Monday
Believe: The Report
Isaiah 53:1; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Galatians 3:5
Believing God…it’s what takes us into our personal Promised Land. In the Old Testament, God brought the Israelites out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. Moses led the people under the blood-stained doorframes of the Passover, across the dry land of the Red Sea, and into the land flowing with milk and honey. The travelers witnessed God part the sea, rain down quail from heaven, scatter manna on the ground, and pour water from a rock. He guided them by a fire at night and a cloud by day. And yet, when it came time to march into the Promised Land, the land that was theirs for the taking, they faced a crisis of belief. “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites,” God instructed Moses. So Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the land. When they returned, ten gave the following report: 8 told We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are…The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. But two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, believed God. “We should go up and take possession of the land,”
Isaiah speaking of the work of the Messiah says who has believed the report. He says that those that believe will see the power of God. Who are we believing? Do we believe what God has done for us and what He has said about us? If we believe what the Gospel God has promised we would experience the power of God. Paul reminds us it is the power of God for those who are being saved. (1 Corinthians 1:18) It is the Spirit that gives us faith not keeping the rules of religion but the life of the power of the life of God working in us. (Galatians 3:5) God calls us to be believers. We are called believers and believers are what we are to be. God tells us that signs and wonders will follow those who believe. (Mark 16:17-18) Believers are the only ones that can change the things in their lives and in the world. Unbelievers are never motivated to change things.
So here’s my question to you. Whose report are you going to believe? Are you going to believe God’s Word is true, or the enemy who tries to stop you from entering your own Promised Land because of fear?
Satan says, “You can’t do it.” God says, “I already have.”
I don’t want to be like those Israelites who didn’t believe God. Do you? Are you going to move into the land flowing with milk and honey – take God’s promises and make them yours? Or, are you going to believe the evil report and continue wandering around in the desert – free from slavery, but missing the Promised Land? Whose report are you going to believe?
Tuesday
Believe: The Plan of God
Jeremiah 29:11
Do you believe that God has a plan for your life? The truth is that God has plan for each of us. Yes, there are days that circumstances may look bleak and grim, we may not be spared pains, suffering and hardships, but God knows the future and His plan for us is good for us and full of hope. God has made each of us unique and we each have a specific purpose, if you ever doubt this is true think on this, He made us because He wanted to not because He had too. As long as God, knows the future, and provides us with directions for the path we are to take, and goes with us there is not any goal or obstacle we cannot conquer.
Did you know that you life will move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts? If you're constantly down on yourself thinking you'll never get ahead, then you won't. But if you'll choose to believe, you have victory up ahead, that God has good things in store for your future; then that's what you'll end up with. That's why it's so important to make sure our thoughts are the same as God's thoughts. Just like a computer, whatever you allow into your mind is what will come out in your attitude and actions. The more you meditate on God's Word, the more you will transform your thinking to be like God's thinking.
Choose today to focus on the Word of God and allow your mind to be renewed. As you focus on God's thoughts, you will see your actions become more like Him and you will see His hand of blessing in every area of your life. You will see His plan in action for your life.
Wednesday
Believe: The Message of God
Matthew 10:7
The real message of God is that salvation is by grace through faith, not faith and something you do like baptism or faith and speaking in tongues, or faith and going to a particular church, etc. True salvation is freedom from the requirement of keeping any part of the Law to get or maintain salvation. True salvation is receiving Christ, being in the body of Christ, and being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. It means that we are not obligated to keep a moral code such as women should not wear pants, shorts, makeup, or jewelry. It does not mean that we are in danger of losing our salvation if we go to movies, own TV's, swim in public, or wear facial hair as some would have us believe. We have been set free from the Law. Of course, this does not mean that we are free to sin. Not at all, for how shall we who have died to sin still live in it?
Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time— this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I'm assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you're in this for good and holding fast.)
3-9The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says. (The Message, 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
Do you believe what scripture tells us the Message of God is or do you believe what someone else is saying? The Message of God is for you!
Thursday
Believe: The Power of the Gospel Preached
Acts 2:44; Mark 16:16-18
Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that the Gospel message has spread from twelve apostles to encompass the whole world! We are not talking about God using twelve Bible scholars, theologians, and Jewish leaders. Instead, he used a rag tag group that included, among others, fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and a doubter. Two thousand years later, the word of God continues to grow and spread as Christians across the globe proclaim the Gospel message with clarity and bear witness to the power and love of God in their lives. In many cases, this message is proclaimed by ordinary people like you and me. That is why God wants to use you to spread his Gospel and his love to others. God promises that when His words are proclaimed they will never return void or empty, but will accomplish all it is set out to do (Isaiah 55:10-11). You can be sure that every opportunity you take to share the Gospel message and your faith in Jesus Christ with others, they will be blessed in some way. It will not be through your persuasive words of wisdom but through the power of the God’s message. You may or may not see a person come to instant conversion. You may simply be watering a seed that someone else has planted. Or you may be planting a brand new seed yourself. Whatever the result, know that God sees every good thing you do, and He rewards it. Remember: He is even more eager than you to see people embrace the Gospel and come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Friday
Believe: Change Your Lifestyle
Acts 18:12, 13, 36; 13: 39; 15:7
The Bible is clear about the answer to changing your life. It tells us that believing in God changes everything about our lives. Accepting God’s existence is a life-altering belief, not only in the hope that it gives us for the future, but in the way God’s presence can change our lives now. You probably think at times, I am just one person, how can I really make things different? One is left wondering, what is the appropriate response? What could I possibly give God in return for everything He has done for me? How does He want me to live and serve Him? It is therefore a great blessing for us that our God wants us to know Him and has given us a book that answers these questions of how best to please Him. The Bible makes it plain what it is God is asking us to do. Putting God first in our lives should be our first change and the second change is to love others as God loves us. Therefore, how do we serve God? We must set our hearts to believe in God completely and we must earnestly seek Him out. God calls us to leave behind every other desire or distraction in this world and put our faith in Him first. We must be like His son, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his will to live a life of service to his Father. In striving to know our God better we must seek him out by reading His Word and find out more about him.
The Weekender
Believe: Just Do It
2 Timothy 1:12
“Unless you stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” “Sin boldly.” “Be certain, because God is.” You might have heard these or other similar sayings. They’re all telling us the same thing: don’t doubt, but be sure. Each day, every day, we make decisions in our lives that call for our being certain. We are certain that a particular vehicle is far enough away that we can safely turn. We are certain that a friend will keep the luncheon appointment and we will go out of our way to be there on time. We are certain that the “laws of nature” will hold true for another day. If we doubt, we can become paralyzed, or at least severely slowed down. Doubt is not helpful.
The great saints were not immune to the same doubting that you and I experience. “Doubting Thomas” as he is often dubbed, is a common example. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” (John 20:25) And this man lived with Jesus for three years! And He still experienced doubt! Think of the father whose child was demon-possessed: “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) The disciples on the road to Emmaus were so disappointed, having doubted the resurrection of Jesus. They said, “we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” but were so dispirited when He died. (Luke 24;21)
But of Jesus’ work on our behalf, we can be certain and sure and positive and confident and definite. The Holy Spirit has given us faith, faith that carries us through in times of trials and doubts. When something awful happens to a dear friend, we can rely on the promise of “Lo, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) There is a book called “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People”, reflects human thinking. This human thinking is the product of the devil at work. We might better ask, “Why do good things happen to any people?” After all, we are born sinful, sin daily, violate God’s holy will and desire on a regular basis; yet He gives us all we need and even more. He gives us forgiveness for all our sins, peace in the midst of turmoil, and clarity of mind when we most need it.
Look to the mountains around you and ask the question, “who but a loving God would put these beautiful edifices there for you?” No one but a God who cares enough to send His Son to take away your guilt and give you eternal life, so you could live with Him forever and ever in the mansions He has prepared for you.
When doubts come, stop for a moment, open God’s Word, say a prayer, and reflect on the mercies and miracles you see around you and ask whether the wonders you see are just coincidences or serendipitous acts. No, they are neither. God gives you all you have because He wants the best for you. Sometimes struggles are good for you, believe it or not! “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
When doubts come, stop and send them away to fly back to the devil’s lair where they belong and then raise a prayer for life and salvation you have in Jesus Christ. Bottom line Just Believe God!!!
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