Now Is the Time to Strengthen Your Faith

Hope you get as much out of this as I did.

God Bless.

Now Is the Time to Strengthen Your Faith

by Billy Graham from The Heaven Answer Book

How do we stay on course so we keep spiritually strong and aren’t diverted from the path to Heaven that God has for us? 

The time to deal with spiritual danger is before it happens, so be on the alert. You’ve probably heard the old adage “forewarned is forearmed.” This is also true spiritually.

Think about how different King David’s life would have been if he had guarded against the temptations of middle age. Instead his life became a downward spiral of irresponsibility, adultery, murder, and heartache (2 Samuel 11–12). The Bible says, Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life(Proverbs 4:23).

Strengthen your commitment to Christ — now. Don’t wait until the storms of temptation, or sickness, or old age threaten to blow you off-course; now is the time to strengthen your faith.

The stronger our relationship is with Christ, the stronger our defense against the devil’s temptations. Jesus said, Pray that you will not fall into temptation(Luke 22:40).

Learn to commit every situation to God, and trust Him for the outcome. God’s love for you never changes, no matter what problems you face or how unsettled life becomes. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and He can be trusted to do what is best. The Bible says, Trust in the Lord forever (Isaiah 26:4).

Finally, strengthen the relationships God has already given you. Strengthen your relationship with your spouse, your children, your friends, and your fellow believers. When we’re isolated or think we don’t need others, we become much more vulnerable to temptation and compromise. Everyone has temptations, but some people entertain them.

Finally, take your eyes off temptation and put them on Christ — and remember how Jesus handled His temptations. With each one, He responded to Satan by quoting the words of Scripture, It is written.

Rely on the Word of God to strengthen you and keep your feet on the straight path.

* * *

Excerpted with permission from The Heaven Answer Book by Billy Graham, copyright Thomas Nelson

Changed form the Inside

Oh how I need to be changed from the inside out. I am so glad I ran across this little devotional, and I wanted to share it with you!

Changed from the Inside

People think they can scratch their inner itches by changing their image... changing their wardrobes ... changing their cars ... changing their careers ... or even changing their wives or husbands.

But the Word of God warns us against looking for inner peace and satisfaction by making external changes!

Only the Lord can bring about true change or genuine fulfillment, and He does it from the inside out. He alone can satisfy a restless heart.

A New Time and Place

Learn His Name

You haven't done this before. Ask using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. (NLT) -John 16:24

When you meet someone and want to get to know them the first thing you learn is their name. We now have the freedom to approach God directly and call Him, personally, by name. And it's not just an ordinary name, but a powerful one. When we call out Christ's name in faith, we are calling on a force greater than ourselves who provides joy.

I couldn't have said it any better thany devotional today.  Must learn and rely on the Name that is above all others.

Serving Others

Serving Others

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me

- Matthew 25:40

There are many of Jesus' instructions that we show by our actions we have not fully comprehended or considered -- or even believed.

He exhorts us "take no thought for tomorrow" and yet we worry ourselves to death. He promises "my yoke is easy" and yet we prefer to labor under our own. He says, "If you love me, keep my commandments" and yet we ever strive to separate the two. He warns "you cannot serve God and money" and yet we always try to join the two.

But perhaps the revelation which is most widely ignored is this: if you do anything for the least of Jesus' brethren, it is as if you have done it to Jesus. Do you live like that is true?

Have you visited dingy, smelly nursing homes; given to foreign evangelism; reached out to broken addicts; taught your children the Bible -- all as if you were doing it to Jesus? So often we hurry by the hurting faces of Jesus' brothers and sisters because we consider them beneath us. And yet King Jesus says, "you have done it to me."

Did you wake up this morning with the realization that today you could do something to minister directly to Jesus? Let that revelation sink in. Live like you take Jesus' statement seriously. Help the hurting, dust the furniture, teach the Bible, give to the needy, encourage the downcast just the way you would if Jesus was the One you were encountering today. Because he is.

 http://baptistbiblehour.org

Gratitude

Amen. Something we all can't live without how do we expect it to be anything less for God. 

I want to live a life of gratitude to my Lord and Savior!

Gratitude

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

- Ephesians 5:20

We are here admonished to give thanks for all things. We know we should give thanks for our daily provisions and for the mercy of God in saving us; but sometimes we don't take the time or make the effort to truly thank him, or to consider all the things for which we should be grateful.

The Apostle Paul frequently expressed his thanks to God for the faith, love and work seen in the churches where he had labored. He acknowledged that these godly fruits were because of God's blessings on them and therefore gave thanks to God. He constantly expressed thankfulness for his godly fellow laborers, but consistently expressed thankfulness to God for even their faithfulness (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Astonishingly, Paul also expressed appreciation for tribulations (Romans 5:3), and even acknowledged that he took pleasure in "infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake" because God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). If God's sufficiency is displayed in my insufficiency, Paul said, then I am thankful for each opportunity for his strength to be shown in my weakness.

And above all, the Apostle gave thanks for the Savior. He wrote, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). Words are inadequate to describe the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ, but we should continually give thanks for him and his love for us.

 http://baptistbiblehour.org

The Conversation of Prayer

The Conversation of PRAYER

WHAT CAN WE PRAY FOR?

It is obviously a great privilege for us to pray, bringing our needs and requests before an omnipotent God. Yet amazingly, Jesus has made it possible for us to approach God with confidence and to come before Him boldly. God hears us when we pray and it is His will that prayer would allow us to know Him more and receive His grace.

Perhaps you haven't always prayed with the confidence that 1 John 5:14-15 and Ephesians 3:12 speak of. Consider why that is and allow the truth of God's Word to replace the old mindsets you may have had about prayer.

During this time as we seek God to see a change in our lives and the world around us, let's be united in prayer for:

1. Salvations - for loved ones in our world who are yet to know Jesus.

2. Our city and nation - let's believe for our leaders and authorities to lead with Godly wisdom and counsel.

3. Revival - let's believe together for people to awaken to the things of God and for Him to move mightily across the earth.

Call to Worship

Oh how do I need to get this deep down into my soul. It isn't about what others can do to help me get closer to God it's all about what I can do. I must bless The Lord for it is only through Him that I can be saved, healed, and whole.

Call to Worship

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits

- Psalm 103:2

Although we are consistently called to thanksgiving and worship by our faithful pastors, by the Word of God, and by godly friends there is another source from which we should expect this admonition -- our own soul.

David writes, preaching to himself the gospel of grace, "Bless the Lord, O my soul." We should constantly be preaching to ourselves, as David does in the Psalms. It need not be a complicated or particularly academic sermon. It can be as simple as these three words: "Bless the Lord!"

As the first point in his sermon to himself, David exhorts "forget not all his benefits." The most powerful antidote to depression is a grateful heart. And the most effective way to develop a grateful heart is to consciously, specifically recount the Lord's blessings and to thank him for each one.

Are you spiritually cold or disheartened? Preach this sermon to yourself-bless the Lord, O my soul! Are you discouraged? Forget not all his benefits.

"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

 http://baptistbiblehour.org