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Showing posts from September, 2020

The Idolatry of People-Pleasing

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 What if I'm more afraid to displease important people than God? Written by GodLife on 13/09/2016 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Idolatry, Influence, Relationships, Submission So now run away to your place. I said I would give you much honor, but the Lord has kept you from honor. Numbers 24:11 A story in the Bible's book of Numbers shows how dangerous the desire to “please men” can be (Colossians 3:22). This story is mentioned a lot in the Bible. Each mention comes with a warning. God wants us to take note: what can this story teach us about ourselves? 1. It is Dangerous To Look For God’s Permission And Not His Approval Fearing Israel, King Balak sent for the prophet Balaam. God told Balaam not to go. King Balak persisted, so Balaam asked God again. God seemed persuaded: he gave Balaam permission to go. On his journey, the donkey he was riding was blocked by an angel with a drawn sword. The donkey refused to keep going, angering Balaam so much that he beat the animal. Before h

"Do the ends justify the means?"

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The answer to this question depends on what the ends or goals are and what means are being used to achieve them. If the goals are good and noble, and the means we use to achieve them are also good and noble, then yes, the ends do justify the means. But that’s not what most people mean when they use the expression. Most use it as an excuse to achieve their goals through any means necessary, no matter how immoral, illegal, or unpleasant the means may be. What the expression usually means is something like: “It doesn’t matter how you get what you want as long as you get it.” The “ends justifying the means” usually involves doing something wrong to achieve a positive end and justifying the wrongdoing by pointing to a good outcome. An example would be lying on a resume to get a good job and justifying the lie by saying the larger income will enable the liar to provide more adequately for his family. Another might be justifying the abortion of a baby to save the life of the mother. Lying and

REFUSE THE “DIRTS” THAT CAN CLOG YOUR “WELLS” . 

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 RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL  Monday, September 28th . Pastor Chris  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).  Isaiah 12:3 says, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Wells of salvation refer to all the blessings of Christ inherent in the deep recesses of your spirit. The Bible says out of your spirit are the issues of life. You carry within you a fountain of blessings.  Now, the devil always seeks to block up “the wells.” Think about it in line with what happened in Bible days: whenever an invading force came into a city, they blocked up the wells in that city with dirt to frustrate the inhabitants. The wells were the people’s source of water—a spring of life, as it were.  Isaac suffered a similar ordeal in the hands of the Philistines. In Isaac’s case, the Bible records, “For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, th

Are You A People Pleaser?

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  Five questions to see if you are Written by  Janet Perez Eckles  on 25/08/2020 Series:  Weekly Devotional Tags:  Fear ,  Praise ,  Trust ,  Please ,  Approval For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 Last week I sat across the examining bed where my 90-year-old Mom waited for the doctor. After a complete check-up, the nurse came in with a device to measure her eye pressure. A simple procedure that took seconds. But the results nearly knocked me off my chair. “Hmmm,” the nurse said, “the pressure in one eye is 54.” Fifty-four? The normal range is between 15 to 20. I pulled out my cell and requested transportation to her eye-doctor.  Hours later, my Mom sat in his examining chair. “Chin here and forehead on the bar please,” he said. “The eye pressure is perfectly fine.” What happened? The nurse at the previous doctor’s office used the incorrect device. How

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Who am I in Christ?

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 According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” There are two Greek words which are translated “new” in the Bible. The first, neos, refers to something that has just been made, but there are already many others in existence just like it. The word translated “new” in this verse is the word kainos, which means “something just made which is unlike anything else in existence.” In Christ, we are made an entirely new creation, just as God created the heavens and the earth originally—He made them out of nothing, and so He does with us. He does not merely clean up our old selves; He makes an entirely new self. When we are in Christ, we are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4 KJV). God Himself, in the person of His Holy Spirit, takes up residence in our hearts. We are in Christ and He is in us. In Christ, we are regenerated, renewed, and born again, and this new creation is spiritually minded, whereas the old nature

YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK OF LIFE .

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RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL Monday, September 21st . Pastor Chris  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life… (Revelation 22:19).  Many have assumed that when someone gives his heart to Christ, that’s when his name is written in the Book of Life. But that isn’t what the Bible teaches. It’s never really about your name being written in the Book of Life; the problem is about being removed from the Book of Life.  In Exodus 32:32, Moses said to God, “…blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” Moses knew about the Book of Life; it’s not the book where your name is written when you’re born again, because Moses wasn’t “born again.” So, what’s the Book of Life? It’s the book where God registers everyone who was ever born into this world.  Read our theme verse again; it was a warning to everyone. God’s plan originally was to have every one of us with Him. The Bible says He’s “

Running the Path for Christ

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  Are you a spectator, or running the race? Written by  Gary Fleetwood  on 11/08/2020 Series:  Weekly Devotional Tags:  Discipline ,  Perseverance ,  Sacrifice ,  Race ,  Endurance Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24 When I was in college I played soccer for a team that was very successful. The men recruited were highly skilled players who understood the game. However, I quickly learned that no matter how skilled someone was, they really had no lasting value to the team if they were not willing to do what was necessary to stay in great physical shape. The same is true for the spiritual race that we find ourselves in as Christians. If we are going to be successful spiritually, then there are certain qualities that must be developed in our life, and each one of them is similar to what is required of an athlete. What do I need to do in order to win a race? Training to win a race or a contest

"Why does God allow evil?"

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  The Bible describes God as holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and sovereign (Daniel 4:17-25). These attributes tell us the following about God: (1) God is capable of preventing evil, and (2) God desires to rid the universe of evil. So, if both of these are true, why does God allow evil? If God has the power to prevent evil and desires to prevent evil, why does He still allow evil? Perhaps a practical way to look at this question would be to consider some alternative ways people might have God run the world: 1) God could change everyone’s personality so that they cannot sin. This would also mean that we would not have a free will. We would not be able to choose right or wrong because we would be “programmed” to only do right. Had God chosen to do this, there would be no meaningful relationships between Him and His creation. Instead, God made Adam and Eve innocent but with the ability to choose good or evil. Because of this, they could respond to His lo

Five Things a New Christian Should Know

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 You're saved! Now what? Written by Allen Parr on 08/09/2020 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Bible, Prayer, Sin, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Gift Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Here are five questions that are essential for you to understand if you are new to the faith. 1. How do I read my Bible? If you are a new Christian, it can be very intimidating. You've got this book that you've never read before. Where do you start? My suggestion would be to start in the gospels, and here is my reason. The most important thing is to get to know Jesus Christ for yourself. You need to know who He is, what He teaches, what He believes in, what He wants you to know, and what He has done for you by sacrificing His life on the cross. I recommend you start in the Gospel of John and then move on from there. 2. How do I grow spiritually? Just like in real life, it is not God's intention for you

Overcoming Fear Is Possible

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 Doing the very thing that makes you afraid can be God’s way of helping you overcome that fear. Written by Gary Fleetwood on 16/07/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anxiety, Fear, Trust The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 I remember the first time that I went to Zimbabwe to evangelize out in the rural areas of the country. That first day was a little scary (to say the least). The person driving me around dropped me off in the middle of nowhere! I was with a young teenage boy who had been in the area before, but there was nothing familiar in sight. We could not see any villages, there were no roads except the one we were on, and we were very near the Zambezi River where all the wild animals go for water during the day. I would be lying if I said that I was not a little bit anxious and fearful. I didn't even know where I would be at the end of the day or who was coming to pick us up.

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BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS

 RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL  Pastor Chris BUT ALSO [in those days] there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies), even denying and disowning the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1 AMPC).  The same way there’re false brethren and false prophets who create problems in the house of God, there’re also false teachers. These are people who arrogate to themselves the teaching ministry, even though they weren’t called to be teachers, thereby exposing themselves to demons, and promoting false doctrines. They indoctrinate with errors, usually inspired by the spirit of deception.  For example, some false teachers teach that the coming of Christ has already taken place, and thus mislead a lot of people. Some others say the Holy Spirit’s ministry ended with the apostles. Some come with dream interpretations

How to Conquer Stress, Fear and Anxiety

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 God speaks about fear and anxiety in plain terms in the Bible. Written by Gary Fleetwood on 01/01/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anxiety, Fear, God, Stress, Trust Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 In Matthew 14:22-32, the disciples found themselves in a very stressful situation. They were in a small boat in the middle of the sea when a great wind came up, making their boat toss back and forth. Many of these disciples were fishermen, so they knew the dangers of the storms on the sea very well. Under their circumstances, most likely they felt that they may not make it through the storm alive. However, what is often missed in this story is that in verse 22 it says that Jesus “…made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side.”  J

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Does God Care About Your Depression?

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  You are not alone.s Written by  Emilia Alza  on 02/07/2019 Series:  Weekly Devotional Tags:  Anxiety ,  Depression ,  Suffering The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 I’m sure we’ve never met before, but I wish I could take you to my favorite coffee shop. As we drank a cup of coffee together and talked, you would know that I’m not here to shame you but to help you get out of the place of bondage that I’ve found myself in before. Depression and anxiety are complex issues, and we need to address them with the same love that Jesus embraces us with each and every day. ( Psalm 34:18 ) You see, about four years ago, I was in a dark place. Depression and anxiety had taken up every space of my life, and it was destroying me from the inside and out. Even with professional help, the support from family and friends – and praying more than ever before – I still struggled.  It felt that I was losing the battle. But I saw God’s grace and redemption (whic