But
God!
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against
me! ...But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift
up my head.
Psalm 3:1-3, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
When David wrote this verse, He was in a very difficult
situation. He was actually running for his life from his very own son who
wanted to kill him and take over the throne. Can you imagine?! David was
probably feeling overwhelmed, distraught, heartbroken, betrayed and abandoned.
Have you ever felt that way? But notice that David didn’t just tell the Lord
all about his problems. He told the Lord about his faith when he said, “But
You, God, are a shield around me…” David made the choice to focus on God’s
goodness no matter what.
We have to remember, circumstances may be tough, but God
is working behind the scenes on your behalf. You may have a difficult
relationship, but God is your Restorer today. You may have an overwhelming need,
but God is your Provider today! The doctors may have told you that you have an
incurable disease, but God is your Healer today! Things may look impossible
today, BUT WITH GOD, all things are possible! If you’ll keep that constant
attitude of faith and victory, you’ll see the hand of God move in your life,
and you will experience the life of victory He has in store for you!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for always being faithful and working
in my life. Today I open my heart to You and choose to focus on You instead of
my circumstances. I know that with You, all things are possible in Jesus Name.
Amen.
***
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?” (Matthew 10:32 MSG)
To live with uncommon courage and stand up for Christ, you have to learn how to clarify your worldview — what you base your beliefs on. You also have to understand the non-Christian worldviews that compete for your devotion every day. Here are the four most popular anti-Christian worldviews:
Materialism: What matters most is money. Materialists measure their success by wealth. However, you didn’t bring anything into the world, and you won’t take anything out of it, so should the purpose of your life be to build up a pile of things that you will leave behind? You were made for more than things. Luke 12:15 says, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (NIV). The greatest things in life aren’t things.
Hedonism: Whatever feels good is good. For hedonists, pleasure is their god. Their goal in life is to be comfortable and have fun. But happiness is not the goal in life; happiness is a by-product of living out your purpose. Holiness creates happiness.
Sin is fun! If it wasn’t, nobody would do it. But there is always a cost to sin, and it could cost you your soul: “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8 NLT).
Individualism: What I want comes first. America was built on rugged individualism, and today that has evolved into a culture of narcissism. But God didn’t create you to live for you. If you want to follow Jesus, you have to put aside your selfish ambition. Romans 2:8: “For those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (NIV). God opposes self-centeredness because God is love, and love is never selfish.
Socialism: Government should control everything. God is not an anarchist; everything should be done in order. I’ve spoken at most of the major, secular elite conferences, and I’ve discovered this: Politics is the religion of people who don’t know God. There is nothing wrong with politics, but it shouldn’t be your savior. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). I’m to be a responsible citizen, but I do not owe government my life. My greater loyalty is to God and not to government.
What is the result of these worldviews? The crumbling of our culture, crisis in our schools, corruption in our businesses, chaos in our government, carnality in our churches, confusion in our families, and conflicts in our personal lives. Any time we don’t go by the owner’s manual, we’re the ones who get hurt. You see, we don’t really break God’s laws — they break us.
To counter these prevalent worldviews, God is calling Christians to stand up for his truth “against world opinion.” You can only do that when you have a solid foundation in God’s Word and the uncommon courage that comes from a relationship with him.
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