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"I am blessed
because I walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, but I delight in the
law of the Lord"
(Psalm 1:1-2)
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April
13, 2005
April
14, 2005
April
11, 2005
April
11, 2005
April
11, 2005
April
11, 2005
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The Spiritual Soldier |
"Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has
cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:33
The people were following Jesus in great
numbers, but for the wrong reasons. So He made a series
of statements intentionally designed to thin out the
ranks. He wanted to be left with those who really wanted
to follow Him, truly committed disciples and soldiers.
Let's look at the qualities Jesus wants in the soldiers
He is enlisting in His service. We can see just what He
expects in the Gospel of Luke:
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned
and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not
hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he
cannot be My disciple. . . . So likewise, whoever of
you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My
disciple. (Luke 14:25–26, 33)
Here Jesus laid out plainly what is necessary to be
His disciple, to be a soldier in His service. In
essence, Jesus said, "If you want to follow Me, you must
love Me more than anybody else." If someone is trying to
hold you back, say to that person, "I'm sorry, but I am
following Christ. If you want to walk with me, come on.
You can be a spiritual soldier with me."
A spiritual soldier must also forsake all he or she has
for Jesus. That means you take everything in your life
and say, "This belongs to you, Lord."
That is what it means to be Jesus' disciple. That is
what it means to be His soldier: you love Him more than
anyone, more than anything—just as He loves you! |
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Warriors in the
Battle |
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood . . .Ephesians
6:12
A spiritual battle wages in our world today;
and God is looking for men and women who are ready to go
into that spiritual battlefield and make a difference.
The battle has been raging since the very beginning, as
Satan has tried to keep us apart from God. The Apostle
Paul described this spiritual struggle when he wrote,
"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). The
devil has always opposed Christ, and he will oppose
those who follow Jesus Christ.
One of Satan's strategies was to try to stop the Messiah
from arriving in the first place. Remember how we read
in the book of Exodus that Pharaoh commanded all of the
Hebrew baby boys to be killed? That was Satan's plan to
wipe out the tribe the Messiah would come from. Satan
tried again with Haman in the book of Esther and with
King Herod who killed all those babies in Bethlehem,
intending to stop the arrival of the Messiah. Well,
those plans didn't work, but the battle continued.
Certainly the devil was at work when Judas Iscariot
betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. You might
have thought that Satan was basically successful when
nails went through the hands and feet of Jesus on the
cross. But as the devil hammered home those nails he was
hammering home his own defeat, because it was the blood
of Christ that redeemed us.
Thank God today for that redemption! Let's be warriors
in the battle.
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A Critical Time |
The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
Romans 13:12
We are living in a critical time right now. I
think all of us agree that the devil is working
overtime. He knows his days are numbered. He knows his
judgment is sure. Thus, he is doing everything he can to
wreak havoc until the day he faces his judgment. That's
why we need to get busy—because every battle counts,
every day is important.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "The night is far spent, the day
is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us
walk properly, as in the day" (Romans 13:12–13). It's
time to put our armor on, but first we need to cast off
the works of darkness. Be done with the compromising
life. Be done with trying to live in both worlds. Let's
suit up. Let's get busy.
I don't want to frighten you with this warfare rhetoric
and make you think you are going to be overwhelmed out
there. It is true that there is a devil who tries to
trip us up, but it is also true that our
commander-in-chief will lead us to victory if we stay
close to Him. Remember, "The battle is the Lord's" (1
Samuel 17:47).
The battle cry, the cry of victory went forth from the
cross when Jesus hung there with the nails in His hands
and feet and He cried out, " 'It is finished!' " Those
three words reverberated through heaven and hell. I'm
sure every demon heard them. So now I can stand in the
victorious strength of Jesus. I can fight for Him as He
works through me, marching on, taking ground for the
kingdom.
I promise you—your life will never be boring as a
spiritual soldier for the Lord!
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What Will You Choose? |
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Jeremiah
17:5-10; 2
"Cursed is the man/woman who trust in man” “Blessed is the man/woman who trust in the Lord"
God
graciously gives us the choice of doing things His
way or our way. But we must be aware that our choice
holds the potential for tremendous blessings or
painful curses. Whether it be the work of our hands,
our homes, or our relationships, there is a price to
be paid for violating God's principles. We can
breathe life or death into everything concerning us.
The choice is ours.
Scripture passage 1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Chronicles
15:2; 2 Chronicles 12:14
1. In
which ways have you not put your trust in God by
trusting in man?
2.
What were the consequences you suffered?
2. Why
is not seeking God evil?
3. How
does not trusting God and stubbornness keep us
from progressing? (Psalm 66:18)
4. In
the area of relationships, what self, defeating
habits do you cling to with a vengeance? Why?
5. Are
there habits (or persons) God has asked you to
release that you still cling to? What (or who) are
they?
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 30: 11-20;
1.
What choices have you made and what fears are linked
to these habits?
2.
What does the Word of God say about these habits?
Key Phrase: "...Deut 30:19 (MSG) I call Heaven
and Earth to witness against you today:
I
place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse.
Choose life…
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What can God do about your
situation?
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Why does God leave the choice
of obedience up to us?
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What must you do first?
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What are blessings? What are
curses?
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List five steps you will take
to break your habit. Find a Scripture to stand on
for each step
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How does this passage apply to
your relationships?
Additional Reading
Deut
28; 29:
1.
Are there conditions to God’s blessings in
every area of your life?
2. What
are they?
3. Why
is so important to God that we are obedient?
4. What
action will you take?
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Crowns in Heaven
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James 1:12-13
Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved, he will receive the
crown of life which the Lord has promised to those
who love Him.
As Christians, one day we will receive
rewards for our service to the Lord. I don't know
about you, but I have not acquired a vast number of
awards in my life. I have mostly won those purple
Honorable Mention ribbons. They are just not as
exciting as a big First Place trophy! But Jesus told
us that our service to God, even it if is not seen
by people, is indeed seen by God. He says, " 'Your
Father who sees you in secret will one day reward
you openly' " (Matthew 6:4).
The Bible speaks of crowns that will be given as
rewards in heaven. One of them is called the soul
winner's crown, also known as the crown of
rejoicing: "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown
of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of
our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" (1
Thessalonians 2:19).
The Bible also speaks of the crown of life: "Blessed
is the man who endures temptation; for when he has
been approved, he will receive the crown of life
which the Lord has promised to those who love Him"
(James 1:12–13).
Thirdly, there is the crown of righteousness:
"Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but
also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy
4:8). There is a reward waiting for the believer who
longs for His return, who loves Him, who is homesick
for heaven.
When have you ever been a triple crown winner?
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Mat.7:13, 14;
The Narrow or Wide Gate?
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Matthew 7:13,14 (KJV) Enter ye in at the strait
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it.
Mat
7:13,14 (TEV) Go in through the narrow gate,
because the gate to hell is wide and he road that
leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel
it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that
leads to it is hard, and there are few people who
find it.
"Don't look for shortcuts to God.
The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a
successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall
for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.
The way to life--to God!--is vigorous
and requires total attention.
When you think that the
way is too strait, that there is too much
self-denial in this narrow path; when you say, How
hard to give up all, ask yourselves the question,
What did Christ give up for me? This question puts
anything that we may call self-denial in the shade.
Behold Him in the garden, sweating great drops of
blood. A solitary angel is sent from heaven to
strengthen the Son of God. Follow Him on His way to
the judgment hall, while He is derided, mocked, and
insulted by that infuriated mob. Behold Him
clothed in that old purple kingly robe. Hear
the coarse jest and cruel mocking. See them place
upon that noble brow the crown of thorns, and then
smite Him with a reed, causing the thorns to
penetrate His temples, and the blood to flow from
that holy brow. Hear that murderous throng
eagerly crying for the blood of the Son of God. He
is delivered into their hands, and they lead the
noble sufferer away, pale, weak, and fainting, to
His crucifixion. He is stretched upon the wooden
cross, and the nails are driven through His tender
hands and feet. Behold Him hanging upon the cross
those dreadful hours of agony until the angels veil
their faces from the horrid scene, and the sun hides
its light, refusing to behold. Think of these
things, and then ask, Is the way too strait? No, no.
The problem is we are
too impressed with ourselves, and not nearly
impressed enough with Christ
.Back
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The Man Who Forgot God |
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Luke 12:20
"This night your soul will be required of
you; then whose will those things be which you have
provided?"
Here is the story of a man whose date with
death came unexpectedly. He wasn't prepared. He was
the man who forgot God.
Then He spoke a parable to
them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man
yielded plentifully. And he thought within
himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no
room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do
this: I will pull down my barns and build greater,
and there I will store all my crops and goods. And
I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods
laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink
and be merry." ' But God said to him, "Fool! This
night your soul will be required of you; then
whose will those things be which you have
provided?" So is he who lays up treasure for
himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke
12:16–20)
There are many commendable
things about this man. He apparently was a hard
working farmer. Jesus does not criticize his
success. This man got up early. He spent time
watching his crops. He worked hard. And he made a
good living. His mistake was not success.
His mistake was that he failed to plan ahead. He had
all his bases covered but the most important one of
all: he had not considered eternity. He had
forgotten God. And he died a fool because he died
unprepared. It's important to know that heaven is a
prepared place for prepared people.
Are you prepared?
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The Other
Side of the Boat |
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right
side of the boat, and you will find some."
John 21:6
The disciples were disappointed and
discouraged after the crucifixion and resurrection
of Jesus. They were in Galilee, and they had gone
out for a night's fishing. They had not caught any
fish all night, another disappointment for them. But
then, as John describes, Jesus turned everything
around for them:
But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood
on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that
it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, "Children,
have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." And
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side
of the boat, and you will find some." So they
cast, and now they were not able to draw it in
because of the multitude of fish. (John 21:4–6)
Already frustrated by their inability to catch
anything, some of the disciples were undoubtedly
upset when they first heard someone say, " 'Cast the
net on the right side of the boat.' " They were
seasoned fishermen after all. They did this for a
living. But when they pulled up the nets from the
other side of the boat, they had so many fish they
couldn't even bring them all in.
Now why did Jesus ask them if they had any food? He
wanted them to admit their failure, to acknowledge
that they needed His help. We live in a time when
nobody wants to admit wrongdoing. We want to blame
it on something or someone else, on our
circumstances, on a condition or syndrome. Nobody
wants to say, "Yes, I am responsible."
But Jesus wanted His disciples to confess their
failure, and then He wanted them to obey Him. Well,
of course then they pulled up full nets.
And we should obey Him, too, even if it seems like
the wrong side of the boat.
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