros. Él quiere que vivamos vidas responsables y rectas. Como cristianos nos alegramos porque a través de la fe en la obra salvadora de Jesús somos una nueva creación. Esa razón es más que suficiente para ser agradecidos y vivir nuestras vidas en forma honorable y humilde en servicio a nuestro Señor y Salvador. Pedro entendía bien lo especial que es ser amado por Dios: "Pero ustedes son linaje escogido, real sacerdocio, nación santa, pueblo adquirido por Dios, para que anuncien los hechos maravillosos de aquel que los llamó de las tinieblas a su luz admirable" (1 Pedro 2:9). Sigamos en los pasos de nuestro bendito Salvador que está sentado a la diestra de Dios el Padre todopoderoso. ORACIÓN:Señor Jesús, con tu poder mantennos como una nación santa para tu gloria ahora y para siempre. Amén.
Biografía del autor: Esta devoción fue escrita por un voluntario de Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones en África Occidental.
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
~ Habakkuk 2:20
Confession and Forgiveness Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Almighty Father; we enter your presence confessing the things we try to conceal from you and the things we try to conceal from others. We confess the heartbreak, worry, and sorrow we have caused, that make it difficult for others to forgive us, the times we have made it easy for others to do wrong, the harm we have done that makes it hard for us to forgive ourselves. Lord have mercy and forgive us through Christ. Amen.
Morning Prayer
Heavenly Father, let me take up the shield of faith this morning and carry it before me throughout the day. For the darkness of the world attacks my soul from every direction. The world wants me to hate myself and hate you, precious Lord. It tries at every turn to seduce me to the emptiness of revenge. It lures me to the love of money. Envy, anger, and vanity are the traps it sets. It tells me to worship myself until I am hollow. Pride is its bait, and death is its reward. Defend me, I pray, against the constant assault of impurity that life in the world brings. Great and powerful God, I take up your shield, the only shield that can protect me: my hope and certainty that your love and promise to protect me, for all eternity, will be with me for the asking. For the only truth is yours, the only power is yours, and our only hope lies in you, our true and mighty and loving God. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
Today's Readings The First Reading is taken from 1 Kings 11:1-13
[Solomon’s Errors] King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the Israelites, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods" Solomon clung to these in love. Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not completely follow the LORD, as his father David had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrificed to their gods. Then the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this matter, that he should not follow other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do it in your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. I will not, however, tear away the entire kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
[Two Kinds of Wisdom] Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. [Friendship with the World] Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. [Warning against Judging Another] Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?
Pilate spoke to them again, "Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?" They shouted back, "Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. [The Soldiers Mock Jesus] Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. [The Crucifixion of Jesus] They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Morning Psalms
Psalm 37:1-18Noli aemulari 1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong. 2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away. 3 Put your trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and feed on its riches. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he shall give you your heart's desire. 5 Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. 6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him. 8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. 9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil. 10 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the LORD shall possess the land. 11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; you shall search out their place, but they will not be there. 12 But the lowly shall possess the land; they will delight in abundance of peace. 13 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash at them with their teeth. 14 The Lord laughs at the wicked, because he sees that their day will come. 15 The wicked draw their sword and bend their bow to strike down the poor and needy, to slaughter those who are upright in their ways. 16 Their sword shall go through their own heart, and their bow shall be broken. 17 The little that the righteous has is better than great riches of the wicked. 18 For the power of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
Evening Psalms
Psalm 37:19-42Novit Dominus 19 The LORD cares for the lives of the godly, and their inheritance shall last for ever. 20 They shall not be ashamed in bad times, and in days of famine they shall have enough. 21 As for the wicked, they shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish; they shall vanish like smoke. 22 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are generous in giving. 23 Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed. 24 Our steps are directed by the LORD; he strengthens those in whose way he delights. 25 If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds them by the hand. 26 I have been young and now I am old, but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread. 27 The righteous are always generous in their lending, and their children shall be a blessing. 28 Turn from evil, and do good, and dwell in the land for ever. 29 For the LORD loves justice; he does not forsake his faithful ones. 30 They shall be kept safe for ever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed. 31 The righteous shall possess the land and dwell in it for ever. 32 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and their tongue speaks what is right. 33 The law of their God is in their heart, and their footsteps shall not falter. 34 The wicked spy on the righteous and seek occasion to kill them. 35 The LORD will not abandon them to their hand, nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial. 36 Wait upon the LORD and keep his way; he will raise you up to possess the land, and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. 37 I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, flourishing like a tree in full leaf. 38 I went by, and behold, they were not there; I searched for them, but they could not be found. 39 Mark those who are honest; observe the upright; for there is a future for the peaceable. 40 Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; the future of the wicked is cut off. 41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 42 The LORD will help them and rescue them; he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in him.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for Patience
My Father, I pray that I may have patience to live through the difficulties of life. May I correct my faults, that they may not destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my life in brightness and hope. Amen.
A Prayer for Mission
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord You Have Come to the Seashore/Pescador de hombres Composed by Msgr. Cesáreo Gabaráin (1936 -1991) performed by Tim Lewis
Lyrics Lord, when you came to the seashore, You weren’t seeking the wise or the wealthy, But only asking that I might follow.
Oh Lord, in my eyes you were gazing Kindly smiling, my name you were saying, All I treasured, I have left on the sand there Close to you, I will find other seas.
Lord, you knew what my boat carried, neither money nor weapons for fighting But nets for fishing, my daily labour.
Oh Lord, in my eyes you were gazing Kindly smiling, my name you were saying, All I treasured, I have left on the sand there Close to you, I will find other seas.
Lord, have you need of my labour— hands for service, a heart made for loving My arms for lifting the poor and broken.
Oh Lord, in my eyes you were gazing Kindly smiling, my name you were saying, All I treasured, I have left on the sand there Close to you, I will find other seas.
Alleluia! Christ has risen. Christ has risen indeed. Alleluia!
Closing Prayer
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
~ 2 Corinthians 13:14
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.
Heavenly Father, let me take up the shield of faith this morning and carry it before me throughout the day. For the darkness of the world attacks my soul from every direction. The world wants me to hate myself and hate you, precious Lord. It tries at every turn to seduce me to the emptiness of revenge. It lures me to the love of money. Envy, anger, and vanity are the traps it sets. It tells me to worship myself until I am hollow. Pride is its bait, and death is its reward. Defend me, I pray, against the constant assault of impurity that life in the world brings. Great and powerful God, I take up your shield, the only shield that can protect me: my hope and certainty that your love and promise to protect me, for all eternity, will be with me for the asking. For the only truth is yours, the only power is yours, and our only hope lies in you, our true and mighty and loving God. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
There are (and have always been) people who, when they read something in the Bible that disagrees with their own ideas, simply change it. It's nothing new. Southern slaveholders and European colonialists had a theological jamboree, figuring out how to justify their actions from the pulpit. In the 4th century, Constantine put crosses on his army's shields and forced millions of people to become “Christians” — now there's a guy who appreciated irony. People were doing it in 60 A.D. — just read Galatians, or pretty much any of the church epistles.
They are missing out on something wonderful. It is true, that every person who reads the Bible is going to hear things they don't want to hear — or actually, things that they think they don't want to hear — and be asked to change both some of their opinions and some of their conduct. But a person has the faith to accept the Bible as God's Word, unchanging and immutable, receives a compass that will never point the wrong direction. Spiritually, intellectually, and morally, a Bible-based Christian is insulated from existential dilemma.
Thus, aside from the spiritual truth — we don't change God's Word because He is God and we are not — there is a practical reason for not messing with the Scripture. God is the only fixed point in the Universe, and the Bible is the only way to find Him. Changing it is like erasing lines on a road map and drawing in a shorter route. Once we know Him, we are like sailors in a terrible storm who have spotted the light from a lighthouse; they don't sit around debating where the lighthouse actually is. When Christ says I am the way, this is what He means.
And best of all, once we have faith in the immutability of Biblical truth, we realize: Christ promised us eternal life if we believe in Him, and He isn't going to change His mind. We are sealed in our salvation.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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Devotion by Mason Barge, Editor, Daily Prayer.
There are (and have always been) people who, when they read something in the Bible that disagrees with their own ideas, simply change it.
El
mes de septiembre quedó marcado para siempre en mí, pues en un mes como
este Dios me sanó de una grave enfermedad. Durante esa prueba, mi vida
estuvo al borde de la muerte y pude comprender muchas cosas que vivo
ahora: Disfrutar mi familia día a día, ser consciente que mi vida está
en manos de Dios, que todo puede cambiar en un abrir y cerrar de ojos y
que hoy estoy bien y mañana quizá no lo esté. Esto nunca pasó por
mi mente. Ni siquiera consideré que estaría casi cinco meses fuera de mi
trabajo. Mis princesas tampoco se imaginaron jamás que una operación de
colon se convirtiera en una pesadilla al ver a su mamá en una condición
tan crítica por un mes y medio en el hospital, con ocho recaídas que
significaron ocho veces más en el hospital y dos años de recuperación. Hoy
agradezco a mi Dios por sus cuidados. Mis hijas también valoran más a
su mami y testifican que, a pesar de lo traumático que vivieron, saben
que Dios me sanó y cuidó de ellas en esos días sombríos. Además,
pude experimentar el poder de la oración. Así que, debido a la
oportunidad que tengo de escribir este libro, puedo agradecerles a cada
uno de mis oyentes y familiares que alzaron una voz de clamor… ¡Gracias! Cada
prueba que vivas te hace crecer como persona. Maduras y aprendes una
lección de vida. Por eso quiero repetirte la frase que aprendí de mi
cuñado, el pastor Fernando García: «Dios es bueno todo el tiempo, todo
el tiempo bueno es Dios».
Our
founder, Brother Andrew, says, “Forgiveness is the very core of the
gospel message. I am a Christian only because God forgave me everything.
There is no other ground on which to stand…not my repentance, not my
praying the sinner’s prayer. Nothing made me a child of God except God
forgave. And He did it two thousand years ago through Jesus on the
cross. Jesus took all that sin and nailed it to the cross and He says,
‘Now, go, and put it into practice.’” Poso, Indonesia is a
beautiful place on a central island of the country. There we meet an
elderly, physically weak, Christian mother who shares through her tears
the tragedy that befell her seventeen-year-old daughter Alfita in 2005. “My
daughter Alfita was so beautiful. She loved Jesus, and she loved to
sing. She loved spending time with her friends. One day, Alfita and
three of her friends were walking to school. They always took a path
that went deep into the jungle, far away from our village. Along the
path grew beautiful flowers and my daughter loved flowers. That day, she
and her friends, Theresia, Yarni, and Noviana stopped to pick flowers
for their hair…” The girls were all from Christian families. Three
young Muslim men were waiting on the jungle path and savagely beheaded
three of the girls including Alfita. The fourth girl, Noviana, survived
her machete wounds. The three men were tried for murder in the
capital, Jakarta. Noviana and the families in question had to make
witness statements. However, they first shook the hands of the murderers
as a sign of forgiveness. Two years later, the suspects were sentenced
to long terms of imprisonment. The request for forgiveness came
from one of the murderers. “It was very difficult to comply with this
request,” said the older brother of Noviana. “But we wanted to keep to
Jesus’ teaching and because of this, we are able to forgive. We hope
that our step will also restore the peace in our town of Poso in Central
Sulawesi.” The family members prefer not to talk about the day
itself. During the hearing, Noviana again had to see pictures of her
beheaded friends and answer questions by the prosecutors and lawyers. Alfita’s
mother was severely traumatized by the murder of her daughter. She
concludes, “All I could do was ask God for His peace, the peace that
cannot be explained, that comes from trusting in Him. At the funeral He
gave me that peace. Even though Alfita was brutally killed, I knew that
she was safe in God’s arms in heaven…After that, when I knew God’s
comfort in my heart, I was finally able to do as God commanded…so I let
go of my right for revenge. I’m not bitter. I’ve forgiven the murderers
and asked God to forgive them. I’ve prayed that they will realize what
they’ve done.” RESPONSE: Today I will confront my own trials and forgive those against whom I am holding anything. PRAYER: Pray for complete healing of the trauma in the lives of these four families in Indonesia.
Many
years ago a number of skylarks imported from England began to breed and
dot the American landscape. One day, a man who studied birds sat
listening with solemn interest to the song of the immigrant birds.
Nearby, an Irish laborer—hearing the song of the bird he’d heard in his
mother country—stopped, took off his hat and turned his face skyward. A
look of awe and joy washed across his face. His inward remembrance and
love of country produced an outward response. Although the
Israelites expressed an outward worship, they didn’t possess an inward
love of God. Sure, an observer might believe that they worshiped God
inwardly. But in truth, their hearts secretly served other gods. “In
their secret chambers of idolatry and imagery,” said Clarence Macartney,
“they bowed down before the grinning images of Baal.” Today, as
we express our adoration and worship of God, we can either be like the
student of birds or like the Irishman who responded emotionally to their
song. The observer simply admires what takes place, but experiences no
feelings of love and devotion. However, the true worshiper—upon hearing
songs about God and words of his heavenly home—feels his heart beat
faster, thinking of a glorious hope for the future. And all of us long
to feel this beat, because it makes our hearts come alive. Anyone
can go through the outward motions. But we can’t worship by just playing
a role. We have to make it the aim of our heart. When we offer our
heart to God in love and adoration, he, in return, washes awe and joy
across our soul.
To Take Away
How does “going through the motions” of worship make you feel?
In what ways do you sincerely worship God?
How does your worship of God affect your daily living?
Friend to Friend In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the apostle Paul talked
straight about the spiritual battle of faith. He exhorted them to: Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes
of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand
firm. (Eph. 6:10–13 ESV) In recognizing that the battle is real, I’m motivated to prepare for
the fight. The Bible maps out my rules of engagement and holds my
trembling hands until they calm. I have to keep in mind that the battle
is ultimately not mine. It is God’s. And when I suit up in His
strength, He goes before me and fights on my behalf. What help do I have to stand firm against attacks from Satan and his cronies? Truth: Protects me against damaging lies. Righteousness (by faith through grace in Christ): Annihilates my sin. Peace: Guards my heart and mind. Motivates me to share the hope of Jesus. Faith: Protects me from attacks and extinguishes the flaming darts of the Evil One. Salvation: In Christ alone. Conquers death. It is finished. Team Victory wins. The sword of the Spirit: The Word of God. Inherent. Flawless. Guides me in all truth. Pray in the Spirit: Connects me to God’s power. How do I invite the Holy Spirit to lead me each day? By putting on
the armor of God in prayer and stepping up in faith to stand firm in
His power. (Note to self: review that list when I feel exhausted,
intimidated, and battle worn.) Let’s connect another power dot here. When Jesus promised to send
His disciples the Helper, He linked the Holy Spirit to truth: “When he,
the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you in all truth” (John 16:13). Truth has to lead my battles. When I believe lies, I choose to
join Team Defeat. (No thank you.) Jesus went on to pray for us, His followers, that the truth would protect us from Satan: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you
protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am
not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:15–17). God’s Word is truth, and truth protects us. It sanctifies us. Helps us grow in holiness. Helps us recognize the difference between God’s ways and the ways of the world. The Holy Spirit leads me to a faith with greater power because the
Spirit of God will always lead me in the ways of the Word. Toward
knowing, obeying, loving, and trusting Jesus in everything. I want
that. So I pray with the psalmist, “Guide me in your truth and teach
me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Ps. 25:5). Yes. Faith is a tug-of-war, but I’m not without hope, help, or power. And neither are you. When we call upon the Holy Spirit, who is the anchor of all things
truth, comfort, guidance, and power, He helps us gain traction in every
battle of life. Let’s Pray Lord, thank You for the presence of Your Holy Spirit in my life.
Please open my eyes wide to all the courage, strength, and wisdom You
have for me in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Now It’s Your Turn In what area of your life do you feel the enemy is attacking you?
What is one thing you’ll do or believe today to help you stand firm in
the power of God? “Today I will ...” (Tweet your answer to me @GwenSmithMusic or leave a comment on my Facebook wall.) More from the Girlfriends Today’s post is an excerpt from Gwen Smith’s book, I Want It All. SPECIAL OFFER: If this message is where you are and you need more practical help, Gwen is offering a 20% OFF discount on the I Want It ALL book from her site when you use the coupon code: 20OFF. Click here to get yours now.
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