Are You One of the Elect?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev.22:17
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
“...And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely...” You don’t have to pay one blessed cent for it. It’s there. Take it and drink it. You will never have your heart’s deepest thirst satisfied until you’re satisfied with Jesus. And if you are thirsty, come and drink. He will save you, I promise on the authority of the Word of God.

You say, “But Pastor Rogers, what if I’m not one of the elect?” Well, would it help? Could I be more sure if He said, “If Adrian Rogers will come and drink.” I could say, “Now wait a minute. There’s more than one Adrian Rogers in the world today.” What if Revelation 22:17 said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers”? There might be another Adrian Pierce Rogers. It might not refer to me.

What if it said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers, born in West Palm Beach, Florida”? Well, there could be another Adrian Pierce Rogers born in West Palm Beach, Florida. What if it said, “Adrian Pierce Rogers, born in West Palm Beach, Florida, who now lives in Shelby County, Tennessee? There might be another one born in West Palm Beach, Adrian. By now you’re saying, “You’re getting ridiculous.”

Let me just solve this thing. Let’s forget all that and just put one word in there: “whosoever.” Whosoever! That’s better than anybody’s name spelled out. Who are the elect? I can settle that in 30 seconds. The elect are the “whosoever wills.”

ACTION POINT:
If you want to be saved, come. Come to Jesus. He’s reaching out His nail-pierced hands to you and saying, “Come, come, come.” Jesus says come. The Spirit says come. The bride says come. The individual says come. You can come and drink.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Ultimate Betrayal

What is the most detrimental thing that threatens man? 

It is sin! 

Sin is Satan's plan but man is all to willing!!

Sin effects your eternal destination.

Non-repentance of sin by a rebellious heart leads to Hell.

However, a contrite willing heart will receive mercy from God through the blood of Jesus which is the only way to Heaven. 

Definition of contrite:

Feeling of remorse 

Willing to repent

Knowing you are guilty

So you see, salvation is not dependent on you being good but on you knowing that there is nothing you can do for salvation. It has already been done by Christ! God sent Christ to set us free!! Man was born in sin, it came form the beginning through the sin of Adam and Eve. That is where we were cursed by our disobedience to God. But you say, I wasn't even there. Why am I cursed? Man's nature is rebellious toward God, that means you and me. The first step to salvation is to acknowledge you are a sinner! The second step is to know that God alone has made a way for us through Christ. Your good deeds will not save you. Your false religion will not save you! You must repent and trust Christ! What does trusting Christ mean? It means you believe Christ alone is responsible for saving you! It means you believe Christ lived a life free from sin, died for you on the cross, did arise from the grave after 3 days, and is now seated at the right hand of God to intercede on your behalf when you sin and repent. But most of all, you believe and await His return to take us to be with Him for eternity!! There is freedom in Christ!!! But you say this is too simple! That is right! You must come as a child! Trusting in someone you can't see, someone you don't know! But there is a way to know Christ, we have God's inspired word, handed down from long ago. You will be convicted by His heart piercing word!

Outcome of your faith:

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. - 1 Peter 1:8-9

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." - Mark 10:15

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-

13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. - Romans 5:12-13

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. - Romans 5:19

We are justified through Christ:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. - Romans 5:18

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 5:20-21

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:21-25

The new covenant:

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. - Hebrews 9:15

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. - Hebrews 9:22

24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,

26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:24-28

You’ll Be Known by the Master You Follow

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.” John 12:25-26

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
You know, sometimes it’s hard to look at an individual and know whether they’re saved or not saved. One way to illustrate it is, if there is a group of people standing around and there’s a dog in the midst, it’s hard to tell which man that dog belongs to. Let’s say two men are having a conversation and the dog is sitting on the floor. When the two men part, you’re going to find out who the dog belongs to, because the dog will follow his master, is that not right?

Friend, I made up my mind that if a dog can follow his master, I’m going to follow mine. And do you know how you’re going to be known? In high school, some kids are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way, and you’re going to go that way, because Jesus is your Master. In business, some men are going to go this way and Jesus is going to go that way. And Mr. Christian Businessman, you’ll go that way.

ACTION POINT:
Make it your purpose to do what Jesus said so long ago: “Follow me.” 

LWf Dr. Adrian Rogers

Rich Man, Poor Man

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Two things have I required of Thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity [falsehood] and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [needful] for me: Lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Prov.30:7-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
To pass the test of life, one test you may have to pass is the test of poverty. If so, the Lord has some advice for you. See your poverty in the proper perspective. Because in the Lord Jesus Christ you are highly exalted, no matter how poor you are. Having Christ, you are richer than the richest man on earth without the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you have gone from rags to riches.

Did you know that many of you would do better being poor than being rich?

Some people can stand almost anything but prosperity. This is what our passage in Proverbs is saying.

Actually, it’s very hard to be poor and it’s even harder to be rich. The rich man may have an easier time in life, but he has a harder time passing the test.

ACTION POINT:
The Lord does not tell the rich man to renounce his riches….just to properly assess his riches. It’s not wrong to have money. Some of God’s choicest of saints were extremely wealthy. Abraham is an example. But the rich man is to see his riches from a proper perspective. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

No Closet Off Limits

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
God tells us to be filled with His Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit of God means first, repentance, then resistance of the devil, and then renewal. It means there’s not one room in your temple where God is off limits. There’s not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. You are filled with the Spirit in your church life, in your business life, in your sex life, in your political life, and in your social life. In the big things and the little things, in your money, in your exercise, in your sleep, in your eating, in your lying down, and in your waking up. You give Jesus the keys to it all. Then when you are filled with the Spirit, there’s no more room for Satan.

ACTION POINT:
If there’s room for Satan, the Spirit is grieved and I am not filled with the Spirit. Repentance, resistance, renewal! Don’t try to repent until you’re honest and face your sin. Don’t try to resist until you’ve repented. And don’t try to be filled until you resist, until you choose against Satan and yield to God’s blessed Holy Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God Puts Things in Proper Order

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…” 2 Peter 1:2
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever noticed how God puts things in sequence in the Bible? For example, the Bible says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.” It never says “peace and grace”—always “grace and peace.” Why? You’ll not know peace until you know grace. 

The Bible also says “Believe and be baptized.” Not “Be baptized and believe.” If you were immersed or sprinkled before you gave your heart to Jesus and truly believed, you haven’t been “baptized” at all. True baptism follows true belief. There is another order that God has put in the Bible. Not only grace and peace, not only belief and baptism, but repentance and faith. Always in that order: repentance first, then faith. If you’re having difficulty with faith, try repentance.

ACTION POINT:
There’s nothing so damning, so debilitating, as sin in the heart. The writer of Hebrews says, “Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Running for the Soul Winner’s Crown

BIBLE MEDITATION
“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? For ye are our glory and joy.” 1 Thess.2:19-20
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Here’s what Paul was saying to those in Thessalonica: “When Jesus comes, my crown is going to those that I’ve led to Him.” Now that’s a crown that doesn’t corrupt. When you die and go to heaven, are you going to take somebody with you, or are you going to heaven alone? “Must I go and empty-handed, must I meet my Savior so; without one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty-handed go?” Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m concerned because most people in church are not active soul winners. That’s tragic.

You say, “But, Pastor, I give my money.” I don’t care how much money you give. If you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I teach.” I don’t care how eloquently you teach. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.” I don’t care how much you attend. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not right with God. 

Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.” You are one or the other. If you don’t have a passion to see people come to the Lord Jesus Christ, I wonder if you know the Jesus I know.

ACTION POINT:
My dear brother, my dear sister, there is a crown to run for. It’s the soul winner’s crown.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

A Prize to Possess

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…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.” Hebrews 12:2b
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Jesus is our example. He is a champion who, when He ran His race, received a crown of joy. When an athlete runs, he runs to win a trophy. In our verse today, what is “the joy that is set before Him”? It’s winning the race. He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

That crown gave Him the ability to endure. If you keep the crown in mind, you can bear the cross. But you cannot have the crown if you despise the cross. We are crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a few trophies that I won back in high school on a championship football team: a gold football, a letterman’s sweater and a silver cup. Do you know what happened to all those trophies? Someone broke into the house and got the gold football. The moths had a camp meeting in the sweater. It’s gone. There are no more letters on that letter sweater. What happened to the silver cup, I haven’t the foggiest.

ACTION POINT:
Friend, athletes run “to obtain a corruptible crown; but we for an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25). Running the race, Jesus had the joy that was set before Him and He endured the cross. He despised the shame. There is a prize to possess.
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus, Author and Finisher

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2a

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If we will look to Jesus, Jesus will be the author and finisher of our faith. The word “author” in the Greek literally means “example,” “leader,” or “originator.” Jesus is the example of faith, but He’s also the originator of our faith. Faith comes from beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, looking at Him.

You see, all the other heroes of the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 can cheer us on, but they’re not our chief example. He is the One who never sinned, who never failed. His name is Jesus. The more you behold the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re going to find out that He is the author and finisher.

He’s the one who originates the grace. He’s the one who fires the starting gun. He’s the goal toward which we run. He is the coach who runs alongside us and gives us courage and strength to run the race. 

ACTION POINT:
It is Jesus all the way. If you want faith, fix your eyes upon Jesus Christ. Keep “looking unto Jesus.” Your faith will grow. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Lord Of All

Lord Of All

God is sovereign!

He alone has complete control!

He is Lord over all!

He is accountable to no one!!!

Do we really understand what these things means?

I don't think we can grasp it!

Our minds can't get wrapped around the fact that God was, is and will be!

He had no beginning!

He has no end!

We begin, by God's creation and design.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  - Genesis 1:27

According to God's determination, we have an earthly end but because of God's great mercy, we have an eternity.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  - Psalm 139:16

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- - Ephesians 2:4-5

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3:4-7

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.  - Psalm 115:3

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"  - Daniel 4:35

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" - Romans 9:20

Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'  - Job 9:12

For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?  - Isaiah 14:27

17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. 

18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?  - Isaiah 40:17-18

Oh Lord, we praise You for You alone are worthy! Amen

Our Most “Besetting” Sin

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…and the sin which doth so easily beset us...” Heb.12:1b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In this part of our verse, Paul is no longer talking about good things that might become bad things. Now he’s just talking about bad things. The word beset means “to tangle you up.” Can you imagine a person trying to run a race with a long flowing robe entangling him or some rope around his feet? No, he wants to be free so he can run. 

What is the sin that so easily trips us up? Weights load us down; sin trips us up. Either one can make you a poor runner and keep you from running the race. In Hebrews 11 and 12, Paul is talking about faith. The whole race we’re running is the race of faith. Hebrews says we live by faith; therefore, we run by faith. 

Most of us say, “I wish I had better faith, stronger faith.” Do you know the reason you don’t have more faith than you have? Sin. You say, “Now wait a minute, pastor....” No, friend, the Bible says, “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.”

ACTION POINT:
Unbelief is not a mental sin; it is a moral sin. It doesn’t come out of the head; it comes out of the heart. “Beware, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” 
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Take Off that Overcoat!

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us….” Hebrews 12:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you’re going to run a race, how do you prepare yourself? First, you’ve got to lay the weights aside. Notice athletes. They run in very light clothing. The less weight, the better. One thing you’ll never see is someone in the Olympics, running in an overcoat. It’s not going to happen. They get as light as they possibly can. You have to lay aside every weight.

The Greek word weight does not mean something that’s sinful. It just means something that burdens you, that holds you down. There are some things that are not bad in themselves. Nothing wrong with an overcoat. You just don’t wear an overcoat when you’re running a race. Paul said: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Friend, it may be some recreational habit you have. It may be some cottage in the woods. It may be some acquaintance, some hobby, too much television or sleep. Paul is saying, “Something may be lawful for me, but if it’s not expedient, if it doesn’t speed me on my course, then I need to leave it alone.”

ACTION POINT:
Ask yourself, “Is there something in my life that’s hindering my walk with Christ? Something that’s holding me back? Is there something that is excess baggage? Something keeping me from being all I ought to be for the Lord Jesus Christ? Whatever it is, if you want to win the race, lay it aside. Good things become bad things when they keep you from the best things. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Paying an Extra Price

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course”

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you pay a price—some extra time in the morning—to get into the Word of God? Do you pay the price of being ridiculed because you keep your Bible on your desk in the office or bow your head and thank God for His gracious goodness to you when He gives you a meal? Are you willing to be different? Will you finish your course?

When you’re running this race, you’re going to find out that you’re running right against the grain. Don’t get the idea that there’s the broad road and the narrow road, and the narrow road runs alongside the broad road, and over there a bunch of people are going this way, and over here you’re going in the same direction.

No, there’s the broad way, and here you are, right in the middle of it, going the other way. Against the grain. What we believe starts at a different source follows a different course ends at a different conclusion …and there is a price to pay.

ACTION POINT:
Frankly, today we don’t like that idea of a “price to pay.” We say, “Well, I’m saved by grace, and so I’m just going to float on into heaven on flowery beds of ease.” No. A disciple is one who follows his master, obeys his master, and there is a price to pay.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Are You Looking for an Easy Way to Serve God?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“…and run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1c
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The word “patience” here doesn’t mean the ability to thread a needle, but literally means “endurance.” It means bearing up under some load, some challenge. 

Are you looking for an easy way, a cheap way, a lazy way to serve God? All honey and no bees? A life of ease? You just want to say, “O, I’m so happy in Jesus.” Listen, this business of running this race means that you’re going to be at it with all of your heart. 

You may be on a sick bed or in a wheelchair. But none is excluded. We are to run with endurance. When you watch someone running, do you notice how intense he is? If you’re in this race, you need to pray over it, you need to weep over it, you need to study over it, you need to work over it. 

ACTION POINT:
This matter of being saved and running the race is a full-time occupation. God does business with those who mean business. 

Never Knowing the Difference

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Ps.51:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
When a person dies, his spirit departs. And I’m afraid that’s what has happened to many churches: the Holy Spirit has departed.

The organism has become an organization and the movement has become a monument.

Dr. Carl Bates said years ago something that shook me to my foundation: “If the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die [now, of course, you know that's impossible. He cannot die] but “if the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die, most of our churches would meet next Sunday and go right on and never know the difference.”

I wonder if that’s not true about many churches. The Holy Spirit has not died, but He has departed. I've been in some churches where you’d think that Hallelujahs and Amens cost $100 apiece. You just can't find them. There’s a sort of barren stillness. But I believe there's something contagious about the Holy Spirit of God.

ACTION POINT:
The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I don't think we have to fry in fanaticism or freeze in formalism, but I believe we ought to have a burning, passionate, blazing, emotional love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Father’s Wealth

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And I will give him the morning star.” Rev.2:28

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I remember reading a story about a wealthy Roman who had a lavish estate, and he had a servant named Marcellus. When the wealthy Roman died, he wrote his will and left everything to his slave. The wealthy Roman also had a son, and for some reason he had had a disagreement with him, so in his will he said, “I have left my entire estate to my slave Marcellus. To my son, I leave him only one thing. He can choose any one thing from my estate he wants, but that's all.” The son said, “Very well, I choose Marcellus.”

Here at the end of Revelation 2, our Lord gives another sweet promise to those who overcome (v. 28): "And I will give him," that is, the overcomer, "the morning star." Jesus is that morning star. What He's saying is, “You'll receive the greatest reward of all, you'll receive Me, the morning star.” Do you know what the morning star is? It’s the star that appears just after the darkest hour of the night.

ACTION POINT:
It's getting very dark. Praise God, it's getting gloriously dark, and before long that morning star is going to appear. Jesus is the morning star. If you choose Jesus, with Jesus comes all the Father's wealth. 

Those Who Hold Fast Will One Day Rule

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” Rev.2:25-27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In these days there will be more temptation to get away from the Word of God, the blood atonement, and salvation by grace through faith. Churches will be under attack by seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Here in Jesus’ message to Thyatira He says, “You hold fast till I come.” 

Even though it seems to be tough, remember this, dear friend—the saints are going to have their day. Look in verse 26. One of these days Jesus is going to come and rule this world, and we are going to rule with Him. 

If we suffer with Him, we'll also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). We are even going to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). It may not be long before Jesus comes and His millennial reign begins here on this earth. The Bible clearly says that it's going to be a powerful reign (v. 27).

ACTION POINT:
Don't give up, don't let down. Hold fast, stick to it, stay with the Word of God. Hold fast that old truth. Hold fast to this old Book and don't let go. 

LWf Dr. Adrian Rogers

Good Deeds Can Not Wash Your Sins Away

There is an old saying" good deeds can wash away your sins",  this is an out right lie that will send you to Hell! 

The only way for forgiveness is to bow before Christ for mercy and truly repent from sin!

Christ is the only way man can receive redemption!

Christ has done it all!

Man can do nothing but beg for mercy and know that Christ alone redeems!!

Love does cover a multitude of sin but it does not redeem your soul. 

If you trust Christ for your salvation, you will want to glorify Christ through good deeds.

It is an outward expression of our praise to and of God for His great unfathomable gift of mercy through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross to cover our sin debt.

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."

18 He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,

19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

20 The young man said to him, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?"

21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. - Matthew 19:16-22

New Blood Covenant

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you,

28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. - Matthew 26:26-28

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 

78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  - Luke 1:77-79

One Way

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:3-6

Not Fearful but Faithful

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Rev.2:10b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If others in past centuries—and some even today— have reddened the mouths of lions, languished in prisons, and been scorched in the flames, can we not go out today, back to the school, back to the office, and live for Jesus Christ? God help us that we shall. In this evil hour, we’ll have revival when there are men and women, Christians with burning hearts, brimming eyes, and bursting lips, who fear nothing but sin and who love nothing but Jesus Christ.

ACTION POINT:
Who among us will be faithful unto death? We’re not to be fearful; we’re to be faithful.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Worthy to Die, Living for Jesus

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried…” Revelation 2:10a 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Polycarp was the pastor of the early church in Smyrna. He was asked to renounce his faith in Christ and offer a pinch of incense to Caesar. He refused and said, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and in nothing hath He wronged me; and how, then, can I blaspheme my King, Who saved me?” When they heard that, they clamored to burn him at the stake. They brought their wood and heaped it around his feet. And then Polycarp prayed, ““I count it a blessedness to be thought worthy of a place among the martyrs of Jesus Christ.” And when that fire was kindled around his feet, he was heard singing and praising the Son of God. 

ACTION POINT:

Most of us will not die at the stake, be carried to the wall and shot, or be imprisoned for the Lord Jesus Christ. We may not have a chance to die that way, but can we not die to this vile world? Can we not die to our plans and our ambitions? And can we not say that Jesus Christ is Lord? 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

That’s what Brought Me to Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.” Luke 6:29

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Someone asked an army officer, “Why are you a Christian?” He said, “One day we went out on a march. We slugged through the mud all day long. Our boots were dirty, and our clothes were heavy. When we came into the barracks, we were cross and irritable.” 

“There was a young man who had already come in, cleaned up, and was kneeling down by his bed saying his prayers. I became so irritated I took one of my muddy boots and hit him in the head with it.” He said, “The young man paused for a moment and then continued praying. But when I awoke the next morning, my boots were beautifully polished and set by my bed by that young man. That’s what brought me to Christ.” 

ACTION POINT:

You know, it is when God’s people suffer as Christians that this world begins to look at us. Now we may not want it. We may not ask for it. Certainly I’m not asking for it. But if it comes, let us suffer as Christians, as the Bible says. Oh dear friend, from the human viewpoint it is misery. From the Satanic viewpoint it is mystery. But from the divine viewpoint it is ministry.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

How to Understand the Bible

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.” Psalm 119:100

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

People sometimes can’t understand why they don’t understand the Bible. Well, the way to understand the Bible is to obey the Bible. And the way to understand the verses you don't understand is to obey the verses you do understand. 

“More than the ancients” is a way of saying the accumulative wisdom of the ages. David is saying, “ I haven't been off to the university perhaps, or I haven't studied abroad, but I keep God's Word and therefore God reveals to me His truth.”

The only way you can really understand the Bible is for God to reveal it to you, and God doesn't reveal it to rebels. 

ACTION POINT:

Keep God's Word, and through it God will reveal His truth. Some of you know what God wants you to do, but you're not doing it. And you wonder why you've come up against a roadblock when you try to read the Bible. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Gentle Spirit

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much.” Luke 16:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In order to be a missionary, a man had to appear before the superintendent of missions. His appointment was set for five in the morning. It was a snowy morning, but he was there. He waited until eight o'clock. Finally the superintendent came and asked him two simple questions. Then he said, “Thank you. You're dismissed.” The aspiring missionary said, “Thank you for your time.” In his report, the superintendent wrote, “This man will make an excellent missionary. He came at an early hour without a murmur; that shows self-sacrifice. He was there on time; that shows character. He waited without grumbling; that shows patience. He answered very simple questions in a straightforward manner; that shows humility.” 

ACTION POINT:

When God asks you to do something, it may not make sense or seem important, but let God determine what's important. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

I Don’t Understand, But I’ll Obey

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I read an interesting story about Stephen Grellet, a pioneer evangelist to the lumbermen in the Rocky Mountains. He felt the Spirit of God leading him to a particular lumber camp to preach. When he got there, the place was absolutely deserted. He said, “Lord, I don’t understand, but I'm going to be obedient.” So he opened his Bible without a soul in sight and preached a full-length message. Then he pled for people to come to Christ. He said, “Lord, I don’t know what that was all about but Lord, I was obedient.” Years later, a man walked up to him in England and said, “I was the foreman at a lumber camp. I had come back to the camp to get an ax, and I heard you preaching. I stood behind a pile of lumber and listened. As you preached, my heart was strangely warmed, and I repented of my sin and gave my heart to Jesus Christ. I later witnessed to four other men. Now, all five of us are missionaries preaching around the world.” 

How important it is that we obey completely in small things! Naaman was asked to dip seven times in the river Jordan. At first, he angrily refused. But in 2 Kings 5:13 his servants asked him, “… if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?” 

ACTION POINT:

Do you know why many of us are not obeying God more than we are? Because we're not hearing what God is saying. We're not spending time listening to God. That's the importance of a quiet time, that's the importance of getting somewhere alone with God in a nook with this book and reading and listening.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Real Faith: What It Is—What It’s Not

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Romans 5:1

It’s faith that enables us to live the Christian life. In order to know what faith is, let me tell you what faith is not.

Faith is not a hunch.

Faith is not positive thinking.

Faith is not responding to emotions, feelings, or icicles up and down your spine or miracles, signs and wonders.

Faith is not believing that God can do something.

Faith is knowing that God will. Faith is taking God at His word. Real faith dies to doubt. It is deaf to discouragement. It is blind to impossibilities. Now this is the kind of faith we need.

What kind of faith do you have? Do you have the faith that is small as a mustard seed, but can move a mountain? Ask God for it today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Weeds or Wheat?

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" - Matthew 13:30

37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,

42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. - Matthew 13:37-43

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.

48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.

49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous

50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - Matthew 13:47-50

Friends, I must point out the truth of God's word to you. 

I am responsible before God to speak the truth of the gospel. 

I will face persecution as warned in the bible. 

It was written long ago to forewarn all who follow Christ. 

There are many worthy and unworthy human attributes such as right and wrong, good and bad, holy and unholy, wicked and obedient.

These attitudes of the heart are present now and were here in the beginning. 

Each has a consequence of eternal importance. 

Repent and trust Christ. 

We are commanded to love all people but we do not excuse their sin, whether politically correct or not. 

Sin is a part of our human make-up. 

It is manifested in many ways, but it has the same basic flaw, rebellion against God and His Holy Law!! 

The Law was instituted as a means of convicting us of our rebellion against The Sovereign God of all. 

God did not institute marriage to be defiled. 

He created male and female, in His image, for His purpose. 

That purpose being to pro-create and fill the earth. 

He meant for these creations, male and female, to be mates until death. 

Sin entered in and perverted what was meant for the good of mankind and the joy of the Creator. 

Hence, we have adultery and a perverted view of marriage. 

All sin must be atoned for by a worthy means, meaning Christ alone was deemed by God as the only acceptable substitute. 

By His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood for the cleansing of the sin of all mankind, we have been redeemed before Holy God.

What a marvelous gift to sinners. 

If you repent, there is forgiveness! 

God knows your heart and He is bigger than any sin, that means He will supply your every need to beat that sin and stay in a state of repentance. 

Flee sin!!

We may choose to be obedient or we may choose rebellion. 

I pray you will weigh your choice very carefully.

The real meaning of marriage:

4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,

5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?

6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." - Matthew 19:4-6

The real reasons for divorce:

8 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." - Matthew 19:8-9

14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.

16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? - 1 Corinthians 7:14-16

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 7:39

Salvation:

6 It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 

7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 

8 putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 

9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. - Hebrews 2:6-10

For His Glory

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by Thy name: for we do not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousnesses, but for Thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for Thine own sake, O my God: for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.” Daniel 9:17-19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Daniel is saying, “O God, please forgive us. Remove the guilt.” He’s also praying for the restoration of glory. Notice “for the Lord’s sake.” 

Do you know what so many of us are praying for? For America’s sake. That won’t get it done. Or for our denomination’s sake, our church’s sake, or even our family’s sake. But Daniel is praying for not only the removal of guilt but the restoration of glory (v. 18). When we get concerned for the glory of God, then we’re going to see our prayers answered. So many times we’re just simply trying to get out of difficulty. Do you pray for the glory of God? 

Do you know what most of us want? We want revival so we can return to our own ways, once God gets us out of the difficulty we’re in. Do you have a burning, yearning in your heart for the glory of God? Do you want to see God’s glory spread over this land? I want to see God do something again that cannot be explained by the pundits on television and the news anchors.

ACTION POINT:

When we get concerned for the glory of God, then we’re going to see our prayers answered.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What God Would Rather Do

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.” Jeremiah 18:7-8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In this passage, God is not just talking about the nation Israel. He’s talking about nations in general. God says, “When I get ready to judge a nation, if that nation will repent, then I will turn from the judgment that I had determined to send upon that nation.” 

Let me tell you something about the great heart of our God: God is a God of righteousness, judgment, and justice, but God had rather show mercy than send judgment. 

America is ripe for judgment. God says, “When I get ready to judge a nation, if that nation will repent, then I will turn from the judgment that I had determined to send upon that nation.” We are in the eleventh hour, the clock is about to strike midnight, and we need to pray, “Oh God, hold back Your hand of judgment upon America.”

“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

ACTION POINT:

A church steeple is something that is supposed to point us to God. Have you ever noticed that the closer the steeple gets to the top, the smaller it gets? The closer we get to God, the more we realize how insignificant and sinful we are. This is not a time for finger-pointing in America. This is a time for repentance of personal sin. I’m talking about the people in the pew. The Bible says the time has come that judgment begin at the house of God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Yes, God Is Holding Us Accountable!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments.” Daniel 9:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Daniel prayed, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and Thy judgments.” You ask, “Did Daniel do all that?” No, Daniel simply included himself in his prayer for his nation. 

Does God hold me accountable for the abortion in America? Yes! Does God hold me accountable for the pornography? Yes! For the drug addiction, alcoholism, materialism, humanism? Yes, He does. Friend, if the church had done what she ought to have done, and if we would do what we ought to do, then these problems would be healed. And while we may not commit these sins, they are still our sins. Verse 20 of this same chapter makes it so clear: “While I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel….”

Now, people who don’t know God aren’t going to confess the sin of this nation. Like Daniel, we must set our face and pray with reflection and repentance, confessing our sin and the sin of America. Only sin that is confessed is forgiven.

ACTION POINT:

Have you ever set your face to prayer? So much of our prayer, I hate to say, is casual prayer, prayer that comes with almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. When are we going to set our face before God with fasting and determination?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Hypocritical Prayer

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession…” Daniel 9:4

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The greatest thing we can do for America is to pray for America. I am convinced if there were ever a need for prayer, this is the hour. It’s one thing to criticize that our children cannot pray in school. But I think it is unmitigated hypocrisy to carp and criticize about children not being able to pray in school unless we ourselves are prayer warriors, don’t you? We must teach our children to pray in the home. We are unvarnished hypocrites to criticize, yet not teach our children to pray—by both gentle instruction and by example. Our children are watching us and will model our behavior. 

ACTION POINT:

Teach your children how to pray in the home. Take them beyond “Now I lay me down to sleep.” We rattle off our little prayers. But have you really set your face to pray?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

With Daniel in the School of Prayer

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer, and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel 9:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Only prayer can hold back the floodtide of sin in our nation and the floodtide of judgment. Only prayer can release the cleansing and healing hand of God. And not just any prayer. It’s not the arithmetic of our prayers; that is, how many they are. It’s not the geometry of our prayer, how long it might be. It’s not the rhetoric of our prayer, how eloquent it may be. It’s not the music of our prayer, how sweet our voice. Not the logic of our prayer, how eloquent we become. It’s not the method of our prayer, how methodical we are. But it’s the faith and the fervency of our prayer that counts with God.

ACTION POINT:

God has said in His Word that we are to confess our faults one to another and pray one for another that we may be healed. And “The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16) Read Daniel chapter 9 today and see this in action.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God Has Ordained Human Government

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and raiseth up kings….” Daniel 2:21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What does the Word of God have to say about government? It teaches that God has ordained human government. The prophet Daniel said that God is the one who removes kings and God is the one who sets up kings. And Romans13 teaches that the powers that be are ordained of God. 

What about wicked governments? Did God set them up? It may surprise you to learn, yes, He did. That does not mean they are God’s will. God would much rather have righteousness. But by and large people get the kind of government they deserve. Wicked leaders are God’s reward for a wicked people. 

ACTION POINT:

What are we to do as a church? What is my responsibility so far as government is concerned? First of all, we are to pray for our government. We need to pray for leaders even if they are wrong “For this is good and acceptable and right in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:3). I am calling upon you to confess your sins personally and our sins nationally. And I am calling upon you to pray for America as Daniel prayed for his people—in the power of the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is prayer time in America.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Turning the Tide

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable and right in the sight of God our Savior.” I Timothy 2:1-3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When I was a boy in Florida, we lived at the seaside. I love the water and one of the things that always intrigued me as a boy was the changing of the tide. As we’d go out fishing, my brother and I would always be cognizant of the tides because we would come and go by the tides. The tides were important to us.

There are tides in nations too. America saw a tide of revival sweep in twice—in the First and Second Great Awakenings. But today we’ve seen a different tide. At this lowest point, when the tide is as low as it can get, may God grant that we see the tide begin to turn, back the other way, back to decency in America, back to standing up for the unborn.

ACTION POINT:

We need to look up. Only God can help us. We need to confess up and turn from our wicked ways. We need to speak up and we need to stand up for what is right. Pray 1Timothy 2:1-3 today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

You Are the Salt

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Edmund Burke wrote, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” When it comes to the political scene and government, there are some who have dropped out all together. They have the idea that if you get involved in government, somehow that is the “social gospel.” So they’ve just hunkered down, trying to “hold on till Jesus gets here.” They see the political scene as being dirty and worldly. And some have been intimidated by the great debate between church and state. 

We can’t drop out. It’s impossible to think that God would have ordained government and told His people to stay out. Who else does that leave to run things? 

Others with misguided zeal have tried to bring in the kingdom of God by political machinations. That cannot be done either. So where do we get the answers? We’re not going to get the answers today from the politician who may have his personal ax to grind or from the ungodly and the humanists who don’t believe the Word of God, or from finger-bumping philosophers who don’t know the Word of God. The only place we’re going to get the answers, I believe, is from the Word of God.

ACTION POINT:

We need to confess and turn from our wicked ways. We need to speak up and stand up for what is right. Let your speech be seasoned with salt. But stand up, speak up and come out from under the rock. Stand on the rock and speak up for the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Filled With Emptiness

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.7 Therefore do not become partners with them;8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  - Ephesians 5:6-14

Sin, a moment of delight followed by a never ending empty soul.

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. - Hebrews 3:12-13

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. - Ephesians 4:18-19

Jesus, being filled with a lasting joy, a soul completely satisfied.

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

15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."  - Revelation 7:15-17

3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.  - Isaiah 53:3-12

God Reigns, Rules, Overrules and Overrides

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever He will.”  Proverbs 21:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
God can change a ruler, God can remove a ruler, and God can overrule a ruler.

You ask, “Should I pray for my leader if he’s wicked?” You ought to pray all the more for him. Why? Because the Bible says, “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” 1Timothy 2:1-3
The greatest responsibility in America is not in the White House but in the church house. We’re to pray for our government. Pray for those who are in authority.

ACTION POINT:
Would you pray for America right now? You might pray, “Oh God, bless America. Lord, we deserve judgment, but we need mercy. Bring this nation, Lord, back to You. The troubles that we see in our land are tokens of Your love to bring us to our knees. Lord, it’s beyond us. God, we need You in America.”