VERSE:

VERSE: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee thedesires of thine heart. -- Psalm 37:4 http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Psalm+37:4&translation=kjvTHOUGHT: As my heart delights in God, God's will, and God's purposes, Ifind an amazing truth at work: when I desire what God wills, Godenjoys giving me the desires of my heart. An old hymn used thephrase, "'til I am wholly lost in Thee." When that happens, whenour will is yielded to God and our heart delights to honor him,then God is longingly waiting for us to request the desires of ourheart so he can bless us!PRAYER: Holy LORD, God of our Fathers and great Giver of every perfectgift, thank you for longing to bless me and pour the riches of yourgrace upon me. Please touch my heart to desire your will and thento boldly ask you to accomplish it to your glory. In Jesus' name Ipray. Amen.

THE ATTITUDE OF CHRIST 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Corinthians+1:10-13Dear Father, to whom I owe full obedience,Let my attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who madehimself nothing and obeyed you, even in the matter of dying.May I humbly and obediently exalt Jesus, even as you have exaltedhim and given him a name that is above every name, that every kneeshould bow and every tongue confess - to your glory, our God andour Father.In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of our unity andsalvation, I ask these things. Amen.

Three Wrong Responses to the Holy Spirit

Three Wrong Responses to the Holy SpiritYou always resist the Holy Spirit…Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…Do not quench the Spirit. (Acts 7:51; Ephesians 4:30; and 1 Thessalonians 5:19)It is the will of God that we walk in daily dependence upon the Holy Spirit.. It is God's desire that we seek Him for the fullness of the Spirit's work in and through our lives. Three wrong responses that undermine the will of God in our lives are resisting, grieving, and quenching the Spirit of the Lord.When Stephen was on trial before the religious leaders of Israel, he preached a powerful sermon declaring the faithfulness of God toward His consistently unfaithful nation. He concluded his message with a pointed, radical, accurate evaluation. "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). Here we are given the kind of attitudes that oppose the work of the Spirit. These people were "stiffnecked." They were stubborn and self-willed. They wanted their will, not the will of God. They also were "uncircumcised in heart and ears." They did not allow God to cut away the carnality of their inner being. They would not allow God to speak to them through His messengers. They were self-righteous and self-sufficient. When we conduct ourselves in this same manner, we also are "resist[ing] the Holy Spirit."When Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus, he commanded them: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit." In the next verse he indicated the dispositions that bring grief to the Spirit of God. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice" (Ephesians 4:31). Yes, the Holy Spirit is a person, not a mere power or influence. He can be saddened by our behavior. When we, God's people, harbor bitterness in our hearts and malicious words in our mouths, then we are "griev[ing] the Holy Spirit of God."When Paul wrote to the saints at Thessalonica, he instructed them: "Do not quench the Spirit." Just as a fire can be quenched, the promptings of the Holy Spirit can be stifled. As we read the word of God, the Spirit can be stirring a spiritual fire of conviction within us. Will we respond to that heavenly influence, or will we suppress it? When the Lord is igniting a vision of service unto Him, will we yield or will we extinguish it? When the Lord is calling us to intercessory prayer, will we cry out to Him or will we suppress that desire He is kindling? Will we allow the Spirit to blaze within our hearts, or will we "quench the Spirit?"O Father, I am convicted by Your Spirit of times that I have behaved in these same ways. I have resisted and grieved and quenched the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Lord, I repent, and I ask You to show me any area of my life that is not yielded to the full work of Your Spirit. This I pray through Christ, my Lord, Amen.

What Is Quiet Time?

What Is Quiet Time?Ron Luce
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. - John 10:14A quiet time is an intimate, face-to-face, heart-to-heart connection with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It's the time when you actually build your relationship with Jesus. Specifically, it is a time for you to get up every day and read the Bible and pray and get closer to Him.A lot of people say to think to themselves: "I prayed a prayer, but I don't feel closer to God; or I felt really close to God when I was at that retreat or camp, but now I don't feel very close to Him." You're not going to feel close to anybody if you're not spending time with them.If you were married and didn't spend time with your spouse, the two of you would not grow any closer. Actually, you would move farther and farther apart.A quiet time is an expression of your commitment to be a true follower of Christ. It's as if you're saying, "Lord, I'm going to make sure that I don't accidentally get farther and farther away from You. In fact, I'm going to use this time to get closer and closer to You.I'm going to use it as a time to get fed by You and to get filled up with You and to understand more of You." Before you do anything else, start your day with God. Talk to Him, seek Him in His Word and pray through your day. Make it your top priority.Maybe you've never had a quiet time with God before. Start thinking about what kind of quiet time you want to have and where you want to have it. Think about what time you need to get up in order to have enough time to read your Bible and pray before you start your day with the world. Your personal relationship with God is the dynamite that it will take to effect this generation. You will begin to spread the gospel as your character becomes like Christ. This transformation process can only happen in direct relationship with Christ.The more we know Jesus, and look like Him, the easier it will be to lead people to him.

Just Be Still

Just Be StillAqualyn Toi Jones I like to think that I'm an extrovert with introvert tendencies. I sometimes prefer noise to silence and company to solitude. That just seems to be my personality. Hidden behind all this extroversion is this truth: Sometimes I don't like to be alone. I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one.When I am alone - no music, television, cell phone, or other distraction - I have no other choice than to face myself. And let's face it, that's not always easy or pleasurable.I think we need a better understanding of why time alone with God is so vital. If you were to follow Jesus' life for a few days in the gospels, you would see an undeniable pattern. He spent a lot of time with the multitudes, the cynics, and the disciples. No wonder he needed time alone with God. Why should it be any different with us?Do you remember being told to "be still" as a child?Sit right here and don't move.Stop running.Don't jump on the furniture.Slow down.Just, be still. As kids, we had endless energy. We woke up to play and run. We sought something new every single day. So, the command to "be still" undoubtedly came at the worst possible times. It interrupted our fun, tamed our adventures, and brought us back to reality. Nowadays, energy isn't so endless. Today, we often wake up to pain, illness, or uncertainty. The search for something new is drowned out by the monotony of life (school, work, or home). Even when we're not working, we're preoccupied. You know the saying, "If it ain't one thing, it's another."So, "being still" is seen as an interruption instead of an invitation. Yet, we are encouraged throughout Scripture to spend time alone with God. Moses did it. The prophets of old did it. Jesus did it. Seems pretty clear that we should do it. But, how can I do that, let alone enjoy it, if I don't even like to be with myself? Time alone with yourself is like a mirror into your soul. The memories of the past rush in; followed by regret, guilt, and shame. Or maybe the things that worry you begin to take precedence. By the time you sort through all of you there isn't much energy (or desire) to remain there or to seek God. Time alone with God has a purpose. It is a mirror into how God sees you. It is there that we are forgiven, refreshed, restored, and renewed. There we are healed, encouraged, and even reprimanded. Beauty is given for ashes and strength for weakness. Hebrews 4:14-15 reminds us that "...we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in the time of need." As children, we had no other choice when we were told to be still. Now, let us choose to be still because we prefer time with Him over all of our distractions. And simply, because life has a way of giving us no other choice.

VERSE:

VERSE: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against suchthere is no law. -- Galatians 5:22-23 http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Galatians+5:22-23+&translation=kjvTHOUGHT: When the Spirit is alive in our hearts, the character of Godcomes to life in us as the Spirit works to conform us ever moreclosely to the image and the character of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).PRAYER: Thank you, dear Father, for your Spirit within me. I consciouslyyield my will and heart to your Spirit's transforming control in mylife. Please produce in me the fruit that pleases you and bringsyou glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

NO LACK IN GOD

NO LACK IN GOD 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Corinthians+1:4-9Dear Father, my faithful God,Thank you now and forevermore for the grace which you gave inChrist Jesus. In every way you have enriched me in all speech andall knowledge - even as the testimony of Christ has been confirmedbefore my eyes - so that I am not lacking in any spiritual gift, asI, along with all my brethren, wait for the revealing of our LordJesus Christ.You are my faithful God. It is you who have called me intofellowship with your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.I have confidence that you will sustain me to the very end andpresent me guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.I put my trust wholly in you, my holy God, for you are whollytrustworthy.In the name of Jesus, who was faithful to you and is alwaysfaithful to me. Amen.