Rush, it IS explicable!

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2015/09/11/it_s_inexplicable_the_us_senate_delivers_nuclear_weapons_to_the_terrorist_state_of_iran_on_the_anniversary_of_9_11


Satan is using Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Democrats, and RINO to help him be the god of this world.

Our Source of Comfort

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/our-source-of-comfort?firstItem=c8378ea2-d086-403a-b752-6ee9f0fc9eef

Today’s scripture reading:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Today’s devotional:

The world’s definition of comfort is ”the alleviation of suffering or despair.” However, the Lord has a different view. The hardship He allows to enter a believer’s life is a teaching tool. Because we mature spiritually when we exercise faith, our Father doesn’t remove the cause of our troubles but instead gives us the encouragement and strength to work through them.

Whether we are in immediate pain or not, the Holy Spirit is available to us. God sent His Spirit to dwell within everyone who believes—in that way, our source of help is as close as our own beating heart. Nobody else understands our need the way He does. When we feel unable to bear one more second of affliction, He whispers into our soul, “Yes, you can, because I am here.” There is no healing balm like the voice of God’s Spirit.

In some circumstances, the Spirit directs our minds to Scripture. Reading a passage is a way to hear directly from the Lord. This is one of the reasons I encourage turning to the Bible during times of trial. A scripture’s personal meaning and application may not be apparent immediately, but God will bring the verse to mind when it’s most needed.

The day that someone receives Christ, he or she is sealed as God’s child. The Lord can’t break His promises, and He has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). He will not allow us to be hurt any more than He knows we can stand—and since He is omnipresent, He’s always available to help us. His comfort is available and adequate to meet the need, whatever our level of affliction.

The Purpose of Our Trials

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/the-purpose-of-our-trials?firstItem=9eefc99d-bd6d-412a-8e67-3f88f542a92b

Today’s scripture reading:

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

1 Peter 4:12

Today’s devotional:

Some believers like to portray their lives as ideal and carefree. But in reality, being a Christian isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes we’ll experience trials that truly test our faith and ability to trust in God.

In today’s passage, Peter refers to times of testing as “fiery ordeals.” He says we shouldn’t be surprised when adversity comes our way. It’s important to remember that God has a purpose for our trials and will see us through each step of the way. But what purpose does God have for the hardships we face?

First, the heavenly Father will sometimes use painful experiences to cleanse and purify His children’s lives. Trials drive us to the Lord. Then, as we begin to focus on Him, we’re increasingly able to see things from His perspective and often become more aware of our sin.

Second, the Lord at times allows difficulty in our lives as a way of testing us—He might be trying our faith, endurance, or devotion to Him. He uses such experiences to reveal something about our spiritual development and to strengthen our faith.

Third, God uses suffering to demonstrate His power to sustain us. When He brings us through difficult times, He glorifies Himself. In turn, this encourages others when they experience trials, because they have witnessed God’s sustaining power in our lives.

Ultimately, hardships strengthen our testimony. In the midst of our struggles, we might feel overwhelmed. But once the storm has passed, we can often look back and see the Lord’s providential hand carrying us through.

Salvation: The Work of Our Sovereign God

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/salvation-the-work-of-our-sovereign-god?firstItem=95bb0a06-08a8-4a68-9a44-905605c739b4

Today’s scripture reading:

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.^a He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. References for Ephesians 2:2FootnotesAll of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Today’s devotional:

Salvation refers to the freedom gained when God rescues someone from slavery to sin and makes that person part of His family. This deliverance is accomplished only through His Son Jesus, who died in our place so we might be reconciled to the Father (“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” Col. 1:22). This statement often evokes questions:

What if I try to live morally right, working hard at my job and being good to my family—won’t God accept me? Such questions assume that the Lord saves us on the basis of the way we live. But Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, not even one.” In God’s sight, even our virtuous acts are like dirty rags (“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” Isa. 64:6). Holy God will not have dealings with unrighteous people except through the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Won’t the Lord accept us because of His goodness? God is loving and good, but He is also just. He won’t overlook sin, no matter how small we think it is. Pride makes us reject the idea that we need forgiveness or cleansing from sin.

If we serve in our church or help the poor in God’s name, aren’t we part of His family? Good works do not solve our sin problem or reconcile us to God. Only Jesus does (“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace^a with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Rom. 5:1). Good works are an important result of salvation, as opposed to a basis for it.

Salvation is a work of God’s grace, not the product of man’s effort. When we respond to the Spirit’s prompting, believe in Jesus, and are born again as God’s children (Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,^a you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3), we can be assured of our place in heaven. How sure are you?

Our Help in Weakness

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/our-help-in-weakness?firstItem=e77a4ffd-9d56-4467-b1ca-4e2e1f67d00e

Today’s scripture reading:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^e who will never leave you. References for John 14:16

Footnotes

He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.^f

John 14:16-17 (NLT)

Today’s devotional:

Following the Last Supper, Jesus took time to teach the disciples more about His mission and what would happen after He left the earth. He knew their darkest times lay ahead. They would experience despair at the death of their beloved Teacher, great joy at His resurrection, and sorrow at His departure. He was also aware that bearing witness to His life would challenge their faith. So, in John 14:16-31, He promised a Helper who would stand alongside them in the coming trials.

We often face life with a stiff upper lip, trusting our own ingenuity and skills to get us through. In choosing to follow the Lord, however, we agree to adopt a totally different mindset: We’re weaker than we could have imagined, but through the Holy Spirit, we are stronger than we dared to hope.

Whether our struggle is spiritual, emotional, or physical, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us. Paul gives us an example of what this looks like. When dealing with pain from a physical condition, the apostle prayed that the Lord would take away what he referred to as a “thorn in the flesh.” Instead, God said His power would be “perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Too many Christians operate under the misconception that God helps us only when we have gone as far as we can go. In reality, His Spirit doesn’t add to our strength, like some kind of spiritual steroid. Instead, when we admit we are powerless to help ourselves, the Holy Spirit gives us the strength we need to face any challenge with absolute confidence in God.

Pope Francis: Eco-Warrior

http://www.newsweek.com/pope-francis-eco-warrior-361976

“Political pundits from both sides of the proverbial aisle also praised the pope’s plea.”

I think this points up a fundamental problem that congress has.  When the tyrants speak of “the proverbial aisle”, they are talking about the aisle between Democrats and Republicans.  I think they should add another aisle – one that separates conservatives from the other two.  Maybe then, when the politicians stand up for what they agree with, people would see what each group stands for, and the population of the conservative side would grow.

When I think of a Warrior, I think of

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we^d are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

References for Ephesians 6:12

Footnotes

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.^e ×
References for Ephesians 6:15

Footnotes

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.^f
References for Ephesians 6:16

Footnotes

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.^g

Ephesians 6:10-18

References for Ephesians 6:18

• Footnotes

 

Our Help in Prayer

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/our-help-in-prayer?firstItem=1e2ff76c-d70c-4957-a967-dc416774d740

Today’s scripture reading:

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers^l in harmony with God’s own will.

Romans 8:26-27

Today’s devotional:

Does this sound familiar? Determined to spend more time in prayer, you come to the appointed hour, drop to your knees, open your mouth, and—draw a blank. Sure, you manage a few words about what you need the Lord to do for you and your family, but you should be praying for more than that, shouldn’t you?

Yes, you should. Believers’ needs are indeed the Father’s concern; not even the smallest detail escapes His notice. However, He tells His children to imitate Jesus—they should “not merely look out for [their] own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).

Selfless prayer, though, isn’t natural to us. We too easily (and wrongly) think of God as a genie—someone to do our bidding as we live life our own way. Thankfully, He has supplied a Helper. The Holy Spirit, our willing and able partner in praying effectively, intercedes for us when we can’t “pray as we should” (Rom. 8:26).

How should we cooperate with the Spirit’s intercession for us? First, we must recognize God’s authority, holiness, and glory. Then, we need to submit our lives to His leadership. When we do, God’s will and desires become foremost in importance for us. Finally, we must submit our future to Him, trusting Him to bring great good out of negative as well as positive events in our lives.

In submission to the Holy Spirit, we will discover greater peace and joy. We will also find new words for our prayers to the Father as we bring petitions inspired by His Spirit. Even more importantly, we will develop a deeper understanding of God’s greatness.