Monday, March 27, 2017

The Captain Comes to Take Over


BIBLE MEDITATION:
Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Joshua had an encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament near Jericho (see Joshua 5). His first words to Him were, “Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?” (v.13). Joshua was on his guard, not wanting anyone to harm God’s people. Notice the Lord’s response, “Nay; but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come” (v. 14). Basically, He didn’t come to take sides, He came to take over.

Jesus is the Captain of the host of heaven, and this Conqueror with the drawn sword came to give Joshua a message of victory.

ACTION POINT:
You will never know victory until you lay your sword at His feet, bow yourself prostrate before His Mighty Throne, and worship Him. Before you can be a conqueror, you must be conquered. I pray you will soon be on the sunny side of Hallelujah Avenue where the glory roads intersect!


LWF Dr. Adrian Rigers

Why I Believe In the Bible

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 
3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 
4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 
6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 
7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. 
8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! 
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 
12 Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! 
13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. 
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 
15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119

The abundance of God and His word!
Confidence in the word.
God's word is accurate!

We were once taught that the world was flat.
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;  - Isaiah 40:22

God's power.
He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.  - Job 26:7

Over 3200 prophecies have been fulfilled.
Over 400 about Jesus have been fulfilled.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.  - Micah 5:2

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.  - Psalm 41:9

Timeless, tested and true!

God's word is alive!
It's God's heartbeat!
It's supernatural!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

God's word is available!
Are you available to God's word?
God will speak to you!
Will you obey?
Properly align your heart and life to Christ!

Thank you Pastor Kelly Knouse!!!

Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Seed

God's seed!
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. - 1 John 3:9

Eternal seed!
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

By God's power!!
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. - 2 Corinthians 9:10

10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  - Isaiah 55:10-11

God's harvest!
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. - Galatians 6:8

35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. - 1 Corinthians 15:35-37

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. - John 12:24

God's supernatural power!
And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." - Ezekiel 37:3

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." - Ezekiel 37:4-6

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. - John 5:28-29

The mystery of the seed!!
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 
55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

From Crimson to Wool, from Scarlet to White


BIBLE MEDITATION:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever done something so awful that you are serving or have served time in prison? Maybe you murdered someone, abused a child, embezzled money, or raped someone. To many, you are a heinous criminal and the judicial system has declared you have no redeeming value to humanity. Well, I’m here to tell you, God can change all that.

God says, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18b). Every blur, every blemish, every stain that ever came upon your soul can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

ACTION POINT:
Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Jesus will save you if you ask Him.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Clothed with the Righteousness of Christ


BIBLE MEDITATION:
And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Philippians 3:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A woman worked as a maid in the house of a mean innkeeper. One day God saved her and she could not hide her happiness. What used to be drudgery turned into joy. The innkeeper was furious and began to belittle her. He hated her for being happy.

Finally, he said to her, “You say you’re saved and I can see your happiness. Can you tell me what being saved means?”
And she said, “To me, it feels as though I am standing in Jesus’ shoes, and He is standing in mine.” A theologian couldn’t have said it better.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

ACTION POINT:
Have you come to realize that, in Jesus, you have been made “the righteousness of God”? It is the gift of God, in Him.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

God May


Your direction, questions, sliding into unbelief, then your center changes, no bible reading and finally no longer attending church.
What is this?
Soul-sickness!
Examine your heart!
What is your truth?
Do you even believe in God?
Are you being deceived by Satan?

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44

in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- - Ephesians 2:2

and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. - 2 Thessalonians 2:10

God can grant repentance!
24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. - 2 Timothy 2:24-26

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. - James 3:17

Be humble!
Be hopeful!
Be patient!!!

Thank you Pastor John!!!

Lavish Love


Definition of lavish
Super abundant, without limit


7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:7-14

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. - Colossians 1:13-14

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. - Acts 20:28

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? - Romans 2:4

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. - 1 John 3:1

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. - 1 John 3:16

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8


Are you with the world, giving yourself over to what the world offers?
Or are you following the Lord, giving yourself over to being obedient to His commands?
If you dismiss this great gift of lavish love, you are foolish!!!