Giving the Devil His Due

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Mike Kolen, who played linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, told this story once. “When I graduated from Auburn University, Coach Shug Jordan asked me to do some scouting for him. I said, ‘Sure coach, what kind of man do you need?’ Coach said, ‘You know the guy you can knock down and he stays there?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ Coach said, ‘We don’t need him. You know the guy you can knock down, he gets up, you knock him down again, and he gets up?’ I said, ‘Yes! You want him?’ ‘No,’ said Coach, ‘I want the guy that’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy I want.’”

ACTION POINT:

I am grateful that Jesus picks us up when we are knocked down. But wouldn’t you like to do a little knocking down of the devil for a change? You can if you will learn to pray, “Lord, lead me not into temptation, but keep me from evil.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Attitude Adjustments and Trusting God

I love the book of Job. 

His life story speaks to us about suffering, restoration, trust and faith.

Job had great material wealth.

Job had the precious gift of children.

Job had many friends.

Job was righteous.

Job prayed.

Job helped the less fortunate.

Job was a leader in his community.

Job was respected by his community.

God tested!

Read the book of Job to see if he passed the test.

Attitude adjustments come from God.

5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 

6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. 

7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.  - Isaiah 45:5-7

8 And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"

9 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?

10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

12 And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,

15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.

21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. - Job 1:8-22

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."

10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. - Job 2:7-10

6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

7 So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them."

8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. - Genesis 6:6-8

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. - Revelation 8:5

But there is an eternal hope.

Christ alone brings it.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. - 2 Corinthians 5:1

15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:15-17

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Pressing Toward the Prize in This New Year

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you want to win the prize that Paul talks about? He didn’t want to fail. He strained with every inch, every ounce, every nerve, and every part of his body to win the prize. He had ambition. But it was more than just ambition, it was a holy ambition.

He said, “I want that prize and I’m going to have it. I’m going to be like an athlete who denies his own body worldly pleasures. I’m going to train like an athlete. I’m going to stay in shape for the Lord Jesus. I’m going to do all that is necessary that I may win.”

ACTION POINT:

Friend, the Bible clearly teaches that we ought to be ambitious, but for the right reason. And that reason is for Jesus. In this new year, may God deliver us from pint-sized ambitions and small-time aspirations.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

In All Creation Under Heaven

if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. - Colossians 1:23

Why do you, as a Christ follower need to read His word everyday?

God's inspired word was given to us by Him!

It is a clear picture of His sovereignty!

It teaches, chastises, gives joy and peace, warns of the coming chaos that will be orchestrated by Satan, and explains the eternal forgiveness given by Christ through the power of the Cross!

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. - 2 Peter 1:19-21

His word gives us joy and hope!

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. 

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. 

35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 

36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! 

37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. 

38 Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. 

39 Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good. 

40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!  - Psalm 119:33-40

Jesus story, from the Old Testament prophecy to present day of the New Testament, will stand. 

It is the true word of God Almighty!

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. - John 1:1-3

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. - Matthew 5:17-18. 

If he called them gods to whom the word of God came-and Scripture cannot be broken- - John 10:35

Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? - Mark 12:24

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. - John 16:12-13

We see God, we read God and we know God!

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  - Psalm 19:1

God's word is complete!

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. - Jude 1:3 

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:19-22

37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.

38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. - 1 Corinthians 14:37-38

The bible gives us a very clear picture of God!

And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. - 1 Samuel 3:21

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. - Ephesians 1:17-23

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:4 

God's life giving word!

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

24 for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 

25 but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.  - 1 Peter 1:23-25

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. - James 1:18

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."  - Romans 10:17-18

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-

3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 

8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1 Peter 2:2-10

God's word is our sword and shield which we use against sin!

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Romans 8:13

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. - Ephesians 6:16-20

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  - Psalm 119:11

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. - John 17:17

who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. - 1 Peter 1:5

His word brings joy!!

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. - John 15:11

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. - John 17:13-18

Thank you John!!

A Vision for Your Life in the New Year

“…which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…even Jesus.” - Hebrews 6:19-20

A New Year is like an ocean. There will be untested winds and waves. We’ll meet ships we never knew and we’ll have all kinds of opportunities as we sail into an uncharted sea. In our

quest to discover the good life this year, we must be careful that we do not drift into an aimless life. The worst thing that could happen to us this coming year is that we just let this year happen to us rather than charting a course and getting into God’s appointed harbor. More than likely, you won’t decide to drift. It’ll just happen. You’ll be coasting along at a good clip, and then before you know it you’re drifting away. . . that is, unless you have an anchor.

Take a few minutes to reflect on this past year. What were some things you did right... what were some things you would do differently this next year?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Moving Forward Into the New Year

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

On this New Year’s Eve, you may be wondering what is going to happen. Years ago, some men were on a leaky old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. One of them asked the captain, “Are we safe?”  He said, “Well, the boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is taking on water. To be very honest with you, we may go up, or we may go down, but at any rate, we are going on.”

And that’s the way we are as we face this new year. Jesus may come; we may go up. We may die, and go down and then up, but at any rate, we are going on.

ACTION POINT:

Reflecting on this past year, allow the Holy Spirit to invade your heart, convicting and drawing you to Himself. Ask for wisdom, courage, and faith to continue on, whatever happens this next year!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Eternity . . .

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Your soul, made in the image of God, will exist forever. I think Billy Sunday, the evangelist, said it this way: “Imagine a little bird taking a grain of sand and flying to a distant planet. It would take him a million years to fly to that distant planet. Then he would drop that grain of sand. Then the little bird would fly back to the earth taking another million years. He gets another grain of sand and flies back to the distant planet.

“Back and forth, back and forth it goes. When he will have transplanted every speck of earth to that distant planet, it will only be breakfast time in eternity.”

Your soul will go on, and on, and on.

ACTION POINT:

Where do you plan on spending eternity? Where do your loved ones plan on spending it? If you don’t know, ask them today and get their salvation on the right side of eternity.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers