Lay Aside Your Pride

by Ed Young
DESCRIPTION

When we are faced with obstacles that seem insurmountable, the greatest thing we can do is go to Jesus.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him”  (Matthew 8:5-7).

THINK

It’s an interesting situation. On one side is the Roman centurion, charged with keeping martial law in Capernaum. On the other, Jesus Christ, the one making waves in the Jewish world. Yet despite the glaring differences in these men and in this story, the centurion lays aside his pride and boldly comes to Jesus with a difficult situation.

When we are faced with obstacles that seem insurmountable, the greatest thing we can do is go to Jesus. All it takes is our willingness to lay aside our pride, walk to Him and present our problems. Have you given up control of what you are facing? Have you turned to Jesus with the difficulty in your life?

PRAY

Thank God for His ability and willingness to help us with anything we are facing. Pray for His direction, His purpose, and even for His help.

ACT

One a half sheet of paper, write down one area you need God’s help in. Throughout the week, as you pray and seek His help, write down ways you see God helping you with that area.

Throwing Gasoline on the Fire

by Bryant Wright
DESCRIPTION

If you turn your thoughts over to the Lord, you will be able to have the power to resist temptation.
"But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 niv)

You can’t avoid it, no matter how hard you try. Television commercials, the Internet, billboards on the road, window displays in the mall, even magazines in the supermarket checkout line—we are constantly assaulted with sexual images everywhere we turn. These media and cultural assaults are like throwing gasoline on the fire. They make it even more challenging to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Notice that I said these things add gasoline to the fire—the “fire” is already there. Even if we lived alone on a desert island with no TV, no computer, no magazines, nobody else there, we would still struggle with the lusts of the flesh. We would still wrestle with our thought lives. We will always struggle with attitudes and drives that are displeasing to God! Avoiding outside temptations is certainly important in avoiding sin, but recognize that the real problem begins—and ends—with how we deal with temptation inside our own minds. We can’t stop being tempted, and temptation is not sin. Jesus was tempted in every way we are. But don’t flirt with it. Show real courage and run from it. Ask the Lord to help you turn your thoughts over to Him, and you will be able to have the power to resist temptation.

The Great Thing About Prayer

by Greg Laurie
DESCRIPTION

The great thing about prayer is that God looks primarily at our hearts.
Never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT).

I clearly remember when I was a new Christian and first began to pray. I had never prayed in my life. I wasn't aware that I could know God in such a way as to call on Him and listen to Him. I also remember the first time I prayed with a group of other Christians. I was so nervous. With every word, I was convinced I was bombing in my prayer. My heart was pounding and my throat was dry.

Sometimes we think we don’t know how to pray properly because we’re not sure how to phrase certain things. We wonder if we should use some special kind of language or pray in a certain posture. But these aren't the main issues at all. Far from it! The most important thing is our hearts. The great thing about prayer is that God looks primarily at our hearts. Even if our prayers aren't perfectly structured, even if they aren't eloquent, if they come from a heart that is directed toward God, then they are pleasing to Him.

God keeps up with all the latest terminology, so don’t worry about that. He knows what you are saying. He knows what you are thinking. The main thing is to start praying. Just start where you are and speak to God straight from your heart. Luke 18:1 tells us that Jesus told his disciples a story “to show that they should always pray and never give up” (NLT). So spend time in prayer. You can pray at home. You can pray while you’re stuck in traffic.

We read in the Bible that people of all ages from different walks of life prayed every day, always, in any posture, and under all circumstances. God can hear prayer at any time in any place.

Look Again and Think

by James MacDonald
DESCRIPTION
Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our lives.
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. —Matthew 6:27-33

A warning which needs to be repeated is that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,” and the lust for the other things, will choke out the life of God in us (see Matthew 13:22 NKJV).

We are never free from recurring waves of this invasion. If the front line of attack is not about clothes and food, it may be about money or the lack of money; or friends or lack of friends. Or the line may be drawn over difficult circumstances. It is one steady invasion, and these things will come in like a flood, unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the banner against it.

“I say to you, do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25 NKJV). Our Lord says to be careful about one thing —our relationship with Him. But our common sense shouts loudly and says, “That’s absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, and I must consider what I am going to eat and drink.”

Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our lives. Whenever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship with God first.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). How much trouble has begun to threaten you today? What kind of mean little demons have been looking into your life and saying, “What are your plans for next month—or next summer?” Jesus tells us not to worry about any of these things. Look again and think. Keep your mind on the “much more” (Matthew 6:30) of your heavenly Father.

Journal:

How much importance do I place on spending time nurturing my relationship with the Lord versus planning my life?
What does it look like to put my relationship with Christ first in my life? Who will hold me accountable to doing that?
Prayer: Dear Father, my prayer this day is to seek You first. I spend my time running around in busyness rather than looking closely to how You would have me spend my time. Help me to thirst for You more, Lord. And if that means bringing trials into my life to keep my attention on You, then go ahead. Just help me through them! In Jesus’ name, Amen

Doing God's work, God's way

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God Has a Purpose for Our Lives

by Dr. Ken Boa
DESCRIPTION
What is God’s purpose for your life? Ask God to give you a clear sense of purpose that combines ability with passion.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do (John 17:4).
In 1902 Meyer Kubelski, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, gave his son a violin for his eighth birthday. It cost Meyer $50, a small fortune in those days.

The son loved music and soon was playing well enough to give concerts at the Barrison Theater in Waukeegan, the town where the Kubelskis lived. By the age of 18 he had teamed up with a woman pianist as a concert team in vaudeville.

One night as Benjamin Kubelski was playing, he felt impelled, between numbers, to tell the audience about a funny incident that had happened to him during the day. “The audience laughed,” he recalled later, “and the sound intoxicated me. That laughter ended my days as a musician.” Jack Benny, as the young Kubelski later called himself, had found his rightful career.

What is God’s purpose for your life? Ask God to give you a clear sense of purpose that combines ability with passion

Day 6 - God's Purpose: The 3

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