Guidelines For Living Devotional

This Is Why Pray and Revival Go Hand In Hand

The Miriam-Webster Dictionary attempts to define the word "revival" as "a period of renewed religious interest, an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings."  It describes the popular understanding of the word--canvas tent, flamboyant evangelist who works the crowd for the offering and an orchestrated attempt to touch the emotions of people.

How Do Spiritual Awakenings Happen?

Pastor Thorleif Holm-Glad was walking through the empty sanctuary of Bethlehem Church in Oslo, Norway when the old caretaker of the church stopped him and soberly announced, "See these empty seats? This year there will be revival in this church!"  The pastor was startled to say the least.  Yes, he knew the church had empty seats and plenty of them.  No, not during the week when people were working but during services when the empty seats should have been filled. He also knew the caretaker was a good man, not given to exaggeration.

Will Christ Really Return?

In the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington DC is an inscription which reads, "One far‑off event towards which all creation moves." A visitor, seeing the inscription, turned to a guide and asked, "What does that mean?" Hesitating for a moment the guide replied, "I think it refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ."

This Is Why Love Is Powerful

Mao Zedong, who died in 1976, began his Selected Works by asking two important questions: "Who are our enemies?" and "Who are our friends?"  Mao was concerned not just with political entities that had to be faced, such as the United States and Russia.  He was even more interested in ideologies that represented power.

Who Are You Putting Your Trust In?

It is called Syria today, but in ancient days it was known as Assyria. Historians often referred to the Assyrians as the Romans of ancient Asia. Their religion wasn't much different from that of the Babylonians whom they had displaced as the greatest power in the world.  They believed in many gods who supposedly directed human destiny and controlled the earth, water, storms and fire.  In their temples, they worshipped Nabu, the god of learning; Ishtar, the goddess of love and sex; and Niruta, the god of war.  But most of all, they believed in their weapons, and they used them well. 

How To Stand Up Against The Enemy

If ever a man had reason to feel that God had let him down, that man was Hezekiah.  "Hezekiah who?" you may be saying. Hezekiah, the king of Judah who ascended the throne of David about 726 B.C. If you're a bit rusty on Old Testament history, I'll brief you.  Having replaced his father Ahaz, who had been a careless ruler, Hezekiah got his act together.  He began a great reformation. He broke down the idols Ahaz had set up.  He re-opened the temple, and restored the service of God. He even dipped into his own funds to provide for restoration and repairs. 

It Is Time To Trust In The Lord

There is always a story behind the story!  Whether it is the National Geographic magazine or the Bible, you have to go beyond the headline.  I'm thinking of a statement written long ago.   It's found in the Old Testament book of Chronicles where we read:  "After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah..." (2 Chronicles 32:1).  What's the story behind the headline?

How Does God Use My Problems?

When she was 16 years of age, Elisabeth Elliot wrote in the back of her Bible the words of a prayer written by Betty Stam, who was martyred in China.  The prayer read, "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to thee to be thine forever.  Fill me and seal me with thy Holy Spirit, use me as thou wilt, send me where thou wilt, work out thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

5 Steps To Resist Temptation

Question: If you were tempted, is it possible that under certain circumstances, you might not be able to resist?  It isn't a question of whether or not you could resist; it's simply that you know you possibly would not.  At that moment, your brain would shut off and feelings would take over.  You would not think about the fact what you would do could destroy your career, your marriage, your integrity.  Under certain circumstances you just don't think; you act.

How To Work Through Sexual Temptation

All he wanted to do was to burglarize the apartment he had broken into, so he told the court, but when he saw the sleeping victim who had shed most of her clothing on that warm summer evening, he said that he was unable to control himself.  When he was arrested and brought to court, he explained that he was suffering from a thyroid illness which made him lose control of his passions; therefore, he argued, he was not responsible.  The court, however, didn't buy that line of reasoning and found him guilty of both rape and burglary.