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function devo1()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "When Abraham and Lot faced a strife filled circumstances they decided to separate themselves. Abraham said to Lot, \"...if thou will take the left hand, then I will go to the right hand,...\" Lot only had to lift his eyes before he became a taker. The key decision in everyone's life is, \"Are you a giver or a taker?\" Like Abraham, a giver is more likely to do whatever is necessary to make peace. Lot was a taker and needed Abraham to take care of him. A giver gives out and also is more likely to give in. Takers, (Lot) always take what they think is best for them, even if it is not best for them. Their focus is always on themselves. A giver's concern is always is always what can I do to help someone else and make them happy. Gimme, gimme, is favorite phraise of taker. Givers are always busy, but always find time for others. A taker looks for the path of least effort and finds time for himself. A takers life is a self-centered life and is marked by constant conflict with others. In churches, givers come to church looking for how they may serve the Lord. They want to be a servant. Takers come to church looking to be served. Their attitude is, \"What is in it for me.\" A giver gives his tithes and offerings with joy and sacrifice. Even when times are tight, he keeps on giving. A taker may give a tithe, but he will expect to receive more back than he gave. Soon he will blame others that he is not getting anything out of the service, and then may even stur up strife. A giver is always taking notes during the sermon so that he may be the light of the world. A taker seldom shares his faith and is like a burned out light bulb. A good barometer of who is a giver or taker in church is to watch people during the song. A givers has the joy of the Lord and loves to sing even if he is off key. A taker makes excuses about his singing to cover up his lack singing. A giver always comes to church, even when he does not feel like it. One service a week is enough for a taker In marriage, takers will eventually take away the very relationship that keeps them alive. They often end up alone and lonely. It is never wise for two takers to marry. They will never be satisfied with each other. They will continually find fault with each other and they will blame each other. Their favorite line is, \"She\'s not meeting my needs anymore,\" or \"He doesn\'t love me anymore.\" Takers destroy each other and strong takes destroy other around them as well. The last word of a takers marriage is, \"I couldn't take it anymore.\" When one is a giver and other is a taker, eventually the taker will complain that the giver is not giving enough. The giver gives out because he's drained. When both are givers, there is rarely a divorce. If a marriage is to be made in heaven both must give themselves totally to God and each other. John 3:16 is the greatest example of life long giving. You can choose to be a giver. Joseph in prison chose to be a giver. Even when he was wrongfully accused and everything was taken from him he still kept giving. Abraham gave to Lot. God gave his son for you even when you were an undeserving sinner. Being a giver is the only reasonable way to life. Focus on God's undeserving mercy and favor. Count your many blessings. Thought: It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35.";
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}
function devo2()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Jesus is warning the men in James chapter 4 of the enemy of pride. Pride is an inordinate view of ones self. Note that the middle letter in pride is the letter \"i\" , which is a major cause of pride. Pride inflates your sense of self worth and destroys your perspective of reality. A proud person is one who walks to 3rd base and takes credit for winning the game. Pride takes away from God the glory due to Him. It will eventually deliver you to destruction. When a man looks his halo of praise and good works long enough he will eventually and systematically turn it into a noose and hang himself. Saul, the book of 1st. Samuel grew proud and eventually destroyed himself. Pride will put you on the shelf. It will render us unteachable. As a teacher, I have never known a proud person who was a great student. Your pride tells you that you know it all, so you do not commit to personal growth. It will makes you close your mind to personal feed back from others and from God. Proud people seldom confess-up, so they seldom fix-up the problem. They will blame others for their problems. They try to justify themselves, rather than try change themselves from within. The proud person is seldom flexible. Things have to go their way. Someone once said, \"Blessed are the flexible for they seldom get bent our of shape.\" A proud person will eventually destroy the best of relationships because of their selfishness. The true test of a relationship is seen in how you react when someone fails you, as well as in how you react when someone succeeds you. Often the things that brought us the greatest success can through prideful arrogance bring you the cause of your greatest failure. Prideful arrogance will hinder you from being greatly used of God. To avoid the destructiveness that comes from pride, you must model the humility of Jesus, \"who made himself of no reputation.\" When we model the humility of Jesus, we will greatly multiply the impact of our life. Do not spend time trying to cover up your failures. Confess your mistakes. Then learn form them. Learn the art of humility by deflecting praise to God and to others. Often we want the glory for our self instead of giving glory to God. Be more interested in other than you want others to be interested in you . Those who toot their own horn always play flat notes. Spurgeon said, \"The empty tub makes the loudest noises.\" Instead of trying to impress others, try to be a servant to others. God put us on the earth not to impress other, but to serve others. Are you trying to impress your neighbors through your possession, positions, titles, or prideful scorn. You have to give up yourself to grow up. The quickest way up is down. \"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.\" Mt. 18:4 Thought: Be more interested in other than you want others to be interested in you.";
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}
function devo3()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Jesus was dealing with the problem of worry in Matthew 6:24-34, when He told us to be anxious for nothing, \"but seek ye first the kingdom of God.\" The English word for worry comes from the word to strangle. Worry has a way of strangling our Faith and hope in God. The Greek word translates \"being troubled or pulled apart.\" Worry is a destructive force, if permitted in our life, it will strangle you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will pull you apart and created all kinds of problems in your life, and the only one who can control worry in a Christian's life is the Christian himself. It is his choice. One of the evidences that worry is controlling our life is when we are all caught up with possessions and things. We allow ourselves to be pulled apart between our bondage to things and our peace that God will supply all our needs. God wants us to be free to serve Him. In Gen.1:31 we know that God made all things for us to enjoy. It is not wrong for us to own things, but it is wrong for things to own us and strangle our faith and service for the Lord. God knows what things we have need of, vs. 32. He will supply all our needs when we internally seek first His kingdom and externally His Righteousness, vs. 33. Our life will never be measured by what we possessed, but by who possessed us, i.e. The Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 12:15 tells us to take heed and beware of covetousness. We easily get wrapped up and pulled apart by the things which we possess. Mark Twain said, \"Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.\" We are not to put our trust in things. I Tim. 6:17 says \"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.\" We can so easily get wrapped up in our possessions and start to worry about those things that will be meaningless in eternity. Your mind can get fixed on those things until they start to strangle you. Your mind will become darkened so that you will not seek God's best, but only what you want. Worry about things will control your mind and destroy your life. Your heart will become divided and unstable. Things will become your master, not the Lord Jesus. \"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.\" Ye can not serve God and mammon.\" The evidences of worry are impatience and anxiety. Your inner man starts to deteriorate, and your unbelief in God starts to grow. Your unbelief will manifest itself in disobedience. Disobedience is proof that something is wrong inside your heart. Give God your heart today. To be free from the slave of worry we must act in obedience. Put God where He really belongs in your life and take things out of the center of your life. Thought: Worry is to high of a price tag to pay for things that are only pulling you apart and strangling your peace and trust in God .";
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}
function devo4()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Anger is one of the most destructive forces know to man. A parents anger is the leading cause of rebellion in their children. Anger is seldom alone. It is usually accompanied with the sins of wrath, bitterness, envy, strife, pride, hatred, deceit, lust, and immorality. Anger is also the leading cause of high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks. Nothing can cook your goose like boiling anger. Ben Franklin wrote, \"Show me a person who has a quick temper, who flies off the handle at the lease little thing, and I will show you a person who is argumentative, contrary always fighting, or fussing with someone, and has very few friends.\" If you continually loose your temper, you will also loose the respect of your colleagues, your children, and the love of your wife. Speak when you are angry and you will make the most regrettable speech that you will ever have made. Whatever is begun in anger will always end in shame. When a persons' temper gets the best of him, it reveals the worst of him. Most people who are angry are deceived and are prone to feel justified in their anger. They tend to blame circumstances, problems, and even others for their sin. Some even blame their ethnic origin. \"I can't help myself, I am German, Italian, etc.\" The truth of the matter is that anger is not caused by what is happening on the outside of you, but is what is happening on the inside of you. It often results from unconfessed sin or unresolved hurts from the past. It is your choice to express anger, suppress anger, or substitute anger by keeping your focus on God. God always resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Never store the acid of anger in the container of your body. Like milk that sours, anger that is not quickly disposed in a Biblical manner will curdle into the cancer of bitterness. Is your life at the mercy of what makes you angry?. There is deliverance from anger. You must confess your sin to God. Focus on what God is trying to teach you through your trials. Consecrate your ever emotion of anger to God.. Surrender it to His complete control. Humble yourself and use that for His Glory. Thought: Either control your anger or your anger will control you. Never kill a fly with a sledgehammer!";
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}
function devo5()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Many years ago a college professor was given an assignment for the completion of his doctoral degree. The assignment was to write a dissertation on the life and times of the Duke of Wellington. When a doctoral dissertation is written it is be an original research paper. The preference usually is write on something that no one has written on before. Not an easy task by any means. The professor searched for information on his topic for over a year. It seemed like there was nothing written, until one day in Scotland the professor came across the nobleman's expense records. By searching through the Duke of Wellington's expense ledgers he could learn the innermost details about the Dukes life. Money is an exact index on ones character. Where you spend your money reveals where your heart is and what your life priorities are Mt. 6:20-21. Money itself is amoral, but when someone see's the pattern of your spending, they can readily determine your values in life and weather or not your were a success or failure. Your success in not a measure of what you have, but rather of what you are before God. A good way to measure what your are really worth is to take away everything you have, your wealth, your possessions, and all your outward security, and see what you are in character. Becoming the person God's wants you t be and achieving the goals He has set for your life is far more important than any amount of material wealth you may have. In our scripture reading for today, Jesus saw the Plan of the scribes and Pharisees giving. Their giving was talking very clearly about what was in their heart. Their giving had become a form of self righteousness congratulation which only served to puff up the pride within themselves, vs.41a. They loved to sit in the chief seats in the synagogues, and in the uppermost rooms at feats to be seen of men. Their giving was not any different. Our giving should be in secret. Then Jesus who sees the action and attitude of our giving may reward us openly. Jesus not only saw the plan of their giving but He also saw the Place of their giving. They came to the synagogues and gave money openly to be seen of men. The place of our giving should be the local church, vs. 39-41. Our tithe is not to be sent in the mail to some radio or TV personality, but should be to the local storehouse. The tithe is the Lords, not a designated tithe to your favorite church project or committee. It is not a payment for your Christian school tuition, nor is it to be for the support for your mother in law who is a widow. The place where you tithe talks about your vote to keep open or close your local church. Jesus also saw the Percentage of their giving... \"and many that were rich cast in much, vs. 41b. Jesus saw the big gifts of the scribes and he saw the small gift of the widows two mites. Her giving was sacrificial. It cost her something. \"She cast in all she had, even all her living, vs. 44.\" The Biblical plan for giving it to give 10% of your gross income, Prov. 3:9, Mal. 3. Conc: Don't limit God. Your money talks to Him as well.";
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}
function devo6()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Man since the time of Eden has been trying to go his own way and do his own thing with out God's authority. Most people want to control their own destiny. We do not to give up calling the shots. Naaman, a military captain, one by whom the Lord had given victory over Israel, one who was intensely impressed with himself, a very rich man, but he was also a leper. Leprosy is a disease of the flesh. It will eat away the flesh. Leprocy in the USA is virtually not existent today, but there is a form of Leprocy in the heart of many Christians that is eating away their fervency of spirit for the Lord. Christians in the USA have had such an abundance of materialism that it has lead to apathy in the heart, apostasy in our worship and anarchy in our country. This form of leprocy is far greater than the leprocy of the flesh. The greed and materialism in the heart of the average Christian is the greatest stumbling block to the unbelieving world. We are fast approaching in the USA a time when all most people care about is their own personal peace and prosperity. We do not want to go God's way, nor do we want to be under His authority. Most believers are willing to go God's way as long as God is going their way. It is also very easy to choose your own way and try to convince yourself its God's way. Naaman wanted to go his own way to healing and not the way that the prophet had instructed him. He even attempted to do with his wealth that which only God can do in the heart of man. When Elisha had instructed Naaham to go and wash in the muddy Jordan River and be clean, he became angry. \"Are not the rivers Abana and Pharpar in Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?\" The only answer to today's world problems is God's way. When your heart is opened to absolute submission to God then you will begin to solve your problems. Then will we begin to have healing. Naaman finally submits to the word of the man of God. He first must strip himself of what he is by taking off his uniform. There are no more brag buttons to show off, just corrupt flesh. All our accomplishments and all out authority apart from God is bankrupt compared to hearing God say, \"Well done thou good and faithful servant.\" Naaham goes down unwillingly seven times into a dirty river. At the seventh time he realizes he has encountered a power that is greater than he is. He comes up out of the river shouting, \" there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. If Christians would wash themselves of the worlds methods and the worlds materialism we would be cleansed of the Leprocy of the heart. Many others would see Jesus in us and cry, \"there is no other God in all the earth, ...but the Lord he is God.\" Which way are you going. Who is in control in your life, you or God?";
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}
function devo7()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " When we establish God and His Kingdom as the number one priority in our life, then the Lord becomes our security and strength in this life. The majority of our problems in this life can be traced to priorities that are out of order. In the book of Genesis, we can see in the Garden of Eden, when Eve put the material over the spiritual. Many people have chosen the material over the spiritual and have found that the material always leave empty and void within their soul. Nothing should take preeminence over your relationship with God. There is nothing more painful that to realize that you have lived your life for something so fleeting as the vanity of pleasures. Eve also considered the word of the serpent over the Word of God. Too often we allow ourselves to be discouraged by inconsiderate remarks of an acquaintance, friend, or co-worker. When you get your priorities out of balance you will find it easy to listen to your feeling instead of focusing your faith on God. Not to be out done by his wife, Adam put his relationship with his wife over his relationship with God. To often we put our relationship with our friends as priority one and live as if God did not exist We will tell the preacher that we are sorry for not coming on Sunday night but, \"My relatives came in unexpectedly, so I could not come.\" Why not bring your relatives to church with you? No other person should take priority over your relationship with Christ. We must not allow money and possession to become the number one priority in our life. How we manage our money and possessions is a direct revelation of what we deem to be most significant and meaningful in our lives. When you have exhausted that last dream, that last desire, you will have meaninglessness without God as your number one priority. Even the best of pleasures that man can conceive of will eventually have a shelf life. Any pleasure that you may indulge in must not distract you or destroy you final goal in life of bringing glory to God.. Any pleasure that destroys another's well-being is an ill-legitimate pleasure. When David pursued Basheba as his number one priority, he was seeking an ill-legitimate pleasure that lead to the destruction of Uriah, her husband. When ever our priorities get out of balance we will not only hurt ourselves, but others as well. We must put God and His Kingdom as number one (Mt.6:33) , because of Mt. 6:24, \"No man can serve two masters...\" Solomon found that putting the Kingdom of God first was the right way in life (2Chron. 1:7-12). Because he asked God for wisdom and made God's kingdom his first priority in life, the Lord gave him riches, wealth, and honor. When the widow woman in I Kings 17:8-16 , followed God's instructions, an abundance of food was added unto her. The multitudes came to hear Jesus teach in the wilderness. When they didn't have enough to feed the 5,000, a lad put forth he small amount and God sent him home with 12 baskets ful. Are your baskets full of God's blessings or maybe your priorities are not focused on God. Jesus calls upon us to establish God and His Kingdom as the head of all our Priorities.";
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}
function devo8()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " All of us have to make decisions every day whether or not we will be honest. This decision becomes even more difficult as everyone around us seems to be dishonest, especially in areas involving money. Employee theft in the work world today is fast approaching $1 billion a week. Corporate scandals and political scandals are in the news almost nightly. In Scripture we find that God demands absolute honesty. Prov. 12:22 \"Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.\" Lev.19\"11 \"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.\" What we are really saying when violate this command is: \"God is incapable of discovering my honest, and if He does He will not punish me anyways. I can get away with it.\" If you really believed that God would judge your dishonest behavior you would be fearful of speaking only half truths. Honesty is really and issue of faith. Do I really believe God sees this and I will be judged for this. A person who is weak in the faith will tend to deny the existence of God and act as if he has to take matters in his own hands. God will not supply the money so I have to be dishonest on my income tax to get the extra tax refund. Those who practice dishonest and trust in themselves hate God, Prov. 14:2 \"He that walketh in his uprightness fearth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.\" A person may to pacify his dishonesty with comments like, \" Its only the government.\" \"I deserve it anyways\" \"My employer would have said yes if I asked him anyways\" \"No one will ever know.\" \"They owed it to me anyways.\" \"I'm not hurting anyone, that why insurance companies are set for anyways.\" Whatever you reasoning it is still nothing more the skin of a reason stuffed with a fat lie that you are telling yourself. Even the smallest \"little white lie\" can have everlasting consequences. Not giving all the information (because they didn't ask) on a credit application in order to get a loan could lead to bankruptcy and loss of your testimony. A single \"little white lie\" often leads to other acts of dishonesty to cover the first lie. Luke 16:10 \"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.\" Abraham said unto the king of Sodom, \"I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine....\" He said this because he did not want to be associated with anything that was dishonest although he could have profited materially. Make a covenant with God today that you will not steal a stamp, or a phone call, or anything else from your employer or anyone else. God's people must be honest in even the smallest inconsequential matters if they desire God to bless them with true riches.";
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}
function devo9()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " One of the greatest deceptions today is that we need more money.. To say that we need more is to find fault with the sovereignty of God. What we really need is not more money, but greater character and discipline. In 1918 David Mc Conaughy wrote a book, Money, the Acid Test. He said, \"Money involves uncommon and eternal consequences. Even though it may be done quite unconsciously, money molds people. Depending upon how it is handled, it proves a blessing or a curse to its possessor; either the person becomes the master of the money, or the money becomes master of the person.\" Money is an exact index of ones character. Where you spend the money God gives you reveals where your heart is and what you deem most important in life. Money is amoral, but someone who sees the pattern of your spending can fairly well discern the moral direction of your life. Money is not a measure of your success!!!! Your success is not a measure of what you have, but rather it is a measure of what you are. The way to measure a man's true success is to strip him of everything he has and observe what he is in character after he loses everything he has. Worldly wealth has nothing to do with success, but becoming the person God wants you to be and achieving the goals He sets for your life have everything to do with success. Most of our financial problems are not an issue of how much we have, but rather of how we have let worldly success and money squeeze our character. People who are driven by money and materialism are especially vulnerable to the vices of money and worldly success. Guard against the perils of deceitful riches; i.e. a false sense of security (Prov.18:11), a false sense of superiority (Prov.28:11), a false sense of success (Dt. 8:17-18). If you are enthralled with wealth and success at amassing it, its easy to feel self-sufficient, smug, and superior to those who have less than you do. Guard against the perils of uncertain riches; i.e being taken by get-rich quick schemes (Prov.28:22), being taken by a love for wine and luxury, (Prov.21:17), and being taken by strange women (Prov. 5:8-10). Guard against building your life around financial goals rather than Godly goals. Do not allow worldly success to cause you to build your life on a fleeting, unstable foundation. Guard against allowing money and worldly success to cause you to drift away from God. I Tim. 6:10 \"For the love of money is the root of all evil: while some coveted after, they have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.\" The person who loves money will trust in it rather than God. His satisfaction is his bulging bank accounts. He is willing to sin to acquire more or to keep as much as he may have. He will lie on his tax return or steal from his employer just acquire vain possessions. If you can't be trusted to be a good steward of God's money, how can you expect the Lord to trust your character.. What does your use of money say about your Character? You are not successful because you have a lot of money to spend on yourself. Godly character is the measure of your success.";
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}
function devo10()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " There is a direct correlation between the blessings of God and the handling of our stewardship. God never gives us the much to test us. He gives us the least. The barometer that God uses is the 'least', not the much. The way we conserve our stewardship will get God's attention. If we have been faithful with the least he will bless us with the much. God makes it very plain that the man who can not control the least certainly can not be trusted with the much. In the parable of the talents (Mt.25:14-30), out Lord gave a steward only one talent. Some may cry that it is not fair, but we are all accountable for only that which we have received. It may be that he only received one talent because the Master had some business dealing with him before and knew he could not be trusted with the much. He says, \"I knew thee... Mt.25:24.\" \"Small things are small things,\" Hudson Taylor, the missionary statesman, said, \"but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing.\" We are charged in scripture to be faithful in handling 100 percent, not just 10 percent. Unfortunately, too many have not even concentrated on the 10 percent and have allowed the world's philosophy to control the remaining other 90% as well. Because we have not been faithful with all of our resources many Christians have wrong attitudes about possessions and have made wrong financial decisions that have lead to painful consequences. \"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6\" We must be faithful regardless of how much we have. We may not all have equal talents, but we do have equal responsibility for what our Lord has given us. When the master returned, he held each slave accountable for managing his possessions faithfully. The master commended the faithful steward and put him in charge of many things because he was faithful with the few things. Someone once said, \"Its not what I would do if one million dollars were my lot; its what am I doing with the ten dollars I've got.\" How faithful you are with another's possessions, will in some measure, determine the amount with which you are entrusted. Are you faithful with another's possessions? Are you faithful with the possessions that God have entrusted you. Are you faith to tithe? Are you living within the means that God have given you and staying out of debt? Are you faithful with your employers office supplies? Are you punctual with the time God have give you. When you use something that belongs to another are you faithful to return it in good shape? Because too many Christians not be faithful in the least they have not been able to give more. When we invest the 'more' God will trust us with 'much,' all of which starts with the 'least.' Can God trust you with the 'LEAST?' A faithful steward will be a content steward. ";
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}
function devo11()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Paul wrote with a merry heart, \"...I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.\" \"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.\" Phil 3:8&14. He wrote those words while he was in prison for doing what God had told him to do. He was obedient to God's divine calling and yet it brought him to a place behind bars and surrounded by cold stony walls. There times in life when the innocent seem to suffer terrible losses just for doing right. A good Samaritan gets hit by a car helping someone. A sweet Godly wife looses a husband to a drunken driver. A heart surgeon accidentally gets an incurable disease while suturing a patient. There many Christians who are facing difficult situations, though no fault of their own, and have learned to shine for Jesus rather than wine about the circumstances. Paul had leaned long before he was in prison to shine for Jesus by keeping his focus on Christ not on the wrong done to him. Everything was worthless compared to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. How could a man who suffered so much wrong write, \"...but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your request be made know unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Phil. 4:6-7. He never loss sight of Gods unconditional love. He was totally committed to Christ whatever God had laid out for him during the course of his life. Have you ever felt like just quitting because you have suffered undeserving wrong from the attacks or carelessness of another. Discouragement is settling in on your broken heart. Paul knew what it was like to be rejected, hated, and misunderstood, but he also knew that he could endure all things through Christ which strengthened him Phil. 4:13. When Satan throws his fiery darts at you and life seems to be full of emotional pain remind yourself to shine for Jesus, don't wine. God is not distant. He is ever present and wants to be part of praise and worship through a deep fellowship with Him. Dwell deep in Gods word. His promises are sufficient to meet your overwhelming heartaches, trial, or times of personal failures. Forget those things that are behind you and reach forth unto those things which are before you, Phil. 4:13. Shine for Jesus!";
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}
function devo12()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Many people go through life never realizing that Lord, God, Jehovah, wants to be their shepherd. He is interested in every little thing that concerns you. There is nothing He is going to overlook. He is the all sufficient one whom your soul longs for, but few be there who realize that the longing in their heart is for the Shepherd. They continue to look for possessions, people and things to meet their hearts desires. A little girl was one overheard saying, \"The Lord is my shepherd, He is all I need.\" When the Lord is your shepherd He will provide for His sheep. If you want peace, joy, sanctification, and blessings yield your soul to the shepherd. He has promised, \"No good thing will I withhold from them who walk uprightly.\" It is for our mercy that the word \"good\" was put in, for there many things we may want, but not for our good. There are many people whose foolish cravings and restless anxieties make them always in want. He does not say, \"The Lord is your Shepherd, and therefore you shall have whatsoever your soul lusteth after.\" There are many whom if you gave them money, mansions, and marriage to a spouse, they would still be wanting more. Perhaps it is because the Lord is not their Shepherd, but things are their shepherd. When the LORD is your Shepherd you shall not want for love, for the Shepherd gave his life for His sheep. He provides for His sheep. He is the protector of His sheep in lives storms. He is the preserver of His sheep when the evil devourer tries to take your possessions away. He never forgets His sheep and knows them by name. He never fails His sheep and knows their every need. He never forsakes His sheep and knows their every danger before they ever faced it. He is ever faithful that we may fully trust him, even when all seems to fail. When He is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want because His riches are unsearchable, His joy is unspeakable, His power is unlimited, His word is unshakable, His love is unchanging, and His faithfulness is unfailing. When He is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want when bread ceases, because \"man shall not live by bread alone.\" I shall not be in want when my purse is empty for He has the coin in the fishes mouth. I shall not be in want for rest, for He has said, \"Come unto me and I will give you rest.\" I shall not be in want for guidance, for His word is a lamp unto my feet. I shall not be in want for peace, for great peace have they who love His word. I shall not be in want for comfort and companionship, for He will never leave us or forsake us. I shall not be in want for any thing for He is my Shepherd. If the Lord is not your Shepherd, you shall be in want!!!";
return true;
}
function devo13()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " A little boy went with his father and mother out to eat at very expensive steak house. When the waiter came to take the orders for the meal the little boy totally ignored the menu and ordered his favorite meal.... pancakes. Dad and Mon were equally surprised as was the waiter. Surely the young lad would want a small steak. \"All I want is lots of pancakes!\" , said the little boy. The waiter later brought the boy three large pancakes. To dads' surprise the boy ate all the pancakes. He then ordered a second helping and ate those too. Dad then asked his son, \"Do you want any more pancakes, son?\" The little boy then being over stuffed with pancakes said, \"Dad I don't even want the ones I've ate already!!\" Many people have earnestly coveted some thing only to discover that after they got what they wanted they did not want what they got. The self denial ethic which once ruled American life is now replaced by pagan ethics that refuse to deny yourself anything. Acting in the guise of self satisfaction, many people are awaking in the middle of their life to a broken marriage, a muddled state of mind, and a misguided career because of their humanistic values. Many people are shifting their values away from their moral past and are finding that they have signed a death warrant for their future. They got what they wanted, but now do not want what they have got. The worst fear for many people in our selfullfilled society today is to be empty handed of materialistic things. There is a great danger in getting an abundance of materialism, that is , apathy, apostasy, and anarchism. Any person who is preoccupied with their will and not God's will can easily be caught off guard when Satan attacks. Satan will always give you what you want so that He can get what He wants. He always majors on the satisfaction of the moment at the neglect of the future. He want you to sacrifice what you have to get what you don't have. He wants you to abandon your moral past , but you cannot have free love and a secure marriage. Neither can you fulfill your selfish desires and buy for yourself whatever you want and have a lasting marriage. Whenever SELF rears its ugly head in any relationship that relationship will be severely bruised. You can not have it all! Any true definition of lasting satisfaction must include a denial of oneself. You can not be your own authority without the restrictions of God and still be satisfied with your choice in eternity. The real secret of satisfaction in life is not found in living for oneself, but in living for Christ and others. Jesus said, \"...let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.\" Jn. 8:34";
return true;
}
function devo14()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " The story of the rich man makes plain the foolishness of preparing for only this life without preparing your soul for eternity. This man had fallen into a trap that captures most men, that is, trying to gain financial independence through the abundance of riches, but never gaining financial freedom by preparing the soul for eternity. Financial independence sets a trap of false security . Rich people seldom feel a need for the spiritual because all their physical needs are so well taken care of . They don't feel that need to be dependent upon God for anything. With financial freedom man is totally dependent upon God for everything. It is God who gives man the power to get wealth. Real financial freedom depends upon how much God has of you, but financial independence depends upon how much you have of this world. Financial independence is temporal. You can loose it. The money you have is only for this life. Financial freedom is eternal. No man can take away God's riches. Your treasures are laid up in heaven. The rich man had mistook time for eternity when he said, \"...soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years.\" The financially independent man may have enough money to take care of every need of the body, but no amount of money can ever deliver your soul from hell. The rich man in our passage had taken care of his body, but had neglected his soul.. He left God out of his plans. He had no thought of God's claim upon his life. He thought only of himself. He thought that his financial independence would bring him joy and freedom, but it only brought him sorrow and a snare. When ever you attempt to de-exist God in your financial dealings, you are redefining truth and reality which will only result in a false security rather than eternal security. Paul writes in I Timothy 6:9, \"they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.\" Paul is saying, \"...take heed, and beware of the deceitfulness of riches.\" You can not be your own authority without the restrictions of God and still be fulfilled with financial freedom. Financial independence apart from God will finally bring man to a roaring cavern of unending flame called Hell. Seek to be financially free by laying your treasures up in heaven.";
return true;
}
function devo15()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Scripture tells us that God formed man out the dust of the ground and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. When the breath of God merged with the flesh of man, man became a living soul. Mans' soul remains in a conscious state throughout eternity. This eternal conscious part of man is more valuable than anything this world have. There is no amount of money that can equal the value of a mans' soul. Jesus made it plain and simple when He said, \"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?...\" The man who looses his soul has suffered loss beyond any measure. You can not put a price on an eternal soul. There is not enough money in the world to equal a souls value. What is there in this life that would make men sell their soul to the devil. Paul writes in I Tim. 6:9, \"they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.\" Paul knew that the deceitfulness of riches would make a man treasure up for himself upon earth things which he has no need. A man sees only his wants rather than the needs of his soul. Things blind the eyes of mans understanding and closes his ears to hearing God's claims upon his soul. By seeking things to make his life more and more comfortable, easy, and secure, man blinds the soul into believing a lie: that he has the right to do with himself as he pleases. By seeking sensual pleasures, thrills, excitement, stimulation of the world, man becomes a hedonistic excentialist and neglects the eternal claims of Christ upon his eternal soul. He has no treasures laid up for his eternal soul. He only thinks of this life and of the things that satisfy his body but not his soul. God created man with an eternal soul (Gen. 2:7) therefore, the things that satisfy the body can never satisfy the soul.. If man could gain the whole world, all the pleasure and wealth and power and fame are nothing compared to his soul. Things are temporal, i.e. clothes, cars, popularity, and power, but the soul is eternal . A person possesses things only for a short time. Everything fades and passes away. The human soul is eternal. The soul never dies and never ceases to exist. It shall live forever with God in heaven or without God in hell for eternity (Mark 9:43-48, Isaiah 66:24) . Once a man has lost his soul, it is lost! It cannot be brought back. The man who forfeits his soul for things, popularity, fame, power, possessions and wealth suffers the loss of it forever. Even if a man possessed all the wealth of the world, he would not be able to buy back his soul. It is gone forever! What are you giving in exchange for your soul?";
return true;
}
function devo16()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " What is going to happen when February 29, 2,000 begins? There has been wide spread speculation by some Y2K \"experts\" that there are going to be major disruptions in life as we now know it. Some alarmist doomsdayers are calling for families to sell what they have and move into the deep rural areas of our country. Others with bunker mentalities are urging people to hord up food, water, guns, ammunition, and cash to feed a family for a year. The whole mentality seems to be born of fear of loss of the unprecedented prosperity we have had in the last decade. Certainly we should not be controlled by fear since perfect love for Christ casteth out fear. Fear also leads to a loss of faith in Christ. We should have a reverential fear of God and that fear should not be controlled by a computer glitch. The same God who created the universe is still in control of everything. God is not the author of confusion. Nothing ever happens by accident. Chrises do not just pop up without God knowing about them since eternity past. God is not worried or surprised. God is still sovereign. The wonderful truth of John 16:33 has not faded away. \"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.\" Matt. 6:25-33 tells us not to worry about tomorrow. We are totally dependant upon God for our next breath, so why should we worry about our next meal. The same God who fed the 5,000 and feeds the birds of the air will also feed us. Many people believe that God is in control of everything, but are still determined to go off and lean unto their own understanding. Prov. 3:5-6 \"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.\" Economic uncertainties have always been with us in the past, so why should the Christian response be any different. God doesn't change with every crisis. If a Christian is living in obedience to God's word regarding his finances, i.e. avoiding debt, having reserves for any crisis, living within his income, being eternal in his planning and perspective, and understanding God owns it all, why should he fear the future? God expects us to be practical, be prudent, and not to panic. God did not changes his promises because of Y2K. Our response needs to be: Rom. 12:12 \"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.\" Conc. It is more important to have faith possess you, than to be driven by fear of gigabytes.";
return true;
}
function devo17()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " At the churches annual missions conference, the missionary recounted her testimony of how she was captured and kept as a prisoner of war for four years. She had been a missionary in Southeast Asia when the war broke out. The enemy had come into her little orphanage and taken everyone to be slaves for the war effort. Soon she found herself being treated like a disposable piece of scrap, living in sqaller, and having to live by eating rice porridge, dogs, mice, or whatever else that could be found. One by one she saw her co-workers and eventually her loving husband die from the malicious treatment of humanity. It seem like too much tragedy for a newly wed to have to face. Its has been 50 years since that time yet her pain was real as if it happened yesterday. Is there meaning in her suffering? What could God possibly achieve from this kind of suffering? How can God allow such suffering? Is it possible that such suffering can be used in our life to draw us closer to God so that we may feel the hand of God brush away our silent tears. The inner pain and emptiness may seem unbearable, but we do not have look far to see God's greater purpose in our circumstances. Isaiah 43:2 says, \"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.\" How can we expect to be exempt from suffering in a fallen world when God the Father permitted His Son to die for us on the cross? Sooner or later all of us will face the silent pain of walking into an empty room where there are only memories of a loved one. In the cathedral of our mind a smile and a hug can be felt, but oh how sweet the memories are and how there is comfort as we lean on our Lord. Mt. 11:28-29 \"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.\" God can give us divine rest like no one else can in the world, but we must be willing to take His yoke upon us and accept what ever burden God puts upon our shoulders. We must be willing to say, \"Yes, Lord. I accept whatever you have allowed to happen in my life.\" When things seem impossible and suffering is overwhelming bow yourself down before His wisdom and pray, \" Not my will be done, but thine be done. God you didn't allow this to happen for nothing. May you be glorified through this.\" Jesus taught His disciples in John 12:24, \"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Thought:\"No Man is so filled with sorrows that he cannot draw strength within from the God above.\"";
return true;
}
function devo18()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Elijah had announce that there was to be no rain for three years. King Ahab was angry with Elijah and wanted him dead. The Lord always takes care of His own when circumstances do not work the way we would like them . Sometimes God uses the natural (brook), the unnatural (birds), or the supernatural (barrel) to meet our needs. He is not going to lead us only part of the way then forget us. The Lord sent Elijah eastward to the brook Cherith. Eastward was toward the desert. Its not the direction you would want to go when you are out of water. God had a special place for Elijah. At Cherith God supplied Elijah water when no one else had it. God supplied him food when food was scarce. Everything is wonderful for Elijah. He has worked hard and now he can enjoy the fruit of his labor and faithfulness. During this time everyone else is having a hard time, but not Elijah. Suddenly one day the brook dries up. Everything that Elijah relied upon was gone. God never promises that our brook will never dry up. Perhaps your brook is drying up and your security is vanishing. Maybe your brook is a loved one that is taken away, or a job that is lost during a critical financial time, or an investment that you relied upon for your financial security. We live in a sinful world. We are not immune from the effects of sin upon our brook. We are not always going to be spared from a dried up books. The problem with the Cherith brooks in our life is that we can get too comfortable and forget that God is our source and supply. The important thing to remember is that we are not to complain and find fault with what God is doing in our life. Elijah didn't cry or pout when the brook dried up. He left the matter in God's hand. He knew that there was something better to come, because God is in control. Certainly he missed his source of strength and blessing, but he didn't stay there and cry in self-pity. From time to time God give us a gentle push into new areas that are going to allow us to be more greatly used of Him. Don't allow your countenance to look so sad. Thank God for the wonderful times you have had by the brook. Keep your eyes on the Lord and follow the new course where God is pointing you. Your new course will lead you from the valley up to Bethlehem. God's leading and not man's reasoning will cause you not to lack.";
return true;
}
function devo19()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " God is interested in the little things that concern your and me. He loves us even when we do not deserve it. We need to understand that God wants to walk with us every step of the day, every moment, and every hour. He never stops caring for you. There is not one need that you may have that He is going to overlook. Most people go thru life never realizing that Jesus is all that they need. He knows our ever need and all our desires. Your number one need is to know that you are forgiven, emotionally and spiritually. Only Jesus can meet that need. Do not expect your spouse or friends to fulfill those needs that only Jesus can meet. They will eventually withdraw when you uphold demands that only Jesus can meet. If all the people in the world worked just on meeting your needs, your needs would still be unmet if you left Jesus out of your needs. People will eventually let you down, but God will never let you down. No amount of self effort will meet all your needs, but self effort will make matters worse if you leave Jesus out. When we try to get our meeds meet apart from God, we will only be met with disappointment, discouragement, and despair. Only God can meet your inner most needs of peace, love, wholeness, and forgiveness. Do you have unmet needs in your life? Perhaps your intimate relationship with God is not what it should be. Allow God to heal your relationship with Him. He is able to be with you through every storm of life. God is concerned about your human needs. He knows all about your unresolved problems. He is the eternal and all sufficient one. Allowing God to meet your needs is essential to your worth and value as a person. His forgiveness can make you whole again. Only thru forgiveness of past sins can you truly be a loving partner in a lasting relationship. Emotional wounds of the past should and must be dealt with prior to any lasting relationship. Every emotionally wounded believes that love will heal their wounds. Their real need is a healing forgiveness of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. He wants to be your shepherd. Only a loving shepherd can defeat the enemy from within. He will not shut you away from any need that will help you to be conformed to Him.. His resources are immeasurable and unlimited. If He is your shepherd you can not have a need that God cannot supply, but if the Lord is not your shepherd, you shall want.";
return true;
}
function devo20()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " The old gentleman exclaimed, \"The older I am the faster time seems to go by.\" Everyone seems to experience that phoneme. When I was ten years old I wanted to be eleven, so that I could join the boy scouts. When I was eleven I wanted to be sixteen years old, so that I could drive a car. When I was sixteen I wanted to be eighteen, so I could leave home and go to college. When I got away to college I wanted to be twenty two, so I could get a job and quit studying. When I was twenty two I wanted to be twenty five, so my auto insurance would go down. When I was twenty five I wanted to be forty five, so the children would be grown up and on their own. At forty five many want to be sixty five, so that they can retire. At sixty five many people wish that they were ten years old again. Everyone needs to be good stewards of the time that God gives them. Good time management means that we take an inventory of the those things that need to be done. Keep a list of things to do. Disorganization is a great time waster. Evaluate, eliminate, and prioritize those things on your list. Do those things you have the most disinterest first or the things you least like will never get done. Avoid distractions while you work. Expect some disappointments to come along your way , but do not throw your system into coast when things do not go your way. Have a clear direction of those things you must get done. Don't let Satan steal your desire to serve the Lord in whatever project you may start. Keep your determination up by keeping your focus on God's plan for your life. Whenever possible delegate the authority to complete the project to someone else. The key to success in any organization is delegation. Have discretion and learn to say, \"no!\" If you have too many irons in the fire you will eventually put the fire out and turn into a puff of smoke. Redeem your time by thorough planning. A failure to plan, is a plan to fail.";
return true;
}
function devo21()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Everyone has had painful experiences of feeling of rejected. It may come in many different forms. An employer that you can never please, a spouse that never shows love, a childhood experience from when a parent's emotions reached their boiling point, a seemingly harmless spoken word, a painful mistake that has brought a lifetime feeling of failure, or even the unexpected death of a parent can lead to feelings of rejection. We can not avoid rejection in life because we can not control how people think about us. Some will love us and some will reject us for no apparent reason. Rejection can not hurt us if we refuse to allow it to drag us into its cold caves and trust in God. Satan loves to drown our lives with the bitterness of rejection. He does not want you to feel unconditionally loved by God. He will do his best to get you to manipulate and control others. He wants you to fear the opinions of other, have a critical spirit, be domineering, be angry, and to have an over-emphasis sensual appearances. Jesus suffered the ultimate form of rejection when He died on the cross. He cried out, \"My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?\" Everywhere Jesus went he faced rejection. He was spat on, threatened, jeered, left alone and finally put to death even though His life was a sacrificial offering of unconditional love and forgiveness. Mans view of Him never altered His focus. The best way to reject rejection is to understand that God loves you enough to pay your sin debt and die on the cross for you. Your worth to God is not determined by what other people say about you. When your joy is dependent on what other people say about you, you are setting yourself up for Satan's cold painful poison that controls your attitudes, actions, and relationship with God. You need to focus on what God's word says about you and your position in His family, not on what others have said or done. You are a royal priesthood, a child of God, an ambassador for Christ, and loved of God. Nothing can change that which His word declares. Jesus sent us the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with us in every situation. Therefore; He has prepared a way for us to always sense His presence. You hold a valued place in the family of God. God has personally chosen you (John 3:16). He promises to be your strength (Phil.4:13), your sufficiency (IICor.12:9), and your redeemer (Is.54:5). Forgive those who disappointed you, cling to Gods word that He unconditionally love you, change your behavior as you grow in grace, and reject rejection.";
return true;
}
function devo22()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Jonathan had prayed many times before for the Lord to forgive him of that one besetting sin, but he just did not feel forgiven. Have you ever had those feelings of guilt and self-condemnation? Satan will often attack us with those feelings of guilt. His plan is to accuse the brethren and barrage them with a never ending feeling of guilt, until you are held back from becoming all that God has planned for you. \"You've failed.\" \"You're not qualified.\" \"You've missed the mark in the past and you can't meet their expectations.\" \"God can't use you, you've disappointed to many people.\" False guilt is not from God. It is Satans number one method of deception. He weaves a web of deception and guilt until we reject God's love and forgiveness. We feel confused, frustrated, and overcome by emotions of punishment, rejection, and isolation. In the book, A Doctor's Casebook in the Light of the Bible, by Dr. Paul Tournier wrote that people will sometimes experience: \"False guilt which comes as result of judgments and suggestions of men. 'True guilt' is that which results from divine judgment.\" God uses the conviction of the Holy Spirit to alert us of our wrong actions of gossip, jealousy, deception, immoral behavior, or any thing else that violates God's best for our lives. The Holy Spirit brings us to our knees in repentance before God's throne of grace to experience His forgiveness. Satan does not want us to know God's forgiveness and strength. He wants us to carry huge burdens of unrealistic guilt for our past sins. People who have stepped across God's boundary of sexual purity are prime candidates of feeling that God can not forgive them and that their fellowship can never be repaired with God. The first step to the end of Satan's never ending messages of false guilt is to be sure you have really trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary paid your sin debt in full forever (John 6:40). Therefore; if Jesus paid your sin debt and you are justified by His blood (Rom.5:9) you are no longer guilty. Secondly, we must trust His Word, that once He extends His arm of forgiveness, nothing can erase His seal that you are His child. Nothing can change God's Word when He says, \"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).\" You may say, \"I don't deserve to be forgiven.\" None of us do. That is when God in His unmerited favor declares us justified by His blood. We are just as if we had never sinned when God forgiveness is applied. The final step is to post a guard at your hearts door declaring to Satan that you are under new management since Jesus came into your hear. He has no right to accuse you since the blood of Christ is proof of the debt payment of your sin.";
return true;
}
function devo23()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " The little boy had not intended to make his mother angry, but he was not having a good day remembering all that his mother had told him not to do. All he did was to touch his sister this time, but mother has had enough and her spirit was its boiling point. Now she was out of control. Anger is the most dangerous and potentially the most destructive of our souls spirit. Anger is almost always been the predecessor of the strongest and rawest of sins. Left unchecked anger is the source of outward violence and the root of all inward bitterness. How we deal with anger will determine its affect upon us. Jesus experienced anger when He cleansed the temple, but he did not succumb to sin. We can all take Biblical steps to confess our anger to God and experience His peace. Giving someone a piece of your mind only allows self interest to arise above self respect. Even if you are right, God resists the proud and gives grace to humble. Whenever your anger is the vicious explosive type or the quiet, vindictive, resentful type Satan will always score with division, depression, and destruction of your testimony. Has resentment toward another grabbed your emotions into a cold damp cave? Have you been honest with God and yourself about your feelings. It is impossible to hide your emotions from an omniscient God. It is not wrong to be disappointed or have righteous indignation , but anger that is out of control is detrimental to your health as well as sinful and rottenness to your spirit. Do not try to hide under a superficial layer of Christianity, but confess your anger to God. Open the channels of communication with your Heavenly Father. Identify the source of your hurts and anger. Perhaps you are angry at your spouse, someone at work, or even you children. It is your choice to be angry. No one can make you surrender your spirit to a source outside the Holy Spirit. Choose to quickly surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit and to forgive that someone who has disappointed you. There is no excuse for not having self-control when the God who controls heaven and earth lives within you to make you conformed to Himself. We can all come to God in prayer and then say something like, \"Bob, I am disappointed about this problem. Can we talk about it?\" Clear-headed communications and loving confrontation can express our disappointments far better than the heated emotions of anger.";
return true;
}
function devo24()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " It was the holidays again when everyone is supposed to be filled with happiness and cheer. This year was different from any other holiday for grandma Selina. She was alone. The last of her children had moved away to live in a distant state. Her husband had died years ago in an accident. As she sat glassy eyed looking at the wall in her room the pressures of her soul was clearly seen on the countenance of her face. She was alone for the first time in her life. Loneliness wears many different faces and is preceded by many different circumstances. Seasons of numbing loneliness of soul can grip us while we in a large crowd as well as when we are in protracted periods of isolation. There are no prefabricated steps that draw us into the cold cave of loneliness. It may be the untimely death of a loved one, the betrayal of someone dear, a pink slip at the office, the reality of a terminal illness, or spending the holidays by yourself. One thing is for sure, there is a lot pain griping the soul during those seasons of loneliness. God understands how you feel. The book of Hebrews tells us that we do not have a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. Isaiah 53:3 says that Jesus was \"despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief....\" Do not think for one moment that Jesus has forgotten you in your circumstances. He was alone on many occasions. His disciples forsook Him and slept while He prayed alone. When he hung on the cross, He uttered those horrible words; \"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?\"(Mt.27:46). Some of the most comforting truths during our seasons of loneliness is that we have a Savior who understands our emotions and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Brokenness may be in our soul, sin may be at our door, our finances may be in shambles, and the painful giant of despair may be trying to drag us into his cold lonely den, but Jesus our loving Savior is always there to help us with His warm, tender hands . As a Christian, do despise those painful times of loneliness, but recognize that you have a friend in Jesus and that you are His child by adoption. Spend much time in pray with Him. Then God can use those times of loneliness to forge a new intimacy with Him that will sustain us even in the most painful times of our soul.";
return true;
}
function devo25()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Every year Americans are given an opportunity to vote who their government representatives will be. Unfortunately only a small number exercise that privilege to vote. Those who refuse to vote will eventually be governed by their own indifference of exercising that patriotic privilege. In a similar manner, those who refuse to support their local church will some day loose the joy of having a local church. If you refuse to support your local church you are voting to close its doors. When you refuse to support your church you are voting to close the open Bible that has been given to us by years of struggle and by the blood of the martyrs who died that we might have it to read. When you refuse to support your church you are voting for your pastor to stop preaching the glorious truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You are also voting to stop the voices of children in their Sunday school classes and the voices of the choir as they sing praises to God. Every missionary supported by your church, every hospital dispensary on the foreign field, every missionary home, and every Bible college will be voted to cease when you refuse to support your church. Every Christian youth, every bus ministry, every home mission project, and every influence for good and right and for truth in your community will be voted to be curtailed and finally stopped when you refuse to support your church. The darkness of superstition, the degrading influence of sin, the blight of ignorance and the curse of selfish greed will continue to remain in the heart of some lost soul when you refuse to support your church. All this and more too; will come about because you carelessly, thoughtlessly, lazily, indifferently, voted to close the church. God's provision for the local church is, \"Bring ye (people) all the tithe(i.e percentage) into the storehouse(i.e. place), that there may be meat in mine house (i.e. provision), and prove me now herewith (i.e. proof), ...and pour you out a blessing , that there shall not be room enough to receive it (i.e. principle). Vote to keep your church open this Sunday!";
return true;
}
function devo26()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " God is more interested in your character than in your comfort. We must be willing to let Him direct our lives in such a way that he may close any door, or choose any path that may have the potential to lead us away from His plan or will. Each of will face frustrations in our life such as long waits at a doctors office, frustrations at work, misunderstanding between friends or a simple traffic jam on the way to work or to an appointment. These frustrations of the heart and soul must be understood as God's opportunities to build patience and virtue in our life. When things do not go our way we must not allow those situations to met with quick tempers and escalating emotional feeling of contempt. God's plan is to allow trials to come in our life so that we fashion our life to become reflections of His glory and perfect work in us. God has ordained that the trials of our faith in frustrating circumstances are to be the garden for patience to grow and discipline to be learned. It involves a deep level of trust and knowing that God is in control. Those who grow in this disciple of patience will find themselves as a refreshing spirit in a crowd of contemptuous people. Patience will also help our own spiritual growth. Our level of faith will be strengthened in time of stress and difficulty. Contrary to this our own lack of patience will cause us to react with immaturity to situations when we feel pressured or anxious . A faith that can not be tested can not be trusted, but on the other hand spiritual maturity leads us to lean on God's wisdom. Our reasoning seasoned with patience during anxious trials causes us to shift our focus from our own limited ability to what God can do. Patience gives us a clear purpose of God's leading in our life. He has something wonderful in store for us if we would wait on Him. Waiting and trusting God are necessary ingredients for us to become people of understanding and godly wisdom. God will always seem closer when we seek to see life from His point of view. We will have a greater faith in God when we let patience have its perfect work in us. Patience will cause our faith to be refined when lives pressures are intensified. Oswald Chambers wrote, \"To wait on the Lord and rest in the Lord is an indication of a healthy, holy faith, while impatience is an indication of an unhealthy, unholy unbelief.\"";
return true;
}
function devo27()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " What is the greatest need in you life? Is it more money? Is it a physical need? Are you battling an emotional need of loneliness, hopelessness, or despair? Has someone disappointed you or are you in need some rest from a chaotic situation. Perhaps your need is encouragement. When Peter walked on the water he began to sink because his faith shifted from the Savior to the situation. When Jesus is with you in the midst of storm, He is all that you need regardless of your situation. Most of our needs are not so much physical in nature as much as they are issues of faith. We may rationally discern the nature of our circumstances, but those troubles or disappointments will remain until we learn to put our faith in the God of all circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances are so great that we feel like Peter who cried out, \"Lord, save me!\" When you faith seems to run dry and it seems almost impossible to trust God, that is the time when God wants to teach us the most if we would just look to Him. George Muller writes, \"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.\" God does not lead us to chaotic stressful situations to stretch our faith thin, but rather to build our faith and trust in Him, so that we may be better equipped to be a tool and a testimony of His rich grace. Difficulties will always compound when you try free yourself from a frantic situation in your own strength. Perfect faith in God says, \"He already knows about my situation before it ever happened, and He already has taken care of my problem.\" D.L. Moody said, \" A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.\" Don't be afraid to experience Gods' love to you by forsaking all and trusting Him. He waits for you in order calm your fears and give you comfort during your painful turns on lives road. Whatever your need is, let God be personally involved.";
return true;
}
function devo28()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " How old are you? The answer to that question depends upon whom you ask the question. A child will say \"I'm six and half.\" Those half years are very important to a child. A grandmother may answer that question with, \"I'm sixty and have five grandchildren.\" Whatever your age is, it is certain that life goes by fast. Job said, \"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope (Job 7:6). David said, \"Behold, Thou hast made my days as an hand breadth; and my age is nothing before thee: (Psalm 39:5). The Bible teaches that life is uncertain and appears for a moment, and then vanishes away (James 4:14). Because life is swift and uncertain we should number our days (Ps.90:12) and redeem the time (Eph.5:16). Even though life is uncertain and death is for sure, Jesus can give us victory every day though a life lived through Him. Jesus overcame death in His own resurrection, so that we may live victoriously in Him. His power to raise the dead (Lk.7:11-15) is available to us in our daily walk with Him. His power provides comfort in our sorrows and our struggles. When trials and tribulations come we can be certain that Jesus is, \"The God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all tribulation , that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (2Cor.1:3&4). Jesus is our refuge and strength in times of uncertainty. \"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; Yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Is.41:10). One reason God sent Jesus Christ was to mend our broken hearts and help us to go on living (Is.61:1-2). Life is never uncertain to those whose focus is stayed on Him. It is He who gives us meaning to life and our time here on this celestial ball.";
return true;
}
function devo29()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Have you ever been in room crowded with people and yet still feel all alone? Perhaps you have woke up in the morning and faced the day feeling that no one cared for your soul. David in Psalm 42:5 cried, \"Why art thou cast down, O my soul ?\" Loneliness wears many different faces and comes from emotional abandonment, guilt, spiritual uneasiness, or lack of fellowship with God. We must be careful not to allow a feeling of loneliness to govern our lives. We must keep our focus on Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us. Focusing on the negative side of a situation will lead us to loneliness, pity, and to doubt Gods' blessings. It will paralyze your potential . People who focus on their loneliness do what a lot of people do who are lonely, -- nothing. That's exactly what Satan wants you to do--nothing. He wants you to become so entangled with your emotions that you become tied down and frozen in a life far below your potential. Focusing on your loneliness ruins your relationships with others and with God Himself. You will begin to think that you are worthless. When you devalue yourself through your loneliness you eventually become overly absorbed with yourself and have nothing left for others. You'll have no vision for the lost. \"Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18). God does not choose those who are sabotaged by their feelings of loneliness to accomplish great things for Him, rather He chooses those who glory in His strength during their weakness. Paul and Silas did not allow feelings of loneliness to overcome them when they were in prison. They focused on the person and power of Jesus Christ then they sang so loudly their voices were heard throughout the prison. God will hear your voice if you will cry out to Him in your loneliness. \"Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.\" (Jer.33:3). God hears yours prayers. He knows the cries of your heart and is filled with compassion concerning your loneliness. The love of God is unconditional. The secret of joy and contentment is not in others, but in Jesus Christ. God is your source of strength in times of Loneliness.";
return true;
}
function devo30()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Man's deadliest enemy is his own inability to control his own spirit. A spirit of anger or pride will defeat you spiritually. It will rob you of your joy and peace in Christ. A spirit of worry will destroy you physically. A spirit of guilt will disturb you emotionally. Long-standing guilt is difficult to get freedom from. It seems to linger long after a Christian claims forgiveness and accepts God's grace. Anger, hostility, worry, and guilt will disrupt you socially. It will put you into shackles so that you will find that you are missing the wonderful experiences of Christian fellowship. In fact your relationship to God Himself will be broken . A spirit of resentment will be used by Satan to isolate you until you become overly absorbed in and with yourself. A spirit of pride can dam you externally if you do not flee to Christ in confession. A proud person may never humble himself to admit his need for Jesus Christ. A proud Christian robs himself of God's marvelous power and ability to show Himself real and perfect in times of weakness. The remarkable thing about our spirit is that we have a choice every day regarding the spirit we will embrace for that day. We can't blame our circumstances, our failures, our education, our past, or what people say or think about us. That is the very reason we are told to walk in the Spirit. When we do not walk in the Spirit we will surrender our spirit to a source outside the Holy Spirit and begin to walk in the flesh. God wants us to have a reverent spirit toward Him daily (Heb.12:29). He wants us to have a grateful spirit. Your unhappiness is public rebuke to Christ. Give your expectations to God. Be careful not to make your spouse a prisoner of your expectations. You can not change your beloved, but you can change your spirit. God wants you to have a servants spirit. It is God's way to greatness (Mk. 10:44). God wants you to have a quiet spirit that focuses on Him , not your rights. Thought: The real measure of a man's strength is his ability to rule his own spirit. Prov. 25:28.";
return true;
}
function devo31()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Everyone wants to be successful, but what is success. Many people will attempt to define their success by their wealth, fame, happiness, home, family, or their level on the job. The Word of God equates success with contentment far beyond material gain. Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is the greatest level of success that you can achieve. Mt.16:26, \"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?\" If you have never asked Jesus Christ into your heart the only success grid you will know about is in terms of accomplishments and financial gain. God's plan for success has nothing to do with how much you have, but rather how much Jesus has of you. He never compares your life to another and says you do not measure up. God measures success by your faithfulness to Him with what He has given you. The earmark of true success is not seen outwardly, but is in the inner man or woman. God has made man so that he can only be truly satisfied by the love and contentment received through a right relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are seeking for success, make sure the Christ is the object of your affections. Be the person God wants you to become and accomplish the goals He has established for you. Loose your life in Him in such a way that all your wants and goals come from a life that is completely devoted to Him. When you set goals for your life involve the Lord. He knows you best. Success comes when you know the will of God for your life and are doing it. Many Christians fail to exercise their full potential because they have been captured by an emotional view of success that does not exist. God's Word encourages us to stop looking for success to appear in numbers and amounts in a bank account, but rather enjoy the many avenues of success that God has provided through a life in Christ. The steps of success are simple. Ask God to empty you of all that would hold you back from doing His perfect will. Count nothing as gain except the love that you have for Him. Trust Jesus for future blessings and not yourself because you are trying to work up something on your own. Do not try to force doors open on your own, but wait upon the Lord to open the right door. When you understand the extreme sacrifice that was paid on the cross for you, anything less than full surrender to Christ would be a failure in life.";
return true;
}
function devo32()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Have you ever had to do something that you hated to do? Maybe it was something that your employer or your teacher required you to do. You obeyed, but you did not like it. Life is full of things we don't like to do. It could be something as simple as getting out of bed in the morning, or something as difficult as scientific calculations. As a small boy, I was often required to do things for my dad that I did not enjoy doing. Whenever I complained Dad would say, \"Son it builds character.\" Dad always had an never ending list of ways to build character. Many years have gone by since those days I was required to do for my Day things that I despised, such as taking out the trash on a cold rainy day. Little do we know that many things that we despised doing will someday be used as a blessing from the Lord. A child may despise the many hours of study or practicing the piano, but many years later may find that the many hours of study today turns into the reason he becomes a blessing to many tomorrow. A young lady may despise the many hours of memorizing God's word today, but tomorrow finds that which she despised has become the very tool to make her an effective witness and counselor. The children of Israel despised the land which God had given them. He had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, but they despised God's plan for them. It should have taken only 11 days to get to the promised land, but because they despised God's plan it took them forty more years. God has many wondrous blessings for us if we would not despise God's plan for our life. Maybe God wants you to be a missionary or in some other Christian work, but the thought of leaving family and friends is something you despise. Don't despise God's blessing for your life. Saying yes now to God may lead the way for many others to say yes to God to morrow. Doing that which we may despise today will build character in our lives, so that we may be a blessing to many tomorrow. If we could see beyond today as God see we would surrender now to God!";
return true;
}
function devo33()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Thomas has been labeled by the church today as \"Doubting Thomas\" , but nowhere in the Scriptures can you find the Lord penned that label on him. In fact all of the other disciples doubted. They were claiming that they had seen the Lord, but they were hiding (vs.19) . 'Thomas was not with the disciples when Christ appeared to them. He had not seen what the other disciples had seen. What Thomas did see was a group of men who were claiming that Christ had power over death, yet they were hiding behind closed doors because they were afraid someone would kill them. \"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews...\" Thomas had just heard a report from the disciples that they had see the Lord, but Thomas refused to believe them because with their mouths they were saying \"He is alive,\" but with their actions they were saying , \"He is Dead!\" He figured that if they had seen the Savior, who had power to raise the dead, they would not be hiding behind closed doors. These were the disciples to whom the Lord appeared. Christ had revealed His wounds them (vs.20). Christ had bless them and had commissioned them to take the gospel to the lost. Eight days later, they were still hiding behind closed doors in fear. How credible was their witness? There are many people who profess to be Christians, yet because of the way they live you would not be convinced that there was a resurrected Savior. When the evidence in a person's life contradicts the claim, something's wrong. Thomas demanded to see the Lord himself. Thomas did not doubt the Lord's resurrection, but he did doubt the report of those whose actions were questionable. He was saying to those who reported Jesus' resurrection, If what you are saying is true, you would not be hiding. If we were greater witnesses for the Lord today, there would be fewer skeptics for the Lord tomorrow.";
return true;
}
function devo34()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " So many things in life involve preparation. Preparation involves planning and hard work. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. The rich farmer in the above passage certainly knew the meaning of planning and hard work. When Jesus condemned him it was not because the farmer was a hard worker, industrious, and had made some preparations. Jesus called the farmer a fool because the man had prepared things for his body, but he had neglected making preparations for his soul for eternity. Jesus knew that the more wealth you accumulate the more you are likely to forget God. He told the children of Israel to, \"beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, (Dt.6:12). The rich farmer became so concerned about the material that he neglected his relationship with God. He left God out of his plans. His thoughts were about, \"my fruits, my barns, my goods, and my soul.\" He had no thought of God's claim upon his life. He left God out of his plans. He thought only of himself. He had gained the worlds' esteem because of his riches, but in God's eyes he was a fool. To be rich toward God is real wealth, but making your possessions the source of your enjoyment is foolish. Man people have only prepared for the present, but life is more than the here and now. There is an eternity for which we must prepare. The farmer prepared only for the present and neglected the weightier matters of eternity. When he said, \"Soul, thou hast much goods laid for many years....\" he mistook time for eternity. While he was saying many years, God was saying, \"Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee....\" His happiness was only temporal because it was based on circumstances and the goods he had on the outside. Real joy is permanent and comes from within when the focus of your preparations is eternity.";
return true;
}
function devo35()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn't know what to do? Maybe the problems of life are about to overwhelm you and no one seems to care about you. There just seems to be no answer to your problem. Maybe money has run out, you lost your job, a loved one has deeply wounded your spirit, or your doctor told you that you have an incurrable disease and you have only a short time to live. What are you supposed to do when there just isn't an answer to your problem? Tears may cleanse your soul for awhile, but then what? You can try to deny your problem but, you still have that lonely empty feeling deep down inside. Jehoshaphat faced a situation where there just seemed to be no answer. The children of Moab, the Ammonites and a great multitude were coming against Judah to battle. They had no might to fight against the great company that was to come against them (vs 12). They thought that they would soon loose everything or maybe even die. How did the people take care of the problem when there seemed to be no answer. They immediately confessed their situation (vs 2). It will do no good to deny the crisis you are facing. Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord and call upon God (vs 3). What a joy it is to take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Sometimes God will allow trials in our life so that we may return and rest on Him. He will carry you through. Jehoshaphat had confidence in his God (vs 7). He remembered God's promises to His people. When you don't know what to do, claim the promises of God. Be careful not to grow your problem out of proportion. Cast your eyes upon the Lord and rest in Him (vs 13). Wait for a clear direction from the Lord (vs 16). God is not the author of confusion. Continue worshiping God. Continue believing God. Continue praising God no matter how dismal the circumstances may seem. In the end you will be able to claim the victory (vs 25). The song writer, couldn't have said any better, \"Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey\".";
return true;
}
function devo36()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Several years ago when I was about eleven years old some friends and I decided to go camping one night in the very large cemetery on a hill near our house. We set up a tent far in the back part of the cemetery . We made a little camp fire, cooked some hot dogs, roasted some marshmallows, and the told each other some scary stories. We were trying scare each other and were doing a good job at that. One of the other boys suggested that we play hide and seek. After drawing sticks, it became my lot to try to find everyone once I counted to 100. After I counted there was dead silence and a sense that I was all alone among thousands of graves. Fear overwhelmed me as I began looking for my friends. Then one of the guys jumped up and shouted boo and grabbed me. I could have died because of the fear. God wants us to fear Him, but not in a way of dread or terror. We are to have a reverential awe inspiring fear of Him. God needs to be the great I AM in your heart. We are to have a fear of being found displeasing in His sight. Our greatest fear should be that God may not find us well pleasing in His sight. We should have a sense of worship engraved in our heart that we cling to Jesus. Recognize that the all powerful, and Holy one is always near. He is aware of your every need. Worship Him because you are driven to love and honor Him. He loves you so much that He sent His only begotten son to earth to die for you. When we ignore God and fail to walk in the fear of the Lord we are the one who suffers and drive a wedge between us and Him who loved us so much. Some view God as someone who lives up there, out there, somewhere, but is here, now, and everywhere. He knows your ever sin and thoughts of your heart. As a child of God, don't try to flee from His presence (Psalm 139:1-11), but walk in the Fear of the Lord. Thank Him for His majesty and love. Love Him for His eternal care for your soul. God will richly bless you when you love His counsel and choose the fear of the Lord.";
return true;
}
function devo37()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " When Ahab returned from Mount Carmel and told Queen Jezebel all that had happened to her prophets, she was enraged. She immediately sent a message to Elijah saying, \"So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of [the slain prophets] them by to morrow about this time.\" Soon after that the man of faith lost his faith in God and ran into the wilderness fearing for his life. Terror began to consume him and he began to think totally disproportionate to reality. He cried out, \"It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.\" He reached a point in his life where he was totally beyond despondency and exhaustion. Have you ever been there where you couldn't life up your head to consider you next step. Everything seems to be happening at once. Nothings seems to go right. Pressures are mounting. You feel depressed . You are not sleeping well. The weight of the world is upon you shoulders. You emotions are in high gear and you easily get agitated with those you should love the most. Are you starting to loath the company of others? Do you lack any vision for the future? Is you motivation gone and you feel a cynical self-centered perspective about life. You, like Elijah, are beginning to reach the ultimate stress of mental and emotional exhaustion, i.e. burnout. There are no simple remedies --like a good nights rest or delegating responsibilities at work to someone else. The ultimate answer can only be found in the right relationship with God. God has constructed us with a built in need to be dependent upon Him. We all have emotional boundaries within us put there by God so that when the stress of life overruns us we will learn to lean on Jesus. God knows about every problem we have ever faced before we ever encountered it. Why not give your burdens back to him ? Persisting in a course of ignoring God's provision of strength and living by you own self-sufficient principles will only make your stress last longer. Nourish yourself back to strength by spending much time in prayer. Journey in to the mountain alone with God. Get plenty of rest (vs 5) and eat right. Once Elijah's spiritual, and physical needs were met he began to have a vision for the future. God wants to restore His balance to overloaded lives by having us lean upon our Savior today. Today we must value only those things that will be valuable to Him in eternity. Realize that God is in control and that He is sufficient (Isaiah 40:28-31).";
return true;
}
function devo38()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Have you ever found yourself fighting a strong, inviting, alluring temptation? What did you do? Did you walk away or did you succumb to Satan's temptation? Satan tempts us in all kinds of ways. He has a plan to lead you away from God's purpose for your life. He always attacks us in our mind, in our thinking, in our desires (IICor.10:5). We must have our thought life under control by guarding our thinking and bringing it into captivity according God's Word. When Satan appealed to Eve he caused her to miss focused. He got her mind to think she was missing something in life, which is to be like God. She was already like God living in a perfect environment. He appealed to a specific desire which she already wanted. He always offer you what you want , but at the wrong time, or the wrong place, or the wrong method. He always appears that he is looking out for you. Often he will help you get what you want so that he can get what he wants us to have. He will help you buy that car so that he can get us deep into debt. He'll help that boy friend to like you so that he can divert you from God's best for your life. He will help you get that job so that he can keep you out of church. He always wants us to be miss focused for his benefit. Like a mouse looking a piece of cheese, he see only what he wants but does not see the trap set for him.. Satan is an absolute liar! He makes things appear to be what they are not. When Satan appealed to Eve he cause her to miss understand God. Every sin that man has ever committed was committed because of a warped view. If we could but perceive the absolute holiness of God we would walk in the fear of the Lord continually. Satan got Eve to debate with him and doubt God's blessing and God's sufficiency. My friends God has already given us enough to be perfectly happy and content in Him. We do not need one more thing of this world to be content. Whenever Satan attacks us we need only to quote scripture and Satan will flee from us. Jesus' response to Satan when He was tempted was to quote the Word of God, \"Man shall not live by bread alone....\" Do not let Satan get you to miss place your values. He will offer you temporal things so that he can ruin your eternal rewards in heaven. He will try to get you to focus on the material ( lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life) at the cost of you sacrificing the spiritual . Satan wants you to sacrifice what you already so that he can get what he does not have.";
return true;
}
function devo39()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Many years ago Dr. R.V. Clearwater told the story of his conversion to Christ. As a young man he fell deep into sinful ways and left home. He ran away to the Pacific Northwest hoping he would make lots of money. His godly Christian mother did not know where he went. He was just glad to be out of the house and on his own to do whatever he wanted. Like the prodigal son, his substance was wasted in riotous living. Gambling became a way of life and a gun was his companion. One day while working in the forest as a logger, a tree fell on him and nearly killed him. For weeks he lay in a lonely hospital room. No one seemed to care. Some how someone got word to his mother in Minnesota that her son was in critical condition in a hospital in Washington state. She sent him a card with only these words, \"....but the way of the transgressors is hard. Love, Mother\". Those words sunk deep into his sinful soul and eventually led him to return home, to Christ, and to Bible school. My friend if you are going to be stupid you better be tough. Whenever you run from God's claim upon your life you are going to pay a great price. If you are going to live in sin and immorality, you had better be tough enough to watch your own children rebel against you and live the same way as you. If you are going to smoke, you better be tough enough to face death by cancer. If you are going abuse drugs, better be tough enough to accept a lot of misery, self destruction, and the destruction of those you love. If you are going to drink alcohol, you better be tough enough to die or kill someone in an automobile accident. If you are going to compromise church attendance, you better be tough enough to have your children question why even go to church, and even later have your grandchildren live in wickedness. God's law demands that a man eats that which he sows. A slothful man shall eat the fruit of his own laziness. The transgressor shall eat his own violence. The immoral man or woman shall eat the fruit of their own shame. \"A wise son heareth his fathers's instruction: but a scorner hearth not rebuke. (Prov.13:1). Do not overthrow the ways of God, because the way of the transgessors is a hard life.";
return true;
}
function devo40()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " A tree will fall in the direction it is leaning. It is very difficult to get a tree to fall in a different place than it is leaning. Likewise, all men have certain leanings. Some are good and some are bad. Bob Jones Sr. said, \"Show me a man's slant on life and I will tell you where he will end up.\" It is not a matter of a mans' present position, but his future destination, i.e. leanings. Balance is vital to your standing straight and tall for God. No leaning! We must continue to do right, regardless of the trend, because right is always the right thing to do. When you loose your balance you will fall. You will fall in the direction you are leaning. Your thoughts are an index of the direction you are leaning. Too many Christians have focused on results, money (I Tim. 6:9-10), materialism (Eccl..5:10), and now they are leaning the wrong direction. Achan leaned toward wealth (Josh. 7:21) and soon lost all he had after he caused Israel to loose the battle. Demas leaned toward the world (2Tim.4:10) and soon became part of the crowd that he once condemned. Peter followed the Lord afar off and eventually during a time of great danger cursed God. Which way are you leaning today? If your slant is toward money, then money will cause you to fall away from God. If your slant is toward worldly trends then the world will draw you away from God. Are you leaning away from soulwinning and separation, and leaning toward new evangelicalism, eccumentalism , liberalism, or immorality? DO RIGHT! Lean on the breast of Jesus (Jn. 21:20). Be careful not to lean unto your own understanding (Prov. 3:5). May God give us some mighty men who will do right regardless of the direction our friends are leaning.";
return true;
}
function devo41()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Everything is made after its own kind. A dog does not give birth to a cat. A bird will only produce a bird. In a similar manner God allows the sins of the fathers to be reproduced in the next generation. Num. 14:18 \"...visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.\" (Dt. 5:9, Ex. 20:5, etc.). When reviewing the sins of the lost son who left home, we find that he wandered away from home. He wasted all his money. He came to want because he lived in sin. His worldly friends couldn't help because he was lingering with the wrong crowd. His work didn't help make him happy because he was out of God's will. In essence, self was on the throne in his life. His life revolved around himself. His emotions were in control. He was changeling the very right of God to rule in his life. The lingering son who liked home, because he was going to be given the farm, was like his brother in many ways. When news came that his brother was home he made a selfish decision. He did not rejoice, but rather he wanted the farm for himself. He rejected his brother and his anger robbed him of self respect. He made a sensual decision as he chose to act in the flesh. He made a sacrificial decision when he refused to go inside where his brother and father were. His stubborn decision resulted because he wanted things his way. He felt that his rights were violated. When his father came out to talk to him he resorted to carnal reasoning and made self righteous decision in trying to justify himself. In essence, self was on the throne in his life also. His emotions were in control, not the spirit of God. He was enslaved in his sin also, but believed he was righteous. The loving father who leads the home had great compassion on both of his sons, but when he counsels his older son (v.31 ...\"and all that I have is thine.\") he appeases him. He didn't deal with root causes, rather he promised the entire estate to his angry son. As fathers we needs to lead our homes in discipline, in discipleship, in direction, and in doctrine. We cannot expect our children to have more discipline in their life that we have in our life. The weaknesses in your life will be magnified by those who follow after you. More is caught by your life than is ever taught by your life.";
return true;
}
function devo42()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " There are many parents today whose hearts are broken because their children are turned away from God. For others their grandchildren have turned away from following the Lord. There are many good folk who love the Lord but are heart broken because of what is happening to their family. Moses gives us a stern warning to do the will of God, teach the word of God to ....\"thee , and thy son, and thy son's son....\" The responsibility is given to the parent, not the schools, not the pastors, nor the youth pastors. It's ours! If we do not teach our children to fear the Lord they are not going to follow the things that God will bless. Many parents would rather pay someone else to do what they know is their responsibility. Have you fallen prey to the trap of showing your love to your child by flooding his or her life with materialism? You need only look into your teenagers bed room to answer that question. The promised land was full of all the children of Israel could dream. Materialism abounded with things that the generations following Moses did not have to work for v.10. Because of this, Moses gave a stern warning, v.12, \"Then beware lest thou forget the Lord,...\" There is a danger in riches, i.e., we tend to forget the Lord. Too many parents think that their children are better off because they have more materialistic things. We should be measuring \"better off \" by the fact that our children are walking closer to the Lord than we were. Parents are failing to pass the baton of the fear of the Lord by indulging is so much credit. We have forgot the God who supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory. Our families and churches have indulged in so much credit that we wouldn't even notice if the power of God was not with us. The generation of Moses knew the power of God through the exodus. The next generation knew only about the power of God. The third generation, those who were born in the land of plenty, forsook the Lord, Judges 2:12-13. The first generation had a heart for God. The second generation had a head full of knowledge. The third generation after the exodus became hedonistic. For many broken hearted parents the progression is the same. The first generation is on fire for God. The second generation may be saved, but there is no fire. The third generation is not saved and will be on fire for eternity. One generation is spiritual, the next generations' focus is success and the third generations' focus becomes self. One generation lives by convictions, the next generation lives in compromise, then the third generation lives in conflict and confusion We must do the will of God and teach diligently the word of God, lest our next generation forget the Lord.";
return true;
}
function devo43()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " When Jesus was teaching his disciples, a proud lawyer seeking to find fault in Jesus asked the question, \"What must I do to inherit eternal life?\" This lawyer was not interested in eternal life, but wanted only to justify himself (vs.29). Jesus answered him a second time with the parable of the good Samaritan. In this story there was a man on his way to Jericho when he was robbed, bloodied, and left half dead. Even his clothes were taken from him. He was a terrible sight to look upon. Three people came down through that same mountain pass that day. The first was a Priest. When the priest saw the bloodied man, he went on the other side of the road. He didn't want to get anywhere near the problem. Most Christians I know are experts at leaving the job for some else to do. We are to busy, so we must get on the other side. \"Why, I'm serving as an usher already, and I count the offering every fifth Sunday. Preacher, you can't expect me to go soul winning every Thursday night too!\" We offer our excuses because we don't want to be involved. (An excuse is a skin of a reason stuffed with a fat lie). The next man to come by was a Political figure. His theology was a disaster and his service was an example of looking the other way when he saw the need of the naked man. He too went on the other side. He had no delight in being used of God. He was unwilling to be burdened for the needs of others. He took comfort in thinking that someone else may do the job. The nest man to come by was the Passionate man. He didn't just say, \"God bless you.\" He went out of his way trying not to practice other side religion. He stopped even when he was busy. He saw the needs of others and followed up on them when he came again. He sacrificially gave his time, his toil, and his treasurer for the needs of others. The best answer for meeting the need in your life is to start meeting the needs in the life of others. We need to get on the need side, not the other side!";
return true;
}
function devo44()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " No man can spend money, but he spends time. Money is only a medium of exchange for our time spent. A man working for 40 years earning $25,000 per year will earn a million dollars in a life time. He will spend a third of his life time working to pay for a home. Another 15% of his life time earnings will be spent working to buy food. About 17% of his working time will be spent to buy the automobiles he'll own in his brief life. Other areas of his working years will be spent as follows: 6% for insurances, 7% for consumer debt, 5% for clothes, 5% for doctors and dentists, 5% for recreation, 2% on hair care and beauty, and the balance on other miscellaneous . Beyond our children man has very little that he can point to that will amount to more than a pile in the city dumb 100 years after he has died. Life is too short to invest it in things. Invest your time here on earth in things that will count for eternity, Mt. 6:19-20. Materialism leads to apathy. Apathy leads to apostasy , and apostasy leads to anarchy. Evaluate your life to see what you are giving your time on earth. Eliminate time wasters such as disorganization, disinterest, distractions, disobedience, and disappointments that cause you to throw your system to coast. Prioritize your time with a clear direction, a clear desire, a clear determination, a clear discipline, and clear delegation of duties . You will be held accountable for the stewardship of your time. Invest your time for God, not the city dump. No man kills time, time kills you.";
return true;
}
function devo45()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Elijah had seen God perform many miraculous things. He saw how the ravens had sustained him when he was at Cherith. When he was at Zarephath he saw how God used a starving widow woman to sustained him. He saw how God had made the cruse of oil never to run dry. When the widows son died he saw how God had brought him to life again. At Mt. Carmel he saw how God sent fire from heaven and slew the prophets of Baal. How did Elijah come to the point where he was fearful of Jezebel, hiding himself behind a juniper, and wishing to die. (Elijah didn't really want to die because if he did he would have been running to Jezebel). He allowed himself to become discouraged and distressed. You will never make a right decision when you are discouraged. Discouragement comes from taking our eyes off of God and making things dis apportioned. We begin to allow ourselves blow things out of proportion. When things become dis-apportioned we will become dissatisfied. Things will start to look better somewhere else. The next step when we run from God's Biblical plan for our life to become disappointed. We will become disappointed in ourselves for running from a circumstance. Disappointments in life will either be a stepping stone or a stumbling block. Disregard for the Word of God will always lead to discouragements and eventually a disaster in your life. When Elijah was under the juniper tree he was dis-burdened for souls. He had his own pity party and wanted to die. Are you taking a trip to the juniper tree today? Have you lost your burden for souls? Do you dislike going to church any more? Have you become distracted by the things of the world? Are you disassociating yourself from your church friends? You are on the road to the juniper tree which is the road to disaster. You need to confess you sin to God. Call upon God! Cast your eyes upon God! Correct you thinking and direction.";
return true;
}
function devo46()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Ever pilot know that your attitude determines your altitude. The same is true in the Christian life. Our life \"altitude\" in life is about 10% what happens to us and about 90% of how one reacts to the circumstances confronting us. Many people have destroyed their life or sold their life short of its greatest capabilities by hanging onto a bad attitude. Some have destroyed the life of another by blaming their bad attitude on some else. In reality, blaming someone or circumstances for your attitude is to surrender the authority of your spirit to someone other than God. When we have a complaining, griping attitude we are really finding fault with God's sufficient grace. When your attitude is wrong, it is because your thinking is wrong. Your thinking will be wrong when your focus is not on God. Your view of God will determine your attitude in life. Your view of God will determine your actions in life. Your view of God will also determine your affirmations. When your affirmations are wrong you will bring problems in your life (Prov. 25:28). A bad attitude will rob you. A bad attitude will rule you. If your focus remains not on God, a bad attitude will ruin you. The most remarkable thing about our attitude is that our attitude is our choice. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable. We cannot change how other people react, but we can change our attitude by a right focus on our all sufficient Savior. Don't let a wrong attitude rob you of God's richest blessings. Program your thought life through the Word of God. You will then have a right focus on God, which will lead to right thinking, which lead to right attitudes and actions.";
return true;
}
function devo47()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " In recent months the New York Stock Exchange seems to have broken all records. People seem to be rushing to invest money. Even the Federal Reserve has warned about the \"irrational exuberance\" in which people seem to be investing. Many people are investing without any knowledge of the market or what causes it to go up or down in value. Fear and greed are the twin brothers driving much of the recent market rise. State Farm Insurance did a study a few years ago and found that about 97% of people who invest in the stock market loose money, about 2% break even, and only about 1% really gain from investing in individual stocks. Gods Word in Proverbs 19:17, tells us of a more sure investment. To have pity and compassion upon the poor always brings positive returns upon our investment. The poor are not just neighbors or friends who have lost something in a flood or fire. The poorest of the poor is that lost neighbor or friend who does not know Christ as their personal Savior. The poor is your pastor who cannot do all the church work by himself. The poor is your church that cannot afford to do all it needs to do to win your community to Christ. God promises us that when we invest in the poor He will pay us again. He always pays back more than we lend unto Him. You can find out about God's loan payment ability by checking God's references. In Ex. 25:1-12 God is asking for a loan from His people. Over the next forty years He paid back His loan twice a day in providing manna from heaven. In I kings 17:1-24 God needed a loan for a poor discouraged preacher named Elijah, so He sent him down to widow woman to sustain him. God paid her back and gave her son back after she gave all she had. In John 6:5-13 Jesus was looking for a loan from a small boy. After the boy gave all he had, Jesus paid back His loan and sent the boy home with twelve baskets full. When things get tight don't squeeze down and hold back from God. God is looking for a loan from you, not because God is broke, but because you need the payments from God. When you refuse to make God a loan you have no right to expect payments (blessings) from God. The best investment for meeting the needs in your life is to start meeting the needs of others.";
return true;
}
function devo48()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " Within the eternal wisdom of God is the rich wealth of gold that through personal application and understanding we can be guaranteed to be prosperous. As a Christian we do not measurer prosperity in the abundance of our possessions, but in the fewness of our wants. As we meditate on God's word our wants are shaped through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, so that we begin to desire only that which is God's best for us. When we meditate on the Word of God our speech becomes flavored the with salt of God's wisdom, so that we can speak with conviction, greater accuracy, and precise meaning. Meditation on God's Word brings our thoughts into captivity of God's thoughts so that we begin to structure our thinking into His thinking as presented in scripture. Young people will receive better grades in school as they begin to think God's thought patterns. Adults will have less strife and greater success as their Biblical thinking produces right attitudes, right actions, and right affirmations. As Christians we need to program our thought life with meditation upon God's Word. \"....for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Josh.:8b.\" The man who has God's wisdom guiding all his thoughts has found perfect happiness as he starts to seek and understand life from God's point of view. Proverbs 3:13 says, \"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom....\" When through meditation God's wisdom permeates our thoughts we will have something, \"...more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.\" Prov. 13:14. The real secret of success is not discovering some new electronic gadget that will make us millions of dollars. It is in daily memorizing and meditating upon God's Word which will put the thoughts of God in you and guarantee success for sure.";
return true;
}
function devo49()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " The Children of Israel were led out of Egypt, across the Red Sea and through many miracles as God provided for them. Their shoes never wore out, their clothes never wore out, they were provided with food and water. God took care of them! God led them to a mountain and told Moses to pick out 12 men from among the leaders to go in and spy out the land. Now God had already promised them that He would give them the land. Just look at it, report how great it is, then take it. Ten of the spies said, \"We cannot take it, we can not possibly fight those giants.\" The land truly is great, it does flow with milk and honey as god said, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT! There are many people who understand what God is saying to them. They have seen the miracle of God in salvation. They have seen God many times provide for them. Yet they do not want to trust God. You may know that God wants you in full time service. You may know that God wants you to teach Sunday school. You may know that God will defeat the giants you face, but you will only believe God as far as you can without totally committing yourself. You believe in missions, but you do not want to commit yourself to a mission field. You believe in heaven, but you don't want to live the Christian life. You want a good church, but you don't want to get involved more than once a week. You believe in stewardship, but are you committed to tithing? The Children of Israel believed God, but they did not want to totally commit themselves to get into the battle. We need people that will step out into the full view of the enemy and say, God will give me the victory! God will Supply! Believe that God is able to defeat the enemies in your life. Do not worry about how you will defeat the giants in your life, just settle the question who told you. You must take God at His Word.";
return true;
}
function devo50()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " When the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot were on their way to Bethel there arose a strife between them. Abram, who was the peace maker, said \"Let there be no strife, ... for we be brethren.\" The strife was not a doctrinal strife, or a moral strife, but rather it was one that was caused because the land could not sustain their flocks together. Abram did not become bitter, not did he assert the fact that he was older and had more flocks. He did not attack the herdsmen of Lot with inflammatory accusations. He peaceably sought a resolution to the conflict as quickly as possible. When conflicts arise between you and another Christian, never allow self interest to cause Satans'' ugly head of pride to show itself. Relinquish your rights. That will make it possible for the offender to have the openness toward you before he offended you. Remember that Satan loves division. Forgive the offending person even as your heavenly father forgave you. He was able to say, \"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.\" Luke 23:34. Reject the temptation of the world, the flesh, and the devil who seeks vengeance. As a Christian we do not have a right to be bitter or vengeful. Keep the lines of communication open. Most of us are prone to silence toward the offender as a mean of punishment, but we never resolve the conflict. Rejoice in the Lord and keep your focus on God. When someone intentional hurts us we know that the offender is expecting a response. We have been given a significant opportunity to show Gods love after a conflict than even before the conflict. Remember your testimony before the Lord . A bitter response will cause to you to lower yourself to become like the one who is at strife toward you. If strife and conflicts are not resolved quickly and peaceably soon you will doubt your relationship with God. There is nothing in this world worth jeopardizing our relationship with God. \"Lord, how often shall my bother sin against me and I forgive him? ... Until seventy times seven.\" Matt. 18:21-22.";
return true;
}
function devo51()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " The apostle Paul declared that he could be content in whatsoever circumstances he found himself. He knew how to abase and he knew how to abound. He could rejoice always in every situation. He suffered for the Lord. He was beaten until near death by his enemies. He was ship wrecked at sea on three occasions. Yet in spite of all his difficulties and handicaps he could still rejoice. How could he live above his circumstances? He kept his focus on the Lord and God's purpose in his life. At the base of all discontentments is a lie from the devil. Satan�s lies cause us to have fear, unbelief, and self-pity. We begin to believe that we have got to have more money, a new car, a larger house, or a better paying job in order to be content. His lies cause us to loose sight of God's resources. God has already given us enough to perfectly happy and content in him. When we let worry and anxiety come in to our heart, we are simply operating in misplaced faith. Our faith and emotional well being need not be in our possessions, but rather in the surrender of our possessions, hopes and desires to God. Being content is the belief that God will supply all our needs. Even when God withholds something we want we can still be content knowing that God is working in us for His specific purpose. We should never be so consumed with our goals or wants that we cannot enjoy what we have already. Contentment is never the result of how much we have, but our attitude of surrender toward what we already have. Those things that we will not surrender to God will govern our joy in the Lord. We can all be very rich and content if we learn to enjoy what we already have in God. If we allow the seeds of discontentment to grow in our heart, it will drain us of our spiritual strength and make us desire more and more of this worlds goods to make us happy. Most of our financial problems are not caused by a lack of money, but by our own lack of contentment in Christ. Heb. 13:5 \"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:\"";
return true;
}
function devo52()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = " When the children of Israel come to cross over the Jordan to claim the promised land many of the people were afraid. Joshua believed God. He had walked close to the Lord. He knew what God had done in the past. He remembered how God had parted the Red Sea and provided food and water for the children of Israel under Moses' leadership. He knew that God was with him as He had been with Moses. Trusting and obeying God, Joshua courageously gave the command to move forward. The people had to keep their eyes on the priests who were carrying the ark to the edge of the Jordan River. When the priest came to the edge of the river they saw that it was flooded. The water was moving to quickly for them to cross over alone in their own strength. When the priests obeyed God the river stopped and formed a wall of water on one side. The Israelites then crossed over into the promised land on dry ground. God had kept his promises. Someday we too will cross over troubled waters, but we will not have to cross over alone. God has given us His many promises if we will trust and obey Him. He has promised us that He would provide for us everlasting life and forgiveness of sins. When our health is gone we can be assured to see Him in our heavenly home. He has promised us answered prayer, Phil.4:6. He will supply all our needs - food, clothes, home, etc., Phil 4:19. God has promised us help and courage to face whatever troubled waters we must cross. How faithful God is to his people who will trust and obey Him!";
return true;
}
function devo53()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Have you ever experienced something of devastating that you were convinced you could not continue on down the path that God has for you? In spite of how difficult the experience and how deep the hurt we can always take comfort that God is always with thru it all. He never wastes any of His opportunities to make us more like Him and to strengthen our faith. Often times when our faith is being challenged thru trials and obstacles we will struggle to believe that God is with us or that He will do what He has promised. It is not a sin to be knocked down, but it is a sin to do less than our best not to get back up after the devil has delivered a knock out blow. When things seem impossible, remember that, \"...with God all things are possible...\" Mt. 19:26. It is easy to miss out on God's blessings because we tend to focus on the trial rather than on God's plan and purpose thru the trial. Instead of focusing on the good we focus on the negative Phil. 4:8. Do not allow yourself to follow your feelings, but rather follow the truth of the word of God. God loves you unconditionally and He only has your best interest thru the hurt and pain Jer.31:3. He will reward your faith and obedience in Him. Ask God to reveal His purpose thru His truth. Sometimes we already know God's purposes, but we are unwilling to accept it in our mind and heart, We need to see things from God's perspective. I Thes.5:24 \"Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.\" God will bring you thru and bring it to pass.\" Ask yourself, How does God see this trial verses my view of it as an obstacle? Remember that God will supply all our needs whatever the trial, Phil. 4:19. Go back to the personal words that the Lord has given to you when discouragement attacks your peace and threatens to paralyze you. Gods grace is always sufficient for you, \"My grace is sufficient for thee....\" Remember that when you at the point of despair and ready to discontinue going down the path God has for you, don't let circumstance know you out into the field of disobedience. Continue in perseverance, remembering that, \"...the God of peace will be with you...\" Phil. 4:9 Thought: You can be knocked down, but you can not be knocked out when God is near.";
return true;
}
function devo54()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Bad financial health is often the beginning of the breakdown of family relationships. For many families the lack of money is often rooted in the lack of Biblical character. Biblical character must be rooted in the fear of the Lord. When we walk in the fear of the Lord we will have godliness and contentment in the life. Godliness is the quality of being god likeness. The fruit of the spirit is necessary (Gal. 5:22-23 \"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, ....\") to have godliness in the life. If you do not earn the right to have something because of godliness in your heart, you may have gain, but you will not have great gain. You can not find contentment without godliness. Winning at the casino is ungodly gain and will not leave you content. Cheating on your employer is ungodly. It may bring gain, but it is not great gain because of the ungodly character. The gain you receive will only lead to more discontentments. Rebellion towards your parents is ungodly. You may get what you want, but it will only lead to more discontentment and further rebellion towards authority. Doing less than your best in school is ungodly. You'll can never be content with willful, ungodly ignorance. In fact if you choose to be dumb, you better be tough. Godliness says I will only enjoy that which I have earned the right to have. I can't enjoy elicit sex, because it is ungodly. I can't enjoy someone else wife because that is adultery. I can't enjoy someone else belongings because that is covetousness. I can't enjoy someone else reputation because that is a false witness. I can't enjoy someone else money because that is stealing. Taking God's tithe is ungodly; therefore, I cannot have great gain. You can never be satisfied financially without godliness. If you have godliness in your heart, you will have the right focus on God, which will bring contentment, which will equal great gain. When godliness is weak, the tendency is to look to the accumulation of goods gained thru ungodliness to measure your success. The real measure of a man's wealth is not found in the abundance of his possessions, but in the fewness of his wants.";
return true;
}
function devo55()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Recently a Sunday school class of young adults was asked, �What would you do with the rest of your time on earth if money were no object?� Sadly the answers focused on personal comfort. �I would quit work and travel.� �I would buy a new house, a new car and just enjoy myself.� How dismaying to think that God sent His some to die so that we may have a meaningless life centered on selfish pleasures. Every pleasure will have a shelf life and will eventually turn into meaninglessness without God. Resist those desires that will quickly fade into meaninglessness. Instead try something new something infinitely more challenging and meaningful. 1) Have the mind of Christ; vs. 1 �arm you likewise with the same mind.� You will become what you think. You will never go where your mind has not already been. Every downfall always begins with a process of wicked thinking in you mind. You�ll never get victory over fleshly desires until you have the �same mind� as Christ. Start a scripture memorization program. Get the wisdom of God. Josh. 1:8, Prov. 3:13, etc. 2) Do the will of God, vs. 3-7. You can make your own choices about walking in the flesh, but you cannot choose the consequences of those choices. There is always a heavy penalty for sin. Don�t allow the world to make you into its mold. When sin comes in the perfect will of God you are forces to choose from several bad choices. Always stay away from situations that will lead you away from the will of God and force you to choose between several more bad choices. Divorce and remarriage always leads you into many more bad choices decisions. Rebellion always leads you into more bad choices. Always make the most selfless decision, not the most selfish decision. When you don�t know what to do always give God the benefit of the doubt. Seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit and get advice from someone who is walking in the Spirit, not the flesh. Always make the decision that will not cause other Christians to be divided. You can not loose with God. Be thoroughly repentant and seek God�s will. 3) Have fervent love for God and others, vs. 8. Be more interested in others than you want others to be interested in you. No one ever lost their first love for souls without first losing their first love for Christ. These are all kinds of Christians in churches across America who is Christian in name only. They can toot the horn, but that doesn�t mean that there is gas in the tank. In many churches we sing, �Oh How I Love Jesus,� but are so busy doing something that we have forgot that our first love is to be for God. You can not have a true love for God if you have lost your first love for your mate or your parents. You cannot have a true love for God and others when you are in love with things, pleasures and yourself. Have you gotten so comfortable with the world that your core passions and values are spelled out by what you would do for the rest of you life if money were no object?";
return true;
}
function devo56()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "\�Behind every tragedy in human character is a process of wicked thinking.\� No one topples suddenly from the pinnacle of gifted leadership. The seeds of disaster are sown little by little over days, weeks, months or years. Recently a well known minister who fell from grace said that the reason why he became deeply involved in sin was attributed to two elements: pride and self reliance. 1 Sam 12:26 \�how are the mighty fallen.\� So reads the epitaph engraved over many of the lives of a father, mother, preacher, or missionary. Too many of us know or have heard of such casualties. The fall of many great and gifted men and women should shock us out of our complacency and our secret tolerance of sin tucked away in our hearts. I Cor. 10:12 \�Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed least he fall.\� It is unlikely that no other Bible character had as much going for him as did Saul. Attitudinally he was humble and thought of his father�s feelings. Spiritually he started out with the power of the Holy Spirit upon him. What went wrong? What caused this talented man to become a hopeless suicide? Saul�s disaster resulted from his failure to learn that (a) sin is serious. He treated sin causally. He made excuses for his sin. And he followed public opinion. He never really evidenced any genuine any sense of sorrow for his sin. (b) He never learned that spiritual decline is gradual. Falling away is never an overnight process. Backsliding doesn't start flagrantly. We need to remember the scriptural warnings, \�behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.\� \�A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.\� (c) He never learned that integrity is essential. The Hebrew word for integrity means \�innocence, uprightness, simplicity, perfection.\� Saul did not possess such character traits. He was a double minded man. He started out serving God, but would up trying to use God to serve himself. 1 Sam. 28. (d) He never learned the lesson that obedience is paramount. An obedient servant acknowledges Christ�s lordship. \�To obey Christ is better then to sacrifice.\� Sacrifice is no substitute for obedience and is no bargaining tool with God. Obedience carries its own rewards, just as disobedience carries its own expensive price tag.There are five priorities that every leader must understand: praying is more important then preaching, preaching is more important then administration, family is more important then ministry, faithfulness is more important then success, love is more important then ability.Life is the classroom where you learn the imperative lessons. Are you listening to your teacher? How you listen results in either triumph of tragedy.";
return true;
}
function devo57()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Recently on a flight from Washington to Alaska a man shared his salvation testimony. He explained how he sat in his very large home surrounded by everything his heart could desire. Then he realized his life was still empty and filled with meaninglessness. The next morning, still feeling empty, he drove his car to the nearest church he could find. It was by God�s appointment that the church was having a revival meeting and there he found Christ.In our search for meaning to life we are easily drawn to the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Our life is totally out of focus and without meaning when it is without God. Meaninglessness does not come from the weariness of pain, but meaninglessness comes from the weariness of pleasure. When you has exhausted that last dream or tasted the greatest of pleasures, your like will still be without meaning when it is without God. We are bomb barded by pleasure from every direction telling us that we deserve a beak today. A wise man knows that even the greatest of pleasures has a shelf life. Unless your heart is regenerated you will never find the true meaning to life. You will attempt to fill you life with substitutes that will have eternal consequences when it is without God. You must keep God as the center focus of your life if it is to have any meaning. How you deal with the seduction of pleasure, the power of pride, and the desire to direct your own will and path in life, has everything to do with the difference you will make for eternity. In a rather fatalistic way, Eugene O�Neil in a Long Days Journey wrote: �None of us can help the things life has done to us. They are all done to us before we realize it. Once they are done, they make you do other things, until everything else is come between what you would like to be and you know what God wants you to do.� Finally you will have lost your true focus and purpose of life itself. There is a kind of an uncontrollable sovereignty to life. You can make your choices but you cannot choose your consequences. When our focus in life is without God, we are simply on a meaningless journey. The man in Luke 12 had so lost his focus in life that his possessions possessed him; his goals became his gods, and his desires finally destroyed him. Most people fail in catastrophic proportions not when they are in the valley of struggles, but when they are riding the crest of success. Success has destroyed more lives than failure ever has. Most of us know how to handle meager situations, but fail to handle glorious ones. If you stare at the halos of your success long enough you will eventually will turn it into a noose that you will begin to systematically tighten. We are all in danger as the man in this passage.Keep God the focus of your life!! Anything less is idolatry. Fully submit yourself to God�s purpose for your life. Your greatest need is Spiritual, not Material. This man played the fools harp because he wanted to go his own way. God cries out: �Give Me Thine Heart!!� Does God have your heart? There is an eternal difference between a changed person and a regenerated person. There is an eternal difference between a moral person and a spiritual individual. There is an eternal difference between a person who knows what a moral law demands and a person who has a regenerated heart that will help him keep that moral law. God told Nichodemes, �Ye must be born again!� Until you have a regenerated heart, at best you will only deal with the symptoms of your problems, not the root of your problem � SIN!! Your life will always be out of focus and without meaning without God.";
return true;
}
function devo58()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "The Church at Ephesus was full of good works. �I know thy works... vs. 2\". It was neither hot nor cold. Does God know that you are in love with him by your works born out your first love for Him? No one goes very far for God when they have lost their first love for God. In many churches as well as many marriages, we still believe we love God, but it is not with our first love. Its gone!! One does not have to look very far to see that in our churches we have replaced expository preaching with pop psychology. We have replaced evangelism with entertainment. We have replaced old fashion Holy Ghost conviction with, �something good is going to happen to you.� We can sing, �Oh how I love Jesus,� but not with our first love. My Dad would often say, �Just because you can toot your horn does not mean there is gas in the tank. We are losing our first love for God in our churches and it is indicative with how we show our love for our mate. If you do not have a right relationship with your mate or parents, you probable do not have a right relationship with God as well. We often wonder why we do not power with God.. It may be that our love and comfort zone with the world is in spiritual free fall. Are we getting to much like the world? God says Repent!! What are the evidences that you are really in love with God. 1.) You will have an all consuming passion to think about the one you love. It is a selfless love that desires to do only that which pleases God. When I was in college I invited a young lady to our house for Christmas. My Dad observed me and said, �son you are in orbit.� If you start to fantasize about loving anyone more than God or your spouse you have already lost your first love. How you treat your mate is probable how your will treat God. Young person, if your will argue with your parents your will probable argue with God. Where your mind is on the inside is probable where you are on the outside. Too many people are up right on the outside, but are bent up on the inside. 62% of Christians under age 30 will divorce. 2.) You know that you are in love when you have an all consuming passion to be with the one you love. When was the last time you cried out, �Oh God I just want to be with you?� I have met elderly widows who have lost their spouse years ago, but are still so much in love that they talk to the walls as if their spouse was still there. You really never get over that first love. Before you will wreck your life you will have already begun to get over that first love for God. 3.) You are in love when you have an all consuming passion to give gifts to the one you love. When you loose your first love you will only give gifts and serve God out of duty. Doing something for God is 1000 billions more rewarding than doing something for yourself. Is your service for God in coast? Thought: By your works, does God know that your are in love with him?";
return true;
}
function devo59()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Many years ago former president Ronald Reagan made a statement on a Saturday radio addresses that: �America is a nation of thinkers and doers, but when we allow ourselves to watch to much televison we are turning ourselves from a nation of thinkers to a nation of responders.� Modern media, (TV, radio, internet, cell phones, computer games) has crippled our ability to have inductive thinking. Most modern media majors on seductive thinking and ignores the end thereof. Most modern thinking in the last sixty years since the advent of television has eliminated the end results thereof. As a people we are finding that our modern media is shaping our moral code of ethics. We are becoming a nation of responders to seductive media, not the spirit of God. Is it any wonder that in our lack of inductive thinking that we don�t know what to revere anymore or that we are gasping at materialism for our sense of value. The key element in making any wise decisions is the process of reasoning what the end result thereof will be. It is so important for us to understand where the seductive reasoning of modern media will lead you in the end thereof. Before taking a trip a man must consider the end thereof before starting a trip. The destination determines the route. The goal determines the plan. Our destination for eternity ought to determine our route we take in this life. God�s purpose for this life is for us to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. God knew the end before He knew the beginning. You must always consider the end thereof if things are going to turn out right. (Dt.32:29 �O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end.�) Before you choose any path of disobedience you should always consider the end consequences thereof. Like baking brownies, you better consider the ingredients that you are throwing into your life if you want your life to come out with full of purpose and happiness. I once tried to make some brownies, but somehow I put in two cups of water and one egg instead of two eggs and one cup of water. You must follow directions. There are people who don�t want to follow God�s plan and still expecting great results. There is always a heavy penalty for getting what you want outside of God�s will. There is always a heavy penalty for sin. The end thereof is never desirable. Contrary there is always great blessings when we follow God�s plan for our life. Psalm1:1-3 �Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.� God is always looking where you will end up before he allows anything to come into your life. Don�t allow yourself to become impatient with God�s timing. Stick to the purpose that God has planned for you. Always consider the end thereof before the beginning. Thought: Seek the end purposes of God and your mind will not be seduced by modern media.";
return true;
}
function devo60()
{
document.getElementById("devo").value = "Several years ago I was give a copy of General Douglas MacArthur�s famous speech that he gave at West Point more than a half century ago entitled, �Duty, Honor, Country.� Those famous words have almost faded into meaninglessness today from the English language. About the only place we see those words is on a bumper sticker, �My son is on the honor roll at ____ elementary school.� What do those three words mean? Duty is used by lexicographers to define one�s responsibility. In Gal.6:10 Paul wrote: �As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.� It is our duty to treat other people with dignity and respect because they are created in the image of God. We are not to murder or hurt other people. Yet there are many of us who would not think twice to let harsh and hurtful words roll off our tongues. When we do this, we sin because we have violated the image of God in that person. It is our duty, especially for those who name the name of Christ, to have the highest standard of moral and ethical integrity no matter who it costs. We must be consistently be upright in heart to the moral and ethical principles of God. That is no simple duty when we consider that kind of ethical integrity can cost us our career or the loss of a friend. We can not just be idle and watch someone who is untruthful lead another along to a costly or hurtful ending. As an employee I can not tolerate dishonesty in the work place. As a parent I can not allow dishonesty in the heart of my child. We are God�s people and our duty is to have a standard of ethical integrity that will far surpass even the highest standards of normal human ethics. Honor is defined by Webster�s dictionary as the synonym of the word integrity. Integrity is also defined as �uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles,� �a soundness of character,� Honor is also defined as �unimpaired in one�s character.� A man may be said to be an honorable man, that is he�s man who is unimpaired in character, or a person of principle that never compromises with respect to morals and ethics to get ahead for personal gain. People of honorable character can be trusted on the basis of what they say they will do. Such a man is rare today. We are living in a culture in America where lying has become the norm. Is it any wonder when TV shapes our moral codes that only 13% of Americans believe in the 10 commandments. Country is our native land of our birth. I was not born an American, but because I chose to become an American I intend to perform my duty to my God to the highest standards of moral and ethical integrity; thereby, honoring my God and my country. Thought: Always perform your duty to the highest honor for your God and Country.";
return true;
}