WORDDEVO: "More"


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YOU WILL NEED MORE

It doesn't matter who you are or what you;
The Times They Are a Changin'

We all need more

More Bible Read. More Church. More Prayer. More Love. More Faith. More Devotion.
Everyone needs more and there is nothing wrong with wanting more.....

OF JESUS.

Don't neglect your Body
Don't neglect your Soul
Don't neglect your Spirit

THE ONE YOU FEED THE MOST WILL BE IN CONTROL

Reading, Worship, Praying, Devotionals, Helping someone, volunteering, Witnessing.

All of these will help you control yourself
Because if you think about it

No One Wants You Out Of Control

Turn it around and you can find peace in the midst of the craziest days
I do it in Devotionals

You might do it another way.

Let The Spirit of God guide you
and He will abide with your all thru the day

.......and all thru the Night







DAVID MCGEE: "For this You Were Called"


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For this You Were Called

1 Peter 2:21"For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:"
NKJV


None of us likes to suffer. There is nothing pleasant about struggling with difficult people or dealing with persecution for your faith. Yet, the Christian is not one that can really be separated from suffering. In 1 Peter, the apostle calls believers to patiently endure harsh treatment from their authority. He was speaking to slaves about masters, but we would understand it better in terms of employee and employer.

Why would God call us to suffer under another person's authority? It could be for many reasons, but the main one is that our patient, loving endurance during those times can be used of God to bring that person to Christ. When we act in love despite being faced with hate, we declare to the world that we are different. 


This causes people to consider the words we say and the message of hope we speak. In reality, our loving suffering may be the tool God uses to save a soul. That may be hard to imagine, but our God is no stranger to using difficulties to produce deliverance. 


This is illustrated best in the life of Jesus. He suffered under the authority of man, even to death, and yet it was for our salvation. Now He calls us to endure so that others may see Christ in us.

Life Lesson: We should follow the steps of Jesus, being willing to suffer for the sake of others.

Dear God,
I admit that I do not enjoy suffering, especially because of those around me, yet I ask that You would use my life in those situations to display Your love and grace. Give me the power through Your Holy Spirit to show love and not hate. Help me to be willing to endure rather than fight back. Thank You for the gift of everlasting life that was purchased on the cross. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Living to tell what He died to say,
Pastor David McGee


BOB COY: "Proper Protocol"




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PROPER PROTOCOL

Pray like this . . . Matthew 6:9 (NLT)



The Bible reveals to us that God is Triune in nature. That is, He consists of three separate and distinct persons, (the Father, the Son, and the Spirit), who are unified in perfect harmony. Each of these three persons is one in purpose, and yet they each play a different role, especially when it comes to prayer.

First, the Father is to be the object of our prayers. We know this because Jesus instructed us to pray, "Our father in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9). He also set an example for us by praying to the Father (Matthew 26:39). So we are to pray to the Father.

Next, we need to recognize the Son's role. Apart from His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, we would be utterly unable to approach the Father in His perfect holiness and righteousness. No one can come to the Father apart from Jesus (John 14:6), so it's on the basis of (or in the name of) what He has done for us.

Lastly, it's important for us to understand the Spirit's role in prayer. God's Word tells us that it's the Holy Spirit who guides and directs us on how we ought to pray (Romans 8:26-27). It's His presence in us that enables us to pray in accordance with the will of God.

Prayer is a matter of passion, not policy. But it's good to remember that there's a proper protocol when it comes to prayer. There is one God, revealed in three persons, and each plays a different role. The Father is our object, the Son is our basis, and the Spirit is our guide. God is completely involved with us when we pray, and we should be completely involved with Him.

RAY STEADMAN: "Steadfast Love"


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Read the Scripture: Psalm 107:1, 33-43
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 107:1).
This is the recurrent theme of Psalm 107. The psalmist speaks of the steadfast love of God. In Hebrew, the word means an eager and ardent desire and refers to the fact that God's love never gives up. We sing about it in the hymn,
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
The thing that finally gets to us, breaks the back of our rebellion, and sets us free from our emotional hang-ups is the unqualified love of God, which never lets us go. We might use a term that is more easily understood in our day. Instead of steadfast love, read unqualified acceptance. That is what God's love does. It accepts us without reserve.
Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD(Psalm 107:43). That means you are to think about all this! Ask yourself how this relates to you. Many people are going through a difficult situation. Many are wandering, restless, hostile, or bitter. They are held prisoner by some attitude, outlook, or habit. Or they are sick, neurotic, emotionally upset. Perhaps some are fearful, troubled by a crisis into which they have come. This maybe your situation. Stop and think about how God accepts you, how He loves you, how He is deeply concerned about you and will meet you right where you are and take you just as you are. His love does not change a bit whether you are a failure or a success. It does not make any difference to Him how you appear in the eyes of others. God loves you; He is concerned about you and has already received you, already given you all that he can give in Jesus Christ. Begin to rejoice in that fact. You will find that love will set you free so that you can act upon the power and liberty God gives.
When you think about your relationship to others, give heed to these things. Have you ever tried unqualified acceptance with your boss? Or your mother-in-law? Or the kid next door who is so mean and difficult? Have you ever tried unqualified acceptance with your children when they are giving you so much trouble, your teenagers who make you mad every time you come in the door? Have you ever tried unqualified acceptance with your parents, who are always on your back and never seem to give you a break? Have you ever tried unqualified acceptance with those who are difficult or demanding of you?
Father, how wonderful to see that Your unqualified love is designed for every situation in which I might find myself. I ask You to set me free by love that I might sing this wonderful song of deliverance.
Life Application: Everyone longs for enduring love. Where can we go to experience this unqualified acceptance? How can we ourselves freely give it? In Christ we can!
We hope you were blessed by this daily devotion.

RAUL RIES: "Wholly Sacrificed to God"

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Wholly Sacrificed to God


I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1

In the Old Testament, the sacrifices were dead, as the priests killed the lamb, drained the blood and then presented it to the Lord. In the New Testament, Christ was the last sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. After His resurrection, Paul declared the Christian is to be a living sacrifice. He commanded us to bring our whole bodies as a sacrifice to the Lord.

There is a story of an old Indian man who went to church. He heard the worship with the choir and the sermon before they came to take up the offering. The ushers came by with a basket, and passed it down.

When the basket came to the Indian man, he walked out to the aisle and put the basket on the floor. Then, he stepped into offering and said, “This is all I have to give to God.”

This is what Paul was teaching. God does not want your money. He wants you — all of you. He wants your ears, your eyes, your hands, your feet and your heart; everything you have is His.
In the Old Testament, the priests would put oil on their ear, their hand and their feet. It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I put it on my ear, so I can hear the voice of God; on my hands, to do the work of God; and on my feet, so I can walk in the ways of God. That is what God wants in our lives. He wants you to serve Him with everything.

If the service of God is worth anything, it is worth everything.
-C. H. Spurgeon-

RICK WARREN: "You Need God’s Presence, Not His Explanation"


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by Rick Warren


“Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7a GW)

One of the reasons people struggle with contentment is because we’re always looking for explanations for why things happen in our lives. God doesn’t tell us why most of the things happen in our lives, and that just ticks us off. Why doesn’t God tell you why everything happens in your life?

Because he’s testing you. He’s testing you to see if you will let go of control and learn to be content, whether he explains it or not.

God doesn’t owe you an explanation for anything, and you wouldn’t understand it even if he gave it.

But even if you did get an explanation, it still wouldn’t take away the pain. You’re not going to know why most things happen until you get on the other side of death.

God isn’t going to give you an explanation. But he will test you.

I remember when I was a little kid that the only time our classroom in school was quiet was during a test. The teacher would say, “No talking! Take your pencils, and fill out your tests.” Even the teacher would be silent.

When God is silent in your life, you’re going through a test. When you don’t hear God and he feels like a million miles away, that is a test! The teacher is always silent when the students take a test. When God is silent in your life, your faith is being tested. Will you let go of control, or will you grab on more tightly? Will you learn to be content?

When you’re going through pain this next week or next month or this year, you don’t really need God’s explanation. You need God’s presence.

“Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7a GW).


Talk It Over

What are you angry with God about that you don’t want to admit?

In what way is God testing you right now? How will you respond?

GREG LAURIE: "On God's scales"

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Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie
A final conversation, August 21, 2013
Watch the video interview»


If Billy Graham ever had anything close to a personal intercessor, it would have been Pearl Goode. She lived in Pasadena, California, and for many years, she prayed in secret for Billy Graham and his crusades. When the Graham team was finally made aware of this, they started bringing her with them to the crusades so that she could pray on site. She lived to the age of 90, and at her funeral, Ruth Graham said, "Here lie the mortal remains of much of the secret of Bill's ministry." While Billy Graham was doing his part, Pearl Goode was doing hers. While he was preaching, she was praying.

When awards are given out in heaven for faithfulness, we might expect them to go to the spiritual heavyweights. Names like Corrie ten Boom, Jim Elliot, and Billy Graham might come to mind. Maybe we would be surprised at the prospect of a woman named Pearl Goode sweeping the awards. After all, she wasn't a bestselling author. She didn't have a hit song on Christian radio.

This is what we need to remember: it isn't about how famous we are; it is about being faithful with what God has called us to do.

Daniel said to the wicked King Belshazzar, "You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting" (Daniel 5:27). A loose paraphrase would be: "Belshazzar, you're a lightweight. You're a spiritual bantam weight."

On God's scales, you don't want to be a lightweight. On God's scales, you want to be a heavyweight. You want to have substance and meaning in your life.

It isn't about what God has called another Christian to do; it is all about what God has set before you to do. Have you been faithful? If you have, then you will be rewarded on that final day.

JON COURSON: "the rod of Aaron"

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And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of Witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Numbers 17:8–10
Not only did Aaron’s rod blossom, but it yielded fruit. So too, no one before Jesus and no one since Him has borne the fruit of the Spirit like He did. He perfectly personified a love characterized by joy, peace, and longsuffering; gentleness, goodness, and faith; and meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:22).

Second, we can recognize those to whom we are to be linked, those to whom we are to listen, those to whom we are to submit by the presence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

Mom and Dad, if you’re wishing you had more impact on your teenage daughter or junior high grandson, the key is not to beat them with the rod, but to let them see your passion for God, to let them see the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Kids and adults alike can sense if a person is walking with the Lord and is full of the Spirit because such a life manifests itself in love.

When you have decisions to make about people who claim to have authority, remember Numbers 17 and look for the budding, the blossoming, and the fruit.

BILLY GRAHAM: "How To Love"


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How to Love

OCTOBER 8, 2013
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
–John 15:17
How are we to love? We are to love as God loves us . . . we are to show acceptance and appreciation . . . [to] accept each other as God accepts us. Too many parents refuse to accept and appreciate their children for what they are. That is why a million American children ran away from home last year. A team of Yale researchers has concluded that the majority of these runaways were attempting to escape an unhappy family situation. They yearned to be appreciated.

The causes of delinquency, we are told, are broken homes, poverty, lack of recreational facilities, poor physical health, racism, working mothers, and so on . . . The experts never seem to mention the lack of love, or the lack of faith in God. Yet these are the two most important elements for an adolescent’s successful maturity.

How long has it been since you praised your children instead of criticizing them? David prayed for Solomon and daily praised him, and we are to praise our children daily. Praise your wife. I have found that praise goes a lot further than criticism. Everybody needs to be appreciated.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
It is so easy to criticize those close to me; but Lord, give me Your unreserved love so that they may know how deeply I appreciate them.

LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES: "Do you freely give recognition to your team? (78-5)"


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Do you freely give recognition to your team? (78-5)

Written by Barry-Werner on July 17th, 2009. Posted in 1 CorinthiansJudgesLeadership PrinciplesNew TestamentOld Testament,Recognition.
The Bible is very clear that no leader should be involved in leadership for the honor or recognition. My own personal experience has been that many of us took responsibility to lead the first few times seeking recognition but found that very shallow and unfulfilling. The price of leadership is so high that recognition alone doesn’t sustain the motivation needed to lead. Yet, God created the feeling we get from recognition. Read Judges 4.
Israel had been under the iron rule of King Jabin of Canaan who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army had a powerful force including 900 iron chariots manned by expert, experienced, proven horsemen and soldiers. From all known military understanding, with Israel’s lack of central leadership and the divisions between tribes, and the lack of a standing army, Israel did not have a chance to defeat them.
Barak was from the little talked about tribe of Naphtali. Deborah called for Barak while she was judging the people between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of the tribal land of the tribe of Ephraim. Her words from the Lord for Barak were, “The Lord the God of Israel commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands’ ” (Judges 4:6-7).
Barak heard God’s command to lead. He understood God’s battle plan. He realized that God had promised him victory. But Barak listened to his fears. Barak’s request was that Deborah accompany the army into the battle zone. “Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman” (Judges 4:9).
My mom, a lady of 10,000 sayings, used to say that recognition was something “babies cry for and grown men will die for.” Even though it is totally inappropriate for a leader’s sole motivation to be recognition, there is something in every leader that desires an at-a-boy. Recognition is not anti-Biblical when kept within God’s design. Balanced and effective leaders give recognition when it’s deserved.
Do you freely give recognition to your team? Who on your team seems to need more recognition than others? Do you have a plan to keep recognition in the proper balance so your team develops the proper motivation for leadership? What material can you read from other leaders and what portions of the Bible will help you understand the proper use of recognition? Write a single sentence that states what you are willing to do to better understand the proper use of recognition.
1 Corinthians 16:17-18 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

ALISTAIR BEGG: "Miraculous Catch of Fish"

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We learn from this narrative the necessity of human activity. The catch of fish was miraculous, but neither the fisherman nor his boat nor his fishing tackle were ignored; they were all were used to take the fish. So in the saving of souls, God works by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. When God works without instruments, He is glorified; but He has selected this plan of human involvement as being that by which He is most magnified in the earth.
The means themselves can accomplish nothing. "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!" What was the reason for this? Were they not experienced fishermen going about their business? They were not novices; they understood the work. Was the problem that they lacked skill? No. Were they lazy? No; they had worked. Did they lack perseverance? No; they had worked all night. Was there a lack of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in large numbers. What, then, is the reason? It is because there is no power in the means themselves apart from the presence of Jesus. Without Him we can do nothing. But with Christ we can do all things.
Christ's presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter's boat, and His will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in His Church, His presence is the church's power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."1 Let us go out this morning on our work of soul-fishing, looking up in faith, and around us at the great opportunity. Let us work until the night comes, and we will not labor in vain, for He who tells us to let down the net will fill it with fish.
1John 12:32

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