The Trial of Faith by Oswald Chambers

The Trial of Faith If you have faith as a mustard seed…nothing will be impossible for you.  MATTHEW 17:20 We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, and it may be so in the initial stages. But we do not earn anything through faith— faith brings us into the right relationship with God and gives Him His opportunity to work. Yet God frequently has to knock the bottom out of your experience as His saint to get you in direct contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of emotional enjoyment of His blessings. The beginning of your life of faith was very narrow and intense, centered around a small amount of experience that had as much emotion as faith in it, and it was full of light and sweetness. Then God withdrew His conscious blessings to teach you to “walk by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7). And you are worth much more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight with your thrilling testimony. Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God’s character must be proven as trustworthy in our own minds. Faith being worked out into reality must experience times of unbroken isolation. Never confuse the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, because a great deal of what we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him— a faith that says, “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.” The highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible is— “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ. from The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L

New Creatures in Christ by Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

At the moment of salvation, a person becomes a new creature in Christ. Some of us may have felt the change as the burden of sin was lifted and replaced with forgiveness and hope. But what if we didn’t feel anything? Are we still saved? 

Salvation is a result of hearing the gospel and responding in repentance and faith. Emotion may accompany the transformation but doesn’t determine its validity. Becoming a new creation involves much more than our emotions: 

A New Position. Before salvation, we were enemies of God, but through Christ’s death on our behalf, we have been reconciled to Him and have become His beloved children. With His death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins. And what’s more, His righteousness was then credited to us in a legal transaction the Bible calls justification.

A New Presence. At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit took up residence within us. He works to transform us in a process called sanctification, whereby we become increasingly righteous in practice.

A New Power. Because we still struggle with sin and selfishness, living up to God’s standard is beyond our own abilities. But when the Holy Spirit came into our life, He brought with Him the power of almighty God, which enables us to become and do whatever He desires.

What we have now is the seed of what we will eventually become. Although at present it’s difficult to discern the changed life of a Christian, it will be evident when Jesus returns and brings our bodies into conformity with His glorious body (Phil. 3:21).

What Are You Getting from God’s Word? / Senior Living

What Are You Getting from God’s Word?

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” - Proverbs 30:5-6

Dr. Chuck Swindoll, in his introductory notes to the book of Romans, shares a story about a pastor named Donald Barnhouse, who started his ministry at Tenth Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Barnhouse stepped into the pulpit on his first Sunday morning and preached from the first verse of Romans 1.

The next Sunday morning, he stood up and preached on the second verse of the same chapter – but didn’t even finish that verse. So the next Sunday morning, he picked up where he had left off in the second verse and moved on into the third verse.

For 42 months – three and a half years – Barnhouse never preached on a text outside of Romans.

God’s Word is so rich – so full of truth that you can read and meditate on just one verse for hours. Yet it’s easy to just jump in and out of your devotional time, checking your box and forgetting what you just read, isn’t it?

Don’t turn your Bible reading into a race against the clock – trying to get as much in as you can. Take it verse by verse, absorb it slowly, and let incredible truth change your life!

Prayer Challenge:

Pray that God would use His Word – every word of it – to transform your life.

Questions for Thought:

What have you been reading and learning in the Scriptures this week?

What’s one way you might be able to modify your devotional time to get more out of God’s Word?

October 31 / Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Elizabeth sat by her nightstand, reading from her Bible. Each night before bed, she read from the Scriptures. She always claimed that the key to a long and happy life was to keep in contact with God. Each night as she turned out the light, Elizabeth smiled to herself. She wondered how much longer she would live, but not with any fear or dread. She knew that her heavenly home was waiting for her, and that thought held only comfort. As she drifted off to sleep, she prayed for God's will to be done, and she knew in her heart that it would be.

Prayer: Lord, do Your will in my life. If I live but one more day, help me make it the best day of my life. If I live for years, help me to fill them with peace, joy, contentment, and service. Amen.

Living Answers by David Jeremiah

Living Answers Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” 2 Peter 3:3-4 Most of us rarely encounter scoffers—those who berate and ridicule Christians openly for their faith. But those involved in front-line evangelism encounter scoffers regularly and they are gifted in responding to such attacks. Peter, in the first century, prepared his readers to be challenged about the Lord’s Second Coming.

Recommended Reading: Luke 12:11-12

Even if we are not openly challenged about the tenets of our faith, non-Christians keep a close eye on believers as they go through times of darkness and suffering. While they may offer sympathy and comfort on one hand, on the other they may be thinking to themselves, “Where is the promise of God’s help for His people when they are suffering?” Even if we can’t answer in specifics about our circumstances, we can answer in specifics by our life. When we manifest hope and faith and endurance in the midst of suffering, it is evidence of a power working in and through us. Faith is “evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). And when others see our faith, they are able to understand our reasons for faith (1 Peter 3:15-16). [A Christian’s] faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring him that every dispensation is under the direction of his Lord. John Newton

Scar Stories by Elisa Morgan

Scar Stories

Elisa Morgan

See my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. John 20:27

John 20:24–29

The butterfly flitted in and out of my mother’s panda-faced pansies. As a child, I longed to catch it. I raced from our backyard into our kitchen and grabbed a glass jar, but on my hasty return, I tripped and hit the concrete patio hard. The jar smashed under my wrist and left an ugly slash that would require eighteen stitches to close. Today the scar crawls like a caterpillar across my wrist, telling the story of both wounding and healing.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after His death, He brought His scars. John reports Thomas wanting to see “the nail marks in his hands” and Jesus inviting Thomas to “put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side” (John 20:25, 27). In order to demonstrate He was the same Jesus, He rose from the dead with the scars of His suffering still visible.

The scars of Jesus prove Him to be the Savior and tell the story of our salvation. The pierced marks through His hands and feet and the hollow in His side reveal a story of pain inflicted, endured, and then healed—for us. He did it so that we might be restored to Him and made whole.

Have you ever considered the story told by Christ’s scars?

How do the Savior’s scars promise healing for the wounds you’ve endured? What wounds will you bring to Him today?

Jesus, how I love the story Your scars tell to me—and to our world. May I learn to love You more and more through the story of Your scars.

God is Love! by Billy Graham

God is Love!

As I read the Bible, I find love to be the supreme and dominant attribute of God. The promises of God’s love and forgiveness are as real, as sure, as positive, as human words can make them. But the total beauty of the ocean cannot be understood until it is seen, and it is the same with God’s love. Until you actually experience it, until you actually possess it, no one can describe its wonders to you. 

Never question God’s great love, for it is as unchangeable a part of God as His holiness. Were it not for the love of God, none of us would ever have a chance in the future life. But God is love! And His love for us is everlasting.

Daily Prayer

Knowing myself as I do, Lord, the knowledge of Your love and forgiveness never ceases to amaze me. In the knowledge of this, help me to communicate to others that this love is theirs too, if they will only reach out for it.

“The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:3‬ ‭NASB‬‬

October 31 / Streams in the Desert

Likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what to pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).

This is the deep mystery of prayer. This is the delicate divine mechanism which words cannot interpret, and which theology cannot explain, but which the humblest believer knows even when he does not understand.

Oh, the burdens that we love to bear and cannot understand! Oh, the inarticulate out-reachings of our hearts for things we cannot comprehend! And yet we know they are an echo from the throne and a whisper from the heart of God. It is often a groan rather than a song, a burden rather than a buoyant wing. But it is a blessed burden, and it is a groan whose undertone is praise and unutterable joy. It is "a groaning which cannot be uttered." We could not ourselves express it always, and sometimes we do not understand any more than that God is praying in us, for something that needs His touch and that He understands.

And so we can just pour out the fullness of our heart, the burden of our spirit, the sorrow that crushes us, and know that He hears, He loves, He understands, He receives; and He separates from our prayer all that is imperfect, ignorant and wrong, and presents the rest, with the incense of the great High Priest, before the throne on high; and our prayer is heard, accepted and answered in His name.
--A. B. Simpson

It is not necessary to be always speaking to God or always hearing from God, to have communion with Him; there is an inarticulate fellowship more sweet than words. The little child can sit all day long beside its busy mother and, although few words are spoken on either side, and both are busy, the one at his absorbing play, the other at her engrossing work, yet both are in perfect fellowship. He knows that she is there, and she knows that he is all right.

So the saint and the Saviour can go on for hours in the silent fellowship of love, and he be busy about the most common things, and yet conscious that every little thing he does is touched with the complexion of His presence, and the sense of His approval and blessing.

And then, when pressed with burdens and troubles too complicated to put into words and too mysterious to tell or understand, how sweet it is to fall back into His blessed arms, and just sob out the sorrow that we cannot speak!
--Selected

Hope for the Backslider by Alistair Begg

Hope for the Backslider

Renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10

A backslider, if there is a spark of life left in him, will groan for restoration. In this renewal the same exercise of grace is required as at our conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly need it now. We required faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the same grace can bring us to Jesus now. We needed a word from the Most High, a word from the lip of the loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon discover, when under a sense of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be renewed without as real and true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's energy as he felt at first, because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as they ever were.

Let your personal weakness, Christian, be an argument to make you pray sincerely to your God for help. Remember, David when he felt himself to be powerless did not fold his arms or close his lips, but he hurried to the mercy-seat crying, "renew a right spirit within me." Do not allow the doctrine that you, unaided, can do nothing make you sleep; but let it be a goad in your side to drive you with an awful earnestness to Israel's strong Helper. O that you may have grace to plead with God, as though you pleaded for your very life--"renew a right spirit within me." He who sincerely prays to God to do this will prove his honesty by using the means through which God works.

Be much in prayer; live constantly on the Word of God; kill the lusts that have driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch over the future uprisings of sin. The Lord has His own appointed ways; sit by the wayside, and you will be ready when He passes by. Continue in all those blessed ordinances that will foster and nourish your dying graces; and knowing that all the power must proceed from Him, do not cease to cry, "Renew a right spirit within me."

Contending and Continuing for Christ’s Sake By Michael L. Brown

Contending and Continuing for Christ’s Sake By Michael L. Brown As long as the church has been on the earth, there has been a battle for the purity of the faith. That’s why Jude urged his fellow Christians to contend for the faith that “was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3). How do we contend for the faith? First, we must be sure that we really know God personally, for ourselves. Do you know Him? Have you truly been born again, or are you simply following in the traditions of your church or family? Second, we must cultivate our personal relationship with the Lord and not simply rely on our teachers and leaders. That means being disciplined in our times alone with God, being people of the Word, and growing in holiness and godliness. It’s amazing how strong we become when we live out our faith and put into practice the things we believe. And it’s amazing how much fruit we will bear when we truly abide in Jesus. As the Lord said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Third, we must learn to love God with both our hearts and our minds. True faith does not mean we don’t ask difficult questions. True faith is not afraid of controversy and conflict. True faith says, “Bring your objections and your challenges. I’m standing firmly on the Rock.” Today’s Prayer Heavenly Father, help us to be disciplined in our Christian walk. Help us spend time in prayer and Bible study daily so we are not afraid when someone questions our faith. Make us bold and courageous for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Have a Drink by Stephen Davey

Have a Drink
Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” John 18:10-11 There is a lot we could focus on here in John 18, from Peter’s reckless but admirable loyalty to Christ to Judas’ surprising and unforgettable betrayal, but I don’t want us to miss what Jesus is saying in verse 11. His allusion to a cup is deeply significant. This particular cup is used explicitly in Scripture to illustrate God’s righteous indignation toward sin. When Babylon captured Jerusalem, God says that His people drank from the “cup of His anger” (Isaiah 51:17). In Jeremiah 25:15-17, the prophet describes God’s wrath against the nations as a “cup of the wine of wrath.”   No wonder we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking the Father to take the cup away from Him (Luke 22:42). The anguish in His soul is so devastating that he actually sweats droplets of blood. This is no mere cup of suffering; after all, Jesus suffered His whole life. This cup represents utter separation from God.  That’s what makes Jesus’ submission here all the more profound. He drank the bitterest cup ever known to man—worse than losing a loved one, or being abused or robbed, or going bankrupt, or being betrayed, or being maligned by friends. Jesus accepts the worst kind of suffering possible, and in so doing sets an unforgettable example to us all.  He didn’t take one sip, spit it out and walk away. In the words of Spurgeon, “He drank damnation dry.” Not just damnation in general, but yours and mine.   That’s why Jesus can tell Peter to put down his sword. He didn’t need Peter’s help, any more than He needs ours. Peter can only bring more death. Jesus will bring an end to death itself.  And don’t miss the fact that our Savior looks past His betraying disciple, past the ignorant Roman guards, past the unholy Sanhedrin, and past the devil himself to point to the hand of His Father. “This cup,” He effectively tells Peter, “is from my Father.”  In our study of John 17 we looked at the significance of that title, “Father,” and it is equally as significant in this passage. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Peter, this painful, yet righteously poured cup of wrath is not offered by a cruel, unfeeling God; it isn’t poured out by some jeering, monstrous deity high in the heavens. It is given by a good and loving Father who has a glorious purpose in mind.” Remember that today. As C.S Lewis wisely says, “At the heart of an obedient life is submission to the sovereignty of God.” Look beyond your own trials today and see the loving hand that holds them all. However bitter your cup seems to be, your Father, a God who loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die in your stead, has a wonderful purpose in mind.  Trust Him in your time of distress and need . . . just as Jesus modeled for us here in John 18.

Spit Out by Greg Laurie

Spit Out

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15–16 nlt)

Awhile back we had our grandchildren at the house, and they were getting ready for school. Allie was hungry, so Cathe said, “Greg, make some eggs for Allie.”

All I know how to make are eggs and toast. So I made my scrambled eggs. Now, Cathe always cooks them on a lower heat so they’re fluffy. But I didn’t want Allie to be late, so I cranked up the heat to finish them. And by the time I served those eggs, they were rubbery.

They were horrible, in fact, but I wasn’t saying anything. Allie took one bite and announced that she wasn’t really hungry anymore.

What if you made a meal for someone and they said it made them want to throw up? This is the language Jesus used when He described how He feels about lukewarmness.

Speaking to lukewarm people in Revelation 3, Jesus said, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (verses 15–16 nlt).

But isn’t it better to be lukewarm than cold? No, it actually isn’t. That’s because a cold person who has no interest in the things of God may, in a way, be closer to coming to Christ than a lukewarm person. They may be thinking about getting their life right with Him.

On the other hand, someone sitting in church might say, “I know this already. I’ve heard this already.”

At least the spiritually cold person knows they have a need, while the lukewarm person doesn’t think they do. And that’s the problem.

There are three spiritual temperatures: cold, lukewarm, and hot. Which one describes you?

Two things are following you Adrian Rogers

Two things are following you 

OCTOBER 31

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Goodness and mercy will pursue you all the days of your life. That’s what the word “follow” literally means in Psalm 23:6—to pursue.

Jesus pursued you with His call of salvation, and He will continue to pursue you. His goodness and mercy are like two sheep dogs that follow the flock to assure there is safe journey to the Shepherd’s final destination.

How many times have you questioned God’s provision in your life and wondered if He really cared for you? Well, there's no question here. It says SURELY, not hopefully. Yes, you and I will stumble, but He will pick us up.

How would you live differently today if you knew that grace and mercy were going to follow your every step? How would you treat others?

Overcoming Temptation by John MacArthur

Overcoming Temptation

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus Christ provides us with the perfect example of how to defeat temptation.

Perhaps you’ve heard the joke, “I can resist anything but temptation!” Unfortunately, that is all too often true in our lives. Learning how to successfully resist temptation is vitally important, for we sin only when we yield to temptation.

Christians throughout history have recognized the importance of resisting temptation. One early believer wrote, “Fly from all occasions of temptation, and if still tempted, fly further still. If there is no escape possible, then have done with running and show a bold face and take the two-edged sword of the Spirit.” The desire to escape temptation has led many in the history of the church to attempt heroic but ultimately futile feats of ascetic self-denial. So desperate did one monk become that he threw himself into a thicket of thorn bushes! Unfortunately, that did not bring him the relief from temptation that he so desperately sought.

The way to successfully resist temptation was modeled by our Lord Jesus Christ when He was tempted. We must first understand our enemy’s plan of attack and, secondly, make use of our spiritual resources.

Satan made a three-pronged assault on Jesus—the same three ways he tempts us. First, he tempted Jesus to doubt God’s goodness by commanding the stones to become bread (Matt. 4:3). That implies that God didn’t care enough about Jesus to provide for His physical needs. Second, he tempted Jesus to doubt God’s love, suggesting that He test that love by leaping from the pinnacle of the temple (Matt. 4:5-6). Finally, he tempted Jesus to compromise God’s truth, promising Him the kingdom without the cross if Jesus would worship him (Matt. 4:8-9).

To each of Satan’s temptations, Jesus replied, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). He thereby showed us the resource for defeating temptation: the Word of God (cf. Eph. 6:17). Do you find yourself overcome by temptation? Then follow our Lord’s example and take up the sword of the Spirit today!

Suggestions for Prayer

Pray that God would make you alert to Satan’s attacks.

For Further Study

Make a list of specific verses you can use to combat the specific temptations you face.

Faith by Oswald Chambers

Faith Without faith it is impossible to please Him…  HEBREWS 11:6 Faith in active opposition to common sense is mistaken enthusiasm and narrow-mindedness, and common sense in opposition to faith demonstrates a mistaken reliance on reason as the basis for truth. The life of faith brings the two of these into the proper relationship. Common sense and faith are as different from each other as the natural life is from the spiritual, and as impulsiveness is from inspiration. Nothing that Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, but is revelation sense, and is complete, whereas common sense falls short. Yet faith must be tested and tried before it becomes real in your life. “We know that all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28) so that no matter what happens, the transforming power of God’s providence transforms perfect faith into reality. Faith always works in a personal way, because the purpose of God is to see that perfect faith is made real in His children. For every detail of common sense in life, there is a truth God has revealed by which we can prove in our practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle that always puts Jesus Christ first. The life of faith says, “Lord, You have said it, it appears to be irrational, but I’m going to step out boldly, trusting in Your Word” (for example, see Matthew 6:33). Turning intellectual faith into our personal possession is always a fight, not just sometimes. God brings us into particular circumstances to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make the object of our faith very real to us. Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept, and we can’t have faith in Him. But once we hear Jesus say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) we immediately have something that is real, and our faith is limitless. Faith is the entire person in the right relationship with God through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS We begin our Christian life by believing what we are told to believe, then we have to go on to so assimilate our beliefs that they work out in a way that redounds to the glory of God. The danger is in multiplying the acceptation of beliefs we do not make our own.

Contending With the Flesh by Charles Stanley

Romans 8:1-14

As you read today’s passage, did you see the conflict presented in it? The apostle Paul is explaining that even though believers struggle with sin, we are no longer “in the flesh,” because God’s Spirit dwells in us (Rom. 8:9). The word flesh signifies the natural part of each person that desires to operate in opposition to God. That’s why Paul says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). 

Even though Christians have been freed from the domination of the flesh and now have the Holy Spirit, the conflict is not over—that’s because our old fleshly patterns have not been eradicated. However, we don’t have to succumb to living by them. In fact, we are “under obligation” to put the deeds of the flesh to death by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:12-13). 

To fight this battle, we need powerful spiritual weapons, and that’s exactly what the Lord has given us. In Ephesians 6:10-17, we find the full armor of God, which helps us stand firm and guards our mind and heart with truth. We have the shield of faith to extinguish Satan’s lies and the Word of God as our weapon against temptation.

Romans 13:14 tells us, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.” Are you using the resources that the Lord has provided to help you put to death those sinful desires and deeds of the flesh? Since the battle begins in the mind, that’s the place to start. As you reprogram your thoughts with God’s Word, your desires and deeds will follow suit.

A Light in the Darkness by Linda Washington

A Light in the Darkness

Linda Washington

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

John 1:5; 16:1–11, 33

In These Are the Generations, Mr. Bae describes God’s faithfulness and the power of the gospel to penetrate the darkness. His grandfather, parents, and his own family were all persecuted for sharing their faith in Christ. But an interesting thing happened when Mr. Bae was imprisoned for telling a friend about God: his faith grew. The same was true for his parents when they were sentenced to a concentration camp—they continued to share Christ’s love even there. Mr. Bae found the promise of John 1:5 to be true: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus warned His disciples about the trouble they’d face. They would be rejected by people who “will do such things because they have not known the Father or me” (16:3). But Jesus offered words of comfort: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (v. 33).

While many believers in Jesus haven’t experienced persecution on the level of that endured by the family of Mr. Bae, we can expect to face trouble. But we don’t have to give in to discouragement or resentment. We have a Helper—the Holy Spirit Jesus promised to send. We can turn to Him for guidance and comfort (v. 7). The power of God’s presence can hold us steady in dark times.

What trouble have you experienced as a believer in Christ or witnessed others experiencing? What is your first reaction during hard times?

Heavenly Father, please protect Your children who are experiencing persecution.

Battle of the Spirit by Billy Graham

Battle of the Spirit

When we examine the problems that confront us in our world today, we find that every one of them resolves into a problem of “inner space,” a problem of the dark side of the human spirit. From thousands of letters we receive, it is evident that a large proportion of the population is facing deep personal problems. They vary from person to person, but they do exist, and they are all problems of “inner space.” 

Yes, we are the people who have been conquering outer space, but are in danger of losing the battle of the spirit. But there is a solution—for millions it has already been reached—and that solution is in Jesus Christ. He said, “My peace”—my liberty, my freedom—“I give unto you” (John 14:27). 

Today if we will turn the searchlight of truth on the dark side of our human spirits and let Jesus Christ become the Master Control of our lives, a new day will dawn for us. Submit the “inner space” of your life to Him.

Daily Prayer

How often I hurt deep down inside me, Lord, but the knowledge of Your love and compassion brings me hope and peace.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NASB‬‬

A Time to Doubt or a Time to Trust? by Adrian Rogers

A Time to Doubt or a Time to Trust?

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. 2 Timothy 3:14

In the last days, Satan’s activity is going to pick up. No doubt you’ve already noticed that. By the time of the Great Tribulation, there will be more miracles than the world has ever seen. Most of them will not be done by God but by the power of darkness—the power of Satan—performed by Satan’s man, the AntiChrist and his False Prophet. The Bible says there will be an explosion of the occult.

Thank God we don’t have to face these days without hope. God tells us what we must do in His Word. We are to remember what we’ve learned and take His promises to heart. This is not a time to doubt Him but to trust Him with all that we are.

How is your personal study time in God’s Word going? Start this week to incorporate at least one hour of personal time in God’s Word to study its promises, prophecies, and applications.

Burned Out and Bummed Out by Greg Laurie

Burned Out and Bummed Out

So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands. (Psalm 78:7 nlt)

In 2018 Russia unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile that supposedly can hit any target on Earth. NATO has nicknamed it (and I’m not making this up) Satan 2.

We’re living in a crazy world. And in some ways, it’s a hopeless world. There’s a sense of hopelessness pervading many young people today. In fact, I’ve read that suicide is up among ten- to fourteen-year-old children. They give hopelessness as the reason, and it’s all around us.

The Bible tells a story about two men who were burned out and bummed out. They felt that Jesus let them down. They felt, honestly, that Jesus failed in His mission. Even though Jesus constantly spoke about the fact that he would die on a cross, it still came as a shock to them.

So when they saw the beaten, traumatized, bloodied body of Jesus hanging there, it devastated them. They thought Jesus was coming to overthrow the Roman government and free Israel from the occupying force. But that never was His plan.

He didn’t come to wear a crown of gold; He came to wear a crown of thorns. He didn’t come to sit on a regal throne; He came to die on a wooden cross.

Jesus talked about it. He said it again and again. But somehow they collectively missed the memo.

They didn’t want to think about the horrible events that happened, so they decided to get out of town. And who joined them on the road? It was none other than Jesus himself. Then He took them on a personally guided tour of the Old Testament, showing them all the passages pointing to the coming Messiah.

Maybe you’ve lost hope today. Maybe you’ve had a tragedy come your way that has rocked your world in some way. Jesus can restore your hope.

Copyright © 2019 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

October 30 / Streams in the Desert

Let us run with patience (Hebrews 12:1).

To run with patience is a very difficult thing. Running is apt to suggest the absence of patience, the eagerness to reach the goal. We commonly associate patience with lying down. We think of it as the angel that guards the couch of the invalid. Yet, I do not think the invalid's patience the hardest to achieve.

There is a patience which I believe to be harder--the patience that can run. To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies a great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: It is the power to work under a stroke; to have a great weight at your heart and still to run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily task. It is a Christlike thing!

Many of us would nurse our grief without crying if we were allowed to nurse it. The hard thing is that most of us are called to exercise our patience, not in bed, but in the street. We are called to bury our sorrows, not in lethargic quiescence, but in active service--in the exchange, in the workshop, in the hour of social intercourse, in the contribution to another's joy. There is no burial of sorrow so difficult as that; it is the "running with patience."

This was Thy patience, O Son of man! It was at once a waiting and a running--a waiting for the goal, and a doing of the lesser work meantime. I see Thee at Cana turning the water into wine lest the marriage feast should be clouded. I see Thee in the desert feeding a multitude with bread just to relieve a temporary want. All, all the time, Thou wert bearing a mighty grief, unshared, unspoken. Men ask for a rainbow in the cloud; but I would ask more from Thee. I would be, in my cloud, myself a rainbow -- a minister to others' joy. My patience will be perfect when it can work in the vineyard.

--George Matheson

When all our hopes are gone,
'Tis well our hands must keep toiling on
For others' sake:
For strength to bear is found in duty done;
And he is best indeed who learns to make
The joy of others cure his own heartache.

Be Honest — Honest to God by Max Lucado

Be Honest — Honest to God
by Max Lucado

Prayer really is simple. Resist the urge to complicate it. Don’t take pride in well-crafted prayers. Don’t apologize for incoherent prayers. No games. No cover-ups. Just be honest—honest to God.

Climb into His lap. Tell Him everything that’s on your heart. Or tell Him nothing at all. Just lift your heart to heaven and declare, "Father... Daddy." Stress. Fear. Guilt. Grief. Demands on all sides. And all we can summon is a plaintive, "Oh, Father." If so, that’s enough. Your heavenly Father will wrap you in His arms!

Sign on at BeforeAmen.com – take the brief Prayer Strengths Assessment. It will encourage you and give you a simple building block for your growth in prayer. Then get ready to connect with God as never before!

From Before Amen 

The Importance of Thanksgiving by Alistair Begg

The Importance of Thanksgiving

I will give thanks to the Lord.
Psalm 9:1

Thanksgiving should always follow answered prayer, just as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground.

Has the Lord been gracious to you and inclined His ear to the voice of your prayer? Then thank Him as long as you live. Let the ripe fruit fall upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Do not fail to sing in praise of Him who has answered your prayer and has given you the desire of your heart. To be silent about God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is to act as poorly as the nine lepers who after they had been cured of their leprosy did not return to give thanks to the healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting the growth of our spiritual lives. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our faith. It is a healthy and invigorating exercise that quickens the pulse of the believer and prepares him for new enterprises in his Master's service.

To bless God for mercies received is also the way to benefit our fellowmen; "let the humble hear and be glad."¹ Others who have been in similar circumstances will take comfort if we can say, "Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. . . . This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him."² Weak hearts will be strengthened, and sagging spirits will be revived as the saints listen to our "shouts of deliverance."³ Their doubts and fears will be rebuked as we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. They will also "sing of the ways of the LORD"⁴ when they hear us magnify His holy name.

Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The angels do not pray, but they do not cease to praise both day and night; and the redeemed, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, are never tired of singing the new song, "Worthy is the Lamb."⁵

1) Psalm 34:2
2) Psalm 34:3,6
3) Psalm 32:7
4) Psalm 138:5
5) Revelation 5:12