APRIL 20 Afraid to Stray Devotional by John Piper Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! (Psalm 31:19) Consider two important truths in Psalm 31:19. 1. The goodness of the Lord There is a peculiar goodness of God. That is, there is not only God’s general goodness that he shows to all people, making his sun rise on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45), but also a peculiar goodness, as the psalm says, for “those who fear” him. This goodness is abundant beyond measure. It is boundless. It lasts forever. It is all-encompassing. There is only goodness for those who fear him. Everything works together for their good (Romans 8:28). Even their pains are filled with profit according to Romans 5:3–5. But those who do not fear him receive a temporary goodness. Romans 2:4–5 describe it like this: “Do you presume on the riches ...

Go with the Flow by Joyce Meyer - posted April 20, 2017 But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. —Psalm 37:11 We can learn to get along with people. It is especially important to learn to get along with our immediate family members and coworkers. There are many informative books about personality differences to help us understand why people feel and act the way they do. Understanding helps to smooth over strained relationships. People make decisions differently. Some give an immediate answer, while others want time to think about things first. Try to understand the people you will see today. Ask God to show you ways to get along with them. He will give you favor as you trust in Him.

OPEN HEAVENS 2017 BACKSLIDER-IN-HEART II – Thursday April 20th 2017 Memorise:  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 2nd Timothy 4:10 Read : Judges 14:5-10 (King James Version) 5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6 And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and th...

WRONG CONCLUSION -JOB 30:15-23 KEY VERSE: "For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living" (Job 30:23). In the story behind great hymns, it was said of Horatio Spafford, the lawyer who wrote the song ‘It is well with my soul’ that he lost all his fortune and while recuperating, eventually lost his four daughters to a shipwreck. But the most painful part of the story was that his church wrongly concluded that the tragedies he faced, were as a result of divine judgment. How painful it is when people who ought to console you, put you to more grief all because of wrong conclusions. The friends of Job had dragged him into a needless debate. Without knowing what was really going on, they concluded God was after Job because he had sinned. Job himself also thought that his sufferings were aimed at terminating his life. From the story of Job, we learn that things are usually not the way they appear especially when we love God and are calle...

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL PREVAILING IN THE EVIL DAY Thursday, April 20th. . Pastor Chris.. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (1 Peter 5:8-9). Ephesians 6:13 says, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day….”The evil day is when all hell breaks loose against you; it’s when the doctor suddenly announces that there’s trouble in your body! The evil day is when challenges suddenly arise at work; it’s a figurative expression for the day of crisis. This is why, as a Christian, it’s so important that you learn the Word of God in the days of peace, and have it inside you, so that in the day of crisis, you’ll be undaunted. This is because in the day of crisis, it...

Letting Go Kirsten Holmberg Genesis 12:1–9 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go . . . to the land I will show you.”  Genesis 12:1 For our wedding anniversary, my husband borrowed a tandem bike so we could enjoy a romantic adventure together. As we began to pedal on our way, I quickly realized that as the rider on the back my vision of the road ahead was eclipsed by my husband’s broad shoulders. Also, my handlebars were fixed; they didn’t affect the steering of our bike. Only the front handlebars determined our direction; mine served merely as support for my upper body. I had the choice to either be frustrated by my lack of control or to embrace the journey and trust Mike would guide us safely on our route. When God asked Abram to leave his homeland and family, He didn’t offer much information concerning the destination. No geographic coordinates. No description of the new land or its natural resources. Not even an indication of how lo...