Are You Sure?
By DR.
David Jeremiah – Posted February 28, 2017
Brethren, I do not count
myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which
are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Philippians 3:13-14
Recommended Reading: Ephesians 2
Sometimes it is easy for us
to become frustrated trying to figure out God’s will for our lives. Doubt can
plague our thoughts, even to the point of wondering if we missed the call of
God. Even Moses responded to God’s call on his life with a question, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and
that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11b)
Paul encourages the
Philippians to respond to the call of God in Christ Jesus by leaving the past
behind. If Paul had allowed his past as a persecutor of Christians to dictate
his future, his ministry and witness would have been stunted. Instead, our
sinful past should inspire us, like Paul, with an ever greater fervency. God
desires to use ordinary men and women so that He might receive the glory. Paul
also reminds us that our calling is not complete until we reach heaven.
The call of God is not
just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not
depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my
spiritual attitude.
Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers
Read-Thru-the-Bible: Deuteronomy 23 – 25
Be Patient
By Joyce Meyer - Posted
February 28, 2017
But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play
and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully
developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
—James 1:4
—James 1:4
James teaches us that we can rejoice
when we find ourselves involved in difficult situations, knowing that God is
trying our faith to bring out patience. I have found that trials did eventually
bring out patience in me, but first they brought a lot of other junk to the
surface—such as pride, anger, rebellion, self-pity, complaining, and many other
things. It seems that these ungodly traits, with God’s help, need to be faced
and dealt with because they hinder patience as well as other good fruit like
kindness, love, humility, and other things.
The Bible talks about purification,
sanctification, and sacrifice. These are not popular words; nevertheless, these
are things we go through in order to become like Jesus in our character. God’s
desire is to make us perfect, lacking in nothing. He wants us to ultimately be
filled with the fruits of righteousness, which usually requires us to go
through some difficulties that, although are unpleasant, do eventually help us
mature.
I struggled with the difficulties in my
life for a long time until I finally learned that God would work them out for
good and use them to help me in many ways. He simply wants you and me to
surrender and say, “I trust You, God. I believe when this difficulty is over, I
will be a better person than I was before it began!”
No matter what you are going through, trust God that you are
growing closer to Him each day!
You Have the Advantage
By
Joel Osteen – Posted February 28, 2017
TODAY'S
SCRIPTURE:
"…His favor is
for a lifetime…"
Psalm 30:5, AMP
Psalm 30:5, AMP
TODAY'S
WORD:
One definition of the
word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey
His commands, you open the door for His favor—you have the advantage for
success! Even if someone may have wronged you and it looks like they have the upper
hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep
reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s
fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator, and it’s just a matter of time
before things change in my favor.” There’s
a scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One
translation says, “Payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to
remind yourself that payday is on its way. God is a faithful God. If you’ll
keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has
promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the
enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has in store for you!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY:
Father, thank You for
Your grace, mercy and everlasting favor. I open my heart and mind to You and
receive every blessing You have for me. Thank You for favor, the advantage for
success, in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SURELY!
By
Joseph Prince – Posted February 28, 2017
Isaiah 53:4
Surely He has borne our griefs
(sickness) and carried our sorrows (pains)…
While
waiting for the manifestation of their healing, some people find it hard to
believe that Jesus really took their sicknesses and pains, just as He took
their sin and shame. If you are one of them, don’t feel condemned. Your Father
in heaven understands. That is why He put the word “surely” there when He said,
“Surely, My Son has borne your sicknesses and carried your pains.”
Once, my
daughter Jessica was crying all night because she was not feeling well. She had
been sick for a few days. In my study, I took out my Bible and the Lord led me
to Isaiah 53:4 where it says, “Surely He has borne…” Now, I know the original
Hebrew here and it says, “Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our
pains.” So I said, “Surely, He has borne Jessica’s sickness…”
But it was
like the verse was just not real to me. Her cries seemed more real. Then, all
of a sudden, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to a word in the verse that really
revolutionized the way I saw the whole passage.
Notice the
first word in the verse? It says, “Surely…” Surely, He has borne our sicknesses
and carried our pains. Now, look at the next verse: “He was wounded for our
transgressions...” Every Christian knows and believes that Jesus was wounded
for our sins, yet the word “surely” is not put here but in the earlier verse. I
think God knew that we would find it hard to believe that Jesus also bore our
sicknesses and carried our pains, so He put the word “surely” there to help us
believe!
When I saw
that, I put my Bible on the floor, stood on it and said, “Father, you know I
don’t mean any irreverence, but I am standing on Your Word. Surely,
Jesus bore Jessica’s sickness and carried her pain! I don’t care if I can still
hear her crying. Surely, Your Son, Your beloved Son, bore her sickness
and carried her pain! Hallelujah!” That night, the breakthrough came. That
night, little Jessica was healed.
Are you or
your loved ones suffering some sickness or pain right now?
Surely our Lord Jesus has borne your
sicknesses and carried your pains. And as you believe this truth, surely,
your healing and breakthrough will come!
Thought For The Day
Surely our
Lord Jesus has borne your sicknesses and carried your pains.
