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 Philippians 4:4-9 The Lord is near. Do not be anxious (fearful) about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy think about such things…put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. |
The Fear Factor I have found fear to be the #1 stealer of our faith. Our God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) His word continually admonishes us to not be afraid (Joshua 1:9), to not let our hearts be troubled (John 14:1), to not worry about anything. (Philippians 4:6)  How? How
do we keep our human minds from fear? Our Savior sets us the best example in
the Gospel of John, chapters 17 and 18. Jesus knows His time is near to be
captured and crucified. Do we find him yelling and screaming in fear? No,
quite the opposite. We find him quietly praying. And even more amazing is
that most of His prayers in those final moments are for us rather then
himself. When his enemies did finally close in on him with torches and
weapons, did he run in fear? No, he stepped out in faith and did the work of
His Father; giving his life for all of us. Where did he gather such
courageous faith? Simply by sitting prayerfully in His Father’s presence
prior to these events. He received the peace and the power to do what he was
called to do.That same
peace and power are available to us as well. From Philippians 4:4-9 is a
very simple principle that God has spoken to my heart that works for fear or
any ungodly feelings that oppose your faith. I call it the 3 P’s: Pull away,
Pray and Practice. Wherever you are, when met with feelings that oppose your
faith, pull away in your mind, heart or physically, if need be. Then pray.
Make your requests known with thanksgiving until you sense God’s peace. Then
practice whatever you hear his Spirit say to you. It worked for Jesus and it
will work for us. Prayer O Father God, You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all. Jesus, thank you for such a perfect example of the peace and power that come through the gift of prayer. May we, too, walk by faith and not fear. When circumstances or situations want to make us fearful instead of faithful, let us draw near to you in prayer. And we shall find grace and help in time of need. Yes, let us be anxious for nothing, pray about everything and You, the God of peace, will be with us. Amen. . Additional Scripture Hebrews 4:14-16
Becky Curtis
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NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
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| Philippians 2:6 Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus. |
Attitude of Christ Have you ever been insulted or hurt? Did you feel blessed? Can you believe that Jesus actually said, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you falsely and say all kinds of evil against you for my sake?" Uh-oh! Jesus said it was to be done for His sake which also means for God's Kingdom. Did you check it out and ask if it was done for Him or for a selfish motive? God knows our thoughts and motives. (I confess, I do not always know my own.) David asked God to search him and see if there was any offensive way in him and lead him in the way everlasting (Psalms l39:23). If my motive was selfish, I need to clean up my act. If it was for God's kingdom, I can rest assured in He who loves us and justice will eventually bring justice as I wait on Him. There are
times when obedience is the first word. Before Jesus came to earth to
demonstrate God's love, man was commanded in Deuteronomy 6:4 to "Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength.” Do you think they really knew how to love God? Sometimes I walk
in the commandment rather than the attitude. When I remember Jesus suffered
on the cross, my love for Him is stirred.Has God
ever offended you? Did He offend Jesus when He asked Him to die on the cross
for our sins? Did Jesus ever offend men? When I read Bob Sorge's testimony
in Chrisima (October 2001), I was stunned when he reminded me that Jesus not
only offended the Pharisees, but also the disciples. Was Job offended that
he had lived a good life and yet went through much suffering? Our acts of
obedience do not guarantee a free ticket to exemption from pain and baffling
situations! Sorge, who was a pastor and praise and worship leader, had been
Music Director at Elim University. Through throat surgery seven and a half
years ago, he now cannot speak above a whisper. Ephesians, chapter six,
tells us that after we put on God's armor, we stand firm As I see it,
Sorge's loss of his valuable voice is not his cross but his decision to
continue in the attitude of Christ . This has not been easy but let's face
it, the cross is painful. It is a decision!I confess
this has been a difficult devotion to write. I do not like to think about
painful things in life. I would like to think I have a good life because I
deserve it. My eyes are being opened to the truth. On the scales of life,
the love of Jesus is much heavier than anything I can dol Am I able to take
up my cross and follow Him? I cannot deny His faithfulness of taking my
burden.Prayer Dear Jesus, what a wonderful gift of love You have given us as You have gone ahead of us and taken up Your cross. We now have YOU to follow instead of only the law. I desire to have Your mind and Your attitude which you so freely give us when we ask. We can be a part of Your kingdom as it comes to earth, no matter what the cost. I praise and thank You. Additional Scripture I Peter 4:1
Evelyn Rhoades |
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| Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” |
WWJD - Another Perspective I’m not a big fan of the WWJD fad. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that people are asking “What Would Jesus Do?” when faced with tough choices. But the critical time to ask that question is not when we come to the proverbial fork in the road of life. It should be asked miles before. So, what
would Jesus do?I think he
would read the Bible – a lot. In fact, he might read the Bible more than he
watched television. He would know that the things God says to him today in
Scripture would help him in life tomorrow.I think he
would pray – a lot. And he wouldn’t just talk to God; he would listen –
listen intently. I believe he would pray out loud, in front of his family.
And it wouldn’t just be grace before a meal. He would model prayer that is
balanced with praise, thanks, confession and requests.There are
many other things Jesus would do. None of them would come “naturally”. But
if they are done early and constantly, the tough choices won't seem so
tough. For following the Lord is only possible by his supernatural power.
That power comes from doing what Jesus would do.Prayer Father, I come to you because Jesus said I could ask for anything in his name. I’m asking you to change the way I live to be more like Jesus. Do what you need to do. I am giving myself to you as a servant. You are my Lord. Additional Scripture Luke 14:25-35; Colossians 1:28-29
David Phipps
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| Matthew 16:24 (KJV) “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself (his desires), and take up his cross (symbol of dying to self), and follow me.” |
Who Do People See When They Look At Me? First Call was the title of Sunday’s sermon. Andy Hein, our new youth pastor, had words to share that blessed my heart. I left with things to think upon as well as examine within my daily spiritual life. As I sat down to write this devotion, I kept reflecting upon the short skit that preceded the sermon. It was perfectly paired up with the message and chosen music. The skit
began with Fran Wyatt standing as though he were nailed to the cross. A
young teen girl in baseball gear came out and noticed him. She then pondered
him and changed his pose to that of a baseball player at bat. Content with
her changes to Fran’s pose, she continued on her way without a backward
glance. As she faded from view, Fran returned to the cross position. Next, a
very busy businessman, complete with briefcase, walked out while talking on
a cell phone. He paused, as he began to pass, to observe Fran. He set down
the briefcase and cell phone and repositioned Fran so that he stood looking
like a mirror image to the man. The only things missing were the briefcase
in his extended hand and the cell phone in his hand up next to his ear. The
man ponders his changes and continues onward into his day. As he faded from
view, Fran returned to the original position of hanging on a cross. Next, a
young girl walks out and stops to view and consider what she sees. Still
somewhat curious and uncertain, she positions herself in front of Fran and
tries to copy the pose. Satisfied, she continues to stand there in the same
pose as Fran. Fran’s pose then shifts, a small smile lights his face and he
leans slightly forward and his arms slip lightly under the young girls arms
in a supportive position and the lights fade to dim.The first
two individuals looked at and saw the pose representing Jesus. Both stayed
focused on their own goals, gave him a small consideration and then tried to
make him fit their image. The last one stopped and seriously considered
Jesus and then began to try to conform to his image.I’ve
always been taught that the definition of the word Christian is to be
Christ-like. True, we didn’t live when Jesus walked the earth so we cannot
change our physical attributes to match his. But when others see us, the
inner us, they should see Christ in our choices, in our talk, in the way we
live our lives. After we accept Christ, our job is to be a light to the
world and that light should illuminate the way to the Savior. The light of
Jesus reflecting through us should draw the weak, the tired, the hungry, the
weary sinners from the darkness and burdens of unforgiven sin. If they look
at us and can’t see a difference because of Christ’s image in our lives, why
would they want what we have? We have to give up our selves, our pride, our
ego and our desires in order to put Jesus first for others to see. When
other look at you, can they tell you’ve been with Jesus the Christ? Prayer Dearest Jesus, when others look at me, let it be you they see in me. Clean me of my selfishness, give me a larger love for you and others. When people see me, I want them to see more than my physical body and my resemblance to my earthly parents. I want them to see you, my Spiritual Father, in me. Polish the mirror of my life so that Jesus’ light can shine brightly for others to see and be lead to you. Amen. Additional Scripture Matthew 16; Ephesians 2:8-10
Dawn Swinford
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| Mark 16:15 NLT And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. |
First Call "First Call" was the title of today's sermon. Mark 16:5 came instantly into my mind when I read the topic of the sermon, perhaps because it was one of the first few verses I memorized as I was growing up. As I
started writing devotions, God began to open my eyes to everyday glimpses of
his blessings for me. Today, for instance. Entering church from the parking
lot, I walked in with a lady I hadn’t known before. We only chatted briefly
about the weather and her family. Then just before the service started, I
saw a friend and walked over to say hello. Beside her was the lady I met in
the parking lot. My friend said to the lady, "You must mean this Rod.” It
seems the lady had told her of meeting a nice man named Rod who had walked
with her into church today. I didn't realize I had made a nice impression
from our short encounter.You don't
have to travel far to preach the Good News or to show the presence of Christ
to someone.
Prayer Dear Lord, bless me as I go along today. Let me be your witness and use me. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Additional Scripture John 1:8; Acts 4:33; Romans 10:14
Rod McKenzie
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