1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
1 John 3:1
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
17Pray without ceasing.
18In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Be as Little Children
1 John 3:1 - How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
"I have an important business meeting in the morning. Would you please set the alarm for 5:30 a.m.?" I said to my wife.
"Oh, that won't be necessary. Just tell the Lord what time you want to wake up. He does it for me all the time," my wife said.
I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Well, I'd feel more comfortable if we set the alarm."
"Okay, ye of little faith. But just to prove my point I am going to ask the Lord to wake us up just before 5:30."
The next morning I awoke before the alarm went off. I looked at the clock. It read 5:15. I looked at my wife, who had just awakened at the same time with an I-told-you-so smile.
Sometimes we wrongfully view God as someone we go to for only the "big things." The idea of "bothering God" for such a trivial matter seems foolish and presumptuous. However, when you were a child and had to get up in the morning for school, didn't your mom or dad come wake you up? They were your parents, and you could come to them with the most trivial concerns or requests. Why would our heavenly Father be any less approachable? Perhaps our problem is that we simply have not developed a level of intimacy with God so that we feel the freedom to approach Him at these daily, routine levels. We often operate with an unwritten code that says our needs must have a certain degree of importance or crisis before we come to God with them. This is not God's character towards us.
Does the Lord desire this level of intimacy with you and me? The apostle Paul exhorted us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV). There is never a caution to pray only about matters of greater importance.
Today, go to God with matters that you might view as trivial and would normally avoid bringing to God. Ask God to increase your level of intimacy with Him. You may even be able to get rid of your alarm clock.
Proverbs 17:14
14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
Take a Stand Against Strife
Gloria Copeland
"The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out." (Proverbs 17:14)Throughout the Scriptures, God warns us about the danger of strife. Yet, it's still one of the most common problems among believers. We let it get into our homes, our work places, our churches...everywhere!
Of course, we don't purposely let it in. We don't wake up in the morning and say, "I think I'm going to stir up some major strife today." We just inadvertently let it slip up on us one minor irritation at a time.
So, I urge you today to take a big stand against those little opportunities for strife. If you have a tendency to let things irritate you, decide to overcome that tendency. Arm yourself against them with the knowledge that this world isn't perfect, that there are people in it that aren't going to be nice to you. There are people who are going to stir you up and annoy you on purpose or by accident.
Make up your mind that, by the power of God, you're not going to let them get your peace. That peace is so important to your well-being. It will keep your body healthy. It will keep your relationships healthy. It will put you in a place where God can guide your steps and save you from some very grave mistakes.
If you've spent a lifetime getting your feathers ruffled over every little thing, it may take a while for you to break that habit. You may have to work at it a moment at a time. But you can do it.
I know. I had to do that where worrying is concerned. I'd worried for so many years and had come from such a family of worriers that I did it almost without thinking. When I learned worrying went contrary to the Word of God, I had to give it up one minute at a time. With the help of the Holy Spirit, every time a worried thought would come to me, I would overcome it with the Word of God. And I did that until I broke that worrying habit for good.
You can do the same thing with strife. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start to notice and overcome it one moment at a time. Then, every time you start to get upset about something, rebuke that strife in the Name of Jesus and resist it. Say right out loud, "I am walking in the peace of God today."
You'll be surprised how much more wonderful living can be.
Scripture Study: Matthew 5:21-26,43-48
Monday, June 25, 2007
Don't Get in a Hurry
Kenneth Copeland
All that time in the Word eventually had a powerful effect on us. It began to revolutionize everything about us. It began to turn failure into success.
All that didn't happen overnight, however. It took time. A great many believers don't realize that. They start out devoting themselves to the Word, but they make the mistake of expecting instant, miraculous results, and when they don't see them, they get disappointed and fall away.
Don't do that. Be patient. Give the Word time to do its work.
Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). The Word of God feeds the spirit man just as bread feeds the body. Food has to be built into your body. The vitamins and minerals it contains have a cumulative effect on it, don't they? In fact, almost anything that affects your body instantaneously is considered dangerous.
Much the same thing is true with the Word of God. It has a cumulative effect. Yes, at times God will act instantly and perform a miracle, but only to get things back on track. What He really intends is for you to feed on His Word to grow in strength and in faith and to bear fruit in due season.
So don't get in such an all-fired hurry. Stay in the Word. Be patient. The results will come!
Scripture Study: Deuteronomy 7:11-23
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt...talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ...and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)One of the reasons Gloria and I have seen the results we have in our lives and in our ministry is because when we realized what the Word of God would do, we literally immersed ourselves in it. We turned off the radio and television, we put down the newspaper, and spent nearly every waking moment of the time available either reading the Word, listening to tapes on the Word, or thinking about the Word.
All that time in the Word eventually had a powerful effect on us. It began to revolutionize everything about us. It began to turn failure into success.
All that didn't happen overnight, however. It took time. A great many believers don't realize that. They start out devoting themselves to the Word, but they make the mistake of expecting instant, miraculous results, and when they don't see them, they get disappointed and fall away.
Don't do that. Be patient. Give the Word time to do its work.
Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). The Word of God feeds the spirit man just as bread feeds the body. Food has to be built into your body. The vitamins and minerals it contains have a cumulative effect on it, don't they? In fact, almost anything that affects your body instantaneously is considered dangerous.
Much the same thing is true with the Word of God. It has a cumulative effect. Yes, at times God will act instantly and perform a miracle, but only to get things back on track. What He really intends is for you to feed on His Word to grow in strength and in faith and to bear fruit in due season.
So don't get in such an all-fired hurry. Stay in the Word. Be patient. The results will come!
Scripture Study: Deuteronomy 7:11-23
Think on These...
It’s not your ability that counts,
its God’s ability working through you.
If there is no wind…row.
Don’t let what you can’t do…
interfere with what you can do.
Only those who attempt the peculiar…
achieve the impossible.
You can conquer…if only you believe.
Hebrews 6:19
Now we have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it – a hope that reaches farther and enters into the very certainty of he Presence within the veil. (Hebrews 6:19 Amplified Bible)
A Joseph Story
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
"I'd like you to help us develop our marketing program beginning in January," said the CEO of a sports product company. The consultant was delighted to have the opportunity. It was the first new business opportunity he'd had in some time. He had just come out of some very difficult business and personal circumstances in the last few years. A few months into the relationship, the CEO asked the consultant to manage the entire marketing department, placing him over the current marketing staff. It appeared that God was blessing his efforts with several successful initiatives. The consultant began to build a relationship with a few of the executives. One day, the sales manager came into his office and asked for help on a personal crisis. One thing led to another, and two months later, the consultant found himself leading the sales manager in the sinner's prayer in the sales manager's office.
God prepares His servants in many ways to accomplish His purpose. The story of Joseph is repeated every business day in the lives of His people. The circumstances may be different, but the results are the same. God trains His servant through sometimes difficult "boot camps." When that training is complete, He places them in strategic places to be a provider-both physically and spiritually.
Is God preparing you to be a provider in the marketplace? Do not fret at the difficult training ground you may be required to endure. He has a plan. If you'll allow Him to carry out His plan, you'll be privileged to be used by the Master's hand. I know because I am that consultant.
See Yourself Strong
Gloria Copeland
The answer to that question depends on you. I realized that one day as I was studying the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land. The key to their failure is found in these words: "And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in theirs."
The reason the Israelites were so terrified to fight the giants in Canaan wasn't because those giants were so big. It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small! It was what they were in their own sight that defeated them.
The same thing is true for you as a believer. It's what you are in your own sight that will make the difference. If, in your own sight, you're a weak, powerless Christian, the devil will run over you three or four times a day or more if he's not busy. But when you begin to see yourself as God sees you, as a conquering son or daughter of the Almighty God equipped with the very power of God Himself, the devil will want to steer clear of you.
The devil would rather do anything than come against somebody who's bold and courageous, because he's a coward himself. In fact, ever since Jesus came up out of that grave, Satan's heart has melted within him at the sound of that Name in the mouth of one who has faith in it.
If you're not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that. You need to get so full of God's Word and so full of the Holy Ghost that you walk around like a spiritual giant. Turn the tables on the devil and let him find out what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.
Scripture Study: Numbers 13:17-33
"And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." - (Numbers 13:33)How does the devil see you? Does he see you as a terrifying and mighty warrior of God...or does he see you as a wimp he can whip in a minute?
The answer to that question depends on you. I realized that one day as I was studying the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land. The key to their failure is found in these words: "And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in theirs."
The reason the Israelites were so terrified to fight the giants in Canaan wasn't because those giants were so big. It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small! It was what they were in their own sight that defeated them.
The same thing is true for you as a believer. It's what you are in your own sight that will make the difference. If, in your own sight, you're a weak, powerless Christian, the devil will run over you three or four times a day or more if he's not busy. But when you begin to see yourself as God sees you, as a conquering son or daughter of the Almighty God equipped with the very power of God Himself, the devil will want to steer clear of you.
The devil would rather do anything than come against somebody who's bold and courageous, because he's a coward himself. In fact, ever since Jesus came up out of that grave, Satan's heart has melted within him at the sound of that Name in the mouth of one who has faith in it.
If you're not strong in the Lord in your own sight, you need to change that. You need to get so full of God's Word and so full of the Holy Ghost that you walk around like a spiritual giant. Turn the tables on the devil and let him find out what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.
Scripture Study: Numbers 13:17-33
Speaking the Truth in Love
A young boy and his stepfather had difficulty communicating with each other. The man was outgoing; the boy was quiet. The elder loved to fish; the youngster loved to read.
The stepfather, wanting to get close to the boy, took him on a fishing trip. The boy hated it but didn't know how to tell his stepfather directly. So he wrote him a note saying he wanted to go home. The man looked at it and stuck it in his pocket.
The fishing trip continued 4 more days. When they finally returned home, the boy shared his frustration with his mother and told her that his stepfather had paid no attention to his note. His mother said to him, "Son, your father can't read." The man had never shared this with the boy.
Good communication occurs not only when we know what we want to say, but also when we know the person to whom we are speaking. And to know one another requires a willingness to let others know our weaknesses and limitations.
Paul urged us as believers to speak truthfully with each other (Ephesians 4:25). He also admonished us to be "kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another" (v.32). That's Christlike love, and it provides the security in which good communication can thrive.
The stepfather, wanting to get close to the boy, took him on a fishing trip. The boy hated it but didn't know how to tell his stepfather directly. So he wrote him a note saying he wanted to go home. The man looked at it and stuck it in his pocket.
The fishing trip continued 4 more days. When they finally returned home, the boy shared his frustration with his mother and told her that his stepfather had paid no attention to his note. His mother said to him, "Son, your father can't read." The man had never shared this with the boy.
Good communication occurs not only when we know what we want to say, but also when we know the person to whom we are speaking. And to know one another requires a willingness to let others know our weaknesses and limitations.
Paul urged us as believers to speak truthfully with each other (Ephesians 4:25). He also admonished us to be "kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another" (v.32). That's Christlike love, and it provides the security in which good communication can thrive.
Don't Tell It Like It Is
Kenneth Copeland
Most of us don't have the faintest idea how to do that. We've spent our lives "telling it like it is." We've constantly used our mouths to report on the sorry state of affairs around us. Thus, the very thought of calling "things which be not as though they were" seems a little crazy.
"You mean I'm supposed to say, 'I'm healed' when I'm feeling sick? I'm supposed to say, 'I'm prosperous' when I'm penniless?" we say. "That sounds like lying to me."
No, no. There's a vast difference between lying and speaking by faith. A lie is meant to deceive someone. It's designed to make someone believe something that's not true. But to speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the Word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It's speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.
As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak" (The Amplified Bible).
Now that's important. Read that verse again. "I have believed, and therefore have I spoken."
There are some folks who speak the words, but they don't have the faith to back it up, and as a result, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. They didn't actually "call things that be not as though they were." They called things that be not the way they wished they were.
Those are two very different things. The words may be the same. But just wishing and hoping won't get the job done. You've got to "believe."
Begin today bringing both your tongue and your heart in line with the Word. Stop "telling it like it is" and start speaking and believing the promises of God. Put the power of words to work for you.
Scripture Study: Proverbs 15
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." - (Proverbs 18:21)Words are serious business. And, as believers, we need to get serious about learning how to use them. We need to begin to put them to work for us like God Himself does. The Bible tells us that He uses words to "call those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17).
Most of us don't have the faintest idea how to do that. We've spent our lives "telling it like it is." We've constantly used our mouths to report on the sorry state of affairs around us. Thus, the very thought of calling "things which be not as though they were" seems a little crazy.
"You mean I'm supposed to say, 'I'm healed' when I'm feeling sick? I'm supposed to say, 'I'm prosperous' when I'm penniless?" we say. "That sounds like lying to me."
No, no. There's a vast difference between lying and speaking by faith. A lie is meant to deceive someone. It's designed to make someone believe something that's not true. But to speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the Word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It's speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.
As the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak" (The Amplified Bible).
Now that's important. Read that verse again. "I have believed, and therefore have I spoken."
There are some folks who speak the words, but they don't have the faith to back it up, and as a result, they fall flat on their spiritual faces. They didn't actually "call things that be not as though they were." They called things that be not the way they wished they were.
Those are two very different things. The words may be the same. But just wishing and hoping won't get the job done. You've got to "believe."
Begin today bringing both your tongue and your heart in line with the Word. Stop "telling it like it is" and start speaking and believing the promises of God. Put the power of words to work for you.
Scripture Study: Proverbs 15
Friday, June 22, 2007
Think on These...
Your attitude determines your altitude.
The treasures of the bible are found…
only by those who dig for them.
Only when you are completely pliable
can you be completely strong.
Build your foundation strong enough
to stand on without falling
Nothing ruins the truth like stretching it.
2 Cor. 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
Proverbs 1:8-9
8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction
and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
9 They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
Wise Families Value Obedience
Dr. Jack Graham
As parents, it's important to teach your kids to obey you because as they learn to obey you, they will learn to obey God! And I think the verses above give two ways you are to do that...through instruction and teaching.
The word instruction is from a Hebrew word that includes the idea of counsel, warning, and correction. Dad, I believe this describes your role in the family...to be firm in instruction, to lay down reasonable rules and fair boundaries, and to give correction and fair discipline.
The word teaching in the verses above describes, I believe, the work of a mom in the home. It's a word that actually means coaxing or coaching. In other words, mom, your role is to teach your children...to push them forward to become all God desires for them.
It's like a mama bird with her nest full of little birds. When it's time for those baby birds to fly, the mama stirs up the nest, flaps her wings, and coaxes those little birds to elevate!
So parents, I want to ask you today, are you instructing and teaching your children? And as you do, are they learning to obey you? As they do, they will someday be ready to obey God.
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson.
Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. (Proverbs 1:8-9)Yesterday we learned that wise families fear and respect the Lord. Today we'll see that wise families also understand the importance of and value obedience.
As parents, it's important to teach your kids to obey you because as they learn to obey you, they will learn to obey God! And I think the verses above give two ways you are to do that...through instruction and teaching.
The word instruction is from a Hebrew word that includes the idea of counsel, warning, and correction. Dad, I believe this describes your role in the family...to be firm in instruction, to lay down reasonable rules and fair boundaries, and to give correction and fair discipline.
The word teaching in the verses above describes, I believe, the work of a mom in the home. It's a word that actually means coaxing or coaching. In other words, mom, your role is to teach your children...to push them forward to become all God desires for them.
It's like a mama bird with her nest full of little birds. When it's time for those baby birds to fly, the mama stirs up the nest, flaps her wings, and coaxes those little birds to elevate!
So parents, I want to ask you today, are you instructing and teaching your children? And as you do, are they learning to obey you? As they do, they will someday be ready to obey God.
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson.
Amos 3:7
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.
God's Messengers
Amos 3:7 - Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
"You are called to free businesspeople from the Esau life." Those were the words spoken to me years ago by someone God sent into my life. I had been in the midst of trying to understand some catastrophic events that shook my world. Years later, I was able to see that God gave this person supernatural insight that revealed God's calling on my life.
God still uses His prophets today to reveal His plans in the lives of His people. I have seen this Scripture proved over and over in the lives of people. It is as though God sends out His "scouts" to inform His servants what is ahead for them. Sometimes He does this because He knows the event will require such changes in that person's life and so He wants to assure them of His love. I have experienced the Lord using me in this way in the life of other individuals. God did this in the life of Moses. He came to Moses at the burning bush to reveal His purposes for the people of Israel and His call on Moses to free them. The apostle Paul had Cornelius come to him to let him know God had called him to preach to the Gentiles.
Has God placed individuals in your life to speak His plans for you? Are your eyes and ears spiritually sensitive so that you will know who are messengers of God? Elisha had a servant who could not see or hear with spiritual eyes and ears until Elisha prayed they would be opened. Then the servant could see the great army of God protecting them (see 2 Kings 6:17). Pray that you might see and hear with the Spirit. He may desire to reveal His purposes and plans through another individual.
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