Answers with Bayless Conley

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Your Real Adversary
I want to point you to an important teaching about trials in today's devotional.

You need to realize who your adversary is. It is not God; it is the devil. Look at 1 Peter 5:8-9,

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Some of the trials and sufferings that we experience are the direct result of the adversary's work.

Some people want to blame God for everything, but the Bible says it is the thief-- the devil-- who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give us life and more abundantly.

Peter makes this even clearer in verse 10,

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Our God is the God of grace. The devil is seeking to devour.

Frankly, I hate the middle part of this verse, After you have suffered for a while.... Clearly, God wants us to understand that suffering is going to happen. Trials are going to happen. No matter how much you may say, "I don't receive it!", it is still there! You are going to go through difficult times. It is part of the human experience.

But when you go through that time of trial, remember not to blame God. It is the devil who is your adversary!

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Stop the Worry
Today I have a simple but important word for you directly from God’s Word: Don't worry.

1 Peter 5:6-7 tells us,

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Jesus said, "Don't take an anxious thought for tomorrow. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." When we worry about tomorrow, we pull tomorrow's clouds over today's sunshine.

I have shared many times in my ministry about the incredible truth of Jesus' command, "Do not worry about tomorrow." It is like we have this 24-hour fuse. We are wired up to deal with the stresses of life one day at a time.

If you worry about tomorrow today, you are putting a 48-hour load on a 24-hour fuse, and something is going to give somewhere.

Some people don't just worry about tomorrow, they worry about next week and next month. No wonder the fuse is blowing!

You see, what the mind cannot contain, it will impose upon the body. If your health is breaking down, worry may just be the problem. The Bible says to cast all of your care, the whole of your care, all your anxieties, on Him, once and for all.

Roll your burden on the Lord. The Bible says be anxious for nothing. And that means nothing. Do not worry about your children, do not worry about your money, do not worry about your future, do not worry about anything.

Your Heavenly Father does care for you, and it is His good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

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Keep Laughing
I want to head back to 1 Peter 1:5-7 again today. Something tells me we could all continue to use the encouragement of Peter's words, especially the advice I want you to focus on today.

1 Peter 1:5-7,

Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Regardless of what you may be going through today, you need to rejoice. Peter says in verse 6, In this you greatly rejoice, even if for a season you are experiencing various trials.

Friend, keep your sense of humor. It will help you outlast your trials.

I read a story once about a guy parachuting when the wind blew him onto a track where they were racing cars...not a good place to land in a parachute. He was trying to get his parachute off when another gust of wind came and started dragging him face first down the track.

He finally got the parachute off and stood up only to see a car racing towards him. He quickly jumped out of the way and said to himself, "Man, I'm glad that's over!" and turned to get off the track. As he did, he stepped in a hole and twisted his ankle.

That was just too much! Even in his pain, he just started laughing!

Keep your sense of humor. Even if you are going through the roughest patch you have ever been through.

Do not let your trials rob you of your joy.

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Promises, Promises
God has given us His promises because He wants to fulfill them. Be they promises of peace, restoration, healing, or for material supply, we must keep in mind that the Lord would not have made the promise if He did not want to do it.

Here are four thoughts to help you when it comes to experiencing the benefit of God's promises:

1. Find a promise from the Bible that covers your need. Faith begins here.

2. Consider the promises. Hebrews 10:23 says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And Hebrews 11:11 says, By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

3. Act on the promise, fulfilling all necessary conditions. God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of conditions.

4. Start thanking God and exercising patience. Hebrews 10:36 says, For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

And Hebrews 6:12 says, That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If you will do these four things, you are on your way to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life.

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Amen To All Of These!!!!!!!!! Thanks Snugsnug!!!!

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Spirit, Speech and Service
I want to point you to 1 Peter 2:18-23,
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.

The Goodspeed translation says, “He committed His cause to Him who judges righteously.” Now these verses are pretty clear: God is a righteous judge. And even if you are being mistreated for doing right, if you will commit things to God, He has a marvelous way of turning the tables in your favor.

You have to maintain three things if God is, indeed, going to use you in such a situation.


You have to maintain a right spirit. You have to keep a good attitude. You cannot get bitter. You have to stay kind


You have to keep right speech. Do not dish out the same kind of abuse. Do not start saying things that are going to create division.


You have to maintain right service. Even if you are being mistreated, continue working hard for the Lord. Do not sabotage things.
If you will do these three things, just watch what God does through your difficulties!

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Do You Cherish God's Word?
Psalm 107:20 says,

He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from
their destructions.
God has given us His Word for our benefit, and yet so many
Christians ignore it to their hurt.

It is like the story of the woman a preacher went to visit one day. She lived in a dilapidated house. As long as he had known her, she had struggled with poverty. Twenty years earlier she had been the housekeeper for the wealthiest woman in town, but the wealthy
woman had died. So this housekeeper moved into an old shack.

As the pastor was visiting her, he noticed a document framed on the wall. He said, “Do you mind if I borrow this for a few days?” She replied, “Well, you can borrow it, but please bring it back. Although I can’t read, it is very important to me. It is the only thing that the lady left me when she died. It is very valuable to me. It reminds me of her. So make sure you bring it back.”

He took it and had it investigated and authenticated. It was the will of the woman who had died, and in the will she left her housekeeper a fortune. The housekeeper could have had any house she wanted in the whole city and had servants of her own, but due to her ignorance, she lived in poverty and had a rough go of it all those years.

That woman reminds me of a lot of Christians. They don’t read their Bible, but they admire it because it reminds them of God. They haven’t taken time to find out the inheritance that belongs to them as believers.

God’s Word is a light to our path. It is our guidebook for life. It is bread for our spirit. It is our strength. It is our refuge in troubled times.

Cherish God’s Word.

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Keys to an Effective Prayer Life-
Being Specific
I want to focus this devotional on Mark 10:46-52 where we find a very intriguing story.

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with
His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son
of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it
was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son
of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be
quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy
on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer.
Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose
and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What
do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him,
“Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him,
“Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately
he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

The question Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”, seemed obvious, didn’t it? Everybody present knew Bartimaeus needed his eyes to be healed. Why would Jesus ask this question?

He wanted us to understand how important it is to be specific when we ask something of God. Bartimaeus’ faith had to become specific before it made him well. It was after he said, “Lord, that I might receive my sight,” that Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.”

Being specific in what you request of God is the first key to effective prayer.

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Keys to an Effective Prayer Life-
Praying from the Heart
In Romans 10:9-10 it says,
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Prayer must come from the heart. These verses in particular teach us that if a person is going to pray a prayer of salvation, the heart and the mouth must get together. It is not good enough to just have the words. Your heart and mouth must be in agreement.

I believe this truth applies to every kind of prayer. It is not good enough to just use eloquent words. There has to be heart behind them if you are going to realize results from your prayers.

I think only those things that burn brightly within our hearts truly touch the heart of God.

When I was young, I would go fishing with my cousins. At night, the bats would come out and my cousins would take a lure, and they would cast it up in the air. Every once in a great while one of the bats would hit the lure and get snagged.

I think when we pray, it is like casting lines up into the heavens. But it is only the prayers that come from our heart that ever hook onto anything in heaven.

Effective prayer comes from your heart.

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Keys to an Effective Prayer Life—
Endurance
Patience is essential to an effective prayer life. You need
to be willing to endure.

Hebrews 6:11-15 says,
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence
to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not
become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise
to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He
swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and
multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently
endured, he obtained the promise.

Do you realize that once God gave Abraham and Sarah the promise of having a child, it was 25 years before Isaac was born? There was some patient enduring that took place before they obtained the reality of God’s promise in their lives. And so it must be with us.

Perhaps you have been praying for things in your life, and you are getting discouraged. You must remember that God does not always work things on our timetable. He works according to His. I just want to encourage you today: Be patient. Patience is that long-lasting quality of your faith.

A number of years ago I heard one person say that faith is like your hand and patience is like your arm. When you exercise faith, it is like holding up your hand against the problem, and as you do, things are being worked out. But if you take your patience down, your faith comes down with it.

Patience is the thing that keeps your faith applied until the answer comes.

Patience is a critical key to effective prayer. Whatever you are praying for, patiently endure.

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Keys to an Effective Prayer Life—
Humility
Humility is a very important key to effective prayer.
In 1 Peter 5:5-6 we read this,

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your
elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be
clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace
to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble. Humility, more than anything else, is an attitude of the heart that says, “I recognize I am not self-sufficient. I am open, I am teachable, I am thankful. God, I am willing to bow my heart before You and confess that I am in utter need of Your assistance.”

Contrary to what some people say and think, humility is not to be equated with lack of courage. In fact, it takes great courage for a person to admit they have need. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is a sign of strength.

King David said in Psalm 18:35, Your gentleness (or Your meekness) has made me great. Moses was called the meekest or the humblest man on the face of the earth, and yet we don’t think of him as a weak person. He is one of the greatest leaders to ever step out of the pages of the Bible, and very few people in history have had power with God in the place of prayer like Moses did.

Jesus, our Savior, said, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (KJV). Friend, that ought to be one of the hallmark qualities of our lives— especially when we are praying. It is a key to effective prayer.

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Hindered Prayers
1 Peter 3:7 says,
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding,
giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being
heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be
hindered.

Notice it says, “Husbands, likewise,” which means, gals, you are not off the hook. The following truth applies to you as much as it does to the boys.

That truth is simply this: If there is bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart toward your spouse, your prayers will be hindered. That word hindered literally means to be cut down in the same way one would cut down a tree.

I once had this incredible tree called a cherimoya tree. One of the things about a cherimoya tree is that it is not indigenous to our country, and the insects that pollinate it do not exist here.

In order for the tree to bear fruit, I needed to pollinate it by hand with my little artist paintbrush. I would get pollen on the brush from one flower and pollinate other flowers.

Eventually the little buds I had pollinated began to turn into fruit. I was so excited! They were getting close to the time to be harvested. Then I came home one afternoon to find my whole tree hacked to pieces. Every branch and piece of fruit was in the trash. The gardener had cut my tree down!

I believe that can happen with our prayers. You can be intensely committed spiritually, searching the Scriptures, filling your heart with the Word, praying from the bottom of your heart, but if you are not honoring your spouse or you are treating them in a bad way, the devil has the authority to waltz right in and chop your prayer tree down.

Let’s keep the ax out of the devil’s hand by honoring and forgiving and valuing our marriage partner.

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The Power to ForgiveThere are times when we need to forgive someone for something they have done. On occasion it can seem so difficult…almost impossible.

But forgiveness is not an option for you and me as followers of Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness is an act of the will. You can forgive. In fact, Jesus said that we even need to love our enemies, those who may not want peace with us.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:44,
“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you
and persecute you.”

How can you do that? Because God has done the same thing for you. In Romans 5:10 it says, When we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.

When you and I embrace salvation through Jesus Christ, that same love of God is poured out in our hearts. (See Romans 5:1 and 5). As a result, we can forgive those who have wronged us.

Once you have forgiven someone, it can still affect your emotions. I like what Corrie ten Boom shared. She went through several sleepless weeks over something that someone had done to her. She tried to forgive the person; but, still, when she would think about it, she would respond emotionally.

When she shared this with her pastor, he had her look up at the bell tower of the church. He reminded her that the bell would continue to ring even after the person ringing it had let go of the rope. But given a little time, the bell would slow down until it was silent.

It may take time for your emotions to settle even when you have let go of the rope. Just let go of the rope and forgive. You can do it!

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Do You Really Believe It?
Ephesians 2:4-7 says,
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us
in Christ Jesus.

There was a time in my wife’s life when nothing was going right. It was before we were married while she was attending Bible school. Things were so bad that she was ready to drop out, and she wondered where God was in her life.

It was then that she attended a seminar where a woman was teaching on this passage. As my wife read this, and heard it taught, she saw that God loved her in an amazing way. That He loves everybody so much He sent Jesus Christ, so that He could make us a showpiece of His great love.

She realized He wanted to make her life beautiful and full. He wanted to make it good. He wanted to do things in her life so that she would be a showpiece for Him, and other people would look and say, “What is it about you?” and she could tell them that God made the difference in her life. Since that truth dawned on Janet’s heart, she has never been the same.

1 John 4:16 says,
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.

Do you really believe that God loves you and has good things in store for you? You have heard about God’s love, but do you really know it? Are you really believing the love that God has for you?

Well He does love you, and when you believe it, you will never be the same!

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Protecting New Believers
The devil is going to go after newborn babes in Christ. This is something we can expect. But what are the reasons for it?

Look at Isaiah 59:15-16, as it provides us with a clue,
So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. I want you to think about that. Truth fails, and the person who departs from evil makes himself a prey, in the same way that a lion looks at a wounded gazelle as prey.

To me this is a picture of what happens to some new believers. They depart from evil (get saved) and suddenly it seems like everything is going wrong for them. And God is not pleased about it!

Where it says He wondered literally means He was astonished that there was no intercessor. This means that there was no one praying. That is why they became prey!

If we do not pray for those who turn from evil, then they will become the prey of the devil. We have a responsibility to intercede for people who come to Christ. It puts up a barrier of protection around them.

Paul wrote to the Colossians about this when he said, Praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ. Paul didn’t just pray for them before they were saved, he also prayed for them after they were saved.

Oh, may God not wonder in our day, “Where is the intercessor who should be praying for the new babes in Christ?”

Let’s take our responsibility seriously and pray for those who have newly come to the faith.

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Getting Established in the Faith
If you are a new believer in Christ, or know someone who is, I want to talk to you. I want to share with you four things that will help you get established in your faith.

1. Read your Bible every day. That’s food for your spirit. Psalm 119:11 says, Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. It is vital you spend time in God’s Word.

2. Pray every day. Spend time talking to God and then listening in your heart for His answers. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 admonishes us, Pray without ceasing. This is a vital part of your growth and protection as a believer.

3. Fellowship with other believers. Do not get isolated from the church. Do not get isolated from the rest of the body. Scripture tells us to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some (Hebrews 10:25). In fact, it is important to get integrated into a smaller circle of fellowship. You need to get connected relationally. There is a real safety in that.

4. Listen to your spiritual leaders. Go to church whenever the doors are open, and go expecting God to speak to you through the teaching and preaching. One translation of Hebrews 13:17 says, Give ear to your spiritual leaders and be willing to do what they say for their work is to watch over your souls.Become a part of a strong Bible-believing fellowship and take heed to what is taught.

If you will do those things: read your Bible every day, pray every day, get involved in a smaller circle of fellowship and listen to your spiritual leaders, you will be all right.

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You Made it This Far!
The devil will attack a new babe in Christ. Hebrews 10:32 sheds some additional light on what we can expect,

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings.

When it says, after you were illuminated, it literally means, “After you came to the light.” This verse is talking about when the light of the gospel dawned on you, when you were saved.

And what does it say? You need to recall, to remember, that after you came to Christ, you endured. You went through some battles. I think we need to remember that. In fact, let me just encourage you today. The fact that you are reading this e-mail says something about you. Did you know there are a lot of people who were saved at the same time you were, but they are not seeking God today?

You made it through the battle! You stood fast. You might feel like you are pretty rickety and ready to keel over, but you are still seeking God! If the devil could get you, he would have gotten you already.

By God’s grace you made it this far. Now is no time to quit!

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Attack at the Point
of Spiritual Breakthrough
Satan will attack when a person comes to Christ, when they are a babe in their faith. I believe Scripture shows us that the devil will also attack when you are on the verge of a breakthrough, or at a time of important transition. This is the second battle we must fight.

In Matthew 3, we find Jesus at an absolutely critical time of transition in His life. We have not heard from Him since He was 12 years old. There has been about 30 quiet, unnoticed years where He resumably was working in His father’s carpentry shop.

That is when we read in Matthew 3:16-4:1,

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him,
and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven,
saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.

Jesus is about to enter public ministry. The sick will be healed; the poor will have the gospel preached to them; miracles will be worked; the Father will be revealed. So from this point, the battle is on. And we are given a bird’s-eye view of the conflict that occurs between Christ and the devil.

But I want to submit something to you. If it seems that all hell has broken loose in your life, maybe, just maybe, it’s because you are on the verge of a breakthrough in your life.

Maybe it’s a time of very important transition where God wants to lift you into a place where there is going to be greater influence and greater impact through your life.

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Spiritual Treasure
In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul tells us,

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

If you look at this chapter, Paul helps us understand that this treasure is ministry, the gospel, the Word of God, and the light and the glory of God, God's presence.

Paul wants us to understand that God has placed in us an incredible spiritual treasure...a treasure residing in these earthen vessels...our bodies. The treasure is in you and me!

But that treasure needs to be poured out.

I can't help but think that Paul was thinking of two particular earthen vessels that were used in his day. One was the vessel of mercy and the other the vessel of honor.

One place you would find the vessel of honor was around the home. People would use the water to wash their feet after traveling the dusty roads before they would enter your house, or they would use the water to quench their thirst. Like the vessel of honor, we are to wash the feet of our family, to humbly serve them and to help quench their thirst for more of God.

The vessel of mercy looked identical to the vessel of honor, but it was located in public places like the town square, so that any traveler coming through that arid land would be guaranteed to find a fresh drink of water. It was placed where the needs were. We need to take mercy where mercy is needed most--out onto the highways of humanity.

You are an earthen vessel filled with His spiritual treasure, so start pouring it out--in your home and out where the people are.

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Where Satan Will Attack: Pride

The first area the devil will attack is when you are on the verge of a breakthrough or in a time of important transition. I want to show you the second area, the area of pride.

We pick up the drama of Satan’s attack of Christ in Matthew 4:6,

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

I believe the devil was appealing to Jesus’ pride at this point. He realized Jesus was solid in His own heart about who He was and what He was to do.

So the devil took Him to the most public of all places, and told Him, “Now, hey, You need to prove this to everybody else. If You cast Yourself down, You will have a soft landing because the angels will catch You, and everyone will know that You’re the Son of God.”

Pride will cause us to do things recklessly, and Satan was doing all he could to get Jesus to act recklessly. But Jesus answered perfectly, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”

By the way, the verse Satan quoted to Jesus about the angels catching Him had an ending, which he failed to include. It says, “To keep you in all your ways.” The Amplified Bible says, “In all your ways of obedience and service.”

In other words, you can’t do some reckless thing to prove a point to other people and expect God to save you. Don’t let your pride get you out on a limb. Instead, resist Satan’s attack in the area of pride. Realize it for what it is; it’s his temptation to get you to fall!

If you are secure in who you are, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

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Compromise

The devil will seek to cause you to fail when you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Look in Matthew 4:8-11,

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

If you think about it, the devil offered Jesus exactly what He had come to this world to obtain. Jesus came to win the kingdoms of this world to our God.

And the devil is saying, “Hey, You can take a shortcut. I will give You what You want. You don’t have to do it God’s way. You may have to compromise Your integrity, but think of how quickly You will succeed! You can even avoid the whole sacrifice thing! You don’t have to do it God’s way.”

Listen, anytime God has set a goal for you, and you are going to obtain something, the devil will always come and try to get you to compromise and offer you substitutes.

He will tempt you by saying things like, “You can get what you want without living by all those narrow, restrictive rules that God puts on people’s lives. You can be dishonest; you can be unfaithful; you can compromise; and you can still be blessed, and you can still be happy.”

Do not believe him for a moment. His way of compromise leads only to ruin!

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You're Not Stuck
1 Corinthians 10:13 says,

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The word temptation in this verse also means test or trial. With that in mind, here are a couple of thoughts to encourage you today.

1. Whatever test, trial, or temptation you are facing today, it is "common to man." That means that you are not the only one who has gone through whatever you are facing.

It is comforting to know that others have faced similar problems before us and made it through!

2. God makes a way of escape with the trial or temptation. That means you're not stuck! Before your difficulty ever arose, God designed a way of escape. And that means of escape comes with the problem.

So if you find yourself embroiled in trials, tests, or temptations today, start looking for God's way of escape--it exists. Trust Him to guide you safely through and out of your difficulties!

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Agreeing With God's Word
When the twelve spies returned from searching the promised land, they said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we" (Numbers 13:31).

That was the report they brought back—at least ten of them that is. The other two, Joshua and Caleb, had this to say,

"Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them" (Numbers 14:9).

They all saw the same things in the land of Canaan, but only Joshua and Caleb chose to agree with God. The Lord had previously told them that He would give them victory and that they would be able to drive out the inhabitants of the land.

The ten spies (along with all Israel) died without ever possessing what God had promised. Only two men from that generation entered into Canaan and possessed the land. I think you can guess who they were--Joshua and Caleb. The only two who agreed with the declarations of God.

Check out what you have been saying. Do your words agree with God or not?

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Unlikely Vessels
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says,

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

God delights in calling and using those the world passes by and counts as nothing. One old preacher said, "God isn't looking for golden vessels, God isn't looking for silver vessels, God is looking for yielded vessels." I think that is true.

It is amazing what God can do through someone's life who doesn't have to have the credit.

You may feel like you do not have much to offer. If that is the case, then you are perfect! When God does great things through you, then He will get the credit. People will know it was Him and not you!

God is looking for yielded vessels that He can use in a dynamic, community-altering way.

Why not say today, "Here I am Lord, use me;" and after praying that simple prayer, get ready. God may bring some amazing opportunities your way to step out and be used for His glory.

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His Stuff
1 Chronicles 29:14-16 is very helpful to see God's perspective on material blessings and how we should view those blessings,

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope. "O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own."

In these verses, King David is actually talking to the Lord as an offering is being received, and resources are being collected for the building of the temple (something his son Solomon is going to achieve).

We see that David recognized that everything he had, everything the people had, literally belonged to God. They were just giving God back something that belonged to Him in the first place.

I am going to let you in on a little secret: You and I are just stewards, and one day the Owner will call us into account for how we handled His stuff. Every one of us will give an account for our stewardship of His possessions.

While He gives us richly all things to enjoy, He is going to ask you if you did what He told you to do with His stuff. It is not our stuff.

Material treasure is a stewardship, and we must do what the Owner wants with it. This means we have a responsibility to be listening for the Owner's voice and following His instructions with His goods.

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The Road to Perfect and Complete
I want us to focus our attention on James 1:2-4,

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

What I want to look at is how God seeks to bring us to maturity by building patience into our lives. If there is one thing I have learned in my Christian walk, it is that God is not in as much of a hurry as I am!

Now, what is patience? Patience is the long-lasting quality of your faith. If you let go of your patience, your faith falls to the floor.

The end result God is looking for is that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The word perfect here means mature. God is developing maturity in us by working on our patience.

I have a dear friend who has a great church. They endeavored to build another building on their property and it ended up being a major undertaking. In fact, it turned out to be the most difficult thing he had ever done. I mean, it took a strip out of his hide.

Eventually it got built, but you know what my friend says about it? He says, "You see that building? I didn’t build that building. It built me."

Going through those trials, facing those difficulties, having his faith tested, having to trust God when it seemed like there was a lack of finances, having to hold onto God's Word when he was a laughing stock with some people, all of that built character in him as he stood the test.

I have a question for you: Has anything been building you lately? If so, rejoice, because God is working maturity in you!

[thereishope]

Boy i'll say. Thankyou i needed this at this moment.

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It Will All Work Out
Ephesians 1:11 is a powerful verse with a vital lesson,

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

Over the 30 years of my Christian life, I have come to have great confidence in God's ability to work things out. No matter what is going on or how obscured my understanding of a situation is, I believe God is always working things according to His great sovereign plan.

It is as if there is this giant tapestry that God is weaving, and my life is a part of it. I sometimes get caught up with the temporal things and the stuff that is happening, but God reminds me, "Hey, nothing is taking Me by surprise. I'm weaving all of these things into this great pattern. Your mistakes, the stuff that happens to you, it is all going to turn out alright!"

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God? The thing you are embroiled in right now did not take God by surprise. He did not look at your situation and say, "Oh no! I didn’t figure on that! Gabriel, do you have any suggestions? What are we going to do?"

I know that sometimes in my microscopic view of things I have said, "Lord, such and such has got to happen." And God has replied, "Well, you don't have the big picture." Then, as time went on, God pulled the camera back, and I got the wide view, and I realized God was up to something very cool—totally apart from what I thought "had to happen."

Whatever your situation, you can rest assured that God has plans to work things out. God is working all things after the counsel of His own will. So relax! Even if your present circumstances have totally taken you by surprise, God saw it coming and made provision far ahead of time.

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The Remnant
I want you to read Romans 11:2-5,

God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, "LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

When Elijah pleads with God, he is physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Jezebel is after his head and he has run into the wilderness. He is sitting down under a tree, and he is crying to God, “I’m the only one. Nobody else is serving You.”

But God says, "Hey, wait a minute, Tiger. I have seven thousand more who haven't bowed their knee to the false idol. You're not the only one."

God is saying, "I have a remnant." And then Paul brings it right into present day, and says, "Just like God had a remnant then, God has a remnant today."

A remnant is a small group that has remained. That is where the word remnant comes from. It comes from the root "to remain." God always has a remnant. A remnant that remains faithful, committed, on course, obedient to God. That does not get discouraged, quit, or give up because of life's many turns.

Life has its share of setbacks and unexpected turns, and many people give up because of those setbacks. But those who stay on course and remain faithful will experience God’s richer blessings.

God blesses all of His children. But those who stay the course are rewarded for their faithfulness.

So stay on track, hold course, stay steady, and remain faithful. Be a part of the remnant.

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God is working behind the scenes of your life
In Luke chapter 2, we see a part of the Christmas story that's simply amazing...

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David....

As you may know, it was prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. But how were Joseph and Mary going to get there? How was God going to work all that out?

Well, unknowingly, the greatest ruler of the world at the time was being influenced by God to make a decree that would ensure that His Word would be fulfilled.

God moved pieces of the puzzle... some of whom didn't even know they were being moved by God... to work out His plan. It's amazing!

Today, you may be trusting God for something, or maybe He has promised you something or put something into your heart. You know what? He hasn't lost any of His ability to influence.

God raises up rulers, and He puts them down. Nations are just a drop in the bucket to Him. And if God has to, He can influence world leaders to bring His Word to pass in your life.

In Luke 2:1-4, we see how God orchestrated Christ’s birth, and how He moved behind the scenes to influence people and to cause things to happen that His Word might be fulfilled.

And, friend, even though you can't see it, God is moving behind the scenes in your life as well.

So take courage and be comforted today, trusting that God can bring things to pass... even when you can't see how.

Merry Christmas!

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The Priority of Focus
As you study the Bible, you begin to discover that God has some things He considers very important -- things that should become priorities as we begin a new year.

One of the things that God considers most important is focus. In fact, the priority of focus is absolutely crucial if you are to be the wise man or woman you want to be. Why?

Because understanding the priority of focus can keep you from pursuing the trivial and unimportant.

A great example of a proper focus is found in Deuteronomy 4:9, where it says...

"Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'"

God wants you to remember your encounters with Him. He's saying, "Take heed to yourself and guard your soul lest you forget the things your eyes have seen.

When you remember and rehearse what God has done for you in the past, it will keep you free from depression and it will keep you in faith. It will keep the door open for God to do things in your present circumstance and situation.

So today, take time to focus on what God has done for you in the past. Count your blessings.

When you do this on a consistent basis, you will be able to move forward with great confidence and faith, remembering what God has done for you... and what He can accomplish in your life again.

Happy New Year!

[annalittlebit]

Focus Is A Wonderful Thing!!!!!!

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Not There Yet
In Philippians 3:12-13, Paul gives us an important insight into becoming complete or mature in Christ,

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected (or complete); but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 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.

As believers, we must realize that we have a way to go. We have not arrived. There are still some things ahead. We still must press on.

But some people have the idea they have arrived. They don't need to grow anymore; they don't need to study anymore; they don't need to increase anymore.

It is like the true story of a young neighbor who was talking to Albert Einstein at a dinner party. She asked, "What is it exactly that you do as a profession?" Einstein looked at her and said, "I've devoted myself to the study of physics." And in shock she replied, "Studying physics at your age? I finished my studies a year ago!"

Unfortunately, that is the attitude many Christians have today about their spiritual growth. They think they have finished. Instead, our attitude should be like 95-year-old Pablo Casals, considered to be the greatest cellist that the world has ever known.

A young reporter asked him one day, "You're 95. The world considers you to be its greatest cellist; and still, at 95, you practice six hours a day. Why?" To which he responded, "Because I think I'm making progress."

Friend, you have not arrived. Set your goal to be making progress every day. That is how you will become mature in Christ.

So today, take time to focus on what God has done for you in the past. Count your blessings.

When you do this on a consistent basis, you will be able to move forward with great confidence and faith, remembering what God has done for you… and what He can accomplish in your life again.

Happy New Year!

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God's GPS
Hebrews 13:20-21 are two verses that give me great encouragement,

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

These verses teach us that God is working in us all the time to bring us to maturity--our destiny in Christ.

A friend of mine shared a brilliant illustration of this one time. He likened God’s guidance to that of the Global Positioning System (GPS), one of those systems they now have in cars that guides you to your destination.

A GPS system uses a satellite to give an aerial view, and its sole function is to get you to your destination, your "destiny."

As you travel to your destination, you have a map on the screen, and this little annoying voice talking to you through the whole trip, "Left turn a quarter mile ahead; left turn 150 feet ahead; left turn 50 feet ahead."

If you miss your turn, it immediately computes a new course for you so you can get back to where you are supposed to be. And if you mess up on those directions, it then computes another new course.

In the same way, God has a destiny for us to fulfill, something that fits into His great master plan. By His grace, He is guiding us all the way, even when we get off track. God just readjusts and says, "This is the next thing you need to do to get back into My plan."

Through His "GPS," He is always working to get us where we need to be. Praise God!

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