July 5: Discernment, Knowledge, and Action
#Devotional
1 Samuel 10:1–11:15; James 2:14–18; Psalm 119:65–80
We often wonder whether God hears our prayers. Even when we acknowledge that God deals with each petition we send His way, we experience doubt because we don’t understand how He has handled our plea. Yet instead of asking “Is God hearing me?” we should be asking God to help us grow closer to Him and gain a better understanding of His ways. We should echo the words of the psalmist, “You have dealt well with your servant, O Yahweh, according to your word. Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe your commands” (Psa 119:65–66).
We often misunderstand the concepts of discernment and knowledge. Discernment allows us to know God’s will and perceive the decisions He would have us make. Knowledge helps us to understand God Himself, primarily His character. Both of these concepts are grounded in our relationship with God and others, both empower us to work for Him—and we are called to cultivate both qualities in our lives.
Unless we know God, we’re incapable of successfully doing His work. We must be willing to talk to God honestly about our relationships, as the psalmist does in Psalm 119:69–72. The psalmist acknowledges that he needs God’s help in all matters of his relationship with God and all matters of his relationship with others. He understands that he cannot even begin to know God without the power of God helping him.
We must be empowered for action, both in the intimacy of prayer and in the reality of relationships. And we must support what we believe with our works, as the letter of James call us to do: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:14–26).
Reflecting regularly on how God has worked with us and is working in us allows us to recognize that everything in our lives has a purpose. God often works in others through us, and that great calling requires us to have knowledge of Him and discernment about His workings in our world.
How are you discerning the great work of God in your life? How are you enhancing your knowledge of God?
#Devotional
1 Samuel 10:1–11:15; James 2:14–18; Psalm 119:65–80
We often wonder whether God hears our prayers. Even when we acknowledge that God deals with each petition we send His way, we experience doubt because we don’t understand how He has handled our plea. Yet instead of asking “Is God hearing me?” we should be asking God to help us grow closer to Him and gain a better understanding of His ways. We should echo the words of the psalmist, “You have dealt well with your servant, O Yahweh, according to your word. Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe your commands” (Psa 119:65–66).
We often misunderstand the concepts of discernment and knowledge. Discernment allows us to know God’s will and perceive the decisions He would have us make. Knowledge helps us to understand God Himself, primarily His character. Both of these concepts are grounded in our relationship with God and others, both empower us to work for Him—and we are called to cultivate both qualities in our lives.
Unless we know God, we’re incapable of successfully doing His work. We must be willing to talk to God honestly about our relationships, as the psalmist does in Psalm 119:69–72. The psalmist acknowledges that he needs God’s help in all matters of his relationship with God and all matters of his relationship with others. He understands that he cannot even begin to know God without the power of God helping him.
We must be empowered for action, both in the intimacy of prayer and in the reality of relationships. And we must support what we believe with our works, as the letter of James call us to do: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:14–26).
Reflecting regularly on how God has worked with us and is working in us allows us to recognize that everything in our lives has a purpose. God often works in others through us, and that great calling requires us to have knowledge of Him and discernment about His workings in our world.
How are you discerning the great work of God in your life? How are you enhancing your knowledge of God?
❤3
July 5 - Discerning False Prophets: Seeing Their Converts
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits’” (Matthew 7:19–20).
We can spot false prophets by the kind of people they attract. Their converts will have the same kind of superficial, self-centered, unbiblical orientation as they do. Of this sort of attraction Peter says, “Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned” (2 Peter 2:2). Many folks gravitate to false teachers because those men propagate what the majority of people want to hear and believe (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3).
God has not ordained false prophets, but within His will He allows them to exist. And it is within His purpose that false factions develop. “For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). Factions often attract followers of false teachers. And in a sense, this protects genuine saints by separating the chaff from the wheat in the church.
Ultimately, the Lord makes sure that the converts of false prophets, who do not bear good fruit, get cut down and thrown into the fire of judgment. Peter says they are “bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1; cf. Jer. 23:30–40; John 15:2, 6). A watchful, discerning, vigilant believer, armed with the Word of truth, will be able to isolate false teachers and withdraw from them, because he or she “will know them by their fruits.”
Ask Yourself
Discussions like these often get us labeled as haughty and narrow-minded. How do you handle these kinds of accusations? Why will some people never understand your concern for the church’s purity?
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits’” (Matthew 7:19–20).
We can spot false prophets by the kind of people they attract. Their converts will have the same kind of superficial, self-centered, unbiblical orientation as they do. Of this sort of attraction Peter says, “Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned” (2 Peter 2:2). Many folks gravitate to false teachers because those men propagate what the majority of people want to hear and believe (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3).
God has not ordained false prophets, but within His will He allows them to exist. And it is within His purpose that false factions develop. “For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). Factions often attract followers of false teachers. And in a sense, this protects genuine saints by separating the chaff from the wheat in the church.
Ultimately, the Lord makes sure that the converts of false prophets, who do not bear good fruit, get cut down and thrown into the fire of judgment. Peter says they are “bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1; cf. Jer. 23:30–40; John 15:2, 6). A watchful, discerning, vigilant believer, armed with the Word of truth, will be able to isolate false teachers and withdraw from them, because he or she “will know them by their fruits.”
Ask Yourself
Discussions like these often get us labeled as haughty and narrow-minded. How do you handle these kinds of accusations? Why will some people never understand your concern for the church’s purity?
❤3
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23
🥰1
Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who was seated on it, earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them.
Revelation 20:11
This world, will be totally eradicated.
Revelation 20:11
This world, will be totally eradicated.
❤3💯2
10 sins we excuse too easily: gossip, envy, pride, greed, fear of man, prayerlessness, laziness, lust, bitterness, and gluttony.
❤2💯2
Dear Daughter,
Sunday worship: Gather with your husband in God’s presence 🙌
Let His Word refresh your marriage. Rest in His grace together.
A worshiping couple is a strong couple.
'Where two or three gather in My name' (Matt 18:20).
How will you worship as one today?
#DearDaughter #SundayWorship #StrongMarriage
Sunday worship: Gather with your husband in God’s presence 🙌
Let His Word refresh your marriage. Rest in His grace together.
A worshiping couple is a strong couple.
'Where two or three gather in My name' (Matt 18:20).
How will you worship as one today?
#DearDaughter #SundayWorship #StrongMarriage
❤3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
Ephesians 1:3
❤4
July 5 (Sunday)
Sunday worship: Gather your hearts before the Lord! 🏡🙌 Let Christ be the center of your marriage and your home today! Col 3:16 ❤️
Will you worship and pray together this Sunday? #StrongMarriage #July
Sunday worship: Gather your hearts before the Lord! 🏡🙌 Let Christ be the center of your marriage and your home today! Col 3:16 ❤️
Will you worship and pray together this Sunday? #StrongMarriage #July
❤4
In Christ, you:
1. were given grace before the world was created,
2. were chosen by God before creation,
3. are loved by God with an inseparable love,
4. were forgiven of all your sins,
5. are justified before God, and
6. have become a son of God.
1. were given grace before the world was created,
2. were chosen by God before creation,
3. are loved by God with an inseparable love,
4. were forgiven of all your sins,
5. are justified before God, and
6. have become a son of God.
🔥6❤1
“For no other reason in the world can be assigned
“why Christ should undergo any thing in another’s stead,
“but that that other might be freed from undergoing that which He underwent for him.”
— John Owen, 10:246
“why Christ should undergo any thing in another’s stead,
“but that that other might be freed from undergoing that which He underwent for him.”
— John Owen, 10:246
❤3
The Church doesn't need another celebrity. It needs another generation of men who fear God more than applause.
❤9
A sermon that never confronts sin may fill seats, but it will not prepare souls for eternity.
❤4
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:28
Once saved, always saved, is Biblical doctrine.
John 10:28
Once saved, always saved, is Biblical doctrine.
❤10
“One pure act of spiritual sight
“in discerning the glory of Christ [in heaven],—
“one pure act of love in cleaving unto God,—
“will bring in more blessedness and satisfaction into our minds
“than in this world we are capable of.”
— John Owen
“in discerning the glory of Christ [in heaven],—
“one pure act of love in cleaving unto God,—
“will bring in more blessedness and satisfaction into our minds
“than in this world we are capable of.”
— John Owen
❤2
July 6: Faith
#Devotional
1 Samuel 12:1–13:23; James 2:19–26; Psalm 119:81–96
Sometimes it’s difficult to view our lives as a whole. We fulfill different roles as we interact with different people at school, home, work, and even church. In the natural donning and discarding of these roles, we might be tempted to compartmentalize our lives, yet we do so to the detriment of our faith. Even as we read our Bibles with intellectual vigor at home and participate in a small group at church, we might miss the mark of application. We forget to connect the dots, neglecting to treat our coworkers with kindness and our peers with love. We can know our faith intellectually but still miss out on the call to action and the response of obedience in our lives.
But James shows us that belief and action are inextricably linked. When we think about them as separate entities, we develop a deep-rooted problem: “But do you want to know … that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected” (Jas 2:20–22).
James wasn’t arguing that Abraham earned his righteousness before God; rather, Abraham was acting out of obedience as a response of faith. As people who have been redeemed by Christ, we can joyfully express our faith—we are enabled to do good works because of His work. Although we won’t attain perfect obedience in this life, we will desire obedience and love. We will desire to use our lives to apply what we know in our heads and feel in our hearts. Because of our faith, we will do good works.
Real faith doesn’t sit still, but it doesn’t move on its own, either. We need to pray for God’s Spirit to ignite this desire in us, prompting us to act with love and obedience.
In what area of your life are you missing the mark of application? How can you pray for wisdom in that situation? How can you act faithfully?
#Devotional
1 Samuel 12:1–13:23; James 2:19–26; Psalm 119:81–96
Sometimes it’s difficult to view our lives as a whole. We fulfill different roles as we interact with different people at school, home, work, and even church. In the natural donning and discarding of these roles, we might be tempted to compartmentalize our lives, yet we do so to the detriment of our faith. Even as we read our Bibles with intellectual vigor at home and participate in a small group at church, we might miss the mark of application. We forget to connect the dots, neglecting to treat our coworkers with kindness and our peers with love. We can know our faith intellectually but still miss out on the call to action and the response of obedience in our lives.
But James shows us that belief and action are inextricably linked. When we think about them as separate entities, we develop a deep-rooted problem: “But do you want to know … that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected” (Jas 2:20–22).
James wasn’t arguing that Abraham earned his righteousness before God; rather, Abraham was acting out of obedience as a response of faith. As people who have been redeemed by Christ, we can joyfully express our faith—we are enabled to do good works because of His work. Although we won’t attain perfect obedience in this life, we will desire obedience and love. We will desire to use our lives to apply what we know in our heads and feel in our hearts. Because of our faith, we will do good works.
Real faith doesn’t sit still, but it doesn’t move on its own, either. We need to pray for God’s Spirit to ignite this desire in us, prompting us to act with love and obedience.
In what area of your life are you missing the mark of application? How can you pray for wisdom in that situation? How can you act faithfully?
July 6 - An Empty Profession of Faith
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter’” (Matthew 7:21).
Here Jesus is speaking of the devotedly religious who think they are saved but aren’t. The Lord will continue these warnings later about spiritual self-deception—the foolish, unprepared virgins (Matt. 25:1–12) and the goats who did not really serve Him (Matt. 25:32–33, 41–46).
Many factors deceive people regarding salvation. First, some have a false assurance. They rely on past “decisions for Christ,” apart from the Spirit’s convicting work. But our salvation is made secure by increasing evidences of fruitfulness (2 Peter 1:3–11).
Second, many fail to examine themselves (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 1:8–9), instead gliding through life unconcerned about sins. One who has no desire to come to God for continued cleansing is likely not saved.
Third, a person can be deceived even in the midst of much religious activity. Hearing sermons, reading the Bible, and attending Bible studies are good, but such things may insulate someone from true worship.
Fourth, many attempt to rationalize their salvation, thinking that their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. But apart from God, we cannot do anything righteous (Pss. 14:1–3; 53:1–3; Rom. 3:12).
We could mention many other spiritual delusions, all of which involve failure to enter the narrow gate with repentance, submission to Christ, humility, and a desire for holiness. The important thing, however, is not to wonder about all those possibilities but to enter God’s one true way to salvation.
Ask Yourself
Is the validity of your salvation ever in doubt in your mind? Do you see yourself in any of the examples given above? Then anchor your faith today in the sure word and promises of God, and walk in the confidence of eternal life, bought and paid for by Jesus Christ.
#LifeOfChrist
“‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter’” (Matthew 7:21).
Here Jesus is speaking of the devotedly religious who think they are saved but aren’t. The Lord will continue these warnings later about spiritual self-deception—the foolish, unprepared virgins (Matt. 25:1–12) and the goats who did not really serve Him (Matt. 25:32–33, 41–46).
Many factors deceive people regarding salvation. First, some have a false assurance. They rely on past “decisions for Christ,” apart from the Spirit’s convicting work. But our salvation is made secure by increasing evidences of fruitfulness (2 Peter 1:3–11).
Second, many fail to examine themselves (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 1:8–9), instead gliding through life unconcerned about sins. One who has no desire to come to God for continued cleansing is likely not saved.
Third, a person can be deceived even in the midst of much religious activity. Hearing sermons, reading the Bible, and attending Bible studies are good, but such things may insulate someone from true worship.
Fourth, many attempt to rationalize their salvation, thinking that their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. But apart from God, we cannot do anything righteous (Pss. 14:1–3; 53:1–3; Rom. 3:12).
We could mention many other spiritual delusions, all of which involve failure to enter the narrow gate with repentance, submission to Christ, humility, and a desire for holiness. The important thing, however, is not to wonder about all those possibilities but to enter God’s one true way to salvation.
Ask Yourself
Is the validity of your salvation ever in doubt in your mind? Do you see yourself in any of the examples given above? Then anchor your faith today in the sure word and promises of God, and walk in the confidence of eternal life, bought and paid for by Jesus Christ.
DAY 6: How does a verse such as 2 Chronicles 7:14 relate to country such as America?
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-07-06
https://telegra.ph/DAILY-BIBLE-07-06
Telegraph
DAILY BIBLE
Reading for Today: 2 Chronicles 7:1–8:18 Psalm 80:1-6 Proverbs 20:15 Acts 13:26-52 Notes: 2 Chronicles 7:17, 18 if…then. If there was obedience on the part of the nation, the kingdom would be established and they would have “a man as ruler.” Their disobedience…