JULY ARCHIVES
July 1st
Matthew 1:21
And she
shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins.
Outlook from the In Book
Thou shalt call His name JESUS… So much is wrapped up in that name. He is our Redeemer as He took us from a life of sin and brought us to the Father. He is our Sanctification in that He made us clean and continues to perfect us until He comes to get His bride. He is our propitiation, or the total and complete payment for all our sin debt. He is our Justification so when we reach the golden streets of Glory we are made ready to enter by His work on the cross. But most of all He is our Salvation. He is our salvation from sins when we went to the cross and he covered them with the precious perfect blood. He is also our salvation from the dominion of sin in our everyday life here on this earth. And our salvation from a place called hell that was never created for us, but we were heading there as fast as we could go. JESUS.. What a special name. What a special friend. What a Saviour.
What does the name of JESUS
mean to you today? Have you ever called on Him to be your Saviour? Do you pray
in the powerful name of Jesus everyday? Has Jesus made a difference in your
life? If not, He can and He will if you just call on Him today.
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July 2nd
2 Chronicles 7:15
Now
mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in
this place.
Outlook from the In Book
Can you remember
when your children or those of family or friend were small? Or maybe you have
little children now, and they want to be independent. Well, sort of. At about
1-2 years of age they begin to walk away from you just a little bit, sometimes
holding onto a table or the sofa, but all the while they are toddling around
they continue to look back at mom and dad with that drooling smile. Almost as if
to say “look at me, look what I can do, am I doing this right?” Or maybe it was,
“Are you still there, are you still watching me because you know I might fall?”
And when they do fall, you step over and help them up, tell them it’s ok and get
them right back walking as they were before they fell.
As a child of God we should be something like that. Always looking to our
Heavenly Father saying “look at me, look what I can do, am I doing this right?”
And, “I always want to know that your right there, you know I might fall.” The
best thing is that when we do stumble in our Christian life and fall, He picks
us up, tells us it will be ok, and gets us right back walking the way we should.
God has told us that His
eyes are upon us and His ears are listening. Isn’t it wonderful to know our
Heavenly Father cares!
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July 3rd
Psalm
3:5
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Outlook from the In Book
To sleep, for most
people, seems like such an easy thing to do. But how does that work? You close
your eyes, your mind sort of wanders off and your body rests. During that entire
time, without one thought of your own, your heart continues to beat. Thump,
thump, thump, thump, all through the night. You continue breathing taking in the
oxygen that the body needs to survive and yet you are not even aware of it. All
of your blood flows through miles of veins to all the parts of your body and yet
you never helped it at all. You move around, toss, tumble, move your eyes and
are never notice a thing. Some of you even talk, and walk in your sleep and have
no recollection of it at all. Almost one third of each day without realizing it
you have is given over in total control of your body to God. And if your reading
this, well, it’s evident He did a pretty good job last night. If we can trust
God in our sleep to sustain our life, why is it so hard when we are awake to
allow Him that same amount of control? Oh yea I know… because somehow we think
we can handle it now. Right? We are such angels when were sleeping….
Whether we want to admit it
or not, God is still in control during the day. If you think He is not in
complete control then take this little test. Stop what your doing and make your
blood flow backwards for just one second. Couldn’t do it? God could if He wanted
to. I told you He was in control. If He controls what you can’t everyday, why
not let Him control what you can.
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July 4th
Proverbs 4:18-19
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Outlook from the In Book
Have you ever tried to get up in the middle of the night and walk a few steps and then, “BAM” you slam your toe into something? Not something that has been moved there recently, but something that had been there all along and you just miss-judged the distance in the dark. If you’re like me, just remembering those times brings shivers to your spine. Now just for the sake of completely ruining your day, lets imagine you just get over the shock and pain of that slam to the toe, you take a few more steps and “Bam” you do it again, to the same toe. Can you imagine the pain? Sure you can. And you don’t like the thought, right? What caused the pain? Was it the furniture? NO! It had always been there. Was it your ability to walk? NO! You were walking just fine. So what was it? It was your desire to try to make it to your destination without the light on. If you had turned on the light, the likelihood of you banging that toe would have been greatly reduced. Why? Because you can see everything in the light. That is the way a lost person lives every day. Banging into one sin after another all because they refuse to allow the light of Jesus Christ shine in their life.
In Revelations 21 it talks
of never needing the sun in heaven because Jesus will be the light there. And
those that are saved shall walk in that light. The good news to the saved is
that we can walk in that light today. Jesus is the light of the world. If you
will but trust Him he will keep you from falling into the darkness of sin.
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July 5th
Matthew
8:27
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Outlook from the In Book
“WOW!!!” That would probably be a word we would use today to describe what the men were feeling when the Bible says they “Marveled.” It would kind of be that just kind of stare with you mouth wide-open sort of thing. You know, like when a magician does a magic trick that you cannot understand. You say oooooh, awhhhh, and think how did he do that? But this was more than magic. This was no trick of any kind that Jesus was trying to play on them. No slight of hand here. It was a miracle. Some in that day might have thought it to be part of a paranormal experience. A witch or sorcerer, or maybe even a demon. But Jesus proved that to be untrue as he cast out demons. No this was not a demonic show. Or some may have thought He was one of the many gods that people worshiped at that time? But He was continually pointing to one God, His Father in heaven. He was not “a god”. He was “THE GOD.” They marveled, they ooohed, they awhed, they stood in amazement at what Jesus could do. Because He did what only He could do. Be GOD.
Do you remember when you
realized you were a sinner? That the only hope of your salvation was Jesus and
the atoning blood from Calvary? Do you remember bowing your heart to Him and
asking Him to forgive all your sins? Do you remember how you marveled at what He
had done that split second? Do you remember? ONLY GOD CAN DO THAT!
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July 6th
2 Chronicles 18:12-13
And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.
Outlook from the In Book
Today the key to working with all the other denominations in the world is tolerance. You must try to be tolerant of their beliefs, even if you know they are wrong. Various denominations practice this today in hopes that we can all worship together. People will tell you this is what Jesus would want and would do. That is so untrue. Jesus did not come into Jerusalem and synagogues and tell the religious leaders of their day that they were right. He called them hypocrites and vipers. Jesus did not think, “well I just won’t say anything and then we will all get along.” No, rather He stated what the Father in Heaven had told Him to say. The prophet Micaiah was in the very same situation we find ourselves in often today. People just want us to not say anything, or agree with what is wrong for the sake of harmony and ecumenicalism. When God’s word is clear on a matter, we ought to be bold enough to say with love, “I am sorry I can not agree with you, but the Word of God says different.”
Stand Up, Stand Up for
Jesus and be soldiers of the cross. When Jesus became your Lord, God the Father
became your God, and the Holy Spirit became your leader we became their
ambassador. We must stand up for the truth. Jesus said I Am The Truth. Pray God
will give you the courage and the compassion to lovingly stand up for His Word.
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July 7th
Psalm 7:10-11
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Outlook from the In Book
Lawyers sometimes
get a bad name. They are looked at as dishonest, deceitful and someone that you
can’t trust. Some of them may have earned that label by their tactics in the
courtroom, but it seems really unfair to label them all that way. What a great
feeling it would be to walk into a courtroom with an attorney that everyone
knows has never lied about one detail of one case ever. An attorney that would
never take the case of a guilty person and defend them with tricky tactics
against the truth of their guilt. But rather when they got in front of the judge
would turn them over for the punishment they deserved. An attorney that was not
only your defender if in the right, but also the judge to pass down the sentence
or reward. Sounds almost impossible huh!
We have that
defender. “Jesus.” Jesus is our advocate, or representative, with the Father and
defends us against the evil accusation of the world. The word “defense” in our
verse today means like a shield hovering over us to protect us. But that shield
of defense goes two ways. Not only is He protecting the redeemed child of God,
but also He is hunting out evil that is done against His people and judging for
it.
How does evil end in this
world? Usually the trap that was laid for another springs back to ensnare the
setter. The anger and hostility that is used against someone else, often settles
in their heart and they live a bitter disgusted life because of their resentful
work toward another. We should pray “Oh God that my heart would remain soft
toward you and your will, AMEN.”
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July 8th
Proverbs 8:8-9
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
Outlook from the In Book
Have you ever
tried to explain something technical to someone that had no idea what you were
talking about? Maybe you’re one of those great computer people that know all the
different things about megabits, gigabits and nanobits and mosquito bites and
all those different things. When you talk to someone that has problems setting
the time on a VCR, you might as well be talking about brain surgery. Why?
Because they have no understanding of the clear knowledge you have. So how could
they understand what you were saying if they wanted to? By taking time to read
up on and get knowledge of what you’re talking about and then you can explain it
to them and they would understand. Or you can break it down into simple words so
that they might understand it.
It’s the same
way so often when we as Christians go out to tell a person about Jesus Christ,
who has never met Him. Everything we are telling them is foreign to their
understanding. So how do we share the Gospel? In the same way you would explain
it to a child. One bit of understanding at a time. Praying always that the Holy
Spirit will bring to their understanding the truths of the Gospel you’re
presenting.
It might be that the person
you have been trying to witness to for so long, the one that keeps shutting you
down, just really does not understand. Pride keeps them from asking what you
mean, so instead they just brush you off. Pray for them to receive
understanding. And pray that God will give you clarity of speech to tell it in a
way they might understand. It’s a simple message if we just tell it that way.
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July 9th
Matthew 12:25
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Outlook from the In Book
Arguments, disagreements, fighting, yelling, and screaming. What does that remind you of? Some will say home. “That’s all it seems we do at home is fight.” Some will say work. “Every day seems to be a battle at the workplace.” Some might say the world today. “There seems to be a war on every horizon.” And sadly, some might say church. “No one seems to agree and there are clicks everywhere.” Jesus was pretty clear about the outcome of such situations. Any home, city or kingdom divided against itself will not stand. Why? Because they are constantly figuring out how to pick at the other people in their own group, instead of how they might help them. There must be agreement for anything to really work well. In the home, the father should be the leader that leads the family to the word of God for the answers. At work, we are to submit to the authority over us and obey the rules they set in place. In the world we need to point people to Christ, pray and as much as possible live peaceably with others. In the church, God is the head. He will never lead people in two different ways. If there is a division in the church, one or both parties have taken their eyes off God and gotten them back on self. They have fallen into the trap of not seeking what God wants, but what I want.
Divisions equal
destruction. Destruction of the Christian life is what Satan wants most. God is
about building a Christian Life. Satan is about destroying it. Reconciliation to
God and what He wants is the first step in mending old wounds.
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July 10th
2 Chronicles 26:16
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Outlook from the In Book
James S. Hewett
once wrote; A newly elected politician was visiting Washington, D.C., to get
acquainted. He was visiting in the home of one of the ranking senators who was
trying to interpret the bizarre wonder of the capitol. As they stood looking out
over the Potomac River, an old deteriorating log floated by in view on the
river. The old-timer said, "This city is like that log out there." The fledgling
politician asked, "How's that?" The senator came back, "Well, there are probably
more than one hundred thousand grubs, ants, bugs and critters on that old log as
it floats down the river. And I imagine every one of them thinks that he's
steering it."
It seems to
be the same in all areas of life. That once we feel we may have gained a little
control, we then seem to want it all. When truly the only time we are in
complete control is when we turn that control over to God. Once we try to rule
our destiny, God removes His hand and lets us. And 99% of the time we will make
a mess of it.
We need to give to God what
is due Him. All our allegiance, and all of our life. To yield total control to
the One who created us.
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July 11th
Psalm 11:3
If the
foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Outlook from the In Book
Have you ever seen a structure built on no real foundation or a very weak foundation? It might last as long as the sun is out and there is just that gentle breeze in the air. But let the hard winds blow or the storms come raging and what happens to that structure? We all know it collapses like a pile of toothpicks.
Our life is so much the same. If our foundation is built simply on our wishes, our desires, of our making, it might last while the day seems bright and no problems are around. But let the storm clouds of anger and hostility come, the winds of broken homes, the extreme heat of financial pressures, and what happens? That life we built of our own design will crumble like a structure of toothpicks.
How can we keep this from happening? Simply build your life on the foundation of God’s Holy Word. It never changes, never shifts, never crumbles and never falls.
How firm a foundation is
built on Jesus Christ my Lord. Anchor your life in the rock and you will never
have to be afraid of the storms.
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July 12th
Proverbs 12:1
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Outlook from the In Book
I saw on the television a while
back a raging fire on the west coast of the United States. It was burning almost
out of control. The diligent work of the men and women firefighters at this
point was actually not an attempt to stop the blaze, although that was their
final goal. It had now come to the place that what they were spending most of
their energy on was making sure it did not spread too much farther. They had
realized it was going to spread and now were busy trying to control the amount
of damage it would do. Finally they had to start a controlled fire around the
fire large enough to burn everything in its path. Hoping that when this raging
inferno reached that point it no longer had anything to burn and the pre-burned
controlled area was too large for the fire to jump over. And fortunately that is
what happened. In order to control the fire, everything around the fire had to
be destroyed.
Sometimes people that
believe they are right and will not listen to counsel at all are just like that
fire. No matter what the facts say, no matter what the evidence of God’s hand at
work says, no matter what, they know they are right. And it is not until
everything around them is destroyed that they realize in their unwillingness to
learn they have destroyed themselves. There is no fire left to burn. No one
around anymore to complain to. No one to listen to them and their ideas. People
will avoid a destructive fire. The word brutish in today’s verse means eaten up
or self-destructive. Just as the fire was destroyed by fire, so will people
unwilling to receive instruction eventually destroy themselves.
You might be asking, how
can that change if I’m in the middle of it? Reach out to the mighty hand of God
to pull you free. Ask Him to open your heart to the truth. Don’t try to get God
to get on board with what our doing. Find out what God is doing and get on board
with Him.
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July
13th
Matthew 16:4
A
wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign
be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and
departed.
Outlook from the In Book
When I was a teen there was a
song done in 1971 by a group called “The Five Man Electrical Band” entitled
“SIGNS.” There was a line in that song that read, “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind Do this, don't do that, can't you
read the sign?” It was saying there seem to be so many signs you can’t even
enjoy life.
Today we find many people are looking
for a sign of Christ. They flock to the church that seems to be able to perform
the greatest miracles. Signs and wonders seem to draw a crowd. But Jesus while
on earth warned the Pharisees about looking for a sign. They were told that the
only real sign they needed and would receive was the same as the prophet Jonas,
(or Jonah as called in Old Testament), who was three days in the belly of a
great fish and then brought out to declare salvation to the people of Nineveh.
Jesus gave them that sign latter as he was 3 days in the earth and rose to
declare total victory over Satan, hell & the grave. And yet even when that was
complete, the Pharisees still would not believe. They had their heart set on
seeing a sign.
I wonder how many people will miss
the true sign of salvation in what Christ did while still looking at all the
wonders and signs of man?
Signs, signs, yes
everywhere there is a sign. Signs in the heavens of the magnitude of God. Signs
in the one-cell creatures of the details God attends to. Signs in the wonder of
a newborn baby as to the love of life that God displays. The one sign of His
ultimate love for us, the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus
Christ. Don’t miss the sign!
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July 14th
2 Chronicles 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
Outlook from the In Book
“Till There was No Remedy!” What a frightening statement. To think that there is no remedy for your actions with God. And yet people live their lives like they can just get right and come to God whenever they feel like it. “Free will” tells us that we have the freedom of choice. But people misunderstand even their “free will.” You do have the freedom to choose heaven or hell. You have the choice of freedom or a life bound in sin. You may choose to follow Jesus or the devil. You have that freedom. NOW! But God never has said that He would allow you to thumb your nose at Him forever and still have all that freedom. You can only get saved if the Holy Spirit draws you to the Lord. And you might wait too long thinking, its up to me, at anytime I want, I can get saved. But it’s up to God, not you. The Bible teaches that everyone is called to redemption. It teaches that God is patient and kind and loving. But it also teaches that there comes a time when you can harden your heart and never desire to receive Him as Saviour. A time when there may be NO REMEDY for your sin.
The good news is this: If
you’re not already saved and the idea of it being to late scares you or concerns
you, then you have not reached the NO REMEDY point as of yet. In fact if you are
concerned that is evidence that God is still calling you right now. Why put it
off any longer. Why wait until God might say, “there was no remedy” for you?
Accept Him today.
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July 15th
Psalm 15:1
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
Outlook from the In Book
At the time of the writing of
Psalm 15:1, the question and answer was clear and yet not. Who shall abide in
the temple and dwell in the holy hill? The answer then would be the Priests. In
fact they were the only ones that were allowed to dwell in the temple and stay
there as that was a place where God resided. And what characterized a priest?
Well some of the answers are given in the verses that follow Psalm 15:1. The
type of man God would allow in this Holy place was to be upright, right living,
truthful, and kind person. A person who can’t stand sin and loves the child of
God. Someone that was generous with the needy and not greedy with what God has
given him. This is who God shared residence with.
Seeing that our body is the temple of
the living God today, we might ask the question a bit different. Who is God
living with today? Is the person God is living with, YOU, doing there best to
provide a suitable living companion for God. We should count it all glory and
praise to have Him as a guest in our Temple. Who are we asking Him to live with?
As we go through our day
today, let’s think of our body as a vessel that carries God from place to place.
As you look at, listen to and speak with people, imagine God peaking through
your eyes to see what’s out there. He leans to your ear to hear what’s being
said. He is trying hard to speak through your lips to tell people He’s in there.
Is His dwelling place today HOLY?
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July 16th
Proverbs 16:5
Every
one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in
hand, he shall not be unpunished.
Outlook from the In Book
Doesn’t it seem there are a lot of people against what seems to be the work of God? Popular view is the order of today. Not what’s right nor even what’s wrong, just what man wants. The democracy of mankind rules the morals of today. If enough people proclaim something to be right with a loud voice for a long period of time, people begin to believe it must be so. For example, some Christians today have been confused over the claim that homosexuality is a lifestyle that is designed at birth. The prolonged battle, loud voice of opposition, and financially backed claims has clouded the truth of scripture. This would mean even though God proclaimed through all of scripture that it is a sin, since man now proclaims it is not, we must make laws, spend thousands of hours and dollars in our judicial system now to try to keep homosexuality away from our children in school. Why? Because we have begun to believe the lie spoken by man. If it is a lifestyle design by birth and God creates all people, God has then made them to be something He repeatedly says He hates. And yet the same Bible says He loves all men. Something is wrong here. What is it? It is man wanting to discard parts of the truth of scripture. They have a united front, joined hand in hand, promoting this sinful life. Does it sound like I am picking one sin? If so I’m sorry. The same is true in churches, homes and businesses all over the world. We will pick and choose the truth we want to obey and discard the rest of scripture. I believe God’s word is very clear as to what will happen if we do that. It says, “shall not be unpunished.” Or do we want to through that part out of the Bible too?
We must again realize that
the entire word of God is true. Not just the parts that fit our current life,
but all of it. We should attain to mold our life after the Bible and not mold
the Bible to our life.
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July 17th
Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Outlook from the In Book
Could you imagine a dinner
party being thrown by the President and you received an invitation. When he was
asked how many will be at the party, the President said “that will depend on how
many respond to the invitation.” It was his desire that everyone that received
an invitation would come. But he also knew that some would find something else
to be more important or think the invitation was a joke and not respond to the
invitation. All were invited, but only those that responded are chosen to be
seated with the president that day.
Many people have heard the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Untold millions upon millions have heard the good news that by
relying on Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Saviour you can be saved. Many have
been told that Jesus died for them on the cross of Calvary, was buried in a cold
damp tomb and rose again the third day. Countless numbers of people know that He
went to heaven to set at the right hand of His Father. But only a few accept the
call to be saved. So many do not receive that salvation, and they do so by
refusing Jesus. Many say not today, later, and go off into eternity without
Christ. Only a few are chosen. Not everyone invited will be among the chosen of
God. Millions will wait and reject Christ until it is too late.
The invitation is there.
The call has gone out. Are you listening today? Have you heard and responded to
His plea to take Him as Saviour? If you have, rejoice in the fact you are among
the chosen. If not, it’s all up to you. The invitation is there right now.
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July 18th
Ecclesiastes 5:10, 11
He
that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth
abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are
increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving
the beholding of them with their eyes?
Outlook from the In Book
Sometimes we forget what is
really valuable. We look at our neighbor with their boat and think, “If I only
had a boat I would be happy.” So we work lots of extra hours to get the money to
buy the boat and then find it cost a lot of money to maintain a boat so we have
to work more hours to maintain the boat and then we find it takes a lot of space
to store a boat so we work more hours to be able to pay for the place to store
the boat. Then there is the license, the yearly maintenance of cleaning and
preparing the boat to go in and out of the water, the docking fees, the gas,
repairs, and so on and so on. After all that time spent earning the money and
taking care of the boat, we find we have very little time to actually set on the
boat and enjoy it. And that was the reason we thought the neighbor was so happy
to begin with.
In life some people live much the
same way. They spend their entire life chasing riches that will flee from them.
The more we have, the more we want, the more we want, the more protective we
become of what we think we have obtained and the more time it consumes in
getting and keeping all that stuff. And when we get to the end of our life we
look back and see all we really had to enjoy was time. And now that’s gone too.
In Ephesians it says “See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil..” Satan loves to see Christians waste their time and
resources on worldly possessions that will be left behind at the end. Let’s look
ahead and see what we need to spend our TIME ON.
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July 19th
Psalm 18:36
Thou
hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip
Outlook from the In Book
As a Pastor I had the privilege
of traveling to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with our youth group. While there we
went to see this waterfall that was way back in the hills. You had to climb some
well-constructed steps up the side of a mountain. Then follow a neatly groomed
trail for about a quarter of a mile. When we finally arrived, there was a
waterfall that dropped probably 100 feet or more from a cliff to a rocky bed
below and then flowed calmly under a viewing platform we could stand on to
watch. Nothing seemed too dangerous, although to vary from the path could have
been trouble. Several of our youth and adults decided it would be neat to climb
out on these slime-covered rocks just below the falls and get a closer look at
Gods handiwork. It was very evident from the foot beaten paths that others had
been doing this for years. As they disappeared from sight, I began to quietly
pray Lord, protect them, keep them safe, Lord, they are crazy! Then they
appeared at the very top of the falls. You could barely see them. One adult
jumped across the water that was falling to the rocks below. I again began to
pray Lord, please don’t let them get hurt, how will I ever explain this? My
fears were based on my perception of what was up there, not my sight. When the
pictures came back and they told me of the path and large flat rocks they could
walk on, my fears and worries based on my lack of truth subsided. God provided
for them in nature large areas to walk where their feet would not slip.
In our walk with God sometimes we
can’t see what He has provided until we take those steps of faith. But He said I
will never leave you nor forsake you.
Today let’s look for the
areas that God has enlarged our steps. When sin comes up to tempt us, but the
Holy Spirit reminds us of scripture to protect from that sin, He has enlarged
our steps. When trials come our way and a Christian friend comes to comfort and
strengthen us, God has enlarged our steps. “Thank you God for helping me to walk
through this world today, Amen.”
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July 20th
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Outlook from the In Book
I have heard it said several times of a person who was just cutting up and having fun, someone would describe them as “acting almost like they were drunk!” Why would they use such a term to explain their actions? Because that is exactly what alcohol will do to you. Only with alcohol you have very little control of your behavior and do and say things you normally would not do or say. Our verse today says wine is a mocker. A mocker is something or someone that teases and makes fun. Makes promises that cannot be kept. Wine and all alcohol do that. Promise a good time and deliver dulled senses. Promise happiness and deliver headaches of every kind. People say you can drink just not get drunk. That’s the tease of sin. Alcohol says come on try me. Then when you have drank too much, opps too late. And then people say how did that happen? I never intended to get drunk! It happened because you fell for the lie. Strong drink referred to is fermented grain that was stronger than wine. It tells of what it does. It causes an uncontrolled will. Feelings ranging from extremely happy to extremely sad in just minutes. It causes emotions to be way out of ordinary and not in control. And if alcohol is drunk regularly over a period of time it can become addicting. There is not one alcoholic that ever has lived that started out by saying “I think I’ll drink so much I will some day feel I have no choice.” They almost all began with, “It’s only one drink, what can that hurt?” There is not one drug ever that has done more harm than the drug of Alcohol. NONE!
The good news is this. God
said that He is greater than all things. The Bible says I can do ALL things
through Christ. That includes turning over any habits that Satan has ensnared us
with. Don’t be fooled by the lies of the world and Satan. Alcohol is a snare.
Don’t get caught in it.
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July 21st
Matthew 26:35
Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee,
yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
Outlook from the In Book
Oh how easy it is to get caught up in the moments of time. We want so much to do what is right, and yet sometimes will find ourselves doing just the opposite. Not by desire, because our true desire is to do what is right in the eyes of God, but by deception. Satan will use subtle deception to confuse us into doing what is wrong. And then make us feel less than worthy of our standing with Christ. It might seem the right thing to do if we have others that we believe in as Christians doing the same thing. In our verse today we find Peter saying there is absolutely no way that I will ever betray or leave you. Even though Jesus just plainly said that is what was going to happen, Peter’s human logic said no way. And when the other disciples heard Peter’s statement, it seemed to make sense to them also. I mean why would they ever leave the Lord of Lords? Why would they walk away from someone who had proved Himself to be the Son of the Living God? That just does not make sense. But remember, Jesus said it would happen, just before they said it would not. No matter what we seem to understand with our logic, if God has said different, believe God. He’s never wrong. And if we find ourselves deceived and on the wrong side of the fence, it’s good to know when we repent, God always forgives us and restores our relationship like it never happened. Remember, Peter and all the disciples were together when Jesus ascended into heaven and He gave them the responsibility to carry on His ministry. Sounds like a loving, and trusting Saviour who has totally forgiven them to me.
As we go through this day
let’s pray that God will help us to walk by faith and not only by sight. Walking
and talking with the Lord as He through the Holy Spirit guides our steps.
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July 22nd
Joel 2:1
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound
an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for
the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Outlook from the In Book
God was telling the children of Israel years ago to be prepared. Was God’s time clock off? Why in the world would He have them ready way before Jesus had been born, before Jesus had died on the cross of Calvary and rose, before He even ascended back into heaven? He was telling them exactly what He is telling us, watch and be ready to see what I will do. He wanted them to be ready to leave at a moments notice. To watch for His hand is always at work. He wanted them to be ready to serve Him at a moments notice. To continually watch, to see how they might be a willing and joyful servant. This is how they would want to be found, watching and serving as He might return at just anytime. And He is telling us the same thing today. Blow the trumpet, let everyone know. Sound the alarm; the churches need to preach the gospel. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, share with everyone about the power and might of God and His judgment to come. For the day of the Lord cometh, yes friend it will not be long till He returns for His own. Watch and be ready.
Today might be the day that
He comes. Are you really prepared? Have you told everyone you need to tell? His
return very well might be today.
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July 23rd
Psalm 21:2
Thou hast given him his heart’s desire,
and hast not withholden the request of his lips
Outlook from the In Book
Oh what a promise to claim.
That God would give us all the requests of our lips. Whatever our hearts desire
we could have. A new car, new house, better health, fancy clothes, jewelry, or
just anything we might toss out into the throne room of Heaven. God will pick up
our shopping list, fill it and send it back. You might be saying that is not how
my prayer life always works. But that is what all too many preachers seem to be
saying today. So what’s the difference? Where is the problem?
The difference is our understanding
of the who, what, where, and when of the text of the verse. Before you can
understand this verse you need to understand to whom it was written about. This
was David. A man described as someone after God’s own heart. So what was God
giving to David? All the things that David would ask for according to God’s
Heart He would give. Too often we get our eyes on us and ask for things for us.
But David wanted what God wanted. Therefore God was glad to provide it.
Do you desire the things
God desires? People to be saved. Lives to be changed. The helpless to be helped.
Missions to be taken care of. Disciples to be made. People to worship God. Are
these the major parts of your desires? If so, God might love to give you the
desires of your heart too.
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July 24th
Proverbs 24:27
Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself
in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
Outlook from the In Book
My dad had another way of saying what this verse says. He would tell me “Don’t get your cart before the horse.” In other words, get things in order first. I guess a horse could push a cart. But not too fast and probably not too far and not very often. It seems to often we get things backwards in life. We want to jump out in front and be the leader before we are prepared to lead. We have not taken the time to get ourselves grounded with knowledge and truth before we want to be out front leading others. We still can lead, just like a horse can push, but it’s harder than it was meant to be. It happens in churches with newly saved people wanting to help so much they will do anything. Then a church so excited about someone wanting help allows them to be put in positions they are not prepared for. It happens in business, when people do not think for the long haul what will happen next. And all too often today it happens in marriage. A man unstable in his morals, his manners, his money and his maker wants to lead a home. But he has not prepared himself to stand on his own before he takes on the responsibility of building a home. I’m not saying we need to wait till we have all the answers to all the questions before we do anything. If we did, no one would be doing anything. But we at least need to have the important ones covered. Like, who is the real leader in your life? Where do you go for direction in life when things seem to get out of whack? How are decisions made? Who is the final authority? And if someone else asked me these questions, am I prepared to show them the answers? Because they will, and you need to be prepared.
The answers to all these
questions are “God and His Word.” God is the final authority in everything, and
He has written the answers to life in the Bible. Now it’s up to us to study to
show ourselves approved unto Him.
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