Daily Devotional
The Power of Accountability
By Bonnie St. John
This week's topic: The Power Of Accountability
If you want to deepen your experience of these daily devotional messages and thus your relationship with God, consider choosing a prayer partner to share this journey with you.
Going through each devotional with a friend or prayer partner creates a great opportunity to discuss your thoughts, feelings and insights along the way, deepening your understanding. It is also helpful to have someone who will hold you accountable and challenge you to stay on track. And of course, as we know, where two or more are gathered, He is there. So with a prayer partner it’s a mini-prayer meeting!
Whatever frequency you set up, daily, weekly, or even monthly, you can meet in person or by phone. Try starting each meeting with a prayer. You can read the daily devotional out loud, and discuss any insights that emerge. Or, if not meeting daily, each of you can bring one devotional that has touched you since the last time you met. Take turns reading your devotional message and explaining why it resonated with you.
You may also want to prayerfully commit to your partner that you will take certain actions or make changes in the time before your next meeting. Close with a prayer to strengthen you and your prayer partner for the journey.
At your next meeting, you can check in on whether you were able to accomplish your goals (or not—we are human!) and how the discussion topic showed up in your actions and attitudes. Sharing this journey with a partner will significantly increase your ability to learn to live God’s joy in the world; it can double your joy! Having a partner keeps you accountable and therefore makes a more powerful impact on your life.
Are you willing to experience the power of accountability?
If you’ve decided that having a prayer partner feels right to you, take time now to list three potential prayer partners. Get in touch and if your first choice isn’t available for this journey right now, keep trying until you find someone who is.
You are on your way!
Scripture Of The Day: "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV
Bonnie St. John is a professional speaker and Olympic medalist, who has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, the 700 Club, and Life Today. The author of How Strong Women Pray and Live Your Joy, Bonnie St. John is committed to reaching out to the world with a message of triumph over circumstance. For more information about Bonnie, log onto http://www.bonniestjohn.com…
Subscribe to receive the SF Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Accountability of Passion
Daily Devotional
The Accountability Of Passion
By Lisa Birch
This week's topic: The Power Of Accountability
I got sucked into reality TV recently about a popular entertainment industry mogul.
He talked about how he hadn't slept for days because of the projects he was so heavily involved with. On this particular mission he set out to deliver new and different work and he went at it full force. He surrounded himself with top talent, fine tuned the good stuff, got rid of the bad, learned new techniques, stretched his skill set, and practiced to near perfection. He put in as many if not more hours than his support team. He was clearly exhausted, but still driven to create the best.
I'll have to admit that by the end of the episode I was sold on this man's passion.
A person of mogul status doesn't get to where he is without passion. Yes we all strive to be and do our best, but when passion shows up it takes on a different look.
It's peculiar and relentless. It elevates things to a new level and is strong enough to push you past the point where others normally stop. Rest is vital for the body and balance is key, but there are times when passion overrides sleep and even satisfies the appetite.
When all signs indicated that the guy in the reality show should slow down or stop, the power of passion held him accountable to keep going.
Think about Christ.
He was tired, beaten and bloody, but nothing could stop His passion (thank God!). No boundaries, no persecutions, no haters.
Not even death.
If you're passionate about anything at all, you've made some sacrifices in your life and you've realized some successes. But how much passion do we truly have for God and His word?
Even 99 percent isn't enough.
Lord, I pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I develop a passion for You that's so intense it holds me accountable like nothing else will. Make me crazily ambitious for Your word, and set me on fire to love, serve, honor and put you first every day. Amen.
Scripture Of The Day: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6
Publisher of Vertical Fix online magazine, Lisa Birch has a passion for music with integrity. Along with her husband Chris, Lisa is the co-founder of Vertical Fix internet radio. A 15-year writer and editor, Lisa has contributed writings for corporate, creative, editorial and ministerial environments. For more on Lisa, log onto http://www.verticalfix.com.
The Accountability Of Passion
By Lisa Birch
This week's topic: The Power Of Accountability
I got sucked into reality TV recently about a popular entertainment industry mogul.
He talked about how he hadn't slept for days because of the projects he was so heavily involved with. On this particular mission he set out to deliver new and different work and he went at it full force. He surrounded himself with top talent, fine tuned the good stuff, got rid of the bad, learned new techniques, stretched his skill set, and practiced to near perfection. He put in as many if not more hours than his support team. He was clearly exhausted, but still driven to create the best.
I'll have to admit that by the end of the episode I was sold on this man's passion.
A person of mogul status doesn't get to where he is without passion. Yes we all strive to be and do our best, but when passion shows up it takes on a different look.
It's peculiar and relentless. It elevates things to a new level and is strong enough to push you past the point where others normally stop. Rest is vital for the body and balance is key, but there are times when passion overrides sleep and even satisfies the appetite.
When all signs indicated that the guy in the reality show should slow down or stop, the power of passion held him accountable to keep going.
Think about Christ.
He was tired, beaten and bloody, but nothing could stop His passion (thank God!). No boundaries, no persecutions, no haters.
Not even death.
If you're passionate about anything at all, you've made some sacrifices in your life and you've realized some successes. But how much passion do we truly have for God and His word?
Even 99 percent isn't enough.
Lord, I pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I develop a passion for You that's so intense it holds me accountable like nothing else will. Make me crazily ambitious for Your word, and set me on fire to love, serve, honor and put you first every day. Amen.
Scripture Of The Day: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6
Publisher of Vertical Fix online magazine, Lisa Birch has a passion for music with integrity. Along with her husband Chris, Lisa is the co-founder of Vertical Fix internet radio. A 15-year writer and editor, Lisa has contributed writings for corporate, creative, editorial and ministerial environments. For more on Lisa, log onto http://www.verticalfix.com.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Power of Accountability
Daily Devotional
Accountability
By Tanya James
This week's topic: The Power Of Accountability
Accountability; what a 14 letter word!
But what does it mean?
"Accountability is the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable"
So why do I think OUCH when I think of accountability?
Because for true accountability to take place, there has to be a serious level of transparency, and for many that is a hard place to be. YET, there is so much power in it.
I remember before I got married and I had finally decided to obey God's mandates as it related to abstinence until marriage; one of the first things I did was find accountability partners.
People that I could trust and confide in that would not just pray for or with me but people that would help keep me in check. You know, people that would call after my date with tall, dark and handsome, just to make sure I was home...in my bed...by myself.
There were MANY of days I wanted to dodge my accountability partners or to tell them to leave me alone because I was a grown woman and could make my own decisions, but God sent them into my life to help me get off that fence of sexual immorality.
I needed that support system even if I didn't always want it! We all need support systems because it's not always easy to keep our commitments to living a life pleasing unto God.
Just make sure you are walking with someone that will help you in your commitments (whatever they are) and not people that will encourage you to go against God's word.
Proverbs 13:30 says "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Find yourself an accountability partner, but make sure you use wisdom; don't have a fool holding you accountable! And once you find that person, be open, transparent and totally honest and watch how God will use them to make you a better person!
Scripture Of The Day: "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed." - Proverbs 13:20 NASB
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto http://www.armedanddangerous.biz or http://www.themasterplan.biz.
Accountability
By Tanya James
This week's topic: The Power Of Accountability
Accountability; what a 14 letter word!
But what does it mean?
"Accountability is the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable"
So why do I think OUCH when I think of accountability?
Because for true accountability to take place, there has to be a serious level of transparency, and for many that is a hard place to be. YET, there is so much power in it.
I remember before I got married and I had finally decided to obey God's mandates as it related to abstinence until marriage; one of the first things I did was find accountability partners.
People that I could trust and confide in that would not just pray for or with me but people that would help keep me in check. You know, people that would call after my date with tall, dark and handsome, just to make sure I was home...in my bed...by myself.
There were MANY of days I wanted to dodge my accountability partners or to tell them to leave me alone because I was a grown woman and could make my own decisions, but God sent them into my life to help me get off that fence of sexual immorality.
I needed that support system even if I didn't always want it! We all need support systems because it's not always easy to keep our commitments to living a life pleasing unto God.
Just make sure you are walking with someone that will help you in your commitments (whatever they are) and not people that will encourage you to go against God's word.
Proverbs 13:30 says "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Find yourself an accountability partner, but make sure you use wisdom; don't have a fool holding you accountable! And once you find that person, be open, transparent and totally honest and watch how God will use them to make you a better person!
Scripture Of The Day: "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed." - Proverbs 13:20 NASB
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto http://www.armedanddangerous.biz or http://www.themasterplan.biz.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Getting Your Priorities In Order
Holiness—Getting Your Priorities In Order
By Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr.
This week's topic: Holiness
Do you have daily “intimate” fellowship with God? A life of holiness in the believer demands a life of priority, precedence, and first preference for God, such as with David, “a man after God’s own heart.”
David was consumed with a love and deep passion for God, “Oh God, thou art my God: Early will I seek You, My soul thirsts for You, My flesh longs for You, in a dry and thirsty land, Where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1-2
Developing Christian character is a work of establishing set order in our lives. The worship of God is a spiritual discipline that exhibits the values of living holy. Spending quality time in the presence of God is how David expressed his passion.
It was the “one thing” in his day that took precedence in his life, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His tabernacle.” Psalm 27:4.
The Disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and He gave them the whole spiritual dynamic written in Matthew 6, “Give us this day, our daily bread….” The focal point is that EACH DAY, God wants to have daily fellowship with us; not a casual, materialistic, lop-sided, one-dimensional relationship, but an intimate DAILY fellowship of spending time together in His presence.
He has so much that he wants to give to us, yet He does not bestow all of it upon us up front, else we would not come back. What we need will fall into place when we get our priorities in order.
How else will God know our passion if we do not spend time with Him? Like David, our example, God desires intimacy and a purposeful relationship with His children. How would you feel if a stranger asked to borrow your car? A red flag would check you immediately and you probably would respond, “Hey, I don’t know you like that!”
That is the way some people treat God -- too casual, too complacent, and not making a reasonable investment in building a relationship with Him. God comes where He is celebrated. When we pursue His presence, it shows God how much we value a relationship with Him.
Getting closer to God is tantamount to holiness in our Christian walk. We are too needy a people who require God’s provisions for our daily survival. This fact was demonstrated in the lives of the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years when God’s supply never ran out.
Each day was a total dependence on the Lord to send them fresh manna from heaven for their daily nourishment. No one suffered lack and no one needed to be greedy. God made enough manna every day for everyone. Yet, if anyone hoarded the manna overnight, it provoked God to send worms to eat it up so the people would learn the basic principle of dependence on Him and His grace for their daily survival.
God’s sustaining provisions daily load us with benefits.
Living holy is a conscious act of discipline and a priority to make Him first in our lives.
Scripture Of The Day: "For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness." - 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV)
Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr. is the Senior Pastor, CEO and founder of New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC). The focus of the ministry is to exemplify the love of Jesus Christ with a passion for helping people. For more information, visit http://www.ndcc.tv/.
By Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr.
This week's topic: Holiness
Do you have daily “intimate” fellowship with God? A life of holiness in the believer demands a life of priority, precedence, and first preference for God, such as with David, “a man after God’s own heart.”
David was consumed with a love and deep passion for God, “Oh God, thou art my God: Early will I seek You, My soul thirsts for You, My flesh longs for You, in a dry and thirsty land, Where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1-2
Developing Christian character is a work of establishing set order in our lives. The worship of God is a spiritual discipline that exhibits the values of living holy. Spending quality time in the presence of God is how David expressed his passion.
It was the “one thing” in his day that took precedence in his life, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His tabernacle.” Psalm 27:4.
The Disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and He gave them the whole spiritual dynamic written in Matthew 6, “Give us this day, our daily bread….” The focal point is that EACH DAY, God wants to have daily fellowship with us; not a casual, materialistic, lop-sided, one-dimensional relationship, but an intimate DAILY fellowship of spending time together in His presence.
He has so much that he wants to give to us, yet He does not bestow all of it upon us up front, else we would not come back. What we need will fall into place when we get our priorities in order.
How else will God know our passion if we do not spend time with Him? Like David, our example, God desires intimacy and a purposeful relationship with His children. How would you feel if a stranger asked to borrow your car? A red flag would check you immediately and you probably would respond, “Hey, I don’t know you like that!”
That is the way some people treat God -- too casual, too complacent, and not making a reasonable investment in building a relationship with Him. God comes where He is celebrated. When we pursue His presence, it shows God how much we value a relationship with Him.
Getting closer to God is tantamount to holiness in our Christian walk. We are too needy a people who require God’s provisions for our daily survival. This fact was demonstrated in the lives of the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years when God’s supply never ran out.
Each day was a total dependence on the Lord to send them fresh manna from heaven for their daily nourishment. No one suffered lack and no one needed to be greedy. God made enough manna every day for everyone. Yet, if anyone hoarded the manna overnight, it provoked God to send worms to eat it up so the people would learn the basic principle of dependence on Him and His grace for their daily survival.
God’s sustaining provisions daily load us with benefits.
Living holy is a conscious act of discipline and a priority to make Him first in our lives.
Scripture Of The Day: "For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness." - 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV)
Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr. is the Senior Pastor, CEO and founder of New Destiny Christian Center (NDCC). The focus of the ministry is to exemplify the love of Jesus Christ with a passion for helping people. For more information, visit http://www.ndcc.tv/.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Keeping Yourself Holy and Pure
Daily Devotional
Keeping Yourself Holy and Pure
By Bishop Keith Butler
This week's topic: Holiness
There are many traps set for the single individual who is living holy. The Bible tells you what to do in a dating relationship that begins to develop into ungodly behavior. 1 Cor. 6:17 says to flee fornication. What does "flee" mean? Flee doesn't mean, "I can deal with it." Flee means get on your running shoes and run. In other words, when you come into a scenario and sense that there is ungodly potential there, don't hang around. Get out of Dodge. That is how you keep yourself holy.
Prayer is essential for the single individual. You have to be prayed up so that you can see trouble coming, and so that you will have strength to flee. Proverbs 6:27 says, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" Flee that situation.
This is one reason why a born again brother may end a relationship with a born again sister. Men know that they cannot deal with holding on to a woman and stay holy. So, if he dates a single woman a couple of times, and she jumps all on him, he is going to cut it short. He is trying to be saved. If this woman keeps on messing with him he knows he is going to get in trouble. So he decides he cannot see her anymore, and ends it.
That goes the other way too. Here is a single woman living holy before God. She is dating this guy. They have only been out once or twice, and he has his paws all over her. Here is what to do with him: "Sorry Charlie. I'm looking for a holy man." She will not deal with him any further. She is looking for somebody who can exhibit control.
Holiness is self-control. The way to get a godly mate is to exhibit self-control in your life. Nothing is worth losing your testimony over. So, stay in prayer and in the Word. It is there that you will be strengthened to keep yourself holy and pure, and to live a life pleasing to God.
Scripture Of The Day: "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." - 1 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV)
Bishop Keith A. Butler is the founder and pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI, and Word of Faith Christian Center in San Antonio, TX. For more information about Bishop Butler, visit http://www.woficc.com.
Subscribe to receive the SF Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning!
Keeping Yourself Holy and Pure
By Bishop Keith Butler
This week's topic: Holiness
There are many traps set for the single individual who is living holy. The Bible tells you what to do in a dating relationship that begins to develop into ungodly behavior. 1 Cor. 6:17 says to flee fornication. What does "flee" mean? Flee doesn't mean, "I can deal with it." Flee means get on your running shoes and run. In other words, when you come into a scenario and sense that there is ungodly potential there, don't hang around. Get out of Dodge. That is how you keep yourself holy.
Prayer is essential for the single individual. You have to be prayed up so that you can see trouble coming, and so that you will have strength to flee. Proverbs 6:27 says, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" Flee that situation.
This is one reason why a born again brother may end a relationship with a born again sister. Men know that they cannot deal with holding on to a woman and stay holy. So, if he dates a single woman a couple of times, and she jumps all on him, he is going to cut it short. He is trying to be saved. If this woman keeps on messing with him he knows he is going to get in trouble. So he decides he cannot see her anymore, and ends it.
That goes the other way too. Here is a single woman living holy before God. She is dating this guy. They have only been out once or twice, and he has his paws all over her. Here is what to do with him: "Sorry Charlie. I'm looking for a holy man." She will not deal with him any further. She is looking for somebody who can exhibit control.
Holiness is self-control. The way to get a godly mate is to exhibit self-control in your life. Nothing is worth losing your testimony over. So, stay in prayer and in the Word. It is there that you will be strengthened to keep yourself holy and pure, and to live a life pleasing to God.
Scripture Of The Day: "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." - 1 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV)
Bishop Keith A. Butler is the founder and pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI, and Word of Faith Christian Center in San Antonio, TX. For more information about Bishop Butler, visit http://www.woficc.com.
Subscribe to receive the SF Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Hard Fight Against Lust
Daily Devotional
The Hard Fight Against Lust
By Dr. Creflo A. Dollar
This week's topic: Holiness
The American Heritage Dictionary defines lust as “a sexual craving, especially excessive or unrestrained; any overwhelming desire or craving.” While there are many types of lust, sexual lust is probably one of the most dangerous because it is a seed that, when planted, can produce a harvest of fornication and even death.
James 1:14-15 (AMP) says, “But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.”
Anytime you have an overwhelming sexual desire for someone who is not your spouse, it has the potential to kill you and pull you away from the will of God for your life.
Why do people give in to sexual lust? Because it “feels good” or because they don’t really believe that there are consequences. The truth of the matter is that lust can be difficult to control because it is a desire that cannot be quenched. Lust will never be satisfied; it must always have more.
To combat lust, you must create boundaries in your life that help keep you out of potentially compromising situations. If you’re single, for example, avoid late-night visits and phone conversations with members of the opposite sex.
Or, if you know you are challenged in this area, confide in a friend who can keep you accountable and help you maintain your purity. But the best way to quench the fire of lust is through the Word of God. It is always the best source of power when it comes to defeating any type of sin, including lust. If you are struggling with lust, follow these steps to help you overcome this sin in your life:
1) Focus on the will of God. When you choose to give your attention to anything that opposes God’s Word, you leave yourself vulnerable for lust to enter your mind, body and spirit. It then conceives and brings forth sin, and eventually leads to death. Stay focused on God’s will and plan for your life. Stay on track!
2) Guard your eyes and ears. If you conceive a child, nine months later a child will be born. It is the same way with lust. If you sit up all night watching pornography, for example, that seed will be planted into your spirit and you’ll eventually see the results of it in your life. Make it a point to monitor the material you allow into your spirit through your eyes and ears. It really does have an ability to alter your behavior.
3) Think about the Word. Satan’s most powerful weapon is the power of suggestion. His job is to try to inject a pattern of thinking into your mind that goes against the Word of God. But if you continue to read and study God’s Word, your mind will be better equipped to discern the truth from Satan’s lies.
4) Speak the Word. Try this exercise. Count to yourself from 1 to 10, keeping your mouth closed. Now say out loud, “Glory Hallelujah!” What happened to your counting? It stopped. Why? Because it was captured by what was coming out of your mouth. You can combat lustful thoughts and desires by shifting your focus to the Word of God and making daily verbal confessions over your life about your purity and wholeness in Christ.
Make this confession over your life: Father, I thank You that today I am free from the spirit of lust. I will no longer think lustful thoughts, but instead I will think on things that are true, things that are noble, just and pure (Philippians 4:8).
I walk in complete victory and self-control over my mind and my body in Jesus’ name, amen!
Scripture Of The Day: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." - Romans 13:14 (ESV)
Dr. Creflo A. Dollar is the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, located in College Park, Georgia. He is committed to changing the world one person at a time, and his award-winning “Changing Your World” television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes worldwide. Visit http://www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org…
Subscribe to receive the SF Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning!
The Hard Fight Against Lust
By Dr. Creflo A. Dollar
This week's topic: Holiness
The American Heritage Dictionary defines lust as “a sexual craving, especially excessive or unrestrained; any overwhelming desire or craving.” While there are many types of lust, sexual lust is probably one of the most dangerous because it is a seed that, when planted, can produce a harvest of fornication and even death.
James 1:14-15 (AMP) says, “But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.”
Anytime you have an overwhelming sexual desire for someone who is not your spouse, it has the potential to kill you and pull you away from the will of God for your life.
Why do people give in to sexual lust? Because it “feels good” or because they don’t really believe that there are consequences. The truth of the matter is that lust can be difficult to control because it is a desire that cannot be quenched. Lust will never be satisfied; it must always have more.
To combat lust, you must create boundaries in your life that help keep you out of potentially compromising situations. If you’re single, for example, avoid late-night visits and phone conversations with members of the opposite sex.
Or, if you know you are challenged in this area, confide in a friend who can keep you accountable and help you maintain your purity. But the best way to quench the fire of lust is through the Word of God. It is always the best source of power when it comes to defeating any type of sin, including lust. If you are struggling with lust, follow these steps to help you overcome this sin in your life:
1) Focus on the will of God. When you choose to give your attention to anything that opposes God’s Word, you leave yourself vulnerable for lust to enter your mind, body and spirit. It then conceives and brings forth sin, and eventually leads to death. Stay focused on God’s will and plan for your life. Stay on track!
2) Guard your eyes and ears. If you conceive a child, nine months later a child will be born. It is the same way with lust. If you sit up all night watching pornography, for example, that seed will be planted into your spirit and you’ll eventually see the results of it in your life. Make it a point to monitor the material you allow into your spirit through your eyes and ears. It really does have an ability to alter your behavior.
3) Think about the Word. Satan’s most powerful weapon is the power of suggestion. His job is to try to inject a pattern of thinking into your mind that goes against the Word of God. But if you continue to read and study God’s Word, your mind will be better equipped to discern the truth from Satan’s lies.
4) Speak the Word. Try this exercise. Count to yourself from 1 to 10, keeping your mouth closed. Now say out loud, “Glory Hallelujah!” What happened to your counting? It stopped. Why? Because it was captured by what was coming out of your mouth. You can combat lustful thoughts and desires by shifting your focus to the Word of God and making daily verbal confessions over your life about your purity and wholeness in Christ.
Make this confession over your life: Father, I thank You that today I am free from the spirit of lust. I will no longer think lustful thoughts, but instead I will think on things that are true, things that are noble, just and pure (Philippians 4:8).
I walk in complete victory and self-control over my mind and my body in Jesus’ name, amen!
Scripture Of The Day: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." - Romans 13:14 (ESV)
Dr. Creflo A. Dollar is the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, located in College Park, Georgia. He is committed to changing the world one person at a time, and his award-winning “Changing Your World” television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes worldwide. Visit http://www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org…
Subscribe to receive the SF Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Living As A New Creation
2010
Tuesday
05
October
Daily Devotional
Living As a New Creation
By Pastor Andre Butler
This week's topic: Holiness
The Bible says that when you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, your spirit was recreated. You went from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. The spirit that is living inside your body looks just like God’s, and wants you to act just like God. Have you noticed that there is a part of you that always wants to do the right thing? Why is that? Because, your spirit is holy and always wants you to do things God’s way. Your flesh, however, may still want to drink, smoke, sleep around, tell people off, party, or curse from time to time. Your flesh is working to bring you into the captivity of sin again.
There is a war going on inside of you right now. Your spirit and your flesh are in a boxing ring every day. Have you ever said, “I’ll never tell off someone like that again,” only to find yourself saying the same things one week later? Have you ever said, “I’ll never go to that porn website again,” only to find yourself at the same website a month later? For some reason, you just keep doing the same things. You are fighting a war, and your flesh is winning. This describes the plight of many Christians, particularly those who are still carnal. The word carnal means “flesh ruled.” Carnal Christians plan to do the right thing and try to grow spiritually, yet keep making the same mistakes.
God did not put you in a place where you’re winning in one moment and losing in the next. He wants you to live in constant spiritual victory. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to end up. But you cannot get to where God wants you to be until you deal with the issues of your flesh.
God asks you to be holy, and live for Him. Christian believers should not be like non-believers. We should not talk like they talk or react like they react. Our lifestyle should be separate and different from that of the world. This is more easily said than done. You are surrounded by the world. You live in the world. What is a Christian to do? How do you get to a place where you are holy, obedient, and blessed? By renewing your mind using the Word of God.
What you have is a battle between your spirit and your flesh to gain control of your mind. If your flesh can get you to start thinking in line with your fleshly desires, then your flesh wins. But if you renew your mind and start thinking in line with God’s Word, your spirit wins. You need to decide to daily renew your mind with the Word of God, because it is only when you do that you will change, and your spirit will have ultimate victory.
Scripture Of The Day: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:” - 2 Corinthians 5:17a
Pastor Andre Butler is a young man anointed and commissioned by God to spread the Good News of Christ. A 1996 graduate of Rhema Bible Training Center, Pastor Butler serves as Co-Pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI.s. For more information about Pastor Andre Butler, log onto http://www.andrebutler.tv.…
Tuesday
05
October
Daily Devotional
Living As a New Creation
By Pastor Andre Butler
This week's topic: Holiness
The Bible says that when you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, your spirit was recreated. You went from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. The spirit that is living inside your body looks just like God’s, and wants you to act just like God. Have you noticed that there is a part of you that always wants to do the right thing? Why is that? Because, your spirit is holy and always wants you to do things God’s way. Your flesh, however, may still want to drink, smoke, sleep around, tell people off, party, or curse from time to time. Your flesh is working to bring you into the captivity of sin again.
There is a war going on inside of you right now. Your spirit and your flesh are in a boxing ring every day. Have you ever said, “I’ll never tell off someone like that again,” only to find yourself saying the same things one week later? Have you ever said, “I’ll never go to that porn website again,” only to find yourself at the same website a month later? For some reason, you just keep doing the same things. You are fighting a war, and your flesh is winning. This describes the plight of many Christians, particularly those who are still carnal. The word carnal means “flesh ruled.” Carnal Christians plan to do the right thing and try to grow spiritually, yet keep making the same mistakes.
God did not put you in a place where you’re winning in one moment and losing in the next. He wants you to live in constant spiritual victory. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to end up. But you cannot get to where God wants you to be until you deal with the issues of your flesh.
God asks you to be holy, and live for Him. Christian believers should not be like non-believers. We should not talk like they talk or react like they react. Our lifestyle should be separate and different from that of the world. This is more easily said than done. You are surrounded by the world. You live in the world. What is a Christian to do? How do you get to a place where you are holy, obedient, and blessed? By renewing your mind using the Word of God.
What you have is a battle between your spirit and your flesh to gain control of your mind. If your flesh can get you to start thinking in line with your fleshly desires, then your flesh wins. But if you renew your mind and start thinking in line with God’s Word, your spirit wins. You need to decide to daily renew your mind with the Word of God, because it is only when you do that you will change, and your spirit will have ultimate victory.
Scripture Of The Day: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:” - 2 Corinthians 5:17a
Pastor Andre Butler is a young man anointed and commissioned by God to spread the Good News of Christ. A 1996 graduate of Rhema Bible Training Center, Pastor Butler serves as Co-Pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI.s. For more information about Pastor Andre Butler, log onto http://www.andrebutler.tv.…
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