Principles for Happiness
July 31, 2007 on 6:00 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsBlessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. -Psalm 1:1
If you think the Christian life is boring, then you haven’t yet learned how to walk with God. He will change your outlook on life. I think a Christian can look at a beautiful sunset and enjoy it more than anyone else, because the Bible says God has given us as Christians all things to richly enjoy. There is a deeper level of appreciation on our part. We can appreciate the simple things in life and find more pleasure and more fulfillment–not because we are looking to things, but because we are looking to God. As Christians, we want to avoid the things that will hurt us spiritually. There are not only things that will build us up, but there are also things that will tear us down. When we start to do something, we should ask ourselves, Does this build me up spiritually? The apostle Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Try this little litmus test: Does it bring you under its power? You don’t want to be under the power of anything but Jesus Christ. Do you have an uneasy conscience about it? As Romans 14:23 says, “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” Whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful. The psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1). That word “blessed” means, “oh, how happy.” So if you want to be a happy person, then follow the principles that are found in this psalm.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
When Trouble Comes
July 27, 2007 on 6:18 pm | In devotionals | No Comments“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” -Psalm 91:15-16
Are you facing an emergency today? Dial 911–Psalm 91:1, that is. God can use adversity in the life of the Christian. None of us wants adversity in our lives, but God can be glorified through it. It might be a sickness that looks life-threatening, and then God heals you. Or it might be a sickness that He allows you to experience, but He is glorified in the midst of it. Psalm 91 does not say you will never die. But it is saying that you won’t die before your time. It is saying that until God is done with you, His angels will keep you in all your ways . . . in your ups and downs, when you are awake and asleep, in the sunshine and the rain. What is your part? It is to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. It is to live in quiet and resting and enduring and remaining, with consistency. Your objective as a Christian should be to stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can. Because this all-powerful, all-knowing God possesses heaven and earth, has made a covenant with you, loves you, and offers to protect and provide for you, you should make it your objective to get closer to Him, asking, How can I walk so closely with Him that I will be in His very shadow? You should periodically ask yourself whether you are meeting the criteria of this great psalm, whether you are living up to the conditions that have been set forth. If your answer is yes, then you have God’s word that these promises will be activated in your life.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Kept in His Ways
July 26, 2007 on 7:03 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsFor He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. -Psalm 91:11
The angels of God are nearer than you may think. They are all around us all the time, taking care of us and ministering to us, even when we are not aware of their presence. That is fine with them, because essentially they are God’s secret agents, doing His bidding and the work He has called them to do. Many times, they have intervened in our lives and we didn’t even know they were doing so. According Psalm 91 and other passages of Scripture, angels are actively involved in the life of the Christian. Hebrews 1:14 says that they are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Hebrews 13:2 tells us not to be forgetful to entertain strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without even knowing it. There are so many stories in the Bible of angels who delivered the people of God, such as Daniel in the lion’s den and Peter in prison. But as wonderful as the promise of angelic involvement in our lives is, we must first recognize what the conditions are for this promise to be activated in our lives: “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). Recognize the fact that the phrase “to keep you in all your ways” is not referring to whatever path you choose, but to God’s ways. There is a difference between trusting the Lord and testing Him by taking unnecessary chances with your life or even endangering your spiritual safety by doing stupid things and expecting God to bail you out. God will keep you in all your ways–but your ways must be His ways.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Your Hiding Place
July 24, 2007 on 6:08 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsYou are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance. -Psalm 32:7
When you were a child, did you have a hiding place you would run to when you were afraid or wanted to be alone? God wants to be your hiding place. And the good news is that you can retreat to this hiding place wherever you are. When you have a conflict at work and don’t know what to say or how to deal with it, you can retreat into the secret place of the Most High as you are living in fellowship and communion with God. When you are tied up in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you can abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Have you ever tried to walk in someone’s shadow? It can be done, but you really have to stay close. That is the picture given in Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” God says, “I want you to dwell in Me. I want to be your hiding place. I want you to be so close that you are actually in My very shadow.” This gives you courage to face life. The Old Testament tells the story of Elijah, who boldly stormed into the court of Ahab, the most wicked king that Israel had ever known. With incredible courage and boldness, he delivered bad news to Ahab and turned and walked out. Though he was in the court of a powerful monarch, Elijah recognized he was also in the presence of an even more powerful Monarch. He was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. If you kneel before God, you can stand before any man. Are you walking in fellowship with Him?
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Promises…with a Prerequisite
July 22, 2007 on 4:33 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsHe who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. -Psalm 91:1
Without question, Psalm 91 is a real gem among the psalms. Next to Psalm 23, it probably has brought more encouragement and comfort throughout the centuries than any other psalm. But it is worth noting that the blessings promised in Psalm 91 are not for just anyone. They are specifically given to believers– and not just to believers in general, but to believers who specifically meet the requirements found in it. Psalm 91 is full of conditional promises. That is, God promises to do certain things for us, hinging on us doing certain things that are required. Verse 1 begins, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. . . ” The word “dwells” could be translated as “quiet and resting, enduring and remaining with consistency.” It is very similar to the word “abide,” which we see often in the New Testament. Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). That word “abide” means, “to stay in a given place, to maintain unbroken fellowship and communion with another.” Here’s what God is saying: If you want to experience the promises of Psalm 91 –My protection, My provision, and My blessing– you must dwell in the secret place of the Most High. You must remain in constant fellowship with Me. “We have relationship with God because we have put our faith in Jesus Christ and have turned from our sin. But are we living in constant fellowship with God? Many believers are not. God is interested in a relationship with you, not just on Sundays, but throughout the week. He wants you to dwell in the secret place of the Most High.
C4W Devotions are used by permission fromHarvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Love You Can Count On
July 7, 2007 on 5:25 pm | In devotionals | No CommentsHaving loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. -John 13:1
We all have probably heard someone say at some time, “God loves you.” And sometimes we may wonder, Does God really love me? Maybe you have been let down and sorely disappointed by people. Maybe someone said they loved you and then turned against you. Maybe someone said he or she was your closest friend, but ultimately betrayed you. When it comes to God’s love, we tend to ask ourselves whether it is for real. We wonder whether He, too, will turn away from us if we let Him down. Jesus knew what it was like to be betrayed. As Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover with His disciples, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Him. The other disciples didn’t stand by Jesus, either. They forsook Him, but He did not forsake them. They denied Him, but He did not deny them. He loved His own who were in the world, and He loved them to the end (see John 13:1). The story is told of a little boy who was troubled one night by a thunderstorm. He cried out from his room, “Daddy! I’m scared!” The father responded, “Son, don’t worry. God loves you, and He will take care of you.” The boy replied, “I know God loves me, but right now I need someone with skin on.” Jesus is God with skin on. Jesus is God demonstrating His love for His own. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t treat you the way that you treat Him? Aren’t you glad God doesn’t reciprocate that way? No matter what you do, no matter where you go, God will always love you.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
Our Teacher
July 4, 2007 on 7:33 pm | In devotionals | No Comments“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” -John 14:26
We may not even realize it, but the Spirit of God teaches us all the time. The Holy Spirit can unfold passages from the Bible in an incredible way through our reading and study of Scripture. Needless to say, that is why we should spend regular time in Bible study and memorization. In doing so, we are opening the door for the Spirit to illuminate God’s Word for us. When I read the Bible, I don’t have an incredible experience each time. But I read it because I know I need to, in obedience to God. It might be that very day or the next day when a situation will arise, and suddenly the passage I committed to memory is activated by the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit takes that Scripture and uses it to minister to someone. It’s the Holy Spirit speaking through me, and that’s a wonderful experience. When I step up to the pulpit, I depend on the Holy Spirit to speak through me. Yes, I have prepared. I have done my homework. But at the same time, I want God to speak to the people who are listening. Sometimes, we will hear speakers and think they are the greatest preachers who have ever lived. But in reality, it is the Holy Spirit speaking through those people to us. So let’s give the glory to God and not to them. The Holy Spirit will give us the power to live the way God wants us to live. And He will continue to teach us.
C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514
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