Expect Increased Opportunities

Dear Kingdom Builders: What are you expecting? Are you content with your life or do you desire more? How do we increase and prosper in a time of great upheaval? To prosper we must be able to accurately discern the times and seasons. Part of discerning is recognizing there is a significant difference between the world’s prosperity messages of greed, ‘get all you can get’ and the Gospel message of God’s eternal love, saving grace, and salvation that causes us to prosper. With the shaking of today’s economic system we must realize the Bible has a lot to say about stewardship; saving and sowing money. There is a correlation between how we steward our finances and the prosperity of our personal lives and the health of our bodies. 3 John 2, says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” Matthew 6:21 further states, “For where your treasure (desire, money, fortune, relationship) is, there your heart (focus, attention or love) will be also. We must ask ourselves, what or who do I place my hope and trust in? What or who am I seeking in this life? Whose kingdom am I building? What or who do I really treasure? Jesus said in Matthew 13:44, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field”. Are we willing to sell out to this world so we can inherit the unshakeable Kingdom of God?

Three Hard Words That Could Change Your Life Luke 15:21

“You can’t help a liar.”

That was the man’s conclusion based on years of experience with college students. Occasionally he is faced with difficult disciplinary decisions when the young people break the rules of the group. “I’ve dealt with everything you can imagine,” he said. “Every sort of sexual sin. Cheating. Breaking the law. You name it, I’ve seen it.” There is an established set of procedures in place to deal with those who get in trouble. Very often they are able to help the young people make amends and set their lives on a new path.

During our discussion the man made two comments that stayed with me. First, he has learned that lying has almost become a non-issue today. Everyone lies, and they lie all the time. It’s almost as if it’s not a sin to lie anymore. Perhaps it is a sign of postmodern relativism that we have come to accept that lying isn’t wrong. Or perhaps it is just a fulfillment of Romans 3:13, “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” After discussing how people routinely lie to cover up their sin, he offered this conclusion:

You can’t help a liar. You can help anyone struggling with any sort of sin as long as they tell the truth. But you can’t help a liar because you can’t trust anything he says.

"Big and Small Miracles"

"So that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin."      Matthew 17:27

If you made a list of all the big creation miracles Jesus did before He came to earth, what would be on it? My list contains galaxies, black holes, solar systems, the law of gravity, the law of thermodynamics, the atmosphere, the asteroid belt, constellations, and photosynthesis. All of them are God-sized wonders.

When this same Lord lived in Palestine, He performed smaller-scale miracles: withering a fig tree; finding a coin in the fish's mouth; healing Peter's mother-in-law of a fever; restoring a man's shriveled hand. He performed powerful miracles but at a different speed and on a smaller scale than when He created the cosmos.

Complete Turnaround

“We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”—Joshua 2:10–11

The Torah portion for this week is Shelach, from Numbers 13:1–15:41, and the Haftorah from Joshua 2:1–24.

Mosab Hassan Yousef is the oldest son of Sheik Hassan Yousef, founding leader of Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for countless suicide bombings and other deadly attacks against Israel. Mosab was raised in Hamas, and by the time he was a young adult, he was an integral part of the organization. Yet, today, Mosab is a devout Christian living in America. After asking some serious questions and studying the Bible, Mosab did a complete turnaround and became a spy for Israel. He changed his faith, his values, and his entire life.

(a woman that will be a great wife) She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Proverbs 31:24
"She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant." 

Great women are ingenious and industrious. They are intelligent and diligent. They see business opportunities and leverage them for the benefit of the family estate. They fulfill domestic duties to husband and children first, but they have a mind and drive to do more.

A virtuous woman – the great woman every wise man should marry – is an enterprising woman. She is not content with merely being a limited housewife. She knows she is capable of more, so she does more. The example here is a manufacturing and wholesale business in fine linen and girdles. This woman has an entrepreneurial and ambitious spirit that seeks profitable projects to support her husband and build the family income.

There's Always Hope

 Today's Grace Moment: 

 One of the pleasures of life, available to rich and poor alike, is to experience your steady changing of the seasons. What a beautiful divine rhythm you have built, Lord. Each season has its own matchless beauty--the glistening white blanket of new fallen snow; the first crocus and daffodils and tulips of spring; the long golden days of summer; the fiery colors of autumn forests.

Anyone who has spent even one winter in the north half of the country has to be impressed at your miracle of rebirth. How can any living thing survive a stretch of subzero temperatures? Everything looks dead. But every year, just like clockwork, you send more sun and warmth and your frozen world bursts back into life. "He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow" (Psalm 147:17,18).

The God Who Hears You

"Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse." ―Martyn Lloyd-Jones

How important would you feel if your father had 3 billion kids' phone numbers in his iPhone 4S, and you were just one of them? How much attention could one man give that many children? Virtually none. But we're talking about our heavenly Father, here. God, it turns out, has no limitations on His power, His knowledge, or His ability to be everywhere for everyone all at once! This was made clear in His talk with Moses. God said:

"I am pleased with you and I know you by name." ―Exodus 33:17

One New Year’s season I was sitting with thousands of college students at the Urbana conference at Illinois University. The arena was packed to the rafters. At one point in the program, they asked us all to pray…out loud. 20,000 students praying at the top of their lungs. I was overwhelmed not just by the noise or the cumulative effect but by the simple fact that God was capable of hearing all the prayers, deciphering the desires, formulating each request, and answering each one perfectly.

Being Strong and Free

by Lynette Woods

Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourself with strength... Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 
(Isaiah 52:1,2 NLT).

I recently looked at the Hebrew word translated as "virtuous" in Proverbs 31: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies". This began an interesting journey of discovery!

To begin with, many misunderstand what the term "virtuous" in this verse means. In Christian circles it is generally believed to refer to this woman being very good, righteous, subordinate, submissive and gentle; an example of moral excellence. "Virtuous" in English means to conform to moral and ethical principles; to be morally excellent, upright and chaste. However, this is not what the word in the original Hebrew means. It means almost the exact opposite of a submissive, gentle woman, and instead speaks of one who is strong, forceful, powerful and warlike. The Jews are more correct in their translation by calling her a woman of valour instead of a woman of virtue. 

When You're Discouraged And Ready To Give Up, Here's What You Should Do!

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions. -- Hebrews 10:32

What should you do when you're feeling discouraged and dangerously close to doubting God's integrity - when you start thinking He just might not come through for you? Hebrews 10:32 tells us what we are to do when we find ourselves in this situation. It says, "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated...." This verse was written to believers who were so discouraged that they were tempted to give up and throw away their strong position of faith. They had been waiting a long time to see God's promises come to pass, and they had begun to feel like their answer would never come. But just when they were about to give up, they read this verse that reminded them of when they were first "illuminated."

The Prescription Everyone Needs

Lynn Cowell

"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye." Proverbs 7:1-2(NIV)

Constantly churning and aching, the pain in my daughter's stomach just wouldn't go away. From the time she was small she complained, but her doctor didn't seem to have a permanent solution.

After years of discomfort and searching for answers, we finally found a doctor who was able to pinpoint the problem: my daughter's body was sensitive to the foods she was eating. Even though her friends could eat anything, she couldn't correctly process common, everyday items. Sadly, what she was taking in and storing in her system was working against her, instead of working for her.

People inventing fake Rick Warren Facebook pages

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

LAKE FOREST, CA
(ANS) – Following the tragic death of 27-year-old Matthew Warren, the youngest son of Pastor Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, who committed suicide “momentary wave of despair” in April, the Saddleback pastor has been facing another problem – a large number of fake Rick Warren Facebook pages.

In a message posted today (Friday, May 24, 2013) on his page – www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren – he wrote, “Dear Facebook Friends, I have a personal favor to ask.

Are You Glorifying God With Your Health?

Jami Balmet

Editor's Note: This article first appeared on YoungWifesGuide.com. 

As a homemaker, wife and mother I know it’s my responsibility to make sure my family is living a healthy life. We are not perfect at it, (as I type this, I’m gazing longingly at the donuts inside the Starbucks display case) but I do strive to create a healthy environment for my family.

It is glorifying to God to take care of our health and our bodies. But first, I just have to get this out of the way: God is sovereign. He is Lord, creator, and sustainer over this life. I have no control over the days of my family’s life (Matthew 6:27). John Piper says it well,

Strrrretch

Written by Becky Toews

Take today’s next step: Stretch your faith – take the 35 Day Challenge.

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17)

I should have known better than to call our few days away at my brother-in-law’s cabin a “mini-vacation.” Our family vacations seem to be a magnet for catastrophe….

We were unloading the car outside of State College, PA, when we realized my suitcase was still at home. All I had with me was a book bag with my Bible, journal, and reading material. Other than that I didn’t even have a hairbrush. Or my laptop.

Can We Really Know God's Will?

The Hem  Devotional -  

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(Romans 12:2 NIV). 

Praise the Lord !

As you can probably imagine, I get dozens of emails each week from Christians from across the globe. I've noticed that most of these messages have a certain theme- What is God's will for my life?

People don't come out and say that of course. They ask questions like:

What can I do to save my marriage?
How do I bring my children back to Christ? 
Why hasn't God given me a new job yet?

But, what they really want to know is, "What is God's will for me in this situation? What does He really want me to do?"

God Wants You Well

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 30:17)

God wants you well! He wants you healthy and strong in every single area of your life.

He wants you to be spiritually strong. Strong in faith. Strong in the Word. Strong in redemption. Strong in the love of God.

He wants you to be well in your mind, to be strong and stable emotionally.

He wants you to have a healthy will, a will that's aligned with His will.

He wants your body to be well. He wants you free from the bondages of pain, sickness, and care. Free from the worries and woes of this earthly life.

Our Interview With Paul and Jan Crouch

STEVE STRANG

Congratulations to Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on its 40th anniversary. Paul and Jan Crouch are to be commended for building the world’s largest worldwide broadcasting network. No matter what you may think of the Crouches or TBN, there is no denying the impact—most of it positive—they have had on modern Christianity.

You may remember I had hoped to interview the Crouches a few months ago, but at the last minute, Jan pulled out. That was after I had asked my readers what questions I should ask. If you missed that Strang Report, you can read it here along with the many comments and questions it generated.

We wanted to commemorate the anniversary because it’s significant. I admire Paul and Jan and for many years have considered them friends.

So we dug out of our archives an interview we did 30 years ago for TBN’s 10-year anniversary. In that interview, our writer Dennis Roberts asked them the tough questions people continue to ask, about finances and accountability and why they allow certain people on the air.

Facing Adversity

By Charles Stanley 

Hebrews 12:1-2

When a child hurts, our focus is to restore comfort quickly. We remove obstacles so that a toddler will have a clear path to walk. And many parents seek to minimize frustration for school-age children by helping with homework-sometimes offering more assistance than necessary. While wanting to ease children's discomfort is understandable, we may inadvertently convey a subtle message that obstacles and pain are to be eliminated at all costs. This viewpoint can get carried into adulthood, and unfortunately, it is a harmful one.

Difficulties are a part of life, and if we expect otherwise, we will be consistently disappointed. Then disappointment, if allowed to remain, can turn us away from the Lord. A lot of time can be wasted trying to avoid trials when we could be trusting God for the future. We also expend energy and prayer power seeking to get out of our tough situations instead of asking the Lord how He wants us to respond. Most importantly, God does not view adversity as the tragedy we interpret it to be. As a result, our thinking is in opposition to His.

Send for Yourself - Spy out the Land of our Inheritance

Shelach Lekha     (Send for Yourself)    NUMBERS 13:1 - 15:41

This Torah portion tells the story of the spies that are sent forth to survey the Land of Canaan in preparation for its conquest. They return with a mixed message. The Land is superb but too well-fortified to be conquered. Moses is bitterly disappointed with their fearful report and so decides that the people must wander another 40 years (until the generation of slavery has died out) before they can enter the Land.

Shelach Lekha concludes with the instruction to wear fringes of blue as reminders of holiness.

THE BLESSING

GOD SAYS TO MOSES: "Shelach Lekha" (send for yourself) spies to scout out the Land. The spies sent by Moses return both enraptured by the land and terrified at the prospect of making their permanent home in that elevated state of consciousness. 

    So too, this portion blesses us with a mission: Spy out the Land of our Inheritance, taste the milk and honey that flows from the Land of Promise, and let that taste guide us on your journey. The blessing we receive is a glimpse. What we do with that glimpse becomes the challenge. 

Overcoming the Grasshopper Mentality

“We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”—Numbers 13:33

The Torah portion for this week is Shelach, from Numbers 13:1–15:41 and the Haftorah from Joshua 2:1–24.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” What we believe to be true about ourselves often becomes our reality.

When the spies sent by Moses to scout out the land of Canaan returned to the desert, they described what they saw. They saw great produce and a land flowing with milk and honey. But – and this was the key word – the people were unconquerable. In describing the inhabitants of the land, the spies said that they saw the Nephilim. According to the Sages, these were actual giants. The spies explained that in the eyes of these giants, they appeared to be little grasshoppers.

But wait a second! How did the spies know what the giants were thinking about them? After all, they were spies in the land and shouldn’t have spoken to anyone along the way. How could they be so sure that they looked like grasshoppers – like insignificant, vulnerable bugs – to the inhabitants of Canaan?

Jacob : The Man of Two Natures

Jacob [Jā'cob]—he that supplanteth or followeth after.

1. The second son of Isaac and Rebekah, and a twin brother of Esau. Jacob appeared a short time after Esau and is therefore called the younger brother. Isaac was sixty years old when Jacob and Esau were born.

The Man of Two Natures

Jacob is an outstanding illustration of the presence and conflict of the two natures within a believer. Similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, Jacob is good and bad; he rises and falls, yet in spite of his failures was a chosen instrument.

GOD WANTS YOU TO LIVE A LIFE OF VICTORY

As you read the Word of God, you will discover that the Bible is full of people just like you who faced trials. Here is a list of just some of them:

• Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, David, Caleb, Joshua, King Jehoshaphat
• the lady with the issue of blood (Matt. 18:26)
• a blind man (Mark 8:22-26)
• a crippled woman (Luke 10:17)
• and many others who faced difficult circumstances and many times impossible situations.

However, each of them put their trust in a promise of God and every one of them came through their trial victoriously.

God has revealed His plan for us in His Word. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only in order that he may steal, and may kill, and may destroy. I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows") (AMP)

The Fountain of Life

 

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)

 

The fourth verse of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" speaks of the mature Christian’s desire for purity and victory over sin, and looks forward to the ultimate victory in eternity.

 

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the Fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart, Rise to all eternity.

 

Promises from the Pit

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light" (Psalm 18:28, NIV).

Friend to Friend
Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to return but couldn't? I certainly felt that way about the pit of depression when I first experienced it. I wanted to take this nasty black hole to the nearest "Pit Store" and exchange it for a tall mountain of victory. But I have come to the place where I thank God for what He has done in my life through the pit of depression. Anything that makes us cry out to God can be counted as a blessing.

We all have a pit of some kind in our lives. Your pit may not be depression. It may be an addiction that you find hard to conquer. Your pit may be a difficult relationship or a life plan gone wrong. It may be a diagnosis of cancer or a chronic physical disease that keeps your broken, wondering if God even cares. He does. I know because I am what you might call a seasoned "pit dweller." Let me share some truths I have learned through my struggle with the pit of depression.

Dreams Deferred

Written by Kristi Huseby

What to do when God has you waiting .

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34)

Have you ever had a dream that didn’t come true?  Have you ever had one that you felt God gave to you and you are still waiting for it to happen?  I have had a dream since I was a child that I’m still waiting to see come to fruition and I have lived almost a half a century.  I believe that it is a desire that God has put in my heart, at times it has been a burning passion and at other times just a quiet longing.

Why does God put a dream in our heart and have us WAIT? 

Detours, Billboards and a Man Named Paul

Written by Kristi Huseby

Take today’s next step: Let God into every corner of your life 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)

In Michigan we jokingly say that there are two seasons – winter and road construction!  With road construction come detours and lots of them.  Can I just say . . . I hate detours!  They’re inconvenient, unplanned and usually make me late! (Mainly, that’s because of poor planning on my part but it’s great to have something else to blame.)

I don’t like detours in my life anymore than I like them on the roadways.   Detours have a way of making me feel like my life is spinning out of control.  I often find myself holding my breath when this happens, hoping the damage will be minimal and everything will stop spinning soon.

Wild and Crazy Faith

 Written by Kristi Huseby

Get to know God better with our interactive study “Discover Your God” 

“But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NLV)

What would cause someone to go against the tide of social influence?  What would make them stand up against a vast amount of their peers and refuse to go along with what they believe?  Peer pressure is a powerful force and few can stand against it.  However, there were two men in the Bible who did just that.

When Your Rooster Crows

Written by Kristi Huseby

Take today’s next step: If you struggle with guilt, read this. 

“But Peter said, ‘Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.’ And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.’ And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.” (Luke 22:60-61, NLT)

I’m reading a book by Mark Batterson, called Wild Goose Chase. The premise of the book is that often we as believers find ourselves in various cages that hinder us from pursuing the Holy Spirit and his leadings. One of those cages is the Cage of Guilt.

Receive the Man of God

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." (John 13:20)

I can't tell you how many born-again, Holy Ghost-filled Christians pick their pastor apart on Saturday night and then expect him to pray the prayer of faith for them Sunday morning! They'll constantly make critical comments about the evangelists and preachers that God has sent to minister to them and then wonder why the rain of the Spirit has all but dried up in their churches.

Most of those folks would never dream of criticizing the ministry of Jesus. Yet, according to the Word of God, that's precisely what they're doing. You see, Jesus said, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."

I know ministers fail sometimes. I know they make mistakes. Jesus knew they would too. But, even so, He said, "If you receive them, you receive Me."

Peter and John Run to the Tomb

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.  -- John 20:3,4 By the time the women reached the apostles, they must have sounded very confused! On one hand, they reported that the angels said Jesus was alive from the dead. On the other hand, they were confused and operating in fear, so they exclaimed, "...They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him" (John 20:2). Fear always produces confusion, and these women were so confused that the apostles didn't take what they said seriously. Luke 24:11 says, "And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." The words "idle tales" are from the Greek word leros, which means nonsense, idle talk, babble, or delirium (see April 28). Who did these women think removed Jesus from the tomb? Which story was true? Was He resurrected and alive as the women first told the apostles, or was He stolen away?

Weapon of Praise

"I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence." (Psalm 9:1-3)

Never underestimate the importance of praise. It's one of the most powerful spiritual weapons you have.

Praise is more than a pleasant song or a few uplifting words about God. It does something. It releases the very presence of God Himself. And, when the presence of God comes on the scene, your enemies are turned back. Sickness and disease can't stay on your body. Poverty can't stay in your house.

Because He Said So

"Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,' so that we confidently say, 'THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.  WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME?'"  Hebrews 13:5-6

When I was in college, I was introduced to a popular teaching known as “name it and claim it.”  The crux of the teaching went something like this: “What do you want?  What big item, dream, healing, or wish is in your heart?  It is yours in Jesus … so just name it and claim it.”  Multitudes of people fell in love with this teaching, and began naming and claiming everything under the sun.    

Does the Bible really teach a name it and claim it theology?  The correct answer is “sort of.”  But the one who names it is not you or me, it is the Lord Himself.  We can claim by faith anything that He has first named for us.  If He hasn’t named it, you have no claim to it.  Moses surely couldn’t name and claim going into the Promised Land, because God had given him an emphatic, “NO!  And don’t ask Me about this again!” (see Deut. 3:26).  Paul couldn’t name and claim a mission trip to Bithynia, because “the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (Acts 16:7). 

The Power of Silence

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).

Is there any note of music in all the chorus as mighty as the emphatic pause? Is there any word in all the Psalter more eloquent than that one word, Selah (Pause)? Is there anything more thrilling and awful than the hush that comes before the bursting of the tempest and the strange quiet that seems to fall upon all nature before some preternatural phenomenon or convulsion? Is there anything that can touch our hearts as the power of stillness?

There is for the heart that will cease from itself, "the peace of God that passeth all understanding," a "quietness and confidence" which is the source of all strength, a sweet peace "which nothing can offend," a deep rest which the world can neither give nor take away. There is in the deepest center of the soul a chamber of peace where God dwells, and where, if we will only enter in and hush every other sound, we can hear His still, small voice.

God's Best

"Take the arrows. . . . Smite upon the ground. And he smote twice and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times" (2 Kings 13:18, 19).

How striking and eloquent the message of these words! Jehoash thought he had done very well when he duplicated and triplicated what to him was certainly an extraordinary act of faith. But the Lord and the prophet were bitterly disappointed because he had stopped half way.

He got something. He got much. He got exactly what he believed for in the final test, but he did not get all that the prophet meant and the Lord wanted to bestow. He missed much of the meaning of the promise and the fullness of the blessing. He got something better than the human, but he did not get God's best.

Two perspectives on near death experiences

One of the questions we’re often asked is how we explain near-death experiences.

123rf.com/Andriy Solovyov

Josef L., U.S., asks,

Dear CMI,

I’m not really sure how to ask this question, but lately I’ve been thinking of the atheist’s position that when we die, it’s all over.

I’ll confess if there is one thing that sort of makes me doubt my faith, it’s comas or near-death experiences (I do not mean the light at the end of the tunnel type of stuff), such as when people are in a coma or are clinically dead but come back, they often say nothing happened. Also, I think about people who suffer brain trauma and their personalities change. It makes it seem like our consciousness is a function of our physical bodies.

What Do You Treasure?

"...but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:20-21 NIV

Ah, the things we treasure. We treasure our car, our boats, our houses, our careers and all sorts of "things." Oh yeah, and we treasure our families. Ever heard the statement that you are known not by what you say, but by what you do?

I chuckled a while back when I read a magazine cartoon that showed a news conference called by a United States senator who announced that he was divorcing his family so he could spend more time with politics.

We may scoff at the folly of his announcement, but the truth is that many people make that same statement everyday. Maybe not with words, but with their actions. So many more, in fact, that if a politician retires from his work to spend more time with his family, it becomes the lead story met with cynicism on the evening news, while the one who rejects his family advancing his career is too plentiful to notice.

Portable Praise

Psalm 98:4–9

Making a joyful noise to the Lord sounds good and right, doesn’t it? It’s a no-brainer—so much so that it’s easy not to engage our brains all that actively over a praise passage. We’re inspired and uplifted when we read such words. Our gait may even be livelier and our gaze focused higher for a while afterward.

The trouble is, our days are often characterized by an operative word other than praise. Despite our best intentions, that word too easily morphs into busyness. Author Cynthia Heald reflects on this issue:

One day when I was reading Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest, I was struck by his insight about a rather obscure and easily overlooked verse in Genesis: “[From there he (Abram) went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD.]” Chambers writes, “Bethel is the symbol of communion with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. 

Tenacious Trust

Written by Becky Toews

Take today’s next step: We need more devotional writers. If you write, join us! 

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.”  (Job 13:15a)

I came across a billboard the other day that said, “Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it isn’t the end.”  It takes an element of spiritual audacity to trust God no matter what. Job provides one of the most profound examples of spiritual audacity in the Bible.

He loses everything—family, wealth, reputation, health—and he doesn’t understand why. He’s confused. His concept of God’s righteousness and fairness is tested to the last degree. He didn’t have an assurance as to how his situation would turn out, but there was no way he was going to “curse God and die” as his wife suggested. If he was going to die, he would die hoping and trusting.

Has the world gone mad?

By Nathan Jones
Evangelist & Web Minister

If you are asking this question, then you are most likely a devout follower of Jesus Christ who is alarmed at the state the world now seems to be in.

This question may have been invoked by an election season that has left you flabbergasted over so many people turning a blind eye to the lack of the candidates' biblical values. Or, maybe your church has dived off the deep end doctrinally and you're wondering when a sermon will finally quote a Bible verse. You see societies openly welcome Islamic subjugation of their nations. Maybe you're tired of hearing about people being thrown into jail overseas or sued in the U.S. for simply praying in the name of Jesus in public. The Christian evangelical movement seems to you fractured and in disarray for want of central leadership with a strong biblical worldview. And finally, you ponder if you are a dying breed in a world that has become increasingly cold and more hostile towards one's fellow man.

It is indeed a world gone mad. You know it. And, you wonder...

SALVATION BEGINS NOW

MATTHEW 6:10, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

MATTHEW 6:9-13

We do not have to live a beggarly existence here on this earth and just wait till we all get to heaven to begin to experience the benefits of our salvation. Jesus told us to pray "thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." In heaven, He will "wipe away all tears from our eyes" (Rev. 21:4), so here on earth we can pray and believe to receive "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). 

Healing, prosperity, and all the other benefits of heaven are ours here on earth to the degree that we can believe and receive them.

It is God's will to deliver us from this present evil world. The Lord didn't save us from our sins so we could be "saved and stuck" until we go to heaven. He made provision for our success in this life as well. 

Navigating The Storm

Our Daily Bread 

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Psalm 107:23-32

He commands and raises the stormy wind, . . . and He brings them out of their distresses. —Psalm 107:25,28

The ancient people of the nation of Axum (located on the Red Sea in modern Ethiopia) discovered that the stormy winds of the monsoon season could be harnessed by sail for speedy navigation. Rather than dreading the high winds and rains, they learned how to navigate their way through the storm.

Psalm 107 provides a wonderful word picture of how God allows storms to come our way, and then provides help for us to navigate through them. “He commands and raises the stormy wind, . . . and He brings them out of their distresses” (Ps. 107:25,28).

Proverbs 25:12 - As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

You can make fine jewelry – two ways! This jewelry exceeds anything sold in stores! God perpetuates His truth and wisdom by those who teach it and those who obey it. Are you good at both? It is a beautiful thing for a wise man to teach an obedient hearer.

It takes two to fight! It takes two to tango! Human relations require at least two people. For God’s rare truth and wisdom to remain in the earth, there must be a teacher and a follower. Are you good at both? Do you obey God’s truth fully? Do you teach it well?

Got Faith?

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Friend to Friend

The greenest grass is always found in the valley. Shepherds and sheep are well acquainted with the fact that both mountains and valleys are an inevitable part of life. Again, the shepherd is the one who has to figure out a way over the mountain and through the valley. If a sheep is injured, the shepherd must carry his sheep and tend to its wounds until they are healed and the sheep is ready to return to the fold. The shepherd's whole world revolves around the safety and comfort of his sheep, even in the deepest valley.

Valleys are a certainty of life. Your job is eliminated. Your husband is having an affair, or your teenage daughter is pregnant. Financial pressure suffocates dreams, or the betrayal of a trusted friend inflicts a wound so deep and painful that you long for that valley of death. Each day is thick with fear, and your heart is filled with disbelief. The valley may suddenly be before you in a time of loneliness or in the shock of a dire medical diagnosis.