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Date Posted: 08:29:18 06/24/23 Sat
Author: c
Subject: Additional teachings 6/2023 (updated)


intouch.org Daily devotion 7/1/23

The Result of Prayer

John 14:16 - 18

(edited)

Imagine what would happen if God gave us whatever we wanted as soon as we asked. We probably wouldn't spend much time with the Lord, which is essential for knowing Him and having a relationship.

The biggest benefit of prayer is that we develop intimacy with God - not that we receive whatever we requested. Think of Paul, who asked three times for his "thorn in the flesh" to be removed before God answered no (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Paul was probably disappointed, but eventually he realized the situation drew him closer to the Lord....

When we've been praying long and hard but don't feel our words matter, that time with the Lord is not wasted. It sustains our relationship with Him.

God is listening attentively to our cries, and His Spirit is our consistent companion - even when we cannot "feel" His presence or involvement....He will help you persevere and enjoy the real benefit of prayer - time with Your Father.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 7/5/23

Freedom with responsibility

1 Peter 2:13 - 20

(edited)

Our freedom in Christ is a precious gift, but it doesn't excuse us from accountability, nor does it give us the license to do anything we please. God gives us freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. The Bible urges us to use our liberty for the good of others rather than to indulge our own desires (Galatians 5:13). In other words, we're to live for Jesus Christ instead of ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15).

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Intouch.org Daily devotion 7/6/23

Why me, Lord?

Romans 8:28-29

(edited)

When life gets tough, we may wonder why and ask, Is God punishing me? Has He forgotten me? Sometimes we know we're facing the consequences of sin or foolish choices, but other times the reason is not so clear. And when illness, death, or some other profound adversity enter our life, it's even more difficult to understand God's purpose in allowing it - especially if we're faithfully following Him.

Scripture shows us many ways that God uses hardship in believers' lives. It may be to get our attention, help us conquer pride, or teach us to hate sin. Sometimes it's to remind us of our dependence on the Lord, demonstrate His faithfulness, or give us tools for comforting and serving others. Other times, God wants to mature our view of Him or deepen our faith.

The Bible encourages us to rejoice in the midst of our trials (Matthew 5:12; Acts 5:41; Romans 5:3; James 1:2), and Romans 8:28 promises that God always works things out for the good of those who love Him. Does this lessen the hurt and doubt that accompany trials? Not always, but Psalm 23 promises that God is with us - comforting us in the midst of the valley (v.4). He may not always calm the storm around us, but He calms our heart when we cry out to Him.

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intouch.org Daily devotion 7/8/23

Thanksgiving amidst adversity

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Many experts agree that listing all the things you can be grateful for is an effective way to stay positive and joyful. And it's true that focusing on what's going right in your life mindset can also fall short of how God wants us to respond to our circumstances.

The Bible tells us not only to give thanks for everything in our life (including what we see as negative) but also to give thanks continually. In other words, it is possible - and desirable - for believers to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving regardless of the circumstances. That's not easy to do, but we can trust that our good, loving God will never ask us to do something He won't help us accomplish.

An ongoing attitude of gratefulness isn't only a helpful spiritual discipline - it's also medicine for the soul. It keeps us aware of God's place in our life and reminds us to look for His purpose in every situation. A mind full of gratitude brings us into alignment with the Lord's will and frees us from relying on ourselves instead of Him. Then our anxiety will be replaced with peace, which helps us trust God even when we don't understand why something difficult is happening.

Remember: Gratitude begets more gratitude. What can you thank the Lord for today?

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intouch.org 7/16/23

The Believer's purpose

Galatians 5:13

(edited)

Do you ever wonder why you're here? God's purpose for every believer is to have a righteous impact on others. You can be a vessel through which Christ overflows - touching those who hurt and desperately need a Savior. Scripture teaches our involvement has two main parts.

First, we love others. Jesus clearly stated that this was one of the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36 - 40). In fact, the Bible teaches that it's impossible to love God if we do not love others (1 John 4:20) - and every one of God's commands is a means to that end (Matthew 22:40).

Second, we serve. We do this by lifting others in prayer, helping people in need, and sharing our resources. Jesus perfectly modeled all three. His life was marked by caring for others - not only those who loved Him but also those who didn't. Jesus cared so much, in fact, that He gave His life for our redemption....

Your purpose is to love and serve others, and when you do, you'll shine Jesus' light so brightly that people will want to know Him. Acts of love and service are a way to share the good news about Jesus. Is there someone you can serve today?

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intouch.org daily devotion 7/22/23

Seeing adversity from God's viewpoint

(edited)

We all face hardship at some point...Now let's look at how our Father sees the trials He allows in a believer's life.

God's purpose isn't to destroy us; rather, it's to stimulate our spiritual growth. In His great wisdom, He knows how to take an awful situation and use it to transform us into the image of Christ and equip us to carry out His will.

Every adversity that comes into our life is sifted through the Father's permissive will. This doesn't mean the difficulty itself is His perfect will, but He allowed the trial to touch us so that he can use it to accomplish His wonderful purposes for our life.

Since our human eyes can't always see what the Lord is doing, we won't always understand everything we face. God's plans involve far more than each individual life; they include all of creation and reach from the beginning of time to eternity. Though we'll never grasp the infinite mind of God, we can know His faithfulness and love.

When you can't understand God's ways, choose to focus on His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power. Remember, He sees the entire picture and loves you more than you can imagine. This is a time to walk by faith, as perfect understanding comes only in Heaven.

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intouch.org daily devotion 7/29/23

Formula for personal growth

James 1:22 - 25

(edited)

Growing in Christ involves far more than just attending church, tithing, and listening in a sermon. In fact, many believers do all this but remain stagnant in their walk. For us to become more like Jesus, two things are necessary: instruction and involvement.

The first of these, learning the truth, is vital to a healthy walk with God....One of the most important ways is to read the Word of God. Scripture instructs us that just as newborns crave milk, we are to desire His Word so that we might grow. Pray that your spiritual thirst will become insatiable.

Simply listening to the truth, however, doesn't mean that we've acquired it....Just as today's passage teaches, we have to apply the Word to our life. Remember that actual growth requires action. As James 2:26 states, "Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

If we're truly maturing, our life will be increasingly Christlike, and our desires will align more closely with God's heart. Make sure that you are listening and responding to His truth.

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Beside the Still Waters

7/9/23

Blooming in our corner

(edited)


As we go through our daily routine, our human tendency is to think that the next person has a better life. We are inclined to feel that if this and that were improved, we would be satisfied. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence, as the saying goes, and we somehow feel that we are missing out. This is a rather shortsighted mentality.

Blooming in our corner is what God wants us to do. Life is meant for living here and today. Let's not wait until the new house is built or the garden yields a bumper crop or we feel perfectly healthy or we have more money. Let's not allow any excuse to hinder us.


How can we cultivate a positive outlook on life? Is it not by the attitude of gratitude? "In every thing give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Being thankful is an excellent antidote to whining and pining. So let's endeavor to bloom where we are and to bless every soul we meet....

John Ropp

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Beside the Still Waters

7/15/23

Discover Christ's blessings

(edited)


...The call of the Gospel may look unattractive. Denying self and following Jesus may seem like difficult requirements. But how raptured is the soul who discovers the blessings Christ has for those who spend time with Him! Malachi 3:10 invites, "Prove Me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Will you prove Christ today?

Daniel Diller

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Beside the Still Waters

7/18/23

Lasting Happiness

(edited)

We are all born with a nature that is bent toward evil. satan tells us that happiness is found in pleasing ourselves, but that is a delusion. The only way to find lasting happiness is to repent of our sins and say no to our selfish desires. By faith in Christ we are born again by the Holy Spirit, and we receive a new nature that delights in doing God's will and in serving others.

Even if we are persecuted for believing in Jesus, we can still rejoice. Jesus told His followers, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12). Seeking to satisfy ourselves doesn't bring lasting happiness. But if we live for Jesus and seek to make others happy, we can always be happy.

John Myers

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Beside the Still Waters

7/25/23

If you do well

(edited)

...there were at least three deficiencies in Cain's worship and his relationship with God.

Cain's sacrifice also lacked the shedding of blood, whereas Hebrews 9:22 says that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (of sin). We could speculate that Cain was too proud to ask Abel for an animal to sacrifice. But the Bible says nothing about these things.

Joseph Kuepfer

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Beside the Still Waters

7/26/23

Our reputation

(edited)


We are building a reputation by the things we do, the words we say, and the life we live. So what kind of reputation do we have? Are we known to be kind, gentle, honest, faithful, punctual, and trustworthy? Or are we known as being critical, shrewd, proud,, dishonest, and inconsiderate? Let's endeavor to live a life like Daniel's, in which the princes could find "none occasion nor fault" with him.

Leon Miller

Reputations are results of our actions.

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Beside the Still Waters

8/5/23

Of faith and understanding

(edited)

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding - Proverbs 3:5

A friend once told me, "Your trouble is that you have to figure out everything." There is a certain satisfaction in getting things figured out. But when it comes to matters of faith, we need to believe even if we don't fully understand. To the man whose child had an unclean spirit, Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" He cried out with tears, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:23 - 24). Thus we see that we often our problem is not a lack of understanding, but rather that we stumble because of unbelief.

...Faith may not be easy to attain. There is a certain amount of difficulty in believing. Just as a miracle can't be figured out, so faith is not readily understood. Nevertheless, exercising faith has its rewards.

We need to "continue in the faith" in order to be "grounded and settled" in the Lord. It's not that we fully understand, but that we have the assurance of receiving the understanding we need to do God's will.

Today's key verse has an important clue. If we trust in the Lord, things will work out much better than if we lean on our own understanding. Trusting Him to guide us will make a difference in our lives. If we willingly give up our own understanding by faith, He will give us true understanding. Then we can experience His blessing: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:6)

Noah Yoder

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Beside the Still Waters

8/6/23

Believing is seeing

(edited)

All of us face difficult and even seemingly impossible situations at times. Do we remember to view the conflict through eyes of faith? When we feel surrounded by forces of evil, we need to have the confidence that "they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2 Kings 6:16)

"Seeing is believing" is a popular saying. That is true enough, and yet the opposite is also true in a spiritual sense. When we choose to believe God, even though we cannot see, He will open our eyes so we can actually see. God alone can give spiritual sight; only by the power of His indwelling Spirit can we see things as they really are. If we are struggling to see beyond the mist of our humanity, let us ask God to reveal His power and glory to us.

Elisha's prayer is still relevant today, and we may speak it for ourselves and our fellow believers - O Lord, open our eyes!

Jeremiah Stoll

Only eyes of faith can see the resources of God.

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Beside the Still Waters

8/11/23

Dusty

(edited)

...Do I really care about the poor, ragged people on local street corners, about the single mother down the road who is struggling to feed her children? Do I send generous checks to help people in other countries, while I grow my personal empire in my own neighborhood? We know very well that Jesus walked with the poor and ate with the sinners. But though we think it was right for Jesus to minister to such people, do we think they are not "our" responsibility? Let us do what we can to meet the needs right in front of us. Then when Jesus returns, He can say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:21).

Levi Miller

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