Sometimes the more I think I know, the harder it is to follow God. ~Joyce Meyer

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
—1 Corinthians 2:2 (KJV)

This is such a glorious Scripture. You and I try to know everything, and here Paul is telling us that he did just the opposite. Unlike us, who worry about all the things we don't know, Paul was trying to get rid of some of the things he did know. Why? Because he had discovered that, as the Bible teaches, sometimes knowledge can be aggravating (See Ecclesiastes 12:12). He had also discovered that knowledge can create pride: "[Yet mere] knowledge causes people to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud)." (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Sometimes the more knowledge we accumulate, the more problems we create. Often we plot and scheme and finagle to discover things that would be better left alone. Have you ever schemed to find out something that was going on and then when you did discover it, you sincerely wished you had stayed out of it? That is why Paul said that he had determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Sometimes the more I think I know, the harder it is to follow God.

Spending time in conversation with our heavenly Father is meant to help us know and love Him.~Charles Stanley

The Prayer of Faith


1 Kings 18:41-46

A committed and consistent prayer life is essential for every believer who wants to grow in his relationship with Christ. Yet so many Christians struggle in this area. What is hindering us?

No Burden: Being diligent is easy when we feel passionate about our request. We will storm the gates of heaven when a loved one is sick, but once the urgency is past, so is the prayer. We drift back into apathy.

No Time: We’re busy and can see no way
to squeeze in regular prayer time without a drastic rearrangement of our schedule.

No Apparent Answer: We’ve tried praying, but God just doesn’t seem to answer. Thinking, It’s a waste of time, we give up.

James 5:16-18 tells us that Elijah was a righteous man whose effective prayer accomplished much. He was passionate and persistent because he knew God intimately and believed that He would answer. Past answers to prayer and time spent in His presence had strengthened the prophet’s absolute trust in the Lord.

When Elijah first began to pray on the mountain, there was no apparent answer, and yet he continued to seek the Lord. God is always working around us whether we perceive it or not. Eyes of faith can see His presence and involvement even when there’s no tangible evidence.

God did not design prayer as simply an avenue for requests; spending time in conversation with our heavenly Father is meant to help us know and love Him. Then, as we grow in passion for the Lord, spending time with Him will be a delight, and life turns into an adventure of faith.

Gossip and division only hurt the Work of God.~David McGee

Romans 16:17-18

"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."
NKJV

Life Lesson

Stay away from divisive people.

David's son, Absalom used to sit at the city gate and pitch malcontent about his father's leadership. Under the guise of juicy news or the old Christian standby, "won't you join with me in prayer about...," Absalom cast division to the people. The accusations were twisted misrepresentations of truth meant to fuel anger and discontentment. In the harvest of his contempt, a lot of people were hurt and the perseverance of the state was tested.

Later, and only thirty years into the creation of the church, Paul would spend a lot of time battling those who sought to cause division and disruption in the church. Today, church leaders have to spend time preventing or fixing the damage of division. This is valuable time not spent reaching people with the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that is just what Satan wants. If the enemy of our souls can inspire division among the Body, he can distract servants of the Lord from what they should be doing.

People who cause division are never acting on behalf of God. Gossip and division only hurt the Work of God. Note the people you know who are divisive, and avoid them. It's not often we are told in the Bible to avoid specific individuals, but we are told to avoid those who cause division. Friend, in doing so, you will save a lot of heartache and a lot of pain.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for wrapping me in Your robe of righteousness. Lord, I want to be a lover of the Word. Give me a hunger to know the Bible and give me wisdom to recognize the counterfeit. I ask for Your strength and discernment to recognize the battles that Satan orchestrates. I choose... to serve only You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Friendships aren't about getting together to vent or to gossip and complain about how rotten your life is. ~Mike MacIntosh

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.
Mark 7:31-32

Friendships are so important, and here we see another reminder of this. Remember in Mark 2:3; the paralyzed man was brought to Jesus by four friends. Now again, just a couple of chapters later, we see the importance of friends and friendships. Surely, this deaf man with speech impediments was frustrated, but with good friends such as he had, he could count on them. It was "they" who brought this man to Jesus. It was "they" who begged Jesus to heal him. Now that's true friendship!

Friendships aren't about getting together to vent or to gossip and complain about how rotten your life is. Friendships are about building strong relationships that are rooted in faith. You see, friends bring people to Jesus. They bring people to the place where Jesus can be seen and heard.

So it may be that you need the right friendships in your life -- friendships that build you up, and strengthen and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Real friends don't take you away from the Lord; they bring you closer to Him. Maybe the Lord is telling you to be a friend to those who desperately need Jesus in their lives. Maybe the Lord is prompting you to build relationships with those who you know do not know the Lord, and He wants to use you to "carry them" to Him. We don't need Bible thumpers; we need friendships.

Moses knew that God's people need a reminder that the Lord wants to be our hope~Bob Hoekstra

Moses Pointing to the Lord for Battle

Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies; do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and donot tremble or be terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deuteronomy 20:3-4)

Moses is another example of those who lived by grace in the Old Testament. He knew the necessity of relying upon the sufficiency of God, instead of upon the inadequate resources of man. One illustration of this is seen when he pointed Israel to the Lord for battle.

When the children of Israel would enter into the Promised Land, innumerable battles would lie before them. These battles were inevitable, since godless nations had entrenched themselves in the land: "because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you" (Deuteronomy 9:5). Thus, the history of Israel documents one battle after another.

Moses announced the truth that the people of the Lord need to hear as the battle draws near. "Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies; do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them." So often, when the warfare appears, the foe seems invincible: "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you" (Deuteronomy 20:1). The natural temptation is to "faint …beafraid…tremble or be terrified." Another temptation is to try to match the enemy horse for horse and chariot for chariot. The Scriptures warn of the futility of turning to worldly resources. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 31:1).

Moses knew that God's people need a reminder that the Lord wants to be our hope. When we must go into the battles of life, the Lord accompanies us. "For the LORD your God is He who goes with you." He is with us not only to comfort us, but also to battle on our behalf: "tofight for you against your enemies, to save you." The Lord can fight for His people in an unlimited variety of ways. He can change the hearts of those who oppose us. He can bring their plans to naught. He can trap them in their own evil plans. He can cause our enemies to turn and devour one another. He can effectively save us in any manner that He chooses.

O Lord, my Defender, I face many battles that leave me intimidated and fearful. My hope is often placed in my own worldly strategies or the help that man can offer. Lord, I look to You afresh to fight for me and to rescue me any way You choose, for Your glory and honor, Amen.

Leadership: Do you give up when God does not intervene? (83-1)~Barry Werner

Do you give up when God does not intervene? (83-1)

August 17th, 2009 in 1 Samuel, Commitment, Dependence on God, Leadership Principles, Obedience to God,Old Testament, Persistence, Power and Influence | leave a response

Given impossible situations that may even appear to be God ordained, every leader faces the temptation to give up. Effective leaders find power in persistence and faith. Read 1 Samuel 1:1-28.

Hannah, mother of Samuel, is not on a lot of “top ten” leaders lists but given the definition that a leader is “a person with influence,” Hannah certainly qualifies as a leader. At a time in history when infertility earned women scorn and ridicule, Hannah was unable to become pregnant. Even though her husband continued to demonstrate his love and support, his other wife, who had been blessed with children, mocked and belittled Hannah, never letting her forget she was a failure.

Hannah did not lash out at her rival but rather took her sorrow and loss to God. She prayed and begged God for a son. Even though infertility was seldom if ever reversed by age, Hannah refused to believe that any situation was too difficult for God. Hannah’s prayers were sincere, specific and sacrificial. She persisted in faith concerning her request even when rebuked by an uncomprehending priest and God rewarded her faith and persistence with a son. And, when the time came for her to keep her promise to give her son Samuel to the service of the Lord she did so with a thankful heart.

At some point in their leadership every leader will face what seems to be an impossible, irreversible situation. No leader is guaranteed the kind of results Hannah received but every leader will be well served if they seek God’s help and are persistent in their faith believing God will determine the outcome of their situation. Great leaders are often separated from the crowd by their persistence in belief that God will do the impossible. Even if God does not do the impossible for these leaders it is the belief and actions based on those beliefs that allow these leaders to rise above.

Have you pre-determined that even in seemingly impossible situations you will not give up and lose faith in God’s ability to intervene? Are you in the midst of a situation as impossible as Hannah’s infertility? Based on Hannah’s example is there some attitude you can change or a prayer you can voice that you will hold to even if the situation does not change?

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

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Tags: Faith, Persistence

« Are kindness and compassion signs of weakness? (82-5)

How do you resist the temptation to always take circumstances at face value? (83-2)

When do you really know the Lord?~Jon Courson

That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
	Philippians 3:10
When do you really know the Lord? When you realize He’s alive. When do you really understand He’s alive? When you go through tough times — the fellowship of suffering. When I’m cruising along on 'Easy Street,' I don’t know Jesus the way I often discover Him when I’m going through difficulties or problems, heartache or setbacks, tragedy or pain. Here in Philippians, this book of rejoicing, Paul says, ‘Don’t despise the difficulty, the tragedy, the tough time, the setback, the heartaches — for those are the times you will understand that Jesus is truly risen. When the day is dark, the waters deep, the outlook grim — you’ll see Jesus.’ ‘Sure, I want to know the Lord,’ people say. ‘I just don’t want to go through tough times. Of course I want to know His power — but I don’t want to deal with the fellowship which comes through suffering.’ Yet the only way you can know the Lord intimately is through the power of His resurrection. And the best way to experience the power of His resurrection is through hard times ... ‘How many men did we throw in the fire?’ asked Nebuchadnezzar. ‘Three, your highness.’ ‘Well, how is it that I see four, and the fourth is like the son of God?’ So clearly did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego see Jesus in the fire of suffering that they chose to remain in the fiery furnace with Him rather than to walk free without Him (Daniel 3:26). We know the Lord by realizing He’s with us in times of suffering and by choosing to say, ‘Lord, I’ll die to myself in order to have fellowship with You. As long as I try to protect myself, I’ll not know You in the way I want to. So Lord, I choose to conform myself to Your death. Do what You want in my life.’ When Jesus started talking about the Cross, Peter’s response was, ‘Be it far from Thee, Lord. It’s not going to happen’ (Matthew 16:22). And Peter’s is a cry we utter as well. ‘Not the Cross,’ we say. ‘’Not death, or bankruptcy, break-ups or leukemia. We want Cadillacs, miraculous healings, and holy laughter — that’s our kind of Christianity, Lord.’ We’re just like Peter. But when, to one degree or another, we experience the fellowship of suffering, we begin to say, ’I now choose death in order that I might know Jesus better.’ Christians are the only people who can truly choose to rejoice and be happy when things on the outside seem so bleak because we’re the only ones who know there will be a fellowship in suffering which will manifest the power of Jesus and His resurrection, and which will, in turn, allow the degree of intimacy with God which will make us deeply happy and truly blessed.

Twitter Proverbs from Rick Warren

1. Thanks Dean. Ive been planting churches since 5yr old @deanktshttp://twitpic.com/fyajo - inspiring photo of young Warren1 minute ago from web
   
   
2. "God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain" Job36:15 (NCV)8 minutes ago from web
3. DONT QUIT! ‘81=my yr of depression.Barely held on!But it shaped me 2pastor SB & train1000s of planters globally.Gal6:99 minutes ago from web
4. B4 God'sPeople could enter-Promised Land,an entire Gen had to die in the desert.U'll lose the faithless before ur best daysabout 2 hours ago from web
5. When a plane goes thru violent turbulence at 35,000 ft, you don’t bail out. You remain calm and trust the Pilot! Ps56:3about 3 hours ago from web
6. @lancewitt So sorry to hear about your grandmother Lance. I prayed for you just now. Psalm116;15about 9 hours ago from web in reply to lancewitt
7. "Why do we hold the bonds of others while we enjoy our own remission?He who forgave all requires us to forgive"St Ambroseabout 9 hours ago from web
8. http://twitpic.com/fyajo - My dad was a ChurchPlanter who built 100+ churches around world in a 50yr ministry.I'm helping here-Portland, ...about 10 hours ago from TwitPic
9. Trivial Pursuit,Payday, Candy Land & Sorry depict many lives. But LIFE is no game.It's preparation for eternity.Rom14:12about 18 hours ago from web
10. The source of a criticism doesn’t invalidate its truth.Even a broken clock is right twice a day.Discern & learn.Prov.12:15about 19 hours ago from web
11. To insist on being “original or nothing” insures youll be both.Refusing to learn from models is pure & simple ego.Pr.14:6about 22 hours ago from web
12. @preacherfloyd Art, Jesus said all sins are addicting. John 8:34about 22 hours ago from web in reply to preacherfloyd
13. A church doesnt have compromise truth 2 reach others but U do have 2 be nice 2 them when then show up!1 Pet3:15 B polite!about 23 hours ago from web
14. When I hear"I didnt get anything out of worship today" I say"Sorry but our worship wasnt done 4 u.It was 4 God."1Chr.16:299:22 AM Aug 30th from web
15. "Heresy-The History of Defending theTruth" by friend Alister McGrath is worth reading.I wrote the foreword last night.6:04 PM Aug 28th from web
16. Doubts r meant to be doubted &beliefs meant to be believed.Dont get it backwards.Doubt ur doubts! Believe ur beliefs!Mk9:245:45 PM Aug 28th from web
17. "The majority who reject the gospel do so simply because they know nothing about it.They arent opposed...but indifferent"-J Gresham Machen5:33 PM Aug 28th from web
18. U help others by honoring God & u honor God by helping others.ToDO the most good on earth,THINKmost about eternity.Col 3:28:52 AM Aug 28th from web
19. As an evangelist I'm called to speak to groups who disagree with me. If you think that's controversial,read Mt.28:18-208:32 AM Aug 28th from web
20. You r responsible 4 the DEPTH of ur ministry. God is responsible 4 its BREADTH.He,not u,determines the reach.2 Cor10:13