"Our sufficiency is from God." 2Co 3:5 NKJV

Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand men is enormously outnumbered by the Midianites when God tells him, "You have too many men." He instructs Gideon to release anyone who is afraid, and Gideon loses two-thirds of his army. Now he has only ten thousand men.

Again the Lord says, "There are still too many men," and reduces Gideon's army to three hundred men. At that moment, the odds had to be a million to one. And it even gets better!

God directs Gideon to attack the Midianites with trumpets and pitchers. Now for the real kicker: Israel wins! Why did God do it like that? Because if Gideon had attacked with thirty-two thousand men and won, the Israelites would have thought that God didn't provide much help, and God would have received limited credit. But God is worthy of more. God desires and deserves complete credit. And when three hundred men defeat a massive army with trumpets and pitchers,

God receives all the glory (See Jdg 7). Why? The reason is a victory like that overcomes all odds. Too frequently, our prayers revolve around requesting God to increase our odds of winning. We would like everything in our favor. But maybe God wants the odds to oppose us so we can encounter a miracle of divine proportions. Faith is trusting God no matter how hopeless the odds are. Our impossible circumstances are chances to experience a new height of God's glory. Are you facing a situation that, humanly speaking, is beyond your ability to cope with it? Read this: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2Co 3:5 NKJV).

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NOV. 20, 2024

You will be rewarded for it.

"The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Ro 8:18 NKJV

In 1857 David Livingstone gave this speech at Cambridge University: "People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa…..Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us.

I never made a sacrifice." When you serve the Lord, you always get back more than you give up. And if you get back more than you give up, have you really sacrificed anything at all? "Then Peter began to say to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You' So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions-and in the age to come, eternal life'" (Mk 10:28-30 NKJV).

The only regrets you will have at the end of your life will be that you didn't seek and serve God more and seek and serve Him sooner.

You will be rewarded for it Seek and serve God more.

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"His older son...was angry." Lk 15:25, 28 NKJV

The parable of the prodigal son is about two boys and their father's love for each. The younger one dishonored his father and ended up in a pigpen. When he returned home, he had lost everything—except his father's love.

So no matter who you are or what you have done-God loves you and wants you in His family. Jesus made an amazing statement: "When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him" (v. 20 NKJV).

Ancient Hebrew culture thought running was an undignified act for older men. Men wore long flowing robes, and had to pull them up around their waist to run, exposing their undergarments. But the father didn't care about what people thought; he cared about his wayward son.

Unfortunately, his older brother didn't feel that way. Do you understand why a lot of younger brothers are still out in the pigpen and don't want to enter the church? Because they're afraid older brothers will hit them with the mean hand of judgment instead of touching them with the welcoming hand of love.

• The older brother desires punishment, but the father provides pardon.
• The older brother requires guilt, but the father gives grace.
• The older brother wants revenge, but the father wants reconciliation.

Here is the good news: No matter how low you have fallen, know that as soon as you return, you will discover your heavenly Father facing you, extending open arms and a loving heart toward you.

Prodigal, come home! The welcoming hand of love

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"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need." 2Pe 1:3 NLT

Following God means finishing what He has called you to do. Not everyone who starts out well finishes well. Occasionally we're shocked and saddened to learn that a leader has been brought down by a moral or a financial problem. Paul writes, "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you" (Col 4:14).

Later, he writes, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2Ti 4:10).

There are three forces arrayed against you, and they never let up: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world will try to pour you into its mold, your fleshly nature will try to drag you down, and the devil will use every trick in the book to defeat you. Paul was aware of these three forces when he said,

"My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus" (Ac 20:24 NLT). So, make up your mind to complete the assignment God has given you and enjoy every minute of it. How can you finish strong? "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need forliving a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises" (2Pe

1:3-5 NLT).

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There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors." 1Jn 4:18

AMPO

When you were young and said a bad word, your parents may have threatened to wash your mouth out with soap. Well, if fear is a dirty word, then faith in God's unconditional love for you is like soap! Too many put the cart before the horse. We believe that God accepts us based on the degree of our love for Him rather than on the degree of His love for us. The Bible says, "We love Him because He first loved us" (V. 19 NKJV). God's love for you is not based upon your performance but Christ's performance on your behalf. When you put your trust in Christ, God sees you "in Christ" (2Co 5:17) from that moment forward.

Do you want to know how God sees you at this moment and every other moment? "As He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world" (1Jn 4:17

NKJV). Does that mean you can disobey God and get away with it? Not a chance! "For whom the Lord loves He chastens... Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb 12:6, 11 NKJV). But God's correction is not rejection!

It's proof of His unconditional, unlimited, unwavering, undeserved, and unearned love for you. God doesn't love you more on those days when you're victorious and less on those days when you're defeated. His love for you doesn't vary or vacillate. Knowing that truth will boost your faith and take your fear down a notch!

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"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Eph

6:4 NIV

The story is told of a man in a supermarket pushing a cart with a screaming baby. He kept repeating softly, "Keep calm, George.

Everything's going to be okay, George." A lady watching with admiration said to the man,

"You are to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little George." The man replied, "Lady, you've got it wrong; I'm George!" If you're a parent, you can relate.

Instead of saying, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children," doesn't it sometimes seem like the Scripture should read, "Children, don't annoy your fathers"? But it doesn't. That's because parents are called to be an example of God's love, and children learn best from observation. Shopping at the grocery store is an opportunity to show your children the proper way to behave. There is no greater role model for children than a parent. And there has never been a greater need for godly parents than today. Colossians 3:21 says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (NKJV). That means being a model of patience and love to your children. From potty training to education-parents are put in place by God to be a tool that transforms the teachings of the Bible into a living witness to their children. In a time when we're paying a high price for the lack of real fathers in the home, Scripture reminds us, "The father shall make known Your truth to the children" (Isa 38:19 NKJV).

Father, commit yourself to following the Lord, and leaving footprints for your children to walk in.

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"Put on your new nature, created to be like God -truly righteous and holy." Eph

4:24 NLT

Dealing with crucifixion, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He felt intense emotions. "Being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Lk

22:44 NKJV). So strong were these emotions that He prayed for the cup of crucifixion to pass. But that night, Jesus broke the domination of emotions by obedience to the will of His Father, saying, "Not My will, but Yours, be done" (V. 42 NKJV). Not only can emotions be ruled by obedience, but they will obey faith. Emotions will do what we, in faith, order them to do. David said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Ps 103:1). David ordered his soul, the center of his emotions, to bless the Lord.

He believed his soul and everything in him would do what he commanded. Feelings can be transformed from drama to blessing. Paul believed that negative emotions can be put off, and positive emotions can be put on. "Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy" (Eph 4:22-24 NLT). Again he writes, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Col 3:15 NKJV). It is clear from the Scriptures that emotions can be governed, and the will can respond to God's power and faith rather than the drama of emotions.

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"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need." 2Pe 1:3 NLT

Following God means finishing what He has called you to do. Not everyone who starts out well finishes well. Occasionally we're shocked and saddened to learn that a leader has been brought down by a moral or a financial problem. Paul writes, "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you" (Col 4:14).

Later, he writes, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2Ti 4:10).

There are three forces arrayed against you, and they never let up: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world will try to pour you into its mold, your fleshly nature will try to drag you down, and the devil will use every trick in the book to defeat you. Paul was aware of these three forces when he said,

"My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus" (Ac 20:24 NLT). So, make up your mind to complete the assignment God has given you and enjoy every minute of it. How can you finish strong? "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises" (2Pe 1:3-5 NLT).

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