So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
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10 Scriptures On Freedom
1. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). [Isa. 61:1, 2.] (2 Corinthians 3:17 AMP)
2. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. (Isaiah 61:1-2 NLT)
3. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:36 NLT)
4. It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? (Galatians 5:13-15 MSG)
5. In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. (Psalms 118:5 NLT)
6. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16 ESV)
7. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)
8. This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord, In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear). (Ephesians 3:11-12 AMP)
9. I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. (Psalms 119:45 NLT)
10. With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2 MSG)
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This Could Be The Day
Recently a friend of mine and I were discussing Jesus’ return. We discussed how every generation has preached it starting with the early church. They thought Jesus was going to return in their lifetime. They sold all they had and pooled their money together so they could get the message of Jesus out to as many people as possible quickly. Here we are around 2,000 years later and we are still waiting. The difference now is there is no urgency among believers about His return. Believers have very little motivation in them to share their faith.
We know Jesus will return because He told us He would in John 14. In verses 2-3 He said, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (NLT)” He made a promises to return and He will fulfill it. We don’t know when everything will be ready on His end, so we have to be ready on our end.
He told the parable of the ten virgins waiting on the groom. When the groom didn’t show up quickly, it became apparent that not everyone would be ready. Five had enough oil in their lamps and five didn’t. Five were in it for the long haul. They had reserves of oil to keep their lamps burning. What group do you and I belong in? Have we given up on His return? Have we run out of oil? It was late in the night when he returned. It was past the time they thought he would. We are seeing that now as people run out of the oil of urgency for His return.
When I was a kid, it seemed every Sunday we heard someone say, “It could be today! Are you ready?” We sang songs like “We Shall See The King” and “We Shall Behold Him”. We see very few of those songs now and I can’t remember how long it’s been since another believer asked about his return before my friend did. I understand we can’t have our eyes to the sky constantly, but we do need to remember it could be any day. We need to live like it could be today.
We need to serve as if He is coming soon. We need to share our faith with the lost with urgency. What if He came back and found His Church asleep and without any oil burning? My dad always told me, “Live like He’s coming back today. Plan abs prepare like He won’t come until later.” He was telling me to keep my eyes to the skies, but also make sure I have enough oil to last a lifetime in case He comes back later rather than sooner. I don’t know when He will return, but I know He will. Until then, give me oil in my lamp keep me burning til the break of day.
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God’s Blueprints
Blueprints fascinate me. When I see a set rolled out, I have to look through them. I don’t know how to read them, but I still flip through as though I do. One person will look at them and see where the plumbing goes. Another will see how much concrete is needed for the foundation. Another will see where the electrical lines need to be run. To the rest of us, what looks like lines on a page actually give exact detail of how to build a structure. Whether you understand them or not, they have the ability to make a concept into a reality.
God has blueprints for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you.” Your life is not a series of random events caused by karma. It has been carefully planned out by God. Most of the time, we don’t understand the plans He has for us. We look at our lives and wonder what He’s doing or how something tragic could be part of it. The different events in our lives, both good and bad, shape us into who He created us to be. It’s normal for us to question what we don’t understand.
In the times I find myself questioning God, I’m reminded that He is the one who drew up the blueprints of my life. He alone understands them fully. When I look at them, I see two dimensional lines on a page, but He sees it in three dimensions. He sees how it’s all fits together. He understands what needs to happen in my life to connect it all together. He knows what needs to happen in order to take a line off a page and to bring it into reality. He also knows how to readjust when our decisions conflict with His plan.
I’ve often asked if God planned out for the bad things that have happened in my life. I’ve come to believe He didn’t plan them, but He planned for them. The bad things that have happened were mostly a result of my poor decisions and not of His doing. He allowed me to face the consequences of my choices, but He never gave up on His plan for me. He found a way to engineer my struggles, faults and poor decisions into the person He wants me to become. He knows how to take the things that disqualify us from being His kids and to use them to qualify us to spread His love.
God’s blueprints also include tragedies and losses that are not a result of our decisions. We may never know why those things happen in our lives, but we can trust that He has a plan, He knows what He’s doing and that He can use those events to fortify our foundation. When I don’t understand why, I can trust Him still. His ways are higher than mine. His understanding of the plans He has for me are beyond anything I can imagine. When I’ve looked back at my life, I’ve seen His handiwork. I’ve seen how He has used tragedies and consequences to fulfill His plans. He’s got a proven track record that helps me trust Him even when I don’t understand.
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Take Courage In A Frustrating World (Video)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
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Winning The War
Ephesians 6:10-18 is a favorite passage of Scripture for many believers. These are Paul’s final words to the church in Ephesus, but they for us today as much as it was for them back then. He starts of his closing remarks by saying, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Vs 10)” He us reminding believers that we won’t win fighting battles in our own strength. Our strength is limited and runs out, but God’s strength is perfect and limitless. We use the strength of the Lord when we pray to Him about our problems instead of using words of hurt and anger against others whom we perceive are attacking us.
He next tells us to put on God’s armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil (vs 11). The devil is constantly looking for ways to steal your joy, kill your testimony and destroy your walk with God. Paul understood this and told us to put on defensive gear. He knew that we would be attacked so we need to put on God’s armor that will help us to stand when we are attacked by the enemy. It’s not a matter of if the enemy will attack you, it’s when and how often.
I love this next portion. He reminds us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers, authorities of the unseen world, mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (vs 12). One of the biggest strategies of the devil is to confuse us about who our enemy is. He uses other people to attack us and our beliefs so that we will attack them instead of him. He takes a spiritual battle and causes it to be played out in the physical realm because he knows we will fight in our physical strength. We always lose fighting a spiritual battle in the physical because it uses our strength instead of God’s.
Paul then tells us to put on every piece of God’s armor so that we can resist the enemy in the time of evil and then tells us what they do (vs 13). He says we are to stand our ground with the Belt of Truth and the Body Armor of God’s Righteousness (vs 14). To be fully prepared, we need to put on the peace that comes from the Good News in the form of shoes (vs 15). Next he tells us about the shield of faith that protects us from the fiery arrows the enemy shoots at us (vs 16). Our heads are protected by the Helmet of Salvation and our weapon to advance is the Word of God (vs 17). Truth always defeats the enemy. Jesus used the truth of God’s Word to defeat Satan and we can too.
The final thing Paul tells us in this passage is probably the most important. In verse 18, he says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” If we are going to win a spiritual battle, we must use our words to pray to God instead of using them to attack people. Our power and defense come from prayer. Spending time with God is the only way we can survive the attacks of the enemy. We should be praying for ourselves as well as believers everywhere. We are always under attack in this world and this passage tells us how to win the war.
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10 Scriptures On Virtue
1. For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face. (Psalms 11:7 NLT)
2. A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman–who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. (Proverbs 31:10 AMP)
3. If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it. (Proverbs 19:11 GNT)
4. The wicked bluff their way through, but the virtuous think before they act. (Proverbs 21:29 NLT)
5. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)
6. Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22 AMP)
7. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV)
8. Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 MEV)
9. You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God (Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond Your companions. (Hebrews 1:9 AMP)
10. Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. (Titus 2:1-6 MSG)
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Living Unbelievably
Brennan Manning, author of “The Ragamuffin Gospel” said, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” I’m reminded of this saying all too often as I see pictures and posts on social media from “Christians”. The life they show the world through the lens of social media shows no difference between how they live and nonbelievers live.
John the Beloved said the same thing this way in I John 2:4-6: “If someone claims, ‘I know Him (Jesus) well!’ But doesn’t keep His commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words… Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. (MSG)” He saw the same thing then that we see now. There are too many people who claim to know God, but don’t live a life that shows it. Their lives lack love for others and a commitment to living a holy life and that’s what turns off the ones we are to be reaching.
What John and Brennan are both saying is that there’s a difference in slipping up every now and then and living a lifestyle that contradicts what you say you believe. There’s not a single person in the world today capable of living a life without sin, but every one of us are capable of living a lifestyle that Jesus lived. Psychologists will tell you that you act in accordance with what you believe. That’s why we have the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” If your life doesn’t reflect how Jesus lived, then you have to wonder what your actions are telling not only others, but God.
I know I quote it often, but Romans 12:2 is huge for us as believers. It says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (NLT)” Paul is telling us that our behavior should be different when we know God. Our lifestyle should be transformed into one that reflects how Jesus lived. It starts with changing how we think. God knows that there can be no change in how we love until He changes how we think. Our hearts and minds have to be given over to him or we end up like the person Paul describes in Romans 7. We say we want to live a godly life, but we can’t do it.
I received an old challenge this week and I’m going to pass it on to you. If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? A lawyer would go to your social media feed, he would look at how you lived your life to present evidence. Would it just show that you talk a good game or would it show that your life actually reflects what you say you believe? We aren’t called just to believe in God though. We are called to live like Him. When we do that, the unbelieving world will want to know what we believe.
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How To Never Stop And Still Find Rest
This is a guest post from Chris Brown, Missions School Director with Coreluv.org. You can visit his site BrownsMission.com to follow his journey.
Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (NLT). In Chip Ingram’s book, Good to Great in God’s Eyes, he points out that the later half of the verse is as equally important as the first. When we step out in faith, to fulfill the work He called us to do, our lives must be marked with an active faith. It is the only way to truly know Him and have a genuine, intimate relationship with God. While his love is unconditional and unending, His pleasure in us is limited by our faith in Him.
We must seek Him first (Matt 6:33) and stop seeking the things, career, people, and possessions that only serve to ensnare. Yes, it goes against our very nature, but we must resist the urge to take a break from God, and instead, fan the flame of our love for Him and smother-out our love of self. Solitude with God is the fuel of longevity and success in the Kingdom. As we pour ourselves out in service to God, we must not give into the desire to take a break and escape – for fear of burnout. Instead, we must withdrawal only to “sincerely seek Him” and to receive the rewards of endurance, peace, faith, strength, restoration, and joy that He gives.
Live your life seeking Him above all things and never let anyone or any circumstance tell you that HE is not enough or able to be all you will ever need. Vacations and sabbaticals will come and serve to make us stop the busyness of life, regroup, and connect with friends and family. But they should never entail absence from God or our service to others. They should actually provide us the time and opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the biggest possible way! So GO – pursue God and find your rest in Him.
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He Is Near
If you’ve ever had a baby who slept in a different room than you, you’ve probably used a monitor of some kind. My son is four and we still use one with him. If something happens in the night, he can call out to us and we will head to His room to help him. Even though he can’t see us, he knows that we are close enough to hear him. He has faith that when he needs something, if he calls out to us, we will come meet that need. It’s not so different for us as believers. Our Heavenly Father monitors us and hears us when we call out for help.
Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth. (AMP)” There are times in life when we can’t see God or feel his presence. We may be walking through one of the darkest times of our life, but God has not abandoned us just because we can’t see Him. He is there watching over us, listening to our hearts as we make our way. Often, we try to do it on our own. We want to prove we are strong enough to handle anything, but we don’t have to.
God is waiting for us to call out to Him in our time of need. In Matthew 14, after Jesus fed 5,000 with the five loaves and two fish, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee by themselves. Verse 24 says, “Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land. (NLT” It was about three o’clock in the morning. It was pitch black and they found themselves in a storm scared to death. You’ve got to know they cried out to God for help in their time of need. They couldn’t see Jesus because of the rain and darkness, but He never lost sight of them.
Verse 25 says that Jesus came walking toward them on the water. Then He spoke the words that He speaks to you and I today, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here! (NLT)” Just like when my son calls out in the night and I call back to him, so Jesus does with us. His voice reassures us we are going to be ok even if we can’t see Him. We can take courage because He will never leave you or forsake you. He won’t let you face the unknown alone. He is near to those who call on Him.
I’m not sure what you will face today or have been facing, but I do know that you are not alone. In your darkness, in your storm of the unknown, Jesus is walking on water calling out to you, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here.” He sees you even when you can’t see Him. He is working for your good through all of turmoil, through all of the uncertainties and problems. His voice is louder than the storm you’re in. His spirit can give you peace no matter what you’re up against. All you have to do is call out to Him and know that He is near. He won’t let you face this alone.
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Devotions by Chris Hendrix 