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October 2 Week 2 Day 4 Fruit Basket Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 Funny, when I first typed this I typed "list of the flesh." Yuck, the list of the flesh is not a becoming list! The list of the gifts of the Spirit is much more appealing. (Ha, a PEELING, like a banana, apple, orange, pear, etc.) Blackaby makes several encouraging statements in this chapter: 1. The Spirit will make you aware of the enormous riches God has at your disposal. 2. The Spirit qualifies you to receive what the Father wants to give you. 3. When the Spirit of God enters the life of a new Christian, His assignment is to produce spiritual fruit in that life. What's in your basket? Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness Self-control Let's Pray: Heavenly Father, the Giver of Good Gifts, we love you and thank You for providing us with the Holy Spirit as a personal trainer! Use this reminder today of what You wish f...

Week 2 Day 3 When God Speaks What does God say he wants of us? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. "How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit? " BELIEVE that what God says about the Spirit it true. ASK God to work in you in all the ways He promised and purposed. Yield all your life to God and His work Live your life in obedience to God's working in you daily." Boo thought: (B.A.Y.L.)Believe, Ask, Yield, Live....Bail Out... if you fail in your own strength or the strength of others. The market's jitters and jaunts have most of our minds wandering to and fro with "what ifs". I began thinking...at least I have a well stocked pantry that could hold us for some time, putting confidence in what I had. Coming home from school yesterday I encountered ants everywhere, especially in our pantry. Cleaning things out, I also realized many products had expired and ants or no ants, they needed to be tossed....

Week 2 Day 2 When God Speaks Blackaby teaches that there is no one who can more effectively address the deep needs of your life than the Spirit of God. He says the Spirit will not always tell you what you want to hear, but He will tell you the truth concerning your life and church. Try this matching game on all the roles the Spirit plays in our lives. _1. Guide _2. Helper _3.Glorify Christ __4. Spirit of Truth _5. Teacher _6. Reminder _7. Spirit of Conviction a. works in your life to exalt Christ to the world around you b. reveals spiritual truth to you c. confronts the sin in your life & convinces you Jesus is Lord d. brings to mind things God said to you in His word e. reveals God's perspective of your situation to you f. helps you to do things impossible on your own g. leads your life into His activity around you Boo Thought: Whew, we need truth, teaching, guiding, helping, reminding, convicting and glorifying Christ to come out of the mess we are in as a nation. When I ...

Week 2 Day 1 Blackaby's When God Speaks "Jesus told His disciples not to go anywhere until they had received the Holy Spirit... "The Spirit of God enabled people to do things that were impossible apart from His help. He guided them to lead the people of God; to defeat enemies; to construct a tabernacle; to prophesy; to understand truth; to preach boldly; to understand Scripture and many other things. God's Spirit can lead you to do anything He assigns you to do." Blackaby All weekend "set apart" has been on my mind, probably from doing this study on the Spirit for this week. I went to the concordance this morning and there are many varying references on those "set" apart...Jesus, priests, animals for sacrifice and us! What has God set each of us apart to do? Lately I have also had a huge burden for marriages, so Deke and I have agreed to host a small group study for six weeks using Andy Stanley's "Imarriage." For six weeks...

Soil Check- Week One, Day 5 "Jesus said the way you respond to the word of God reveals the condition of your heart, and will determine what God will do in your life." 1)Trampled, hardened soil-"When you allow your heart to become hardened and desensitized by the things of the world, God's word does not penetrate your heart in order to change your life. 2)Rocky, shallow soil-"We can attend a church service and even be an active participant, yet never let the word of God penetrate our lives." Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say? Luke 6:46 3)Thorny soil, full of weeds-"These people hear the word from God but the cares, riches, and pleasures of life are so important to them that God's word is choked out. 4)Fertile, receptive soil- Blackaby says, "I have desired in my life always to have a heart so open and unobstructed that any word coming to me from God can multiply in me as God desires. I regularly take invento...

A Mission to Redeem the Lost Week One, Day 4 "Perhaps the most significant times that God speaks to you are when He wants you to understand a new dimension of who He is. You will never attempt the impossible until you believe that the God who commands you to do so is an all-powerful God. You will never be able to forgive others genuinely until you understand the incredible price God was willing to pay to forgive you. All of your activity with God is based on your understanding of who He is. God reveals himself to us progressively. God is on a mission to redeem a lost world. God expects people to adjust their lives to Him so that He can work through them to bring others to Himself." For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10 God's purpose is clear...He wants as many of his children headed to heaven as possible. It makes sense that His purpose for each of our lives will be related to that same end. Chuck Colson said, "It is not w...

Week One, Day 3 "Jesus spoke in various ways: seminars, individual contact, miracles, His personal example, the forces of nature, and the presence of children. The longer and more intimately we relate to God...the more we come to know His presence and activity in our life. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things I heard from My Father I have made known to you." John 15:15 What is God wanting to tell you, his friend, today? Let's Pray: We are all ears Father, making time, yes taking time to be with You. In Jesus Name, Amen

From Blackaby's When God Speaks, Wk 1 Day 2 Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3 "God does not speak to us merely so we can have a warm, devotional thought. God's words are essential to our lives. God's words bring life! God's word never leaves someone or something the same. God's Word is far too important for us not to take it seriously. We should encourage each other to testify to what we are hearing from God." I had a rough encounter Sunday. For moments I felt like I was being battered by a rough tide...being thrown into shore and safe on the sand, then flung back out into the depths of the sea again. It began when I picked up my husband's travel mug from the car to take inside. I didn't realize there was still coffee in it. My arms were loaded down with groceries and a knitting project I had been working on for a couple months and almost had completed. The proj...

September 22 Adjustments From Henry Blackaby's Study-When God Speaks" Sin disorients us to God and causes us to stop seeking Him. Wordly things dull our senses to receiving a word from God. God's word is never for our entertainment, information, or observation, but obedience. God's word never allows us to remain the same. Like all forms of communication, your relationship with God needs to be cultivated. You may need to make adjustments in your life to experience fully God speaking to you." Question: When is a time God spoke to you while you were reading His Word? The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, 'Surely as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand...For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? Isaiah 4:24, 27 Let's Pray : Lord, please pour your living Word upon us today and reshape our hearts and minds making us more like Christ. In ...

September 20 Why are you downcast... Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11 "God's power and love are a million times greater than our weakness." Alicia Britt Chole September 21 Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. Isaiah 41:10 " When we are frightened, God wants us to draw near, into His arms of safety and love." Lisa Bevere Boo thought : The eyelids opened and the realization it was Saturday brought refreshment. Then the thought..."Why I am taking time to write this devotional?" popped into my head. By my bed, lay open Henry Blackaby's When God Speaks study, which I a doing for the 3rd time this year and finding to once again be powerful. My eyes fell upon the pink highlighted text and the scribble in the margins: God reveals Himself to us progressively. Jesus indicated there was much that God wanted to reveal to the disciples, but...

September 19 God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 "During the cold and rainy times of life, God is a safe, warm, dry shelter." Peter Wallace Boo thought: Stopping by to visit my eighty-eight year old father the other day, I found him in his basement going through old boxes. It was like a treasure hunt for him. We found his pilot's license, a picture of his grandmother I had never seen, his hospital bracelet from when he was a baby, a box of Indian head pennies, a newspaper article on him being an outstanding college leader at VA Tech, old Christmas ornaments and some pillow cases that had never been opened, which he was looking forward to using. These treasures were filled with fond memories. I think God treasures us in a similar way. I am sure in His enormity he does not need trinkets to trigger his memory of fond thoughts of us. God has given us an amazing Treasure in his Word. It covers every emotion and every emergency we may encount...

September 18 God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength. Psalm 62:7 "God will meet extraordinary needs with extraordinary resources." Kathy Troccoli Boo Thought: Today I will give a reading assignment in which the students have to read (and bring in to share) something that makes them do the following: Makes them laugh Makes them think Makes them thankful Sets them in motion to act upon a situation They could just open up the Bibles on their desks and complete that assignment. Ok, you may be saying, "What in the Bible makes you laugh?" The thought of Noah getting all those animals on that ark makes me smile and chuckle and I bet quite a few people laughed when Zacchias climbed that tree! I bet there was plenty of laughter at the wedding feast when the best wine (which Jesus had made from water) came out towards the end of the wedding reception. I asked my husband if there was anything in the Bible about laughing...he chuckled, "Well, Sampson b...

September 17 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 "If God says He will do something, He does it." John Bisagno Boo thought : I think I may have my oldies mixed up....I am trying to find the song (I don't think it was Michael Jackson) Just call my name, I'll be there . It is such a great example of our Lord. Last night we were attending Back to School night. (My husband figured it was his 100th "Back to School Night" from all his teaching and our children causing us to go to 3 a year at times at the three different grade levels.) While we were out someone from the local hospital called our home number and my cell number, but left no message. When I tried to return the call, it stated it was an out going hospital number, but could not be traced. We called our parents to check on them and then called on the Lord to take care of whomever was in need! Praise His name he takes our distress calls! Some...

September 16 Do not cast away your confidence. Hebrews 10:35 "If all the answers to prayer came overnight, we would not be called a people of faith." John Hull and Tim Elmore Boo thought: Praying this morning, the word "discipline" kept rolling over and over in my mind. Breaking it down I was reminded that discipline in Christ often requires..."dis"ing our own plan and stepping forward in faith and following God's plan. The anonymous writer of Hebrews writes on persevering in God's will in this tenth chapter. Check out these passages referring to those who walked the walk long before us with a confidence in Christ that is a radiant witness to us. Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were treated so. You sympathized with those in prison...

September 15 He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. Psalm 72:12 "There is no predicament in which you cannot pray. Prayer is always an open door." C.H. Spurgeon Boo thought: " Predicament"-a difficult, perplexing, or trying situation. Hmmm , how we handle predicaments can be predicated on God's role in our personal lives. Situations present themselves and people are left standing saying.... "What can we do, what can we do?" The first thing we can do is pray! Let's Pray: Father this Psalm reminds us to praise You for it is You alone who does marvelous deeds! We will praise Your glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with Your glory! When predicaments pop up in our lives, may our prayers prevail! Praise You Lord for making the process of prayer free. We don't even have to pay shipping costs! We just have to believe in Your Son as the Deliverer! Our Deliverer from sin ...

September 14 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7 "Sprinkle a seasoning of short prayers on your daily living." Francis De Sales Boo thought : Do we believe? Do we trust? Do we hope.....in the Lord? I have a tale of two young brothers who have encountered me. One told his mother he didn't think it was right with all the dying people in the world and those struggling with cancer that I would pray over nonsense things like my vacuum cleaner starting. The other's quote was "she is the prayingest woman I've ever seen"...but it works! When Jesus is your best friend and you know He has turned water into wine, fed five thousand, healed the blind and raised the dead it is just a no brainer for me to ask him to help me find my car keys when I have misplaced them or to start my vacuum cleaner or computer when they are being ornery! The sooner those things can get taken care of the sooner I can be about His b...

September 13 Call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16:8 "Do not be afraid to lean too much on Jesus." C.H. Spurgeon Boo Thought: Chapter 16 of 1 Chronicles contains David's Psalm of Thanks...if you need a change of attitude...read this. For over eight years of " evotional " writing I have had a hands off to political situations policy. Today I want to touch the tip of it related to our faith and make an interesting analogy from 1 Chronicles 15. David and a horde of people were bringing the ark of the covenant to the place they had prepared for it in Jerusalem. The scene was pure elation... shouts, the sounding of the ram's horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. There was one watching, David's wife Michal, who didn't get it. She had become bitter towards him. The Word says... when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart . 1 Chronicles 15:29...

September 12 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 "It takes time to commune with Christ as friend. W. Phillip Keller Boo thought: Hanging out with our fellow Christian Sheep is key to us having that little jump in our daily walk! I think of my students at The Academy and how they are enjoying one another and of many women in our area who will fellowship together this weekend attending The Extraordinary Women's Conference. There is a second level of fellowship that we often pass by in these settings. Examples....students engaging a relationship with their teachers/professors, conference attendees having the opportunity to converse with the speakers, and church members establishing relationships with their pastors. Often we assume the "key note speaker" in these situations doesn't have time or doesn't care about fellowshipping with those of us below them. (We really aren't below at all.) How does that play i...

September 11 Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11 "The primary focus of meaningful worship is God, God's presence and grace." Don Postema Boo thought: Reading the Roman's verse I thought of the song, Head and Shoulders, Knees and TONGUES! Last night we were at a Life Group training and the leader asked us to circle up and hold hands. Instinctively we all did that facing inward. He said, "Why is it none of us circled up with our backs to the circle looking out? The point he was making is that so many small group gatherings look into themselves and not out to those who might like to come in and be a part of the circle. Even in our Christian fellowship we can become very cliquish. Back to the song...we should be using our heads to think of the needs of others, we ought to take those arms attached to our shoulders and wrap them around some hurting people, we might consider getting down on our knees and lending a helping ...

September 10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. Psalm 64:10 Living in complete joy requires living in complete confidence in God." Dee Brestin Boo thought: If you're happy and you know it, shout "Amen!" If you're not, then you need a large scoop of Jesus to start your day! I just turned on a light and this computer in total confidence that the power lines have provided electricity to my home, way out in the countryside. In moments I will stand in a shower never doubting that water will spew from a shower head and even be warm! Then I will flick the switch on a hair dryer totally expecting it to blow warm air and dry my hair. Proceeding to my kitchen I anticipate that the refrigerator has kept my milk cold all night, our coffee maker will automatically have my husband's coffee ready for him at 6:00 and the microwave is waiting to warm up whatever we stick in it! Then we will sit ourselves in a vehicle that we have assurance we can drive...

September 9 The Lord will be a shelter for His people. Joel 3:16 "The object of our faith is God-not our feelings, not faith itself, but almighty God." Warren W. Wiersbe Boo thought: What is the last thing you took shelter from? Recently thousands would say...a hurricane. Just as many would say...turmoil in their hearts. Listen to the honesty from Psalms Now #83 . This may be your heart today or you may sense a yearning to be the hand of Jesus to someone else who feels this way. I am so depressed tonight, O God. I feel like I am the sole target, of an enemy barrage- like all the demons of hell are bent on damning my soul for eternity. I remember Your precious promises, but I do not witness their fulfillment. I talk to people about Your love, and they drown my zeal with scorn. I step forth to carry out Your will, but I feel no sense of accomplishment. I mouth words, wave my arms, and beat the air in fruitless endeavor. Then I fall like a wounded warrior, bone-weary, def...

September 8 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Isaiah 40:29 Boo thought: Yesterday was quite the day. Moments before heading off to church, Moses and I heard a loud thud against the dining room window. He barked frantically. Looking down into the driveway below the dining room window, sat a very, large, redheaded, woodpecker with an enormously long beak. Now remember, I am not a bird fan and this critter or one of his relatives has been pecking away at our trees all summer. My husband emerged from the shower, ready to head out to church when I asked him to come to the dining room. From his assessment the bird looked to be in shock or paralyzed. Approaching the scene, with a broom in hand, he was amazed at the size of that beak and recognized the possibility of the damage it could do to him should this bird be able to fly. The wise choice was to add a trashcan to his paraphernalia. Placing the trashcan over the bird, it began to cry the mo...

September 6 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Psalm 33:11 "The Lord is always on a pursuit to get to the heart of the matter." Kathy Troccoli September 7 O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true. 2 Samuel 7:28 "I could no more doubt the power of prayer than I could disbelieve the law of gravity." C.H. Spurgeon Boo thought: Tropical storm Hannah has graciously bestowed some much needed rain upon our area and the trees outside my window are dancing in delight. The Weeping Willows are swaying vibrantly, while the Crape Myrtles, who carry a heavier load appear to have more of a Bebop step going on. The large leaves of the Oaks and Poplars seem to be applauding all the action down below their loftiness! Bless its' heart...in the corner of my bedroom is an artificial willow tree which stands stagnant. Wait! There is one tiny limb, hanging down very low that is moving! Ah, the air conditioning unit is trying to b...

September 5 Be still and know that I am God... I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 "There is not one place in the entire universe, visible or invisible, where God is not!" Anne Graham Lotz Boo thought: This morning our kindergarten teacher walked in my room to see if I had time to pray for the school with her. I had 8 minutes until the students were to come and the day's board work to get on the board, as well as all our books, computers and furniture to get into place. (The area of a local church we are renting uses the same space on Wedneday nights and Sundays, so we have to set up the classrooms twice a week.) My first reaction was, you've got to be kidding me, how will I ever get ready. Then I realized in the time I could spend explaining why I didn't have time, I could pray with her! So we did. It calmed my restlessness and set the stage for one of the best days I have had this year. I needed to be still and exalt God remembering wit...

September 4 Look down from heaven, and see from Your habitation, holy and glorious. Isaish 63:15 "God is the beginning and the end of all that we are and ever will be." Peter Wallace Boo thought : I have three knitting projects going on and am getting ready to start a knitting class for a couple of The Academy students this afternoon. One of my projects requires using 15 balls of yarn at the same time. Looking for the "beginning and the end" of the yarns (which all have different lengths in their skeins) is a big challenge. The project is nothing compared with God keeping an eye on the beginning and ending of all of our lives! The KOOL thing is...God is constantly weaving master pieces! Let's Pray: Father, praise You that your eyes are always open and looking down upon us. Forgive us when we have mangled messes for You to see and call upon you to help us sort those out. Thank You for loving us despite some of our entanglements! Today we turn to You, relinguish...

September 3 I will hear what God the lord will speak for He will speak peace. Psalm 85:8 "Prayer is a way for us to connect with God's plan." Suzanne Dale Ezell Boo thought: Yarp is close to yap! A dear friend asked me last night if I knew what "pray" spelled backwards meant...I confessed I didn't. He confessed it didn't mean anything, but knew it would be food for thought for me! How about this... Y ou AR e P eace! Today's Psalm's Now is too good to pass up. As many a waitress says after setting down a dish..."Enjoy!" Let's Pray this: O God, You indeed have been good to us. You have prospered our land. You have opened Your heart to us in love. You have forgiven our sins and adopted us as Your sons and daughters. But our country is in turmoil. We no longer have confidence in our leaders. Some segments of society feel disenfranchised and display their displeasure in open revolt. Our young people spill blood in turf wars and ov...

September 2 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves... but our sufficiency is from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 "No matter what our journeys lead us through, we always end up in God." Leslie Williams Boo thought: Bulldogs are high maintenance. Their eyelashes roll in towards their eyes, so they don't drain and gook builds up requiring them to be wiped. Something else has to be wiped and that is their pig like curly tail. We keep a box of wet ones at the doors on both levels of the house for that job! This morning during my quiet time, I realized with all the needs of the school my prayers have been quite the laundry list. I recognized the need for listening prayer and that time with the Lord, led to a much needed time of confession and Jesus being my "wet one". Praise His holy name that he is willing to clean up the gook in my life! Let's Pray: Father, we cannot hide anything from You and when we try to we start to stink! Thank You for loving us enough to n...