Passion for Purity:

The Lord has provided a way which every believer can walk in holiness and purity and freedom from the lusts of the world around us as we walk in obedience to His Word.

“I will set no evil worthless thing before my eyes”… Psalm 101:3

“I have made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a woman. This would be a fire would consume to destruction and would root out all my increase”…Job 31:1.12.

“By means of an immoral woman I would be reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress will prey upon my precious life. Therefore I will not lust after her beauty in my heart, nor will I let her seduce me with her eyelids.”…Proverbs 6: 25-33

“I have hidden God’s Word in my heart that I might not sin against Him. This is how I am going to keep my way pure-by taking heed to His Word”…Psalm 119:9, 11.

Evangelism

"Some reader may urge - No one generation has been actually evangelized. True; yet that is no proof of its impossibility; and the fact that past generations of Christians failed to accomplish their task, or rather, never tried (except perhaps in the first century,

Servant of God.

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”

Ways God gave Miraculous Victories and Protected His Chosen People

Supernatural Strength

Judges 14:5-7  

5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.

6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

Judges 14:19

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house.

Judges 16:23-31  

23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.”

25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars,

26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.”

27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.

28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other,

30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the

31 Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

186, Things Men Can Do

(11 to 13 out of 186)

11)

Become worse off after knowing God and then backsliding

Jeremiah 7:26  

But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.’

Matthew 12:43-45  

43 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

John 5:14  

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

12)

Turn from God and be lost

Galatians 1:6-8  

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

Galatians 5:4  

You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

2 Peter 2:20-22  

20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.

21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

13)

Be separated from God by going back into sin

Isaiah 59:2  

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

The ‘Risk’ of Obedience

By Mark Kelly

Over the past few years, Mark Kelly has been graciously working behind the scenes to edit these devotionals, keeping them consistent and clear. Today, we offer a devotional from him. –

“[Abraham] was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did – by his actions.” (James 2:22)

To many Christians, “faith” means sincerely believing something is true when you don’t have any evidence. In fact, faith is acting on what you know full well is true: God is able to keep his promise and can be trusted to do it. Faith that is only theoretical conviction isn’t faith yet. Real faith – living faith, saving faith – does something about it.

God had promised Abraham that Isaac would be the father of an entire nation. When the Lord commanded him to sacrifice his only son, faith wasn’t some abstract issue of believing without evidence. Faith meant taking the risk of obedience – frightening as it was – because Abraham knew God could keep the promise even if Isaac died. Raising a son from the dead is right down God’s alley!

The life of faith is a life of taking risks that aren’t actually risky. When God puts a challenge before you – even one that seems crazy to your human nature – you can step out in confidence because you know God is able and faithful. When your faith and actions are working together, then your faith will be made complete.

Prayer: “Lord, what you want from us is exciting – and a little frightening too. It would be a lot easier to just stay with our ‘business as usual’ lives, but you have something seriously amazing in store for us if we will match our beliefs with obedience. Please strengthen our confidence in your power and trustworthiness, and grant us the courage to step out in faith when you give us opportunities to prove how much we really trust you.”

Point to ponder: The life of faith is a life of taking risks that aren’t actually risky.

God can change your life---

God spoke to Samuel and used him in His service because he made himself available. The Lord could intimate Samuel, but it did not scare him away. Very often, God’s call may disrupt your life to the very core. Have you asked God to speak to you? Have you surrendered yourself to the shocking changes that God may bring in your life? Let us take a lesson from Samuel. When God calls you He will change your life and the course of your life.

THE P.L.A.N

Pretty simple plan, don’t you think? It’s even easy to remember. Perhaps you caught the acrostic:

Am I fitting into God’s Plan?

What are my Longings?

What are my Abilities?

Am I serving God Now?

What not to give

Give no offense

1 Corinthians 10:32  

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—

Give no heed of fables and commandments of men

Titus 1:14  

And will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.

Whom to Fear

God

Matthew 10:28  

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Luke 12:5  

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

1 Peter 2:17  

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, and honor the king.

Revelation 14:7  

He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Questions in Acts

1. Will you restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?

Acts 1:6  

So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

2. Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?

Acts 1:11

 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

3. Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?

Acts 2:7  

Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

When a Friend Betrays

By Rick Warren.

He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman. Psalm 15:2-3.

Here are three steps toward learning to trust again when a friend betrays:

Reveal your hurt to God. Vent your frustrations to God. Tell him about the friend who betrayed your most intimate secret, the family member who broke a promise one too many times, or the co-worker who deliberately worked to make you look bad even while she pretended to be supporting you.

God will never be surprised or upset by your anger, your hurt, or your sense of loss over betrayal. You can tell him exactly how you feel, and trust him to understand.

Release those who’ve offended you. Forgiveness does not mean you instantly trust your friend again. God teaches us to forgive instantly and for as many times as it takes; however, trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust must be re-earned.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to resume the relationship immediately, and it also doesn’t mean you have to resume it without any change.

Your friend, or family member, will only be able to rebuild your trust over time as he or she consistently and humbly shows that he or she is “one who lives honestly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in [his/her] heart – who does not slander with [his/her] tongue, who does not harm [his/her] friend or discredit [his/her] neighbor …” (Psalm 15:2-3).

Re-focus your life. Don’t let anyone, particularly someone who has betrayed your trust; maintain a grip on your emotions. No doubt you’re feeling angry and hurt, but rather than trying to resist those thoughts, re-direct them.  For instance, try to see the situation from God’s perspective, and remember his ability to take things that are hurtful or mean-spirited in our lives and turn them into good.

     

Thanking God in advance

A boy named John was not a believer, and in fact was anti-Christian. One day his mother bought him a Bible, laid it on his desk, and said, “Here, son is your new Bible”.

John replied, “What’s this for?

His mother answered, “You don’t know it yet, but you’re to become a Christian”.

John responded, “No I’m not. I’m going to play football and go to hell.”

His mother stood up in church that night and said, “My son is about to become a Christian. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m thanking God in advance.”

So John’s friends began to walk up to him on the street and say, “I heard you become a Christian.” “No, it’s just my crazy mother. I’m going to play football and go to hell.”

But his mother told her pastor, “I want you to save twenty minutes on Saturday night for my son to give his testimony.”

The Friday night before that Saturday, John was playing football when he suddenly felt God’s presence right on the playing field. He got down on his knees and prayed right in front of everybody: “God, I really need you in my life. If you can make a difference, come in and change me. Save me, whatever it takes. Make me born again.”

John ran off the field in his uniform, down the street, and up the stairs in his house. He hugged his mother and proclaimed, “Mom, I just became a Christian!”

She replied, “Of course! I’ve been telling you that for three weeks!”

This is a true story of thanking God in advance. The lesson is that there is power in thankfulness. Each one of us can say, “Lord, I know I have problems, but I thank you in advance because there is no situation that you can’t take care of.” That’s true faith—thanking God in advance.

Thank God for His Blessings: …

Billy Graham

We should be thankful for our material blessings. Some people are never satisfied with what they have. But what a difference it makes when we realize that everything we have has been given to us by God! King David replied, “Wealth and honor come from you…Now, our God, we give thanks, and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:12-13).

Some years ago I visited a man who as wealthy and successful, the envy of all his friends and business associates. But as we talked, he broke down in tears, confessing that he was miserable inside. Wealth had not been able to fill the empty place in his heart.

A few hours later I visited another man who lived only a few miles away. His cottage was humble, and he had almost nothing in the way of this world’s possessions. Yet his face was radiant as he told me about the work he was doing for Christ and how Christ had filled his life with meaning and purpose.

The second man was really rich man, for he had learned to be thankful for everything God had given him. Paul declared, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” ( Philippians 4:12 ). A spirit of thankfulness makes all the difference.

Search me and know my ways

We need to consistently allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and examine our motives in light of the standards of the Scripture. A regular checkup is a valuable activity for every believer to seriously evaluate their spiritual health in every area of life.

Anxiety

Matthew 6:34

 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1 Peter 5:7  

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7  

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thoughts

2 Corinthians 10:4-5  

4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Colossians 3:2  

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Decisions

Do not conform any longer 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.

Ephesians 5:15-17  

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Conscience

Acts 24:16  

So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

2 Timothy 1:3  

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

Hebrews 9:14

 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!