He Makes All Things New

He Makes All Things New TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “And He Who is seated on the throne said, ‘See! I make all things new...’ ” (Revelation 21:5, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria When God puts a dream in your heart, when He puts a promise on the inside, He deposits within you everything you need to accomplish that dream. He wouldn’t give you the desire to do something without giving you the ability to fulfill it. In fact, the scripture tells us that God gives us the desires of our heart. In other words, He puts the desire inside of us and then works with us to bring it to pass. Oftentimes, people set out to accomplish their dreams, but they face a setback or disappointment, and then they feel like their time has passed. But know today that no matter where you’ve come from, no matter what’s happened in your past, God wants to make you new. He wants to give you a “do over,” a fresh start. If you feel like you’ve missed opportunities in your life, if you feel like your time has passed, remember that today is a new day. You are a new person, and God has new opportunities in store for you. If one dream has died, it’s time to dream a new dream. He makes all things new in your life today! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for making all things new. Thank You for a fresh start today. I give You my past, present and future and choose to follow the good plan You have for my life in Jesus’ name! Amen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVCrpGRSlow#t=25 Don’t Fight Temptation. Flee It! BY RICK WARREN — SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 70822 “Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NCV) Many people are intimidated by the fact that they are tempted, like they shouldn’t even be in that situation or that they should be able to control it. But you shouldn’t feel guilty about temptation. It’s not a sin to be tempted. It’s a sin to give in to temptation. The Bible says that Jesus experienced every temptation known to man, but he didn’t sin. Temptation is not a sin. It’s how you respond to it that matters. The Bible says we need to flee temptation: “Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NCV). To “be alert” means to know what tempts you so that you can stay away from it. There are two things you need to stay away from: tempting situations (circumstances) and tempting associations (people who tempt you). One of Saddleback Church’s pastors, John Baker, says, “You hang around the barber shop long enough, you’re going to get a haircut.” It’s true! If you have a problem with alcohol, you don’t go to the bar to eat a sandwich. You stay away from it. You need to know what tempts you, when it tempts you, where it tempts you, who tempts you, and then just stay away from those situations and people. If you get tempted in airport bookstores, don’t go to airport bookstores. If you get tempted by a certain channel, don’t have that channel on your TV. We have parental block on our TV, and the youngest person in our house is my wife, Kay. We don’t have kids at home any more, but I don’t want to even risk going through channels and stumbling upon something I don’t need to see. You also need to avoid tempting associations. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33,“Do not be fooled. ‘Bad companions ruin good character’” (TEV). There are some people you need to stop relating to. There may be some friends who maybe should not be your friends, because it’s always easier for them to pull you down than for you to pull them up. If they’re leading you away from Christ, they’re not friends. Bad company corrupts good character. So what should you do if you try to avoid those tempting circumstances and people but still find yourself in a sticky situation? Get out! Don’t just walk away — run! You don’t fight it; you flee it. And you go after the good stuff in life instead. Talk It Over What are the situations or circumstances in which you know you will be tempted? What is your plan for avoiding those situations? Who are the friends that help you in your walk with Christ and who can help you in any struggle with temptation? Why is it important to receive this kind of encouragement? What are the God-honoring things or thoughts that you can employ to flee temptations?