Deaf Devotion 9/25/2009

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT)

If someone were to say, "Win the day," would we know what it means? Winning the day spiritually entails two things essentially.

Number one, it means that we are successful in beating back all of Satan's attempts to slow or retard our daily growth toward spiritual maturity.

But, secondly, it also means that we are enabling the Holy Spirit in our life to help us take every opportunity to move down the road to spiritual maturity and win souls for Jesus.

Winning the day spiritually is largely a matter of controlling what we allow to take into our bodies, what we allow into our minds, and into our eyes. And it also means controlling what we allow to stay once they enter, and what we do with what we allow to stay.

If we are struggling with temptation today, we need to be careful where we get our advice. Make sure we get our advice from Godly sources.

When we think about what Jesus did when He went to the Cross, and when we think about the pain He endured, the shame that He endured, the suffering that He endured, it is clear that He did it all because He loves us. When we think about that, we should want to live the same way He lived on this earth. And if we do that we will find ourselves winning the day.

If we choose to live some other way, our winning the day is up for grabs, but one of the best ways for us to win the day is to invite Jesus into our day. This means to invite the Holy Spirit in the love of the Lord Jesus.

The Bible talks about living as a person who knows and understands the importance of living carefully. “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” (Ephesians 5:15 NLT)

So, winning the day isn't really rocket science, it's just good common sense. It's taking the Bible and applying it to our lives. If we want the right things, if we want the things that please God, the things that not only please God but bless our life, that is winning the day. That is a good day.

The more we want to do what pleases the Lord, the more we will go places that please the Lord. The more we will see things that we know pleases the Lord. The more we will say things that please the Lord.

And the key is this: it is possible to win the day spiritually. It does not matter who we are, where we are, what we have done up until this point, we can win today for Jesus.

This is not easy. Nobody said or promised it would be easy. But IT IS possible. If we follow God's Word, God will help us by the Holy Spirit to win this day for Jesus. We can do it and God can help.

Deaf Devotion 9/18/2009

Acts 26:24-29 (NLT) – “Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!” But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—” Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF BEING ALMOST PERSUADED TO BE SOMETHING?

I’m glad you asked the question. It is important for us to know, there is no value in almost doing anything! Going part of the way will not give us any security whatsoever.

Being almost a Christian is like being nothing at all. Our God did not make anything half way. He did not make a half creation, a half man or half woman and He will not make a half Christian.

We are either altogether a Christian or not a Christian at all. When God blesses, He blesses with all of heaven at his fingertips. When God loves, He loves us with a love only He can know, not just halfway. When God call us out of darkness to eternal life, He calls us all the way, not just halfway.

God could call us all today and show us all a Heavenly vision as he did with Saul.

He could show us what we should believe and what we should do with His plan for each of us.

God could speak to us by dreams and visions, as He did with Abraham and Isaac.

God could speak to us by a voice, as He did with Samuel.

God could send a special messenger to us, as He did with David and Hezekiah.

God could direct an angel to convey a message, as He did with Daniel, Zacharias, and both Mary and Joseph.

God could call us to His service by an internal voice, as He did with Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Yes, God could speak to us in his glory, as He did with Isaiah, Saul, and John.

But there are reasons why God does not use these methods usually to speak to mankind. You see we cannot always depend on dreams and visions. However, God has given us a method to follow where we can know His perfect will.

And the method is obeying His Holy Word. You see if we follow His Word we will find the Truth, the Way, and the Life.

We cannot receive a blessing by being almost persuaded to have it.

Our hunger cannot be satisfied by almost eating. Nor, can your thirst be quenched by letting the water stay in the glass.

We cannot be blessed by almost loving our enemies. We must love them as God loves them.

We cannot be blessed by almost forgiving someone. We must forgive them as God forgives us.

We cannot be blessed for almost giving. We must give until it hurts. Jesus did.

We cannot make it to Heaven by almost accepting Jesus as Savior. We have to be altogether born again. Pass it on to someone we know who may be “almost saved.”

We cannot be almost purified. We are already made 100% pure by the blood of Jesus.

We cannot be almost a blessing to others. God has already blessed us with eternal life in Jesus Christ.

We cannot be almost redeemed. We have already been fully redeemed in Jesus power over sin and death. The debt is paid off

We cannot be Almost Saved. When Jesus is Lord and Savior of our life, we are completely and totally in the arms of Jesus Christ. We are fully and eternally secure.

We cannot be almost ready for Heaven. We need to be ready at any time for the trumpet call and for Jesus to call us home.

Jesus said that He would come back after a clean Church, not a half clean Church, but a Church without spot, blemish, or wrinkles.

Are we altogether persuaded to serve and love God with all our heart, mind and soul today? If you’re not saved come to Jesus today. If we know someone who is not saved, tell them how today they can have eternal life.

Deaf Devotion 9/11/2009

“It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, 16 the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.” (Joshua 3:15-16 NLT)

When time came for the Israelites to cross the Jordan and possess the Promised Land, the river was at flood stage. Have you ever seen a flooding river? It can be a frightening sight. Quiet and calm water that normally flows along becomes surging currents, several times wider and deeper and faster than normal. They wash away debris and carry it along at breakneck speed.

God commanded the priests to step into that water, and the waters didn't part until the feet of the priests were wet. God could have parted the river first, and then sent the priests across. He was testing their faith, seeing if they would obey His command even when it seemed illogical and frightening to do so. As their feet sunk into the water, the waters parted and He made a way to the other side.

Obey the Lord even when it does not seem logical. When He calls us, He will make a way. Where He leads us, He will go before us. That's why we walk by faith.

God is calling us to take the first step on a new journey. Step into the water and watch God work. God is leading us on a new path. God has been preparing us to enter into a place where we have never been before!

What’s so new about it? There are new experiences to face - new problems to solve - new trials to endure - new temptations to meet - new sorrows to bear - new opportunities to grasp - new tasks to perform - new blessings to enjoy.

God is LEADING us into Unknown places.

It is time to start “Coloring Outside the Lines” and “Thinking Outside the Box” of the same old Deaf Café. Let’s look ahead to a new season and step into the challenges of the flooding rushing water and watch God work things out to His glory and purpose. God will not work until we get our feet wet.

Deaf Devotion 9/4/2009

“Timothy, my dear son, be strong in the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1 NLT)

Timothy was not Paul’s son in the physical sense. Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son in the sense that it was under Paul’s ministry that Timothy accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Timothy had become a child of God the same as us. He was born into God’s family by means of his faith in Jesus Christ. “For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23 NLT)

Paul writes an awesome phrase: “be strong in grace.” If we think we can focus and go out and live the Christian life on our own, we will be disappointed. If we feel that if we follow a few little rules or some clever tricks to become a mature Christian, then we have fallen into the trap of focusing on the rules more than on God. Paul gives no rules, and the Word of God has no rules to tell us exactly how we are to live a Christian life.

We are saved by grace, and now we are to live by the grace of God and become strong in that grace.

When we say that we must do this or that or follow some tradition or rules to think we are “better” or more “mature” in our faith, we show how little we understand about God’s grace. When we let rules and restrictions take over our worship of God, we limit God and restrict Him to working within a limited space and time. God works His way and in His time.

But Paul said, “Be strong in the grace that is In Christ Jesus.” How many of us were born “saved?” The answer is none. We are saved by God’s grace through faith. We have no merit of our own. We are saved by grace. We stand firm in the free gift of God’s grace. And we walk in the light of God’s grace. So if we are to be strong in the grace of Christ, and we are to GROW in the grace of Christ, WE must BE and DO and GROW and LIVE in the Grace of Christ. WE must reflect what Christ did for us.