Who Said That!

Daily Strength By Joe Stowell
www.rbc.org

Voices

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Hearing voices has to be the most haunting of all the mental disorders. After all, which voice do you listen to? Talk about massive confusion! But before you think that you are among the blessed ones who don’t hear voices, think again. Today will be full of voices that compete for a piece of your life. Your boss, your spouse, your children, close friends, advertisements, and talk shows all will bombard your psyche with conflicting advice or demands.

It’s not just the voices on the outside. No matter how sane you think you are, we all have inner voices that compete for control; voices that are not always positive. I confess to hearing the compelling whispers of the dark side of my heart on a regular basis. Whispers that advise and plan ways for me to live for my own advantage. Whispers that convincingly argue that a life lived by the lure of my desires is life at its best. Whispers that tell me I am clever enough not to get caught, that nobody is perfect, that God understands my weakness and will forgive me. Tell me that I am not alone and that you can identify!

I have learned that when those kinds of inner voices dominate, I often look back in regret and shame for letting them grab the control levers of my life. They promise me life at its best but consistently leave me empty, disappointed, guilty and embarrassed.

That’s why I am forever grateful that there is a voice within that I can trust. A single voice that puts all the other voices into perspective. A voice that speaks wisdom clearly and confidently. A voice that has my best interest in mind and wants to lead me to life at its best.

Over the years as I have followed the advice and counsel of that voice, I have never been disappointed. It hasn’t always been easy advice, and sometimes it hasn’t made a lot of sense—like telling me that I should forgive someone who has hurt me or that I need to die to myself—but it has reliably been the right advice.

It’s the voice of Jesus. When you get on line in your heart to hear His voice and His alone, you will be liberated from the conflicting voices that in the end you really can’t trust. Thankfully, He has given you all the equipment you need. Talk about high tech! The indwelling Holy Spirit actually lives within you to decode God’s Word as you read it. He speaks to your mind, heart, and conscience as your eyes scan the lines of the bestselling how-to-live book ever written.

So put the “earbuds” in and tune to the one frequency where you are loved and led to life as God meant it be—life at it’s best!
Remember, His is the only voice you can finally and fully trust. He loves you and died to prove it!

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Some-thing, No-thing, All Things

For those of us that have freedom in Christ, is it so large a thing to bear with those that are confused and hurting. What if in that moment we were to share of the liberty and hope that comes through Christ? What if we explained that "all things are possible through Him"? What if we simply paused to listen and care - allowing Christ to fill their presence as we pray over them, whether silently as they speak or in union with them.

So many options, so many needs.....the spirit is willing, it is the flesh that is weak.

God I pray that your spirit rise up in us, your angels run before us to prepare the way and we witness to all that you are for your names sake.

In Christ,
Candace Huffmaster

To The Rescue

www.rbc.org daily devotional by Joe Stowell

READ: Luke 15:1-7 There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. —Luke 15:7

Martie and I recently traveled to some major cities in several countries. We were struck with how lost our world is and grieved over the millions who have never heard the message of the saving grace of Jesus. The thought of reaching our world for Christ felt overwhelming.

Until I remembered the story of the boy walking on a beach. Encountering hundreds of starfish dying under the heat of the burning sun, he started throwing them back into the sea. A passerby asked, “What are you doing?” “Saving their lives,” the boy replied. “Forget it,” the man said. “You can’t possibly save all these starfish.” “Right,” replied the boy, “but it makes a big difference to each one I do save.”
I love the boy’s perspective. When the wave of sin threw us onto the shore to die, God sent His Son to walk on the beach to rescue all who would repent. And, as Jesus told His listeners in Luke 15, each time someone is rescued, heaven throws a party. “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
Has heaven rejoiced over your rescue? If so, join the ranks of those who reach other lost souls with the rescuing grace of Jesus.

Your love, O God, would spare no pain

To conquer death and win;

You sent Your only Son to die

To rescue us from sin. —M. Gustafson

When you’ve been rescued, you’ll want to rescue others.

How do you like a bandaid removed? Slowly....or one quick RIP!

Joe Stowell always writes like we talk. He is incredibly easy to relate to. When he talks about his simple understanding of Loving our Neighbor through this experience, I had to shake my head at myself. Guess I was making it a more difficult concept to understand than it really needed to be. Or maybe seeing it so clearly shows how much I still need to grow. It is easiest to walk past someone and smile, ask if they need help, do something from a check list and move on. But if I have to employ thought about how THEY would like me to do it.......now that takes some serious selflessness and kindness. Jesus didn't just say "the man who helped him". The verse in Luke say, the one that was "kind" enough to help him. As I read this verse this morning again through Joe's wisdom, the statement Jesus made rose up in different areas.  Yes we have to be willing to stop, listen and give the help, and God can use that.  However, maybe there is another level we should strive to mature into.  When we employ the fruit of the spirit within our ability to help, say kindness for instance, that brings a new dimension of aid to the situation.  This pivitol point is where the power of the Lord is indwelling within the situation "to bring complete rescue and restoration and deliverance"


I thank God for this day, His mercy and grace to make it through it, His power, strength and courage to miss it and get back up.....and these words of Joe Stowell.

May God be glorified even when we miss it.

With Love,
Candace

Neighborly Love

READ: Luke 10:29-37

You shall love the Lord your God . . . and your neighbor as yourself. —Luke 10:27

It would have been simpler just to buy a new hair dryer. But determined to save a buck, I decided to fix it myself. In order to loosen the screw that was buried deep in the handle, I took out the ultimate handyman’s helper—my pocket knife. As I put pressure on the knife to turn the screw, the blade folded back—on my finger.

I learned a lesson that day: I love myself. And I am urgent about meeting my needs. There was no thought of, “Well, I don’t really have time to stop the bleeding now. I’ll get to it later.” Also, there was a tenderness about how the need was met. I instructed my first-aid team (my wife and kids) to wash my finger gently and then to put the bandage on in a way that would avoid having the hairs on my finger pulled up when it was removed. My thoughts, words, and actions were driven by my love for myself.

To love “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) requires the same urgent kind of love. It’s a love that notices the need of another person and won’t rest until it’s been met. It’s a gentle, tender love that thinks and acts carefully. It’s the sacrificial and compassionate love that a nameless Samaritan had for a fallen traveler. It’s the kind of love God wants to share with your neighbors through you. — Joe Stowell

Lord, help me see the heartfelt needs

Of those within my care,

And grant that through my words and deeds

Your love with them I’ll share. —D. De Haan

You cannot touch your neighbor’s heart with anything less than your own.