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Christian Devotional – June 19, 2013
VERSE: Acts 18:9–One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent.” TRUTH: It’s encouraging to know that even the apostle Paul got discouraged and afraid at times. God came to Him to encourage and lift Him up and He does the same for us when we are down and struggling. No matter who we are, we will go through discouraging and down times. Satan will tempt us to give up and turn away from being obedient to God, but we can be encouraged that we are not the only one to go through times like these and we…
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Christian Devotional – June 18, 2013
VERSE: Acts 17:27–God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. TRUTH: Paul preaching to the people of Athens is explaining that God wants us to seek Him and search for Him. God wants us to be sure that we desire Him and desire to know Him. The great thing about seeking God? He is not far from us. Yes, He wants us to seek Him, but not because He is hiding from us. God desires to be known and to reveal Himself to us, but He wants us to desire…
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Christian Devotional – June 17, 2013
VERSE: Acts 16:13–On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. TRUTH: When Paul and Silas went to go look for the local church in the new area they were in, they went looking for a place of prayer. Would we characterize our church that way? If a stranger was looking for a house of prayer, would they be directed to our local church? Jesus called His house a house of prayer. Are we following that or have we turned His house into something…
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Christian Devotional – June 16, 2013
VERSE: Acts 15:11–No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. TRUTH: As far back as the first believers, people were trying to add requirements to the gospel message. The core question became, “What does a person have to do to be saved?” The Jews were trying to tell the Gentiles that they had to be circumcised first. Paul took the stand that is listed here. Salvation is through grace and people come to the Lord just as they are. People don’t have to fix their lives first in order to come to Jesus. There are no extra requirements.…
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Christian Devotional – June 15, 2013
VERSE: Acts 14:17–Yet He has not left Himself without testimony; He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. TRUTH: No matter our circumstances God has worked in our life to testify of His great love for us. God gives us so many of the wonderful provisions and we should recognize and acknowledge His hand in all that we see around us. God loves us and He provides for us in so many ways that testify to His presence and mercy in our lives. RESPONSE: Father, You move and work in…
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Christian Devotional – June 14, 2013
VERSE: Acts 13:45–When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. TRUTH: The Jews who heard Paul’s message didn’t get upset or angry until they realized that more people were coming to hear Paul’s message than came to h ear their message. Jealousy is such a dangerous thing because it can be over just about anything. Are we going to miss what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of those around us just because we get jealous about how God is moving and working? RESPONSE: Lord, search my heart and root…
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Christian Devotional – June 13, 2013
VERSE: Acts 12:9–Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. TRUTH: Can you really blame Peter for assuming this was just a vision? He had been fast asleep when the angel got him up. None of us, no matter who we are, always see God’s actions clearly 100% of the time. Peter was obedient and closer to God than many people and even he didn’t catch on right away. Still God moved and worked in His life and he didn’t resist. Peter eventually realized God’s plan. Are we open to…
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Christian Devotional – June 12, 2013
VERSE: Acts 11:17–“So if God gave them the same gift He gave to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” TRUTH: Peter had gone and shared with the Gentiles, and now some of the Jews were upset. When they criticized Peter, he simply gave a recounting of what happened and then ended with this statement, “If God wants to do something, who am I to think I could stand in God’s way.” We are to have the same idea about the plans God has for us. When God wants to do something, regardless of the criticism of…
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Christian Devotional – June 11, 2013
VERSE: Acts 10:15–The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” TRUTH: Peter had grown up with a very clear idea about people who were considered clean and people who were not. Now that Jesus had come and had died and rose again to provide salvation for all people, God had to help Peter learn to change his perspective. God’s message of hope and salvation is for all people and everyone can know and have an opportunity to accept Jesus. Do we only share with certain people? Do we only want certain people in our church? God desires all people to…
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Book Review – Wounded Heroes Book Three: Betrayal by Anne Patrick
The third book in the Wounded Heroes series by Anne Patrick is titles Betrayal. Sergeant Drew Presley is just back from the front lines of Iraq and is now ready to track down the murderer who killed his wife, Nora, eighteen months ago. He had come back for the funeral, but had chosen to finish out his service before returning, trusting in the local police to do their job. Now, since no arrests have been made and no progress has been apparent on the case, he’s going to figure it out himself. However, the close-knit residents of Dauphine Island in Maine aren’t willing to give up their secrets easily. Drew’s…