Turn To The Lord
๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ:
“๐ฟ๐๐ก ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ค๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ก ๐กโ๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐.”
- Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)
- Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)
๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
This verse is written by the Prophet Jeremiah during the siege and destruction
of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jeremiah had spent most of his life attempting
to turn the hearts of the Israelites back to God and had been beaten, mocked,
abused in all sorts of manners and kicked out of the temple as well. Yet such
is his heart for his people and for the Lord that he willingly endured all of
that and continued to cry out to the Lord to bring them back to Him. This is
why he was known as the weeping prophet. If ever there was a great example of
prayer for God to change the hearts of people, the book of Jeremiah and
Lamentations are it. However, they are also a great example of how the Lord
works, or is hindered to work, in our lives because of the rules He places upon
Himself. Have you ever wondered why He doesn’t just stop everything and change
everyone’s hearts and minds to do what He wants so that this world would truly
be on earth as it is in heaven? The answer to that question is because love
without free will isn’t love, it is control. God has always allowed free will,
even with the angels when one third of heaven chose to follow Lucifer (Satan)
instead of Him. Adam and Eve only had one rule in the garden; “But you must not
eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it
you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Today and ever since the Garden, we
have had the ability to choose who we will follow, God or the world. That is
what makes today’s verse so interesting. Jeremiah is crying out to the
Israelites to examine their ways and test them against what the Lord says so
they can remove those things from their lives that are hurting them and their
relationship with the Lord. When they are willing to do so, it is then that
they will be able to return to the Lord. If that sounds familiar to you, it
should. Today we call that the Sinner’s Prayer. The truth is that our
relationship with the Lord has never been about control, He could have had that
any time He wanted to. No, instead it is about trusting Him to help us to not
hurt ourselves and each other and understanding that His love is the greatest
thing we could ever have. He still wants us to examine our ways and test them
today, weeding out those things that will keep us from Him. What will you find?
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
It seems like such a simple thing and yet is so hard to do on our own. This is
why Jesus told us that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them.
(John 6:44) Not that God is picking and choosing, but rather it is because we
can’t do it on our own, so He helps us. Unfortunately, not all of us will.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ:
Father, I ask You to draw me to You in all areas of my life and help me to
shine Your light in the darkness of this world so that others may see Your
grace and love. In Jesus’ Holy and Mighty Name, Amen.
- Chuck Glover
Provided by "All About God"
- Chuck Glover
Provided by "All About God"
Application of God's Word: Psalm 1:2
Verse: Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Application:
This "law" means all of Scripture. The more of the whole scope of God's Word, the more resources we all have to guide us in our daily decisions.
You can learn how to follow God by thinking about his Word. This means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so you're living as God wants. Knowing and thinking about God's Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what he says.
A godly person is influenced not by unrighteous people but by his meditation on the Word of God. Such meditation necessarily involves study and retention. This is possible only if he has a desire to do so, here referred to as a delight. The psalmists found direction, not drudgery, from the Law of God.
God's Is Our Foundation
๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ:
“๐ผ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐คโ๐๐ก โ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐. ๐ป๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ โ๐๐ข๐ ๐, ๐คโ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐คโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐กโ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ก โ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ก ๐ค๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ก.” - Luke 6:47-48 (NIV)
๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
It amazes me when I hear people complain about
how the Lord doesn’t do anything for them or even answer their prayers. I have
no doubt that He answers them, He just tells them No because they are asking
for things that either go against His Word or will hurt them in the short or
long term. I have seen studies that have projected that the number of
Christians that have read the Bible through even just once ranges from less
than thirty percent to less than ten percent. For those that read the Bible
daily, it is less than even ten percent. Now consider this, how do people
expect to know the Lord’s will for their lives and the principles to live by if
they never open His Word? They go through the storms of life and get swamped by
them because they don’t know or understand His principles and they think that
He abandoned them! If only we would heed the promise, He gives us all in Joshua
1:8, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then
you will be prosperous and successful.” The verse above is a word picture of
Joshua 1:8. Not only does He tell us to meditate on His Word day and night but
that it will increase our faith for as faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God. (Romans 10:17) so that when the wind and the waves come
crashing down you will not be like the man who built his house upon the sand,
but instead built it upon our Rock.
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
People have asked me how I have dealt with the
trials in my life, and I tell them plainly that it is because of my foundation
of the Word of God. I trust Him because I have gotten to know Him through it,
and I know my prayers are answered according to it and He will do the same for
anyone else that asks.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ:
Father, I thank You that You have given us
Your Word to read and grow with. That I can look to You through it to find any
answer I need, and it has given me access to You in a way I would never have
had. In Jesus’ Holy and Mighty Name, Amen.
- Chuck Glover
Provided by "All About God"
Sermon: Reverse The Ripple
An event is not your identity.
Pastor Steven Furtick helps us go back to the source of what we’re
going through so we can begin to write a new story for our lives.
going through so we can begin to write a new story for our lives.
Victory in Jesus
John 12:31
Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this
world will be driven out.
John 14:30
I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is
coming. He has no hold over me,
We know that Jesus won the victory over
the evil one. But we also know that the evil one is active to this day. We
struggle with the implications of the victory of the Cross, because we don't
always see them. Though we are inhabited by the Spirit of God, the spirit of
this world often grips our hearts. And what a grip! No living human has yet
fully been released.
Why not? Is the power of Jesus
insufficient? No, He is able to save us completely. We are beyond the enemy's
control. But he still attacks. If he can get us completely absorbed in the
battle, then we cannot be completely absorbed with our God. We cannot focus on
the war and maintain our focus on the Victor - unless we've learned to let the
Victor fight our battles.
Jesus claimed all authority over the
enemy - in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). That has profound implications
for us. When we are attacked, we know our source of victory. When we are
tempted, we know our source of resistance. When we are discouraged, we know our
source of hope. Everything the enemy threatens to do with us on the
battleground of this world is countered in the arsenal of Jesus. But there's a
catch. In order to realize this victory in the here and now, we must employ
faith in the Beginning and the End. The Alpha and Omega, our Savior and Lord,
gives us the key to every weapon. But we must take it and use it.
Are you battle-weary? Be encouraged.
This world is not an everlasting domain. Its ruler has been legally stripped of
power, and his apparent resistance is deceptive. He holds no real power over
the person of faith. The world and all that is in it is passing away (1 John
2:17). It's a dying and desperate regime. When we understand this - really get
a grasp of it - the temptations we face and the trials we endure become much
more easy to handle. Why? Because our faith is not in our ability to overcome,
it's in the Overcomer. Jesus is the only One to truly transcend this world, and
He brings us with Him into glory. Trust in Him. Know the victory that is His.
The exiled prince has nothing on you.
[An excerpt from "The One Year Walk with God
Devotional" by Chris Tiegreen]
How Do I Become A Christian?
๐๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ, “๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ,” ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ.
Romans 10:9
Realizing how to become a Christian is the most important discovery of your life! Becoming a Christian is more than joining a church or saying a prayer. It is a personal relationship that will last for eternity. Do you know what will happen to you the moment you die? Where will you find yourself? Where is your destination?
There are only two destinations - and both are eternal: You will either find yourself living for eternity in heaven or existing for eternity in hell. Where will you be?
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป - This destination is reserved for those who receive Jesus Christ's gift of eternal salvation. Contrary to popular belief, heaven is not for the church-goers, the devout, or the "good people." The only stipulation is receiving God's gift of salvation.
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐น is reserved for those who reject Jesus Christ and His Gospel. The Bible sums up the Gospel like this: : "...That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Hell is described in the Bible as a fiery lake of burning sulfur.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป - ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐
The Bible explains how to become a Christian in very simple terms:
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ and can not live up to God's standard of holiness. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต. Romans 6:23 states: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ'๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place, so we could be spared from hell. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." According to the Bible, we aren't required to subscribe to a religious formula or do more good things than bad ones. God gives His gift freely to all who ask. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป - ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ% ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Once you discover how to become a Christian and then accept God's gift, the Bible says that you can be 100 percent assured of your eternal designation.
1 John 5:11-13 says, "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ."
Do you know for sure that you will spend eternal life with God in heaven? If not, this is a decision you don't want to put off.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ "๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป" ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฑ
The "prayer of salvation" is the most important prayer we'll ever pray.
When we're ready to become a Christian, we're ready to have our first real conversation with God, and these are its components:
We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God; that He came to earth as a man in order to live the sinless life that we cannot live; that He died in our place, so that we would not have to pay the penalty we deserve. We confess our past life of sin - living for ourselves and not obeying God. We admit we are ready to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We ask Jesus to come into our heart, take up residence there, and begin living through us.