Have you ever noticed that, “Opportunity comes to pass—not to pause?”

When God told Joshua and the ancient Israelites that he had given them the Promised Land, he certainly didn’t hand it to them on a silver platter. To claim God’s promise, they had to battle every inch of the way. They still had to go, conquer, and possess it.

The reality is, however, that had God not given it to them, they never would have been able to conquer and possess it. And might I add, they wouldn’t still be there today!

God has a work for you and me to do too. He will give us the opportunities every day to serve him, but it’s up to us to take advantage of these as they come to pass—not to pause! True, God feeds the sparrows, but he doesn’t throw the food into their nests. They have to go out and get it. Whatever God has for us to do, he doesn’t do it for us. He will guide us. He will direct us. He will give us wisdom, but he won’t do it for us. We, too, have to arise, go, and possess the opportunities and promises God has for us.

With God’s help, let us carpe diem, “seize the day,” to take advantage of every opportunity God gives to us, and claim every promise he has for us.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be ready and willing to “seize” every opportunity you give to me to serve you, trust in you to help me do it, and to claim every promise you have for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. God to Joshua in Joshua 1:2-3 (NIV).

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle’s death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right.²

Often it is said that seeing is believing. Obviously this isn’t necessarily so. Basically, people believe what they want to believe, what they choose to believe, often times what is convenient to believe. It has been said that faith in God is often more of a moral problem than an intellectual problem. This is because many know that if they choose a life of faith in God, there are things in their life they will need to give up. For these people, it is much more convenient not to believe in God. No matter what evidence they are presented with that confirms the existence of God, they refuse to see it.

However, when I choose to believe in God the eyes of my understanding are opened and an amazing thing happens—believing is seeing.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I come to you with all my doubts and fears. With your help I choose to believe in you and trust my life fully to you. Open the eyes of my understanding and help me to see Jesus. And help me to so live that others will see Jesus living in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Parable told by Jesus in Luke 16:30-31 (NIV).

2. From http://www.eSermons.com.

Today’s Daily Encounter is the text of an inspiring message, “That’s My King,” by the late S.M. Lockridge.

The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews … He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of Righteousness. He’s the King of the Ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of Kings, and He’s the Lord of Lords.

That’s my King! I wonder do you know Him?

My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful.

Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world, He’s God’s Son, He’s the sinners Savior, He’s the centerpiece of civilization, He’s unparalleled, He’s unprecedented. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior.

I wonder if you know Him today?

He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. And he beautifies the meek.

I wonder if you know Him?

He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory.

Do you know Him?

Well, His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes, He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t get him out of your mind. You can’t get him off of your hand. You can’t outlive him and you can’t live without Him. Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him. But they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. Yea! That’s my King.²

The critical issue about Jesus is do you know Him as your personal Savior? Have you received God’s forgiveness for all your sins by accepting Jesus as your Savior and is your name written in God’s Book of Life? You can accept God’s Invitation to know Jesus at: http://tinyurl.com/gods-invitation. For further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know Jesus as my personal Savior and be absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven, and that my name is written in God’s book of life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: To hear an inspiring “Introduction to Christ” by comedian, Steve Harvey, to a secular audience go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xV1Zv3C6fw.

1. Matthew 16:15-16 (NIV)
2. “That’s My King” by the late S.M. Lockridge. Source: http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/4/Thats-My-King

If you’ve traveled much or little, or have seen movies shot in various parts of the world, inevitably you will see the Coca-Cola emblem just about anywhere you or the movie camera goes.

I’m not here to either praise or otherwise the benefits or otherwise of Coca-Cola but one thing I find fascinating about this company is that “at the end of World War II, Robert Woodruff, president of the Coca-Cola Company from 1923 to 1955, had a mission. ‘In my generation,’ he declared, ‘it is my desire that everyone in the world have a taste of Coca-Cola.’ With a vision and dedication rarely matched in corporate American culture, Woodruff and his colleagues spanned the globe with their soft drink.²

Would to God that we Christians would pull together and make it our goal in our generation to give everybody in the world a taste of the Water of Life!

One thing is certain, if you drink Coca-Cola or any other soft drink, you will thirst again. But as Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”³ What Jesus was referring to, of course, was the “water” of eternal life which his gift of salvation brings.

In today’s world with all its turmoil, terrorism, and threat of war, perhaps now, more than ever, people around the world are thirsting for the “Water of Life” that only Jesus can give. That’s our goal here in ACTS International; that is, to reach as many people as possible worldwide with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ while the doors of opportunity are so wide open. To see how you can have a vital part in this outreach, please consider joining the People Power for Jesus network. For more information go to: www.actsweb.org/people_power.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a passion to help reach my generation with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to be as Christ to every life I touch and help me to stand with others who are spreading the gospel around the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 16:15 (NLT).

2. Dr. Gary Nicolosi.

3. John 4:14 (NIV).

A NASA official involved in space exploration was talking to a reporter about humans landing on Mars. The reporter was concerned about how they would be able to return to earth.

“That involves a highly complex plan,” the space official said. “It begins with the words, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven.’”

Jokes aside, the reality is that most people pray at some time or another. Even those who rarely pray often do when they are in trouble. How much wiser it is to daily commit, surrender, and trust our life to God and seek his guidance in all that we are and do—at all times.

Sometimes it’s hard to see how God is directing or making our path straight—especially when we’re going through a series of rough times. In time, however, when we have daily committed, surrendered, and trusted our life to God and look back, we can see how God has led us all the way. It is true, all things do work together for good to those who love God²—even if it is eventually!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that when I commit and trust my life to you, depend on you for wisdom and guidance, and acknowledge you in every area of my life, you have promised to direct my path and make my way straight. For this I am truly thankful. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).

2. See Romans 8:28.

Some years ago I recall visiting the Moody Institute of Science and putting on a special pair of eye lenses which turned everything upside down. It was a weird feeling. Dr. Moon, the director of the institute, in an experiment wore these special lenses for something like 2-3 weeks (if I remember correctly) without opening his eyes without these funny looking lenses. He wore black eye patches when he went to bed to sleep.

When he stopped using these special lenses, an amazing thing had happened, his brain had made a radical switch, and now everything he saw was upside down. It took 2-3 weeks for his vision to come back to normal.

In a broader sense, life is like that: if I consistently do wrong when I know better, and don’t live the life I believe to be right, my mind will in time (be it ever so slowly) do a radical switch and I will end up unhappily believing the life I am living to be right. I will cut off my feelings, justify my behavior, and end up with what the Bible calls a dead conscience—a dangerous path to follow.

One could rightfully call this spiritual leprosy of the soul. It is commonly thought that leprosy causes a stricken individual to lose body parts. What happens is that leprosy causes the loss of physical sensitivity and feeling. Lepers lose fingers, toes and feet because they no longer feel pain to protect their wounded limbs and eventually body tissues are damaged beyond repair.

When we deny our true feelings and deaden our conscience, we no longer feel the pain of guilt or godly sorrow. In so doing we distance ourselves from God and are no longer aware of our need for his forgiveness or our need for his gift of eternal life. Deadening our conscience is a deadly way to live—and extremely deadly for eternity.

The only way back is the path of truth. That is, to admit to ourselves what we have done regardless of how we feel or no longer feel, confess our sinfulness to God, ask for his forgiveness, believe that God gave his Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for all our sins, and accept Jesus as our Savior.

For further help, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/articles.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please confront me with the truth about me. Help me to see any and every area in my life where I have denied the truth and hidden any sins and faults so that I can come to you, confess my sins, and ask for and receive your forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 51:6 (NIV).

Gary Bauer of Campaign for Christian Families wrote, “On April 29, the United States House of Representatives passed the so-called ‘hate crimes’ bill, adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the federal hate crimes law….”

“The legislation also represents a threat to religious liberty. The Washington Post recently noted, “[F]aith organizations and individuals who view homosexuality as sinful and refuse to provide services to gay people are losing a growing number of legal battles that they say are costing them their religious freedom….”

Note, too, that, “In 2004, a pastor in Sweden was sentenced to one month in jail for preaching a sermon on the biblical view of human sexuality.”²

In Tuesday’s issue of BreakPoint, Chuck Colson in his article, “Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ and Religious Liberty … Why They Can’t Coexist,” wrote about the following:

Two women in New Jersey wanted to hold their civil union ceremony in a camp building owned by a Methodist group who didn’t allow them to do so. The women filed a discrimination complaint against the church group and won. The camp lost their tax exemption—”a move that cost them $20,000.”

Christian physicians refused to provide in vitro fertilization treatment to a woman in a lesbian relationship. The doctors were sued—and lost.

In Massachusetts, a Catholic charity was ordered to accept homosexual couples in their adoption services or get out of the adoption business. They got out of the adoption business.

A counselor in Mississippi was fired for refusing to provide therapy for a woman wanting to improve her lesbian relationship.

In New York in 2001 a Jewish college of medicine was forced by the New York State Supreme Court to allow same-sex couples to live in married student housing which was against the school’s orthodox Jewish teachings.

“In Albuquerque, a same-sex couple asked a Christian wedding photographer to film their commitment ceremony—and sued the photographer when she declined.”³

I urge you to read both Gary Bauer and Chuck Colson’s articles. The links are in the footnotes below. We are heading for major challenges.

Regardless of what we think about the Miss America Pageant, when Carrie Prejean was asked what she thought about gay marriage, she simply stated her belief that marriage was between a man and a woman. She was attacked mercilessly as a result.

According to a report on the Fox News website, “The slew of attacks against Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean, who answered a question about gay marriage during the Miss USA pageant two weeks ago, have been nothing short of a systematic ‘character assassination,’ her supporters say.

“They’re really going after her,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daley said of Prejean, whose critics have gone so far as to compare her to a Nazi war criminal.”⁴

Because of the ever increasing anti-God, anti-Bible, and anti-Christian attitude here in North America, we can be sure that attacks against Christians, Christian beliefs, the Christian church and God’s Word, the Bible, are going to increase dramatically in the days ahead. We who stand for God’s Truth may begin to suffer persecution as Christians have in other lands for so long. Our faith may be tested as never before.

If we are going to “stand firm” in our Christian faith as God’s Word instructs us to do, we need to make certain that we are true Christians and truly committed to Jesus Christ. For help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian or to renew your commitment read the last prayer on this article at the end of page 2.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in this day of ever increasing attacks against Christians, against your Church, your Word and your laws, please help me to stand firm in my faith in you knowing that the day is coming when your Son, Jesus Christ, will come again to earth and rule and reign supremely and deal with all evil and all sin and all unrepentant sinners. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14, (NIV).

2. Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, April 29, 2009, http://capwiz.com/cwf/issues/alert/?alertid=13295416

3. Chuck Colson, “Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ and Religious liberty … Why They Can’t Coexist” May 12, 2009, http://www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_779848.html .

4. Fox News, Monday, May 11, 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519796,00.html.

Ravi Zacharias in “A Slice of Infinity” shares how he was invited to participate in a discussion with six Russian generals (all of whom but one were atheists) at the Lenin Military Academy in Moscow.

Zacharias reported, “As the conversation unfolded from early unease through robust argumentation all the way to our warm conclusion, something incredible happened. One by one, each of these generals conceded that Russia was now in a pathetic state, not just economically but morally. As the men stood to bid us good-bye, the senior-ranking general grasped my hand and said, ‘Dr. Zacharias, I believe what you have brought us is the truth. But it is so hard to change after seventy years of believing a lie.’”²

Again I recall the words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian-born Nobel Prize winner for literature(1970), who said, “Over half a century ago while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘Men have forgotten God, that’s why all this has happened.’”

How tragic when nations forget God and exchange the truth for a lie. Over and over again history records the results of those nations who forgot the one true God and believed a lie. And it’s happening today in the world in which you and I live.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a messenger of grace and truth in all that I am, do, and say—and help me to live it first so that others seeing your love flowing through me will want your Truth and love for themselves. And please save our nation from believing a lie about you and the devastation that believing a lie causes. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jeremiah 13:24-25 (NIV).

2. Ravi Zacharias, “Believing A Lie, Believing The Truth” Copyright (c) 2001 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) in “A Slice of Infinity” http://www.sliceofinfinity.org.

“Robert Robinson came from a poor family; his father died when Robert was a child and his mother sent him to London to learn barbering when he was a teenager. Instead he fell in with a gang and was involved in vandalism, looting and petty theft. They went to heckle a traveling evangelist, George Whitefield, who was preaching in the town square but Robert encountered the Lord Jesus and eventually accepted him as his Savior. He went on to become a renowned preacher and pastor, as well as a writer of extraordinary hymns and was well known throughout Europe. But late in his life he left the faith. We don’t know the reason why, we don’t know the circumstances, but the story is told that there came a day late in his life when he was traveling by stage coach, seated next to a woman who was humming the hymn, ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.’

“If nothing else, maybe simply to make conversation, she asked him, ‘Sir, do you know this song?’

“Robinson replied, ‘Know it? Madam, I am the miserable man who wrote it and I would give a thousand lives to know the joy and peace that I knew then but I’ve lost it.’

“Mr. Robinson died shortly thereafter.

“’Come thou Fount’ is one of my favorite hymns and that story is one of the saddest—and I am afraid, all-too-familiar—ones that I know.”²

This hymn also happens to be one of my favorites. The words of the last stanza say: “O to grace how great a debtor / Daily I’m constrained to be / Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter / Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee / Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it / Prone to leave the God I love / Take my heart, O take and seal It / Seal it from Thy courts above.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please keep me from straying from you for I, too, know that my heart is prone to wander and that I could very easily leave the God I love. Please take my heart and seal it from and for your courts above. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:10 (NKJV).

2. By Tod Bolsinger, Sermon, “The God Who Does the Impossible … A story for those who struggle to believe.”