Thursday, September 7, 2017

Ready to Make an Honest Confession?



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

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What does it mean to “confess your sins”? It doesn’t mean to simply admit your sin. There are a lot of people who have admitted their sins, who have never confessed their sins.

I’ve spoken to people many times and asked, “Do you know that you’re a sinner?” And they respond, “Yes, I know. We’ve all sinned.” But those people aren’t confessing; all they’re doing is admitting. There is a difference.

The word “confess” is a compilation of two words, “con” and “fess,” which mean “to agree with.” To confess your sins is “to say with” God what God says about them.

ACTION POINT:
As you go before the Lord in prayer today, rather than just admitting you’ve sinned, agree with God about your sin.  Then ask for His grace to overcome.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Called Out Of Darkness

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.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:9-11

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." - Romans 7:7

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. - Hebrews 10:26-27

She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."]] - John 8:11

18 If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul." - Ezekiel 3:18-21


As I look around I see many points of deception being portrayed as biblical truth.
While we are called to love one another, sin is still sin and against everything God stands for. He will show His wrath to His creation and if you deliberately and willfully keep on sinning then there is no expectation of forgiveness.
Does God love sinners, yes! Listen to what Jesus told the woman caught in adultery? "You are not condemned" but " go and sin no more".
Why did God give Moses the law?
To convict man of sin by showing what sin was!
Sin separates you from God!
You are mandated by God to preach His gospel so that sin is exposed, causing sorry over sin which causes repentance, forgiveness follows and you are restored to the Father through Christ and His redeeming work on the cross.

7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." - John 10:7-18


Is Courtesy a Way of Life for You?



BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35


DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Do you know what our churches could use a little bit more of? Courtesy among the brethren—love in the little things, love that says “please” and “thank you,” love that steps back and gives the other person first place. The gentleness of our Lord.


It never ceases to amaze me how people so quickly lose their religion when they leave church on Sunday morning. They go to their cars in the parking lot, then cut people off in traffic. And don’t ever take someone’s “regular” seat in church. You’re seen as stealing their “rightful” place in the worship service!


ACTION POINT:
May God cleanse our churches of self-righteousness and pride. May He purify us from anything that seeks to elevate self over others.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Welcome to the Priesthood


BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9


DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Christians are a kingdom of priests, so in order to understand what that means, let’s look at what someone had to do to become a priest in the Old Testament.
The first thing the priest did was bathe from head to toe. This symbolized that he was saved (see Titus 3:5). When we are saved, we are bathed from head to toe in Christ’s cleansing blood.


After his bath, the priest received a linen garment, which symbolized the righteousness that is provided by our Lord.


Then he was anointed with oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.


How encouraging to discover God’s Word flowing from the Old to the New Testament to describe such essential details of the believer.


ACTION POINT:
Have you been bathed in the cleansing blood? Are you aware you’re wearing a robe (the righteousness of Christ)? The Holy Spirit lives within you. As you go through your day today, be ever mindful: you are a priest—chosen, royal, holy, set apart for Him.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Monday, September 4, 2017

Will God Be Enough…?


BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22


DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever read God’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews chapter 11? These men and women of faith did miraculous things. “Who through faith subdued kingdoms.” Hallelujah! “Wrought righteousness.” Praise the Lord! “Obtained promises.” Amen! “Stopped the mouths of lions.” Glory!


And how did they do it? Faith.


“And others [men and women of faith] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder...” (Hebrews 11:36-37). “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise” (Hebrews 11:39).


ACTION POINT:
Some had faith to escape; others had faith to endure. If it is God’s will for you, faith to endure may be the kind of faith God wants you to have. Will God be enough if He lets you walk through the fiery furnace?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Sunday, September 3, 2017

The Decision Of A Lifetime

19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, - John 11:25

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; - Isaiah 55:6

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. - James 4:13-16

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 3:13

1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. - 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

There is no ignoring!
There is no "I'll wait till later to make the choice."
For the truth is, none of us are assured of a tomorrow!
Indifference is no!!
There is only one of two choices, yes or no!
Will you follow Christ or deny Him
?

Standing on the Edge of the Red Sea


BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10


DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Sometimes the grandest revelations come through confrontation. Why did God bring the Israelites to the Red Sea? That they might have a confrontation with Him and discover His greatness and deliverance.


Many times the things we think are tragedies and problems are God’s way of drawing us to Himself. God shuts this door; God shuts that door…it seems that there’s no way out.


But we must cling to the fact that God makes Himself known to us in the storm and He plants His footsteps in the sea.


ACTION POINT:
Are you standing at the edge of your “Red Sea”? Have you stopped to consider that this could be your Father drawing you to Himself by the only way He knew He could get your attention? The God who parted the Red Sea and stilled the surface of Galilee is the One Who is your Shepherd.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers