_*Monday 24 February 2025*_ _*TODAY'S DEVOTION*_ _*CONTENTS*_ _• *Just A Little Laugh*_ _• *Quote Of The Day*_ _• *Today's Sermon*_ _• *New Believer's Prayer*_ _• *The Marriage After God*_ _• *‘Train A Child than Repair A Man'*_ _• *Christian News From Around The World*_ __________________________ _*JUST A LITTLE LAUGH*_ _*Church Signs:*_ _• The wages of sin is death. Repent before payday_ _• Try Jesus. If you don't like Him, the devil will always take you back_ _• Come in and pray today. Beat the Christmas rush!._ _• The best vitamin for a Christian is B1_ _• Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive_ _• No Jesus - no peace, Know Jesus - know peace!_ _• Soul food served here_ _• Under same management for over 2000 years_ _• Seven days without prayer makes one weak_ _• Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due_ __________________________ _*QUOTE OF THE DAY*_ _"The way up is down. The way forward is backward. The way to success is through divinely appointed setbacks. They will always look and feel like failure. *John Piper*_ __________________________ _*TODAY'S SERMON*_ _*The Hour of Unusual Threat*_ _*John Piper*_ _*If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.* (1 Peter 4:14)_ _Many Christians in the world today do not know the life-threatening danger that comes with believing in Christ. We have gotten used to being free from such persecution. It seems like the way things must be._ _So, our first reaction to the threat that things might be otherwise is often anger. But that anger may be a sign that we have lost our sense of being sojourners and exiles (“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles . . .” 1 Peter 2:11)._ _Perhaps we have settled too much into this world. We don’t feel as homesick for Christ as Paul did: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20)._ _Many of us need the reminder, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). It isn’t strange._ _Have you ever wondered how you will do in the hour of final trial? The gunman has you in his sights and asks, “Are you a Christian?” Here is a strong word to give you hope that you may do better than you think._ _Peter says, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). This encouragement from Peter says that in the hour of unusual threat (whether insult or death) there will be “a Spirit of glory and of God resting on us.” Doesn’t that mean that God gives special help in the hour of crisis to those who suffer because they are Christians?_ _I don’t mean he is absent from our other sufferings. I just mean that Peter went out of his way to say that those who suffer “for the name of Christ” will experience a special “resting” on them of “the Spirit of glory and of God.”_ _Pray that this would be your experience when the trial comes. There will be resources of endurance in that moment that we do not have any other time. Take heart._ desiringgod.org ____________________________ _*NEW BELIEVER'S PRAYER*_ _I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." ~ *Luke 15:7*_ _Giving your life to Christ is the best decision of your life. Scripture says, only one sinner who repents at any one time, is enough to cause a joyous celebration in heaven. You are that person today. There is massive joy in heaven on account of your decision to come to Christ. The actual process of receiving a new life is very simple. Romans 10:9-10 says, "...if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved." In that respect, kindly repeat this simple prayer audibly and you are saved._ _*Prayer:* Lord Jesus, thank you for dying in my place on the cross. I truly believe in my heart that you were raised from the dead and you sit at the right hand of the Father. I confess that you are Lord and Saviour. I confess and repent of all of my sins, that I committed knowingly and unknowingly. I receive the free gift of forgiveness, even as I forgive them that wronged me. I want to live righteously from today on. I commit my life to you, to lead me in paths of righteousness. Amen._ _If you prayed that prayer, congratulations you have been saved by Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Welcome to the new you, in Christ! What a wonder! The old has passed, and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). Now kindly look for a Bible believing church near you, and hear more about your new found freedom in Christ._ ____________________________ _*THE MARRIAGE AFTER GOD*_ _*Twelve-step Bonding*_ _*Dr James & Shirley Dobson*_ _*“Above all, love each other deeply.”* 1 Peter 4:8_ _Do you feel “bonded” to your mate? Bonding refers to the emotional connectedness that links a man and woman together for life and makes them irreplaceable to each other. It is God’s gift of closest companionship to those who have experienced it._ _According to Drs. Donald Joy and Desmond Morris, bonding is most likely to occur between those who have moved systematically and slowly through the following twelve steps during their courtship and marriage:_ _Eye to body. 2) Eye to eye. 3) Voice to voice. 4) Hand to hand. 5) Hand to shoulder. 6) Hand to waist. 7) Face to face. 8) Hand to head. 9) Hand to body. 10) Mouth to breast. 11) Touching below the waist. 12) Intercourse._ _The final acts of physical contact should, of course, be reserved for the marital relationship. In the most successful unions, husbands and wives journey through each of the twelve steps regularly. Touching, talking, holding hands, and gazing into one another’s eyes are as important to partners in their midlife years as to twenty‐year‐olds. Indeed, the best way to reinvigorate a tired sex life is to walk through the twelve steps of courtship frequently and with gusto!_ _*Just between us…*_ _• During our courtship, did we follow this progression of bonding steps?_ _• Are we regularly experiencing each level of bonding now?_ _• How can we strengthen our physical and emotional bonding in our relationship?_ _Dear Father, if we have been careless in the different kinds of relational bonding, forgive us. Help us to become one in body and soul. Amen._ ___________________________ _*’TRAIN THE CHILD THAN REPAIR A MAN’*_ _*Love and Correction*_ _*Dr James & Shirley Dobson*_ _*”He who loves [his son] is careful to discipline him.”* Proverbs 13:24_ _Last night we talked about a family in which the son controlled the father. Now let’s look at another family:_ _A six-year-old named David was asked by his mother to pick up orange peelings he’d left on the carpet. He wouldn’t do it and as a result received a slap on his behind. This led to a temper tantrum. David’s father then appropriately applied a paddle, saw to it that David picked up and disposed of the orange peelings, and sent him to bed (it was already past his bedtime). After a few minutes the father went to David’s room and explained that God had instructed all parents who truly love their children to properly discipline them and that since they loved David, they would not permit such defiant behavior._ _The next morning, David presented his mother with a stack of ten pennies and a letter that said in part, “Dear Mom and Dad, here is 10 Cints for Pattelling me when I really needed. Love yur son David.”_ _David intuitively understood the truth available to all of us in Scripture: “The corrections of discipline are the way to life” (Proverbs 6:23). He knew that his father had applied just the right measure of loving discipline. When we parents properly balance love and correction, we’ll stimulate the same respect and tender affection in our own families._ _*Before you say good night…*_ _• How do you usually respond to a situation like the one with David?_ _• Are you doing a good job of balancing love and correction?_ _• If you handled this better, how might it change your family?_ _Dear God, we want a home filled with joy, tenderness, and mutual respect. Give us grace to find the holy combination of love and discipline that You desire for our family. Amen._ _____________________________ _*CHRISTIAN NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD*_ _*Pastor Warns of Dangerous Error Many Christians Are Making on Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Realm*_ _*Billy Hallowell*_ 02-23-2025 _Jonathan Pokluda is on a mission to help people “identify spiritual warfare” and “defeat the enemy.”_ _Pokluda, pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, is tackling the topic of spiritual warfare head-on, recently releasing, “Your Story Has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy,” a new book aimed at helping people see through chaos to discern truth._ _In describing the roots of his interest in discussing the spiritual realm, the preacher appealed to his own story being raised Catholic and interacting with multiple denominations._ _All of that faith exposure, though, didn’t prepare him spiritually for what was to come._ _“[I] lived the kind of crazy college life,” Pokluda said. “They say, ‘Drugs, sex, and rock and roll.’ In my case, ‘Drugs, sex, and hip hop.’ And, then … I graduated. I was in the world. I was at a club. Someone invited me to church. I went, hung over, sat in the back row, and surrendered my life to Jesus.”_ _From there, Pokluda “went all in with Jesus,” but as he embarked on the journey, he realized something: many people were missing a key piece to the spiritual puzzle:_ _In fact, some Christians weren’t fully aware — or even seeking — answers about the overarching spiritual battle raging between good and evil that Paul describes in Ephesians 6._ _“Being raised Catholic, I would see statues of angels and demons, and I was taught in religion class about the spiritual war that was happening around me,” he said. “And I knew the story in Genesis 3, the fall, you know the tempting of Satan in the Garden of Eden.”_ _Pokluda continued, “But, if this war was happening around us, I knew very little about it. And I didn’t know what could happen.”_ _The preacher said he was shocked to realize many people in the Christian community seemed “comfortable not knowing” these answers. This led Pokluda to do an in-depth exploration of what the Bible actually teaches._ _“It really was a three-year journey,” he said, noting he eventually went on to do a teaching series about the topic at his church, helping others discover what he learned from Scripture._ _Ultimately, Pokluda said it’s essential for Christians to understand Ephesians 6 and the battle between good and evil, warning that “spiritual warfare has implications for everything we do.”_ _“It’s a foundational truth to the Christian faith,” he added._ _It’s a subject he’s hoping to help believers explore in “Your Story Has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy.” As for why so many Christians avoid such issues, Pokluda said it’s clear there is a “Pentecostal thread” that is very comfortable with the unseen realm._ _These people are open to discussing demonic possession, oppression, and other related issues._ _“But then there’s a large majority of churches outside of that that they just live in the mystery,” he said. “And they would say, ‘Hey, that’s gray. There’s a lot we don’t know there.'”_ _These folks might wonder if cases presented as possession are simply mental illnesses, and because of the rampant uncertainty around such matters, they refuse to speak with clarity on the issues._ _Pokluda said famed Christian author C.S. Lewis reminded believers of the two errors often made regarding “devils.”_ _“One is to make too much of them, believing that they are involved in everything,” Pokluda said. “And the second, and which is equally as dangerous, is to not even acknowledge their existence.”_ _But Pokluda said there’s also a third error he sees today — one that has been very popular in the modern era._ _“The more popular error of this century would be believing that there is a demonic realm and that belief having zero implications of anything that we do,” he said. “And if there is a demonic spiritual realm — if there is indeed a battle around us, which I have a deep conviction that there is — then it has implications for everything we do.”_ _Satan’s attempts to make himself seem like an “allegory or parody,” Pokluda said, are unsurprising. The goal is to convince people he’s simply not real or active._ _The preacher is hoping “Your Story Has a Villain” helps people confront these realities so they can survive and thrive._ _“The demonic realm [is] seeking to keep you from the abundant life that Christ has to offer,” Pokluda said. “For the non-believer, he tries to keep us from salvation in Christ. And to the believer, he tries to keep us stuck in dead religion away from a thriving relationship with God through his Son.”_ _He continued, “And, so, he operates both. He’s read the back of the book in Revelation. He knows that his destiny is hell.”_ _Pokluda said people simply need to give God their hearts._ ________________________________ _*The Church offers a glimmer of hope amidst unimaginable suffering in DRC’s Goma*_ _*Jim Olang*_ _*21 Feb, 2025*_ _One could write endlessly about the horrors I witnessed this week in Goma, Eastern DRC. The streets, once filled with life, bore the marks of conflict—bodies being cleared away, bullet casings scattered, and the weight of immense human loss pressing down on a city of two million people. More than 3,000 lives have been lost. Women are raped constantly, no police force in place and prison breaks common place. Children, many orphaned, navigate a world that has turned cruel overnight. The darkness of war is evident._ _And yet, amidst the chaos, there is resilience. This past Sunday, most churches in Goma were open, filled with worshippers who refuse to let violence silence their faith. In one orphanage housing over 170 children, the air was filled with song and laughter. Restaurants, against all odds, welcomed guests with the most tasty of meals. This is Goma—where peace and suffering coexist, where hope keeps fighting hopelessness._ _But the most urgent takeaway from my visit is the overwhelming need and the sacrificial role the church is playing. One regional ministry is leading a humanitarian effort targeting 500 families—each representing about six people. Yet, this is a drop in the ocean. Millions remain in IDP camps, uncertain if help will ever reach them._ _One orphanage director told me, “We are collecting bucket loads of bullets from the streets.” Another, overseeing trauma counseling, remarked, “Our programs are making a difference, but the gospel is bringing the most immediate transformation.”_ _In one case, authorities serving children in the city desperately sought to place a 12-year-old girl at the orphanage I visited. When asked why they were so insistent, one official explained, “She is being raped almost daily in the IDP camp.”_ _Yet, in the two churches I visited last Sunday, “Bwana Asifiwe”—Swahili for Praise the Lord, was a phrase repeatedly echoed. The faith of the people in Goma seems unshaken. Even in the face of suffering, one pastor said, they stand firm, believing that God has not abandoned them._ _Despite an unconditional ceasefire declared by an alliance of rebel groups that includes the M23, Goma and the larger Eastern part of DRC remains in a precarious condition. On Feb. 16, 2025, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels captured Bukavu, the second-largest city in Eastern DRC. The UN’s refugee agency estimates that over 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes since the escalation of the conflict at the beginning of 2025._ _For the thousands of families and children in Goma, and the neighbouring cities of Bukavu and Bunia, help means this is life or death. And the church should not turn away. The call to return should not be a question of if but when. Because in the midst of war, the gospel is still the greatest hope—and the church remains its most faithful messenger._ ___________________________ _*"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is ruth."* John 17:17_