Which Category Are You In?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.” Deuteronomy 8:16

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There are three categories of people reading this: those who are in trouble; those who are just getting out of trouble; and those who are going into trouble. Job 14:1 says, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”

The Spanish have a proverb: “There’s no home without its hush.” Sooner or later, we will all know sorrow, heartache, and trouble. What we need to know is that troubles are not a sign that things have gone wrong or things have gotten out of hand. We are often in trouble by the providence, plan, and purpose of Almighty God.

When the Israelites were delivered from Pharaoh’s army through the Red Sea, they went into the wilderness. Had God lost control? No. God led them there by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

ACTION POINT:

In the unfailing providence of God, we are often led into a place of trouble. The wilderness is God’s proving ground for your faith. How are you doing?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

God Is Invested In You!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” Deuteronomy 20:4

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you remember the miracle God performed when He brought the Israelites through the Red Sea, when they were being hunted down by Pharaoh’s army? It was incredible.

Now let me ask you: What happened three days later? The Israelites began grumbling because there was no water!

Do you think God would invest such a miraculous deliverance in them, then abandon them just days later? Absolutely not!  But what happens to us when we are down in the dumps and wondering where God is taking us? We become just like the Israelites!

And yet God did something more for you than He did for them! He sent His precious and only Son to die on Calvary’s tree for you. God redeemed you.

More than God bringing you out of a watery grave, He delivered you from eternal damnation into glorious communion with Him forever! God saved you! What more could you possibly want?

ACTION POINT:

Are you down in the dumps today? Do you feel like the victim of a bad situation? Do you feel like God has abandoned you? Then write down Deuteronomy 20:4 on a piece of paper and meditate on it until you believe it.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Excuses Or Obedience?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:22

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In First Samuel 15, we read the story of how Saul failed to destroy the animals that God said were to be utterly put to death. Samuel confronted Saul about this and Saul told a lie: that he was going to sacrifice them, but he just hadn’t done it yet.

And Samuel said, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:22-23a). To rebel against the Lord “is as the sin of witchcraft” because it puts you in the realm of the devil.

ACTION POINT:

When God gives a clear command from His Word, we are not to parade it past the judgment bar of our human wisdom. We are to obey whether we understand it or agree with it. It is either God’s Word or it is not.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Renouncing The Rebel Inside

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Is there stirring in your heart a spirit of rebellion today? Maybe you don’t even recognize it. But if you do, let me plead with you to do something about it right now.

Ask God to cleanse you from your desire to rebel.

Ask Him to root out the rebel in you. He is not going to remove it until you renounce it. It is your choice.

Ask Him to forgive you for the foolish and careless words you have spoken.

Ask Him to take out that spirit of rebellion against authorities.

Ask Him to teach you how to lovingly respect people when they are in the wrong.

Either you crown Jesus as Lord, or you crucify Him. Are you with Jesus today or are you against Him?

ACTION POINT:

Is there someone who has wronged you and you seek revenge? Do you have a need to have your rights exalted above others? Read and apply the truth of Philippians 2:3-11.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Strengthened By Your Foes

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.” Numbers 14:9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Joshua and Caleb faced formidable foes in the Promised Land, and yet what was their response to their enemies? “They are bread for us.” (Numbers 14:9).

What is bread? It is the staff of life. What happens when you eat bread? You are strengthened by it and you grow by it.

Paul also faced formidable foes. He wrote, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Why isn’t the door to victory easy? Because if it were easy, then you would become weak in your effort to work out your faith in God. God places obstacles in your path to give you strength. “Wheaties” is not the breakfast of champions— giants are. God wants you to feed upon your difficulties and depend upon Him to make you a conqueror.

ACTION POINT:

What does it take to strengthen your body? What does it take to build your intellect? What does it take to grow love in relationships? Work. Read Philippians 2:12-13 and apply it to your life today.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Would You Turn Down A Pardon?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

In 1829 George Wilson was adjudicated guilty and given the death sentence for murder. But Wilson had some friends who petitioned President Andrew Jackson for a pardon.

Jackson granted the pardon, and it was brought to prison and given to Wilson. To everyone’s surprise, Wilson said, “I am going to hang.”

There had never been a refusal to a pardon, so the courts didn’t know what to do. Discussion went all the way to the Supreme Court, and Justice John Marshall gave this ruling: “A pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends upon the acceptance by the person implicated. If he does not accept the pardon, then he must be executed.”

God loves you and wants to pardon you, but if you refuse Him, you will die and go to hell. Cast yourself upon Him completely, and receive the free gift of His forgiveness today.

ACTION POINT:

Have you repented of your sin and believed upon the atoning work of Christ’s blood on the cross? Being good doesn’t get you to heaven. It is only Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Give the Devil Plenty to Mourn About

BIBLE MEDITATION:

 “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

People often ask me, “Why do Baptists immerse people—put them fully under the water—when a new convert to Christ is baptized?”  Because that’s what God’s Word teaches. When you go under the water, that is a picture of your death and burial. When you come up out of the water, that is a picture of your resurrection. “Buried with Him.” “Risen with Him.”

If I died and you took me to the cemetery and sprinkled a few granules of dirt on my head, have you truly buried me? No. The very word “baptism” means to immerse.

ACTION POINT:

Your baptism is a funeral service:  Dead to the old life. Raised to newness of life.  And the devil doesn’t like that. The baptismal is a liquid tomb, and the mourner who comes to that funeral is the devil. Let’s be sure he has plenty to mourn about.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers