Don’t Be Perpetually Anxious / Max Lucado

 

Don’t Be Perpetually Anxious

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DON’T BE PERPETUALLY ANXIOUS - August 2, 2021

We have been taught that the Christian life is a life of peace, and when we don’t have peace, we assume the problem lies within us. Not only do we feel anxious, but we also feel guilty about our anxiety! The result is a downward spiral of worry, guilt, worry, guilt.

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.”

It’s the life of perpetual anxiety that Paul wanted to address. 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, that’s optional.

The Teaching of Adversity / Oswald Chambers

 

The Teaching of Adversity In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. JOHN 16:33 The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling…” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God. If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint. God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7 ). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.

Because He Came, We Must Go / Charles Stanley

 

Because He Came, We Must Go

Luke 2:40-52

It’s a growing trend among businesses and organizations to compose a mission statement in order to keep focused on what matters most. But the idea isn’t new—we can see that Jesus had a clear focus on the mission His Father gave Him. At the age of 12, He was able to identify His purpose by telling His parents that He had to be in His Father’s house (Luke 2:49). 

Do you have a clear understanding of what God’s mission is for you? The Great Commission’s global mandate is so vast that we sometimes lose sight of how to implement it locally. People are saved one at a time whether at home or abroad, and God uses ordinary Christians as His messengers of the gospel. 

We shouldn’t neglect the opportunities God provides in our own neighborhoods and workplaces. Ina D. Ogdon’s old hymn “Brighten the Corner Where You Are” reminds us of this truth:  
Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do; 
Do not wait to shed your light afar. 
To the many duties ever near you now be true. 
Brighten the corner where you are.

Compromise and Erosion / Chuck Swindoll

 Compromise and Erosion

by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Psalm 1

The Hebrews' ancient hymnal begins with a song that addresses one of life's most common grinds: compromise. Please understand, I'm not referring to those give-and-take times so necessary for living in harmony with one another. Without that healthy kind of compromise, nations could never find a meeting ground for peaceful coexistence and family members would forever be at each other's throats.

I'm thinking, rather, of compromising with wrong, allowing the slow-moving tentacles of evil to wrap themselves around us, squeezing the joys and rewards of obedience from our lives. It happens so silently, so subtly, we hardly realize it's taking place. Like an enormous oak that has decayed for years from within and then suddenly falls, those who permit the eroding grind of compromise can expect an ultimate collapse.

I recall reading years ago of the construction of a city hall and fire station in a small northern Pennsylvania community. All the citizens were so proud of their new red brick structure—a long-awaited dream come true. Not too many weeks after moving in, however, strange things began to happen. Several doors failed to shut completely and a few windows wouldn't slide open very easily. As time passed, ominous cracks began to appear in the walls. Within a few months, the front door couldn't be locked since the foundation had shifted, and the roof began to leak. By and by, the little building that was once the source of great civic pride had to be condemned. The culprit proved to be a controversial coal extraction process called "longwall mining," deep in the earth beneath the foundation. Soil, rock, and coal had been removed by the tons so that the building sat on a foundation that had no support of its own. Because of this man-made erosion, the building began to sink.

So it is with compromise in a life. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, one rationalization leads to another, which triggers a series of equally damaging alterations in a life that was once stable, strong, and reliable. That seems to be the concern of the psalmist as he composes his first song, which encourages us to resist even the slightest temptation to compromise our convictions.

The Passage and Its Pattern

The First Psalm is brief and simple, direct and profound. Even a casual reading of these six verses leads us to see that it is filled with contrasts between two different walks of life—the godly and the ungodly. A simple yet acceptable outline of Psalm 1 would be:

I. The Godly Life (Psalm 1:1–3)
II. The Ungodly Life (1:4–6)

Written between the lines of this ancient song is evidence of the age-old battle in which all of us are engaged: compromise—the erosion of our good intentions. 

The Beauty of Adoption / ODB

 

The Beauty of Adoption In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Galatians 3:26 READ Galatians 3:26–4:7  The 2009 film The Blind Side depicts the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless teenager. A family takes him in and helps him overcome learning difficulties and achieve excellence in American football. In one scene, the family talks with Michael about the possibility of adopting him after he’d been living with them for several months. In a sweet and tender reply, Michael exclaims that he thought he already was a part of the family!   It’s a beautiful moment, just as adoption is a beautiful thing. Love is extended and full inclusion is offered as a family opens its arms to a new member. Adoption changes lives, just as it profoundly changed Michael’s life. In Jesus, believers are made “children of God” through faith in Him (Galatians 3:26). We’re adopted by God and become His sons and daughters (4:5). As God’s adopted children, we receive the Spirit of His Son, we call God “Father” (v. 6), and we become His heirs (v. 7) and coheirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We become full members of His family. When Michael Oher was adopted, it changed his life, his identity, and his future. How much more for us who are adopted by God! Our life changes as we know Him as Father. Our identity changes as we belong to Him. And our future changes as we’re promised a glorious, eternal inheritance. By Con Campbell How does being a child of God affect your self-identity? In what ways does this change the way you view yourself? Thank You, Father, for making me Yours. Help me to understand my identity as Your child.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT It’s hard not to read Galatians 3:26–4:7 about being children of God and heirs together with Him without thinking of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. That parable depicts what it means to be an heir—having a right to what the father owns. Paul tells the Galatian believers in Jesus that because they’ve been adopted as sons, they’ve also been given the Spirit of His Son to live in their hearts. All this happens in the moment of salvation. Paul is describing how the presence of the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts is our inheritance as children of God. J.R. Hudberg

According to His Will / Alistair Begg

 

According to His Will 

Who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Ephesians 1:11

Our belief in God’s wisdom supposes and necessitates that He has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without His design? Is there a fish in the sea or a bird in the air that was formed by chance? No; in every bone, joint, and muscle, sinew, gland, and blood-vessel, you see the presence of a God working everything according to the design of infinite wisdom. And will God be present in creation, ruling over all, but not in grace? Shall the new creation have the fickle genius of free will to preside over it when divine counsel rules the old creation? Look at providence!

We know that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father. Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. God weighs the mountains of our grief in scales, and the hills of our tribulation in balances. And shall there be a God in providence and not in grace? Shall the shell be ordained by wisdom and the kernel left to blind chance? No; He knows the end from the beginning. He sees in its appointed place not merely the cornerstone that He has laid in fair colors, in the blood of His dear Son, but He sees each of the chosen stones taken out of the quarry of nature, placed in their ordained position, and polished by His grace. He sees the whole from corner to cornice, from base to roof, from foundation to pinnacle. In His mind he has a clear knowledge of every stone that will be put in its prepared space, and how vast the structure will be when the capstone is set in place with shouts of “Grace! Grace!” In the end it will be clearly seen that in every child of God, Jehovah did as He planned with His own; and in every part of the work of grace He accomplished His purpose and glorified His own name.

A Good Word / David Jeremiah

 

A Good Word Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25   No one in history has your exact personality. Just as God created billions of stars and each is different, He does the same with people. Each of our personalities has its own qualities. Some of us are naturally cheerful; others are prone to melancholy. For the latter, the anxieties of life take an added toll. We sometimes battle depression and despondency.

Recommended Reading: Matthew 14: 22 – 33

Our Lord Jesus Christ, however, gives us a good word. He says, “Son, be of good cheer” (Matthew 9:2). He says, “Be of good cheer, daughter” (Matthew 9:22). He says to us, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). If you’re battling depression today, talk to a friend and seek all the help you need. God uses friends, doctors, and Christian counselors to help us navigate our inner worlds. But the presence and words of Jesus Christ are foundational to mental health and emotional well-being. Our depression is no match for the steadfastness we find in Christ!   I find myself frequently depressed—perhaps more so than any other person here. And I find no better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Charles Spurgeon

How to Lean on God in Days of Doubt / Senior Living

 How to Lean on God in Days of Doubt

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. - Psalm 14:1

Pastor and author Ravi Zacharias shares a story from British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge about a conversation he had with Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin. She spent some time with Muggeridge in his home in England while they were working together on their BBC production on the life of her father.

According to Svetlana, as her father lay in his bed during his final hours, he suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, and fell back upon his pillow, never to be revived.

The incredible irony of his whole life is that at one time, Josef Stalin had been a seminary student preparing for the ministry until he made a decisive break from his belief in God. This dramatic and complete reversal of conviction that resulted in his hatred for all religion is why Lenin had earlier chosen Stalin and positioned him in authority. And as Stalin lay dying, his one last gesture was a clenched fist toward God, his hard heart in defiance of God’s very existence.

Every Christian, at one time or another, experiences doubt when it comes to faith. And there are two reactions you can have toward doubt: you can let it harden your heart or you can use it to build your faith even more by leaning more into God and watching Him work. So when doubt creeps in, don’t shake your fist. Rely on God all the more and you’ll be amazed at what He does!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would strengthen your faith in Him whenever doubt arises!

Questions for Thought

What are some times in your life when you’ve experienced doubt when it comes to your faith?

When you think back on God’s work in your life, how does that reaffirm His existence, His goodness, and His faithfulness toward you?

August 2 / Wisdom from the Psalms

 Psalms 97:10

Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Sarah sat by herself, wondering if it was really worth it to try to live a clean, Christian life. Everyone thought she was so old-fashioned and prudish. She wouldn't drink, hated dirty jokes, refused to gossip, and had no desire to engage in sex before marriage. She didn't like going to parties with her friends, but she hated to be alone all the time. Every once in awhile, Sarah felt like just giving in and doing what all her peers were doing. Those feelings passed, though, and Sarah felt a special peace and comfort in refusing to give in. 

Being different is difficult. To say no to wrong-doing and evil can be excruciatingly hard. Yet, out Lord calls us to be different; to stand apart from the crowd. If we will continue to say no to evil, while saying yes to God, He will preserve and strengthen us. We are never truly alone if we will only love the Lord.

Prayer: Father, I want to do what is right, but sometimes to wrong is very tempting and appealing. Please grant me strength to resist and hold onto what I know is right. Amen.

August 2 / C.S. Lewis

Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument; then collected information about child-psychology and decided what age-group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out “allegories” to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn’t write in that way at all. Everything began with images, a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t even anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord. It was part of the bubbling.

From On Stories

On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature. Copyright © 1982, 1966 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Have You Done All You Know to Do? / Adrian Rogers

 Have You Done All You Know to Do?  

…you do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2

A little boy was trying with all his might to move a huge stone. His little muscles were straining, and there was perspiration on his face. His father, who was watching, said to him, “Son, are you using all of your strength?” And the little boy said, “Yes, Daddy, I’m using all of my strength.” And his dad said, “No, you’re not. You haven’t asked me to help you.”

Sometimes we’re burdened down with weighty problems, and we strive, we cry, and say, “I’m doing everything I know to do!” Have you asked your Father to help?

It may be that God wants to bless you, but the reason He isn’t is very simple: “You have not because you ask not.” Link your life with His. Tap into His power.

For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org. 

You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com.

Watch Adrian Rogers and Love Worth Finding Video Online.

Internal Strife / Billy Graham

 

Internal Strife

David, king of ancient Israel, found himself in the midst of a confused national situation. His kingdom was torn by internal strife. Slave hated master; master hated slave. People blamed the government, and government blamed the people. David looked about him and saw that every man thought himself perfect. Each individual placed blame upon other individuals. David knew that if sinful pride continued to increase, his nation would collapse spiritually. He knew that economic depression, moral disintegration, or military defeat inevitably follow spiritual decline. So David turned to God, and it was revealed to him by the Spirit of God that the spiritual tide of his nation could rise no higher than the spiritual level of his own heart. So he fell on his knees in utter humility and prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

Daily Prayer

Lord, deliver me from the sin of pride, and fill me with continuing humility as I go about the tasks before me this day.

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:18

Humbly Help / Greg Laurie

 Humbly Help

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1 NLT).

“Brothers and sisters, if someone gets caught in sin, you who are spiritual should tell as many people as possible and kick them while they’re down.”

Have you ever read that verse? No, you haven’t, because it isn’t in the Bible. But you would think that it is when you see the actions of some people.

The Bible says that “hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12NKJV).

We find a classic example of this in the way Jesus responded to the woman who was caught in adultery. He said, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you? . . . Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (John 8:10, 11 NLT).

Galatians 6:1 tells us, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (NLT).

We want to restore those who have fallen. We want to help them get back on their feet. Some people who fall into sin don’t know how to get out of the pit they’re in. They don’t know how to break free.

That’s where you and I come in. “You who are godly,” Paul said, “should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.”

We also should note that the phrase “overcome by some sin” in Galatians 6:1implies that it wasn’t premeditated. It speaks of someone who lowered their guard and got caught, like an animal in a trap.

Yes, they messed up, but it’s our job to restore them. How? Gently. The Greek word Paul used for restore refers to setting a broken bone or putting a dislocated limb back into place.

We should always desire to restore, not condemn, a person who is caught in sin.

Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

August 2 / NKJV 365

God acted swiftly to remind everyone that His holiness is not to be trifled with. God will not allow His glory to be belittled. God has used swift divine judgment against disobedience at the beginning of each new era (think of Achan in Joshua 7, Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6, and Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5). God’s judgment against Nadab and Abihu showed all future generations the seriousness and the sanctity of relating to a holy God. Philips Brooks, the great nineteenth century preacher, said, “No sin can be little, because there is no little God to sin against.”

Taken from Start! The Bible for New Believers

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.’ ” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭10:1-3