Off the Defense and Onto the Offense

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” - Mark 16:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If I had to identify the major misconception about believers today, it would be that they spend too much time getting out of trouble with God, instead of getting into righteousness!

We are living on the defensive instead of the offensive. We need to move beyond the defensive line of Christianity, and move on to the offense—advancing the Kingdom, fulfilling the Great Commission, and telling others about Jesus. Our Shepherd will never lead us where His strength cannot keep us. He will never lead us down a path that He hasn’t first walked down Himself.

ACTION POINT:

Are you sharing His love and words of salvation with someone who’s lost? If not, begin today to move beyond your comfort zone and see the hand of God move.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Listening for His Voice

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Hearken unto Me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of My mouth.” Proverbs 7:24
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The United States Government doesn’t teach Treasury agents to detect counterfeit bills by having them study fakes. They show these agents real dollars over and over and over until they have the pattern memorized. Then when a counterfeit is put in front of them, they recognize it instantly because it doesn’t fit the pattern their eyes are looking for.

Do you know the voice of the Lord? The only way you can be sure that it is His voice you are hearing is to hear it so often that a stranger’s voice is instantly recognizable. It is far wiser to spend time learning the One True Voice than it is trying to learn to detect a multitude of false voices.

ACTION POINT:
Spend at least 15 minutes today being silent before God and listening for His voice.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Follow Someone with a Limp

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Someone has said, “If you are looking for a leader to follow, find someone with a limp.” The wounded in life are those who have learned difficult lessons through suffering. Do not resist the Shepherd’s rod of correction.

Is the wounding painful? Indeed. Does it seem that you will not be able to bear it? Most certainly. Then why would He subject us to such pain? Because you have a Father who loves you so much that He is willing to hurt you to heal you. What you need to focus on is not your pain, but your Savior. God didn’t save you to take you to heaven. That’s a fringe benefit. God saved you to make you holy—as He is holy.

ACTION POINT:
Read Hebrews 12:1-13. What application can you make from this passage for your life today?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Free to Choose

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose.” - Psalm 25:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You are free to choose. You are not free, however, not to choose. After you make a choice, your choice chooses for you.

There are consequences for your choices—always. If you choose to step off the roof of a ten-story building, you are not then free to choose the consequence of your choice. Your choice has chosen for you.

What if you make a bad choice? What is God’s reaction? First, He is in control. Your choices will not take Him by surprise. Thanks to God, He can prevail over our bad choices to restore us into fellowship with Himself!

ACTION POINT:

Have you made a choice in your past that has brought you consequences reverberating even today? Share this insight with someone who is younger in the faith than you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Let Jesus Lead the Way

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” Ps.31:24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Who knows you better than the One who created you? Who cares more for you than the One Who died for you? Who leads you more carefully than the One Who knows the end from the beginning? There is no greater picture of courage than the picture of Jesus Christ—the Savior Who lays down His life. You can know security because the One Who loves you is compassionate, caring, and courageous. Jesus knows you. He cares for you. He wants to lead you into the abundant life.

ACTION POINT:
Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of the Lord?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Dependence on God—A Witness of His Power

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” - 2 Corinthians 4:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

If you’re like most people, you don’t realize your dependency on God until you’re burned out from stress—either self-induced or caused by circumstances beyond your control.

Why is that?

Paul says it’s because we are fragile. But he doesn’t stop there. He says that God made us this way so that His power may be known through us!

Maybe someone told you, “Oh, just tie a knot and hang on!” Sometimes God wants us to let go of the rope because it is keeping us tied down to our destructive habits. We are totally dependent on God so that the love of His Son may be made known to the world.

ACTION POINT:

Get a piece of rope and tie a knot in it. Let it sit on your desk this week as a reminder that God is more than just a knot at the end of the rope. He is the Savior of the World!!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Omnipotent God—Held by His Love and Grace

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 24

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you fussed and fumed through life’s challenges, wondering if the Sovereign Creator of the Universe was on vacation? I have a message for you: The God who hung the stars, the God who poured the oceans, the God who raised the mountains, the God who knew you before you were knit together in your mother’s womb, this sovereign God is your Savior. He is your King, and He is in control.

When you are plucked from the depths of sin, you are placed in the very hand of God! You can’t climb up into the hand of God; you are placed into the hand of God. Hallelujah! Our efforts didn’t get us there. His grace placed us there. And His love will keep us there forever.

ACTION POINT:
Read Psalm 139 and rejoice in the truth that God has created you and will make a way for you! 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers