The World's Arguments Are Seductive

                                                       When The Door Slams 

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.    1 Timothy 6:6-9

        Have you ever been around a new convert to a political ideology? He or she goes on and on about what one expert or another says about their political enemies. When you interject a biblical truth that might contradict what the expert says, the new convert becomes defensive-angry. That emotion often drives him or her to embrace untruths. It can even happen to Christians if we are not careful.

        We live in a world where simplicity is in short supply. Think for a moment about the complexity of your everyday life and compare it to the lives of your ancestors. Certainly, you are the beneficiary of many technological innovations, but those innovations have a price: in all likelihood, your world is highly complex. Consequently, you have too many distractions (if you choose to let them distract you) and too many things to worry about (if you choose to worry about them). 

        So it is with religion in general and Christianity specifically. The world believes all sorts of untrue notions about the Christian faith. It falsely believes heaven can be attained through human effort; it falsely believes the Bible contains errors; and it falsely believes Christians hate people simply because we disagree with certain lifestyles. The world views Christians as overly simplistic and unenlightened.

        The world's arguments are seductive, appealing to the flesh in one way or another. Little by little, they can pull us away from biblical truth we once embraced. Is this happening to you? Are you reading your Bible less frequently than you used to and listening more often to worldly experts? Has your prayer life grown stale? Is your worship attendance more periodic in favor of some other activity? 

        Think about this: Unless you take firm control of your time and your life, you may be overwhelmed by and ever-increasing tidal wave of complexity that threatens your happiness and your sanity. The world rejects God and His followers. It is unwise, self-serving, carnal in nature-unwilling to accept biblical truth. If the world has begun to seep into your thinking, plug back in to Jesus your LORD and Savior and let the world's foolishness fade away.

Thanksgiving: The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him (Psalm 37:39-40).   

Ask the Holy Sprit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for is forgiveness.

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Requests Understanding To Discern Good and Evil

                                                      When The Door Slams

Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.            1 Kings 3:11-12

        If the LORD appeared to you in a dream and asked you, "What shall I give you?" How would you responded? If you are young, you might ask for a beautiful wife. If you are middle-aged, you might ask for a larger 401(1). If you are older, you might ask for a longer life. 

        None of these things are inherently bad, but when the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him that very question, Solomon's answer was better: 

        "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefor give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil" (1Kings 3:7-9). 

        Think about this: Solomon wasn't really a child. He just felt like one because he lacked understanding. So he asked God for discernment, and God was pleased. God may never appear to you in a dream, but He would be just as pleased if you asked Him for discernment today. 

    May the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant us to be the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord and one mouth we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6).

        May the God of peace Himself sanctify us completely, and may our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us faithful, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                        Never Rest Ministries  

                      

          

             

Slipped Back Into Your Old Ways

                                                     When The Door Slams

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?                                                                                                                         Galatians 4:9

        Most of us tend to default to the familiar. The Jews in Galatia were no exception. After hearing the Gospel and responding to it, they knew God in a far more intimate way than when they were trying to keep the ceremonial law by adhering to eating certain foods or observing certain ceremonial holy days, as the law commanded.

        None of those practices had any inherent spiritual power. They were shadows of the Gospel to come. Yet Paul is writing to the Galatian church with a heavy heart, knowing they had slipped back into their old ways. "I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain," he says in (verse 11). He goes on to say, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you" (verses 19-20).

        Think about this: Today, we don't struggle with returning to the ceremonial law because most of us didn't come from that background. But we struggle with other empty rituals, such as performance-based Christianity. Formerly, we believed we could earn our way to heaven by good works. Even though we left that behind, we return to it when we believe our performance is a reflection of spiritual strength. We need to reject that! You must return to the power of Christ within you.    

Petition: Since I died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, may I not submit to its regulations as though I still belonged to it (Colossians 2:20).      

It is in You, Lord Jesus, that I have peace. In this world I will have tribulation, but I will be of good cheer, because You have overcome the world (John 16:33). I have been set apart for the gospel of God-I am among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1,6).

Ask the Spiritual to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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MY Strength Is Made Perfect In Weakness

                                                     When The Door Slams 

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the LORD three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."                                                                       2 Corinthians 12:8 

 Paul had "a thorn in the flesh" that kept bothering him. He did three things with it.                      1.  He faced it head-on. He didn't pretend and deny that it was part of his life.                               2.  He placed it at God's feet in prayer. He petitioned God to take it away three times. For some reason, God chose not to do that. Therefore Paul took another step.                                         3.  He embraced it. He accepted this obstacle that made him feel weak, since it made him more aware of his need for the LORD in his life. 

        Many theologians have tried to guess what Paul's thorn was. Some of the suggestions are that it was a personal temptation. Others say it was an unresolved interpersonal conflict, or a chronic physical illness such as malaria, migraine headaches, or an eye disease. Whatever the problem, Paul's principles for dealing with it also apply to us today with our personal thorns in the flesh. 

        Think about this: With our personal issues, we need to face them and place them at God's feet daily, and finally, embrace them. The result of this action is that Christ's power is best displayed against the background of our weakness. My weakness is God's opportunity to demonstrate His strength and perfect power in my weakness.  

Renewal: By Your grace, I want to observe Your judgments and keep Your statutes, to walk in them; You are the LORD my God. May I keep Your statues and Your judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; You are the LORD (Leviticus 18:4-5). May I fear the LORD and serve and obey Him and not rebel against the command of the LORD (1 Samuel 12:14).

Petition: May I not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God (3 John 11).

Intercession: LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest in You. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You (2 Chronicles 14:11). 

Affirmation: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3). I will see the LORD while He may be found And call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him For His forgiveness. 

                                                        Never Rest Ministries