Freedom Isn't Free

Milan Ford

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear Ravi Zacharias, a renown Christian apologist, speak at an event located right outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the event was to discuss the power and influence today's media has on popular culture.

During his 30-40 minute presentation, he made this one incredible statement; one that will remain with me for quite a while:

"...without TRUTH, education is moved to the skeptical, spirituality is moved to the mystical, and art is moved to the sensual."

Now more than ever before, we are living in an age where matters of faith and morality differ from person to person. What has long been considered true is now (in the eyes of many) debatable, while those things that we have always believed to be false or in contrast to our faith, are now being adopted and accepted as cultural norms.

This reversal of truth unfortunately exists within today's Body of Christ as well.

As a result of our individual and collective life pursuits (money, relationships, position, etc.), many of us at times have thrown aside the principles of our faith to pursue a sense of FREEDOM that is completely void of His truth. For some odd reason, we have bought into the lie that the freedoms we want to experience in Christ as believers, can come about without certain rules and boundaries.

We have created a generation of believers who now have a longing for the mystical to occur in their life, rather than embracing the truths behind sowing and reaping. We want to gain, but refuse any pain associated with it. We want to earn, but refuse to learn what is necessary to do so.

As believers, we really have this FREEDOM thing all messed up.

Sponsor AdIsn't it interesting that the very first time the word "free" is mentioned in the Bible, God follows it up with a boundary for that freedom to occur:

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. - Genesis 2:15-17.

Here we see God from the very beginning, providing mankind with instructions on how he can flourish FREELY within the garden He provided, along with the BOUNDARIES he needed to observe in order to live and succeed. While the Bible is full of these kinds of examples, we can learn even more about how God wants us to properly balance our freedoms as believers by looking at His creation.

Take a river for example.

A river is a body of water that is in constant movement, capable of sustaining life because of a flow of fresh water. Isn't it ironic that free flowing rivers are typically surrounding by a variety of boundaries.

Whether they consist of rocks or dry land, these boundaries help keep the water focused and flowing productively. However, whenever a river exists without any boundaries, it is no longer a river.

It becomes a swamp.

Today, if you are confused or at times find yourself upset with God because your life has begun to look like a swampland, rather than a river of living water, remember this one undeniable TRUTH:

God will never answer prayers that would enable us to live more independently of Him.

The freedom God provides us as believers to walk in is in fact not free at all.
It requires boundaries. May we all commit to establishing some today.

Freedom In Christ

Pastor Olu Brown

John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

In a society that values freedom, it is amazing to know how many of our fellow citizens live in bondage. I am not talking about the bondage most of you think about as it relates to jail cells, handcuffs and security personnel. I am referring to the lower security bondage that is uneasily detected but equally, if not more, confining than most traditional jail cells.

My heart goes out to those who have suffered a misstep along the way and never fully recovered. Maybe it was growing up with an absent parent, poverty, divorce or the painful loss of a loved one. When the event happened it rocked their world and for some reason or another they never fully recovered. The event happened but they are still in bondage. Though they may not be in physical bondage, they find themselves in emotional, spiritual and/or mental bondage.

I can recall so many days in my own personal life when I found myself deep within the emotional cells of fear and anxiety. I looked free, I talked free, shopped free and even pretended to worship free. Deep down I was still in solitary confinement. I unfairly convicted and sentenced myself to hard labor. It was only until I found the power of Christ and the hope of John 8:36 that I was reminded of the wonderful hope in Christ and being "free indeed!"

This hope I now have in Christ is my fuel for life and the power to refuse the open invitation of my jail cell. Each new day, I am reminded of my freedom to live, love and hope through Christ.

Today is your day and Christ has freed you. I know it is tempting to stay in your prison, but I dare you to receive your release agreement through the power of Christ and walk away a free person!

A Spiritual Dialect

Jothany Blackwood

My grandmother had an expression that captured the myriad nuances of testimony and its power to transform. As we sat around her porch on humid, southern nights, she would open her stories of God's goodness with "honey, it's a story to tell!" As though there are some stories only to be read, others folded like worn quilts in the secret places of our hearts, or still others that dance unrestrained like leaves upon a sudden breeze.

But what I sensed in her expression was the urgency of sharing our testimonies. That engaging in a communal dialogue about the Spirit connected us to an individual transformation and ultimately, a collective one as a body of believers. When we keep the power of God to ourselves, we miss the lesson that was meant not just for us, but for others. That our overcoming is a road map for how others can continue their destinies uninterrupted.

Sponsor AdTestimonies are simply our stories translated into a spiritual dialect, where our sundry experiences are shared in the same voice. The barriers that once separated us become less meaningful. Instead we are connected through the strength of learning that someone not only survived their circumstances, but came out of it unbroken. Where the story from the other side offers a reflection of who you can become, a compass for direction, a light in darkness and confusion, and manna for your soul.

The Word teaches that we overcome through the testimonies of others, so embedded in that is an edict that we must give voice to our experiences. That the articulation of our journey with God carries power beyond our words, but that it morphs into an agent of change when shared. You are standing now because you heard of someone who did the same. You can shout now because you read of someone who shouted out of what you are going through.

And so knowing that testimonies by their nature must be shared, we gathered around the porch on humid, southern nights to share how we made it over. And by the time the front porch crowd thinned and Big Mama shooed us all home...you knew that no one left that porch unchanged.

Is Your Testimony A Secret?

Tanya James

As a pastor's kid, I naturally grew up in church and was taught at an early age Biblical principles. However, like many over time I strayed away from those morals and values and thought that I was in control of my own life. And being in control meant I thought I could pick and chose which principals I applied to my life and which ones I ignored.

While trying to do things my way, I made some very bad decisions especially in the area of sexual immorality. I completely made my own rules in that area - yet I proclaimed to be a saved and sanctified Christian. You could find me serving in various ministries and I was in service every week both Sunday's and mid-week. Yes, I was living two completely different lives.

Overall, I was able to keep my double life under wraps. Most people had no idea how caught up in sexual sins I was. So when the day came that I finally fully committed my life to Christ and decided that I was going to live a life of abstinence until marriage ...I was delighted that I had been successful in keeping my sexual sins private.

Sponsor AdAnd now, that I was going to follow God's word as it related to that area ... no one ever had to know about my past.
Through prayer and truly seeking God, those sexual strong holds and addictions were broken in my life. It wasn't an easy journey by any means...BUT GOD.

I definitely had a testimony but one NO ONE could dare know about ...so I thought.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord." Isaiah 55:8

God had a different plan. He gave me an assignment ... one that I ran from for YEARS! I was to pen a book about both my struggle and my testimony.

A BOOK?? God, are you serious? Not only am I putting my business on the street but in PRINT for people to see and read for years to come. I was horrified until I realized sharing my testimony would not only help someone in the same struggle, but also could keep someone from making some of the same mistakes I made.

You too have a testimony. It may not be in the same area as mine, but if God has healed you, delivered you, redeemed you, saved you...do not be afraid to share your story. If we remain afraid of what someone else may think of what we did, or where we once were...people around us will remain in their cycles of destruction.

Be willing to show your scars, so someone else doesn't have to get those same scars. You may have done those things people will learn about; but you are no longer that person!

"Therefore, of anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." II Corinthians 5:17

Battle Scars That Do Not Disappear

Cory Bradley

Sometimes (if I can just be honest), many of us desire a gospel that is way too pretty.

It seems like no one today really wants the battle scars and wounds that often come along with having victory in Christ. Many of us desire to go through life unscathed and untouched; void of any evidence that we have been in the fight.

In my journey with weight management, I endured arguably the toughestseason of my life; when I was really heavy there was so much shame because everybody could see the pain, the anxiety, the fear, and the loneliness I felt because it showed up around my waistline.

As a child, I was often alienated and picked on. Many of my peers called me sissy and gay because my mannerisms reflected the world I understood which was richly influenced by nurturing women. And since I didn't have a man in my life I could respect and wanted to model, I emulated the women in my life and patterned my life after feminine expressions.

(Sidenote - Please know that every young man raised by single mothers doesn't have the same experience. Single mothers, we are proud of you! Love you mommy!)

This devotional is especially for those readers out there who believe that their testimony is not as pretty, neat, or tidy as those others tend to brag about. I used to struggle and feel ostracized with that same feeling. Until I read about someone who once shared my story.

In Genesis 32:22-32v, you will find the story of Jacob and the struggle he has one night with God. A struggle and a wrestling match that ultimately left him with a testimony.

I define testimony as an indelible impression and proof that God has COME to you and God is NEAR you. A testimony is evidence that God Almighty has had His hand in and on your life, and what a heavy hand our God has!! When presses down upon our lives, God's hand tends to break up those things we have relied upon for so long.

Sponsor AdThat's what happened to Jacob. God touched Jacob and his human frailty and weakness was exposed. And when that experience passed, Jacob was left with a clear reminder that he had been with God.

A limp.

{Come on God, a limp that everybody can see? Aren't you Jehovah Rophe, my healer? You're supposed to make the symptoms disappear, not create new ones!!}

I can just imagine poor old Jacob after returning from that encounter with God. The taunts. The stares. The endless barrage of questions like, "What's wrong with Him? Why does he "walk" like that? You know Jacob, you can go to the doctor and get that fixed?"

Perhaps today you may be struggling with the fact you're not like everyone else, or that everywhere you go and walk, you feel the effects of a constant struggle with God.

You're slower than everyone else.
It takes more effort for you to progress on your journey.
If so, understand that your limp serves as crucial evidence that God is near.

Like Jacob, you share a special experience with God that can always serve as a reference point of when He met you, blessed you and confirmed your identity. If you are in a struggle today, your weakness is evidence that God has come to you and He has touched you.

Do not allow others' perception of you make you feel unworthy.

We serve a Savior that had to endure a few struggles of His own. The nails in His hands and wounds in His side are evidence that He also experienced pain just as we do.

But despite His scars, He overcome death, hell, and the grave.

To all those struggling as they read this devotional today, know that as long as you stay in the struggle, so will God. Embrace your testimony now.

Your Testimony Has Power

Elder Marquis Boone


"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word." John 4:39-41 (NKJV)

Recently I was sitting and having a conversation with one of my spiritual sons, Curtis Smith, and we began to talk about how long ago the church loved to share their testimony. Also how in many churches they had a section in the service just for that and it was called testimony service. Now testimony service has been cut out of many of our churches and many people are afraid of telling their testimony.

A testimony is nothing more than an open acknowledgment or public profession of one's experience. It is a look back at where you came from and where you are now. I want you to understand that the bible says that "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" Revelation 12:11 (NKJV). This shows you that a testimony has power.

Sponsor AdIn John 4:39-41, a Samaritan woman experiences the love and mercy of Christ. After this experience, she begins telling many people of her testimony about Christ, and because of this she drew more and more people closer to Christ. Your testimony has the same affect. It can draw both saved and unsaved to a deeper and new relationship in Christ. No matter if your testimony is full of good or full of things that you are ashamed of, it still has power.

Your testimony is simply what the Lord has done for you. You still being alive is enough of a testimony to tell someone else. Times are hard and many people need a light. Many people feel like the issues that they are facing are killing them, but your testimony can change their state from hopeless to hopeful. Like my grandmother use to say, "There is power in your testimony."

Don't allow people stop you from sharing the goodness of Christ in your life. So many of you may be asking, well what's your testimony? Well I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the age of twelve I almost died because my appendix erupted and left me in the hospital for over two months. During that time my eyes were opened and I realized that death has no age and tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

After that time in my life I gave my life to Christ and began to run after Him with all my heart. I was licensed as a minister at the age of fourteen; and completed high school in two and a half years graduating at the age of sixteen. God elevated me to Youth Pastor, and at the age of nineteen I graduated from college with a BA.

There is power in your testimony.

Six Words

Milan Ford

The following SIX WORDS are some of the greatest ever written:


And.

Such.

Were.

Some.

Of.

You.


While many believers search aimlessly day after day for the complex, the magnificence of our God can often be discovered through the simple. For as we see in 1 Corinthians 6:11, it is upon these SIX SIMPLE WORDS that the wonderful mysteries of God's grace towards us stand firm.

"...but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by The Spirit of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:11v.

Six Words. May we never forget them.
For within them lies the humility necessary to reach and change the world.

Be the Jesus They See

Pastor Andre Butler

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. --1 John 2:6

In the verse above, the word "walk" in the Greek means to live. And if you are in Christ, God has an expectation that you will live a certain way. And realize that He is not expecting you to live a certain way just on Sundays or when things are going bad and you need Him to show up in your life. He is talking about how you live, period. God has an expectation for your lifestyle.

So those who are in Jesus, as far as God is concerned, should live their lives like Jesus did. There was a certain way Jesus operated when He was on the planet, and God is saying if you are saying you are in Jesus then ultimately you should be like Him. Most people believe that it is not really possible to live like Jesus did. I mean after all, He was Jesus. He was the son of God. Well, what are you? The Bible says you are a child of God, an heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. You are just as much a son of God as Jesus was and is.

Sponsor AdI want you to understand that the world needs you to be like Jesus. The world needs to see Jesus coming around the corner, Jesus working in the cubicle working next to them, Jesus in the grocery store, Jesus praying for their kids, and Jesus being in their neighborhood. The world is looking for Superman. They are looking for Jesus, and they should see Him in you. It should be that when people look at your life they get a picture of Jesus' life. If they are seeing you, they are seeing Him, because you are just like Him.

So how do you do this? Well, all the commands that God gave us in His Word can be summed up in the Law of Love. Romans, Chapter 13 teaches us that love is the fulfilling of the law. So if you really want to know what do to be like Jesus, the answer is to walk in love. And realize that being like Jesus is fulfilling the commandment of love, because He walked in love.

Jesus gave you a model so you can imitate it. So you also should be a model and one whose conduct is worthy of imitation. That sounds like Jesus to me. Many times people do not just learn because you said something to them; they learn because they saw you do it. There is power in an example, and there is no greater example than Jesus.

So you be the Jesus they see.

God Will Use Your Test To Create Your Testimony!

Pastor Paula White

God's purposes cannot miscarry. God will never fail; He will never falter. And He will be revealed through a remnant that will rise up - that is, in fact, already rising up - to reveal His image, His glory, and His will on earth.

But that remnant will go through things. That remnant will be tested. That remnant will experience loss, trial, shake-up, chaos, and confusion...as God brings changes to our world. That remnant will have a testimony of God's power of transformation, salvation, and redemption.

If you are being tested today...it's because God will be using your testimony tomorrow!

Sponsor AdWe are in a very strategic, critical time in the body of Christ. Anyone and everyone with any spiritual discernment at all can see that we are in transition - that it's not like it used to be. We've are in a different place.

God is raising up a remnant out of the crevices, the darkness. If you are being tested...going through changes...experiencing a shake-up...and through it all, you are still hungrily seeking what it is He has to say - following His Word... and standing (-- or kneeling -- or laid out on the floor in prayer!) in the face of every attack of the enemy of your soul...then you are part of that remnant.
And right now He is positioning you for destiny...because He is about to have His grandest display of glory on the earth - and you are it! He has chosen you! And your test will become part of the testimony He will use so that others might see His glory... His faithfulness...His sovereignty...His grace - in your life.

God is taking us through a process where those who will rise up to the test will be purified and perfected...they will have persevered - and come forth very powerful.

God is raising up a people - His People - and they will represent His company. It is a heavenly summons...this is not the beckon or the call of a man. This is a moment in God that He chose, He observed, and He reserved. He placed and He planted you in the earth, and heaven has now summoned you: it is an upward drawing by the Holy Spirit to the top of Mount Zion. Zion is a place...and Zion is a people! And the people of Zion will remain steadfast to share the glory of God and His will -- through their wisdom... ...their love...their forgiveness ...their testimony.

So, as part of His remnant of Zion, begin today, to accept your test as part of walking in the destiny He has summoned you for. And no matter what these days, times or seasons look like, continue to stand firm on His Word and His promise...and you will see God use your test to create your testimony...to bring forth His purposes and His will in your life and on our earth!

Tell Them

Bishop Donald Hilliard

"I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ." 1 CORINTHIANS 9:22 TLB

Josh McDowell writes "An executive 'head hunter' who goes out and hires corporate executives for other firms once told me, 'When I get an executive I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed. Then when I think I've got him relaxed I lean over, look him square in the eye and say - what's the purpose in your life?' It's amazing how top executives fall apart on that question.' Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed with my feet up on my desk talking about football. Then I leaned over and said - what's the purpose in your life, Bob? Without blinking an eye he said 'To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.' For the first time in my career I was speechless."

Sponsor AdThere are basically five reasons why we don't share our faith more often, and not one of them will hold up when we stand before Christ:

(1) We think it's the preacher's job.
(2) We aren't sure of our salvation.
(3) We fear being rejected.
(4) We've never taken responsibility for learning how.
(5) Our love for Christ has grown cold.

But not Paul: he said, "Whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him."

Can you say that?

Free to Love Like Jesus

Alan Riley

In the day in which we live, it takes a lot to shock us. We see so much sorrow, death and destruction each night on the news that after a while we become desensitized to it.

Something I saw around this time last year shocked, sickened and saddened me.
I'll never forget it. Maybe you remember seeing it too.

A 49 year old woman named Esmin Green was admitted to the emergency room of King's County Hospital Center in New York for psychiatric evaluation, and she was left in the waiting room for over 24 hours. At 5:32 am, the security camera shows her collapsing on the floor. For the next 30 minutes, Ms. Green lay on the floor convulsing, moving and at one point appearing to try to get up. Hospital workers and employees came in, looked at the woman and then left. One even appeared to be looking at the television while completely ignoring the stricken woman. She stopped moving at 6:07 am.

Sponsor AdOne hour and three minutes after she collapsed, a hospital worker came into the room and nudged Ms. Green with her foot. When she got no response, the worker waited a few minutes more and then summonded help. But it was too late. Esmin Green was dead.

How could someone collapse in a hospital's waiting room and lay there for an hour until she died? How could hospital workers and perhaps other people waiting for treatment in the waiting room ignore someone who was obviously in need of help? How could people be so uncaring and heartless toward another human being?

We later heard that six workers at King's County had been fired for their failure to help Ms. Green and for their attempts to cover it up. Obviously, they should have been. But as I thought about this story, I can't help but think that to one extent or another, you and I are in some ways as guilty of neglect as those hospital workers.

Now to be sure, if someone collapsed in the hall outside my office or in the parking deck as I was walking to my car, I would no doubt act decisively to assist them and to summon help. I am sure you would do the same. But how many times recently have I crossed paths with someone who was in great need spiritually or emotionally and I ignored them just as those hospital workers ignored Esmin Green?

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to expose the racism and elitism of the Pharisees. He also wanted to point out their lack of compassion for those in need. You remember the story... a man is attacked, beat up, and left for dead. Several religious leaders pass by the injured man before a Samaritan - a group of people hated by the Jews - stopped to help.

In those moments when we are being really honest with ourselves and with God, we know in our hearts that left to our own devices we tend to be like the Pharisees. It is when we are being like Jesus that we reach out in love and compassion to help and to share the gospel with all we come in contact with. Our culture teaches us to withdraw from and distrust those who we don't know and those who are not like us. Jesus has set us free to love like He loves.

And He reminds us that when we touch the least of these we are touching Him. When we refuse them, we are refusing Him.

Lord, make me sensitive to the needs, the cares, the concerns, the hurts, and the spiritual condition of those that I come in contact with today!

Share Your Faith - Somebody Needs It!

Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

"Then I will teach transgressors your ways." Psalm 51:13 (NIV)

Sponsor AdRoger Simms was hitchhiking home when he was picked up by Mr. Hanover. As they drove towards Chicago, Roger felt God urging him to share his faith. When he overcame his fear and asked the man if he would like to receive Christ, Mr. Hanover stopped, bowed his head on the steering wheel, began to cry, and accepted Christ. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," he said.

Shortly afterwards he dropped Roger at his house and went on to Chicago, which was about an hour down the road. Years later, while preparing for a business trip to Chicago, Roger came across the gold-embossed business card Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier. When he arrived in Chicago he decided to look up Hanover Enterprises and found it located in a skyscraper downtown. When he asked the receptionist if he could see Mr. Hanover, she said, "No, but his wife is here."

"You knew my husband?" the woman in her 50's asked. Roger explained that her husband had given him a ride and how he'd led him to Christ. "When was that?" she asked. "May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." She began to sob. After several minutes she regained control and said, "I prayed for my husband's salvation for years, believing God would save him. But right after he let you out of his car, on May 7th, he was killed in a head-on collision. I thought God had not answered my prayer, and I stopped living for Him five years ago." That day she recommitted her life to Christ.

Share your faith - somebody needs it!

Church Sleeping Man

Anne Jackson

Over the last few months, I've had the opportunity to speak at several Sunday morning worship gatherings. Recently, I was thinking about one when a guy fell asleep (I'm pretty sure before I took the stage -- I hope...) during the service.

It was a wide room, and he was a rather large man, seated somewhere in the middle. In otherwords, it was impossible to miss him as I would scan the audience to make eye contact.

I won't lie. Deep inside, something in me wanted to stop what I was talking about and ask someone to wake Church Sleeping Man up. When I would raise my voice a bit to make a point, I would focus right on him, hoping he'd snap out of it.

Nothing.

Sponsor AdHe was practically in a coma.

When I travel, I spend a lot of time in reflection on my flight home. I usually don't read or write, but pop in my earbuds to some Album Leaf, Explosions in the Sky (sounds like a death wish, I know), or Sigur Ros. No real lyrics, just music and mumblings. I allow myself to nod off a bit into that lucid state where I'm able to just allow thoughts to enter, I process them, and tuck them away.

On this flight home, I found myself not being able to move on from Church Sleeping Man.

Now, I don't know Church Sleeping Man personally. And what I feel inside (I'm tempted to call it anger, but am too chicken to actually do so) isn't directed specifically at him. But I do find myself getting really, really upset.

Because Church Sleeping Man represents so much of our culture today. Although we may not actually fall asleep during a church service, many of us are sleepwalking in our faith.

Myself included.

God has so many words for us to hear, so many opportunities to pursue, so many visions to chase, so many people to love, so many lives we can physically save with the resources we have and yet...

We sleep.

We live for the moments when we find ourselves alive, awake, and fulfilling a purpose. But those moments have become special because they are exceptions to our normally sleepy lives.

Sure, we dream a lot...but what do we do with those dreams after we wake up?

I truly believe that God has wired humanity the other way around. When our norm is constantly living in that state of being alive - fully, abundantly. While we're asleep -- and dare I say it...only dreaming -- we are being robbed of our very purpose in life.

Sharing Your Faith

Sharing Your Faith
Shaun King

"How much does a so-called Christian have to hate you if they really believe in Jesus, Heaven, and Hell and never tell you about it?"

While those words may sound like they came from your local evangelist or pastor, they didn't. Not even close. Instead, they came from the mouth of one of the most famous non-believing atheists in the world, Penn Jillette, widely known as the bigger half of the performance group Penn & Teller.

When I heard Penn make this statement it was like a kick in the gut. Let me tell you why. Penn made this statement after finishing a show. A very warm, sincere man waited patiently to meet with Penn and gave Penn a small Bible and told him very kindly how much he believed and valued the words inside of that book.

Sponsor AdNow, before you get too happy I want to tell you ahead of time that Penn still says he could care less about the Bible, but he was moved by earnest honesty and beliefs of a simple man that wanted to share his faith in God with someone that he admired. Not cliché, not judgmental, not snobbish, the man very plainly and simply shared his faith and it broke through Penn's very cynical exterior walls.

When reflecting back on this encounter later that evening, Penn said that he wasn't even slightly irritated when the man shared his faith. Indeed, he said what troubled and irritated him even more than someone sharing a deeply held faith in God, was a man or woman that claimed to have a deep faith about a risen Savior, or an everlasting afterlife of Heaven or Hell, but thought so little about people that they never told them about it!

Ouch! Strong words? Yes.
But Penn is right.

Either we don't really believe in an awesome Savior that chose the nails and the cross for us or we must hate people so much that we know this Savior for ourselves, but don't want anyone else to know Him.

Who are you telling about Jesus? Better yet - who are you not telling about Him that really needs to hear His story and yours? Are you sure you believe in Jesus and in Heaven? If so, why not tell everyone you know about this amazing news we call the Gospel?

One thing that I have learned over the past few weeks with the deaths of Michael Jackson, Steve McNair, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and others is that tomorrow just isn't promised and that we should never assume that we have another hour or another day or another random time to tell someone about our faith journey.

Maybe they'll reject the Gospel and reject you and move on, but maybe, just maybe they won't. Maybe God will use you as a springboard into the heart of that person or that family that you need to talk with. Just understand this - our faith is not a private faith. It's not a secret, keep-it-to-yourself type of faith.

It's a tell-the-whole-world-because-you-contain-yourself type of faith and people need to hear from you.
Today, I dare you to start sharing your faith today and see what happens!

Sharing Over Wine

Brenda Gittens

"All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others." (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

Do you know or can you sense, when that special opportunity comes for you to share your faith with someone whose path you may cross? Not as a big planned project or performance, but just simply being available to the Lord's will and call anytime and anywhere. Simply sharing what you know about Jesus, and what He's done for you. (2 Corinthians 4:5). The Holy Spirit working through you, giving you what to say and how to say it. It could even be done over wine!

Sponsor Ad"We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord."

While flying back home from Georgia, I was enjoying the plane ride. A young man seated next to me was reading and studying some papers pulled from his briefcase. While eating airline snacks, we began to engage in conversation. He asked about California, and I shared a little about it. He shared that he had to fly into San Francisco for his job, and he was to be at a winery in the Napa Valley for a meeting the next day.

He asked if I drank wine and my response was, "For communion I do." He then responded back with a smile and began to share his memories with me of him serving communion as a child. He then asked, "Are you one of those 'new' Christians?" and He shared that he was not.

The Holy Spirit gave me the opportunity to share with him a little about my upbringing, and how one day I had become a born-again Christian. This was a time of me simply sharing the message in this scripture. "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Sharing our faith with unbelievers is what we as believers have been called to do. God has given us the privilege of being His ambassadors in this world. While writing this, I couldn't help but think of the joy and delight that comes when sharing my faith. We don't have all of the answers and responses for people that we cross paths with, but we can simply share what the Holy Spirit gives us, remember to pray for them, and leave the rest to God.

To share on this plane with this stranger is something I will never forget. I don't even know that persons name, but God does!

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An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.
Mohandas Gandhi

The Mark of A Disciple

Pastor Andre Butler

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. -John 15:8

What makes a true disciple? When you bear much fruit for Jesus--when you produce for Him--you become a disciple. When you go forth and win souls, consolidate, disciple, and send, you are a true disciple.

In our ministry, we have a revelation that we call J12, which means "Be like Jesus and get your twelve," or, simply, "Make disciples." J12 is more than a motto, a logo, a creed, or a song. J12 is a revelation. Each of us needs to embrace that revelation, because when we do, when it is burning on the inside of us, we will make disciples and win our city.

Sponsor AdYou, as one individual, need to make disciples--plural, meaning more than one disciple. When you get to eternity and stand before the King of kings and God pulls out the Book, He should be able to see that you individually made disciples.

We say, "Get your twelve," and we chose that number for several reasons. First, twelve is the number of government in scripture. Second, Jesus raised up twelve disciples. But the revelation behind it is not just "twelve," it is "disciples." If you get fifteen disciples, great! If you get your twelve tomorrow, you are not done.

People still are dying and going to hell, and you still have work to do. While twelve is a good number to reach toward, the concept is that you need to make disciples.

Proverbs 11:30 - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

The righteous should be producing fruit for God. Notice that this verse says that he who wins souls--plural, meaning many souls--is wise. Daniel 12, verse 3, talks about end-time prophecies and the rewards believers receive once we are done here on earth:

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Notice that those who are wise shall turn many to righteousness. Those who are wise will shine as the stars in the firmament; they will be as stars forever. God's will is that you turn many to righteousness and make disciples!

Faith Report Card

Latrice Pace

As a preacher's kid, I grew up hearing and reading about faith. As an adult I've come to know and experience what faith is and does. FAITH: loyalty, belief and trust in God. I am a fan of Webster.com and when I typed "trust" I noticed the derivatives were, "trustability", "trustable", "truster", "trustingly", "trustingness".

Nothing came up for "trusted". It may very well be a word, but not acknowledged by Webster. My point, "trust" is never past tense. It's not something you did once and it didn't work out for you. A friend once said to me, "to say you've trusted is to say life got stuck in a previous experience of failure or hurt." As believers its never a thing of the past, it's our now, our life. It's the fundamental fact of our existence.

"But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him." Hebrews 11:6 Amp.

I, like so many others have found myself to the point of frustration and really wanting to be enlightened when it came to the subject of faith. I'd ask, What am I doing wrong?, What am I not getting? Why is my life not yielding certain results? There have been numerous Biblical testimonies of faith set before us to show us that if we get in the habit of believing (without options, without a plan b) our lives can yield the same results if not better. They stood firm, in the state of mind in which they had un-shakeable confidence and faith in God.

Abraham when asked was ready to return his promised son, Isaac back to God not knowing that other provisions had already been made. Abraham didn't go to the undisclosed location with Isaac and an optional sacrifice. He knew that there was a reason God was asking for the son in which his descendants would spring forth.

Now he very well could have asked a plethora of questions and refused to make a move until he understood. I'm sure nothing about this was making sense to him. However, he didn't seek to understand it, he moved and believed. God saw his heart, his desire to please Him. Therefore, He provided the ram.

Sponsor AdNoah, who was a farmer and aspiring entrepreneur. He was probably in the process or planting his very own vineyard so he could open a farm winery, but God interrupts his plans. He was asked to build an ark in the Summer's heat, if I may. The process of building a boat/ship/ark is a traditional craftsmanship which is a refined art delivered from master to apprentice. The skill is passed on by doing and often without a sketch or blueprint.

In Genesis 6 and 7, God (the master) gave detailed instructions for the ark and Noah (the apprentice) obeyed. Why? He was in the habit of believing. Noah's habit affords us the opportunity to experience the brilliant beauty of the consequent rainbow today.

Enoch's habit caused him to be caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not see death.

SELF ANALYSIS: Is your faith failing or satisfactory?

1. Like Abraham, has God ever asked you to sacrifice something he promised you with no explanation why and not knowing the end result?

2. Like Noah, has He ever wanted to interrupt your plan because He had need of you?

3. Just as Enoch did, He expects us to be "caught up". Get caught up in the habit of trusting Him, so that our faith grows increasingly faster than any giant/deathly circumstance we may face today.

A firm mindset of faith influences a habit of faith. The testimonial results from that faith that will last for generations is the sum of those essential factors. Is your faith.

At Midnight

Elder Marquis Boone

People of God, adversity comes in many shapes forms and fashions. These perplexing, confusing, and mystifying predicaments show up at the most inconvenient and awkward times in our lives, and the frustrating thing is that adversity does not need an invitation to enter your home.

One moment life appears to be serene, calm, peaceful and quiet; then the next moment we find ourselves caught in the middle of the storm. For some of us life is just one storm after another.

One of the strange things about this season is that it seems like it is lasting forever. One of the purposes God has for our lives is that we grow to maturity in our faith in Him and not in stuff or in people. You know your faith is maturing by what you do and how you act during your storm and in your problem.

And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." Acts 16:23-28 (NKJV)

Here in the book of Acts we find a story about the Apostle Paul and Silas who find themselves in what seems to be a storm. Paul & Silas were called by God to take the gospel into the region of Macedonia. However, when they got there, instead of wide open doors, like they might have expected, they ran into a season of opposition!

They are locked up and in chains because they were at the place God wanted them to be, doing the very thing God told them to do. What I love about Paul and Silas is that they still had faith in God. The text does not say they were crying and angry but that they were praying and singing praises.

This is my favorite part of the text, it says "but at midnight". I know you have heard people say that midnight is the darkest hour and it's when you're at your lowest, but what I want to point out here is that midnight is also a transition period. It is the transition from an old day to a new day. It can confuse you because when you think of transition you think of a sudden, rapid change.

Midnight transition is very minute because nothing really changes but the time. I want you today to put all your faith in God no matter how it looks my sister and no matter what they say my brother. Don't allow the code red to detour you because there is a transition about to take place in your life but you have to trust God.

Remember you are where He wants you to be. It's not time to put your faith in the things you see but put to your faith in the God who holds you in His hand.

What Is Your Reality?

Lisa Birch

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5)

A close friend was the victim of a home invasion last year while her husband was at work and she was in the house with her 2-year-old. The intruder broke in through a downstairs window, rummaged through a few things on the first floor then walked upstairs to lock eyes with my friend and her daughter who calmly asked, "Mommy, who is that?"

It was only about 7 feet of space that separated my friend from a complete stranger in her own home. After a quick but intense mutual stare, the intruder scurried back down the stairs and out the front door. I got word of what happened and took action right away. Sad to say I jumped right into the arms of fear.

"You've gotta move to a new neighborhood. Houses are for sale in my subdivision...I'll start making calls..."

I thought I was helping them, but I was only parading my lack of faith. Yes I acknowledged God's grace. The situation could have been much worse. The intruder didn't get physical or violent; instead, he fled.

Sponsor AdBut because my faith was a no-show, I couldn't inspire faith in my friend. In an instant without flinching, I adamantly suggested they uproot the family and essentially "run" because the intruder could return to finish business.

While I spewed faith-void opinions, my friend's neighbor stepped forth to deposit this more sound advice:

"Here's where you prove what you say you believe. Your faith in God must now become more than words. Is it your reality?"

That question ended up shaking me out of my foolishness. Even though it was my friend's experience, the whole ordeal felt just as scary for me. I lost sleep over it before finally realizing I needed the wake-up call. Spiritually, I wasn't where I thought I was.

It was emotionally challenging for them, but my friends decided to focus on moving the family forward. They embraced the small miracle that no one was hurt, repaired their window, installed an alarm system and continued on with their lives...stronger, more thankful and certainly more faithful.

It's cool to be faith-filled when things are going good. But in the greatest time of need, what is your reality: Faith or fear?

Daniel, Where Are You?

Daniel, Where Are You?

Milan Ford
Ever since I was a kid, I've always been a huge fan of crime and mystery stories. I can remember the first time I ever picked up a Hardy Boys novel, and after reading just a few pages, I was convinced I could point out who the culprit was without reading the rest of the story.

Sometimes I was right. But most of the time, I was way off.

I must admit that despite all of my futile attempts of becoming the next Sherlock Holmes, there remains one mystery that I have yet to solve. No matter how many times I try, I have yet to put all the pieces together. I hope together we can do so on today.

I'm sure you will agree that story and life of Daniel is a remarkable one. Many scholars believe it was at the young age of 14 or 15 that Daniel, along with his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were summoned by King Nebuchadnezzar (the ruler of Babylon) to serve in his palace.

(You may recognize Daniel's friends by some other names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego)

According to the first chapter of Daniel, these four boys were wise and gifted beyond their years, and Daniel was the rarest of them all, because of his ability to interpret visions and dreams.

After impressing King Nebuchadnezzar with their knowledge and faith in the Lord, all four were promoted by the king to govern over the affairs of Bablyon. But Daniel, was given an even higher position as a ruler who sat at the very gate of the king (see Daniel 2:46-49).

And this is where it gets interesting.

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a word to ALL of those who ruled under him to gather to dedicate a special golden image he had created. A decree when out to every governor, judge, and high ranking official serving within his kingdom, that at the sound of music, everyone would have to bow and worship the image he had created. EVERYONE.

The penalty for anyone who did not bow was death courtesy of a fiery furnace, not exactly the most pleasant of executions. So when the music was cued, every governor, judge, and high ranking official that was called to gather bowed before the image. Except for three.

Not four. But three.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to bow, but to rather stand on FAITH against the king. The penalty of their actions caused them to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Yet to the surprise of the king and all who gathered around to see them executed, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were not being consumed by the fire. In fact, they were joined by another person: the Son of God!

Now this is the part of the story where most people jump to their feet and cheer. But it is here where the mystery begins. Have you ever stopped to wonder... where was Daniel?

Why were there only three that defied the king's orders, and not four? There are many who would like to say that Daniel just wasn't there at the time, but the decree called for EVERYONE to be present. There are others who just believe the king gave him a pass for the day, but for those familiar with the tyranny of King Nebuchadnezzar, that probably isn't true either.

While the whereabouts of Daniel remain a mystery to many of us, it is very possible that our beloved young Daniel, surrounded by the pressures of life and his newly appointed position, took a bow for the first time in his life. As unpopular and uncomfortable as that may be to consider, there is a far greater lesson to pull out from this story. A far greater question must be asked.

To every Daniel reading this devotional today... where are you?

Where is the FAITH you once had in that job God told you to apply for earlier this year? Where is the FAITH you once had in your marriage, (you know) the one you now are looking for a way out of? Or what about the FAITH in God you once could not stop sharing with others, that now has been minimized to just an invitation for people to visit your church?

Daniel... where are you?
(I pray that question stays in front of you and I on today!)

Now is not a time to BOW out of what God has promised you. Daniel, no matter what the obstacles may look like, know that God will deliver you. If you don't believe me...

... maybe I should show you what He can do with some lions! (Daniel 6:10)