May 2014 – Good Devotionals

May 30, 2014

A Little Help Please

Very good and encouraging!

“And Jepthat said to them, ‘My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands’.” Judges 12:2
“So when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand.” Judges 12:3

There are going to be times in our lives when no one can, or will, help us.

Lord, I thank You for all the wonderful people You put in my life that help me daily. I also thank You for the depth of Your love and faithfulness that sees me through the things I have to do on my own. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Ever Present Help

When waiting for human help
and help doesn’t come

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May 24, 2014

The Life Of Jesus

To devotions-en@lists.worldchallenge.org

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 20
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011]

The apostle Paul says, “I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last,
as it were appointed to death [handed over to death]: for we are made a
spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9).

Simply put, when godly saints full of the Christ-life are led into death
situations, it’s never a private matter. Scripture says we are on display to
three different intelligences: angels, devils and humankind.

At times you may feel all alone in your struggle, but you are not involved in
some secret battle taking place in a dark corner. On the contrary, three realms
are watching you with great interest. Devils are watching you, angels are
watching you, and people are watching you. And they are all wondering, “How
is this servant of God going to respond to his trial?”

What are such spectacle-trials all about? Why must we go through these deaths?
What is in us that God is after? Our heavenly Father knows that certain
unredeemed areas in our lives hinder the full manifestation of Christ’s life in
us. He knows our stumbling blocks, our fears, our ambitions, our
lusts—everything that blocks a full shining forth of Jesus. So He allows us
to be put into “death situations” to rid our hearts of these hindrances.

If your hindrance is a fear of man, God may lead someone into your life whose
presence paralyzes you with fear. Everything that person says or does adds to
your fear, until it becomes unbearable.

I have seen such fear cause physical pain to God’s saints. Some have ended up
hyperventilating over the “hard person” in their life, literally losing their
breath. Why does God allow such a man or woman to become involved in your life?
It happens because your loving Father is handing you over to death. He’s telling
you, “Your fear of man hinders the precious flow of the Christ-life in you,
thus it cannot produce life in others. This fear in you must end. You have to
die to it!”

Your cry to Him may be, “Lord, get me out of this!” But God responds, “No
I’m going to let death do its work. I have arranged all of this so the life of
Jesus might be manifest in you!”

Read this devotion online:http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/25355?src=devo-email

May 24, 2014

Feeling Ill

Very good and encouraging post !! Enjoy!!

Today, I can with God

Feeling Ill

I don’t feel good today, God

Today I’m going to:

Pray for the healing that You give

Only through Your grace and love, shall I ever live

Feeling ill, whether acutely ill for a short time or chronically ill, is devastating. The effects can dig deeply into our being, eroding our spirit, etching ugly scars into our heart and defeating us to the point of deep, dark depression.

It is easy to question God when it comes to illness. As I have suffered chronic illness for years, I have always believed in what Jesus spoke at the end saying “it is finished”. Those three words to me supported all that He had taught his disciples about healing, teaching, faith, love, God and everything else.

We are told that “by His stripes we are healed”. So why, then, do we not always heal? Why is it that I still…

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May 24, 2014

The Book of Life

Amen! Very good !!

Deb's Blog

“And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.” Revelation 20:12

A friend shared that her sister-in-law’s dying wish was for her family and friends to hear the gospel. As they gathered around her and she passed away, the pastor was called back to talk to them and everyone there believed.

Thank You, Lord, for continuing to add to Your Book of Life. And here’s a simple poem . . .

The pen is ready
the ink well filled

to write down the names
of those who will

ask for forgiveness
and believe in Christ

finding themselves
in His story of Life.

God bless you as you live out the Life He gave you!

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May 24, 2014May 24, 2014

Holy Desperation

By Carter Conlon

You and I are living in what I call “an hour of holy desperation.”

Our society is degenerating very rapidly, and horrific crimes are occurring so
often that we are becoming dulled to it all. The abnormal is becoming normal;
evil is becoming good. As you look around perhaps you wonder, “How do I fit
into this moment in time? What can God do through my life? And if He is going
to do something, why is it that my prayers, that I know are according to His
Word, have not yet been answered?”

To help address some of these questions, let’s look at another time in
history when a desperate hour came upon a nation. The book of First Samuel
speaks of a season when there was no clear word or vision. The priesthood that
was supposed to represent God was instead deeply compromised (see 1 Samuel
2:22-24, 3:1). God’s character, purpose, and mind were hidden from the
people, leaving them without answers to the questions in their hearts: “What
is happening in our society? Where are we going?”

This situation was very similar to the day in which we live when it seems as if
the presence of God—His power and provision that we have known throughout our
history—is suddenly gone. It appears that the enemies of God now have the
upper hand, dictating to us when we can pray, what we can teach our children,
what is right and what is wrong. As a result, a deep cry is beginning to form
in the hearts of the people.

Psalm 107 speaks of these seasons of holy desperation that recurred throughout
history. The psalmist describes a people who were wandering, hungry, fainting
and held captive. It was a time marked by a foolish handling of the truth of
God. Yet it is in these very moments of desperation that the general population
begins to cry out to God, as is beginning in our day. There is a cry rising in
this generation—a cry not necessarily heard by the natural ear, but God hears
it. It is like the time He came to Moses and said, “I have heard the cry of
the people and I have come down to deliver them” (see Exodus 3:7-8). In other
words, I have heard their groans of hopelessness. Today the Lord hears the cries
of those whose dreams have been shattered, of parents whose children have gone
astray, of those who ask, “What happened to us?”

“I have surely seen the affliction of my people . . . and have heard their
cry” (Exodus 3:7).

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the
invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior
Pastor in 2001. A strong, compassionate leader, he is a frequent speaker at the
Expect Church Leadership Conferences conducted by World Challenge throughout the
world.

The prayer and support of our partners has made it possible for us to reach the poor throughout the world for over forty years. https://www.worldchallenge.org/support?src=devo-email

Read this devotion online: http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/27799?src=devo-email

Desperate For A Touch

May 20, 2014

How To Know Who Your Real Friends Are

May 20, 2014

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:12-13

One thing that always astounds me is the number of people who put conditions on their relationships with others. I’m talking about those people who say, “I’ll be your friend if…” or “I’ll be your friend until….” That’s so sad because it goes against the very definition of friendship!

Real friendship is unconditional. A true friend is one who stays your friend even when you mess up. It’s not about what you do for them. Their friendship is about the love they have for you and will have for you no matter what.

This should impact both how we choose our friends, as well as the kind of friends we are to other people. Biblical friendship reflects the love of Christ and sticks together through thick and thin. In the way that Christ accepts you regardless of your performance, so we are to accept others.

If you want to know who your real friends are, just make a mistake and see who stays around. You’ll find that some “friends” will leave like rats scurrying off a sinking ship. But the real friends in your life will be with you no matter what. Find and be that kind of friend!

SEEK OUT AND BE A GOOD FRIEND WHO LOVES OTHERS DESPITE THEIR PERFORMANCE.

For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit www.jackgraham.org

May 19, 2014

What It Really Means To Trust Jesus

May 19, 2014

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4

Many years ago, there was a famous circus performer, a French tightrope walker by the name of Charles Blondin,

English: Blondin carrying his manager, Harry C... — English: Blondin carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on a tightrope. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

who made his name by walking across some amazing heights. One day, he decided he would stretch a tightrope across Niagara Falls and walk across. Not only that, but he planned to do so while pushing a wheelbarrow!

So the day came when the crowds were gathered at the falls to see Blondin perform this amazing feat. He went back and forth several times, each time loading the barrow with more rocks and bricks. And after one particular trip across, he asked, “How many of you believe I can push a man across the falls in this wheelbarrow?” Everyone’s hands were raised.

“Alright,” Blondin said, “Who volunteers to sit in the wheelbarrow?” Everyone took a step back. These people who were enthusiastic in their belief he could do it were unwilling to literally put their lives on the line for it. But one man, Blondin’s manager, volunteered, and was taken across the falls safely in that wheelbarrow.

It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s another to get in the wheelbarrow and trust Him with your life. The crowd believes. The Christian trusts. Get in the wheelbarrow of faith today and trust Jesus to get you safely across!

TRUST IN JESUS BY SURRENDERING YOUR LIFE TO HIM AND PUTTING EVERYTHING FULLY IN HIS HANDS!

For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit www.jackgraham.org

Belief in action

May 18, 2014

My Firm Foundation

Wonderful Encouragement !! Enjoy!!

sacrificebeyondprice

“We walk by faith, not by sight.”
2Co 5:7 NKJV

What Are You Seeing?

Your eyes can deceive you! Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, dipped his coat in goat’s blood and told their father he’d been torn to pieces by a wild beast. As a result, the old man said, “I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning” (Ge 37:35 NKJV). In reality not only was Joseph alive, he’d soon become prime minister of Egypt and save his family during the time of famine. But his father lived all those years grieving because of something he saw: a coat. Sometimes there’s a difference between facts and truth. The facts may confirm that the economy is bad, but the truth is, “God shall supply all your need according to his riches” (Php 4:19). One day Elisha and his servant woke up in the town of Dothan…

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May 17, 2014

Finding Fault With Others

Here’s Today’s Devotional from The Vine…

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? – Matthew 7:3

It is strange how oblivious we can be of our own faults and blemishes, and how clearly we can see those of other people. One old writer says: “Men are more apt to use spectacles than looking-glasses – spectacles to behold other men’s faults than looking-glasses to behold their own.” A man can see a little speck of dust in his neighbour’s eye while utterly unaware of the great beam in his own eye. He observes the most minute fault in his brother while unconscious of his own far greater fault.

We would say that a beam in a man’s eye would so blind him that he could not see the mote in another’s eye. As our Lord represents it, however, the man with the beam is the very one who sees the mote and thinks himself competent to pull it out. So it is in morals. No man is so sharp at seeing a fault in another as he who has the same or a similar fault of his own. A vain man is the first to detect the indications of vanity in another. A bad-tempered person is most apt to be censorious toward a neighbour who displays bad temper. One with a sharp uncontrolled tongue has the least patience with another whose speech is full of poisoned arrows. A selfish man discovers even motes of selfishness in others. Rude people are the very first to be hurt and offended by rudeness in a neighbour.

So it is always. If we are quick to perceive blemishes and faults in others, the probability is that we have far greater blemishes and faults in ourselves. This truth ought to make us exceedingly careful in our judgments and exceedingly modest in our expressions of censure, for we really are telling the world our own faults. It is wiser, as well as more in accordance with the spirit of Christ, for us to find lovely things in others, and to be silent regarding their faults.

A Self-Righteous Spirit

May 17, 2014

Transformed For Triumph

David Wilkerson Today

By Claude Houde

“Simon, Simon, Satan had desired to have you, to sift you as wheat, but I
have prayed for you that your faith would not fail and when you come back, you
will strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

Jesus fixed His prophetic gaze upon Peter and saw something terrifying. He saw
Peter deny Him and blaspheme His name to prove that he did not walk with
Christ. Jesus caught a glimpse of the immediate future, the satanic trap and
intent, as He saw Peter weeping bitterly, staggering away and abandoning
everything to go back to his fishing vessel. Peter was returning to the nets of
his past, in a state of profound resignation and despair. Satan had desired to
sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you.

Jesus saw the somber threat, demonic, dark, menacing and destructive, hovering
over Peter. He sees and knows what could destroy us. He is Alpha and Omega, the
first and the last page of our existence. He is never stunned or disgusted by
our mistakes, our secrets, and our failures. He never “finds out” anything
about us. He is all knowledge and all love and He never gives up on us and our
future.

Jesus is not naïve, like a sweet “momma” who is sometimes blinded by
unrealistic love that causes her to lose all lucidity or objectivity about
“her baby.” No, to the contrary, Jesus possesses the divine and redemptive
capacity to vividly see the worst threat in Peter’s life, but also to pray
for him and to supernaturally foresee, by the Spirit of the Lord upon Him, that
barely fifty days later, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter would stand in the midst
of an agitated and tumultuous crowd and speak words that would literally give
birth to the Church! “When you come back, you will strengthen your
brothers.”

Jesus was already seeing Peter being transformed for triumph—from weeping to
worship; denying to deliverance; feebleness to faith; blasphemy to blessing;
ruin to revival—and from almost dead to authority and destiny. This is how
Jesus sees you! He never only sees what you have been or what you are
presently, He sees what you can become by faith in Him. He knows what has been
prepared for you in the invisible realm. He wants us to learn to see ourselves,
as well as others, through that dimension of faith.

Claude Houde, lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal,
Canada, is a frequent speaker at the Expect Church Leadership Conferences
conducted by World Challenge throughout the world. Under his leadership New
Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of
Canada with few successful Protestant churches.

The prayer and support of our partners has made it possible for us to reach the poor throughout the world for over forty years. https://www.worldchallenge.org/support?src=devo-email

Read this devotion online: http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/27796?src=devo-email