Joy of the Cross

Joy of the Cross

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 1-3

Joy set before him he endured the cross? These words caught my attention and I wondered how can there be any joy in the cross. What was that joy?

Jesus faced the cross and he chose to endure the cross for us. Why?

Would we be willing to do that for someone? So many questions, many more than can be voiced here. When we realize that Faith is a gift from God through His Grace we can come to understand that the only way we could be made holy is through Jesus blood that he shed on the cross. He died and rose so that we could be seen as Holy when we choose to accept the gift of faith.

The Joy that Jesus had after the cross was us, you and me. We are His Joy. I am his Joy because I choose to accept the gift of Faith that comes from Him. You are his Joy when you choose to accept the gift of Faith that comes from Him.

Prayer

Lord thank you for the gift of Faith and for showing us the Joy of the cross. Help us to faithful obedient servants. Amen

Will you Pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world throughout our current situation

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel 

For all military personal serving our country and their families 

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world

 

This devotional was written by Cindy, one of our followers, if you would like to have one of your devotionals featured please email it to us today!

The Rewards of Wisdom

The Rewards of Wisdom

The first nine chapters of Proverbs are filled with verses that speak about the rewards of wisdom, especially in connection to blessing, enduring wealth and riches, honor, long life and success. Perhaps you think that such verses are referring to spiritual blessing and riches in heaven - that these are reserved for heaven. But when we are in heaven, we won’t need such things as wealth or long life. These things proceed from heaven for sure, but if you don’t have a true revelation of God’s purpose for your life on earth, you won’t appreciate why the rewards of blessing are necessary while you’re here.

On the other hand, Scripture consistently contrasts the themes of being content with enough with God’s desire to bring abundant blessing to you. How is that supposed to work? Are these ideas contradictory? Look at what Paul understood about blessing in his letter to the Corinthians:

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)

Paul gives us a concise picture of the relationship between sufficiency and abundance. Both are for the believer, and both have a purpose in the believer’s life. The Amplified Bible draws more detail from the same verse,

"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP)

Do you think that scriptural ‘sufficiency’ means simply having enough to manage by God’s grace? Paul makes it clear that this sufficiency is God’s favor and blessing by His grace, so that no matter what, we won’t require help or support; and this sufficiency becomes an overflow of abundance for every good work. Nothing is overlooked and nobody misses out. That’s how these two themes – contentment and abundance – work beautifully together. It is the difference between posture and position; how I sit and where I sit. How do I sit? Content. Where do I sit? Blessed.

So, what does that mean for you and me? It means that while we are content, we understand that our lives have a greater purpose and that our overflow and abundance enable us to spread the Gospel further afield than our own sphere. It means we position ourselves to give and contribute to every good work of the Kingdom of God. When you care about calling, you don’t have a problem with the idea of God blessing you because you understand that the blessing is also to enable you to fulfill His purposes in your life.

"[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." 2 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV)

God has saved you for purpose, called you for purpose, graced you for your purpose! This is why every believer in Christ needs to get a revelation of wisdom and believe to see wisdom fulfilled so that the fruit of wisdom that the Bible consistently teaches becomes a reality in your life. 

PRAYER:

Thank you, Father, that I have the chance to live with Your wisdom and Your Word applied practically to my life, inside and outside the church. Thank you that the rewards of godly wisdom are a life of contentment and generosity. In Your wisdom, you have both saved me and called me to live by grace according to Your purpose. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Will you Pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world throughout our current situation

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel 

For all military personal serving our country and their families 

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world

Good Judgment

Good Judgment

Looking back on my life, I realize how important God’s grace has been across all my endeavors and challenges. I also recognize the role of endurance, determination, initiative and making right choices. That doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes or some bad decisions along the way. Nevertheless, the consistent pursuit of godly wisdom and good judgment, overshadowed with God’s grace, has enabled me as an individual and our church overall, to accomplish things so far beyond what I could have imagined all those years ago.

Think about the part godly wisdom, or the lack of it, has played in your life so far. How has this affected your financial decisions? Your relationships? Your career and achievements? If you are young and have big dreams, don’t underestimate the importance of seeking godly wisdom and good judgment in framing and building your life, choice by choice, through highs and lows, to see your plans come to pass over time.

"10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.  11 Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. 12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer." Proverbs 9:10-12 (NLT)

God will freely give His wisdom to you without reproach if you ask Him for it (see James 1:5). Proverbs says wisdom will permeate every area of your life. If you could see the path ahead and the fruit of wisdom, then wouldn’t you want every area of your life permeated with wisdom?

"It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you." Proverbs 9:11-12 (MSG)

If you will listen to ‘Lady Wisdom’, your life will deepen and over time, improve and ‘ripen’. That doesn’t mean you won’t have challenges or opposition, but it does mean you have the promise of ongoing victory over them.

God wants to open doors and make a way in your life and that includes understanding how to exercise good judgment. However, if you don’t apply wisdom principles such as obedience to God, humility and waiting for His timing, your path forward will meet impasses. 

"I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment."  Proverbs 8:12 (NLT)

Wisdom means trusting God and allowing good judgment to make a way for you.

PRAYER:
Lord, You say that if anyone lacks wisdom all they have to do is ask You for it and You will give it. Help me to understand the importance of good judgment in my life and to develop humility and patience and a desire to please You.

Will you Pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world for our current situation

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel 

For all military personal serving our country and their families 

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world

The Wisdom of Obedience

The Wisdom of Obedience 

As you read through the Bible, the role of obedience and disobedience in determining the blessing of God, becomes more and more obvious. It began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When they were obedient, they lived in blessing and peace. When they were disobedient, they brought a curse upon themselves and the earth, forfeiting the blessing God gave them. It continued through their sons, Cain and Abel, one was obedient and the other disobedient and that played out accordingly. On to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose obedience brought promise to Israel, but when there was disobedience, there were unwanted consequences. And when Joseph put God first, despite the most challenging circumstances, great prosperity came to Israel despite a time of famine. 

Throughout the Bible, the principle remains that obedience to God attracts blessing while disobedience brings about trouble and suffering. Without fail, we see the fortunes of Israel rise and fall in line with the obedience or disobedience of its rulers. 

The lesson is clear. If we want to live with God’s blessing, we need His wisdom to teach us the difference between obedience and disobedience – what pleases God and what displeases Him.

At its root, obedience is a trust issue. Obedience is evidence that you trust God. If you don’t trust God, you will struggle to obey Him. A lack of trust is a lack of wisdom. And wisdom is what will make a way for you.

"Who among you fears the Lord?Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God." Isaiah 50:10 (NKJV)

Despite Samuel’s pleas, Saul disobeyed God by overstepping his bounds; consequently, Samuel advised Saul that obedience is more important than sacrifice (see 1 Samuel 15:22). Sacrifice is saying no to yourself. Obedience is saying yes to God. The thing is, we can make sacrifices without God being involved at all. That’s not to say that sacrifice is wrong, but rather that obedience is better. God is looking for your obedience.

Many Christians baulk at the idea of obedience, seeing it as an outdated Old Testament principle under the Law. Yet Jesus exemplified obedience to His Father, and in so doing, made a way for us to live under a New Covenant of grace. However, nowhere in the Bible will you find God approving disobedience to Him. Saying yes to Jesus’ invitation to accept His Lordship for our lives is the doorway to a life of victory and the path of wisdom through a life of obedience and submission to Him.

PRAYER:
Lord, You are absolutely trustworthy, and when I struggle to trust You, it is because I don’t see You as You truly are. Forgive me and help me to renew my mind through Your Word; to see You in spirit and in truth so I can always confidently say YES to You.

First Things First

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

God’s Word teaches wisdom Is the number one thing we should pursue in life - not human wisdom, but the wisdom that comes from God. So how do we get God’s wisdom? How can we know the difference between His wisdom and natural wisdom? And why is wisdom so important anyway?

Believe it or not, the Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom. Do you realize wisdom has a real voice that is calling out to you? 

Instead of wearing yourself out in the pursuit of success, if you understand the power of prioritising wisdom you will be empowered to see your way through to a successful and fulfilling life. Rather than trying to get rich, get wisdom! The wisest and richest man in history said it this way:

"Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit." Proverbs 23:4 (NLT)

God desires to bless you. It’s not a question of that. God can do so much to build your life, but you can tear it down through a lack of wisdom. Even though God is able to restore what has been stolen or lost to you, without wisdom, whatever you may gain will be torn down. 

"A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1 (NLT)

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to get ahead in life, the key is to make sure you have the correct priorities. First things first. Otherwise life has a way of unravelling.  

For all the effort you may be spending trying to get what you want or need, the answer is to change your focus and get wisdom. This will mean a paradigm shift, a fundamental change of thinking and living. 

So, where does God’s wisdom begin? Where do you start? Solomon leaves no doubt. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

The ‘fear of the Lord’ is not a cowering fear but an awe-filled reverence for Who God is. Basically, if you fear God, you have decided that nothing in life is more important than knowing Who He is. 

Ultimately, blessing comes to those who build their life on a foundation of obedience to God. Are you prepared to put God first with your time, your commitment, your passion and your call? Are you prepared to say Yes Lord, and apply the wisdom to make a way in life? If you do, you can expect victory over opposition, blessing and prosperity, increasing influence and abiding peace.

PRAYER:
Lord, I recognise the importance of building my life on the foundation of Your wisdom, and that begins with putting You first in everything. I ask for Your grace and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit as I choose to pursue Your wisdom from this day forward.

Test Your Thoughts

Test Your Thoughts 

The thoughts you keep in a loop determine the direction of your life. — Steven Furtick 

We have a lot of thoughts every day. In fact, many experts believe we think somewhere between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts per day. That averages out to 2,500 to 3,300 per hour. Remarkable, isn’t it?

It would be great if our thoughts were all good. But many of them are negative and toxic. The good news is that we have a guide to help us test our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 is a great test as to whether we should think about something. The verse tells us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Consider each word listed below.

True
One of the most important things to consider about our thoughts is, “Are they true?” Too often our thoughts are just not true. We need to focus on what is authentic, real, and lines up with God's Word.

Noble
Because we are children of God, we’re in the highest of ranks! Our thoughts should be royal and regal. Not in an arrogant way but in not allowing ourselves to think in an unkind or repulsive manner.

Right
So many people want to be right—to be the one who is never wrong. But often, we don’t allow that desire for being right to permeate our thoughts. Thinking right thoughts means allowing accuracy and appropriateness to guide us.

Pure
To be pure in heart and thought is not as difficult as it seems. It’s simply choosing to think on ethical, good, upright, and honest things.

Lovely
This is a word that isn’t used much, but it should be. To think lovely thoughts means to see the beautiful and stunning in life and allow our minds to think upon those things.

Admirable
To be admired is something most people want. But do we want admirable thoughts? Thoughts that are credible and distinguished and allow us to live in such a way that is commendable.

Excellent
The best of the best is what excellent is. When our thoughts are excellent, they are superb, exceptional, and fabulous. Excellent thoughts lead us to live excellent lives.

Worthy of praise

What thoughts are worthy of praise? Thoughts about God. His ways, His plans, and His creation, to name a few. It’s safe to say that when our thoughts are on Him, that’s a good thing.
We can test our thoughts every day. As we do this, eventually we won’t have to test many of our thoughts because we will already know if they meet up to the standards in Philippians 4:8.

We will never be able to adjust every negative thought that approaches our awareness, but we can certainly try to free our minds from toxic thinking…one thought at a time.

Lord I come to you today to pray for help, help with knowing the thoughts we have and choosing which ones are really godly.

God we thank you for all the thoughts that we have every day!  we pray that you would help us to take control of those thoughts and not allow them to run our lives, but in-fact help us to control our thoughts.  we know that not all of our thoughts will be great, or even good so help please help us to know when they are not righteous.  God we pray that you would help us follow the guidance you provide in every scripture in the bible.  today help us to truly in our hearts follow Philippians 4:8.  Thank you for everything you do for us every day.  Amen.

Will you Pray with us?

Mankind throughout the world for our current situation

Terese for quick and proper healing from her surgery 

Kurt and Melissa, For continued strength through the adoption process 

Red, for strength through harder times 

Stephen and Hope, for continued health throughout their pregnancy 

Ray for his son, continued healing 

Chloe for continued support and encouragement 

All Law enforcement and emergency response personnel 

For all military personal serving our country and their families 

Those in Leadership positions throughout the world

Trusting God is Essential

As a kid I remember watching Looney Tunes and there was one episode in particular where an older Indian walked across hot coals, cool as a cucumber while everyone watched in amazement.  Soon a young brave comes up and tries to do the same.  When he gets off the coal bed, his feet are pulsating red-hot and smoking.  

Just like the young brave, all too often we try to handle the tough situations ourselves instead of giving them to God.  I know that I am guilty of this all the time.  As soon as something gets a little tough I say, “I’ve got this!”  When I should be saying, “God I know you have a plan and that everything happens for a reason please help me to see why this is happening and help me to gain the knowledge to not let it happen again”

Are you guilty of this?

If you are you’re not alone, trust me!

Trusting in God no matter the situation can be tough but it is essential for our wellbeing.  We are placed in tough situations so we can learn and grow.  God wants us to lean on him for everything every day.  He wants us to trust that he has everything under control.  He needs us to know that we are here to serve him and help others find him throughout our lives.  He allows us to walk through the fire we create so that we can know he here for us.  He asks us to walk through the raging river trusting that we will not be swept away before we ever touch the water.  God is telling us that he has our back, it is our duty to ensure that we trust him fully. 

What can you do to trust in God even more?  When was the last time you came to God asking for his help to get you out of the situation you created?  When was the last time you thanked God for allowing you to work through the situation?

When I think about silence and faith, I think about Daniel from the old testament.  Can you imagine for how long those 12 hours were that he spent in the lions den? Ill bet for all of the people who threw him into the den that evening was filled with laughter, food and went by very quickly.  For Daniel it must have felt like an eternity though.  Praying earnestly talking to God’s angles throughout the evening.  That must have felt as though it was a lifetime.  Also look at the king.  Daniel was more than just an advisor he was a friend.  How did long was that night for the king?  The thing about hard times is that when we are in the middle of them they seem like an eternity.  When in reality they are not much more than a blink of an eye of our life. 

God knows that we can endure those times, as long as we trust in him. 

God today we come to you today to say thank you!  Thank you for having our backs no matter how bad of a decision we might make.  Thank you for allowing us to walk through the fire so that we might learn from those times. Thank you for not allowing the flames to devour us during those lessons.   God we pray that you allow us to learn from those lessons, help us not to make the same mistakes again.  Help us to lean on you through both our great times and our harder times.  Let us see that satin is at the door and help us to hold the door closed and not let him in!  God we know that you have a plan for our lives, we pray that you help us to be the best person we can be every day.  We pray that you help us make those tough decisions and help us to know that you are there to support us.  Thank you for giving us people to learn from, especially those in your word.  Thank you for being there for us no matter what!

Amen