John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."







Friday, April 19, 2013

THIS IS THE VICTORY

David Wilkerson Today
A Ministry of World Challenge

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013

THIS IS THE VICTORY
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

“This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John
5:4).

Have you failed? Is there a sin that easily besets you? Do you feel like a
weakened coward, unable to get the victory over secret sin? But with that
weakness in you, is there also a consuming hunger for God? Do you yearn for
Him, reach to Him? That hunger and thirst is the key to your victory. That
makes you different from all others who have been guilty of failing God. That
sets you apart. You must keep that hunger alive. Keep thirsting after
righteousness. Never justify your weakness, never give in to it, and never
accept it as a part of your life.

Faith is your victory. Abraham had weaknesses; he lied, almost turning his wife
into an adulteress. But Abraham "believed God, and it was counted unto him as
righteousness." God refused to hold his sin against him—because he believed!

Sure, you have failed. Maybe yesterday—or even today! But do you believe
Jesus has the power to ultimately free you from sin's power? Do you believe the
cross of Jesus means sin's bondage is broken? Do you accept the fact that He has
promised to deliver you from the snare of Satan?

Let me tell you exactly where I believe the victory lies. Let your heart accept
all the promises of victory in Jesus. Then let your faith tell your heart, "I
may not be what I want to be yet but God is at work in me, and He has the power
to loose sin's hold on me. It may be little by little, but the day will come
when faith will conquer. I will not always be a slave. I am not the devil's
puppet and I will not be his victim. I am a weak child of God, wanting the
strength of Jesus. I am going to come forth as pure gold tried in the fire. God
is for me! I commit it all to Him who is able to keep me from falling and
present me faultless before the throne of God—with exceeding great joy."




Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/22507?src=devo-email


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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

WHY IS IT HARD FOR CHRISTIANS TO PRAY?

David Wilkerson Today
A Ministry of World Challenge

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013

WHY IS IT HARD FOR CHRISTIANS TO PRAY?
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

Scripture makes it clear that the answer to everything in our lives is prayer
mixed with faith. The apostle Paul writes, "Be careful (anxious) for nothing;
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6). Paul is telling us, "Seek
the Lord about every area of your life and thank Him ahead of time for hearing
you!"

Paul emphasizes that we are always to pray first and not as a last
resort—going to our friends first, then to a pastor or counselor, and finally
ending up on our knees. Jesus tells us, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew
6:33). We are to go to the Lord first!

Our ministry receives heartrending letters from multitudes of broken
Christians. Families are breaking up; people who walked faithfully with Christ
for years are living in fear and defeat. Each of these people has been overcome
by something—sin, depression, worldliness, covetousness—and year after year,
their problems seem to get worse.

Yet, what shocks me most about their letters is that very few of these
Christians ever mention prayer. They turn to tapes, books, counselors, call-in
radio programs, therapies of all kinds, but rarely to prayer.

Why is it so hard for Christians to seek God for their desperate needs when
they are in times of crisis? After all, the Bible stands as one long testimony
that God hears the cries of His children and answers them with tender love.

* "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry" (Psalms 34:15).
* "The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all
their troubles" (verse 17).
* "This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him"
(1 John 5:14-15).
* "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive" (Matthew 21:22).

These promises are overwhelming evidence of God's care.





Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/22287?src=devo-email


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Monday, April 1, 2013

HE MADE YOU NEW!

David Wilkerson Today
A Ministry of World Challenge

MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2013

HE MADE YOU NEW!
by Gary Wilkerson


Have you been set free? You probably think, “Of course! I’ve been washed,
redeemed, made holy by Jesus, and I live for Him. ”

Now here’s a follow-up question: Does your everyday life reflect the glorious
freedom you have just described? Would your friends, your spouse, your children
say you’ve been set free? Or are you like multitudes of Christians who feel
they are on a spiritual seesaw? Is your walk with Christ continually up and
down, seemingly spiritual one moment and carnal the next?

We accept by faith the great truths about Jesus’ work for us—salvation,
redemption, sanctification, deliverance. Yet for many of us, these are
“spiritual truths” that exist in another world. We sing and rejoice at
church each week over what Jesus has done for us—but is His gift of freedom a
reality in our daily lives?

At times we all struggle to remain pure in thoughts and actions. Maybe this
week you said something unkind to your spouse and you have been stewing,
“What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I be a blessing in my marriage?”

Whenever we fail in our walk with God, we wonder, “Has God really set me
free?” Perhaps at times you even question your salvation. Friend, that
isn’t freedom. So what does it mean to really be set free in Christ? The
first evidence of this comes from Jesus, who says, “Which of you by being
anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? . . . Seek first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”
(Matthew 6:27, 33, ESV).

Christ offers the same words to all of us who fret about our spiritual lives:
Do not be anxious! It does not matter how broken down you feel about your walk
with Him. He declares, “You are a new creation” (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).
The moment you chose to follow Jesus, He made you new—and that never changes.
Even when you think you have strayed too far, Jesus says the opposite:
“Don’t be anxious. I have provided everything for you to have fellowship
with Me.”





Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/22281?src=devo-email


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Rev. Billy Graham