Topic: Put the Rumor to Rest [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt…but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. – Exodus 10:22-23

Years ago Satan started a rumor. He told a few Christians they had to live like the world, sharing all the same misfortune, defeat, poverty and failure as those around them. Well, the word spread. You may have heard the rumor yourself. But I am telling you right now that it is a crafty lie.

The Word of God says in Psalm 91:10, that evil can’t even come near your house if you are abiding in Him.

In John 16, Jesus Himself says He has deprived the world of power to harm you. And Exodus 10:23 says that when thick darkness surrounded the Egyptians, the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

By these and other scriptures, you can see that God never intended you to experience all of the junk that the world suffers. He’s always wanted His children to live above it, to stand out as light in a dark world.

In the Old Testament, God’s fame was established because of the miracles He had worked for His children. That same thing should be true today with you and me. We should be glorifying God by the miraculously victorious lives we live. People should be coming up to us and saying things like, “I’ve heard how God healed you.” Or, “I’ve heard how your children were delivered from drugs,” or, “God has really brought you out of a financial crisis.”

Can you see now why Satan would spread a rumor that would make you believe you have to suffer with the world instead of live as victor over it? He doesn’t want people running after you asking where you get your power, your peace, your health and prosperity.

But that’s exactly what God wants to happen. So, put the Word of God to work and dare to receive the blessings He has promised to you. Let the light of God’s power in your life put the devil’s dark rumors to rest!

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-16

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.

Topic: God Calling [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

Read: Genesis 3:1–10, Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 28–29; John 17

This is how God showed his love . . . : He sent his one and only Son into the world. 1 John 4:9

One morning my daughter gave her eleven-month-old son her cell phone for a moment to entertain him. Less than a minute later my phone rang, and as I picked it up I heard his little voice. He had somehow hit the “speed dial” to my number, and what followed was a “conversation” I will long remember. My grandson can only say a few words, but he knows my voice and responds to it. So I talked to him and told him how much I love him.

The joy I felt at the sound of my grandson’s voice was a reminder to me of God’s deep desire for a relationship with us. From the very beginning, the Bible shows God actively pursuing us. After Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and then hid from Him in the garden, “the Lord God called” to Adam (Gen. 3:9).

God’s love for us is revealed through Jesus.

God continued to pursue humanity through Jesus. Because God desires a relationship with us, He sent Jesus to earth to pay the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross. “This is how God showed his love . . . . He sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God” (1 John 4:9–10 The Message).

How good it is to know that God loves us and wants us to respond to His love through Jesus. Even when we don’t quite know what to say, our Father longs to hear from us!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and pursuing a relationship with me. Help me to be a joy to You by drawing near to You.

God’s love for us is revealed through Jesus.

Insight:

God did not force Adam and Eve to obey Him but allowed them to choose whether or not they would obey. Similarly, He did not force them to come to Him after they sinned. Instead, He called to them and allowed them to respond to His call. Have you responded to God’s offer of a restored relationship with Him?

This message was written By James Banks [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: God Likes Us [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

Matthew 18:14 “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”

One of the greatest truths of the Bible and also one of the hardest to comprehend, is that we are the objects of God’s love. God didn’t just pity us or feel some sense of moral obligation to save us. He saved us because of His infinite love for us (Jn. 3:16).

God loves people. He even loves those who have gone astray. As Jesus said in a similar parable (Lk. 15:7), “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

Once we experience the life-changing power of Christ, there is a tendency to become harsh and impatient with others who continue to live their lives without Him. We sometimes forget that it was the love and goodness of God that brought us to repentance (Rom. 2:4), and we become condemning and judgmental toward the lost. This is not the attitude that Jesus had, nor the attitude He wants us to have.

“Even when we were spiritually dead because of our sins, God’s forbearance was working on our behalf. He was tolerant, patient and kind towards us. God abounded in excessive proportion with good will, compassion, and desire to help us. His disposition was kind, compassionate, and forgiving in His treatment of us. He wanted in abundant supply to alleviate our distress and bring relief from our sins. He did this by giving us life in place of death.

It was with Christ that this salvation was secured. By grace, kindness, and favor we are saved. All of this was the result of God’s extremely large degree of love wherewith He loved us, always seeking the welfare and betterment of us. God likes us” (Eph. 2:4-5 paraphrased by). God loves YOU!

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: Reconciliation [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son . . . — Romans 5:10

The word “reconcile” means literally “bring into a changed relationship.” It means to bring together two parties who should have been together all along. The Bible speaks of the human race as enemies of God. You may say that you are no “enemy” of God, but according to Scripture we are either passive or active enemies of God, apart from Christ. Reconciliation means “brought back into full relationship and fellowship with God.” This is what Christ accomplished on the cross. What a thrilling thought!

Prayer for the day: Your cross, dear Savior, brings me to my knees in humble gratitude. Thank You, for forgiving all the past and giving me strength to live each day in Your power.

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.

Today’s Scripture: “Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.” – (Psalm 105:5, ESV)

Topic: Remember What He Has Done [Tuesday June 6, 2017]

Anything can become routine if we let it. Anything can feel mundane after a while.

Not long ago, I was talking to a professional baseball player. He has been in the big leagues about fifteen years. His life seems so exciting, far from routine, far from ordinary. He said, “No, Joel, it’s not what you think. We travel all the time. We’re always on the road, in hotels, eating out and away from our family.”

The truth is, I’m sure he was excited about it all when he first started. There are probably things in your life that you were once excited about. When God opened the door and gave you that new job, that promotion, you were so excited. You called your friends. You knew it was God’s favor. Well, don’t let the passion wear off just because you’ve had it five years! When you met that person and fell in love you were on cloud nine. You knew it was God’s goodness. Don’t take it for granted. Remember what God has done! Stir up the joy in your heart. Stir up praise. Thank Him for His faithfulness and let your attitude of gratitude pave the way to live the life of blessing He has for you!

A Prayer for Today: “Father God, right now I take time to remember and acknowledge Your goodness in my life. I praise You because You are good. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for setting me free. Thank You for pouring out Your blessings on me and leading me into everlasting life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: The Reason for Praise (Prt 2) [Tuesday June 6, 2017]

You need to change your mentality, shift your focus from things to God. Have value for God and for your life more than things! When you have the mentality of “God is good”, you will never stop dancing. What is the target you have set for this year that you have not achieved? If you were dead would you be talking about target? Go to the mortuary and ask the corpses there of their targets for the year.

Don’t be shortsighted, stop murmuring! Thank God for the tremendous gift of life because life is the reason for things! If you don’t have life you won’t need things. If you didn’t have a body would you be talking about dress? Jesus said, “…Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matt 6:28, 30).

Topic: Make a Decision [Tuesday June 6, 2017]

I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings the curses; therefor choose life, that you and your descendants may live. — Deuteronomy 30:19 (AMPC)

I’m going to start with a question that may seem tough to ask at the beginning of a study, but I believe it goes to the core of how you are living your life: Are you living your life with quantity in mind or with quality in mind?

No matter who you are, whether you are a CEO of a business or a committed stay-at-home mom, we all have the same amount of time available to us—the quantity is the very same. 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year. So why do some appear to enjoy it more? Over my life, I’ve come to realize that it’s all about making the choice to enjoy it, the “choosing life” as Deuteronomy says. And that life is choosing to walk in the life and promises Christ died to give us.

As believers, you and I have available to us the quality of that life through Christ. His life is not filled with fear, stress, worry, anxiety or depression. God is not impatient, and He is in no hurry. He takes time to enjoy His creation, the words of His hands. And because Christ lives inside of us, we have access to approach life in the same way.

However, does that sound like your life today? Do you find yourself rushing through the quantity of your life while sacrificing the quality of it? We must all come to the place where we make the decision to not only enjoy our work and accomplishments, but also enjoy the road in getting there.

Final Thoughts and Action Items

We will never enjoy life unless we make a quality decision to do so. Satan is an expert at stealing, and our joy is one of his favorite targets. Nehemiah 8:10 tell us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. In John 10:10 we are told that “the thief” comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life.

Satan is the thief, and one of the things he seeks to steal is our joy. If he can steal our joy from us, we will be weak, and when we are weak, the enemy takes advantage of us. Weak believers are no threat to him and his works of destruction.

To live as God intends for us to live, the first thing we must do is truly believe that it is God’s will for us to experience continual joy. That doesn’t mean we’ll never face opposition or hardship, but instead, that we will face it with Christ on our side and ultimately, be able to rely on his joy as our strength to go through it. But again, we must make the decision enter and rely upon that joy.

Action Items

What decisions are you making today? Are you making those decisions with quality in mind or quantity?

Are you actively relying on the joy of the Lord to be your strength? Or are you trying to do it in your own strength?

Decide to rest in God’s joy. Make the decision today to look for quality over quantity, knowing that when you rely on Christ, you’ll accomplish everything you need to and in God’s timing.