Darkness descended on our forest village when the moon disappeared. Lightning slashed the skies, followed by a rainstorm and crackling thunder. Awake and afraid, as a child I imagined all kinds of grisly monsters about to pounce on me! By daybreak, however, the sounds vanished, the sun rose, and calm returned as birds jubilated in the sunshine. The contrast between the frightening darkness of the night and the joy of the daylight was remarkably sharp.
The author of Hebrews recalls the time when the Israelites had an experience at Mount Sinai so dark and stormy they hid in fear (Exodus 20:18–19). For them, God’s presence, even in His loving gift of the law, felt dark and terrifying. This was because, as sinful people, the Israelites couldn’t live up to God’s standards. Their sin caused them to walk in darkness and fear (Hebrews 12:18–21).
But God is light; in Him there’s no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). In Hebrews 12, Mount Sinai represents God’s holiness and our old life of disobedience, while the beauty of Mount Zion represents God’s grace and believers’ new life in Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant” (vv. 22–24).
Whoever follows Jesus will “never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Through Him, we can let go of the darkness of our old life and celebrate the joy of walking in the light and beauty of His kingdom.
If you’re a believer in Jesus, how has your life changed since He came into it? What are some ways you’d like to grow in your faith?
Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for bringing me out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Help me to avoid the darkness to continue walking in the light toward eternity.
INSIGHT No author is identified for the book of Hebrews. Scholarly speculation regarding potential authors ranges from Paul to Barnabas to Luke to Apollos, and even to Aquila and Priscilla. What are we to conclude about this ongoing, centuries-old debate? First, the very fact that there is so much speculation clearly reveals that no particular view can be totally proven. Second, human authorship is less of a problem if we understand that, by means of the inspiration of Scripture, the ultimate author is in fact the Holy Spirit who inspired it (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21). For more on Bible background, check out Beyond Reasonable Doubt: The Truth of the Bible at discoveryseries.org/q0411. Bill Crowder
Topic: Let the World Know [Kenneth Copeland Devotional 4 January 2019]
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word…. that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me…. – John 17:20-23
Over the years the Church has come up with all kinds of elaborate ways to evangelize the world. We get together and map out plans and strategies and raise money for it. But through it all, we rarely mention the plan that Jesus gave us.
Most believers don’t even realize that He gave us the key to winning the world, but He did. He prayed about it right before He went to the Cross. He asked the Father to bring us into a place of such oneness with each other and with Him that the world would know that He had been sent from God.
If you and I and all the rest of the Body of Christ would get together and start loving each other, we’d evangelize the world so fast it would make your head swim. It’s true. But until recently, we’ve been too busy scrapping with one another and getting our feelings hurt to give it much thought.
But, praise God, it’s beginning to dawn on some folks now that we need to stop that stuff. We need to start treating Jesus’ command that we love one another as a command instead of an alternative. We need to drop our silly arguments and be unified by the Spirit of God.
Do you want to take a step toward evangelizing the world today? Then start praying for oneness. Make up your mind that you’re going to start loving your fellow believers instead of criticizing, complaining and talking ugly about them.
Start confessing that the Church of God is going to rise up together in faith and love as one glorious Body driven by the power of Jesus Himself. We are, you know. Jesus prayed that it would happen, and the Holy Spirit is already bringing it to pass.
Satan would like to stop it, but he can’t. It’s far more powerful than he is—and it’s going to blast a hole in his operation that’s big enough to drive a train through. It’s going to let the whole world know that Jesus truly is Lord!
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
Women Speak Out about Sexual Abuse by Catholic Nuns
Following the reveal of sex abuse by hundreds of Catholic priests and clergymen in 2018, women are now speaking out about being sexually abused by nuns.
According to CBS News, Trish Cahill was drugged and sexually abused by nun Sister Eileen Shaw, starting when she was 15 years old. Cahill reportedly went to visit Shaw to confide in her about past molesting by her uncle who was a priest, but what she got instead of protection, was more abuse. Cahill told CBS News, “I would have done anything for her. I would have died for her.” Cahill continued, “She gave me everything that was lacking that I didn’t even know I was lacking. I was so broken. She filled in all those pieces.”
Now, Cahill realizes that what was happening was sexual abuse. According to CBS News, Shaw was giving Cahill drugs and alcohol while also showing her how to have sex with women.
Cahill told the outlet that she would spend her days with friends and nights, weekends and summers with Shaw where she would be sexually abused.
Another woman speaking out about abusive nuns is Mary Dispenza.
Dispenza, who is a former nun, told CBS News that she too was sexually assaulted by a nun.
She recalled the experience in an interview with the outlet. Reportedly, Dispenza was called to her superior’s office. She said, “I knelt down right next to her and she kissed me all over softly, my face… and I want to say, ‘Oh but…
Topic: Can You Believe It? [Andrew Wommack Devotional 4 January 2019]
Luke 1:18, “And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”
Text: Luke 1:5-25
Zacharias and Elisabeth were righteous people (v. 6) who prayed for a child for many years. They felt the same disappointments and frustrations that any of us would feel and yet they kept believing God. The Lord finally answered their prayers and sent His angel to announce the good news.
What was Zacharias’ reaction? He couldn’t believe it! The very thing that he had been praying for was granted and he doubted that it was true. In Zacharias’ case he received his miracle anyway. Perhaps his wife’s faith pulled him through.
Likewise, you may be praying for the right things. You may even be sincere and earnest, but would you be surprised if those prayers were suddenly answered today? Have you made preparations for your prayers to be answered?
Before the children of Israel were actually delivered from Egypt, they ate the passover meal by faith. Their bags were packed and ready to go. We need to anticipate our prayers being answered.
Right now, imagine how you would feel or what you would do if the answer to your prayers was manifested this very minute. Then, as much as possible begin to think and act that way. You’ll find out that your whole attitude will change as you focus on your answer instead of the problem.
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
Topic: Assurance of His Love [Billy Graham Devotional 4 January 2019]
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? —Psalm 27:1
Today many people are living in the bondage of fear. In a recent study a psychiatrist said that the greatest problem facing his patients was fear. Fear of going insane, committing suicide, being alone, or fear of heart disease, cancer, disaster, or death. We are becoming a nation of fearful people. Down through the centuries in times of trouble, temptation, trial, bereavement, and crisis, God has brought courage to the hearts of those who love Him.
The Bible is crowded with assurances of God’s help and comfort in every kind of trouble which might cause fears to arise in the human heart. Today the Christian can come to the Scriptures with full assurance that God is going to deliver the person who puts his trust and confidence in God. Christians can look into the future with promise, hope, and joy, and without fear, discouragement, or despondency.
Prayer for the day: Your assurances of love still the fears of my heart, Lord.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
Women’s College in Missouri Redefines Womanhood, Welcomes Transgender Women
Stephens College in Missouri announced recently that the traditionally all-female school would allow transgender women to enroll starting in the fall of 2019.
According to The Christian Post, men who are transitioning to females will be allowed to attend the college, but any women transitioning to males will have to leave the school.
“Because the College has expanded its definition of womanhood to include both sex and gender, it is logically consistent that it also acknowledges both sex and gender in its definition of manhood,” the college said in a statement.
“As a result, the College will stop admitting and enrolling students who were born female but who now identify as men or who are transitioning from female to male. The College will also continue to admit and enroll students who were born female but who identify as non-binary, meaning students who experience their gender identity as falling outside the categories of man and woman. “
Students will have to provide legal documentation that they live and identify as a woman.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the college has been reviewing the policy change since 2014.
Stephens College is the second oldest all-women college in the U.S. The oldest women-only college is Salem College in North Carolina.
One of Belgium’s most popular beers will lose the booze in a new drink.
AB InBev, the world’s largest brewing company is set to launch a zero alcohol version of its Leffe beer.
It’s normally made by monks or on license and the product is one of the country’s most powerful abbey beers.
The original Leffe dates back to 1240 and normally has 6.6% alcohol content.
Attitudes towards drinking in Belgium are said to be changing. In a recent survey 62% of adults in Belgium thought they drank too much.
Non-alcoholic larger and beers have seen 30% growth in the market over the last year in Belgium.
The brewing process will not be altered in the production of this new drink. AB InBev will first let the beer go through its usual brewing process. The alcohol is then removed using a de-alcoholisation technique to produce the new drink.
Eoghan Walsh, beer writer in Belgium told the Daily Telegraph that “a zero percent abbey beer is a big departure from a brewing tradition you can trace back hundreds of years”.
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Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Lessons from the Sower II
Topic: Lessons from the Sower II (Open Heaven 4 January 2019)
Memorise:“Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:”- Proverbs 24:3
Read: Mark 4:2-9, Mark 10:29-30 (KJV)
Mark 4:2-9: 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 10:29-30: 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Bible in One Year: Matthew 9-10, Isaiah 3:1-23
Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday MESSAGE:
Yesterday, we learnt a great lesson from the futility of indiscriminate sowing from the Parable of the Sower. The Holy Spirit taught us that it would amount to a waste of seed, time and energy if we do not sow wisely. Today, we will reflect on the benefits of sowing with wisdom.
To conclude His parable on the sower, the Lord in Mark 4:8 said:
“And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.”
The first lesson here is that seeds don’t all yield the same amount of fruit. Every child of God must have this understanding in order not be frustrated by unfulfilled expectations. In His own wisdom, the Owner of the Church did not endow every member of His Church equally (Romans 12:6-8). What is important is that we all sow seeds, using the endowments God has given to each of us, and we must do all within our ability to maximise the potential of our seed in order to yield the expected fruits (John 15:16). It will therefore be wrong for us, as members of the Body of Christ, to begin to compare ourselves competitively with one another. The Holy Spirit discourages this type of attitude among the brethren (2 Corinthians 10:12).
When we choose correctly the right soil to sow our seeds into, we are bound to prosper. It is frustrating to work and have nothing to show for it. Peter experienced this in Luke 5:3-8, but by the time he encountered the Owner of heaven and earth, he had a big catch. From Peter’s experience, you will be wise to learn that you need Jesus Christ, who is Himself the Wisdom of God, to experience breakthroughs in life without struggle (1 Corinthians 1:24-29). Moreover, if you are one of those who pay tithes and give offerings as commanded by God, you must identify the correct soil to sow these seeds of faith into. You must identify a commission which has God’s backing to sow your seeds of giving into. Many people have been discouraged from paying their tithes, offerings and first fruits because God’s promise on these in Malachi 3:10 is not fulfilled in their lives. They have become disgruntled about giving, not only to God but also to the needy, because they lack adequate knowledge on the principles of sowing. The problem is that many people unknowingly sow among thorns and thistles, on the roadside or even on the rock. From the Parable of the Sower, we know what happens to such seeds. This will not be your experience in Jesus’ Name. Some ministries which are not founded on the call of God are like the wayside and rocky ground that Jesus described; you will be wise not to sow your time and resources in such places. Overall, the best investment you can make is to sow the seed of your life into Christ. If you do, you will surely reap the benefits in multiple folds (Mark 10:30, John 10:10).
Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday Key Point:
God is not committed to what He hasn’t commanded. Are you sowing into a cause that has His backing?
Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday Hymn 4: Take My Life, And Let It Be
1.Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2.Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3.Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose, Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne, It shall be Thy royal throne.
5. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store. Take myself and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee, Ever, only, all for Thee.
Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 4 January 2019 Friday Daily Devotional.
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Pastor Erica Campbell Talks with Non-Believers about Why They Don’t Believe in God
Grammy Winning Christian singer and pastor Erica Campbell sat down with three non-believers to ask them why they do not believe in God, last month.
In a viral BuzzFeed video, Campbell was able to talk to a former Mormon named Josh, a former Catholic woman named Emily, and a woman who grew up Hindu but now identifies as agnostic, named Nina.
As she sat with each of them one-on-one, the Mary-Mary singer listened intently working to understand why they believe what they believe.
Early in his conversation with Campbell, Josh explained how he grew up in a very involved Mormon family, but he couldn’t shake the feelings of doubt he had.
Campbell shook her head to show that she understood and then offered a similar experience she had with her church when she was growing up. She said, “I grew up similar to you, but mine was a Pentecostal church, the Church of God in Christ. My father was a preacher, my mom was over the choir.”
She continued, “There was a lot of things that didn’t always make sense to me, like why we were so poor.”
“But the same way I wouldn’t doubt love because people have gotten love wrong, that’s kind of how I feel about God and I think it’s reassuring to me that after it’s over, there is something grater,” she added.
Later Josh disclosed to Campbell that in reading the bible there were many things he…
According to a congressional aide, the US President told Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (pictured below) that as a “good Catholic” she should get behind his plans.
A closed-door meeting between Trump and congressional leaders has led to no further progress over the partial government shutdown.
Talks will resume on Friday amid an impasse over the President’s demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the US border with Mexico.
The Democrats, who will take control of the US congress when it reconvenes on Thursday, have insisted they won’t provide funds for the wall.
In an interview with NBC’s Today show, Ms Pelosi said: “Nothing for the wall.
“We can go through the back and forth. No. How many more times can we say no?”
Mr Trump has mentioned the Vatican’s centuries-old fortifications before, including at the earlier Cabinet meeting. But Democrats have said they do not want medieval barriers, and Ms Pelosi has called Mr Trump’s proposed wall along the US-Mexico border immoral.
“I remain ready and willing to work with Democrats,” Mr Trump tweeted after the meeting. “Let’s get it done!”
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