Our Foremost Responsibility as Citizens / Adrian Rogers

 Our Foremost Responsibility as Citizens                   

Men ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1

Do not fret because of evildoers. Psalm 37:1

Edmund Burke wrote, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” When it comes to the political scene and government, some have dropped out altogether. They have the idea that if you get involved in government, somehow that’s the “social gospel.” So they’ve just dropped out and hunkered down, trying to “hold on till Jesus gets here.” Some have been intimidated by the great debate between church and state.

We can’t drop out. It’s impossible to think that God would have ordained government and told His people to stay out. Who else does that leave to run things?

Others with misguided zeal have tried to bring in the kingdom of God by political machinations. That cannot be done either. So where do we get the answers?

• Not from the politician who may have his personal ax to grind
• Not from the ungodly and the humanists who don’t believe the Word of God,
• Not from finger-bumping philosophers who don’t know the Word of God.

The only place we’re going to get the answers is from the Word of God.

What must we do as the Church? We must continue to pray. Pray for our President and pray for our nation, because we are in a crisis. I am calling you to set your face in prayer. I am calling you, dear friend, to see who God is. I am calling you to pray for the glory of God.

Help in Trouble / David Jeremiah

 

Help in Trouble When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. Acts 12:10   When we’re too weak to fight our own battles, the Lord sends His helpers to encourage, deliver, and empower us. Sometimes they are human helpers. Peter had much encouragement and support from his wife who traveled with him (1 Corinthians 9:5) and from his fellow apostles and friends. His brother Andrew must have been a constant support. But none of them could be with Peter when he was imprisoned in Acts 12, facing execution. That’s when the Lord sent a helper from another realm, an angel, to deliver him.

Recommended Reading: Acts 12: 5 – 11

Angels were involved in the Early Church, releasing the apostles from jail (Acts 5:19), directing Philip (Acts 8:26), speaking to Cornelius (Acts 10:3), striking the tyrant Herod dead (Acts 12:23), and encouraging Paul on a sinking ship (Acts 27:23). The Lord sends us human help as needed, and He gives us more angelic assistance than we know. You can trust Him in the difficult moments of life. You’re not alone. God has more ways of providing for us…than we can possibly imagine. Thomas Watson

Choosing to Honor God / ODB

 

Choosing to Honor God To the faithful you show yourself faithful. Psalm 18:25 READ Psalm 18:20–27 In the novella Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy, main characters Sergey and Masha meet when Masha is young and impressionable. Sergey is an older, well-traveled businessman who understands the world beyond the rural setting where Masha lives. Over time, the two fall in love and marry. They settle in the countryside, but Masha becomes bored with her surroundings. Sergey, who adores her, arranges a trip to St. Petersburg. There, Masha’s beauty and charm bring her instant popularity. Just as the couple is about to return home, a prince arrives in town, wanting to meet her. Sergey knows he can force Masha to leave with him, but he lets her make the decision. She chooses to stay, and her betrayal breaks his heart. Like Sergey, God will never force us to be faithful to Him. Because He loves us, He lets us choose for or against Him. Our first choice for Him happens when we receive His Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrifice for our sin (1 John 4:9–10). After that, we have a lifetime of decisions to make. Will we choose faithfulness to God as His Spirit guides us or let the world entice us? David’s life wasn’t perfect, but he often wrote about keeping “the ways of the Lord” and the good outcomes that came from doing so (Psalm 18:21–24). When our choices honor God, we can experience the blessing David described: to the faithful, God shows Himself faithful. By Jennifer Benson Schuldt When was the last time you made a difficult decision that honored God? How did it affect your relationship with Him? Dear God, help me to honor You with the choices I make. Thank You for loving me faithfully throughout my life.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The superscription of Psalm 18 tells us that David “sang to the Lordthe words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies.” David was considered a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Because of this, God had promised David (through the prophet Nathan): “I will never take my love away from [David] . . . I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever” (1 Chronicles 17:13–14). David would always have a descendant on the throne, and from his family line came Jesus (Acts 13:23). Yet David committed adultery and had a man killed. Why would God esteem such a flawed man? It was because David had absolute faith in God, evidenced in his victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17). He loved the Scriptures (Psalm 119:47), and when he sinned, he repented and sought God’s forgiveness (2 Samuel 11:13; Psalm 51). Alyson Kieda

July 2 / Wisdom from the Psalms

 Psalms 81:15

The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him; but their time should have endured for ever.

Water stretched out in every direction, as far as the man could see. He didn't know what direction would lead him most quickly to safety. He kept swimming, not knowing whether the shore was any closer or not. Each direction he tried seemed as hard as the last. The current was against him, no matter which way he turned. He was so tired. Every muscle ached. His heart filled with fear and anxiety. He wondered if the nightmare would ever end. 

Such is the fate of one who realizes too late that God is who He says He is. All the futility of life comes crashing in. Sadness and frustration will reign. God wants us to turn to Him so we never have to face such despair. Christ is the life jacket that keeps us afloat when life gets too much for us. Nothing else will suffice.

Prayer: The waters are rough sometimes, and I need something to keep me from sinking. Thank You for throwing me a lifeline; Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

For When You Need a Reminder that God Will Provide By Debbie McDaniel / Crosswalk

For When You Need a Reminder that God Will Provide
By Debbie McDaniel

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."  Isaiah 58:11

Where God guides, He promises to provide.

Maybe you've been waiting, or have been praying, for help, for a breakthrough. Maybe you feel like it's been slow in coming, or that you can't see a way out of your current situation. Maybe the needs seem to far outweigh the reality you're living in. You've lost hope, feel alone in the struggle, and the weight of stress seems too hard to keep shouldering.

Whatever the need - physical, spiritual, financial, emotional, relational - His Truth reminds us...He's got this thing that concerns you.

He is able.

Fully.

To provide what you need and to give the strength and endurance you need in hard times.

Looking up to God again and believing His promises are true will allow hope to spring up fresh within us. His Spirit will surround us in peace. But if we’re spending all our time just looking around us, at our current circumstances, or how we’re comparing with the next person over, we’ll only stir up worry and stress.

He promises:

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

He will guide us always.

 He will satisfy our needs, even in desert times.

He will strengthen us.

He will allow us to still flourish right in the midst of the needs that surround. For His very Spirit that wells up within us, is the spring that never fails, never dries up, and never stops flowing.

Resting in that truth today. Hope you are too.

Peace.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you find yourself struggling today, or you’re finding it hard to trust, pray that God will help you get your eyes looking up to Him and off your problems.“Dear God, thank you that no situation is too far out of your control to provide. For you are Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. Forgive us for doubting you, for worrying, and for trying so hard to work everything out on our own. Help us to trust you more, help us in our unbelief. We choose to recognize and to believe that you are Able to accomplish far more, to do far greater, than we even thought possible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Further Reading:
Philippians 4:19
Psalms 34:10
Matthew 6:25-34
Matthew 7:11
Ephesians 3:20-21

The Danger of Many Bible ‘Experts’ / Senior Living

 The Danger of Many Bible ‘Experts’

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forcesof this world rather than on Christ. - Colossians 2:8

While enjoying a transatlantic ocean trip, a famous Hollywood actress noticed a gentleman sitting at the next table suffering from a bad cold. So she looked over at him and asked, “Sir, are you uncomfortable?”

The man looked back at her and gave a nod.

“I’ll tell you just what to do for that cold,” she said. “Go back to your room, drink lots of orange juice, and take two aspirin. Then cover yourself with every blanket you can find and sweat the cold out. I know what I’m talking about. I’m an actress.”

The man smiled warmly and said, “Thank you. But I’m a doctor.”

These days, it seems everyone considers themselves experts even if they’ve only read an article or seen something online about a particular subject. And while the recent information explosion we’ve seen around the world has its benefits, one drawback is that there’s so much misinformation out there, it’s hard to know whom to trust.

This is especially true when it comes to biblical teaching, as many of the so-called “preachers” and “theologians” today have gained a platform by teaching things that run counter to biblical doctrine. So be careful of letting charisma and charm determine what teaching you accept. Make sure you’re putting yourself under solid, biblical teaching and you’ll grow rock-solid in your faith!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to guide you to the right teachers and to give you discernment to recognize when you’re hearing false teachings.

Questions for Thought

False teaching will almost always give glory to man instead of to God. Read the serpent’s words in Genesis 3:5. Was the temptation of Satan to exalt man or God?

Think of a time when you heard teaching you knew wasn’t biblical. What was it about that teaching that caused you to recognize it as false?

Fear Not / Alistair Egg

Fear Not 

Our heart is glad in him.

Psalm 33:21

Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God’s countenance; they have a buoyancy about them that keeps their head always above the water and helps them to sing amid the tempest, “God is with me still.”

To whom shall the glory be given? Oh, to Jesus-it is all by Jesus. Trouble does not necessarily bring consolation with it to the believer, but the presence of the Son of God with him in the fiery furnace fills his heart with joy. He is sick and suffering, but Jesus visits him and makes his bed for him. He is dying, and the cold, chilly waters of Jordan are gathering about him up to the neck, but Jesus puts His arms around him and cries, “Fear not, beloved; to die is to be blessed; the waters of death have their fountainhead in heaven; they are not bitter-they are sweet as honey, for they flow from the throne of God.”

As the departing saint wades through the stream, and the billows gather around him, and heart and flesh fail him, the same voice sounds in his ears: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.”1 As he nears the borders of the infinite unknown and is almost frightened to enter the realm of shades, Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”2 Thus strengthened and consoled, the believer is not afraid to die; no, he is even willing to depart, for since he has seen Jesus as the morning star, he longs to gaze upon Him as the sun in his strength. Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire. He is at once

The glory of our brightest days;
The comfort of our nights.

World's Best Seller / Billy Graham

 

World's Best Seller

It is small wonder . . . the Bible has always been the world’s best seller! No other book can touch its profound wisdom, its poetic beauty, or the accuracy of its history and prophecy. Its critics who claimed it to be filled with forgery, fiction, and unfulfilled promises are finding that the difficulties lie with themselves, and not the Bible. Greater and more careful scholarship has shown that apparent contradictions were caused by incorrect translations, rather than divine inconsistencies. It was man and not the Bible that needed correcting. And yet—in many homes and among so-called educated people—it has become fashionable to joke about the Bible and to regard it more as a dust-catcher than as the living Word of God. . . . Too many families have used the Bible as a safe storage place for old letters and pressed flowers, and have overlooked entirely the help and assurance that God intended this Book to give them.

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, I praise You for the authority of Your Word, which speaks to me of my redemption, life as it should be lived, peace and eternal life with You.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:6‬

Best Friends Help Us Weather the Storms of Life / NKJV 365

Best Friends Help Us Weather the Storms of Life

Job changes, failures, and unexpected circumstances all can shake an otherwise settled self-image from its moorings. Life’s ups and downs can spawn questions about one’s self-worth and confidence. Self-doubt can spread quickly, almost overnight.

You’ll more effectively handle all of life’s changes — whether menopause, the birth of a child, the empty nest, a lost job, an illness, a midlife crisis, or difficulty with a teenager — with more than one person alongside you. And so will your mate.

I believe the best kind of friendships get formed in a bunker, during the battles of life. Those moments of trial, of testing, of difficulty, meld people together, just as they made Joshua and Caleb close friends and fellow soldiers for life (14:13).

No marriage takes place on a romantic balcony, but on a spiritual battlefield, where we are called to regain spiritual turf for Jesus Christ. We need friends who will stand by us in the bunker, Caleb-like friends who will take a stand for God.

A true friend can bring value and perspective when you or your mate has blown it. A good friend will hang in there when it seems the whole world has walked out—and so exhibit the unconditional love of God.

Taken from FamilyLife Marriage Bible

“So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14:13‬

Business As Usual / Greg Laurie

 Business As Usual

“People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:39 NLT).

During the Persian Gulf War, I happened to be teaching through the Book of Revelation. We starting receiving phone calls from some radio stations that wanted to know if I would be a guest on their program because people were wondering whether the war was Armageddon.

Needless to say, it wasn’t. But one day, I was on a phone-in radio program in Los Angeles where one of the other guests was a university religion professor who didn’t believe that Bible prophecy was relevant. He also didn’t believe that the Bible was inspired by God.

As a result, we had a little bit of a debate. And as the conversation progressed, I said, “You know, you say you don’t believe in the Bible, but in reality, you’re a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.”

“What?” he said.

I went on to explain that in the last days, the Bible predicts there will be mockers and scoffers who say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created” (2 Peter 3:4 NLT).

He didn’t appreciate that too much.

Yet Jesus said, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat” (Matthew 24:38 NLT).

In other words, it was business as usual. In the last days, people will ignore prophetic warnings, just as they did in Noah’s day. And just as they mocked Noah, people will mock us as followers of Christ. That, too, is a sign of the last days.

But one day the mockery will cease and the laughter will stop when Christ fulfills His very words. Jesus is coming back.

July 2 / Daily Blessings

 Daily Blessings

“For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom—but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.” - 1 Cor 1:22-23

The mystery of the cross can be received only by faith. To the Jews it was a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God. When, then, we can believe that the Son of God took part of our flesh and blood out of love and compassion for our souls; that there being no other way which even heaven itself could devise, no other means that the wisdom of God could contrive whereby sinners could be saved, but by the death of the cross, then the mystery shines forth with unspeakable luster and glory. The shame, the ignominy, what the Apostle calls the “weakness” and “foolishness” of the cross disappear, swallowed up in a flood of surpassing grace; and faith views it as a glorious scheme of God’s own devising, and of the Son of God’s approving and accomplishing.

Viewed in this light how glorious it appears, that by suffering in our nature all the penalties of our sin, Jesus should redeem us from the lowest hell and raise us up to the highest heaven. How full of unspeakable wisdom was that plan whereby he united God and man by himself becoming God-man; empowering poor worms of earth to soar above the skies and live forever in the presence of him who is a consuming fire. How glorious is that scheme whereby reconciling aliens and enemies unto his heavenly Father, he summons them, when death cuts their mortal thread, to mount up into an eternity of bliss, there to view face to face the great and glorious I AM; to be forever enwrapped in the blaze of Deity, and ever folded in the arms of a Triune God.

It is this blessed end, this reward of the Redeemer’s sufferings, blood shedding and death, which lifts our view beyond the depths of the fall and the misery of sin, as we see and feel it in this miserable world. It is this view by faith of the glory which shall be revealed which enables us to see what wisdom and mercy were in the heart of God when he permitted the Adam fall to take place. It is as if we could see the glory of God breaking forth through it in all the splendor of atoning blood and dying love, securing to guilty man the joys of salvation, and bringing to God an eternal revenue of praise.

Step Out Boldly / Streams

 Step Out Boldly

When thou goest, thy way shall be opened up before thee step by step - Prov 4:12

The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If He builds the bridge a rod ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith. That which is of sight is not of faith.

There is a self-opening gate which is sometimes used in country roads. It stands fast and firm across the road as a traveler approaches it. If he stops before he gets to it, it will not open. But if he will drive right at it, his wagon wheels press the springs below the roadway, and the gate swings back to let him through. He must push right on at the closed gate, or it will continue to be closed.

This illustrates the way to pass every barrier on the road of duty. Whether it is a river, a gate, or a mountain, all the child of Jesus has to do is to go for it. If it is a river, it will dry up when you put your feet in its waters. If it is a gate, it will fly open when you are near enough to it, and are still pushing on. If it is a mountain, it will be lifted up and cast into a sea when you come squarely up, without flinching, to where you thought it was.

Is there a great barrier across your path of duty just now? Just go for it, in the name of the Lord, and it won’t be there. —Henry Clay Trumbull

We sit and weep in vain. The voice of the Almighty said, “Up and onward forevermore.” Let us move on and step out boldly, though it be into the night, and we can scarcely see the way. The path will open, as we progress, like the trail through the forest, or the Alpine pass, which discloses but a few rods of its length from any single point of view. Press on! If necessary, we will find even the pillar of cloud and fire to mark our journey through the wilderness. There are guides and wayside inns along the road. We will find food, clothes and friends at every stage of the journey, and as Rutherford so quaintly says: “However matters go, the worst will be a tired traveler and a joyful and sweet welcome home.”

I’m going by the upper road, for that  

still holds the sun,  

I’m climbing through night’s pastures where  

the starry rivers run:  

If you should think to seek me in my  

old dark abode,  

You’ll find this writing on the door,  

“He’s on the Upper Road.”  

—Selected

Be Anxious for Nothing / Max Lucado

 

Be Anxious for Nothing

Click below to listen to today's devotional

BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - July 1, 2021

Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs. The sky is falling, and it’s falling disproportionately on you. Anxiety ain’t fun!

One would think Christians would be exempt from anxiety, but we’re not. It’s enough to make us wonder if the apostle Paul was out of touch with reality when he wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing.” Is that what he meant? Not exactly. He wrote the phrase in the present active tense, implying an ongoing state. As if to say: “Don’t let anything in life leave you perpetually breathless and in angst.”

Yes, the presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional. Could you use some calm? Of course you could. We all could. We all could use a word of comfort. And God is ready to give it.

Remembering That God Is Faithful / Chuck Swindoll

 Remembering That God Is Faithful

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Lamentations 3:19–23

 

Remember my affliction and my wandering, 
the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:19–23)

Lord God, thank You for being more than a friend. Thank You for Your sovereign hand upon us, for Your mercies that are new every morning, for Your great faithfulness. Thank You for not leaving us when we should have been rejected and left, for not abandoning us when we deserved it. Thank You for being true to Your Word. Thank You for keeping Your promise that all who come to You will in no way be cast out. Thank You, our Shepherd, for Your sheepdogs—for goodness and mercy and, especially, faithfulness—that follow unrelentingly at our heels. In faithfulness, You will receive those who come to You.

We pray for those who've run away from You. We request that You would win them back through Your compassion and mercy. We ask that they would sense the sympathetic faithfulness of God and that that alone would draw them like a magnet to You.

In the name of Christ, our strong Savior, we pray. Amen.