tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91224801196001655592024-03-12T23:45:34.316-04:00English - World Challenge Devotions BlogWorld Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comBlogger2700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-2252091874113340912017-10-14T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-14T04:00:19.627-04:00WITHOUT POWER - Jim Cymbala<a href="http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/printpdf/18867/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a7fa1; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></a><br />
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I love to look at the buildings of Manhattan, especially at night when the lights are all on. It is an amazing sight to see all of those buildings filled with people, activities, and ideas at work, and to know that what is hatched there will not only affect New York City but the entire world. However, regardless of how influential New York City and its people can be, if you take away the electrical power—which happens occasionally during a blackout—the whole thing shuts down. The office buildings become useless, the activity ceases, and the ideas die in the darkness. Without power, all that potential is wasted.</div>
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The same is true for us believers. If we don’t have access to spiritual power, how can we accomplish what needs to be done? Power to overcome sin. Power to overcome spiritual enemies that attack us. Power to endure hardship and affliction. Power to speak. Power to pray. Power to witness. Isn’t more spiritual power probably the greatest need we have today?</div>
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It’s interesting that the risen Christ’s final words before his ascension concerned spiritual power. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">power</em> from on high” (Luke 24:49). It was as if Jesus looked down the corridors of time and knew that even having the right gospel message would not be enough. We would face so many such obstacles from satanic strongholds that we would never evangelize the world effectively without the power that only the Spirit can impart. </div>
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<small style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15.3px;">Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson. </small></div>
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World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-11916279417656607102017-10-13T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-13T04:00:06.557-04:00YOUR HEARTBROKEN CRY<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Do you believe God is willing to come quickly to solve your problem? Here is where many Christians fall short. They know God has all they need and they admit he cares. But when he doesn't answer their cry right away, they think of all kinds of reasons why he must not be willing to come to their aid.</div>
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On Mount Carmel, Elijah spoke confidently of his God. He taunted the prophets of Baal by accusing their god of child neglect: "[They] called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice; no one answered. . . . And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.’</div>
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"So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom . . . until the blood gushed out on them. . . . But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention" (1 Kings 18:26–29).</div>
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Hear these words again: "There was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention."</div>
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What Elijah described is exactly how we accuse God. We pray, we cry aloud to God, but we go our way, not believing he has heard us. We walk away from the Lord's presence — away from the secret closet of prayer — wondering if he has paid attention to our cries.</div>
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The Lord is always ready to hear and answer our cry for help. I love what David said of him: "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. . . . In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me" (Psalm 86:5, 7).</div>
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God is waiting for your heartbroken cry, uttered in childlike faith. </div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-51801616826438643462017-10-12T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-12T04:00:30.390-04:00“YOU HAVE KNOWN ME”<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
The Lord asks us, "Do you truly believe I see exactly what you are enduring right now?"</div>
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Perhaps as you read this message, you are going through something that calls for him to act on your behalf. The very nature of your problem demands an answer.</div>
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Do you believe God gladly monitors your every move, the way a father does with his infant child? Do you believe he is at work as your loving, caring Father — bottling every tear, hearing every sigh, hovering over you?</div>
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That is exactly the way the Bible describes him. "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. . . . The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles" (Psalm 34:15, 17).</div>
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"As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13).</div>
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The Hebrew word for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">pity</em> here means "to cuddle, love, be compassionate." Scripture is saying God cuddles in his arms those who fear (believe) him. And he tells you, "I know all your thoughts, all your concerns. I know every battle you must face. And I care about it all."</div>
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David wrote a famous passage about this very subject: "O Lord, You have . . . known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off; You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-4).</div>
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"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand" (139:17–18).</div>
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David is saying, "God knows all about me. He sees my every move, even my thoughts. Everywhere I turn, there he is."</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-5235724853192761562017-10-11T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-11T04:00:12.486-04:00GRACE SUFFICIENT FOR YOU<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Scripture says of Moses' time: "Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. . . . [They] delighted themselves in Your great goodness" (Nehemiah 9:21, 25).</div>
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Do you delight in the Lord's goodness to you? Perhaps you are more likely to whisper within your heart, "God hasn't been good to me. So many things in my life have been left hanging. My prayers aren't being answered."</div>
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If God could take three million Israelites through the wilderness safely, do you doubt he can take care of you? You may marvel at the way he protected and provided for Israel but when you look at your own life, you say, "Poor me."</div>
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Israel was never convinced they would have all their needs supplied by trusting in God completely. In that respect, they were not a holy people. On the contrary, they were disobedient, impudent and idolatrous. At one point, Moses even told them, "Ever since I've known you, you've been bent on backsliding."</div>
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Yet when those same Israelites called out to God, he came and answered their cry. He had mercy on them. Tell me, will the Lord not answer us who have left our idolatry behind and pursued him passionately?</div>
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Maybe you find it hard to believe that. Deep down, you aren't convinced God has everything you need and will supply it. You accuse him of having all power and authority to provide for you but that he hides it from you.</div>
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It doesn't matter what your problem is or how confusing the maze you're navigating at present. If you will wait faithfully on Jesus, he will give you wisdom, knowledge and grace sufficient for your trial. He has always made a way for those who trust in him fully. And he will do it for you.</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-89191404692067630702017-10-10T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-10T04:00:20.035-04:00NO SHORTAGE WITH THE LORD<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Any believer who wishes to please God with his prayer life must first settle this question: "Does God have all I need or do I need to go elsewhere for my answer?"</div>
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This appears to be a simple question — perhaps one that doesn't even need to be asked. Most Christians would answer, "Yes, of course I believe God has all I need." But in reality many of us are not convinced! We say we believe it but then a crisis hits and God doesn't seem to answer. Often at such times we don't truly believe he has what we need.</div>
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Paul exhorts us, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). The Lord has a storehouse of abundance with which to meet our every need. And servants of faith know this.</div>
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God spent forty years trying to convince Israel they would never lack anything. He promised he would be their constant source and supply. "The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing" (Deuteronomy 2:7).</div>
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God was saying, "There is no scarceness, no shortage with me. I have all you need. And I have given it to you."</div>
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"The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land . . . a land . . . in which you will lack nothing. . . . When you have eaten [you shall be] full" (8:7, 9–10).</div>
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Today, the Lord has brought us into our Promised Land: Christ! Jesus is to us an abiding place where there is never any lack. He represents the fullness of the Godhead bodily.</div>
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In the Old Testament, believers had the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">shekinah</em> glory of God. But God says he has provided something even better for us and that is the very presence of Jesus himself. He is constantly present in us.</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-21352305554708787072017-10-09T14:49:00.002-04:002017-10-09T14:49:36.737-04:00HELLO, FRIENDS!<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Thank you so much for being part of the World Challenge family. It’s an honor to be part of your day with these Daily Devotionals, and we hope to continue to do so for a long time.</div>
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We wanted to take this time to announce that we’re moving the World Challenge Blogspot blog to the <a href="https://worldchallenge.org/devotions" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a7fa1; text-decoration-line: none;">World Challenge website</a>.<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </strong>As a result, the devotionals will no longer be available on this page, but you can subscribe to receive them <a href="https://secure3.convio.net/world/site/SSurvey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=1520" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a7fa1; text-decoration-line: none;">via email</a>, as well.</div>
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We thank you for continuing on this daily journey with us.</div>
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Blessings,</div>
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World Challenge</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-60873268213328912602017-10-09T14:43:00.002-04:002017-10-09T14:43:58.387-04:00AN ABUNDANT LIFE - Gary Wilkerson<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
“A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful ambassador <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">brings</em> health” (Proverbs 13:17 NKJV).</div>
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A faithful ambassador brings what? A faithful ambassador brings health!</div>
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How does somebody bring health? Does an unhealthy person bring health? Does a wounded heart or someone who has not dealt with his own heart condition bring healing to others? What about somebody who is battling with emotions that are out of control? Does that kind of missionary bring a healthy gospel to a foreign land? To a city like the one you live in? </div>
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When we say, “We are missionaries…” my desire is that we are healthy missionaries. That we would bring health; that we would be faithful ambassadors.</div>
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Let’s consider what we are going to be faithful for. Yes, to bring the gospel to the world around us and, yes, to bring help to those in need. But the first thing we must faithful over is the condition of our own heart. We must come into having a strong and healthy heart before the Lord.</div>
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Don’t you long for that, my friend? Don’t you long just to be healed and holy and healthy and have a strong spiritual well-being on the inside? Don’t you wish you would wake up in the morning and have life and joy and peace and the abundance that Jesus has promised?</div>
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He said, “I’ve come to give you life and life mediocrity so that you can live life poorly and live life wounded . . . and angry . . . and troubled.” Wait! Is that what Jesus said? Or did he say, “I came that they may have life and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">have it abundantly</em>” (John 10:10)?</div>
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An abundant life! Healthy! Full! Vigorous! Strong! Courageous! We should strive to become Christians who recognize that this power comes out of a heart that has been healed, that is being made healthy and whole in him, and in him alone.</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-77279429946970185212017-10-07T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-07T04:00:17.323-04:00HOW CAN WE BE SILENT? - Nicky Cruz<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
God saved me by appealing to my heart. As my faith and devotion to him grew, he began to impart knowledge and insight, an understanding of his ways, a desire to study and learn and grow even deeper in his wisdom. It’s a process of mentoring and maturing, one that will continue until the day I die, but it began with an appeal to my emotions, not my intellect.</div>
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I grew up in a family that knew nothing about Jesus. My mother and father were children of the darkness, immersed in a lifestyle of the occult, blinded to the light of Jesus’ wonderful grace. I vividly remember my mother’s eyes. They were cold and dark and empty. Emotionless eyes. There was nothing there: no love, no feeling, no compassion . . . nothing but blackness. Looking into her face was like staring into the pit of hell. At times I felt as if Satan himself was staring back at me through the barren, vacant eyes of my mother.</div>
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By the grace of God I was later able to lead my mother and father to the Lord. She became a powerful witness to God’s wonderful forgiveness, and for the first time I was able to look into her eyes and see the love and compassion that I had always longed for. The emptiness was gone, and in its place was pure beauty, a soul freed from hate and despair. She was a child of freedom.</div>
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How can we ever again be silent when we’ve witnessed the miraculous transformation of a soul set free from Satan’s grip? Once we’ve seen what Jesus can do in and through a life devoted to his will, we become forever changed. We begin longing for all the wisdom and empowerment that the Holy Spirit offers. We can’t stop ourselves from pleading on behalf of the lost, yearning to reach them with God’s message.</div>
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<small style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15.3px;">Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Cross and the Switchblade </em>by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Run, Baby, Run</em>. </small></div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-56294663050790862312017-10-06T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-06T04:00:18.241-04:00AN IRONCLAD PROMISE<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
As we wait in faith for him to act, we are to trust that he hears the cry of our heart: "My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord . . . that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:10-11). God is greatly moved by our tears and our groaning. He hears our weeping.</div>
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Jesus has given us an ironclad promise for these last days.</div>
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Christ left us a glorious promise to see us through the dark days the world is facing right now. He says to all who pick up their cross and follow him: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test them who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10).</div>
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Jesus is saying, in essence, "You stayed true when you were tested by the world. You joyfully waited for me to work things out. Now, while there is confusion all around and the world is being tested, I will keep you from it. You have already proven you'll trust me, come what may!"</div>
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The shining witnesses for Christ in these last days are going to be a humble people who have proven him faithful. Not only do they proclaim, "God has everything under control," but they have actually let him have control of their lives. And everyone around them has seen it! The beauty of their testimony will draw many to the Lord. And their testimony is this: "He will not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord" (Psalm 112:7). Amen!</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-54614554500898384292017-10-05T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-05T04:00:14.137-04:00GOD'S WAY<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Troubling circumstances and fiery conditions can bring on confusion. At such times, our impatience begins to reason: "God must not have meant what he said to me. Or maybe the problem is my inability to hear his voice. Perhaps I heard him wrong in the first place. All I know is that what he told me and what I see developing don't add up."</div>
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When Saul moved ahead of God’s direction, he acted purely on logic and reason, not on trust. Listen to the string of excuses he gave the prophet Samuel for moving ahead of God's direction: "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering" (1 Samuel 13:11-12). Saul took matters into his own hands, doing what he reasoned was his only option. And it ended in sorrow.</div>
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This matter of waiting is so important that we find references to it throughout God's Word. Isaiah writes, "It will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isaiah 25:9).</div>
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"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4).</div>
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Beloved, God's way is not the world's way. And the only way to gain godly experience is to wait patiently for him in faith. This sort of godly experience comes to those who are in communion with the Lord: "Knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-7711554202636966492017-10-04T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-04T04:00:21.375-04:00THE LORD KEEPS HIS WORD<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
I have never felt more helpless and anxious than when we moved back to New York City to start Times Square Church. Once again we were subject to the mercy of the schedules of landlords and building superintendents. When I had to wait, I became quite impatient and cried, "Lord, there's so much to be done in New York and so little time. How long do we have to wait?"</div>
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Yet time after time God patiently answered me, "David, do you trust me? Then wait."</div>
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You have heard the expression, "The hardest part of faith is the last half hour." I can testify from my years in ministry that the most trying period is always just before God works his deliverance.</div>
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There are serious implications when we don't wait for God to act. In fact, too often at such times we charge God with neglect. Saul did this when he impatiently acted on his own (see 1 Samuel 13). He was saying, in essence, "God sent me out to do his work but now he has left me to figure out how to make it all happen. Things are spinning out of control and soon it will be hopeless."</div>
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Does this describe your own thinking at times? We are commanded to wait on the Lord and trust him to work out our deliverance. But when our inner deadline passes, we grow angry at God and strike out on our own. By moving ahead of him we are declaring, "God doesn't care about me. Prayer and waiting don't work. His word can't be relied on."</div>
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Yet God has given us the responsibility to prayerfully wait on him. Trust him and say, "The Lord keeps his word, so I'm not going to panic. God has told me to wait for his direction — and I will wait. Let God be true and every man a liar!” In our trials, let us be found with that posture of heart. Not in panic, but with trust! </div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-67019138556708637722017-10-03T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-03T04:00:05.079-04:00WAITING FOR DIRECTION<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Saul gave God a deadline! He didn't declare it, but in his heart Saul decided that if a word from above didn't come by a certain time, he would do whatever was needed to save the situation.</div>
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"And [Saul] waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, ‘Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me. And he offered the burnt offering" (1 Samuel 13:8-9).</div>
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Impatiently, Saul moved ahead, sinfully acting as a priest to make the sacrifice. Little did he know that Samuel was just around the bend. When the prophet arrived, he smelled the sacrifice Saul had offered and became incensed at the king's sinful impatience.</div>
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I am convinced Samuel was delayed because God clearly told him exactly when to arrive. You see, this was a test to see whether Saul would believe that God could be trusted.</div>
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God orchestrated it all because he wanted to give Saul a testimony of humble dependence on him in all things, especially in a dark crisis. But Saul failed the test. He looked at the worsening conditions and decided that something had to be done.</div>
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Can you picture yourself in Saul's situation? I hear him reasoning to himself, “I can't take this indecision any longer. God sent me to do his work and I'm willing to die for his cause. But do I really have to sit here doing nothing? If I don't act, everything will spin out of control.” Saul felt a gripping need to act immediately in the situation. And finally his impatience overwhelmed him.</div>
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This is where we fail at times in our walk with the Lord. At certain times, we have not waited for direction and have taken matters into our own hands because we do not like feeling uncertain and anxious. But the Lord is looking for total dependency. That means trusting him fully to do the right thing in the right way on our behalf. And it means patiently waiting on him not with anxiety but in a spirit of rest.</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-32167850154995038472017-10-02T04:00:00.000-04:002017-10-02T04:00:17.197-04:00AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST - Gary Wilkerson<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).</div>
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Becoming “an ambassador for Christ” is not something we are striving to attain. If you are a Christian, you <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">are</em> a missionary. This does not just mean being sent overseas or going on outreaches. This mission we are on consists of possessing a heart that loves Him in such a way that we want to see others come to know that love as well.</div>
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Let me take a different slant on it and tell you it’s not just about being sent; it’s not just about reaching out to your neighbors. It’s about what <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">type </em>of missionary you are.</div>
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Jesus is saying here, “You go from one place to another trying to get one convert, one proselyte, and when you do get that one, they’re a worse person than you are.” Clearly that is not healthy evangelism!</div>
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So the mission I’m talking to you about today is not just what we say or what charity we are involved in or where we go. Our focus must be on who we are. You are a missionary to your mom and dad. You are a missionary to your children. You are a missionary to your spouse. You are a missionary to your neighbor.</div>
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The type of life that you live, the type of heart that you have, the type of gospel that you live out — whether it’s powerful, penetrating your own soul to change you to the degree that you are transformed — will be the very degree to which you can change and transform the world around you. </div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-56413608566206479992017-09-29T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-29T04:00:15.003-04:00BUT I KEPT THE FAITH<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Paul kept his faith through good times and bad.</div>
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In his final days Paul could boast, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). Think about Paul's testimony at that point. He could say, "Satan sent messengers to fight me in Jerusalem, Damascus, Asia, Ephesus, Antioch, and Corinth. But I kept the faith.</div>
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"He tried to sink me in the storm-tossed Mediterranean. Three times I was shipwrecked, bobbing in the deep, night and day. But I kept the faith.</div>
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"Five times the Jews beat me with thirty-nine stripes. I have been cast into prison, three times beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead. But I kept the faith.</div>
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"I've faced peril in the country and the city, in the wilderness and the sea. I've been robbed by my own countrymen. I've been placed in peril by false brethren. But I kept the faith.</div>
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"I've been extremely weary at times, full of bodily pains, enduring sleepless nights. I've been hungry and thirsty, cold and naked, heavily laden with cares of all kinds. Yet I kept the faith.</div>
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"I've been troubled, perplexed on every side, distressed and persecuted, but never cast down. I've never been shaken in my faith. Through it all, my trust in the Lord has never been destroyed" (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28).</div>
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Beloved don’t fall for the devil's lies when you are endure trials, chastening or troubles. Do not allow a root of bitterness to enter your heart and begin nurturing anger toward God: "Why did the Lord allow this? I tried so hard to please him, trusting him so much. Why is he letting me down?" God has warned us about such times: "Don't let this happen. Instead, be diligent, be careful, holding onto your confidence. It has great recompense of reward." (Hebrews 10:35-36, my paraphrase)</div>
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Rather remember that he says for us to "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalms 50:15). May you remain faithful to call on him in your trial. Cast your cares on him always!</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-61279221577320708842017-09-28T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-28T04:00:08.606-04:00STAY IN THE RACE!<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Your ongoing trial may involve physical suffering, unemployment, children who rebel, faithless friends, mental distress, turmoil or pain. As you endure day after day, Satan will whisper to you as he did to Job: "The righteous don't suffer. If God heard you — if he saved you and his promises are true — you should have been rescued immediately. Where is your God? Is this what faith gets you?"</div>
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Beloved, do not cast your faith aside! Satan is a liar. You are enduring hardship <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">because</em> God loves you, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">because</em> he cares. Think about it: You asked the Lord to make you more like him. Only he knows what that will require. He knows your suffering, and he won't let you be destroyed by it. In fact, he knows just when to make a way of escape for you. He won't act until that appointed time, and "will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).</div>
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Be assured, God has everything under control. The pain, the lingering sickness, the prayers that seem to go unanswered — he knows all about them. And he knows why he hasn't lifted your trial before now. As happened with Paul, he is using the "thorn in your flesh” to work toward your blessing. Indeed, the very thing you want so much — the answer you believe is so necessary — might be something God knows is not best for you. If he ultimately says, "No," you know he is preserving your soul and answering you in a much better way.</div>
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Through it all, the great cloud of witnesses urges you, "Continue fighting the battle with faith. Stay in the race!"</div>
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Consider this powerful word from the author of Hebrews: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (Hebrews 10:35-37).</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-60201506989535695902017-09-27T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-27T04:00:19.390-04:00FAITHFULNESS IN THE STORM<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Some of you reading this message are in the storm of your life.</div>
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Jesus' disciples endured pounding waves in a storm-tossed boat while their Master lay fast asleep. Finally, as the storm threatened to overwhelm the boat, they cried out to Jesus, accusing him of not caring about their fate. "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). Jesus calmed the storm but was incredulous at his disciples' lack of faith. He asked, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (4:40).</div>
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Right now you may be facing a terrible storm in life: money problems, marriage problems, job troubles, enemies coming at you like pounding waves. A sea of trouble rages inside you, but the Lord seems to be sleeping through it all. Tell me, has your faith been sapped? Is it slowly ebbing away with each new disappointment? Perhaps you are crying out in your heart, "God, don't you care? Will you let me go down in this storm?"</div>
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It is for just such a time that Jesus spoke these awesome words: "Shall God not avenge (protect) His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:7-8).</div>
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Note Jesus' question here: Will he find faith in his people as they endure days of darkness and oppression? In recent years I have wondered whether Jesus would ask such a question today. For decades multitudes flocked to churches. But what Jesus is really asking is, "Will the faith of these hold out when the shaking storms come?" Our troubles can be heaped so high, and the shaking of nations can come so swiftly, that some will lose hope and give up. I ask you: Will Jesus find you faithful in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">your</em> hour of storm?</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-30301349734430843032017-09-26T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-26T04:00:14.764-04:00UNSHAKABLE FAITH<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward" (Hebrews 10:35). If you are a Christian, you are in a fierce war. In fact, you're in a life-and-death battle for your faith. Satan is determined to shipwreck and destroy the faith of all of God's elect. And the stronger your faith, the greater will be his attack against it.</div>
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You see, unshakable faith in the Lord causes hell to rage. Nothing poses a greater threat to Satan's kingdom than a Christian who is immovable in faith. Why? Because it is by faith and its released power that Satan's kingdom is subdued. By faith, righteousness is born and demonic fires are quenched. God's promises are obtained and the mouths of lions are shut.</div>
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The apostle Peter came under a ferocious attack against his faith. His trust in Jesus so enraged hell that Satan asked permission to sift him to see if he would stand. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31-32).</div>
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God has given us a powerful weapon to use against Satan's attacks on our faith. We are not to try to figure everything out. Rather, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">we are to set our eyes on "the great cloud of witnesses" already in glory who have made it through with their faith intact</em>. (Hebrews 12:1).</div>
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What a picture. This verse depicts an army of victorious saints from every era, beholding us watchfully like a crowd in the bleachers. They're wearing crowns of righteousness and waving palms as they cheer us on in our race: "Run with patience! We fought to the death and didn't fall. God kept us, and our faith prevailed. The truth works: We won! We are overcomers. So you keep on. You can overcome in hard times."</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-53628984368159640032017-09-25T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-25T04:00:03.995-04:00AN OUTWARD FOCUS - Gary Wilkerson<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13.5px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span>It was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that . . . when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. . . . And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever” (Philippians 4:14-20).</div>
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As Christians, we often think about generosity; we plan generously and give generously to our family, to our spouses, to our friends, to our neighbors, and to our church and other charities. But Paul was talking about this in the context of a secret — a secret that some people don’t know about the power of generosity.</div>
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Paul was saying, “I never sought for the gift you have given to me. I have always sought the thing that I see is at work in you when you do give to me.”</div>
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Do you see the difference there? He could have said, “That $50 you gave me is going to buy me meals for three weeks. Praise God!”</div>
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I’m sure he might have been thankful for that fact, but do you know what was going through his mind? He thought, “Praise God! The gospel is working in you because you’re not self-centered anymore. You’re not living in anxiety, holding on to things for yourself. You’re not even living in division with one another. You are giving to people! You are living your life with an outward focus and doing things that you would never do if the gospel had not become rooted in your heart.”</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-5456173321368989812017-09-23T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-23T04:00:20.892-04:00THE SECRET WAR - Carter Conlon<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
The Bible clearly warns, “Today, if you can hear his voice, do not harden your heart as they did in the days of provocation” (see Hebrews 3:7-8). In other words, do not ask as Israel once did in her unbelief, “Can God furnish a table in this wilderness?” (see Psalm 78:19).</div>
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Do not question the Lord’s integrity or his commitment to you, even though you find yourself constantly battling in your mind. God told you that he would raise you up to be a testimony. He told you that he has allowed certain things in your life but that all things work together for good because you love him and are called according to his purpose.</div>
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And now the Lord is calling you to get up. He is calling you to lift your head and sing that song he has put within your heart. You are the Bride of Christ, and God stakes His reputation on keeping you and establishing a testimony of victory inside of you.</div>
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Therefore, settle it in your heart today: “He is my glory and the lifter of my head. Even though I might be depressed when I go to bed at night, he is the One who will lift my head in the morning. He is the One who will give me strength to go through another day. If God has planted a dream in my heart, it will become a reality, for he has set before me an open door that no man can close. No matter how many voices rise up against what God has spoken to me, I will not harden my heart in unbelief!”</div>
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So do not lose heart in the midst of the secret war you are fighting. Refuse to listen to the lies. Don’t give up! Rather, hear God’s voice calling you today. He will be faithful to supply all you need—strength to get through the day, courage to stand in the marketplace, faith to believe for all your needs.</div>
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<small style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15.3px;">Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. </small></div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-19349683956300620262017-09-22T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-22T04:00:23.462-04:00PUT UP YOUR SWORD<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
So, you want to be a man or woman of God? If so, you are going to be served a cup of pain. You’ll weep because of something much worse than physical pain. I’m speaking of the pain of being bruised and rejected by friends; the pain of parents when children trample their hearts and become strangers to them; the pain between a husband and wife when walls are built up between them.</div>
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Oh, the turmoil that comes, the restless, sleepless nights — knowing that God is real, that you are walking in his Spirit, that you are loving Jesus with all that is in you, and yet you are forced to drink a cup of pain.</div>
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We cannot run from this cup. We cannot be fooled into thinking that following Jesus is only happiness. Scripture does say our approach to life should be to “count it all joy” (James 1:2). Yet it also says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19).</div>
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Peter tried to drive away affliction in his flesh. He wielded a sword at Gethsemane, telling Jesus, in effect, “Master, you don’t have to go through this. I’ll keep them at bay while you make your escape.” Many Christians today have the same attitude. They try to turn away afflictions, saying, “I don’t have to face this. My God is a good God!”</div>
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I believe God is faithful. But Jesus tells us we cannot run from our cup of pain. He commanded Peter, “Put up your sword. That is not my Father’s way. Live by your sword and you will die by it.” Then he stated, “Shall I not drink the cup which my Father has given me?” (John 18:11).</div>
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When you trust the One who is serving you this cup — when you see his purpose behind your suffering — then you are able to drink it. Don’t be afraid, for your Father holds the cup. You are not drinking death but life!</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-28446846211132931472017-09-21T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-21T04:00:05.329-04:00HEALING AFFLICTIONS<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
I have read many biographies of missionaries, ranging from contemporary times to ancient history. You would think these precious people, so used of God, would have stories of constant love, power and joy. Not so. Their stories are marked by heartache, discouragement, even treachery — stories not of adventure but of tears.</div>
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If we are genuine in our desire to know the forces that produce godliness, we must go to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Jesus, our example. All the forces that opposed Job were also there at Gethsemane, arrayed against Christ. Likewise, the fierce tempter who sought out David’s heart on the rooftop is the same tempter who sought out Jesus on the temple pinnacle to destroy him. And all the forces of torment that plagued Peter’s soul were also at Gethsemane, battling with our Savior.</div>
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To every true man or woman of God there will come a cup of pain. Jesus’ entire ministry had been doing the will of his Father. Indeed, for three years everything he did pointed toward Calvary. Now, at Gethsemane, He cried out in effect, “Oh, God, if it is possible at all, relieve me of this burden. It’s too heavy for me. I would rather let it pass.”</div>
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I don’t know what your cup of pain may be. Some Christians have prayed for years to be delivered from theirs. Make no mistake, I believe in healing. Yet I also believe in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">healing afflictions</em>. David testified, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67).</div>
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We cannot let ourselves think that every pain or trial is an attack of the devil. Nor can we think that these trials mean we have sin in our lives and that God is judging us. David tells us differently. If he had not been afflicted, he would not have sought the Lord. </div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-35465152861688463612017-09-20T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-20T04:00:28.276-04:00ONLY BELIEVE!<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
I am amazed at our Lord’s loving response to grief. As I read the Bible, I see that nothing stirs the heart of God more than the soul that is overcome with grief.</div>
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Grief is defined as “deep sorrow” or “sadness caused by extreme distress.” Isaiah tells us the Lord himself is acquainted with this most wrenching emotion: “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).</div>
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We see a powerful example of God’s loving response to grief in Mark 5, where we read of Jesus’ encounter with Jairus, a synagogue ruler.</div>
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As president of the synagogue in Capernaum, Jairus was part of a religious system that had rejected Jesus. We don’t know what Jairus personally thought about Christ, but we do know he had witnessed his healing power. It was most likely in Jairus’ synagogue that Christ healed a man’s withered hand. And Jairus was probably among the crowds when Jesus cast out evil spirits and heard them cry, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11).</div>
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We find that grief had come to the ruler’s house. His twelve-year-old daughter lay in bed, sick “at the point of death” (Mark 5:23).</div>
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Grief alone had driven Jairus to Jesus. The fact is, we serve a Savior who responds lovingly to our every hurt, pain and grief. We all have done what Jairus did. In times past we have forgotten the Lord, neglected him, perhaps even rejected him. Yet the question our God is most concerned with is this: “Where are you with me <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">right now?</em> In your present grief, will you call on me?”</div>
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Dear saint, Jesus is present with you in your battle. You can press in and touch him and experience the resurrecting, healing power of Christ, just as Jairus did. He is walking beside you through it all and he has a plan to bring you out of death and into life. Fear not — only believe!</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-67394899003975305692017-09-19T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-19T04:00:09.013-04:00LOOK TO JESUS!<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
Paul says a time comes when “having done all, [we] stand” (Ephesians 6:13). We stand on God’s Word — in spite of all our pain and grief, in spite of all the weakness of our flesh. In the Word of God we read of two who made the determination that, “I just need to touch the hem of his garment.” (The account of the ruler of the synagogue and the woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years is found in Mark 5:22-43.)</div>
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If you have not yet seen the answer to your prayer, you may wonder if God has forgotten you. I can assure you that he has been working on your deliverance from the moment you first prayed and your miracle is on its way.</div>
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I encourage you to stop digging up your past and remembering old bondages. And don’t run from one place to another seeking answers. Press in with faith and touch Jesus for yourself. Unburden yourself to him and commit everything into his hands. He has promised never to forsake you, so reach out to him. </div>
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When David wrote in Psalm 147:4 that the Lord “counts the number of the stars,” he is reminding us, “When you’re in pain and feel like all is hopeless, stop and look up at the galaxies.” Our loving Father made all this! When we take time to concentrate on the majesty and power of the Creator, we gain perspective and realize that he is more than capable of meeting our individual needs.</div>
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We can stand in assurance as we fight battles within and pressures without, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-24456888627662181512017-09-18T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-18T04:00:08.104-04:00POWER FROM ON HIGH - Gary Wilkerson<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
There comes a time in every believer’s life when the Spirit must move in a way that’s external from us. We need him to do the work that’s needed — to speak, touch, deliver. That’s exactly what happened when the disciples couldn’t cast a demon out of a suffering person. Jesus told them, “This kind comes out only by prayer and fasting” (see Mark 9:29). In other words, it required utter dependence on God. We have to say, “I can’t do this in my own power. It requires God’s strength.”</div>
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If your marriage is falling apart, it needs a living word from God that is clothed in power, not merely a theological word.</div>
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Churches are a dime a dozen if they are not clothed in power. It doesn’t matter how many elders are called in to provide counsel. A clear decision can be made by one or two who are clothed with power. All of this calls for time on our knees, waiting and trusting God to supply the need in his almighty power. And he delights to meet us! Jesus told the disciples, “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you” (Luke 24:49). This promise comes not by anything we do, but by the grace of our loving Father.</div>
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I tell you, when his power comes, there is nothing like it. We not only have a sense of the Spirit in us, but everyone in the vicinity does as well. A glorious presence descends, and everyone knows they are on holy ground.</div>
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The disciples needed prayer and fasting just to cast out one demon. We need it to face an entire wicked culture. Change will come only through power that arrives from on high. That calls for a people who are not only filled with the Spirit, abide in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit, but who wait faithfully on the Spirit to be clothed in power by him.</div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9122480119600165559.post-53226818620454595982017-09-16T04:00:00.000-04:002017-09-16T04:00:17.002-04:00THE PURPOSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - Nicky Cruz<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Crimson Text", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.9em; margin-bottom: 30px;">
The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower God’s people to reach the lost and draw people to the cross of Jesus Christ. Just as he convicts us of our sins, he also moves in the hearts of unbelievers, bringing them face to face with their iniquities and failures, with the futility of their lives apart from God.</div>
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When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure from Earth, he told them, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">he will testify about me</em>. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).</div>
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Jesus tells us that we know the truth of the gospel because God’s Spirit has revealed it to us through his words. The Holy Spirit has testified to God’s grace and goodness. Our confidence in our position in God’s kingdom comes not from our own hope and imagination, but from the Creator himself, from his gentle whisper in our soul. It’s how we know that God’s love is real and definitive and unwavering.</div>
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Jesus went on to explain the Holy Spirit’s role like this: “When he comes, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">he will convict the world of guilt</em> in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me” (John 16:8-9).</div>
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It isn’t our job to convict people of their sin. The Holy Spirit is already doing that. And we are not here to judge people for their sins. Our role is to simply be there for them, to tell them about Jesus, embrace them in their pain and suffering, and love them into God’s wonderful kingdom.</div>
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Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). Shouldn’t we have the same attitude?</div>
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<small style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15.3px;">Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Cross and the Switchblade </em>by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Run, Baby, Run</em>. </small></div>
World Challengehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14435933783701100817noreply@blogger.com