Surviving Our Present Culture

Feb 15, 2013

Read | 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

When we are called into a new life with Christ, we will encounter obstacles. One of the biggest barriers is the culture in which we live. We may not ever recognize the danger we are in until we fall. Let’s look honestly at our world.

First, it’s a secular culture, which means it has little interest in religious matters or the Bible. It teaches us to trust in ourselves and in the things we can see rather than in our unseen triune God.

Our world is also materialistic. Its primary focus is on accumulating possessions and gaining wealth, not on caring about others and giving sacrificially. Tragically, many of the things our culture values stand in opposition to the way Jesus calls us to live. When Scripture contradicts what our society believes, it’s not uncommon for people to belittle our lifestyle as narrow-minded and extreme.

In many ways, our society is spiritually rebellious, in that it defies both the laws of God and the laws of man; obedience is considered optional. A large percentage of the population rejects God’s viewpoint on intimacy and marriage in order to please self—as a result, immorality is prevalent. But they have been deceived into thinking that they can violate God’s laws without any consequences.

Unless we’re careful, we can fall prey to the world’s traps. The key to avoiding its snares is God’s Word. When we study Scripture, the Holy Spirit will identify lies we are believing and show how we can apply God’s truth to set us free. Are you immersed in the culture or in God’s truth?

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Know That God Is Good!

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

God is good in your life, watching out for you and protecting you. There is not
one thing in your life, not one habit, one sin or one emotional difficulty you
face that Jesus does not have power over.

When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem and saw the terrible, broken-down condition of
the city, he led the Jewish people living there into a spiritual breakthrough
and time of rebuilding (see the book of Nehemiah). I can say to you today, just
as Nehemiah said to his people, that if you will trust Jesus, turn your whole
heart, energy and life over to Him, Satan and your enemies will be crushed,
conquered, and completely defeated. No enemy that is deeply lodged against you
behind any gate will be able to be protected. Those enemies are going to be
removed and made to flee.

Old habits, old fears, old addictions approach and afflict us and sometimes we
turn back to them. But God is saying to us, “Fix your eyes on Me! If you will
let Me be your victory, we will see the last of that.” Listen to what God is
saying!

If we will let Him be our victory then we have seen the last of our enemy. Oh,
the enemy will still buffet us just as he did Jesus when he left Him after the
temptations in the wilderness. But if you will keep Jesus on the wall of your
heart, the wall of your life, He will root out all those emotional
difficulties.

You may be living in fear of habitual patterns of sin, the things you might
return to. You know that you are cleansed from them but because they are so
close, you feel that any moment you may be drawn back to their bondage and you
are afraid.

I am here today to call you to a place of security and safety in Christ Jesus
when you trust Him with all your heart.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/20420?src=devo-email

Standing Still Is An Act Of Faith

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

To stand still does not mean to be passive or to rest on fate. Fate says,
“Whatever will be, will be.” But faith changes everything. Standing still is an
act of faith, an active resting on God‘s promises, a cessation of all questions,
doubts and useless strivings.

Ever since I have been in the ministry, a major area of striving for me has
been knowing the voice of God. I believe this struggle is common among
Christians. We ask, “How can I know if the voice I hear is God’s or my flesh?”

Whenever I face a critical need that requires an answer, I turn to the Lord in
prayer. I cry out, “Father, Your Word says You speak to Your people. Please,
God, speak to me. Give me Your direction!” And then I quote Scripture promises:

* “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
* “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye
in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
* “[My] word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart”
(Deuteronomy 30:14).

Indeed, a still, small voice often comes to us and as God begins to speak, we
suddenly have a great sense of peace and calm. The voice is comforting,
soothing, and we leave our prayer closet feeling wonderful. But sometimes the
word we hear in prayer does not come to pass and we realize we have heard
another voice — not Christ‘s. In such a case, it was either the voice of our
own desires and ambition or the voice of our flesh.

Paul says, “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and
none of them is without signification” (1 Corinthians 14:10). There are many
voices, including a voice of the flesh, a voice of the will, a voice of
ambition — and they all scream for our attention.

No matter how much we pray or how close we are to the Lord, we all are fallible
and make mistakes. Our flesh still has a voice and at times it will get in the
way.

Let me tell you how God brought me through this test of faith. I am convinced
God prearranges and sets up all my circumstances. He has promised, by covenant,
to lead me and guide me by His Spirit and to keep me from falling. So, now I
pray in faith, believing His word to me and I stand still and wait for Him to
act.

Your Very First Responsibility

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Billy Graham once said, “Too many Christian churches, television and radio programs have been geared to please, to entertain and to gain the favor of this world… (but) within the New Testament there is no indication that Christians should be healthy, wealthy and always successful in this present age.”

Every time I preach at church or look into a television camera, I’m reminded that it is my first and foremost responsibility to be faithful and true to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And the pure Gospel is not always pleasing. But as Christians, we must never sedate the message. We must please God first! And when we please God, there will be opposition.

As Christians, we’re going to ruffle some feathers at times. This will happen any time you stand for truth. But when people argue against us, we must make sure they’re resistant to our message, not our methods. We have to preach the Word, but do so in love.

Don’t let resistance discourage you from standing on God’s truth. Instead, keep your feet planted firmly in the Gospel, speaking the truth in love and standing for your Savior. When that’s your focus, God will use you to reach others for Christ!

INSTEAD OF TRYING TO GAIN FAVOR IN THE WORLD, YOUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO STAND ON GOD’S SOLID TRUTH!

Pastor Graham

How to Handle Negative Relationships

 

May 28 Read | 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 In an ideal environment, all our relationships would draw us closer to the Lord. However, we live in a fallen world with sinful people, so that is not our reality. God wants us to influence those who aren’t walking obediently with Him, but unless we’re careful, we could easily end up following them. How are we to deal with relationships that drag us down instead of building us up? Prayer: Your first step is to pray for the people who tend to pull you away from the Lord. It’s not your job to change them, but you can ask God to work in their lives. And don’t forget to ask Him to give you the wisdom and patience you need in your interactions with them. Separation: You may have to break off a relationship if it’s hindering your Christian walk. However, this should be done only after much prayer and wise counsel. And remember, some relationships are meant to be permanent, so listen carefully to what God is telling you. Perseverance: If the negative relationship never changes, and the Lord is not calling you to break off association with that person, then He wants you to persevere in the situation. Your goal is to walk faithfully with your heavenly Father despite any hindrances or opposition. If you struggle with negative relationships, cultivate friendships with godly people who can help you grow in your faith. Spend time in God’s Word, filling your mind with truths that anchor your soul in stormy situations. Persevere in walking faithfully with Christ–you may even influence the other person. Dr. Charles Stanley

Recognize Your Vulnerability

Satan before the Lord (Photo credit: Wikipedia)   Read | 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Some Christians see a fellow believer fall into sin but fail to acknowledge that they, too, could stumble. That’s dangerous. Satan has them right where he wants them: deceived by a false sense of confidence. Three enemies are constantly at work trying to bring us down: the Devil, his world system, and our own treacherous flesh. Even though believers have a righteous standing before God, we must each, like Paul, acknowledge an internal problem: “sin which dwells in me” (Rom. 7:20). Satan takes full advantage of this weakness, luring us with fleshly and worldly temptations. He stokes our pride so we’ll be blinded to our own vulnerability to stumbling. Christians need to be continually on guard. Since ignorance–of the nature of sin, the strategies of the Enemy, and our own areas of weakness–sets us up for failure, we cannot afford to be careless in our thinking. Anytime you find yourself excusing, redefining, or rationalizing sin, you’ve lost your sensitivity to the Lord. God’s Word must always fill our minds and direct our steps. If you’ve drifted from the Lord, turn back to Him by acknowledging your sin and accepting full responsibility for it. Repentance simply means changing your mind and going in a different direction–toward God instead of away from Him. The next step is harder. Respond with gratitude for the Lord’s chastisement. Every time believers fall into sin, God lovingly works to bring them back into a fellowship with Him. His discipline may be painful, but it’s always good because it brings us to our senses and reconnects us with our Father. Dr. Charles Stanley

Differing Convictions

 

Image via Wikipedia

Differing Convictions
1 Corinthians 8:1-13

 

Although eating meat offered to idols is not a controversial subject today, 1 Corinthians 8 could cause us to wonder if God has double standards for Christian behavior. How can we reconcile differing convictions among believers?

First, we must acknowledge that some moral truths are evident to everyone. These are fixed and will not change, regardless of the situation. But other convictions are based on knowledge or beliefs. These will vary from person to person.

The conscience does not remain static. Rather, it expands according to the truth a person hears and receives. When you first became a Christian, you probably had no hesitation about activities, thoughts, or attitudes that you now consider unacceptable. As your knowledge of God and His Word has grown, so has your conscience. Since we all mature at a different rates, the Lord gives twinges of conscience to each person based upon his or her own understanding or personal weaknesses. In these variable areas, what is wrong for one believer may be acceptable for another.

So how are we to live with those whose convictions may not match ours? We must first realize that it’s not our job to convict or judge them. The Holy Spirit guides each believer in the way he should go.

What a marvelous display of God’s love for us. He designs a path for each one and gives a conscience with sensitivity based upon His intimate knowledge of that person. Our job is to grow in truth, to listen for His individualized direction, and never to hinder a fellow believer in his walk.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Qualifications for Sainthood

1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-9

Many people hold an unbiblical view of sainthood. Their idea of a saint is one who has led such an exemplary life that he or she is venerated by the church, but God‘s Word presents quite a different picture. The Corinthian church struggled with all sorts of ungodly behaviors, yet Paul describes them as “those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor. 1:2).

Sanctify means to set apart from common use to a sacred use. Throughout Scripture, the Lord has sanctified days (such as the Sabbath), places (the tabernacle), things (Ark of the Covenant), and people. A saint is simply a person whom God has set apart for His purposes. That means every believer is a saint.

Before you were saved, your position relative to God was one of enmity (Rom. 5:10). But the moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, the Lord changed your position and set you apart for Himself.

You were born again and are now His child. He forgave your sins and declared you righteous. A saint is not a perfect person but one who is in a right relationship with God. Although our position of sanctification is not predicated on good behavior, the Lord expects us to live in a manner that honors Him.

Just think–God set you apart for a sacred purpose. That means you are here, not to live as you please but to bring glory to Him. He calls us to live according to our new position in Christ. To refuse this responsibility of sainthood is a blatant act of ingratitude, which grieves His heart.

Dr. Charles Stanley

FAITH MUST BE FOUNDED ON THE WORD

Today with David Wilkerson

God’s concern is that his people are being shaken in their faith—that they
won’t trust him in their crises. Beloved, our worst sin is our unwillingness
to believe he will do what he promised. And that offends him more than
adultery, fornication, drug and alcohol abuse or any other sin of the flesh.

His Word says, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations” (2 Peter 2:9). “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

These verses are either the gospel or they are lies. But if they’re the
gospel, then we must stand on them. God wants us to be able to say, “Lord, if
I die standing here, trusting you to see me through, then let me die in faith.
Live or die, I’m yours.”

Let all the winds and waves of hell come at you. Let everything come at you.
Our God said he is able—and he knows how to deliver you.

He intended that you and I have all joy, peace, victory and rest in our walk.
He is looking for men and women who will stand up against what’s coming in
this dark age—servants who will stand with a calm and a peace because Christ
abides in them.

God so desires for you to come into such a place of trust. He wants you never
again to fear, but to truly rest in his power and ability. He knows how to
deliver you from all snares, trials and temptations—if you will but trust
him.

Our Glorious Hope

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-58

When we hear the word resurrection, most of us instantly think about Jesus rising from the dead, but His victory over the grave shows what will happen to us as well. One day every believer who has died is going to experience a bodily resurrection like His, and those who are alive when Christ returns will be changed from mortal to immortal in the twinkling of an eye.

One of the first questions that spring to our minds is, What am I going to look like? I can’t answer that specifically, but all I know is, you’re going to look as good as the Creator can make you. And that’s pretty good! These humble earthly bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies like His—minus the divinity, of course. Paul’s writings provide some hints about their characteristics: they are imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. As such, they will be fit for life in heaven. We’ll never again experience sin, sickness, pain, suffering, weakness, exhaustion, or death.

At times people ask me if we’ll be recognizable—that is, will we know our loved ones, and will they know us? Consider this: How could such powerful, glorious bodies be limited in this area if they are so much more advanced in every other way? I’m fully convinced that all our senses and mental abilities will be enhanced, not diminished.

A glorious future lies ahead of us, but the joy of a new body and a reunion with loved ones will be surpassed by the thrill of seeing Jesus. He is the One who made all this possible. Out of gratitude, let’s faithfully love and serve Him while we remain on this earth.

Dr. Charles Stanley

All I can add is Amen,Hallelujah!!!