Bible League: Living His Word I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.As Christians, we can go through times when we have difficulty with doubt and unbelief. We can have times when we have doubts about the sincerity of our salvation, doubts about the truth of the Bible and its promises for us, doubts about whether God has truly called us to do what we are doing, doubts about whether God truly cares for us and remembers us, and so on. Instead of lifting up the shield of faith to defend ourselves, we allow the burning arrows of the Evil One to strike blows of doubt and unbelief into our hearts (Ephesians 6:16). Doubt and unbelief can sometimes creep up on us without our complete awareness. When this happens, however, there are signs that are good indications of their presence. Whenever we feel things like distress, frustration, sorrow, and unhappiness, there is a good chance that we have allowed the burning arrows of doubt and unbelief to pass by our shields of faith. It is difficult, if not impossible, to have joy and peace when our hearts are full of doubt and unbelief. When we become aware of our emotional state and what it means, it is time to take action. It is time to trust in God. It is time to lift up our shields of faith and stop the burning arrows of the Evil One. One of the best ways to do this is to read the Bible, especially those passages that address our doubts. The Bible tells us that faith comes by being exposed to the word of God (Romans 10:17). When we read the Bible, we afford the Holy Spirit the opportunity to renew and strengthen our ability to believe and have faith. As our verse for today tells us, good things happen as we put our trust in God. We are filled with joy, peace, and hope. It is difficult, if not impossible, to feel distressed, frustrated, sorrowful, and unhappy when our hearts are full of faith and belief. Today, take stock of your emotional state--and then take the appropriate action. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading2 Chronicles 13-16 2 Chronicles 13 -- Abijah succeeds Rehoboam; Civil War against Jeroboam NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 14 -- Asa Becomes King of Judah, Destroys Idolatry NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 15 -- Azariah Warns Asa; Asa's Reforms NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 2 Chronicles 16 -- Asa diverts Baasha from Building Ramah, Imprisons Hanani the Prophet NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading John 14 John 14 -- Jesus Comforts His Disciples; "I am the way, the truth, and the life"; The Promise of the Holy Spirit NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!Insight Repeating the same words over and over like a magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer. It's not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests—Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But he condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart. Challenge We can never pray too much if our prayers are honest and sincere. Before you start to pray, make sure you mean what you say. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon 1 Timothy 3:16 Received up into glory.We have seen our well-beloved Lord in the days of his flesh, humiliated and sore vexed; for he was "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." He whose brightness is as the morning, wore the sackcloth of sorrow as his daily dress: shame was his mantle, and reproach was his vesture. Yet now, inasmuch as he has triumphed over all the powers of darkness upon the bloody tree, our faith beholds our King returning with dyed garments from Edom, robed in the splendour of victory. How glorious must he have been in the eyes of seraphs, when a cloud received him out of mortal sight, and he ascended up to heaven! Now he wears the glory which he had with God or ever the earth was, and yet another glory above all--that which he has well earned in the fight against sin, death, and hell. As victor he wears the illustrious crown. Hark how the song swells high! It is a new and sweeter song: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, for he hath redeemed us unto God by his blood!" He wears the glory of an Intercessor who can never fail, of a Prince who can never be defeated, of a Conqueror who has vanquished every foe, of a Lord who has the heart's allegiance of every subject. Jesus wears all the glory which the pomp of heaven can bestow upon him, which ten thousand times ten thousand angels can minister to him. You cannot with your utmost stretch of imagination conceive his exceeding greatness; yet there will be a further revelation of it when he shall descend from heaven in great power, with all the holy angels--"Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." Oh, the splendour of that glory! It will ravish his people's hearts. Nor is this the close, for eternity shall sound his praise, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever!" Reader, if you would joy in Christ's glory hereafter, he must be glorious in your sight now. Is he so? Daily Light on the Daily Path Romans 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Philippians 3:8,9 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, • and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Psalm 71:16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone. Ephesians 5:8,11,13-15 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light • Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; • But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. • For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." • Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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