Words of Encouragement and Thoughts (6)

Love Wisdom

Proverbs 4:5–8
Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. NIV

There are some people whom we may love and admire and seek to do good to, and yet in the end they will turn against us and fail us and betray us. It’s one of life’s tragedies to invest your love and to give yourself to someone who ultimately betrays you. But the advice of Scripture is: love wisdom. Devote yourself to wisdom, she will not betray you, she will honor you, she will uplift you, she will protect you. And wisdom comes from the Word of God.

Wisdom is more important and more precious than all the things that men seek after. Wisdom is like that pearl of great price that Jesus spoke about: when the merchantman found it, he went and sold all that he had and bought that one pearl. He was a merchantman and knew the value of things. That’s how wisdom is. It’s a pearl of great price.

Even if it costs you all you have, the Scripture advises you buy it. Give yourself to wisdom, devote your life to her, she’ll never betray you. She’ll exalt you, she’ll bring you to honor. Your latter end will be better than your beginning.

Derek Prince devotional

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How to Overcome Despair
by Debbie Przybylski

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” - (Romans 12:1-2).
Dear intercessors,

We live in a world that is filled with despair. The enemy strikes hard with the spirit of despair. It’s deep-seated and it’s everywhere—even within the body of Christ. The devil will scream in our ears,“You’re no good.” “God’s will for you is not good.” “Your situation is hopeless.” It’s hard to live in victory when we believe enemy lies. The dictionary definition of despair is: the complete loss or absence of hope, disheartenment, discouragement, desperation, distress, anguish, depression, misery, defeatism, pessimism, and even suicidal feelings. This doesn't sound good.

Many of us were shocked when we heard of the death of 63-year-old Robin Williams, the well-known American actor and comedian. Williams, who had all the world’s comfort and fame, ended his own life tragically by hanging himself with a belt in his California home. He entertained millions on stage, film or television, wanting to make others laugh and feel less afraid. He rose to fame starring in many well-known movies such as Dead Poet Society. He was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor three times and won two Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.

But all of this fame and fortune did not meet the inner emptiness in His life that only God could fill. Stardom in the world’s eyes was not enough. The one who made others laugh was himself living in utter despair. He listened to the lies of the enemy saying, “Life is hopeless. Just end it all.”

There is a shocking reality regarding despair and suicide that we cannot ignore. There are 35,000 suicides in America every year, and the suicide rate is the same among Christians and non-Christians. This is alarming. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We ask ourselves, “Why is this so, and what can we do about it? How can we overcome despair within our own lives as well as within our families, friends, and co-workers?”

Transformed by the Renewing of Our Mind

We overcome despair and are transformed by changing how we think and by the renewing of our mind. We need to know what God is like, who we are in Christ (Romans 5), and what we believe.

If we were to admit it personally, there is not one of us who hasn’t had the enemy strike hard at us with feelings of despair at one time or other. We live in the world system, and we fight the devil on a daily basis. There is a battlefield of the mind where we wrestle against the powers of darkness. Intercessors especially are a target of the enemy because the enemy hates prayer. He will try to defeat us through a spirit of despair.

We are called to enjoy our relationship with Jesus fully. We are equipped to experience God’s transforming grace by renewing our minds with the truths that give us the assurance of how God accepts us and views us with mercy (even when we feel weak). Understanding God’s mercy motivates us to give ourselves fully to God with confidence. Read Romans 1-11 and see how the truths of God’s grace and mercy fill these chapters, especially Romans 5-6. See Micah 7:18.

How can we move out of despair to a transforming faith in God? How can we move from the debilitating effects of despair and hopelessness in our own heart and change our thinking?

Ways to Overcome Despair

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
 to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners… 
to bestow on them a crown of beautyinstead of ashes, 
the oil of joy instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair” - (Isaiah 61:1-3).

Meditating on the following truths and living them out in our personal life will bring transformation to our minds and hearts.We don’t have to live in despair. It is our God-given right to live in joyful confidence. The following are ways you can walk out of despair and hopelessness, and into the transforming power of God through the renewing of your mind:

• Present your body as a living sacrifice - Make it your ambition to love the Lord with all your heart (Matthew 22:37). Give yourself to the Lord in a wholehearted way. God is after your heart. When you give yourself to God in this way even though it is costly, you will find true joy. King David offered to God that which was costly (2 Samuel 24:24). Don’t settle for 95% commitment. He wants you, not partially but 100%.
• Know that the offering of yourself to God is holy and pleasing to Him -He accepts even the weak offering of your love, life, and service as holy because He evaluates you through mercy. It’s sacred to Him and your true worship. It’s holy and pleasing. The giving of yourself moves God deeply. People live in despair because they believe the lie that the offering of themselves to God is not holy or pleasing to Him.
• Do not conform any longer to the world system -Know that it will not bring fulfillment. Don’t listen to the world’s evaluation of who you are or how important your life is. Don’t measure your life by the world’s values and standards. The world can never give you value; only God can. Listen and accept God’s evaluation. His priority is to conform you to His image. This is more important than trying to accomplish or be something in man’s eyes.
• Know that God has a master plan for your life - You can be confident of this; He will complete His good work in you (Philippians 1:6). Often people are searching and trying to find God’s will. Trust His leadership in your life, and be faithful in the small things. Daily faithfulness is important to God. Faithfulness in little things leads to greatness. Don’t listen to what the world tells you greatness is. It will lead you down a dead-end road. You are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).
• Know that God’s leadership in your life is good, pleasing, and perfect -God leads you in a way that is good for you. He works all things for good (Romans 8:28). God’s plan is satisfying because it is uniquely designed for your life (Psalm 139). It’s perfect and can’t be improved on.

Finally, learn to say no to Satan’s lies. Don’t agree with him because he is the father of lies (John 8:44). Pull down those strongholds in your mind by renouncing lies about God and who you are in Christ. When condemnation, shame, fear, or despair rise up in your heart to challenge what God promised in His Word, come against it by confessing the Truth and resisting His lies. Speak out loud specific verses from God's Word that combat the lie. Our words are powerful in causing fear or faith to grow in us. By learning to agree with God’s Word, you release His power in your life.

It’s time to take charge of negative thinking. You have power to cast down all thoughts of despair and hopelessness. You do not have to be a captive to negative thoughts that lead to despair. You can renew your mind in God’s Word. It’s not by trying harder to change, but by seeing more clearly how God evaluates you. Learn to meditate on Scriptures like Psalm 139 until it sinks deeply into your spirit.

As you renew your mind in these truths an amazing thing happens—Your emotions will be transformed and your behavior will change! You will begin to walk in a transforming faith with a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

My Prayer to God to Overcome Despair

“Dear Lord, I offer my body to You as a living sacrifice. I choose to make it my ambition to love You with all my heart (Matthew 22:37). I thank You that my offering is pleasing, good and acceptable to You. I give to You my feelings of despair, and I confess and renounce the lies that I have been believing [Name those lies specifically]. I renounce and pull down every stronghold about You and who I am in Christ. I ask Your forgiveness for believing these false beliefs, and I bring these lies to the feet of Jesus. I thank you that your blood cleanses me from these false beliefs. I take authority and break the spirit of despair over my life in the Name of Jesus and in its place, what do You want to give me? [Take time to listen quietly for anything the Lord may be saying to you that replaces the lie with His Truth. i.e. A Scriptural verse, a picture, a gentle thought, etc.]

Teach me to confess Your Word out loud and resist Satan’s lies every day. Help me to renew my mind in Your Truth. Help me to no longer conform to the world system. I choose to not listen to the world’s evaluation of who I am. I choose to listen only to Your evaluation. I can be confident that You have a master plan for my life, and You will complete Your work in me (Philippines 1:6). Jesus, I trust Your leadership in my life. I thank You that I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. I will meditate on Your Word every day. [Meditate on Psalm 139 and pray it out loud to the Lord]. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Beyond Sunday: The Human Drift

Focus Verse of the Week

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

Commentary

If the path of accommodation and compromise continues unabated, eventually the church reaches a point of friendship with the world. This is an extremely dangerous place for the believer. Like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot, he has lost the ability to sense the heat slowly rising and is likely to slowly cook until almost all distinction from the culture is lost. This was precisely God’s point when He dealt with Israel in the Old Testament. God went to great lengths to separate Israel from the surrounding nations because He knew all too well the eventual destination of the path of incremental compromise and accommodation.

Yet the seriousness of God’s commands to Israel are merely a reflection of the waywardness of man. In many instances, God’s laws are not motivated as much by rectifying the immediate situation as they are by His perfect foreknowledge of the consequences which will eventually ensue once men begin down such a path. Christ’s NT condemnation of the worldliness of the Thyatiran and Laodicean churches stands in stark contrast to the modern “seeker-friendly” strategy of church growth: “Today’s user-friendly, seeker-oriented, market-driven church doesn’t preach much against worldliness. To do so might make unbelievers (not to mention many believers) uncomfortable, and is therefore avoided as poor marketing strategy” (John MacArthur).

(Adapted from Tony Garland's A Testimony of Jesus Christ.)

A Thought to Keep

It's much easier to justify our actions than to examine them in light of Scripture. Saturate yourself in God's Word and keep your focus on Christ.

Praise – No Matter What

Psalm 108:1–2
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory; awake psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. KJV
There’s a man who’s made up his mind that no matter what happens he’s going to praise the Lord. It’s important to understand that praise should not arise merely from our feelings or our circumstances. It should arise out of our will; it should arise out of a deep will-seated decision. My heart is fixed: no matter what happens I’m going to praise God.

And then the psalmist says, “I will give praise even with my glory.” What does he mean when he says, my glory? Fortunately, the Bible does not leave us to wonder, because on the Day of Pentecost in his sermon in Jerusalem, the apostle Peter quoted Psalm 16:9 where David used the same phrase, “My glory rejoiceth” (KJV). In Acts 2:26 Peter quotes this verse, but changes one significant word. He changed glory to tongue, quoting it this way: ”My tongue was glad” (KJV).

So that tells us a wonderful secret, our tongue is our glory. Why is that? Or why did God give us a tongue? Do you know the real reason why God gave us a tongue – the primary reason why you and I have a tongue? It’s to praise God with, and only when we use our tongue for God’s glory are we using it aright. And our tongue is our glory because with it, above all other members of our body, we can glorify God and use it for the purpose for which we were created.
—Derek Prince

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." Ephesians 2:1-3

THE NEED FOR SALVATION

Ephesians 2:1-3

Followers of Christ know the importance of being saved, but the world sees no need for rescue. Let’s think about some key truths regarding man’s need for salvation.

Those who don’t have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus are:

Spiritually dead. Many people don’t realize that there are three kinds of death—physical, eternal, and spiritual. Eternal death comes at the end of the age, when all those who have refused Jesus as Savior are cast away from God permanently (Matthew 25:41). Spiritual death occurred in the Garden of Eden. Disobedience severed Adam and Eve’s intimate connection to God and caused all of their descendants to be spiritually detached from Him (Romans 5:12). We’re born as “dead” people in need of new life.


Living a life of sin. Our nature is to rebel against God, and that’s called sin. Over and over, we choose what pleases us, not Him. We’re enslaved to sin (John 8:34), and any effort to free ourselves from its power is in vain. We need someone to rescue us.


Under divine wrath. Because of our disobedience, we are under God’s judgment, awaiting punishment. All efforts to earn His approval and escape our sentence are insufficient. Sinful man has nothing acceptable to offer holy God. Our only hope of escape is for someone else to take our penalty.

The good news is that the Lord has provided a way for all to pass from spiritual death to life, from the bondage of sin into freedom, and from condemnation to intimacy with Him. Jesus Christ alone is the way (John 14:6), and He meets our every need.

InTouch Daily Devotional

All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult

Enter by the narrow gate….Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…. —Matthew 7:13-14

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in— it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory?

God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Jesus, and “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But we have to “work out” that salvation in our everyday, practical living (Philippians 2:12). If we will only start on the basis of His redemption to do what He commands, then we will find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not yet put into practice what God has placed within us. But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it into practice. If we will obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has placed within us by His Spirit, then when a crisis does come we will find that our own nature, as well as the grace of God, will stand by us.

Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10), and God will not shield us from the requirements of sonship. God’s grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.

Utmost For His Highest

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.

Matthew 7:9-11
9 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (NIV Bible)

Most fathers have a natural desire to give good gifts to their children. If their children ask for a fish, do they give him a snake? Of course not! If they ask for bread, will they give them a stone? No way! God, who is the Model Parent, has placed within each one the natural desire to father/mother our children.

While this may have been God's perfect plan before our fall in the Garden, today because of our sinful nature, and the sinful nature of those around us, our ability to express these parental instincts can become damaged or distorted in varying degrees.
But the truth remains, whether we can express our love in tangible ways or not, that deep down within each one of us, we all carry in our heart a desire to give good gifts to our children.

I know that have disappointed my own children on many occasions and will probably do so more in the future, yet with all my frailties and faults, there is nothing more that I want than to bless my kids with good gifts. I really want them to have God's best in their lives because I am their father and I love them with my limited father's heart.

I believe that God has given each one of us parental instincts in order that we might identify in a small way with how He feels towards His creation. As the Perfect Father, His love is not marred by sin or tainted by selfish motives. While ours is a limited father's love, His is a limitless Father?s love!

If we, though we are evil, want God's best for our children, HOW MUCH MORE does He want the best for us? Pull out a picture of your child out of your wallet and see if it makes you smile. Now think about the grin on your Heavenly Father's face when He looks at you!

If we could capture the natural affection that we feel towards our children and multiply it by infinity, perhaps then, we could begin to comprehend the incredible Father?s heart that God has towards us. He wants to give us so much MORE than our earthly parents ever could, if we would simply come to Him in childlike faith and ask Him!

PRAYER
Father, I confess that I have related to You, in the same way that I have related to my earthly father. I thought you would treat me the same way that my earthly father treated me. Help me to see the truth that You love me MUCH MORE than my earthly father ever could and you delight in giving me good gifts MUCH MORE than my earthly father ever could. So Father, I come to you today with my needs, because I know that You love me and want to give me good gifts! Bless me today Papa! In the name of Your beloved son Jesus I pray, AMEN.

Father's Love Letter devotional

Psalm 5
To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David.
Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Psalm 3:1-8
A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.
Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Igor And Me

Read: Psalm 3:1-8
You, O Lord, are a shield for me. —Psalm 3:3
When I was in Siberia, my friend Igor and I stopped at a store. Just outside the door a large, mean-looking dog snarled at us and would not let us inside. After a while the store owner came out, and to my surprise he shot the dog. So Igor and I went in.

A few minutes later, four angry Russians burst into the building, looking for the man who had killed their dog. One slapped Igor in the face, and another slammed me against a wall. When they saw that neither of us had a rifle, they left. But they returned almost immediately. After more heated conversation, they left again. Only then did I realize that Igor had positioned himself between me and the half-drunken men. They would have had to fight Igor to get to me—and he is one strong man!

What Igor did for me illustrates what God does for His people. King David’s foes were aligned against him, led by his son Absalom. Yet David saw God as his shield (Psalm 3:3). This truth reflected David’s own relationship to his people. They saw the king as their shield, their protector against the enemy. Now the king saw the Almighty as his protector.

Whoever may rise up against us—man or spiritual foe—will find our God between us and him. We can trust the Lord to shield us from our foes.

God is always present with us,
Though His face we cannot see;
He protects and guides and comforts
All His children faithfully. —Sper

God is always protecting us—even when we don't realize we need it.

Our Daily Bread devotional