Whatever Unites Also Divides

Did you know that whatever unites also divides? If I asked everyone in a crowded room with blue eyes to stand up, it would unite the blue-eyed people, but it would also divide them from everyone else.
 
Some people think unity should be our primary goal, but that’s incorrect. Believing the truth is more important than unity. Adrian Rogers said, “It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie.”
 
Jesus caused division wherever He went. “So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him” (John 7:43). He said, “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three” (Luke 12:51-52). When people united with Him, it divided them from family members who didn’t believe in Him.
 
Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matt. 12:30). The division continued as the apostles preached the gospel. “The people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles” (Acts 14:4).
 
You can choose which side you’re on. You can stand with Jesus, or you can side with those who hate Him because you’re afraid of their peer pressure. One day all God’s people will be united in heaven—and it’s because we followed the truth.
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Making Life Count Ministries
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Jesus Came to Explain God

Author Max Lucado was a missionary to Brazil before he became a writer. In his book Just Like Jesus, Max said he sometimes served as a translator for an English speaker. When the guest speaker stood before the audience, Max stood right next to him. His job was to convey to the Brazilians what the speaker was saying. When the speaker gestured, Max made the same gesture. When the speaker raised his voice, Max also raised his voice. When the speaker got quiet, Max got quiet.
 
One reason Jesus left heaven and came to earth was to “translate” God to us. Jesus didn’t do anything unless He saw His Father doing it (John 5:19). When the Father got louder, Jesus got louder. When the Father gestured, Jesus also gestured. This is why Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) and “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
 
Jesus demonstrated how to act like God in every circumstance. When people hated Him, He loved them. When they falsely accused Him, He didn’t try defend himself but was silent. He showed us how to forgive by actually forgiving the ones killing Him. The disciples could understand whatever He taught because they watched Him do what He was teaching them.
 
Do you remember those “What Would Jesus Do” bracelets? Not too many people are wearing them now, but the saying still holds true. Ask yourself, “What would Jesus do in my situation?” And then let Him translate though you.
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What is the Purpose of Fasting?

Fasting is choosing to go without eating for a period of time. Matthew 4:2 says, “And after He (Jesus) had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry” (Matt. 4:2). I love to eat, and it’s hard for me to fast 40 minutes without becoming hungry! The Bible talks a lot about fasting, but it doesn’t specifically tell us WHY we need to fast.
 
So what is the purpose of fasting? If you don’t know why you are doing something, it won’t be long before you quit doing it. Prayer and fasting often go together. I believe fasting shows God how desperately we want Him to answer our prayers. Fasting is not something that I enjoy doing, but some situations are so important that my desire to see God answer my request is more important than eating that day.
 
In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples couldn’t cast a demon out of a boy. Jesus commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it immediately came out. He then said, “This kind (of demon) does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21). Evidently, fasting increases the effectiveness of our prayers.
 
I ask you to FAST and PRAY for the election on Tuesday. Ask God to foil the attempts at voter fraud. Pray for our nation to turn to God in repentance. Pray that God will have His way in the outcome of this election.
 
Whoever is elected, whether it’s Trump or Biden, will have to deal with the ticking time bomb of over $27,000,000,000,000 of debt That’s 27 trillion dollars of government overspending since 1970. This by itself could instigate an economic depression. That’s another big reason to pray for our country.
 
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Some Things Will Not Happen Unless You Pray

James was a new believer and a member of our church. One day he told me he had the same nightmare every night for eight years. Eight years earlier, when he was a professional bodyguard, he fought and killed a man who tried to attack the client he was guarding.
 
After this incident, James dreamed about fighting this man every night for eight years. Every night it took him until at least 1 a.m. before he could fall asleep. I asked him if I could pray for God to set him free from his nightmares. He said yes.
 
As I prayed for his nightmare to leave in Jesus’ name, he said, “I’m getting an excruciating headache.” Then he said, “I just felt something leave me.” Immediately his head quit hurting. He became sleepy and went home to go to bed at 4 p.m. For the first time in eight years, he slept peacefully all night without dreaming of killing the man—and he never again had a problem with insomnia. This happened over a decade ago and his nightmare has never returned!
 
A counselor, who was also a member our church, heard about his recurring nightmare leaving through prayer. He told me, “We spend years counseling people who have recurring nightmares and can’t cure them.” Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
 
Many things will not happen unless we pray for them to happen. Otherwise, why bother praying? What if I hadn't prayed for his nightmare to leave? He might still be having that terrible dream even to this day.

Prayer is the privilege God has given us where we can appeal to Him to intervene in our situations. I am asking you to FAST and PRAY for God to foil the attempts at voter fraud and He will have His way in the outcome of this election. VOTE for the candidates that uphold biblical values.
Click here to compare WHERE BIDEN & TRUMP STAND ON THE ISSUES
Click here to compare WHERE CANDIDATES IN YOUR STATE STAND ON ISSUES
 
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It's Easy to Drift From God

Every summer when I was a kid, our family would travel to Florida to go to the beach for a week. One day, I climbed on my inflatable raft and closed my eyes. The gentle waves rocked me like a baby, and I didn’t realize the current was pulling me out to sea.

 
Then a wave splashed me in the face. When I looked up, I was shocked to discover I had drifted so far away I could barely see the shore. The current pulled me away so gradually that I didn’t notice it was happening. I floated away because I wasn’t paying attention.
 
We drift away from God the same way. We quit paying attention to Him, and little by little we move away. The writer of Hebrews warns, “For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1).
 
When we quit talking with God and reading His Word each day, it’s inevitable that we’ll gradually drift away from Him. It happens so slowly it’s almost unnoticeable. Then something happens that upsets the raft and when we look up, we see how far away we are. 
 
When I realized how far I was from shore, I didn’t get back to the beach by drifting there. I had to swim against the current and paddle my way back. To return to God, you must make an effort to get close to the Lord again. Seek His face. Talk to Him throughout the day. Meditate on His Word. Make sure you are in Christian fellowship. Before you know it, you’ll be back at the shore.
 
Over 270 printable Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
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BIBLE STUDY: How did Peter’s shadow and Paul’s handkerchiefs heal people?
 
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God's Word Will Not Return Void

A missionary told me this story:
A Christian man named Kendal (not his real name), was traveling on a train with some gospel literature to distribute in China. He couldn’t make his connections and was concerned about getting caught with it. It’s illegal in China to have that literature and he could go to prison.
 
He prayed for wisdom and felt led to go back to the train’s bathroom, which had a hole in the floor. He dropped the papers through the hole, which fell on the train tracks. Kendal felt terrible about throwing away the gospel papers and wondered if he had denied Jesus.
 
Two years later, he was back in China and speaking in an underground church. He told the people how he had smuggled in the gospel literature and dropped it down a hole in the floor of the train. Just then a man jumped up and said, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be a Christian! One day I was walking and found some papers about Jesus on the railroad tracks. I read them and accepted Jesus into my life.”
 
God had led him to put those papers down the hole to accomplish His will.  Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth… so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
 
When I was in college, I shared the gospel with another student, who didn’t seem interested in what I said. Thirty years later, he wrote me saying he remembered what I had said to him and that he became a Christian! Let this be a word of encouragement whenever you share the gospel with someone and don’t see immediate results. God’s Word will not return void but will accomplish what God desires.
Over 270 printable Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net
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BIBLE STUDY: “Do People in Heaven Know What’s Happening on Earth?”
 
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Temptations of Jesus #3--Shortcut to Glory

Satan has a Master’s degree in Trickonometry. Out of all temptations he could have chosen, Satan carefully picked three specific temptations to trick Jesus into sinning. Matthew 4:8 says, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.” Luke adds he showed Him all the kingdoms “in a moment of time” (Luke 4:5).

You can’t see all the world’s kingdoms from any high mountain. The devil showed Him this by playing a movie in Jesus’ mind. In a split second, Jesus supernaturally saw all the kings on earth, their thrones, palaces, and their treasures. If the devil can tempt Jesus like this, he can also play movies in our minds to get us to do something wrong.

Satan said to Him, “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me” (Matt. 4:9). If Jesus had bowed down and worshiped the devil, He would have disqualified himself from being the Savior of the world. Satan wanted Him to take a shortcut to ruling the world. He tempts people today to take shortcuts to get what they want. Of course, the devil is a liar and never would have given Him the kingdoms (John 8:44).

Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’” (Matt. 4:10). Whatever you worship, you will also serve. Some people worship and serve things in this world. Most of their money, time, and attention are invested in a hobby or some other object of worship that will soon pass away. If you want to know what people worship, look at what they are serving.

Worshiping and serving God starts now, but we will also worship and serve the Lord throughout all eternity. “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they shall serve Him day and night in His temple” (Rev. 7:15).

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BIBLE STUDY:  Why did Jesus say to pluck out our eyes?

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Temptations of Jesus #2-Jumping Off Temples

The devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and told Him to jump off. Satan quoted from Psalm 91:11-12 about God’s protection. “If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone’” (Matt. 4:5-6).

Satan tempted Jesus with Scripture—the very words of God! Who would have thought that God’s Word, taken out of context, could be used to tempt someone? The devil wanted Jesus to believe in the ability of God while ignoring the will of God.

Satan, who was a rebellious, unholy angel, tried to teach Jesus about the protective responsibilities of the holy angels! The Father didn’t tell Him to jump off, so if Jesus had jumped, He would have obeyed Satan and not God. Angels aren’t obligated to catch people who follow the devil’s instructions.

Many Jews believed the Messiah would be revealed by suddenly appearing in the temple. Malachi 3:1 says, “And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple.” If Jesus would jump off and float safely down, the crowd in the temple courts would see it and He would receive instant acceptance as the Messiah. It made sense. Quick. Impressive.

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matt. 4:7). In other words, Psalm 91 cannot be used to force God to act against His will. You must not force one verse to contradict another verse.

I’ve seen people impulsively “jump off temples,” thinking they can make foolish decisions and God will always protect them. Man shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, not selected words taken out of context.

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BIBLE STUDY:  What is the correct order of Jesus’ temptations?

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Temptations of Jesus #1-Turning Stones into Bread

Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days when He became hungry. The tempter said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3). The devil was trying to get Jesus to doubt who He was. The last thing He heard from His Father was at His baptism, when He spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17). Now the devil questioned His identity as the Son of God and challenged Him to prove it.

What tool could Satan use in the wilderness? He tempted Jesus with a rock. He probably pointed to a stone that looked exactly like a loaf of bread. When you’re hungry, even rocks start looking good. The devil can even make unappealing things look attractive when you’re weak.

Jesus could prove He was God’s Son by simply telling the rock, “Change!” and it would instantly turn into bread. No one would ever know, and He could fulfill His hunger drive. Jesus had the power to do it. He performed His first miracle by turning water into wine, so converting stones into bread would be easy.

Since His Father hadn’t given any “daily bread” for forty days, the devil tempted Him to provide for himself. He tempts people today in the same way, “Don’t wait for God to answer. Provide for yourself.” People do all kinds of things they shouldn’t be doing because they refuse to wait on God to provide.

Jesus told the devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4 NKJV). Don’t spend your life chasing bread alone, or anything else that fulfills your cravings. Live by every word that God has spoken.

Over 270 printable Bible studies at www.makinglifecount.net

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BIBLE STUDY:  What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

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God Appointed You to Live on Earth at This Time

In 1864 during the Civil War, Henry was a student at Virginia Military Institute. When the Union army attempted to destroy a railroad that brought supplies to them, the VMI cadets were called up by the Confederate army to engage them at the Battle of New Market.

     During the battle, Henry was struck in the stomach by a Minni ball, but instead of penetrating his skin, the bullet miraculously bounced off. If the bullet had entered his body, he would have died in battle due to lack of medical aid. If he had died, you wouldn’t be reading this. Henry Stuart Crockett was my great grandfather. If he had died, I wouldn’t be here today.

If you climb up your family tree, you’ll find someone who barely escaped death. If that person had died, you would not exist. You are not here by accident. God determined when you would live on earth and where you would live. “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). Out of all the centuries you could have been born, God appointed you to live at this time.

The Lord also created you with a purpose to fulfill. King David “served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13:36). Just as David accomplished God’s will during his time on earth, the Lord has a purpose for you to fulfill. If you will seek Him, He will show you your purpose in life. It’s not too late for you to get started.

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BIBLE STUDY:  “Did any prophets come out of Galilee?”

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The Way That Seems Right

Years ago before GPS, my wife and I were traveling in our car to a retreat in North Carolina. She had been to the retreat center a year before, but I hadn’t been there. On the way she said, “This road doesn’t seem right. I don’t remember going this way last year.” I told her, “The road map says we’re on the right highway.”

Later we came to an intersection. Cindy said, “It seems like we need to be turning left.” Again I looked at the map. “The map says we’re supposed to turn right here.” Trying to keep from laughing, I asked, “Do you think we should follow the map, or what seems right?” She giggled. We followed the map’s directions and arrived at our destination, just like it said.  

It reminded me of the verse, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:29). Many people travel through life guided solely by what seems right to them. They’re only thinking about having fun, doing whatever they want, and never thinking about where the road is leading them. It won’t end well for them.

God provided the Bible as our road map to guide us through life. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It teaches us about relationships, decision-making, marriage, salvation, and how to live. And it’s always right, even when our feelings try to pull us in the wrong direction.

So when you need guidance, ask yourself, “What does the Bible say about this?” God will show you the right way to go. Just follow His directions. 
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Last week we looked at the Sadducees and what they believed.

This week’s BIBLE STUDY: Who Were the Pharisees?  

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How Is It Possible to Love Your Enemy?

Corrie Ten Boom was a prisoner in a German concentration camp during WWII. Years later, while speaking in a church in Munich, she spotted in the congregation a former SS soldier who stood guard at the shower room door at Ravensbruck. When the church was dismissed, the former Nazi guard came up to her and said, “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein. To think that Jesus has washed my sins away!” He reached out to shake her hand.

Corrie kept her hand by her side as vengeful thoughts boiled within her. Here she stood, face to face with the evil soldier who had been so cruel to her. She prayed, “Lord Jesus, forgive me for hating him and help me to forgive him.” She struggled to raise her hand, but couldn’t. Again she prayed, “Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness.”

As she slowly lifted her hand and grabbed his, an incredible thing happened. She said, “Into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our own forgiveness that the world’s healing hinges. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.” (Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place, p. 238)

How is it possible to love your enemy? God can and will do it through you. “For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1 Thess. 4:9). Jesus will give you love for your enemy, just as He did with Corrie. All it takes is being willing to do it. www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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The One Thing That Could Stop Salvation

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid for the sins of the world. But the apostle Paul makes a stunning statement in 1 Cor. 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins.” I’ve often wondered WHY that was true.

The answer is found in our being united with Him. Every believer is “IN Christ” (Eph. 1:7, 13) and Christ is IN every believer (Rom. 8:9-11). When Jesus died, we died with Him (Rom 6:8). “Even when we were dead in our transgressions, (He) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5-6)

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but though Me” (John 14:6). If He was still in the grave, we could not go with Him to the Father in heaven. We would still be in the grave with Him. That’s why Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised…you are still in your sins.” If there is no resurrection, there is also no redemption, no reconciliation with God, no justification, no salvation.

But then Paul continues, “But now Christ HAS been raised for the dead” (1 Cor. 15:20). Paul had seen Jesus in His resurrected body (15:8) and spent his entire life trying to convince others of that fact. “If you confess with mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). www.makinglifecount.net www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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BIBLE STUDY: If Jesus died on Friday, how could He be in the grave three nights?

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