Draw Near / FRIEND IN POWER

FRIEND IN POWER

A jury was being selected for a criminal trial. One juror stepped forward and the judge asked, "Do you know the defendant?" "Yes," was the answer. "Dismissed," said the judge with a wave of the hand. "If you are a friend of the defendant, you will be prejudiced in your judgment in this case."

David was faced with the choice of being punished for his sin by God or by man. He immediately chose God because David was well acquainted with God and knew His mercies were great. Men might punish so severely that life is lost, but David knew God was tenderness and forgiveness. To know God is to know His tender mercy and His desire to forgive and restore. That is why David wisely chose to put His fate in God's hands.

The songwriter sings, "Grace, Grace, God's Grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin." He, too, knew God well. It is wonderful to know God so well that we understand the tenderness and compassion of our forgiving Father. He might discipline us for our own good, but He will not destroy us. His mercy is everlasting, and we know there is no shadow of turning with God. David could confidently pray: According unto the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. No wonder David preferred God's discipline to man's.

“Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man."”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭24:14‬ ‭NASB‬‬

‘It Ends With Me’ by Bob and Debby Gass

‘It Ends With Me’  Sun, 30 Dec 2018  ‘Pull down your father’s altar.’ Judges 6:25 NLT  When the angel of the Lord called Gideon, he was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress, trying to hide the grain from the Midianites (see Judges 6:11). That’s interesting, because God was about to use him to destroy the forces of Midian and liberate Israel. But before he could do so, there were a few family dynamics to be dealt with—like the altar his father built to a false god called Baal. It had been in the family for years. So God said, ‘Pull down your father’s altar to Baal… Then build an altar to the Lord your God.’ (Judges 6:25–26 NLT) Understand this: things like anger, addiction, abuse, and affairs may be part of your family history, but they don’t have to be part of your future. Not only will God heal your heart and hurts, He will use you to heal the hearts and hurts of your children. The generational rubbish can stop here and now. You don’t have to give your kids what your ancestors gave you. Bring it out into the open and lay it before the Lord. Revealing leads to healing. And if having a mature Christian counsellor helps, get one!  ‘Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.’ (Romans 12:2 NLT) No, it won’t happen overnight. Damage done to you in the formative years of your life will take time to heal, and God will work with you day by day until He has made you whole. But let the healing begin. Rise up in faith, take control of your life, and declare: ‘It ends with me, and it ends here and now.’ SoulFood: Mt 6:5–15, Dan 6:1–16, Jas 5:13–18, 1 Th 5:16–18

December 30 / Streams in the Desert

"Peter was kept in prison: but prayer (instant and earnest prayer) was made for him" (Acts 12:5, margin).

Peter was in prison awaiting his execution. The Church had neither human power nor influence to save him. There was no earthly help, but there was help to be obtained by the way of Heaven. They gave themselves to fervent, importunate prayer. God sent His angel, who aroused Peter from sleep and led him out through the first and second wards of the prison; and when they came to the iron gate, it opened to them of its own accord, and Peter was free.

There may be some iron gate in your life that has blocked your way. Like a caged bird you have often beaten against the bars, but instead of helping, you have only had to fall back tired, exhausted and sore at heart. There is a secret for you to learn, and that is believing prayer; and when you come to the iron gate, it will open of its own accord.

How much wasted energy and sore disappointment will be saved if you will learn to pray as did the Church in the upper room! Insurmountable difficulties will disappear; adverse circumstances will prove favorable if you learn to pray, not with your own faith but with the faith of God (Mark 11:22, margin). Souls in prison have been waiting for years for the gate to open; love ones out of Christ, bound by Satan, will be set free when you pray till you definitely believe God.
--C. H. P.

Emergencies call for intense prayer. When the man becomes the prayer nothing can resist its touch. Elijah on Carmel, bowed down on the ground, with his face between his knees, that was prayer--the man himself.

No words are mentioned. Prayer can be too tense for words. The man's whole being was in touch with God, and was set with God against the powers of evil. They couldn't withstand such praying. There's more of this embodied praying needed.
--The Bent-knee Time

"Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused."
--C. H. Spurgeon

Professor or Possessor of Faith by Alistair Begg

Professor or Possessor of Faith

Do you not know that the end will be bitter?
2 Samuel 2:26

Reader, if you are merely a professor and not a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true sketch of your end.

You are a respectable attender at a place of worship; you go because others go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to continue in this way, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you the deathbed of someone just like you. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, "O God, it is hard to die. Did you send for my pastor?" "Yes, he is coming." The pastor comes. "Sir, I fear that I am dying!" "Have you any hope?" "I cannot say that I have. I fear to stand before my God. Oh, pray for me." The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink.

I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here again. But where is the man, and where are the man's true eyes? It is written, "In Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes."¹ Why did he not lift up his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hearing the Gospel that his soul slept under it. If you should lift up your eyes in hell, how bitter will be your wailings. Let the Savior's own words reveal the woe: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame."² There is a frightful meaning in those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of God's wrath!

1) Luke 16:23
2) Luke 16:24

The One by Scott Hoezee

The One December 30, 2018 Read: John 1:19-28 . . . among you stands one you do not know. (v. 26) Earlier this month we noted that John the Baptist was such a powerful preacher that a lot of people thought he was the long-awaited Messiah. That is why the apostle John had to go to such great lengths to make it clear that the Word made flesh was not John the Baptist. You can understand the confusion, though. John was quite the spectacle. He put on quite a show. It was natural that people would rivet their attention on him. So John deflected the attention but then said something that gets pretty close to the essence of God’s way of operating. John claimed that right in their very midst stood one “you do not know.” Jesus was just another face in the crowd. He lined up to get baptized by John and waited his turn like everybody else. Who knew? Jesus was never much to look at. But Jesus was the One. That he was quiet and humble is just part of how God operates. God chooses the weak things of this world to display his glory and so the gospel will always come in humble trappings. The kingdom, the gospel, the Christ himself are quiet, growing like tiny seeds hidden in the soil. “Among you stands one you do not know.” But he was there that day. And he is still right here with us in this world, softly and gently calling all people to himself. —Scott Hoezee Prayer: Thank you for being with us always, dear Jesus, even as you promised. Amen.

Sustaining the Universe by John MacArthur

Sustaining the Universe

“[Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The eternal Christ sustains His creation. When the universe began, Christ already existed. The apostle John spoke of Christ’s eternal existence this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-3). Christ Himself testified of the same truth when He told the Jews, “Before Abraham was born, I AM” (John 8:58). He was saying that He is Yahweh, the eternally existing God. The prophet Micah said of Him, “His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Mic. 5:2). Revelation 22:13 describes Him as “the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Christ has preeminence over all creation because He “is before all things” (Col. 1:17). He already existed when the universe began because He is the eternal God. Having created the universe, Christ sustains all He has created (v. 17). He maintains the delicate balance necessary to life’s existence. He is the power behind every consistency in the universe and the One who keeps all the entities in space in their motion. He is the energy behind the universe. Christ, however, will not always sustain our present universe. One day in the future He will dissolve the heavens and earth. The apostle Peter describes that day, when “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Until that time, we can be thankful that Christ continues to sustain it. How encouraging to know that the eternal God who sustains the entire universe is also watching over you. No detail of your life is too small for His concern; no circumstance is too big for His sovereign control. Suggestions for Prayer Thank the Lord for caring for the details of your life while He controls the universe. For Further Study According to Hebrews 1:3, what does God uphold? How? From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Deserter or Disciple? by Oswald Chambers

Deserter or Disciple? From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  JOHN 6:66 When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must “walk in the light” of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don’t “walk in the light” of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don’t look at someone else and say, “Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can’t I?” You have to “walk in the light” of the vision that has been given to you. Don’t compare yourself with others or judge them— that is between God and them. When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the “heavenly vision,” do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you— things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself— “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). If we don’t see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord’s teaching. Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter. From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth. from The Place of Help, 1005 R

Our Steady Anchor by Charles Stanley

Hebrews 1:1-14

What do you do when the storms of life come? To whom do you turn? Where do you seek comfort and security during such tumultuous times?

Throughout our lives, these storms come and go unexpectedly, but they do not have to throw us off-balance. Scripture assures us that we can maintain a steady footing regardless of the circumstances. So how do we do this? There is an amazing truth in the Bible that will keep us steady during the most trying times. Our anchor for the storms of life is simply this: Jesus Christ never changes.

Why is this so vital, and what do we mean by an “anchor”? Consider that every single thing in your life—career, relationships, finances—is in a state of constant change. You yourself are aging and changing every minute of each day, and there is nothing you can do to stop this process. In fact, even the current heaven and earth will grow old and perish, and like a garment they will be changed (Revelation 21:1). Yet through it all, Christ remains the same. 

If we try to hold tightly to any of these earthly things during our hardships, we will be tossed about in various directions since we’ve affixed ourselves to an unstable foundation that’s continually shifting. However, if we place our hope in Christ, we can be sure that the anchor will hold because He isn’t moving, changing, or leaving. In fact, Jesus Christ is the only sure footing in a world of movement, and He will steady all who trust in Him.

He Who Sanctifies by John MacArthur

He Who Sanctifies

"Both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, 'I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.' And again, 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me'" (Heb. 2:11-13). Our holy Christ has made us holy; thus He can now call us His brothers. From our own perspective and experience, it is difficult to think of ourselves as holy. Sin simply is too much a part of us in this fallen world. In thought and practice we are far from holy, but in Christ we are perfectly holy. We may not always act holy, but because of our faith in Christ we are perfectly holy in God's sight. Just as a child may not always act like his father, he is nonetheless still his son. We are holy in the sense that before God, the righteousness of Christ has been applied and imputed on our behalf through faith. We were made holy through His sacrifice and have become "those who are sanctified." "By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). We are as pure as God is pure, righteous as Christ is righteous, and therefore entitled to be called His brothers because we now share in His righteousness. The Sanctifier and sanctified now have "one Father," and the Sanctifier "is not ashamed" to call the sanctified His brothers. What an overwhelming truth! The practical experience of a Christian's life in this world includes sin, but the positional reality of his or her new nature is holiness. "In Him [we] have been made complete" (Col. 2:10). Yet practically we have a long way to go. So the overriding purpose of our lives is to become in practice what we are in position. Now that we are Christ's brothers and God's children, let that be all the motivation we need to live like it. Suggestion for Prayer Thank the Lord for His sanctifying work on the cross, which enables you to be holy. For Further Study Read Romans 1:16. Based on what God has done for you through Christ, can you wholeheartedly echo Paul's statement? From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

When God Says No / Our Daily Bread

When God Says No

Leslie Koh

In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1

Isaiah 25:1–5

When I was conscripted into the military at age eighteen, as all young Singaporean men are, I prayed desperately for an easy posting. A clerk or driver, perhaps. Not being particularly strong, I hoped to be spared the rigors of combat training. But one evening as I read my Bible, one verse leaped off the page: “My grace is sufficient for you . . .” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
My heart dropped—but it shouldn’t have. God had answered my prayers. Even if I received a difficult assignment, He would provide for me.

So I ended up as an armored infantryman, doing things I didn’t always enjoy. Looking back now, I’m grateful God didn’t give me what I wanted. The training and experience toughened me physically and mentally and gave me confidence to enter adulthood.

In Isaiah 25:1–5, after prophesying Israel’s punishment and subsequent deliverance from her enemies, the prophet praises God for His plans. All these “wonderful things,” Isaiah notes, had been “planned long ago” (v. 1), yet they included some arduous times.

It can be hard to hear God saying no, and even harder to understand when we’re praying for something good—like someone’s deliverance from a crisis. That’s when we need to hold on to the truth of God’s good plans. We may not understand why, but we can keep trusting in His love, goodness, and faithfulness.

Lord, give me the faith to keep trusting You even when You say no.

When God says no, He has a plan. Keep trusting Him!

Draw Near / GRACE OF GRATITUDE

GRACE OF GRATITUDE

A New York taxi driver was fuming when his fare got in. Finally, the man asked the driver what was wrong. The reply was that a former fare had left a wallet containing three hundred dollars on the seat, and the driver had searched New York for four hours before he could find the owner and return the wallet. When he did find the owner, the man looked suspiciously at the driver, turned and walked off. The cabbie said, "I didn't want a reward. I merely wanted him to thank me."

David often called on the Lord, and God was faithful to answer his pleas. However, it is refreshing to note that David spent as much time thanking God as he did praying. This must have been why God fondly said David was a man after His own heart. In learning to thank God and others, we become more giving and generous persons. There is a grace in gratitude that enhances our lives. Thus, it is even more important for us to say thanks to people than for them to hear us say it. Gratitude changes us for the better.

All of us need to learn the grace of gratitude. In our hurry-up world, it is easy just to push our prayer requests through without taking time to thank God for the multitude of mercies He has shown us. When we learn the secret of praise, we find it helps us and expands our souls, making us better individuals. There is power in praise since God inhabits the praises of His people. May we have the same spirit of praise that David had.

“I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

December 29 / Elisha's Ridiculous Faith

In 2 Kings 2:19-22, we see the first of Elisha’s many miracles that he performed. His first miracle consisted of Elisha purifying the unproductive water for the people of Jericho. God used Elisha as a conduit of His love to help meet the needs of others. Like Elisha, God often uses us as a conduit of His love to help those in need. Take time today to think about whom you know that could use help and what steps you can take to assist them in meeting their need. Who has a need that you can meet? What’s one step you will take to meet that need?

“And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. And he went up from thence unto Beth–el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.”

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2:19-25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Are You Looking for Life in the Wrong Place? by Adrian Rogers

Are You Looking for Life in the Wrong Place?

“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4

I heard about a lady who was looking in her purse for her keys. She looked casually at first, then seriously, then frantically. Do you know what she discovered? She was looking in the wrong purse.

I do not know everything about you, but I know this much: you would like to have a full, meaningful, fulfilling life. Am I right? I think most people feel that way. But no matter how much you search, you’ll not find it apart from Jesus Christ.

Now, I’m not talking about life, as in breathing and heart beating. You have that. I’m talking about a rich, abundant life that Christ died to give you. Life is in Christ. 

Are you looking in the wrong place for life? Only Christ can give you life.

December 29 / Streams in the Desert

"Arise... for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good; and are ye still? Be not slothful to go, and enter to possess the land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of anything that is in the earth" (Judges 18:9-10).

Arise! Then there is something definite for us to do. Nothing is ours unless we take it. "The children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance" (Joshua 16:4).

"The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions" (Obadiah 17).

"The upright shall have good things in possession."

We need to have appropriating faith in regard to God's promises. We must make God's Word our own personal possession. A child was asked once what appropriating faith was, and the answer was, "It is taking a pencil and underscoring all the me's and mine's and my's in the Bible."

Take any word you please that He has spoken and say, "That word is my word." Put your finger on this promise and say, "It is mine." How much of the Word has been endorsed and receipted and said "It is done." How many promises can you subscribe and say, "Fulfilled to me."

"Son, thou art ever with Me, and all that I have is thine." Don't let your inheritance go by default.

"When faith goes to market it always takes a basket."