Verse of the day — Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
Isaiah 43:2(NASB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
The True Anointing of the Holy Spirit
The anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit just as it has taught you, remain in Him. (1 John 2:27 NIV)
The School of Christ; that is, the School where Christ is the great Lesson and the Spirit the great Teacher; in the School where the teaching is not objective, but subjective; where the teaching is not of things, but an inward making of Christ a part of us by experience that is the nature of this School. "Ye shall see the heaven opened." "He saw the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descending upon Him." What is the meaning of the anointing of the Holy Spirit? It is nothing less and nothing other than the Holy Spirit taking His place as absolute Lord. The anointing carries with it the absolute Lordship of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit as Lord. That means that all other lordships have been deposed and set aside; the lordship of our own lives; the lordship of our own minds, our own wills, our own desires; the lordship of others. The lordship of every interest and every influence is regarded as having given place to the undivided and unreserved lordship of the Holy Spirit, and the anointing can never be known or enjoyed, unless that has taken place....
Do you ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Why do you ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit? Is the anointing something that you crave? To what end? That you may be used, may have power, may have influence, may be able to do a lot of wonderful things? The first and preeminent thing the anointing means is that we can do nothing but what the anointing teaches and leads to do. The anointing takes everything out of our hands. The anointing takes charge of the reputation. The anointing takes charge of the very purpose of God. The anointing takes complete control of everything and all is from that moment in the hands of the Holy Spirit, and we must remember that if we are going to learn Christ, that learning Christ is by the Holy Spirit's dealing with us, and that means that we have to go exactly the same way as Christ went in principle and in law... "The Son can do nothing out from Himself." You see, there is the negative side of the anointing; while the positive side can be summed up in one word the Father only. Perhaps that is a little different idea of the anointing from what we have had, "Oh, to be anointed of the Holy Spirit! What wonders will follow; how wonderful that life will be!" The first and the abiding thing about the anointing is that we are imprisoned into the Lordship of the Spirit of God, so that there can be nothing if He does not do it. Nothing!
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! § How great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You.
This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise. § Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved … That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
How great is its goodness and how great its beauty! § The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Ps. 107:8; Ps. 34:8; Ps. 31:19; Isa. 43:21; Eph. 1:5,6, Eph 1:12; Zech. 9:17; Ps. 145:9,10; Ps. 145:11,12
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Indeed we count them blessed who endure.
We … glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. § Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. § My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. § Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. § Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me … For when I am weak, then I am strong.
James 5:11; Rom. 5:3; Rom. 5:4 Rom. 5:5; Heb. 12:11; James 1:2; James 1:3 James 1:4; James 1:12; 2 Cor. 12:9,10
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
From Tears To Joy
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Ps. 126:5).
Our Father is never our debtor. Whatever price He asks of us He will repay with infinite and eternal compound interest.
"There is a universal misapprehension that godliness means immunity from suffering. It is so often expected by believers that they will not go through suffering as other men. This is far from the truth. It is a part of the calling of saints to show men how to suffer: how, even in the midst of the hard and bitter experiences of life, the Lord Jesus is sufficient to give joy and comfort." -H.F.
"There is no human being alive whose existence is not the outcome of vicarious agonies. The child inherits the boons of life, love, and light from the suffering of the mother. And in every direction this strange principle operates; for it may be doubted whether there be a possession that we have worth holding - material, political, or religious - which is not the result of the toil, tears, and blood of sages, prophets, and martyrs, most of whom have died in shame and apparent failure, bequeathing gifts in exchange for blows, and benedictions for imprecations." -J.C.B.
"Our Father lets folks walk all over us until the grime of our carnality comes out. Our suffering is cruel. Our sensibilities are outraged. But this is just the beginning of that deep work of the Cross which is to deal with the carnality of our cherished affections, our spiritual comforts, our dearest friendships, our creeds, and our denominations, our devotion to which prevents the dying of the old man that makes impossible whole-hearted devotion to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ." -J.M.
"The uncrucified life has no reproductive power. Without association with the Lord Jesus in His death, the believer must abide barren, sterile, and unfruitful." -F.J.H.
"Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
Stop Thief!
Don’t let anyone capture you or rob you of the truth, with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Colossians 2:8
God’s Grace
Paul’s epistles give descriptive details of the riches of God’s grace towards believers. He details over and again our position in Christ – our privileges and our possession. He desires that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is firmly fixed on truth and not on the philosophies of man.
Deceptive Teaching
He also warns of an increase of false teachers and an inflow of demonic doctrines. Paul does not want believers to be deceived by false teachings or spiritual powers – for God has given us the truth in his epistles and desires that we remain firm in the faith.
Worldly Reasoning
But Paul also gives a further warning that is rooted in the reasonings of the world. He warns of a thief in our midst that seeks to rob believers of our sufficiency in Christ. The thief is the philosophy of the world – the traditions of men – human viewpoint.
Man-Centred Mindset
We are surrounded by high-minded, vain-speculations that come from men’s minds. Such empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense robs us of Christ’s adequacy, and Paul warns us that this thief is out to rob us of our Christ-centred mindset. It seeks to steal our sufficiency in Christ and replace it with a man-centred mindset.
Empty Deceit
There are two mindsets in the world, and we’d be wise to select our viewpoint wisely. The first is the perspective of the world and the second is a Bible-focussed view-point. The philosophies of the world are empty and they emanate from human thinking. But these philosophies castigate our position, possession, and privileges in Christ. They are characterised by empty deceit, vain speculations, and hollow deception.
Undermining Faith
This mindset of the world is rooted in the traditions of man and human viewpoint, and such a perspective robs the believer of all that it means to be IN CHRIST. We must be alert
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
False Assumptions
Wrong Perceptions
Have you ever been told something and made assumptions about what was said? Have you ever been in a discussion and presumed to know what was implied? Have you ever interpreted another’s actions or thoughts without really knowing – just because you think you understand what they’re saying, meaning, or thinking? I have many times and I still make that mistake sometimes.. but I am learning!
Understanding God
Sadly, however, such wrong perceptions can often cause a rift in a friendship. Constantly misunderstanding the heart of another, can cause a relationship to die. Such false assumptions, in interpersonal relationships, can be disastrous.. but how much more so when we put our own false ‘opinions’ into the mind of God... when we erroneously think we know what God means, when we don’t – when we foolishly interpret ‘evidence’ and assume we understand His ways.
The Word of God
If God’s Word conflicts with your experience – then what should you do? If Scripture is God-breathed and His Words are true – what should you think? Do you keep trusting the Word of God because His word is true or do you make your own assumptions about Him to fit your creed?
The Character of God
What do you do if things in your life seem to conflict with all that God has promised? Do you make your own false presumptions about His gracious character? Do you throw up your hands and say His word is not in accord with my experience? Do you assume His word is false if it seems God is not caring for His children? Do you look at your life and the world situation and question what He is doing. 'I see persecutions throughout the world – can He be a God of love and care? – I am experiencing the most trying time in my life – can He really love me?'
God’s Word is True
Have you ever so questioned God in your heart like this, and made assumptions? Have you ever looked at your life and made biblically conflicting presumptions? – I
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