Three Examples of How Faith Fulfills Good Resolves

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

When Paul says that God fulfills our good resolves by his power through faith (he calls our acts “works of faith”), he means that we defeat sin and we do righteousness by faith, that is, by being satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Christ in the next five minutes, five months, five decades, and into eternity.

Here are three examples of how this might look in your life:

If you set your heart to give sacrificially and generously, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). And the promise, “Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). And the promise, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

If you set your heart to renounce pornography, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29). Much better. Wonderfully better. All-satisfyingly better.

And if you set your heart to speak out for Christ when the opportunity comes, the power of God to fulfill this resolve will come to you as you trust his future grace in the promise, “Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour” (Matthew 10:19).

May God increase our daily faith in the precious promises of God — promises of his inexhaustible, blood-bought, Christ-exalting future grace.

John Piper 

By The Miraculous Blood of Christ and The Authority Of Sovereign God and His Word

Salvation-Authority-Justification Redemption 

The eternity question as in where your spirit will reside forever.

There is salvation though Christ alone.

Ways of salvation as in there is none except by the blood of Christ.

The authority as in there is none but Almighty God who demanded a spotless Lamb and there was none until Christ was born and became your substitute.

Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah 

Colossians 2:14

[14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

1 Peter 1:8-9

[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 John 3:5

[5] You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Hebrews 10:3-10

[3] But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. [4] For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

[5] Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 

    “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

        but a body have you prepared for me; 

    [6] in burnt offerings and sin offerings

        you have taken no pleasure. 

    [7] Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

        as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

    [8] When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), [9] then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. [10] And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Colossians 1:15-20

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Romans 11:29-36

[29] For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. [30] For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, [31] so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. [32] For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

[33] Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

    [34] “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

        or who has been his counselor?” 

    [35] “Or who has given a gift to him

        that he might be repaid?”

    [36] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Revelation 12:10-11

[10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Hope Like an Anchor

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” HEBREWS 11:1

 

PONDER THIS

The word hope does not mean “a fond desire.” It means a glorious assurance based on the Word of God. We use the word hope today to mean something similar to the word wish. We hope something will happen, but we also don’t want to get our hopes too high so that we won’t be overly disappointed. We would like for something to happen, but it isn’t sure. That isn’t what the word hope means in the Bible. The Second Coming of Jesus is called “the blessed hope” (see Titus 2:13). How do we know that Jesus is coming again? We have God’s promise. The Lord Jesus said, “If I go … I will come again” (John 14:3). He said, “I will!” Therefore, we have this hope like an anchor. You don’t put an anchor in a cloud bank. The Bible calls hope the “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19)! An anchor holds firm and can be trusted in every season. This is the hope we have in Jesus.

How much trust do you put in the promises of the Bible?

How has today’s devotion changed the way you think about hope?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out a list of things you are hoping for. Make a corresponding list of promises from the Bible that you can have certain hope in.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Don’t Put Off Following Jesus

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

PROVERBS 27:1

 

PONDER THIS

There is nobody so bad he or she cannot be saved. There is no one so good he or she need not be saved. There are many, however, who are going to be lost because of their self-righteous attitudes. They never repent of their sin. They never receive Christ as their Savior. But I’m going to tell you why I believe most people hear me or any other Gospel preacher, and then go out but are still lost. It’s not because they rebel against God or disbelieve, and it’s not because they’re self-righteous. I believe most of the people who hear the Gospel message and remain unsaved are lost because of procrastination. They know that they need to be saved, and they say, “One of these days I’m going to get saved.” But they keep putting it off. Why? Well, they got by yesterday without Jesus, they got by the day before without Jesus, and the day before that, and so on. So, they assume that tomorrow will be like yesterday. This is a dangerous assumption and one no one should make.

How have you been guilty of procrastinating in your faith?

What is God calling you to do today? How will you respond?

PRACTICE THIS

Take action to respond in obedience to God in an area in which you have procrastinated.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

A Dangerous Motive

“Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. (Romans 11:35–36)

When it comes to obedience, gratitude is a dangerous motive. It tends to get expressed in debtor’s terms. For example, “Look how much God has done for you. Shouldn’t you, out of gratitude, do much for him?” Or, “You owe God everything that you are and have. What have you done for him in return?”

I have at least three problems with this kind of motivation.

First, it is impossible to pay God back for all the grace he has given us. We can’t even begin to pay him back, because Romans 11:35–36 says, “‘Who has given a gift to [God] that he might be repaid?’ [Answer: Nobody!] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.” We can’t pay him back because he already owns all we have to give him — including all our efforts.

Secondly, even if we succeeded in paying him back for all his grace to us, we would only succeed in turning grace into a business transaction. If we can pay him back, it was not grace. If someone tries to show you a special favor of love by having you over for dinner, and you end the evening by saying that you will pay them back by having them over next week, you nullify their grace and turn it into a trade. God does not like to have his grace nullified. He likes to have it glorified (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

Thirdly, focusing on gratitude as a motive for obedience tends to overlook the crucial importance of having faith in God’s future grace. Gratitude looks back to grace received in the past and feels thankful. Faith looks forward to grace promised in the future — whether five minutes from now or five centuries from now — and feels hopeful. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1).

This faith in future grace is the motive for obedience that preserves the gracious quality of human obedience. Obedience does not consist in paying God back and thus turning grace into a trade. Obedience comes from trusting in God for more grace — future grace — and thus magnifying the infinite resources of God’s love and power. Faith looks to the promise, I will be “with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9), and ventures, in obedience, to take the land.

John Piper 

 

Authentic Faith Is Eager for Christ to Come

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 9:28)

What must you do so that you may know that your sins are taken away by the blood of Christ, and that, when he comes, he will shield you from the wrath of God and bring you into eternal life? The answer is this: Trust Christ in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

The text says he is coming to save those who are “eagerly waiting for him.” So how do you get ready? How do you experience the forgiveness of God in Christ and prepare to meet him? By trusting him in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

This eager expectation for Christ is simply a sign that we love him and believe in him — really believe in him, authentically.

There is a phony faith that wants only escape from hell, but has no desire for Christ. That kind of faith does not save. It does not produce an eager expectation for Christ to come. In fact, it would rather that Christ not come for as long as possible, so that it can have as much of this world as possible.

But the faith that really holds on to Christ as Savior and Lord and Treasure and hope and joy is the faith that makes us long for Christ to come. And that is the faith that saves.

So I urge you, turn from the world, and from sin. Turn to Christ. Receive him, welcome him, embrace Christ not just as your fire insurance policy, but as your eagerly awaited Treasure and Friend and Lord.

John Piper 

Peace to Those with Whom He Is Pleased

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:12–14)

Peace for whom? There is a somber note sounded in the angels’ praise. Peace among those on whom his favor rests. Peace among those with whom he is pleased. But without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So, Christmas does not bring peace to all.

“This is the judgment,” Jesus said, “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). Or as the aged Simeon said when he saw the child Jesus, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed . . . so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34–35). Oh, how many there are who look out on a bleak and chilly Christmas day and see no more than that — a sign to be opposed.

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11–12). It was only to his disciples that Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The people who enjoy the peace of God that surpasses all understanding are those who in everything by prayer and supplication let their requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6–7).

The key that unlocks the treasure chest of God’s peace is faith in the promises of God. So, Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). And when we do trust the promises of God and have joy and peace and love, then God is glorified.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! Everyone — from every people, tongue, tribe, and nation — who would believe.

John Piper 

Faith Honors Him Whom It Trusts

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God. (Romans 4:20)

Oh, how I long for God to be glorified in our pursuit of holiness and love. But God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises.

And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son.

God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace. That’s the point of Romans 4:20 where Paul describes Abraham’s faith, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God.”

He grew strong in his faith, thus giving glory to God. Faith in God’s promises glorifies him as supremely wise and strong and good and trustworthy. So, unless we learn how to live by faith in the promises of God’s future grace, we may perform remarkable religious rigors, but not for God’s glory.

He is glorified when the power to be holy comes through humble faith in future grace.

Martin Luther said, “[Faith] honors him whom it trusts with the most reverent and highest regard, since it considers him truthful and trustworthy.” The trusted Giver gets the glory.

My great desire is that we learn how to live for God’s honor. And that means living by faith in future grace, which, in turn, means battling unbelief in all the ways it rears its head.

John Piper 

Faith for the Impossible

He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20–21)

Paul has in mind a special reason why faith glorifies God’s future grace. Simply put, the reason is that this God-glorifying faith is a future-oriented confidence in God’s integrity and power and wisdom to follow through on all his promises.

Paul illustrates this faith with Abraham’s response to the promise of God: that he would be the father of many nations even though he was old and his wife was barren (Romans 4:18). “In hope he believed against hope,” that is, he had faith in the future grace of God’s promise, in spite of all human evidences to the contrary.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:19–21)

The faith of Abraham was a faith in the promise of God to make him the father of many nations. This faith glorified God because it called attention to all the omnipotent, supernatural resources of God that would be required to fulfill it.

Abraham was too old to have children, and Sarah was barren. Not only that: How do you turn a son or two into “many nations,” which God said Abraham would be the father of? It all seemed totally impossible.

Therefore, Abraham’s faith glorified God by being fully assured that he could and would do the humanly impossible. This is the faith we are called to have. That God will do for us what we could never do for ourselves.

John Piper 

The Bedrock of Your Assurance

God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Bible speaks of our election — God’s choosing us — in Christ before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4) before we had done anything good or evil (Romans 9:11). Therefore, our election is unconditional in the strictest sense. Neither our faith nor our obedience is the basis of it. It is free and utterly undeserved.

On the other hand, dozens of passages in the Bible speak of our final salvation (as opposed to our election in eternity past) as conditional upon a changed heart and life. So, the question arises, How can I have the assurance that I will persevere in the faith and holiness necessary for inheriting eternal life?

The answer is that assurance is rooted in our election. Second Peter 1:10 says, “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Divine election is the foundation of God’s commitment to save me, and therefore that he will undertake to work in me by sanctifying grace what his electing grace has begun.

This is the meaning of the new covenant. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a secure beneficiary of the new covenant, because Jesus said in Luke 22:20, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” That is, by my blood I secure the new covenant for all who are mine.

In the new covenant God does not merely command obedience; he gives it. “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27; cf. 11:20). Those are new covenant promises.

Election is God’s eternal commitment to do this for his people. So, election guarantees that those whom God justifies by faith he will most assuredly glorify (Romans 8:30). This means that he will unfailingly work in us all the conditions laid down for glorification.

Election is the final ground of assurance because, since it is God’s commitment to save, it is also God’s commitment to enable all that is necessary for salvation.

John Piper 

Faith is Belief with Legs on It

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

HEBREWS 11:8-10

 

PONDER THIS

Faith is not rooted in human worth, human will, or human wisdom. True faith comes from the Word of God. Abraham had a word from God. Faith therefore does not rest on a roadmap but in a relationship with Almighty God. Think of Abraham: He’s seventy-five years of age; he’s well established; he’s rich; he has a lovely wife; he’s living in comfort. Then God says, “Get up, let’s go.” He did not know where or why he was going; all he knew was God had spoken.

Faith is believing the Word of God and acting on it. If you simply believe the Word of God, that’s not faith yet: that’s the preamble to faith, the root of faith. Acting on the Word of God is faith. Believing is mental; faith is actual. Faith is belief with legs on it. The difference between belief and faith is the difference between knowing the Word of God and knowing the God of that Word.

When have you acted on your belief in God? What did it feel like to step out into the unknown? What happened?

What are things about God you have learned in Scripture? What would it look like to act in belief on those things?

PRACTICE THIS

Practice acting in faith today. Take one risk of sharing your faith or praying for someone, trusting God to equip you with what you need.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Don’t Put Your Faith in Faith

“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” ROMANS 10:11-13

 

PONDER THIS

Don’t put faith in faith, put faith in Jesus. The devil used to ask me, “Adrian, how do you know you really believe enough?” I learned how to turn the tables on him. I would say, “You know, devil, you’re right. My faith is weak, but Jesus is wonderful. I’m not putting my faith in my faith. I’m putting my faith in Jesus.” Don’t look at your looking; don’t put faith in faith, put faith in Jesus. Faith in faith is positive thinking. Faith in Jesus is salvation.

Now the object of faith is God. So, what should be your ambition? To know God! That’s the reason the Bible says we’re to be, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). If you look to yourself, you’re going to be discouraged and weak. Put your eyes on Him. Your great need today is to come to know Him.

The more you know about Him, the more you’re going to find faith as the byproduct of your heart. When you look to Jesus, when you discover the God of the Bible, when you come to see Him, you’re going to find out that faith is obvious in your heart and in your life.

When has your faith felt weak? Why? How did you get through that time?

How are faith in Jesus and faith in faith different? How has God helped you put your faith in Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend extra time with God in His Word to learn more about Him today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The God of Automatic Doors

“Then the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and tie on your sandals’; and so he did. And he said to him, ‘Put on your garment and follow me.’ So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.’” ACTS 12:8-11

 

PONDER THIS

Do you remember the first time you saw an automatic door? It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. As amazing as that is, this is not an entirely new occurrence. Here in Acts chapter 12, this iron gate just opened of its own accord and Peter walked on out. It’s interesting that Peter’s deliverance came at the last moment.

I want you to see how God’s power is working here. Some people might have thought that God was weak or that God was unconcerned and did not care. You may say in your problems, “Where is God? Is God able? Doesn’t God care?”

If you’re in a situation and God doesn’t deliver you it’s not because He can’t. If God is not working according to what you can see, it doesn’t mean God is not working. And if evil seems to succeed, the success of evil is only temporary. When you hit a crisis, please remember these things: Don’t demand to understand; you’ll never figure it out. Remember the resource of prayer. Set your eyes on God, rest in His love, and expect God to move in His own time and in His own way. He will do it. He’s the Christ of every crisis.

What are some of the crises you are facing? What would change if you were to remember Jesus is the Christ of those crises?

When have you felt like God was distant or didn’t care? What did you do?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down a verse that reminds you Jesus is the Christ of your crisis and put it up in a place you will see it every day.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Faith Walk vs. The Fake Walk

“‘You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ Then Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.’” ACTS 8:21-24

 

PONDER THIS

There are so many who say, “I’m a believer,” but they are not saved. You know the plan, but you don’t know the Man. You’ve seen what God has done, but there has never been a change of heart. You say, “Well, doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31)?” Yes, it does. The Bible also says, “Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:19). There’s a superficial faith of false religion; the kind of faith that never really comes and bows the knee to Jesus Christ, never makes Jesus Christ Lord.

John 2:23-24 says “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.” Now you don’t see it in the English, but in the Greek the word for “believe” and “commit” is the same word, just translated differently. So, you could say, “Many committed themselves to Him, but He did not commit Himself to them.” Or “Many believed in Him, but He did not believe in them.” They believed in Him like Simon the sorcerer, but He did not believe in them.

The Lord knows your heart. You may have walked the aisle and prayed the prayer, but He knows what is superficial. Has your faith shaped how you have lived since your moment of confession, or have you been faking it with all the right language and answers?

What is the difference between knowing the plan of salvation and knowing the Man of salvation, Jesus?

How has your faith shaped how you have lived? What has stayed the same?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a pastor about what it means to live out a sincere and true faith.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Danger of Drifting

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

We all know people that this has happened to. There is no urgency. No vigilance. No focused listening or considering or fixing of their eyes on Jesus. And the result has not been a standing still, but a drifting away.

That is the point here: there is no standing still. The life of this world is not a lake. It is a river. And it is flowing downward to destruction. If you do not listen earnestly to Jesus and consider him daily and fix your eyes on him hourly, then you will not stand still; you will go backward. You will float away from Christ.

Drifting is a deadly thing in the Christian life. And the remedy for it, according to Hebrews 2:1, is: Pay close attention to what you have heard. That is, consider what God is saying in his Son Jesus. Fix your eyes on what God is saying and doing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

This is not a hard swimming stroke to learn. The only thing that keeps us from swimming against sinful culture is not the difficulty of the stroke, but our sinful desire to go with the flow.

Let’s not complain that God has given us a hard job. Listen, consider, fix the eyes — this is not what you would call a hard job description. In fact, it is not a job description. It is a solemn invitation to be satisfied in Jesus so that we do not get lured downstream by deceitful desires.

If you are drifting today, one of the signs of hope that you are born again is that you feel pricked for this, and you feel a rising desire to turn your eyes on Jesus and consider him and listen to him in the days and months and years to come.

John Piper 

Don’t Delay Follow Jesus Today

“They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me. Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council, unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, ‘Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.’” ACTS 24:19-21

 

PONDER THIS

There’s an old story of a convocation of demons who met to find out the best way to damn the souls of men. They were having a strategy meeting and one demon stood up and said, “Let’s tell people there is no God, and if there’s no God they won’t need to repent and get saved.” They decided that wasn’t the best plan because the evidence for God was overwhelming. The fool says there’s no God. Another demon stood up and said, “Let’s tell them that while God exists, the Bible is not true. It’s a bundle of blunders and a book of lies.” They agreed that would affect some, but since inspiration for the Bible is so self-evident, that wasn’t the best plan either.

Finally, a chief demon stood up. He said, “Admit that God exists; admit that the Bible is the Word of God; admit that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world; and even admit that people need to be saved. But just tell them not to do it today.” And the demons agreed that was the best plan of all.

We cannot put off matters of faith. The time is now to repent, be changed, and be made new by Christ.

What is a matter of faith that you have been putting off?

What is dangerous about making it a habit to put off responding to the Word?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a step toward something in your faith you have been putting off, whether sharing the Gospel, reading the Bible, or something else.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Faith Honors Him Whom It Trusts

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God. (Romans 4:20)

Oh, how I long for God to be glorified in our pursuit of holiness and love. But God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises.

And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son.

God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace. That’s the point of Romans 4:20 where Paul describes Abraham’s faith, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God.”

He grew strong in his faith, thus giving glory to God. Faith in God’s promises glorifies him as supremely wise and strong and good and trustworthy. So, unless we learn how to live by faith in the promises of God’s future grace, we may perform remarkable religious rigors, but not for God’s glory.

He is glorified when the power to be holy comes through humble faith in future grace.

Martin Luther said, “[Faith] honors him whom it trusts with the most reverent and highest regard, since it considers him truthful and trustworthy.” The trusted Giver gets the glory.

My great desire is that we learn how to live for God’s honor. And that means living by faith in future grace, which, in turn, means battling unbelief in all the ways it rears its head.

 

John Piper 

Are You Demanding of God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’ The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’”

John 4:47-49

 

PONDER THIS

The man in today’s passage initially had a self-centered faith. Look again in verse 49. What’s he interested in? The welfare of his child. Is there anything wrong with that? No. And I will promise you if I have a sick child, I’m going to be bombarding Heaven in prayer. But this man had yet to bow at the feet of Jesus Christ and worship Him. So many of us are so concerned about our health, our welfare, our children, our families, and our future. There’s nothing wrong with asking God to bless us. But strong faith is interested primarily in the glory of God and the heart in its right relationship to Him. This man was interested in the physical, not the spiritual, in the temporal, not the eternal.

Faith is not dictating to God. Faith is hearing God, believing God, and acting on what God says. This man was a nobleman. He had been used to telling people what to do. He had many servants. But that’s not how it works with God. Faith is not about us telling God what to do. How many of us demand of God before we take a moment to worship Him?

What do you pray about the most? What does that tell you about your faith?

When have you been self-centered in your faith? How can you know?

PRACTICE THIS

Discuss with a fellow Christian how your life would change if you were primarily interested in the eternal over the temporal.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Able to Smile at Death?

PRAY OVER THIS

“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.” Hebrews 11:22

 

PONDER THIS

Do you want to smile at death? Do you want to practice the presence of God in the time of death? There’s no way you can do it without faith. And what is faith? Faith is not positive thinking. Faith is not following a hunch. Faith is not hoping for the best. I love optimists, but that’s not faith. Faith is not self-confidence. Self-confidence is all right if your confidence is first in the Lord. Faith is not wishing upon a star. What is faith? Faith is getting a word from God and believing it.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is. It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That word hope does not mean maybe so, perhaps so. Hope in the Bible means rock-ribbed assurance based on the Word of God. God had made a promise to Abram. God cannot lie. Joseph, therefore, in the time of death, could smile at death because he had the unbreakable promises of God. Faith is not naming it and claiming it. You can’t claim it until God names it. Faith is standing on the promises of God.

What has God said that you need to put faith in this week?

What would it look like to have faith when you think about death? What would change?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend some time reading the Bible to learn about the promises of God from the Word of God. Consider Hebrews 11.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Satan’s Strategy and Your Defense

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith. (1 Peter 5:8–9)

The two great enemies of our souls are sin and Satan. And sin is the worst enemy, because the only way that Satan can destroy us is by getting us to sin, and keeping us from repenting. The only thing that damns us is unforgiven sin. Not Satan.

God may give him leash enough to rough us up, the way he did Job, or even to kill us, the way he did the saints in Smyrna (Revelation 2:10); but Satan cannot condemn us or rob us of eternal life. The only way he can do us ultimate harm is by influencing us to sin, and keep us from repentance. Which is exactly what he aims to do.

So, Satan’s main business is to advocate, promote, assist, titillate, and confirm our bent to sinning. And to keep us from faith and repentance.

We see this in Ephesians 2:1–2: “You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked . . . according to the prince of the power of the air” (NASB). Sinning “accords” with Satan’s power in the world. When he brings about moral evil, it is through sin. When we sin, we move in his sphere. We come into accord with him. When we sin, we give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).

The only thing that will condemn us at the judgment day is unforgiven sin — not sickness or afflictions or persecutions or intimidations or apparitions or nightmares. Satan knows this. Therefore, his great focus is not primarily on how to scare Christians with weird phenomena (though there’s plenty of that), but on how to corrupt Christians with worthless fads and evil thoughts.

Satan wants to catch us at a time when our faith is not firm, when it is vulnerable. It makes sense that the very thing Satan wants to destroy would also be the means of our resisting his efforts. That’s why Peter says, “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9). It is also why Paul says that the “shield of faith” can “extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16).

The way to thwart the devil is to strengthen the very thing he is trying most to destroy — your faith.

John Piper