My Journey 7/18 - 7/20/2010

God's insight to me:

I like the devotional by Adrian Rogers. I could just picture in my mind the devil having a yard sale. But what I couldn't understand is why he would be selling these when he freely wants to give them to each of us. As believers it has been said many times that you can not lose your salvation but the devil wants to make you ineffective to reaching others for Christ. The tools that Adrian Rogers writes about will definitely do that. Discouragement is one that we constantly battle. So many people are living a life in a depression state of mind because of a combination of one if not all of these. Stay strong in Christ my friends and remember to tell the devil as Jesus did, "get behind me satan", and also tell him to take his tools with him!

In the devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley it gives us the answer as to how to keep the devil behind us. If the devil is handing you one of his tools don't take it but grab onto one that comes from the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Those my friends are the true tools of life.

Max Lucado's devotional is an excellent description of life. In the Message translation that he used it states that "Life is a journey". When I read that I thought about the title of my blogs that the Lord blesses me with, "My Journey". What stands out most in my life now is the two words that Max Lucado used in this devotional, "love" and "choice". My friends, I choose to love God! I choose to believe that all Scripture is inspired by God. I choose to understand that it is not about me but all about Him!

Reach Into God’s Toolbox

When life’s problems get overwhelming,
and a solution you’re looking for,
reach into God’s toolbox
to solve this problem and more.

If the devil gives you heartaches,
filled with jealously, anger and hate.
Reach into God’s toolbox,
to fix the problem before it’s too late.

Grab onto the tools from the Spirit,
love, joy, peace, and patience, just to name a few.
So whatever the devil is throwing your way,
God has the right tool waiting for you.

Remember the devil wants to keep you discouraged,
thinking each day you will always lose.
God has given us victory through His Son,
all we have to do is choose!

7/20/2010
E. P. Shagott

From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott

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July 18

The Chief Tool of the Devil
by Adrian Rogers

"Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord…" Psalm 25:15

There's a story about the devil auctioning off his tools. He had a high price on pride, laziness, arrogance, hate, envy, and jealousy.

But there was one tool that had a sign under it that read, "Not For Sale." Someone said, "What is that tool? Why isn't it for sale?" "Well," he said, "I can't afford to get rid of that one. It's my chief tool, discouragement. With this tool, I can pry open a heart. And once I get in, I can do most anything I want."

Do you want me to tell you why you get discouraged? I'll give it to you in a nutshell - you've taken your eyes off God!

Are you discouraged? If not, praise God! Then find someone who is, so that you can give them the encouragement they need in Jesus Christ. Maybe it's your next-door neighbor. Maybe it's a co?-worker. Maybe it's your spouse.

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July 19

Can We Trust Our Conscience?
By Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 1:12

The conscience looks at thoughts and actions to determine if they are in line with one's principles and standards. It is important to keep our internal alarm system well maintained so it will be trustworthy.

For our moral compass to sound at the right time and for the right reason, we must:

• Accept Scripture as our standard for behavior. Second Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." If we choose to adopt our culture's values, which are often at odds with the Lord's, our conscience will be unreliable. Instead, we want our radar to alert us to the possibility of going off course.

• Align our thinking with the Lord's. Romans 12:2 says to renew our minds. It is necessary and ongoing work to combat what this unbelieving world accepts as true and right. Our alarm system should help us identify ungodly ideas.

• Apply God's Word to daily living. When our habits reflect godly values, our conscience will become more sensitive to what is right and wrong.

In addition, it is essential that we rely on the Holy Spirit for understanding. Our conscience by itself is of some value, but it becomes indispensable when accompanied by the Spirit's guidance (John 16:13).

The Scriptures teach us how to live—in our thought life, conduct, and emotions (Gal. 5:16-23). As we make our standards align more closely with the Lord's, our conscience will become increasingly trustworthy because it is based on what is important to our heavenly Father.

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July 20

Dangerous Liberty
By Max Lucado

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.” 1 Peter 1:17, The Message

Each life is . . . a story to be written.

The Author starts each life story, but each life will write his or her own ending.

What a dangerous liberty. How much safer it would have been to finish the story for each Adam. To script every opinion. It would have been simpler. It would have been safer.

But it would not have been love.

Love is only love if chosen.

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