Vicarious Intercession
Beware of thinking that intercession means bringing our own personal sympathies and concerns into the presence of God, and then demanding that He do whatever we ask. Our ability to approach God is due entirely to the vicarious, or substitutionary, identification of our Lord with sin. We have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.”
Spiritual stubbornness is the most effective hindrance to intercession, because it is based on a sympathetic “understanding” of things we see in ourselves and others that we think needs no atonement.
Why Am I So Stuck In My Growth As A Christian?
“I always seem to come back to square one.” That was what I said to my leader many years back, while a university student serving as a youth ministry volunteer.
Before the Beginning
“But if God has no beginning and no end, and has always existed, what was He doing before He created us? How did He spend His time?” Some precocious Sunday school student always asks this question when we talk about God’s eternal nature. I used to respond that this was a bit of a mystery. But recently I learned that the Bible gives us an answer to this question.
When Jesus prays to His Father in John 17, He says “Father, . . . you loved me before the creation of the world” (v. 24). This is God as revealed to…
Vital Intercession
As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God’s interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone.
When Jesus Showed Up
Funeral, memorial service, celebration of life, most everyone has been to a service saying goodbye to a loved one. And Jesus was no exception. But today, the Discover the Word team discusses the strangest funeral service of all time, when Jesus showed up and extended an invitation of his own, saying to His friend Lazarus, “Come out […]
Is Anxiety A Sin?
Your hands turn sweaty when you think about going to school. Your heart pounds like a drum when you’re almost at the counter but still can’t decide what to eat for lunch.
A Change in Perspective
My hometown has experienced its heaviest winter in thirty years. My muscles ache from hours of shoveling the unrelenting snow. When I step inside after what feels like a fruitless effort, weary as I kick off my boots, I’m greeted by the warmth of a fire and my children gathered around it. As I gaze out the window from the shelter of my home, my perspective of the weather shifts completely. Instead of seeing more work to do, I savor the beauty of frosted tree branches and the way the snow blankets the colorless landscape of winter.
I see a similar,…
The Patience To Wait for the Vision
Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. “. . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue— he is devoted to God Himself.
When Jesus Offers To Meet Your Deepest Needs
Today on Discover the Word, the team continues their discussions on invitations from Jesus we find in the Gospels. Jesus welcomes us to come to Him and drink the living water. The Savior is offering to meet your deepest needs, so don’t ignore it! Tune in today for Discover the Word!
Confessions of Jealous Person
There’s a bitterness that has lingered deep inside my soul and infected it with poison. Its name is jealousy, and it took over my life for far too long. However, I didn’t realize its chokehold on my life until this past month.
Longing for God
One day my daughter was visiting with our one-year-old grandson. I was getting ready to leave the house on an errand, but as soon as I walked out of the room my grandson began to cry. It happened twice, and each time I went back and spent a moment with him. As I headed out the door the third time, his little lip began to quiver again. At that point my daughter said, “Dad, why don’t you just take him with you?”
Any grandparent could tell you what happened next. My grandson went along for the ride, just because I love…
Can I switch teams?
Throughout June and July over three billion people across the world will watch the football World Cup unfold. With so many people invested in this huge sporting event, it’s a great opportunity to come alongside our friends and family and let football become an opening to talk with them about Jesus.
Our Daily Bread Ministries have created Can I switch…
Scripture Reading And The Community
Have you ever thought about the fact that just a few hundred years ago almost no one could enjoy “morning devotions”? Widespread personal access to the Bible is a relatively recent privilege! And today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how reading Scripture was originally a community event. Pull up a chair today as together we Discover […]
