But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 Do you want things? Do you buy lots of things that you don’t need? What do you long for? Today we are going to spend some time with Jesus before He went to the wilderness. Read Matthew 4:2. How long did Jesus fast? What was Jesus’ physical condition after fasting for that period of time? Jesus is fully divine, and He experienced the wilderness as a human. He was hungry. Why did Jesus spend forty days fasting? What is the benefit of fasting? Two important reasons tie Jesus’ experience…
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Walking In The Wilderness
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3 Have you ever camped in the mountains in the ruggedness of it all? No electricity, no heat, no lights at night? You have to learn how to cook over a campfire—NO comfy couches or chairs. You have to make or own entertainment because well you have to tv and not data for your phone. I don’t know if many of us would last. We would complain and grumble and go back home. How about life in general. …
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Appointed To Go
“I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit,” John 15:16-17 Today will focus on the verse above. Jesus revealed the purpose behind your “chosen-ness.” We all have a “go appointment.” How it looks for each of us will be different. We will go, where we will go, and what we’ll take with us will vary. The one thing we do have in common as Christ-followers is that we are appointed to go. The fruit we will bear in this appointment. Proverbs 11:30 says this: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise…
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Deborah: Part Two
And he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 Our abilities do not limit God’s power. Our talents are also not what’s makes us usable to Him. Deborah was a woman who was faithful, available and trusted in God. If we would yield to God, let His power work through us, We could be just as usable for God’s kingdom. From Judges 4:6 -7, what do we learn from Deborah concerning the details of God’s plan…
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Eve: Part 2
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:16 We don’t take warnings or truth very well. In fact, seldom do I meet a person who handles truth and warnings very well. We don’t stop to really think about the consequences. Our choices will affect others. Whether it is good or bad, it affects others. Being affected by other choices can be directly or indirectly. Through Eve, we learn that talking to Satan and walking with God do not go hand in…
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Advent Day: Twenty-Three
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Can we get serious for a moment and ask some hard questions? What are your beliefs based on? Truth or lies? Where do you base these truths on? Where do they come from? The Bible, the world, or our enemy, the father of lies? Read the following verses: John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding…
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Advent: Day Twenty -One
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'” Matthew 2:4-6 By the time Jesus is born, the Jewish people are desperate for a political revolutionary. Yet, the way we think and how God goes about his business is different. If we expect Jesus to fit into our…
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Share God
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Read Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 28:19-20 says, …
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Gathering In Small Groups
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord…
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Together In Worship
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, Acts 2:46 Let’s start by also reading Hebrews 10:24-25 and Psalm 95: 1-3. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful…