The Powerful Influence of Music

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“. . . and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

2 Corinthians 10:5.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Satan is waging a battle to control the thought life of America’s teenagers. The typical teenager listens to an average of 10,500 hours of rock music from the seventh to the tenth grade. That’s only 500 hours shy of all the time he/she spends in school from first through twelfth grade!

Do you have any idea of the fatalism that is bombarding the airwaves everyday into young people’s heads? The National Education Association estimates that a percentage of the 5,000 teenage suicides we have in America every year are caused by the fatalistic music of today’s youth. Somebody has said, “You let me write the songs that a nation sings, and I don’t care who makes its laws.”

ACTION POINT:

Is there a teen in your life? If so, spend some time this week talking with them about the music they listen to and the healthy choices they need to make to take back the ground that Satan is trying to conquer with his onslaught of fatalistic music.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Fear Not

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The devil is the sinister minister of fear. When he clamps his icy fingers of fear on your heart, do you become afraid of what he’ll do to you if you take a stand for God? Don’t be afraid. Fear is an insult to God, who said, “I will be with thee.” Fear will destroy you. 

Are you a worrywart? One lady said, “Don’t tell me it does no good to worry. Most of the things I worry about never come to pass.” Be not dismayed. God will take care of you. 

ACTION POINT:

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what your fears are, then confess them as sin. Repent, then reach up and take hold of His right hand that is outstretched to sustain you and give you the victory!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

What Is Salvation?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” 1 John 5:1.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What is salvation? Not a creed. You say, “Well, I believe the plan of salvation.” You can believe the plan of salvation and go straight to hell. You’re not saved by the plan of salvation, you’re saved by the man of salvation. 

Salvation is not a creed. It’s not a code. You say, “Well, I believe if you live right you’ll go to heaven.” If you could be saved by living right, then Calvary was a blunder. It’s not a cause. You say, “I’m a member of a good, fundamental, Bible believing church.” It’s not any of these things. It’s Christ. 

Salvation is not believing something, it is receiving Someone. The true gospel is one that centers in Jesus Christ. 

ACTION POINT:

Ask God to give you a divine opportunity to boldly share Jesus with someone today. Maybe it’s a co-worker, maybe it’s your child. Maybe it’s a stranger that sits next to you at a restaurant. Be strong and of good courage, God will go before you to prepare the way.

LWF  Dr. Adrian Rogers

The True Gospel

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  Ephesians 2:8.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How can you tell whether or not you have the true gospel? Paul gives you three tests. 

First, the source of the gospel. Where did it come from? God gave it. It is direct and divine revelation. The gospel is authenticated by its source. 

Secondly, by its salvation. Any gospel that is not the gospel of grace is not the true gospel. You can’t beg it. You can’t buy it. You can’t borrow it. You can’t steal it. You can’t earn it. It was bought by Christ on the cross. It is the supernatural work of God. 

The third test is its subject. It is the grace of Christ. Jesus is the subject. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus. 

ACTION POINT:

Take an hour or two this week and find the prophecies about Jesus in the book of Isaiah. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus is the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Anchored

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” - Isaiah 41:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I was raised in South Florida, in what you might call hurricane alley. When we knew a hurricane was coming, my dad would say, “Boys, go out there in the back yard and tie things down,” patio furniture and things like that. Sometimes we would go out after a hurricane, and the thing we tied down was gone and the thing we tied it to was gone!

ACTION POINT:

Friend, you’d better be tied to Jesus. He won’t blow away.  Where is your hope?  Where is your security?  What have you anchored your hope to?  I hope it’s in the solid rock, the Lord Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Your Adversary, The Devil

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Ephesians 6:12.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There is a ruthless, cruel underworld system that wars against you. The crime bosses are but amateurs compared to this syndicate, ruled by the Master of Deception. He’s called the “destroyer,” “liar,” “accuser,” “tempter,” and “prince.” Satan is indescribably wicked, brilliantly stupid, and hideously beautiful. If he can’t convince you that he does not exist, then he tries to spread the lie that he is only in hell. He is not in hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but he is not there yet! 

Be warned . . . Satan comes against you to obsess, depress, and possess. But, be encouraged . . . Jesus has purchased your victory by His blood! 

ACTION POINT:

Satan is portrayed as a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8. Put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) and claim the victory that only faith in King Jesus can achieve.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Controlling Your Thought Life

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

There was a sign in a business that said, “We are not what we think we are; what we think—we are.” 

What are you allowing into your mind and thereby controlling your heart, your actions, and your words? God made you where you can’t think two thoughts at one time. If you’re thinking what’s right, you can’t be thinking what’s wrong. And as you think, you will become. Guard your mind. Center your mind upon the Lord Jesus. Don’t let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Stay in love with Jesus and there won’t be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, and prideful thoughts that bombard us all.

ACTION POINT:

Start today to become more active in marshalling your thoughts and bringing them into obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Use Phil. 4:8 as a sieve through which you pass each thought.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers