Recently Joy and I caught up with an old friend we hadn’t seen for about three years and were shocked when we saw her. A few years ago she made a very bad moral choice which ultimately backfired on her. As a result she became very depressed and let herself run down emotionally, physically, and also spiritually. It was very sad to see her condition. I couldn’t help but think how the choices we make make us what we become.

In my youth I recall how I was challenged to serve God with my life and am extremely thankful to God that I made that choice. That one choice totally changed my life—both for this life and the next. I don’t know where I would be today had I not made that major life-changing choice. I can’t say that every choice I have made since then has been a good or a wise one. However, for every choice I have made, I have always reaped the consequences.

As another has wisely said, “It’s choice—not chance—that determines our destiny.” This is true for every individual—unless one is mentally impaired.

The reality is that we all make many choices every day. Most of these are simple choices, but from time to time we are called to make major choices which, in turn, always have major consequences for good or bad depending on the choices we make.

However, there is one choice that is, by far, the most critical of all of life’s choices for it affects not only this life, but also one’s life after death. It is the choice to follow and serve God, and to receive His forgiveness for all our sins, without which there is no entry whatsoever into God’s Heaven. As God said to the ancient Israelites, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”² We, too, are called to make this same choice.

To help you make this choice, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have made it possible so that I can choose to accept and serve you. Please help me to make that choice, not only for today, but for all eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:7 (NKJV).

2. Joshua 24:15 (KJV).

Thank you for reading and for thinking about our writings. We also want to thank those of you who have taken the time to send in your comments and suggestions; and finally, a very special thank you to all our prayer and financial support partners as you are the ones who make Daily Encounter available without charge to our well over a third-of-a-million worldwide subscribers.

May God richly bless you in his own abundant way,

Dick and Joy Innes

* * * * * * *

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.”¹

“Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair; I envied her—she seemed so happy, and how I wished I were so fair; When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle; she had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two feet—the world is mine.

“And when I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who served me had such charm; he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm; I said, ‘It’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find’; he turned and said, ‘Oh, thank you sir.’ And then I saw that he was blind. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, the world is mine.

“Then, when walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue; he stood and watched the others play, it seemed he knew not what to do; I stopped a moment, then I said, ‘Why don’t you join the others, dear?’ He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, the world is mine.

“With feet to take me where I’d go; with eyes to see the sunsets glow, with ears to hear what I would know. I am blessed indeed. The world is mine; oh, God, forgive me when I whine.”²

As many readers will realize, today in the USA is Thanksgiving Day…a day when friends and family all across this land will join together in a great day of feasting, but I cannot help but wonder how many of us will be truly thankful—I mean truly thankful to God for the abundant blessings he has given to those of us who live in free countries.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give to me a thankful heart—a heart to remember your lovingkindness every morning and your faithfulness every night—and that your blessings are new every morning and your faithfulness is unto all generations. And above all else beside I thank you with all my heart and soul that your ‘so great salvation’ and gift of eternal life is available to ‘whosoever will may come.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 92:1-2 (NKJV).

2. Source Unknown.

Have you ever had one of those days when you had a very important phone call to make and you received a “voice mail” machine answer that after a brief recorded message you were put on hold … then you got the run around … put back on hold … seemingly ad infinitum until you got a real live person to talk to? I’m sure you have. I did this morning.

As a friend of mine suggested, “What if when we called on God in prayer we got the following answer: ‘Thank you for calling Heaven. Your prayer is very important to us. Please stay on the line and your prayer will be answered in the order it was received. Or, if you would like to leave a prayer request, press ’2′, and after the sound of the harp state your message clearly, the date and time of your call, your prayer-phone number, and we will reply to you as soon as it is convenient. Have a ‘God’ day!’”

Thank God it isn’t so. As God’s Word says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are always available to all who call on you—to all who are sincere and call on you in truth—and that you always hear and answer these prayers. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

2. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV).

In his book, Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey says, “When Dr. David Larson was training for a career in psychiatry, faculty advisers warned him, ‘You’ll harm your patients if you try to combine your Christian faith with the practice of psychiatry. It’s clinically impossible.’ Instructors insisted that religion usually harms a person’s mental health.”

This troubled Larson so much that he made a study along these lines for fifteen years. He discovered that most of the research ignored the subject of religion altogether. What he did learn from the research (that did include religion) proved to be pleasantly surprising. A sampling:

Regular church attendees live longer and are less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs. Prison inmates who make a religious commitment are less likely than their counterparts to return to jail after release. He also found that people who attend church regularly are more than twice as likely to remain married.

Larson also pointed out the disastrous effects that broken homes have on families. For example, divorce dramatically increases the likelihood of an early death. It also disrupts mental health, especially for men. And it “takes a devastating toll on children. Proportionately twice as many criminals come from single-parent homes. Indeed, family structure proves more effective than economic status in predicting a life in crime. Children from broken homes are more likely to do poorly in school, abuse drugs, and attempt suicide.”²

Having come from a broken home I know too well the devastating effect it has on the children. If it weren’t for the grace of God, I don’t know where I would be today. We simply cannot emphasize the tremendous importance of daily committing and trusting our life to the Lord and acknowledging him in everything we do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, with your help I choose to trust you with all my heart and acknowledge you in everything I do, and I thank you for promising to direct my paths. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 3:5-6.

2. Philip Yancey, Finding God in Unexpected Places, p. 81-83.

Note: See “What a Good Church Can Do for You” at: http://tinyurl.com/ov5f7 .

There’s a considerable amount of interest in angels these days. Are they for real or just a figment of the imagination of dreamers, poets, authors, and the makers of Hollywood movies?

A pastor’s wife I know personally was awakened one night at 2:00a.m. with a sense of urgency to pray for her married daughter who was home alone in another city. The following morning her daughter called to say that she was awakened at 2:00a.m. by a masked stranger standing at the end of her bed. The daughter saw no one else in the room but could feel light “steps” all over her bed.

Suddenly the intruder turned as if terrified and ran from the house, exiting as quickly as he could! Was it the presence of an angel/s that caused him to run? I believe so.

The Bible is filled with examples of the involvement of angels in the affairs of mankind. We are not given too many details of how they actually help God’s people, but we know they are his messengers sent to assist us. They are not to be worshiped. Worship belongs only to God, but we do need to thank God for sending not only his Son to die for us, but also for sending his angels to minister to us.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians also said, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it”² or, as the King James Version puts it, “entertained angels unawares.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the ministering angels you send to those who have accepted you as personal Lord and Savior. Help me always to be grateful for their help even though they may be ‘angels unawares.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 1:14.

2. Hebrews13:2 (NIV).

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Years ago Walter took his friend Arthur to see some land in open country where cattle were idly grazing. Walter explained about his dream for developing this area. He told his friend that in time the area would be surrounded by many restaurants, hotels and convention centers. He told Arthur that his plan would take all of his money and he needed others to develop the surrounding area. He wanted his friend to have the first opportunity to buy into this project.

But Arthur thought to himself, “Who in the world is going to drive twenty-five miles for this crazy project?”

He said to Walter that he would think about it and decide later on.

“Later on will be too late,” Walter cautioned Arthur. “You’d better move on it right now.”

“And so Art Linkletter turned down the opportunity to buy up all the land that surrounded what was to become Disneyland. His friend Walt Disney tried to talk him into it. But Art thought he was crazy.”

Life’s like that. King Agrippa had the opportunity to accept Christ and become a Christian. He turned it down. Judas had one of the greatest opportunities in all history to become a follower of Jesus. Instead he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Unbelievable! The two thieves who were crucified with Jesus also had the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life. One accepted. The other didn’t.

Life offers all of us many opportunities. We all have the opportunity to become followers of Jesus and to be a part of what God is doing in the world today. That choice is ours. Today. As God’s Word says, “Now is the accepted time …now is the day of salvation.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when opportunities from you come knocking on my door, no matter how quiet they are, please give me an ear to hear, a listening heart to hear what you are saying, and the wisdom to say, ‘Yes,’ to you and your call. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted God’s invitation to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, please click on www.actsweb.org/christian for the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian without having to be religious.” I urge you to do that right now.

1. Acts 26:28.

2. Corinthians 6:2.

Some time ago at a church where I was a deacon we had one man in particular who claimed to have several spiritual gifts. When the deacon board was seeking an answer for a significant situation, our friend informed us that he had a word from God and said, “God told me it was to be such and such.”

End of discussion! Who can argue against God?

However, my reply was, “God hasn’t told me yet so can we discuss this matter further.”

I’m not saying that God doesn’t lead and guide people. Not at all. What I am saying is that sometimes some insecure people need to feel important and hide behind “God’s skirt” as it were. Others claim to have a word from God simply as a means of controlling others and getting their own way; that is, as Jo Baily put it, they are adept at “arm-twisting for God.”

Actually the Bible says, “Don’t believe every spirit, but test them to see whether they are from God.”² A wise path to follow.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the ability to be able to discern whether a word or Spirit/spirit is from you or not, and grant that I will never misuse your name or “arm twist for you” to get my own way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Peter 5:3 (NIV).

2. 1 John 4:1.

It’s fascinating how God introduced himself to the human race. He is totally non-defensive and non-explanatory. He simply opens his Word, the Bible, with the simple but profound statement saying, “In the beginning God….” That is, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

God didn’t tell us how he did it. Thousands of years later scientists are still trying to work out exactly how it all began and how it happened. My guess is that they will never fully unfold this mystery—not this side of eternity anyhow.

Believing in God and his creation boils down to faith and choice. We basically choose what we want to believe. Many of us believe in God because that was what we were taught as children but at some point we made the choice whether to continue believing in him or not.

For some people choosing to believe in God has more to do with morality than it has to do with intellectual issues. Many don’t want to believe in God (or in some parts of the Bible) so they can live and behave as they choose. However, if we believe in God, we know that we are morally responsible and accountable to him.

Another tragedy when we don’t believe in God is as the Russian author, Dostoyevsky, said: “When people stop believing in God, the danger is not that they will believe in nothing. It’s that they will believe in anything.”

Or as another has said, “If we don’t stand for something we may fall for anything.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I choose to believe in you. I choose to trust my life to you and, with your help, I choose to love and serve you all the days of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Genesis 1:1.

Note: If you have never received Jesus as your Savior or received God’s forgiveness, I encourage you to do that today. To do so see “God’s Invitation” at: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or for further help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

When my boys were little, I would tuck them into bed every night, say their prayers with them, and speak positive affirmations to them—affirmations such as, “I am so proud of you,” “I’m so glad God sent you to be a part of our family,” “I love you devotedly,” etc., etc.

When my youngest son, Mark, was about nine I crept into his bedroom early one morning. I was certain he was asleep—because he looked like an angel!

I quietly leaned over and whispered in his ear, “O beloved of the Lord.”

As quick as a flash he spun his head around and, looking upward, asked without a moment’s hesitation, “Is that you, God?”

When I regained my composure, I whispered back in his ear, “No, it’s not God, but he sent me to tell you that.”

Dear Reader, God is “sending” me to tell you that today too. No matter what you have ever done or have failed to do, God loves you with an everlasting love and has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life.

His primary purpose is that you find God and receive his forgiveness for all your sins and his gift of eternal life. If you have never done this and would like to, click on: www.actsweb.org/invitation.php, or for further help read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Second, God wants you to discover and fulfill his divine purpose for your life and in so doing become a part of what he is doing in the world in which you live. Your life purpose will have to do with using your God-given abilities to serve God by helping others.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I thank you that you love me with an everlasting love no matter what. Help me to know and experience your divine love, forgiveness, and acceptance and communicate these to every life I touch. Help me, too, to discover and fulfill my God-given life purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jeremiah 31:3.

I read how a mother with young children was out jogging when she was attacked and killed by a mountain lion in California. Trackers with dogs hunted down the lion and destroyed it but they spared the lion’s cubs.

A fund was set up to help raise and educate the woman’s children. Another fund was also established—one to help care for the mountain lion’s cubs.

You’ve probably already guessed the outcome—the lion’s cubs received more financial help than the dead woman’s children.

It’s becoming increasingly alarming where people’s priorities are today. According to Chuck Colson, “Christian bashing” has become very popular in many circles today. Abortion doesn’t mean a thing to millions of Americans. Homosexuality has become more and more acceptable by the masses, and, tragically, gay marriage is being accepted even by some church leaders.

The fact is that the masses have great power. As Richard Halverson pointed out “People Power” is a mighty force. Even in business if people don’t buy a particular product no matter how good it is, it goes off the market. It’s as simple as that.

People have the power to close down any operation—or prosper it! For example, pornography prevails because enough people want it, buy it, watch it, listen to it, and read it. It is extremely profitable because countless people prosper it!

People Power has also prospered the tobacco industry, the liquor industry, the movie industry, the abortion “industry” and a hundred thousand other products and industries—some of great value, some of little or no value whatsoever, and some that are totally destructive of individuals, families, and society.

A few years back one very prosperous soft drink company—made prosperous by People Power—had a goal to give everybody in the world a taste of their product in a matter of a few years. As a result just about anywhere you go you can see the familiar insignia of Coca-Cola.

And we Christians have had the “Water of Life” for 2,000 years and still millions of people around the world have never had a chance to drink of the water that Jesus offered to the woman of Samaria. As Jesus put it, “Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

People Power. The same principle applies to publishing and communicating the gospel. God’s people have the power to prosper it. Or close it down. It, too, is as simple as that!

Here in ACTS International we had been publishing printed gospel literature for three decades. It has been used by several thousand churches, scores of chaplains in hospitals, prisons, and military bases around the world. Thousands have been helped to find the Savior as a result. But because of a lack of “People Power” to support it, we could no longer afford to print it.

However, we are still totally committed to publishing the gospel, now through e-mail and the Internet from our U.S. office. Currently we are reaching mega thousands of people worldwide actually every day through Daily Encounter and the Internet, but with increased “People Power” support we could be reaching millions more—millions who desperately need the Savior.

So, will you please prayerfully consider supporting the gospel ministry of ACTS International to ensure that we will have sufficient “People Power” to keep us reaching the lost with the gospel? You can do this through one or both of the following ways: (1), by becoming a badly needed monthly financial supporter at: https://actscom.com/donate.php, and/or (2), by joining with us as a People Power Partner at: www.actsweb.org/people_power.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please show me how I can join with others and become a part of “People Power” to help reach millions of people around the world with the gospel and thereby be a part of what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:13-14 (NIV).