Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Simeon Prophesies Over Jesus

When Jesus was eight days old, Joseph and Mary took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (Read Luke 2:21-35). Unbeknownst to them, an elderly man named Simeon was already waiting for them. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah, so that day the Spirit guided him into the temple complex. Simeon is an example for us in three ways.

1. Simeon knew how to hear from God. He lived close to the heart of God and had a passion to see the long-awaited Messiah. God spoke to him that he would see the Christ before he died.

2. Simeon knew how to be guided by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit guided him into the temple at just the right time when Joseph and Marry would arrive. When Simeon saw Jesus, he knew that He was the Messiah. Again we see how clearly this man was in touch with God. He didn’t have an angel pointing Him out. Immediately when he saw Jesus, he prayed, “Now Lord, you can let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” (2:29-30). This was another sign to Joseph and Mary concerning His identity.

3. Simeon knew how to speak God’s message. He prophesied to Mary that Jesus was appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel … and that a sword would pierce her own soul (v.34-35). This was not what Mary wanted to hear about her child! But obviously, God wanted her to hear it so she would know that He would become the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world. Years later, as she watched Jesus die on the cross, no doubt she remembered this prophecy of Simeon.

We all need to hear from God, be guided by the Holy Spirit, and boldly speak His truth to others. It all begins by drawing near to Him and being willing to do His will. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Read studies on BIBLE PROPHECY and END TIMES at Making Life Count Ministries. Learn what the Bible teaches about the Antichrist, the Rapture, and the Second Coming.

Two books to help you grow in your faith:
SlayingYour Giants (ON SALE for $8.99) is filled with numerous interesting stories, humor, and practical advice (for teenagers and adults)
The Sure Cure for Worry (ON SALE for $11.74) contains some amazing true stories and will help the reader see God is in control. (For those who may doubt the existence of God and those who need guidance)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Conquering the Giant of Fear

When Moses sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land, they came back reporting there were giants in the land. This scared the people of Israel so much that they spent the next 38 years in the wilderness!

To receive everything that God has promised to you, you must defeat the Giant of Fear.  I’ve attached a link to an 18-minute video of me teaching about the 4 weapons you will need to use.
To watch the video, click on this link: Conquering the Giant of Fear
--Kent
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
www.makinglifecount.net
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If you have been blessed by these devotionals and Bible studies, would you please consider a year-end gift to this ministry?

You can give online: DONATE WITH A CREDIT CARD

If you would prefer to mail a check to “Making Life Count Ministries” send to:
Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support, which makes this ministry possible.

Friday, November 15, 2013

How will God provide for you?

Does your situation look so desperate that it’s hard for you to imagine how God can intervene? Matthew 17:24-27 tells an amazing story about Peter catching a fish with a coin in its mouth. This story is recorded in Scripture for a reason—to show you that God can do the impossible to provide your needs.

Instead of writing this week’s devotional, I’ve attached a link to a 20-minute video of me teaching on this passage. I hope this teaching will encourage you to not give up hope, no matter how impossible your situation may be. To watch the video, click on this link: How Will God Provide for Me?
--Kent
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Read over 150 Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
Does the future scare you?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry
Are you depressed or feel rejected?  Read Slaying Your Giants

Friday, November 8, 2013

Turning Points

George Foreman is the former two-time world’s heavyweight boxing champion and known for his powerful knockout punches. On his 19th birthday, he got so drunk that he couldn’t remember what happened that night. The next day, he ran into a friend who had been badly beaten up. His eye was swollen and he had cuts and bruises on his face. George wanted to get revenge on the person who hurt his friend. He said, “Man, you look terrible! Who did that to you?”

His friend looked at him in disbelief and said, “Are you kidding me? You beat me up last night!”
George was stunned because he couldn’t remember beating him up. This was a turning point in his life. The hurt he inflicted on his friend jolted him so much that George never took another drink of alcohol after that. (George Foreman, God in My Corner, Thomas Nelson, 2007).

Although you might not physically beat up someone, have you ever verbally beat up someone? We can hurt others without realizing the damage we’ve done. Husbands and wives get into heated arguments and never realize they’ve shoved an invisible knife through their spouse’s heart. Without a turning point, it could lead them to the divorce court. Abusive parents scream hateful things at their children, never realizing how it has devastated them. Without a turning point, future generations could be affected.

Change doesn’t occur without a turning point. The only way to stop hurting others is for the light bulb to come on in our minds. Our eyes must be opened to the pain we have inflicted. The Prodigal Son didn’t change until “he came to his senses” in the pigpen. This was his turning point. He got up, and went back home with a changed attitude toward his father (Luke 15:17-20). Saul was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians when he was struck down by a blinding light. This was his turning point. He changed from murdering Christians to preaching about Jesus (Acts 9:1-20).

Think back on your life. Have you ever had a turning point? Have you hurt your spouse, or your parents, or your children, or anyone, without realizing the damage you’ve done? It’s not too late to change. Today can be your turning point. Don't just say that you're sorry. Prove it with a change in behavior. 
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ACCIDENT OR DIVINE INTERVENTION? We have 500-600 people who receive this devotional via email. Occasionally the email service goes crazy and sends out one of the previous Devotionals without telling us. This happened earlier this week when a devotional from last May on “Rejection” was accidentally sent out. We have no idea how that happened, but maybe God wanted someone to read it.
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Read 150 Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
Does the future scare you?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry
Are you depressed or feel rejected?  Read Slaying Your Giants

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Are You a Bear Riding a Bicycle?

Satan is a clever dude and an expert in tricking people. He loves to counterfeit God’s ways to deceive Christians into thinking they are on the right path, but leading them in the wrong way. Legalism in the church is a counterfeit spirit that masquerades as “dedication to God” but it actually prevents people from walking in the Spirit and God’s grace. It is a system of rules to follow, which is enforced by a person or persons who act like spiritual policemen.

A legalist tries to control other people’s behavior through browbeating and threats. He or she is like the circus person who trains a bear to ride a bicycle. The bear feels awkward doing it, and is only doing it because of the trainer’s threats. Garrison Keillor once said, “A bear riding a bicycle can be trained to do it, but he would rather be in the woods, doing what bears do.”

God calls us to freedom (Gal. 5:13) but legalism calls people to bondage. The Holy Spirit inspires joyful service (John 15:11) but legalism produces dreaded duties. The Pharisees were the legalists of Jesus’ day. In Matthew 23:4-33, Jesus rebukes them for adding heavy burdens on people.

#1 Legalists are typically perfectionists who have unrealistic expectations of others.
Imagine being a pole-vaulter and the highest you’ve been able to clear is 13 feet. Your coach sets the bar at 17 feet. When you keep going 4 feet under the bar, he goes berserk and screams at you for not meeting the goal he set for you. A perfectionist is like that coach who sees everyone as a pole-vaulter who fails to make it over the bar. No one will ever be able to meet his expectations because he sets the bar way too high.

#2 Legalists are highly critical of others. A legalist has no room in his or her heart for God’s grace and compassion. They will often blast others in public and belittle them behind their backs. Those who are highly critical have very little love in their hearts, which causes them to only see others’ faults.

#3 Legalists force people to obey through threats, intimidation, and guilt trips. They will make condemning statements to make others feel guilty so they will conform to their wishes. The people being controlled are more concerned with pleasing the authoritarian figure than they are with pleasing God. They will attend church to make sure the legalist sees them in attendance rather than going to worship the Lord. People were afraid of the Pharisees and followed their rules “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:42-43).

Lest we be misunderstood, God wants you to submit to those in authority in your church and be joyful in serving Him. Hopefully your church is filled with grace and the Holy Spirit, and led by those who love the Lord. Remember, though, that you get to choose your place of worship. If your church makes you feel like a bear riding a bicycle, it might be time to find a new circus trainer. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Several people wrote us the link didn’t work to “Can Christian lose his salvation?” The link is working now, so please click on the link and print it for future reference.
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We are excited that some students at a university in Kenya are using our studies at www.makinglifecount.net for a weekly Bible study. If you would like to start a study in your home, please email me kent @kentcrockett.com and I would love to show you how.
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Read over 130 Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
Are you worried about the future?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry
Do you want to defeat depression, unforgiveness, and rejection?  Read Slaying Your Giants

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

10 Unusual Ways People Have Died

Call me weird, but I keep a file of unusual ways people have died. This morning I read about a man who had just pulled his car in a parking space when an abandoned apartment building collapsed and fell on his vehicle. If you had told him beforehand he would die that way, he would not have believed you. Here are nine more unusual ways people have died (These came from newspaper articles and are not urban legends).

·         A Brazilian man died when a cow fell through his roof and landed on him. His house was next to a steep hillside where the cow had been grazing.

·         A fisherman in Sri Lanka bled to death when a fish jumped out of the water and cut him on the neck with its fin.

·         A man in Iran was shot to death by a snake. He was trying to catch the snake alive and put the end of his shotgun on its head. The snake coiled around the gun and pulled the trigger.

·         A herdsman in Kenya was watering his livestock when he was stoned to death by wild monkeys.

·         A man at a Jets-Patriots pro football game was killed by a flying lawnmower. The entertainment at half-time was radio-controlled unusual-looking model airplanes. The flying lawnmower went out of control and flew into the stands where he was seated.

·         A man in Florida was sleeping in his bedroom when a sinkhole beneath his home opened up and sucked him in.

·         A man in London at his 100-year-old birthday party said, “Yes, I made it!” and immediately died.

·         Two passengers were dining on a cruise ship off the coast of France when a 26-foot high wave crashed through the glass windshield and killed them.

·         A man in South Carolina was jogging and listening to his iPod when he was hit from behind by a small plane that had lost its power and was making an emergency landing.

None of these people knew that death was just moments away. Have you ever thought about how you will die? Will you be cut by a fish tail? Shot by a snake? Killed by a flying lawnmower? Sucked into a sinkhole? Maybe your heart will just stop beating.

Life is short and death can happen at any moment. James 4:14 says, “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Will you be ready when your time comes? If not, please read “How can I know that I’m going to heaven?”
 
Have a great day. It could be your last.
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Read over 130 Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
Are you worried about the future?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry
Do you want to defeat depression, unforgiveness, and rejection?  Read Slaying Your Giants

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Leaving Your Offering at the Altar?

Jesus made a profound statement that most of us have overlooked.  He said, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Matt. 5:23-24). Jesus is saying that a wrong horizontal relationship with man will block our vertical relationship with God.

Imagine a man taking his lamb to the temple to sacrifice as an act of worship. As he is about to hand his animal to the priest to place it on the altar, a thought pops into his mind. The worshipper remembers a disagreement he had with someone. His enemy stole some money from him, but he reacted in the wrong way by calling him hateful names. He realizes that he must forgive his enemy for wronging him, but he also needs to ask forgiveness for his hateful response.

Jesus tells him to leave his offering at the altar. Leave it there while he takes care of some business. There’s nothing wrong with the offering, so there’s no need to take it away. The offering is acceptable, but the worshipper’s attitude isn’t, and God is looking at his heart. This passage reveals that the Lord is aware of what we are offering Him, along with the attitude in our hearts, and also the personal conflicts we are experiencing.

The worshipper leaves his offering and walks three miles to where his enemy lives. He asks forgiveness for calling him those names and forgives him for stealing from him. His enemy returns the money, accepts his apology and they are reconciled, so he returns to the temple and finishes presenting his offering to God.

But suppose his enemy doesn’t want to be reconciled. Instead of being receptive, his enemy curses him out and slams the door in his face. What is the worshipper to do? God accepts that fact that he did everything in his power to resolve the difference. Perhaps his enemy will change his mind later and get right with him and God. The worshipper can now return to the altar with a clear conscience, knowing he did what Christ has asked of him.

Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” Notice 3 things:
·         “If possible.” This implies that the other person may not want to be reconciled. But it also means that resolving the conflict might be possible.
·         So far as it depends on you.” This puts the burden of peace-making on you. It will require humility on your part because pride wants the other person to come to you. Quit waiting for the other person to make the first move. You take the initiative and start the process.
·         “Be at peace with all men.” Conflict creates friction, but reconciliation brings peace.

If you will make the first move, you will find that God will also make a move by blessing you! He will always bless the one who takes the initiative in peacemaking. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

Visit Kent’s New Bible Teaching website: www.makinglifecount.net

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Are you worried about the future?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry
Do you want to defeat depression, unforgiveness, and rejection?  Read Slaying Your Giants

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

When You Are Slandered

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and living with integrity, you can expect to be slandered. Someone who doesn't like you (perhaps is jealous or feels threatened by you) will twist the facts to make you look bad. They think that by ridiculing you it will make them look better.
 
Jesus told His followers they would be hated by unbelievers, “I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you . . . If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:19-20). But He also said that persecution can come from religious people: “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2). Sometimes the religious crowd can be harder on His disciples than unbelievers in the world.

The apostle Paul tells us that we will experience a deeper walk with God through “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). No one in their right mind goes searching for ways to experience pain. No one wants to suffer. In fact, we usually avoid it at all costs. Yet, as we seek to know God in a more intimate way, the forces of hell are unleashed upon us through evil people who hate us. Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt as He walked in total obedience to His Father, yet was constantly hated and slandered throughout His ministry?

You cannot learn “the fellowship of His sufferings” by reading books. You’ll only learn this level of anguish when people hate and slander you when you haven’t done anything wrong. People will gossip about you, and sometimes only you and the Lord know that you are blameless. What are you to do when you are hated and falsely accused?

1.Keep your integrity.  If you are blameless, don’t take the bait and react in an ungodly way. This is what Satan wants you to do.  When David was verbally attacked, he said, “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me” (Ps. 25:21).

2. Remain silent before your accusers. I’m not talking about if you are falsely accused of a crime. In that case, you should present evidence that you are innocent. But in most cases, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. You’ll wear yourself out trying to defend yourself to everyone. “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him” (Prov. 26:4). Even though many false witnesses lied about Jesus, He kept silent before them (Matt. 26:60-63, Acts 8:32). Always remember that God knows the truth and will bring justice on your accusers.

3. Draw near to God.  As you go through this painful experience, you will understand exactly how Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets felt when they were hated and slandered. Not many people are willing to walk down this lonely road, but the Holy Spirit will teach you deeper truths as you join in “the fellowship of His sufferings.”

4. Rejoice because your reward is great in heaven. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:10-11). Notice that these are false accusations, not truthful charges that you have actually done. God will make it up to you on the Judgment Day when you are rewarded.  Jesus said to “leap for joy” (Luke 6:23) because you will receive a great eternal reward for being persecuted.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Are you worried about the futureRead The Sure Cure for Worry

Do you want to defeat depression, unforgiveness, and rejectionRead Slaying Your Giants

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Listening to God

Jesus said that when some people pray, they wrongly assume “that they will be heard for their many words” (Matt. 6:7). Praying doesn’t get better because it’s longer, just like sermons don’t get better because they’re longer. I’ve never heard anyone say, “That sermon was so good because it was SO long!” And I don’t think God says, “That prayer is so good because it’s so long! That person just talks and talks and talks and never expects Me to say anything back!”

Years ago when I worked for a Christian college in Georgia, I had an appointment with a lady who lived in another city to talk about some business concerning the college. After we met, she started talking non-stop (and I am not exaggerating) for the entire hour. I kept waiting for her to take a breath—to pause—to take a break between words—to ask what I thought—anything so I could get a word in edgewise, but she never did. Finally, after sixty minutes of me listening without saying a word, I had to leave for my next appointment. When I got up from my chair I said, “Well, it was nice talking to you!” 

God must feel the same way when we do all the talking but never listen. He wants to speak to us, but we must have open hearts to hear His voice. “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb. 3:15). If you in a bad situation and don’t know what to do, God says if you will pray and ask for wisdom, He will always show you what to do. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

But how will you know when He gives you the wisdom? He will put thoughts in your mind and impressions on your heart. Sometimes He will give you desires to point your heart in the right direction. At other times, you will just instinctively know what you need to do. However, if you don’t expect Him to speak to you, you won’t receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7).

Remember that prayer is a dialog and not a monologue. Learn to listen to God and then do what He says.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  
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Are you worried about the futureRead The Sure Cure for Worry

Do you want to defeat depression, unforgiveness, and rejectionRead Slaying Your Giants

Monday, September 9, 2013

Trust in the Lord with all Your Heart

(This amazing true story comes from my new book, The Sure Cure for Worry (Chosen Books, 2013, pages 32-35)
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God is in control when your world is falling apart. You must continue to obey God, even when what He tells you to do doesn’t make sense. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Max Wilkins is a pastor in Gainesville, Florida. Shortly after he surrendered to go into full-time ministry, Max applied at Candler School of Theology for seminary training. He had no money to attend graduate school but took the first step of faith by applying.

Max had two summer employment opportunities before fall classes would begin. The most promising was an assistant pastor position in a local church, which would completely pay for his first semester at the seminary. The other job was working at a church camp for only a penny per hour. The correct decision appeared to be obvious. The church staff job had to be the right choice. But after spending time in prayer, Max felt God pulling at his heart to work at the camp.

His parents tried to talk him out of it. “Son, you need to pray again. Obviously you didn’t hear that from God.” But Max could not deny that the Lord was leading him in a direction that defied logic. It would be financially impossible for him to pay for seminary with the money he would be making at camp.

Max faithfully fulfilled his camp duties and by the end of summer he had earned five dollars. Classes would be starting in two weeks. If he had listened to his parents and taken the other job, he would have had the money to pay for his first semester at school. But now that option was gone.

How could the Lord let him make a huge mistake like that? Max stormed down to the camp lake to have it out with God. Standing by the lake, he cried out, “Lord, you are the one who called me to seminary and to work at this camp. I am trying to be obedient to you, but I have no idea what to do now. This is your problem, God!”

At that moment he sensed the presence of someone nearby. He turned and noticed an elderly woman sitting on the lakeside bench. “Hello,” Max said. “Have we met before?”
“No, my name is Emily Ann. Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you.”
Max sat next to her and shared about his desire to attend seminary and turning down the assistant pastor job to work at the camp for a penny per hour.

“You want to go to Candler School of Theology?” she asked. “My husband and I happen to have some friends who are endowing a scholarship at that seminary. Please give me your contact information and I will tell them about you.”

Max wondered if she was making up the answer to his problem, or if she might be a little bit senile. After all, what are the odds that a person with connections to a scholarship to the very seminary he had applied for would come to that exact spot on the lakeshore at the precise time he was there praying? Max scribbled his address on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

When summer camp ended, Max returned home and found a stack of mail lying on his desk. He came across an envelope from the Sherman Foundation. Tearing it open, he read:
Dear Max, Our dear friend Emily Ann spoke very highly of you and your calling to ministry. We trust her implicitly. Based on her recommendation, we are pleased to award you an all-expense paid scholarship to Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Sincerely, Frank and Helen Sherman, The Sherman Scholarship Foundation

What looked like an incredibly stupid decision to work at the camp for a penny an hour turned out to be the correct decision! Because Max trusted in the Lord with all his heart and did not lean to his own understanding, God led him on the right path—and provided what he needed.

The scholarship not only paid for his entire three years in seminary, but also gave him a monthly stipend for living expenses! When you walk in obedience to God, He has ways of providing for you that are beyond your understanding. Are you trusting the Lord with all your heart and obeying what He is telling you to do? If you will, God will take care of everything else.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Are you worried about an economic collapse or that you won't find the right person to marry?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry

Do you want to conquer depression, rejection, or unforgivenessRead Slaying Your Giants

Friday, August 9, 2013

The Purpose of Prayer

Many people aren’t motivated to pray because they don’t understand why they need to do it. Suppose your friend says, “I’d like for you to go in my backyard and dig some holes four feet deep.” You don’t want to do it but because he’s your friend, you agree to do it.  

Ten minutes into digging you start complaining about the heat. Twenty minutes later your back begins to hurt. You keep looking at your watch, wondering how much longer he wants you to dig. After an hour you’re mad at him because you have no idea why you’re doing useless work.

But suppose your friend gives you more information. “My grandfather buried bags of gold coins in my backyard four feet deep. If you will dig them up, I’ll share the treasure with you.” You get excited and start shoveling dirt as fast as you can. You’re not even thinking about sweating, blisters, or backaches. Now you have one thing on your mind—finding the gold.

What changed? Your motivation increased once you understood the reason for your digging and that you would benefit from it. In the same way, your motivation to pray will increase once you understand the purpose of prayer and how you will benefit by doing it.  

Did you know that some things will not happen unless you pray? Otherwise, prayer would serve no purpose. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Prayer is like having a passkey that will unlock doors.  It won’t open every door, but it will unlock the doors that are in God’s will.  However, if you don’t use the passkey many doors will remain closed.  

Through your prayers God can change your circumstances and open doors of opportunity for you. The Lord wants you to participate in bringing His will to pass on earth through your prayers. The key is in your hand. It’s up to you to use it. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Are you worried about an economic collapse or some other tragedy?  Read The Sure Cure for Worry

Do you want to conquer anger, unforgiveness, and rejectionRead Slaying Your Giants

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Am I Supposed to Love Myself?

(The following is an excerpt from Slaying Your Giants.)

To love self or not to love self. That is the question. Jesus said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). He also said, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26).

These two apparently contradicting verses, both spoken by Jesus, make me wonder, "Should I love me, or love me not? If God loves me, shouldn't I love me?" And here's a bonus question. If Jesus commanded me to love everyone, why does He now tell me to hate?

No, Jesus wasn’t commanding us to despise mom and dad. The biblical word “hate” doesn't always mean to “cease loving.” When Jesus says you must hate your relatives and yourself, He means that you must favor Him above everyone else. Christ wants to lead you, rather than letting anyone else control your life. However, some people wrongly believe they must hate themselves—the very souls Jesus created and died for. If that were true, you should want to go to hell, which would be the ultimate hatred of self. Obviously, that can’t be right. You would be fulfilling Satan’s will, not God’s.

A prison chaplain once told me, “Do you know why those prisoners committed their crimes? It’s because they hate themselves. And if they hate themselves, how can they love others? If they don’t have respect for themselves, why would they respect anyone else and their property? So it doesn’t bother them to steal or kill. They don’t love their neighbors because they don’t love themselves.”

Attaining a healthy self-image requires that you see yourself as God sees you—as a valuable person He created and loves. It’s important to understand that “self” can mean a couple of things. It can mean “the person God created you to be” which is good, or it can mean “having a selfish attitude” which is bad. When Jesus said to hate your own life, He meant to hate selfishness, not the person God created you to be. The Lord wants you to love yourself as His creation and child, but to hate your selfish attitudes.
www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Don't Stop Praying (The Unjust Judge)

After we’ve been praying for something for a long time and the answer hasn’t come, we might conclude that God isn’t listening. Sometimes He will not answer because we are asking for something that will not be good for us. But at other times we quit praying too soon, which forfeits what we are praying for. Jesus told a parable explaining why we must continue to pray.

Luke 18:1Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” 

Jesus is the one who answers our prayers—and He is teaching us about how to pray and about how prayer works.  First He says to pray at all times.  Do you realize that some things will not happen unless you pray? Otherwise, prayer would serve no purpose.  The problem is we only pray when we need something and not “at all times.”

Second, it’s easy to get discouraged and lose heart. He knows that when we don’t see the answer to our prayers that we can be tempted to quit praying.  Notice that Jesus is the one who told us to keep praying, even when it looks like nothing is happening. 

Luke 18:2-3 "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'” 

There are three reasons why you help people. One is because you fear God, and another reason is you respect others.  Jesus sets up this parable by eliminating the two primary reasons to help her.  That only leaves one reason left.

Luke 18:4-5 "For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'"  

The reason the ungodly judge gave in to her was because she wouldn’t stop bringing her request to him!  Do you understand what He’s trying to tell us?  That’s the kind of persistence we should have when we bring our requests before God.  Persistence is a necessary ingredient in faith and gives us the determination to keep praying until the answer comes. 

Don’t give up praying for your loved ones or for something else that’s on your heart. Jesus said that your prayers are making a difference in bringing it to pass.
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To READ SAMPLE CHAPTERS of Slaying Your Giants click here: www.kentcrockett.com
(The book includes a free 20-Lesson Discussion Guide for Small Group Studies)

You can purchase Slaying Your Giants at your local Christian bookstore.
You can purchase it for $9.99 by clicking here: Christian Book Distributors
You can purchase it from Amazon.com by clicking here: Amazon

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Rejection Can Be God's Direction

Rejection can be extremely painful, but many times God will use man’s rejection as His direction. Jesus told His disciples to shake the dust off their feet when they were rejected. “And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Matt. 10:14). That’s good advice. Shake off your rejection and look for new opportunities.

The first book that I wrote was rejected by fifteen different publishing companies. I shook off the rejection and kept knocking on doors. It was the sixteen company that bought my manuscript, which went into several printings and was translated into Korean. God closed 15 doors through those rejection letters to divert me to the right publisher.

God can do the same for you. You must see your rejection as a door that God shuts to protect you from making a mistake and to point you in a new direction. When Joseph was rejected by his brothers, he looked past their hateful actions and saw God’s hand at work. He was sold into slavery, but God promoted to the second-highest position in Egypt. If Joseph’s brothers hadn’t rejected him, his promotion would not have happened.

Even though you may feel abandoned by someone’s rejection, you need to look past the rejection and see God having a better plan for you. The Lord is so wise and powerful that He will use their rejection to get you to a better place where He can bless you. (Slaying Your Giants, Hendrickson Publishers, 2013, p.147)
 
To read sample chapters of Slaying Your Giants click here: www.kentcrockett.com 
(The book includes a free 20-Lesson Discussion Guide for Small Group Studies)
 
You can purchase Slaying Your Giants at your local Christian bookstore.
You can purchase it for $9.99 by clicking here: Christian Book Distributors 
You can purchase it for $9.63 by clicking here: Amazon