The Peace of God

Few behaviors sabotage our effectiveness more than worry.

But this pandemic is treatable. After all, worry is internal. No one forces you to do it, no one but you can fix it, and no one but you is fully aware of the extent of it. Our worry is precisely that: ours. 

But worry isn’t merely a psychological problem; it’s a theological problem. The origin of worry is Genesis 3, which takes us back to the primordial sin in the garden. Eve determined to be “like God” (verse 5). She and Adam decided to run the world on their own. Rather than living under God’s authority, they chose to take on his status and responsibilities. They asserted themselves as rulers of their own universe. Consequently, they learned the stress of trying to control time, destiny, and morality. 

No human being is capable of exercising such control. Yet all of us try. We play God and find ourselves overwhelmed by the pressure. 

Worry is toxic to our souls because it blinds us to what God has done and blocks us from what he could do—all because we focus on ourselves rather than God. Our craving for self-sufficiency disables trust. 

All this is neutralized by faith. Both the Old and the New Testaments have a simple solution: trust God. This is not blind trust as much as trusting God’s track record. He has proved himself faithful.

Paul wrote that we must “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When Satan accosts us with negative thoughts, we wrestle those to the ground and expel them from our minds. 

The trick is that we can’t just rid ourselves of a thought. That leaves a vacuum in its place, and the negativity gets sucked right back in. We must replace negative thoughts with God’s truth. 

Scripture, sermons, and Christian music are powerful resources for mental transformation. The space and place you give to thoughts will grow roots in your brain. What we fertilize most will win the battle for our brains. When we feed our minds with Scripture, God’s Truth, and memories of his care for us, worry fades away and we can take every thought captive again.

When do you struggle with worry most often? What could you put into your mind to replace worry?

Church cancels 9/11 event under pressure from CAIR

Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church was to host a two-day event called “9/11 forgotten? Is Michigan surrendering to Islam?” on Wednesday and Thursday.
A former Muslim who has become a popular speaker, Shahram Hadian, was to speak Wednesday on “How the Interfaith Movement is Sabotaging America and the Church.” And on Thursday, Jim Simpson, a former Office of Management and Budget economist to three presidents and an investigative reporter, was to speak on “How Islam is Destroying America from Within.”
The event was planned by a group called the Detroit Coalition for Freedom.
In response to the cancelation, the organization United West will feature the two speakers in a webinar on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Eastern time that can be viewed online through registration.

‘We don’t hate Muslims’
Last week, the Baptist church’s pastor, Donald McKay, defended the event in an interview with WJBK-TV.

“Islam is a growing threat in the United States of America,” he said. “We don’t hate Muslims, we hate the ideology they are identified with.
Hadian said on his website that his Sept. 11 discussion would “expose the growing deception of interfaith dialogue” and “explain how interfaith ‘dialogue’ is compromising the Gospel & our national security.”
But the Council on American-Islamic Relations along with members of Congress and state representatives pressed the church to cancel the event, and its elders complied.
The executive director of CAIR’s Michigan chapter, Dawud Walid, cast the event’s message as “anti-Muslim bigotry.”
“Though we believe that houses of worship have the right to preach their doctrine, we find it incredibly irresponsible for a church to invite someone who has the objective of spewing clear anti-Muslim bigotry,” Walid told the Detroit Free Press.

Read more at here

In Jesus' Name

Prayer 911

It was the middle of the night when my phone rang. Someone was calling with a “Prayer 911.” Their family was in crisis; their situation was dire. If God didn’t move, life as they’d known it would be dramatically changed forever. Prayer was the only solution to their emergency, and they needed someone to stand with them. They asked for wisdom, strength, encouragement and a renewed faith to believe God’s Word for their situation. We prayed together, and the next day they began to experience a miraculous breakthrough. The Enemy’s hindrances were thwarted, and God broke through with favor and provision! Prayer had made a difference!

 It’s not uncommon for us to arrive at a place of “Prayer 911”—a moment of crisis when the Enemy has done all he knows to do to discourage, disappoint and distance us from the plans and purposes God has for our lives. We’ve become weary from the battle and we need to know His will and clearly hear what He’s saying in the midst of the assaulting fear and confusion. All we can do is stop what we’re doing and pray immediately. It’s at times like this that we need to stand on His Word and apply Ephesians 6:13 (AMP): “Therefore put on God’s complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”

 “Prayer 911” situations often leave us in weak, vulnerable places. The Enemy will try to take advantage of our vulnerability by doing everything he can to get our thoughts focused on the impossibility of the situation rather than on the One who can change the impossible. Satan doesn’t want us to remember that “No weapon formed against [us] shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17) or that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37, NLT). Yet it’s during times like these that the Word of God (the sword of the Spirit) sustains us and gives us the ability to say, “In the face of all trials, tests, temptations and tribulation, I cut to pieces the snare of the Enemy by speaking the Word of God.”* We must consciously capture every thought that goes against who the Word tells us God is, and replace it with the Truth. The Bible says to take “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we do that, He is able to replace those lies from the Enemy with His empowered truth.

As you take your thoughts captive, you need to delve into the Word of God. These teachings have been preserved for us as a road map through life. All 66 books of the Bible are God-breathed and are there to guide you, to bring answers and to bring comfort. Maybe everything has been taken from you—look up the story of Job. Maybe you’re being forced to sacrifice something precious—read the stories of Abraham and Moses. Maybe you need to get out of a bad situation—turn to the Psalms and read David’s cries to the Lord. In His wisdom and love, God included stories in His Word about real people who experienced real crises, so we could see how He answered in every situation when His children cried out to Him in prayer.


If you’ve been standing strong but have become weary or need encouragement or support, ask friends to join you in seeking confirmation on how to pray about your situation. Then pray, fast and stand firm. Your persistence in prayer and exploration in the Word will not only yield the move of God in your situation, it will craft you to be more like Him. And the more like Him you are, the easier it will be for you to have peace in your time of needing “Prayer 911.” His thoughts will be your thoughts, and His Word, your answer.

The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.

~ Rick Warren

Prayer

Father, forgive me when I get upset when answers don’t come immediately. Replace the lies the Enemy has used against me with the truth of Your Word. Help me to understand that through the process of persistence in prayer and studying Your Word, the Enemy will be defeated, and I will become more like You. Have Your way in me, Lord, and reshape me to look just like You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Source: YouVersion

The Overcoming Life With Jimmy Evans

Devotional

Thomas may be viewed as one of the most unfortunate disciples because every time we hear his name, we think of the word “doubt.” Even though Jesus spoke about his resurrection to the disciples many times prior to His death, and even though the other disciples tried to convince him, Thomas needed hard proof.

Here is the good news: Thomas overcame his doubts. He eventually went to India and preached the gospel there. Today, there are many believers in India as well as a shrine to this disciple. Thomas was ultimately martyred by spears for his faith there. Though he doubted at first, he did not remain a doubter. On the contrary, Thomas was a great man of faith who changed nations through his ministry.

Doubting is a part of our human condition. We all doubt, but we need to overcome our doubts as people of faith. If you are dealing with doubt, God is not your enemy. He is actually your very best friend. Jesus never expressed hostility toward those who doubted Him. He was not hostile toward Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came late at night with sincere questions. He was not hostile toward Mary and Martha, who questioned why He did not come in time to heal their brother Lazarus.

Jesus did not reject Thomas for having doubts. You may have doubts today, but God is not offended by questions or struggles of faith. He knows they exist, and He wants to be a part of the process of our doubts becoming faith. However, this will not happen if we try to hide our struggles from Him. Some people feel as though God is going to punish or reject them for their doubts, so they pretend everything is fine. Please understand this: if you are doubting but you are sincerely seeking God, you have a friend in Jesus.

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Turn your doubt toward God and trust His Word—not skeptics or unbelievers—to resolve it. When you are sincere and honest about what causes you to doubt, God will guide you in assurance to the truth of His Word.

Do your doubts about God keep you from taking your questions to Him? In prayer, tell God what doubts you are struggling with. He already knows but desires you to acknowledge them to yourself and confess them to Him.

 

 

The Compassion of Christ

The saying is proverbial: “People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” There is a measure of truth in that.

Consider the case of Jesus Christ. He was the most forceful, demanding teacher who has ever lived. He was the one who taught that even one’s closest family members must give way to loyalty to him, and that the true disciple must be willing to “bear his cross” for the Master (Matthew 10:34-39). In view of the rigorous nature of the Savior’s requirements, how does one account for his amazing popularity?

For one thing, the evidence supporting his claims was staggering. No honest person could deny it. Beyond that, a strong case can be made that Jesus’ compassion for the lost, as a reflection of his incredible love, made him a most attractive character.

Our Sympathetic High Priest

There are several words in the Greek New Testament that reveal insights into the marvelous compassion of the Lord with reference to sinful, suffering humanity. Let us think about this for a moment.

The book of Hebrews has this exciting passage.

For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one who has been tempted like as we are, yet without sin (4:15).

Of special interest is the term “touched.” It translates the Greek sympatheo, from sun (with), and patheo (to feel). Hence, the meaning is to feel with. Our English “sympathy” is derived from this word.

Michaelis notes that the term “does not signify a sympathetic understanding that is ready to condone, but a fellow feeling that derives from full acquaintance with the seriousness of the situation as a result of successfully withstanding the temptation” (Bromiley, 802-803).

Continued, here

A Violent Conversion.

Whisper: How To Hear The Voice Of God By Mark Batterson

What God Wants Us to Hear the Most

You aren’t the mistakes you’ve made. You aren’t the labels that have been put on you. And you aren’t the lies the Enemy has tried to sell you. You are who God says you are.

You are a child of God.

You are the apple of God’s eye. 

You are sought after.

You are more than a conqueror.

You are a new creation in Christ.

You are the righteousness of Christ.

All our identity issues are fundamental misunderstandings of who God is. Guilt issues are a misunderstanding of God’s grace. Control issues are a misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty. Anger issues are a misunderstanding of God’s mercy. Pride issues are a misunderstanding of God’s greatness. Trust issues are a misunderstanding of God’s goodness. If you struggle with any of those issues, it’s time to let God be the loudest voice in your life! 

God doesn’t love us because of who we are. God loves us because of who He is. 

When we succeed, God says, “I love you.”

When we fail, God says, “I love you.”

When we have faith, God says, “I love you.”

When we doubt, God says, “I love you.”

Love is His answer to everything. Why? Because He is love. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less. God loves you perfectly. He loves you eternally.

God wants us to hear what He’s saying, and we must heed His voice. But much more than that, He wants us to hear His heart. So He whispers softer and softer so that we have to get closer and closer. And when we finally get close enough, He envelops us in His arms and tells us that He loves us. 

We’ve been deafened by the voice of conformity, the voice of criticism, and the voice of condemnation, and the side effects include loneliness, shame, and anxiety. 

The good news? You not only bear God’s image but you know His voice. It’s His voice that knit you together in your mother’s womb. It’s His voice that ordained all your days before one of them came to be. It’s His voice that began a good work and His voice that will carry it to completion.

Excerpt from  Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God