Practicing The Presence of The God of Peace

 

 

The things which you learned and received and

heard and saw in me, these do, and the

God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 3:12,14

 

 

 

 

 

Dive Deeper!

 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6-7

 

 

As the war continues in Israel, I’m finding believers throughout the land filled with peace in spite of the conflict. How is that possible, one may wonder?

Could it be these believers are going deep?

 

When a storm swarms across the ocean surface, the fish know where the water is still — deep down under.

While, on the surface, the winds and the waves rage, fathoms below lies water completely at peace. Perhaps we should learn something from fish.

 

In a shallow relationship with God we will find ourselves being tossed to and fro by stormy waves of circumstance.

James describes such a person as “double-minded” and unstable. In his trials, he cannot exercise faith because he hasn’t gone deep with the Lord.

 

However, when we seek that deeper relationship with Him, we can enter another perspective on what’s happening at the surface.

Seeking and abiding in the depths of Yeshua, our Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) will bring a peace that passes understanding, even in the midst of great storms.

 

The double minded man has not yet sought or found this place — since not everyone is willing to spend the time or effort for a deep relationship,

however it is available for all who truly desire and take the time for it.

 

Are you distressed or worried?

 

It’s time to press in… seek that deeper relationship with Yeshua and let Him lead you to the still water.

 

He so wants to fill you with a “shalom” that passes all understanding!

 

Worthy Devotion

True Freedom

 

 

When you think about July 4th what comes to mind?  Perhaps you think about a day off from work with picnics, fireworks, and those red, white, and blue flags displayed in front yards.

 

Each year I notice that some people really go all out decorating for every holiday, but  on the 4th of July I just display my flag in the yard for the entire month. The flag means a lot to me because of those in my family who have been in wars. I have also had friends who have served our country, and I have known some who did not come home in the past and present war. My father served in World War II, my mother was a Red Cross volunteer during that war, my niece and her husband served in Desert Storm, and I also have had loved ones in the Vietnam War and a friend now in Afghanistan. Because of their contributions in keeping us all free, I proudly display the flag.

 

Have you thought about the American flag and all that it stands for? It represents an emblem of the greatest nation on the earth. It has been carried through centuries in battle. It is placed on the graves of our honored dead who fought for the right for us to remain a free nation, and it flies high during peace times, as well as war.  “Old Glory” is its name.

 

There is another real freedom we can have. We can display it every day of the year, and that is our freedom “In Christ” to live a life to glorify Him, so that His banner of love, truth, and peace can be seen by all. It is a flag flown high in the castle of my heart (taken from a song). We can be free in our spirit to serve the Creator of the whole universe and that my friends, is True Freedom.

 

Romans 8:2 says, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death."  (ASV)

 

Just like the flag that represents freedom, Jesus is a banner over us, protecting and shielding us. He is the “Glory and the Lifter of our heads” at all times. Let freedom ring out in your heart today.

 

Psalm 3:3 reads, "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head." (KJV)

 

By Cathy Irvin from CBN.com

God's Paradoxes

 

Read Philippians 2:5-11 & 3:7-9

 

Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever

loses his life for My sake will find it. --Matthew 16:25

 

 

The Bible tells us there is a wisdom that is foolish and a foolishness that is wise (1 Cor. 1:20-25). There is a gain that is loss and a loss that is gain (Phil. 3:7-9). And there is an exalted way that leads downward and a humble way that leads to exaltation (Phil. 2:5-11).

Statements like these seem to be contradictions, but they are actually paradoxes. A paradox is a statement that contains two truths, which at first glance seem to be incompatible.

A psychiatrist once unknowingly referred to one of God's paradoxes, remarking, "The greatest secret of mental health comes down to us in the words, 'Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it.'" He added, "I forget who said that, but it is a great truth."

Who said that? Our Lord Jesus Christ! He gave us that principle in Matthew 16:25. And the apostle Paul lived it out as he endured countless hardships for the benefit of others (2 Cor. 4:8-12). Yet Paul knew that even as his physical body was dying, his spirit was being renewed (v.16).

You cannot find your richest personal fulfillment until you sacrifice your time, strength, and resources to God's will. "Lose your life" for Christ. Start really living! --V C Grounds

Take up thy cross and follow on,
Nor think till death to lay it down,
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown. --Everest

Christ showed His love by dying for us;

we show our love by living for Him.

 

 

From Our Daily Bread

The Father Draws You

 

And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that

no one can come to Me unless it has

been granted to him by My Father."

(John 6:65)

 

 

Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, He never seemed intimidated by the crowds. Instead, He looked into the multitudes and focused on those whom His Father was sending to Him.

 

Jesus knew that because of sin, no one naturally seeks after God. Sinful man’s inclination is to hide from God, rather than to come to Him (Gen. 3:8; Ps. 14:1–3). Therefore, whenever Jesus saw that the Father was drawing a person to Himself, Jesus immediately began relating to that person.

 

Jesus observed the great lengths to which the despised tax collector, Zacchaeus, had gone in order to see Him pass by. In response, Jesus immediately left the crowd and spent time with this man in whom the Father was obviously working (Luke 19:1–10). When Jesus noticed a man following after Him, Jesus spoke to Andrew, “Come!” (John 1:39). Every time the disciples experienced a new insight into the truths of God, Jesus recognized that it was the Father who had been at work in their lives (Matt. 16:17).

 

As the multitudes gathered around Jesus, He spoke some truths that were difficult for the people to grasp (John 6:60). So challenging were His words that many of His listeners departed, but Jesus did not become discouraged. He saw that the Father was working in the lives of His disciples, and that is where Jesus invested His time.

 

As you desire to spend time alone with Jesus, recognize that this is the Father drawing you to His Son. You do not seek quiet times with God in order to experience Him. The fact that He has brought you to a place of fellowship with Him is evidence that you are already sensing His activity.

 

As you read the Scriptures and pray, trust that God will honor your response to His leading by teaching you more about Himself.

 

Pastors Henry&Richard Blackaby

O LORD, REVIVE US

 

“For this says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose

name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who

 has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,

and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” Isaiah 57:15

 

Watching the evening news surely ranks as one of the most depressing things we can do. As we see the usual assortment of atrocities, is there any doubt that we are living in a world that has forgotten God, that rejects the message of Jesus Christ? We live in Satan’s domain and that fact can cause us great distress, especially when television reinforces that reality night after night. As pilgrims in a hostile land, how can we survive without despairing at the darkness all around us? But if we lose heart now, how will we make it in the future? In Isaiah 57:15, our Lord promises to revive all who come humbly to Him. You hear a lot about revival these days:  in fact, it seems to be happening all the time in some churches! Yet, what is true revival? Scripture makes the steps to true revival easy and direct.

 

Revival begins with a fervent desire to be right with God. Such desire can only come from Heaven as God, through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, shows us our sins and places within our hearts a longing for His forgiveness. In Psalm 85:6, David cries out, “Will You not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You?” He knows where his help would come from.

 

Revival brings with it an intense desire to see God. This, too, must come right out of the Lord’s hand. We often hope that God will work in our lives at some point in the future. And yet, why wait? We need that miracle today. Genuine revival longs to see God at work in every single situation, NOW, not just in the future.

 

True revival brings with it a deep sense of humility before the Lord. When we see God as He really is, we also get a clear picture of ourselves… as we don’t like what we see. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,” (Isaiah 6:5).

 

And true revival starts in  the house of God. Can we claim Him as our Savior if we don’t long to see His face at every available opportunity? Can we claim to be His children if we don’t have an intense desire to please our Father, to be right with Him in every way possible? We do not need to live in the despair that plagues this world. Our Lord promises, “…to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

 

Pastor Steve Mays, Calvary Chapel of South Bay, CA.

 

Finding Our Way Home

 

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God

without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,

among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Philippians 2:15

 

 

Author Anne Lamott tells about a 7-year-old girl who got lost in a big city. The girl frantically ran up and down several streets, looking for a familiar landmark. A policeman saw the girl, realized something was wrong, and offered to help. So she got in the car and he slowly drove through nearby neighborhoods. Suddenly the girl pointed to a church and asked the policeman to let her out. She assured him, “This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.”

 

Many people think the church is an archaic institution, no longer relevant in our modern world. Yet I am convinced that a church that faithfully teaches the Bible and proclaims the good news of salvation through Christ provides exactly what we all need to “find our way home.”

 

When our churches are fulfilling their God-given function, believers humbly serve and care for one another, encouraging each other to follow Christ’s example (Philippians 2:1-11).

 

Those groups of believers, by their words and lives, also point a lost world to Jesus. They serve “as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (vv.15-16).

 

A church that teaches the truth about Christ is not only relevant but desperately needed in our world. It can help people of all ages to find their way home.

 

Christ builds His church and makes it strong
By using you and me;
And if we all will do our part,
The world His love will see. —Sper

 

A church helps the lost to find their way

home when its light shines brightly.

 

Pastor Vernon Ground

Peace Maker

 

Read Psalm 120:1-7

 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peace makers” (Matt. 5:9). But not everybody in this world is a peace maker. Some people are troublemakers. They enjoy making trouble, and sometimes we have to live  or work with them. That’s the kind of situation the psalmist found himself in when he wrote Psalm 120. “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceiful tongue” (vv.1-2). He continues, “My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I spak, they are for war” (vv.6-7). That sounds like a description of Jesus when He was on earth. He was the Prince of Peace and came to bring peace to the hearts and lives of people, yet people did not want to follow or trust Him.

 

Ever since Cain killed Abel, we’ve had conflict in this world. Nations was against one another; families fall apart; and even Christians don’t get along with eac other. David went through conflict. Jesus went through it. And we experience it also.

 

Still, we are to be peacemakers—not peace breaker. After all, we have the peace of God in our hearts, and we have peace with Him__we are not at war with Him the way unsaved people are. So wherever we are, we will experience conflict but also the opportunity to bring peace.

 

“I am for peace,” the psalmist says. Literally, the Hebrew text means, “I am peace.They are war.” Each of us is either a bettlefield or a blessing. Each of us is either declaring war or declaring peace. Some people enter a situation, and peace comes in with them. Other people walk in, and war follows. Let’s ask God to help us in this wicked, conflicting world to be people who promote peace, not war.

 

God’s people are to be peacemakers. This world of never-ending

conflict affords many opportunities for you to make peace.

However, peacemaking often is not easy. Are you quick

to promote peace when you confront conflict. Strive

to be a blessing to others—be a peacemaker.

 

Pastor Warren Wiersbe, in

“Prayer, Praise and Promises”

A Treasure To Win

 

Read Psalm 119: 161-168

 

“I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure” (v.162). When do we find great trasure or spoil? Usually after a battle. Thus, this verse indicates that Bible study involves a battle or conflict that strts with our own flesh.

 

The flesh and the natural mind don’t want to be disciplines enough to read and study the Word of God. Of course, the world doesn’t want this either. The world wants us to ignore Scripture and believe on its onw lies and vainthoughts. And Satan hates the Bible. He will do anything he can to keep us from reading, studying, meditating on and obeying the Word of God.

 

So the Bible can become an arena for conflict. Sometimes I’ll be reading it and think of something that needs to be done, or I’ll see a book out of place on my shelf and want to get up and fix it. The devil puts distractions all around me to keep me from winning the battle of studying the Word of God.

 

Scripture is indeed a treasure to win. And sometimes there is a battle that must be fought first to win it. But there is also a joy to experience. “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” It’s beautiful to think your way through a portion of Scripture, to meditate, study and pray and then see the treasure that is revealed. Bible study enriches our lives. It not only helps you understand the Word but also enables you to become more like the Author.

 

 

The devil rages a battle against believers who read and

study the Bible. Why? Because when you study the Bible,

you become more like Jesus. If you win the bbattle,

you will gain the spoils. Let the Word enrich your life.

Win the treasure and experience the joy of Bible study.

 

 

Pastor Warren Wiersbe in

“Prayer, Praise and Promises.”

 

Humility

 

“Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Matthew 11:29

 

 

There is no harder lesson to learn than the lesson of humility. It is not taught in the school of men, only in the schools of Christ. It is the rarest of all the gifts. Very rarely do we find a man or woman who is following closely the footsteps of the Master in meekness and in humility. I believe that it is the hardest lesson which Jesus Christ had to teach His disciples while He was here upon earth. It almost looked at first as though He had failed to teach it to the twelve men who had been with Him almost constantly for three years.

 

I believe that if we are humble enough we shall be sure to get a great blessing. After all, I think that more depends upon us than upon the Lord, because He is always ready to give a blessing and give it freely, but we are not always in a position to receive it. He always blesses the humble, and, if we can get down in the dust before Him, no one will go away disappointed. It was Mary at the feet of Jesus, who had chosen the “better part.”

 

Did you ever notice the reason Christ gave for learning of Him? He might have said: “learn of Me, because I am the most advanced thinker of the age. I have performed miracles  that no man else has performed. I have shown My supernatural power in a thousand ways.” But no: the reason He gave was that He was “meek and lowly in heart.”

 

We read of the three men in Scripture whose faces shone, and all three were noted for their meekness and humility. We are told that the face of Christ shone at His transfiguration; Moses, after he had been on the mount for forty days, came down from his communion with God with a shining face; and when Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin on the day of his death, his face was lighted up with glory. If our faces are to shine we must get into the valley of humility; we must go down in the dust before God.

 

Someone asked Augustine what was the first of the religious graces, and he said, “Humility.” They asked him what was the second, and he replied, “Humility.” They asked him the third, and he said, “Humility.” I think that if we are humble, we have all the graces. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” 1Peter 5:5 “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you  up.” James 4:10

 

Pastor D. L Moody, “The Overcoming Life"