Weekly Devotional - "Whatever Is True" - May 24, 2012

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

WHATEVER IS TRUE

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17

Last week we experienced two days of relentless, oppressive winds. It rearranged my front porch furniture, ripped rugs off the clothesline, and caused drivers to keep an iron grip on their steering wheels. As a kid I learned that the word windy has a duo definition. Whenever a certain neighbor invited himself in to sit a spell, he took that expression to new, expanded timeframes. An hour or three later when he said his good-byes, my dad would say something to the effect, “Nice guy, but he sure is windy.” To which mom would say, “Great guy. You just have to let most of what he says go in one ear and out the other.”

There is no one windier then our enemies – the propaganda of the world that distorts God’s Word, our persuasive sinful nature that diminishes the consequences of sin, and the deception of the father of lies who by his cunning leads our thoughts astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3).  

To think right and win the fight, we must think on whatever is true (Philippians 4:8). Christ is the truth (John 14:6) and the Holy Spirit our guide is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). If we are not rooted in truth we will be tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:25). If we doubt God and fall for the enemies’ tall tales, we’ll be like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6).

To be like a tree planted by streams of water instead of chaff that the wind blows away, we must delight in the law of the LORD, and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1). There is a difference between reading our Bibles and meditating on it. To really know God’s Word and have it change us, we must think on it, ponder, and study. That doesn’t happen with a quick read through for the day or by osmosis because our Bible is situated just so on the nightstand. To think thoughts that run plumb to what God’s Word says, we must delight in it, dig deep, and let it direct our lives.

Truth is not what we feel, not what we see, not what the winds of the enemy tells us. Truth is the infallible Word of God. Does it have the first and last word in your thought life today?

Think on it: The most effective way to think on whatever is true is to memorize Scripture. Choose a verse or more that you’ll memorize this week. Need a place to begin? Memorize Philippians 4:8 or Psalm 1.

A man [or woman] who loves the Word of God, a man who dwells upon what it says, a man who keeps a little text in his mind to think about as he is walking on his way, and that meditates upon it day and night, "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."  If you can find a man who carries out this direction and doesn't prosper, you can doubt the inspiration of the first Psalm; but find the man first.

J. Hudson Taylor

Weekly Devotion "Wear His Armor" - May 14, 2012

by Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

WEAR HIS ARMOR

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Ephesians 6:11

Do you want to play? If you’re asking me to play volleyball or Bananagrams®, count me in. If you want me to join your softball team or play Trivial Pursuit, no thanks.

As God’s children, we’re soldiers in the LORD’s army. We don’t get to choose if we feel like going to war today. There’s no such thing as a no-thanks option.  We’re there. The battle is real and the battle is on whether we like it or not.

Christians are soldiers. Spiritual war on the frontlines is our reality. Satan and his demons, the spiritual forces of evil, are scheming and attacking with the intent to kill and destroy. If we’re going to stand against the deceits of the evil one, we need to put on the full armor of God.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11). We wear His armor in obedience to His command. As we put on each piece, we don’t have to hope it’ll work in battle or wonder if there’s a better way to keep our position against the deceits of the enemy. We can be absolutely confident it will do what God says it will do because Christ wore the same armor to redeem His people! The prophet Isaiah speaks of it within his book:

Christ wore the belt of truth. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist (Isaiah 11:5). Christ wore the breastplate of righteousness. He put on righteousness as his breastplate (Isaiah 59:17). Christ’s feet were fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7). Christ wore the helmet of salvation. He put on . . . the helmet of salvation on his head (Isaiah 59:17).

We lay hold of Christ when we imitate Him and wear His armor. In prayer, buckle yourself in truth. In prayer, guard your heart with the breastplate of righteousness. In prayer, lace up your shoes of peace, being ready to share the Good News at all times and places. In prayer, keep the faith, which will shield you from Satan’s flaming arrows. In prayer, protect your mind with the helmet of salvation. Pray the Word, study the Word, speak the Word, and apply God’s Word, which is the sword of the Spirit.

Think on it: What is warring in your thought life today? Do not shrink back. Prayerfully put on His armor to take your stand against the enemy.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;

the arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust your own.

Put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;

where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

George Duffield

Weekly Devotion "Think Right: Win The Fight!", May 8, 2012

THINK RIGHT: WIN THE FIGHT!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

Rhonda grew up in a small town where everyone knew your name. As a little girl, she would regularly run with her sisters to their elderly neighbors, ring the doorbell, and ask for a happy pill. The couple smiled, put a happy pill in each extended palm, and the girls went on their merry way. It wasn’t until years later Rhonda learned the pills had a name: jellybeans.

Philippians chapter 4, verse 8 has a happy-pill ring to it. You can’t help but smile as you recite the positive words and repeated “whatevers.” That said we must recognize that this isn’t a soft, jellybean truth that you can swallow and go on your merry way. The reality of living out this verse requires wartime living.

There is a continuous battle in our minds between God the Spirit and our sworn enemies: the world, our sinful nature, and the devil. To think thoughts that are pleasing to the Spirit we must concentrate, focus, and ponder on God’s Philippians 4:8 think-about list. Here’s a nutshell definition of each word that we’ll unpack together in the weeks to come.

Truth: Think thoughts that run plumb to what God’s Word says. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17).

Noble: Think thoughts that are worthy of respect and honor. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

Right: Think thoughts that are just and good. He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Pure: Think thoughts that are blameless and holy. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

Lovely: Think thoughts that are beautiful and pleasing to God. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

Admirable: Think thoughts that are wonderful and worthy. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom (Psalm 145:3).

Excellent and Praiseworthy: Think thoughts that God approves of. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Think on it: This week memorize one or more of these Scripture passages from God’s think about list.

The very fact that Paul is telling us what we should focus on reveals a critical point: We always have a choice. We have a choice. With God’s help, we can control our thoughts.

Tommy Newberry

Weekly Devotion "Think"

from Lenae, GEMS training manager

 

THINK

For as he (she) thinks in his (her) heart, so is he (she).

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

Whenever I start a conversation with my husband by saying, “So, I was thinking . . .” the man gets nervous. I don’t blame him. That line of thinking typically involves a plan of action and more often than not, it involves him. In reality, every action (whether it includes husbands or not) originates with a single thought.

When Eve thought about being like God and gaining wisdom, she took action and taste-tested fruit (Genesis 3:4-5).

When David thought about how God delivered him from the paw of the lion and the bear, he took action and trusted that God would deliver him from the hand of Goliath, too (1 Samuel 17:37).

When the Israelite community thought about what the ten spies said about the giants living in the land of Canaan instead of thinking on what Caleb and Joshua said about taking possession of the land, they took action and rebelled against God (Numbers 13-14).

When Esther heard about Haman’s wicked plan to kill all the Jews in the land, she could’ve thought to herself – for such a time as this, I’m safe in the palace! If she was tempted to think that, her cousin Mordecai challenged her to think again. He said to Esther, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape ” (Esther 4:13).  Esther thought on that, took action and interceded for the Jews.

Think about Abraham. If his thoughts would’ve been based on what he saw and felt, he probably wouldn’t have walked up the mountain to sacrifice his son Isaac. If he would’ve based his thoughts on his circumstances instead of God’s promises, he would’ve failed God’s test and missed out on the blessing of having descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22).

It’s clear in Scripture and in our own lives that our behavior follows our thoughts, not the other way around. The book of Proverbs confirms it: For as he (she) thinks in his (her) heart, so is he (she) Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV).

You don’t put chocolate chip cookie dough in the oven and pull out a pepperoni pizza. It doesn’t work that way. Nor can you think one thing about yourself and become someone else. This is why it’s so important that we think about what we think about. Because what we think about determines who we become, studying Philippians 4:8 for the next season has the potential to change our lives forever.

Think on it: What thoughts do you give the most airtime to in your mind? Recognize, for better or for worse, how these thoughts are shaping you.

Our thinking is something we must take charge over. If we don’t, it will control us.

Bruce Goettsche