Weekend, May 4, 2024
Here to Make a Difference
“But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” (Revelation 12:12 NLT)
Even if some liberal theologians don’t believe it, the devil believes that we are living in the end times. So, he is stepping up his efforts.
Revelation 12:12 reminds us, “The devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time” (NLT). The Message puts it this way: “For the Devil’s come down on you with both feet; he’s had a great fall; he’s wild and raging with anger; he hasn’t much time and he knows it.”
The devil is cunning. He sizes up his opponents and varies his attacks, deceptions, and ploys accordingly. Sometimes he comes like a roaring lion in all his depravity and wickedness. At other times he comes more subtly, disguising himself as an angel of light.
And because he attacks in various ways, it’s good for us to be familiar with his tactics. Writing to the believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT).
Jesus told a parable in which He exposed one of the ways that Satan works, which is through imitation. Specifically, it’s one of the ways he will work in the end times.
In this story, which we call the parable of the wheat and the weeds, we see two plantings. First, a farmer goes out and sows seed in his field, hoping for a good crop. But then something quite unexpected, even dastardly, happens. The farmer’s enemy plants bad seed right next to the good seed the farmer just sowed. And the purpose is to uproot the good seed.
The word Jesus used for “weed” was also known as the darnel seed. It initially looks like wheat. But it is not until the plant is fully grown that you realize it isn’t wheat at all. This was a common crime back in those days. A competitor would sow weeds so that someone else’s crop would be worth less and theirs would be worth more.
In fact, it was such a problem that a specific law against it was on the books. This illustration was something that Jesus’ listeners would have understood immediately.
But what does it have to do with us today? Jesus went on to explain, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil” (Matthew 13:37-39 NLT).
God is calling us believers not to isolate but to infiltrate, to influence. Of course, we don’t want to be influenced in a bad way. But how about influencing the world around us in a good way? God has put His people in the culture to influence it and make a difference.
Copyright © 2024 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
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Former cold-case detective Jim Wallace recounts the real-life details of some of his most extraordinary cases, gleaning insights about human behavior and biblical truth. See what investigating death teaches us about the meaning of life in this unique page-turner. A copy will be sent to you for a gift of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.
May 202405/04/2024
Even if some liberal theologians don’t believe it, the devil believes that we are living in the end times. So, he is stepping up his efforts.
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He is pulling for you right now. Just as Jesus stood up for Simon, He is standing up for you.
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March 202403/30/2024
God is with us, whether we know it or not. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, He becomes a part of your life and promises that He never will leave you or forsake you.
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That is why Jesus went through all that anguish. He did it for all those who would come to faith in the world. We were the joy set before Him.
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Prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind. In many cases, prayer is about changing our minds.
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We should reflect our heavenly Father, who is truth. And if we are reflecting Him, it should be evident in what we say and in the way that we live.
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He wants us to be involved in what He is doing, not just as observers but as laborers in the work that He has called us to do.
03/02/2024
There needs to be a balance between our beliefs and our practice, between our doctrine and the way that we live. We need both areas working together. That is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord.
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February 202402/29/2024
02/28/2024
02/27/2024
02/26/2024
02/24/2024
Maybe you’re facing a setback today. Maybe there’s a crisis going on in your life. Remember, you are a work in progress. You are under construction.
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02/21/2024
02/20/2024
02/19/2024
02/17/2024
We can be in a perfect environment or a horrible environment and still sin. It is just our nature. Yet God shows us what we can become by His grace.
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02/14/2024
02/13/2024
02/12/2024
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I believe that God has predestined every person to be saved. God wants us to be saved. He wants us to be forgiven. But the Bible also teaches that God gave us free will.
02/09/2024
02/08/2024
02/07/2024
02/06/2024
02/05/2024
02/03/2024
God will be with us, no matter what we face in life. That is a great assurance. That is where we find our contentment.
02/02/2024
02/01/2024
January 202401/31/2024
01/30/2024
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01/27/2024
But even when we mess up, even when we have failed, God gives second chances. Do you need a second chance? Do you want to get up and try again?
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It was David’s faithfulness in the little things that led to the big things. He was faithful with whatever God set before him. Are you being faithful with what God has set before you today?
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01/17/2024
01/16/2024
01/15/2024
01/13/2024
What God really wants from us is obedience. He’s interested in what is going on in our hearts. We can be worshipping outwardly but sinning inwardly. But with God, the heart is everything.
01/12/2024
01/11/2024
Sooner or later, our sins will find us out. It may not happen today or a week from now. It may not even happen a month or a year from now. But the Bible teaches that ultimately, we will reap what we sow.
01/10/2024
01/09/2024
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01/06/2024
Then I look at my life. I followed Christ. When they were out doing all their stuff, I was going to Bible studies, praying, and growing in the Lord. And what I gave up is so small in comparison to what I received in return. Life goes by so quickly.
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December 202312/30/2023
12/29/2023
12/28/2023
12/27/2023
12/26/2023
12/25/2023
12/23/2023
12/22/2023
12/21/2023
The same is true this Christmas. Because of the Father’s love, whoever takes the Son gets it all. God demonstrated His love by giving us the most important gift of all: the gift of His Son.
12/20/2023
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12/18/2023
12/16/2023
12/15/2023
12/14/2023
12/13/2023
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12/12/2023
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, how inappropriate it would be for us to come to Him empty-handed. But what do we give to God? What does God want from us? What He wants is us.
12/11/2023
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God is saying, “Submit yourself to Me, and I will tell you. First, give yourself over to Me.” Mary did that. She submitted her will to God. Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus Christ?
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November 202311/30/2023
Maybe you think the way to reach your nonbelieving friends is to do what they do and simply blend in. You conclude that in doing so, you will win them over and they will come to Christ. The reality is that no one has ever been won to Christ that way.
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11/27/2023
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God can use people in our lives, but we must never let people take the place of God in our lives.
11/24/2023
Little things lead to big things. That’s why we can’t make deals with the devil. We can’t negotiate with Satan. There can be no compromise.
11/23/2023
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11/21/2023
11/20/2023
11/18/2023
This is typical of some people today who call out to God in desperation. They find themselves in a mess they created, so they cry out to God for help. But when He graciously condescends and helps them, they essentially say, “Thanks, God! See You next crisis!”
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11/11/2023
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Would your lifestyle reach anyone? People are watching you. Are you being a positive witness for Jesus Christ?
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Reject conformity to this world’s system and its self-indulgent ways, and instead be conformed to the image of Jesus.
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Death is the great separator. But Jesus Christ is the great reconciler.
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10/16/2023
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10/06/2023
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September 202309/30/2023
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09/28/2023
As Christians, we should talk about life after death and Heaven and Hell because the Bible does. And if we really believe there is an afterlife and a final judgment, if we really believe that we will be held accountable for things that we say and do, then it will affect the way we live.
09/27/2023
09/26/2023
09/25/2023
09/23/2023
There is something wrong in our lives when we need an image or an icon to worship God. We must understand that God forbids this.
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09/20/2023
09/19/2023
09/18/2023
09/16/2023
We cannot say something is true because we experienced it. Rather, we should say we know something is true because we find it in Scripture, which verifies our experience.
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The word blasphemy speaks of a conscious denouncing and rejection of God. It is a defiant irreverence, a uniquely terrible sin of intentionally and openly speaking evil against God.
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09/06/2023
Maybe the problem in our society is not that we fail to love ourselves but that we love ourselves too much. We already do love ourselves. That’s obvious. It’s an established fact. Therefore, the Bible is telling us to love our neighbors in the same way that we love ourselves.
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August 202308/31/2023
Light not only exposes what the darkness hides, but light also shows the way out. And in the same way, the light that shines from us not only shows people their shortcomings and their sins, but it also shows them the way out.
08/30/2023
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08/28/2023
08/26/2023
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08/24/2023
08/23/2023
Why do some Christians succeed spiritually when others fail? It’s because of the choices they make. Some don’t want to go forward spiritually, so they don’t. Others do want to go forward spiritually, so they do.
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08/19/2023
08/18/2023
08/17/2023
If we want to impact our world as the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied.
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08/11/2023
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You don’t have to be controlled or crippled by your past. You can become a new person in Jesus Christ.
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08/07/2023
08/05/2023
08/04/2023
The Holy Spirit also will lead us, empower us, and fill us each day as we seek to live the Christian life.
08/03/2023
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08/01/2023
Former cold-case detective Jim Wallace recounts the real-life details of some of his most extraordinary cases, gleaning insights about human behavior and biblical truth. See what investigating death teaches us about the meaning of life in this unique page-turner. A copy will be sent to you for a gift of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.
