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Date Posted: 13:00:21 01/22/23 Sun
Author: c
Subject: Supplementary Teachings 1/2023

Our Daily Bread

3/7/23

Never too far

(edited)

Raj had trusted Jesus as Savior in his youth, but soon afterward, he drifted from the faith and led a life apart from God. Then one day, he made the decision to renew his relationship with Jesus and go back to church - only to be scolded by a woman who berated him for being absent all these years. The scolding added to Raj's sense of shame and guilt for his years of drifting. Am I beyond hope? he wondered. Then he recalled how Christ had restored Simon Peter (John 21:15 - 17) even though he denied Him (Luke 22:34, 60 - 61).

Whatever scolding Peter might have expected, all he received was forgiveness and restoration....Jesus' words before Peter disowned Him were being fulfilled: "When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32).

Raj asked God for that same forgiveness and restoration, and today he's not only walking closely with Jesus but serving in a church and supporting other believers as well. No matter how far we've strayed from God, He's always ready not only to forgive us and welcome us back but also to restore us so we can love, serve, and glorify Him. We're never too far from God: His loving arms are wide open.

Leslie Koh

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/2/23

Sowing Spiritual Seeds

(edited)

1 Corinthians 3:5 - 9


Think about everything that contributed to your salvation story. It's probably not possible to count all the spiritual seeds God used to draw you to the Savior. And most likely some of the people who sowed them never saw the outcome.

It's important to recognize the value and cumulative effect of how others have worked to expand the Kingdom. When we do, we then realize our own opportunity: We can sow spiritual seeds in the lives of friends, coworkers, children, grandchildren, and even strangers. God uses what we plant and leads others to spread further seed or water the ground, but He alone causes the growth.

When you display Christlike qualities and sow truth into others' lives, God feeds their spirit, changes their heart, enlarges their spiritual understanding, and increases their desire to live for Him. Whether or not you ever see the results, the Lord is using you to accomplish His will.

God is interested in more than the big things His children do for Him. He also sees all the small ways believers try to influence others for Christ. He values quiet manifestations of the fruit of His Spirit, for which no credit or praise is expected. Your love, kindness, patience, gentleness, and self-control are seeds that impact others.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/4/23

Liberated to live

Romans 7:14 - 25

Christ has set believers free from the condemnation of sin, but fighting against it is still a challenge. We can all identify with Paul's struggle in Romans 7 because we too may feel enslaved to sinful acts, habits, or attitudes. So, how can you enjoy the freedom Christ has won for you?

First, recognize that your problem is spiritual. When you were were saved, you received a new nature created in righteousness, holiness, and truth, but you still live in a fleshly, fallen body that's bent toward sin. That's why you're feeling an internal conflict.

Second, examine your motives and desires. Ask yourself, Why do I indulge to the point that I am mastered by this temptation?

Third, cry out to the Lord for help. Fill your mind with biblical truth. Then, believe that the Holy Spirit will enable you to deny your sinful desires and walk in obedience to God.

The Lord is progressively setting you free from the power of sin. Although you will always battle it to some degree in this life, the outcome is certain. After death or when Christ returns, you'll be completely free from sin and won't ever struggle with it again.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/10/23

Confidence in Prayer

(edited)

Matthew 7:7 - 11

...Bringing our concerns to God helps us grow in dependence on Him and in gratitude for His faithfulness and provisions. As a loving Father, He delights in giving good gifts that assist us in our walk with Him. And in that way, His thoughts, desires, and strength become ours as well.

Prayer also enables us to participate in God's work in the world. At any given moment, you can pray for anyone anywhere on earth and have confidence that the Lord of the entire universe will hear you and respond in the most effective way possible. What a wonderful privilege it is to be used by God to expand His church and to help fellow believers.

Another reason the Lord bids us to pray is so that our faith in Him will grow. He promises to answer when we ask, seek, and knock. The result may not be in the form we expected, but our Heavenly Father always gives us what is right according to His will. If you set aside time daily to talk to Him, you'll learn firsthand just how faithful He is to His children.

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In Touch Devotion February 2023

Bible Study

Waiting for Jesus: What keeps us focused when He tarries?

(edited)

p 19

We at times think the demands of life make vibrant faith - and practices like prayer and serving - hard if not impossible. But earthly toil and deep intimacy with God aren't incompatible when the heart is focused on Him. How does Matthew 24:40 - 41 illustrate this?


p 20

Jesus' presence makes the impossible possible. Believers are to both walk in His peace (John 14:27) and stay alert (Matthew 24:42; 25:13; 1 Peter 5:8). Though rest and vigilance seem mutually exclusive, companionship with Christ resolves the contradiction. Seek His presence and fix your heart on Him, wherever you are.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/16/23

Salvation: An Ongoing Blessing

2 Peter 1:1 - 11


Some people think of salvation as a single point in time. And it's true that the moment trust is placed in Jesus, a person permanently becomes a member of God's family. But limiting the definition to that single faith decision gives an incomplete picture.

Salvation includes three parts: 1) justification - the moment our sins are forgiven and Christ's perfect righteousness is imputed to us; 2) sanctification - the process of becoming increasingly righteous in this life; and 3) glorification - the completion of the process, when we're made perfectly sinless at the resurrection.

It's a package deal. Those who are justified are being sanctified and will be glorified (Romans 8:29 - 30). We can't claim we're saved if sanctification isn't happening in our lives. The degree of godliness and fruitfulness varies with each individual, but God has promised to complete the good work He began in our life (Philippians 1:6).

Jesus is our Master because He purchased us from sin with His blood. And Romans 10:9 says we must confess Him as Lord in order to be saved. The question is whether you're submitting to His process of sanctification. Has your life changed since you first professed Christ? Are you diligently cooperating with the Holy Spirit so that your life reflects Jesus' image?

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/23/23

The Fountain of Wisdom

Proverbs 9:7 - 12


Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Initially, however, the connection may not be clear, and we may wonder, How can fearing God make us wise?

First, let's look at what the expression means. "To fear God" conveys awesome reverence for Him. And that mindset moves us to acknowledge the Lord as the sovereign Ruler of Heaven and earth, submit to His will, and walk in obedience.

Those who commit themselves to living for God's purposes will gain greater understanding of Him. The Holy Spirit will enable them to see circumstances and people from His divine perspective. This kind of wisdom reaches beyond human perception and gives us discernment to make decisions that fit into the Lord's plans for our life.

What is your attitude toward the Lord? If you truly revere Him, you will listen for His directions and heed His warnings. A desire to honor and please Him will motivate you to turn from evil and seek to live in obedience. And the result will be wisdom beyond human understanding.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 2/28/23

Sowing to the Spirit

James 3:13 - 18


Yesterday we discussed how, in all of our choices, we either sow to the flesh or sow to the Spirit (Galatians 6:8). We plant seeds that affect what kind of person we're growing into and the level of impact our life will have for the Lord.

The "flesh" is the part of us that wants to live and act independently of God. We all must deal with the strong pull of this attitude; it doesn't simply vanish when we're saved. However, the Holy Spirit ensures that we're not enslaved to the flesh. He begins to change us so we can live according to the truth. The choices we make contribute to the process of transformation, and when they're in alignment with the Spirit's work, they plant good seed that results in even more new growth.

When you're sowing to the Spirit, you're accepting God's truth into your mind and heart. The fruit of  the Spirit grows naturally from this seed of godly truth and influences every aspect of your life. When you feed your spirit with the things of God, you're going to become stronger, more Christlike, and full of His life in your thoughts and actions.

Are you feeding your spirit or the part of you that wants to act independently of God? Choose to sow seeds that build you up, letting streams of living water flow you to nourish others (John 7:37 - 39).

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Turning Points daily devotion Thursday, January 19, 2023

One for the Road

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Major Ian Thomas, a British expositor, described a foolish man who was trying to push his car when it was filled with gasoline and capable of running on its own. He said that’s how many people try to live the Christian life—in their own strength and by their own efforts. But only Christ can live a life of godliness. He wants to do it through us by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.[1]

As we walk in the Spirit, we become more and more like Jesus because He is controlling more and more of us.

That perspective adjusts the way we look at difficulty. The devil seeks to harm us, but God uses every peril and problem to develop a more disciplined, Christlike, Christ-filled, Christ-empowered life. What a blessing to have a Heavenly Father who desires us to be more like Him! As we walk with Him, let’s thank Him for the daily work of the Spirit in our life.

The Christian life is nothing less than the life which He lived then… lived now by Him in you!

Ian Thomas

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Back to the Bible

Jan 16, 2023 2:00 am EST

Who Takes The Lead?

Read Galatians 5:16-21 (ESV)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Reflect

In your daily life, what usually guides your decision-making process? Do you rely on the Spirit’s leading or do you make decisions based on the desires of your flesh?

I am not a ballroom dancing expert. But one thing I do know is that when a couple is dancing, the man is supposed to take the lead and the woman is supposed to follow. When the couple sticks to their distinct roles, the dance is beautiful and the two seem to move effortlessly as one unit. But one thing is for sure, the dance is an epic fail if both partners are trying to lead at the same time.

Similarly, we are either led by our flesh or by the Holy Spirit. Our flesh leads us in one direction and the Spirit leads us in the other direction because the Spirit and the flesh are diametrically opposed to each other. Since we can’t walk in two different directions at the same time, we can’t follow both the Spirit and our flesh. It has to be one or the other.

In today’s passage, Paul urged the Galatians to be led by the Spirit rather than by our fallen flesh. But we are born sinners so all of the wicked deeds that Paul listed come quite naturally to us. That’s why we need to be born again of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said so Himself in John 3:3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

If we have placed our faith in Christ, we are born again and we have the Holy Spirit living in us. Christ redeemed us and made us right with God (justification). Now, the Holy Spirit is at work in us, daily making us more and more like Christ (sanctification). Because we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have the Holy Spirit, we should be living changed lives that are led by the Spirit, not our sinful flesh.

Now, people who habitually practice deeds of the flesh demonstrate that they are not truly born again in the Spirit. They are not regenerated. They haven’t become a new creation in Christ. Tragically, because they haven’t been born again and do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, they will not see the Kingdom of God.

The problem for Christians is, even though we have been born again and made new, we face a daily (sometimes even moment to moment) struggle with our flesh. The temptation is always there to return to our old ways. Our fleshly desires are always trying to keep us from following the lead of the Holy Spirit. In the dancing analogy, the Holy Spirit is the male partner and we are the female. It is our job to follow His lead and when we do, life is a beautiful dance! But often, in our fleshly pride, we want to be the leader which just creates a mess.

Paul expressed his frustration with his flesh in Romans. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15,18-25, NIV).

You see, sometimes, being led by the Spirit is a struggle. We have a daily choice to make—are we going to fall back into our old, sinful, and destructive ways? Or are we going to take off our old selves and put on our new selves (Ephesians 4:22-24)—the new selves who have been reborn and empowered by the Holy Spirit? When we make a thousand little decisions each and every day, are we going to follow the lead of our flesh or the lead of the Spirit?

Respond

Lord, I want to be holy as You are holy. I want to live a Spirit-led life. But I confess that I continue to battle my sinful flesh every day. Still, I praise You for delivering me and I ask You to help me follow the lead of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Reveal: How does living a Spirit-led life point to Christ?

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

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Back to the Bible

Jan 17, 2023 2:00 am EST

Stay On Step

Read Galatians 5:22-26 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Reflect

Since you became a Christian, what has been the biggest change in your life?

One of my sons is in the marching band at school. As I watched his band perform this fall, I was reminded just how important it is that everyone stays on step. Musically, the band members have different parts to play. In a field show, they may be walking in different directions and making different formations. But each and every member of the band should be marching to the beat of the same drum. They should even be on the same foot! When they are all in step, they all move as one unit.

Likewise, Paul wrote that if we want to live by the Spirit, then we need to keep in step with the Spirit. But what does he mean by that? Well, if we recall the context, we remember that Paul has been explaining how Christ has set us free from the law. The law does not have the power to save us, only faith in Christ’s gracious work on the cross on our behalf.

But Paul emphasized in Galatians 5:13 that we shouldn’t use our newfound freedom in Christ to gratify our sinful fleshly desires. In the previous verses, we read a list of “works of the flesh.” Unfortunately, all of these things come very naturally to us. In fact, apart from Christ, we are enslaved to them. But once we have been spiritually reborn, we are new creations. The problem is we still have to battle our flesh. We have to choose to put on our new selves, otherwise, we’ll just return to old, sinful ways.

This isn’t easy. We can’t accomplish this using our own willpower. Plus, if we place our trust and reliance in our own efforts again, we’re returning to the bondage of legalism! When we rely on legalism, all we do is change our outsides while the problem of sin still remains on the inside. Thankfully, in Christ, a changed life doesn’t depend on us, it is a work of the indwelling Holy Spirit—an Agent of change from the inside out.

Earlier, Paul listed out the deeds of the flesh but in this passage, he listed the “fruit of the Spirit.” All of these virtues are the polar opposite of the deeds of the flesh. Those of us who identity with Christ in His death and understand that He died in our place belong to Christ. As Paul said in Galatians 2:20, our flesh has been crucified with Christ. Now, it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us! We have new spiritual life and the flesh no longer dominates us! Plus, that new life produces good fruit.

In his New Testament Commentary, Warren Wiersbe pointed out that fruit is grown whereas works are manufactured. He wrote: “When you think of ‘works’ you think of effort, labor, strain and toil; when you think of ‘fruit’ you think of beauty, quietness, and the unfolding of life. The flesh produces “dead works” (Hebrews 9:14), but the Spirit produces living fruit. And this fruit has in it the seed for still more fruit (Genesis 1:1).”

Our job is to stay in step with the Spirit and move as one with Him. That means that we submit ourselves to the Spirit’s leadership in our lives and rely on His power rather than our own. We have to keep walking. We keep moving forward. But these steps are guided by the Spirit so that we go where God leads, not where our flesh leads. And step by step, He produces a fruitful life in us.

Respond

Lord, I want to be led by Your Spirit. Help me to stay in step with You. Please guide my steps and produce Your good fruit in my life. Amen.

Reveal: All believers are called to walk in step with the Spirit. Who can you come alongside to encourage to keep walking step by step with the Lord?

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

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Messianic Bible 1/20/23 Five (5) Expressions of Redemption is the Va'era Torah Portion this week


Still, we live in a fallen world.  Many of us suffer from spiritual myopia (short-sightedness) caused by focusing on our own suffering and loss.
 
The Israelites were no different.  They were so downtrodden and grieved in spirit that they simply could not believe what Moses said the Lord would do for them.  They couldn’t even listen to his words of hope.
 
“Moses reported this [promise of the Lord] to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.”  (Exodus 6:9)
 
This tendency in human nature should remind us to be patient and merciful as we minister to people.
 
Even today, there are those whose bondage is so cruel and whose spirit so broken that they also cannot hear those who preach the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus).  Sometimes, they must watch us walk in the power of God, seeing signs and wonders before they will listen and believe.
 
Sometimes, we must faithfully sow seeds, patiently waiting as God grows them.
 
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."  (1 Corinthians 3:6)

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Grace To You radio Broadcast 1/20/23 Pastor John MacArthur

The Purpose of Trials

James 1

(Summarized points of a teaching broadcast - not exact quotes)

1. The Heavenly Father brings trials into our lives to reveal to us the strength of our faith.


If we respond to trials with bitterness and resentment and anxiety, then we have a weak faith.

If we respond to trials with humility and showing the mentality of letting Jesus Christ bear the burden of the trial and having a sense of joy, then we have stronger faith.

It is important for us to know the strength of our faith.



2. Trials come to humble us so we won't think that we are stronger than we actually are.

When we advance in certain areas, trials come to keep us from thinking those advancements make us better than we actually are (2 Corinthians 12:7 - 10 details the situation of Paul with the thorn in his flesh and how that humbled Paul for Paul's benefit).



3. Trials come to ween us from worldly things.

We start to see worldly things only go so far and we start to look to the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more and more for help in times of need and contentment.



4. Trials call us to an eternal hope.

We start to want to go to Heaven when we start to dislike going through earthly trials. We recognize there'll be a better situation in Heaven.



5. Trials reveal what we really love.


If we love the Heavenly Father, we will be thankful for the Heavenly Father's purpose in making us go through trials.

If we love self and comfort the most, we will be bitter and resentful towards the Heavenly Father because we are going through trials that cause us discomfort.

The Heavenly Father pinpoints where we set our affections and those areas get challenged to reveal how much we love the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when those areas seem in turmoil or problematic (Luke 14:26 - 27 expounds about loving Jesus Christ more than close family or self)



6. Trials teach us to value the blessing of the Heavenly Father and the Word of Truth.

If we obey in the midst of a trial, we usually get blessings because we wisely chose the blessing of the Heavenly Father when it seemed like other choices were better from a worldly perspective.



7. Trials come to enable us to help others who will need help in a similar situation sooner or later.



8. Trials help us develop enduring strength for greater usefulness.


More trials grow us up to face greater foes which makes us more useful.

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