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For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33 The history of mankind can be thought of in terms of power. In the beginning of our history, we had manpower, the ability to do things for ourselves. Then, we had horsepower, the ability to use animals to do work for us. After that came machine power as we found the ability to make complex devices to accomplish difficult tasks. Each step in the development of power has enriched mankind, both financially and materially. And yet, while we’ve slowly learned how to exhibit control and power over the world around us, we’ve also learned each step of the way that there’s much more we don’t control than we realize. So what does this leave us? Well for one, we’re now in a place where we can firmly say we’re not in control of most things. Even when we take into account those things we do control, they pale in comparison to the number of things we don’t. Our only options then are either to surrender to chaos and believe whatever happens has no ultimate purpose, or we believe that God is ultimately in control and has a purpose for everything. But the Bible is clear – God works everything out for the good of those who love Him. Everything has a purpose. Don’t let the chaos of life distress you. Trust in the goodness of God and believe that in Christ, He’ll work everything out for your good! In the seeming chaos of life, trust God to use everything for your good and His glory.

Knowledge Is Not Enough

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
James 1:22–25

According to one study I saw, in 2015 Americans spent around $90 billion on gym memberships and exercise equipment. That staggering amount of money is roughly equal to the annual gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire country of Panama! Yet it doesn’t take a whole lot of looking around to realize that all that money being spent has not produced a nation filled with thin people. Likewise, the annual best seller lists always include plenty of diet books, but that has not produced a noticeable difference in the average weight of Americans. This is because knowing that there is a problem and reading about solutions does not produce a cure. The only thing that changes the result is a change in our behavior.
The same is true in our spiritual walk. Knowing more about what is in the Bible is a good thing. We should read and study and learn as much as we can about the precious book God has given to us. But knowing the Bible will not change us for the better. Information in the head does not produce a change in behavior. It is only when we begin to do something with the information that we have gained from the Scriptures that we begin to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9).
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Until we put into practice the truths that we know, we will never become more like Jesus.

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We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 A number of years ago on a typical Sunday morning, our service was wrapping up and I stepped out into the hallway to greet people as they were filing out. Suddenly, a woman ran up to me and I saw that her eyes were full of tears. As she told me why she was crying, the tears flowed even more. “Pastor,” she said, “I have a dear friend who came to know Christ today during the service. I’m so glad I came today and invited her to come with me. In fact, I woke up this morning with the intention of skipping church just because I didn’t feel like coming.” Our feelings are fickle. Within the span of two hours, that dear lady went from having no intention of going to church to being eternally grateful she came! Yet often, people rely on their feelings more than they rely on their faith. They do this or that without being informed biblically, but simply because they feel like it. Emotions aren’t a bad thing – they were given to us by God. But they make a lousy substitute for God’s wisdom when it comes to making important decisions. Don’t let your emotions control your life. Find counsel in God’s Word and among other believers. That’s the key to making smart decisions! Trust in your faith, not your emotions, when it comes to making life’s decisions.

A Pattern of Prayer

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Daniel 6:8–10

One of the besetting sins of the modern church is a lack of prayer. We may read of great prayer warriors of the past—David Brainerd melting the snow around him with the length of time he spent in prayer or James the half brother of Jesus who was known in the early church as “Camel Knees” because his constant praying had left calluses on his legs. But we seldom copy their intensity and devotion to prayer. This is true despite the fact that prayer is the essential means God has ordained to meet our needs.
D. L. Moody said, “All through the Scriptures you will find that when believing prayer went up to God, the answer came down. I think it would be a very interesting study to go right through the Bible and see what has happened while God’s people have been on their knees calling upon him. Certainly the study would greatly strengthen our faith—showing, as it would, how wonderfully God has heard and delivered, when the cry has gone up to Him for help.”
The enemies of Daniel could not find anything to use in their attacks against him but his devotion to God. They knew that he prayed on a regular basis, so by passing a law outlawing prayer, they thought they had come up with a foolproof way to trap him. The day of crisis is not the time to begin praying. We need the habit before trouble comes.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The great need of our day is more Christians who pray consistently, habitually, and fervently.

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Willing to Pay the Price

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Mark 1:32–35

One of the breakout stars of the Rio Olympics in 2016 was a gymnast named Simone Biles. She won five medals, four of them gold. Her routines were much more difficult than those of her competitors and her scores reflected the technical excellence of her performance. A few years before, Biles was virtually unknown, but she wanted to rise to the top. So four years before the Olympics she decided that the twenty hours per week she was spending in the gym was not enough. She added twelve hours more each week to her training schedule. The sacrifice of time and effort Biles invested was on full display on the medal stand.
There is no substitute for labor and effort in the Christian life. After Jesus had preached and taught all day, and then healed the sick well into the night, He was exhausted. Though He was fully God, He was also fully human, and He got tired. Yet very early the next morning, He went out alone to pray. Jesus knew that He needed that time in communion with His Father to prepare for the challenges of the coming day. One preacher remarked that too many Christians have traded “Sweet Hour of Prayer” for “Just a Little Talk with Jesus.” We cannot casually follow Jesus. We must instead be willing to pay the price and put forth the effort if we are to be like Him.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Unless we are willing to devote the time and effort necessary, we will never see God’s power in our lives.

Follow God’s Leading

by Joyce Meyer - posted June 25, 2017

Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.
—Proverbs 16:3

Trying to figure everything out before you obey God will steal your joy. God doesn’t have to answer you when you ask, “Why God, why?” Trust means that you won’t always have 11 answers when you want them. Sometimes you just have to get to the other side of a situation to see the whole picture of what God is doing in your life.
God may be trying to separate you from some influence in your life that is keeping you from receiving the better plan He has for you. He may be “pruning” you to encourage new, healthier growth (See John 15:1-8). Use uncertain times to demonstrate your faith by trusting Him.

Psalm 34:8

Doctrine and Practice

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”
1 Timothy 6:3–5

The expression GIGO—garbage in, garbage out—appears to have been used in print for the first time back in 1957 in an article about Army engineers and mathematicians working with early computers. A specialist named William Mellin explained that if the inputs are not programmed correctly, the result will inevitably be incorrect. Any decisions that are made on the basis of such faulty information may be made with confidence, but they will not be correct.
One of the most important truths of life is that what we believe and teach determines how we behave. Doctrine always impacts conduct, either for good or ill. There is no such thing as belief that does not produce results in our lives. The idea that we can somehow continually feed our minds a diet of false teaching and values but not have our lives impacted is folly. Just as what we eat affects our health, what we think affects our actions.
Every Christian needs a constant, steady diet of truth in order to stay on the right path. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). We are constantly under assault from the world, the flesh, and the devil as they seek to pull us away from following God. We need to read the Word of God for ourselves and hear it faithfully preached and taught to counter the stream of lies pervading the culture and keep us on the right path.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Knowing the impact doctrine has on our lives, we must closely guard what we read and hear.

It “is just for a moment.”

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For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. --Romans 8:22 You can’t turn on the television or read the newspaper without being reminded about the problems of the environment, wars, and failing economies. But is planet earth really in trouble? According to our Scripture verse for today, “the whole creation has been groaning.” Whether it is the polluted seas, global warming, or deforestation, this is an age of suffering. And creation itself is suffering. You can hear the moaning of creation when the seas are in turbulence or the wind rages. And the suffering includes all of creation. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are not exempt. Christians face personal tragedy, bad reports from the doctor, and other serious problems. Maybe you are groaning from pain and tragedy. Are you drowning in a sea of doubts because of suffering in your life? You and I must understand that we live in a world that is affected and infected with a terrible disease—SIN! When Paul wrote about groaning and suffering, he spoke from experience. He knew about great suffering. Paul was stoned and left for dead, beaten, imprisoned, thrown overboard. Yes, we live in a broken, bruised, battered, and groaning world. But Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 that our affliction “is just for a moment.” And despite the pain and suffering, Paul says our hurts are dimmed by the glory that is to come! If you are suffering as a follower of Christ today, remember it “is just for a moment.” An Example to Follow by Dr. Paul Chappell “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:36–38 When Peter went to Caesarea to preach the gospel to a Roman centurion named Cornelius, he was taking a major step. The Jews did not generally hold the Gentiles in high regard, and this was especially true for their Roman conquerors. In fact, the first followers of Jesus did not initially believe that the salvation He spoke of was meant for the Gentiles at all. They expected only Jews to be saved. Yet Peter went into Cornelius’ house with the message of the gospel because God sent him there. When He got there, Peter preached Jesus. The fads that sweep the churches in our day almost always involve changing the message to make it more attractive to the world, but the Bible pattern is to hold up Christ. It is His cross and His empty tomb that provide the hope of salvation. No other message has the power to transform lives. In that description of Jesus’ life, Peter said that He “went about doing good.” That is a most fitting description of a life well lived. God has given us the opportunity and privilege to be part of His work in our world. Those around us may live for power, wealth, fame, or success, but we should—we must—live to do good to others. This is the pattern Jesus set for us to follow. He preached, He taught, and He touched the lives of those around Him for good.   Today’s Growth Principle:  If we do good to those around us as we walk through life, we are truly living as Jesus lived.

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And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”                                                                        --1 Kings 19:4 Maybe you feel like Elijah today. In our Scripture verse above, he was so depressed and distraught that he actually prayed that God would take his life! What set Elijah up for such depression? What sets you up for emotional turmoil? Depression can set in after a great spiritual high. Depression hit Elijah after the mountaintop experience recorded in 1 Kings 18, when he stood against the prophets of Baal. Right after he did this, the bottom fell out! Elijah fell off his spiritual perch because like you and me, he was most vulnerable after great victory. That’s why the Bible says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). After the spiritual victory, Elijah was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. So when word came that Jezebel the queen wanted him dead, he ran for his life. And here’s the key: Elijah took his eyes off God. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God told him to run. Elijah took off on his own. Don’t take your eyes off of God for a second. Maybe you’ve experience spiritual victory time and time again. Don’t let your guard down and begin acting on your own. Trust God every step of the way. If you’ve experienced a spiritual high, remember that you’re a target for Satan.

Faith in a Time of Falling Away

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
2 Thessalonians 2:2–4

One of the topics of greatest interest to many Christians is prophecy and end time events. They want to know what to expect in the days ahead. Of course this interest is not new. The last question the disciples asked Jesus before He returned to Heaven was about His plan for the future: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
The Bible makes it clear that God does not intend for us to know the exact timing of future events, but instead be ready for the return of the Lord at any moment. It also tells us a great deal about what to expect as we wait for that day. Scripture says that the last days will see an increase in sinful activity, and there will be a decrease in genuine faith. Many who once professed to believe will fall away, while others redefine faith so that it no longer holds any real meaning.
Our task is to be faithful. That is true no matter who around us may stop following God. As long as our eyes are on Jesus and our confidence in the Word of God is strong, we will not be numbered among those who fall away.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Our faith depends on God alone, and we should not allow the apostasy of others to weaken it.