Winners Influence - Devotional Archives


		Devotional Archives

Friday, 21 March 2008

To You, Who is Jesus?

To you who is Jesus?

Your answer lies at the heart of your entire eternity. On this Good Friday, I want to ask you to answer that very question – “To YOU who is Jesus?”

The way I see it, your answer can fall into one of four categories:

1.) Jesus was a LEGEND – Very few people believe that Jesus was simply a legend. There simply is far too much evidence and archeological research that has proven that He really did exist.

Would you say Jesus is nothing more than a legend?

2.) Jesus was a LUNATIC – Some can say that Jesus was simply a lunatic. One who was crazy. In other words, all of His personal claims as Messiah, Lord, and the Son of God along with His miracles and counter-culture teachings were due to the fact that He was simply a nut.

Would you say Jesus was simply a nut?

3.) Jesus was a LIAR – Jesus claimed that He was the Messiah. Jesus claimed that He was “the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 10:10). Jesus made declaration upon declaration about Himself, heaven, life after death, the resurrection of man, and other pertinent topics. To make these claims when they are not true makes Jesus a lunatic or a deceitful liar who set out to fool a lot of people.

Would you call Jesus a LIAR?

4.) Jesus is LORD – Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25). That is a big claim! It is one that must be investigated. It is one that forces us to answer if Jesus really is who He claimed to be.

So, to YOU who is Jesus?

r LEGEND – He didn’t exist.

r LUNATIC – He was crazy.

r LIAR – He simply was a liar.

r LORD – He was and is who He claimed.

To me Jesus is Lord. I have seen Him too real in my life not to believe that. As I have studied the claims of Christ, I find one final answer - Jesus is who He claimed to be. He is the Savior of the world and He is my Savior. He was crucified on a cross for ALL of our sins, He was buried in a borrowed tomb, and He arose on the third day. He is love. He is grace. He is forgiveness. He is hope. He is eternal life. He is everything good in this world and beyond.

So I ask again, “To YOU . . . who is Jesus?

If you want Him to be your personal Lord, savior and forgiver of your sins then do what the Scripture says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved . . . For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Romans 10:9, 13).

Friend, no sin is too great for God to forgive. No person will ever become good enough on their own to go to heaven without the work, grace, and love of Christ.

Jesus desires to have a personal relationship with YOU! He gave up His life and took your sins upon Himself so that you could live forever! Make Him your Lord today.

Simply pray: “Father, I know I’m not perfect. I know that I am a sinner. And I know that I need you. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead, and I ask Jesus to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior right now. Please forgive me of my sin and help me to live for you. I need you. Come into my heart right now. Thank you! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you personally prayed and asked Jesus into your heart today, please email me at JSavage@winnersinfluence.com and let me know. You will encourage and be a blessing to me and I want to pray and be a blessing to you.

If you didn’t pray, but you want to discuss the whole “Jesus thing” then call or email me. I would be honored to talk with you further.

POSTED BY: Dr. Joe Savage AT 12:00 pm | Permalink | E-mail this

Friday, 14 March 2008

Encountering Ghosts: How to Control Your Negative Thought

Do you ever encounter ghosts? No, not ghosts like Casper. I'm talking about the ghosts of your past. The ghosts that haunt you as you lie awake at night. The ghosts that tell you what a failure you are. The ghosts that remind you of past hurts, disappointments, and regrets.

Our memories and emotions are very real. God gives them to us for both our good and our dependence. Let me explain.

Memories and emotions are amazing things. Can you imagine living life without any emotion or living life without remembering yesterday? The world would be in complete chaos.

God gave us our memories and emotions as a blessing. As my father often says, "Life is really about memories."

But what do we do when a memory consumes us and our emotions get the best of us? There is a small little scripture found in 2 Corinthians that has helped me. It says, "We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ."

The next time you encounter a ghost of the past that comes to haunt you, immediately pray to God and ask Him to take every thought captive. Ask Him to take control of that ghostly thought or memory and contain it. Pray with faith believing He will do this for you. I know He will because He has done it for me and His Word says that he will do it for you.

Don't allow the enemy of bad thoughts to control you anymore. Don't try to fight ghosts by yourself and especially don't try to fight them by suppressing the thoughts through a bottle, pill, work, or any other method of false escape.

You CAN and WILL have victory over your thoughts. Ask your all-powerful Father and Lord to take them captive!

Today's Prayer: "Father, we need your help today. Many of us are battling thoughts, memories, and the ghosts of past. Help us by taking every thought captive. Help us by grabbing hold of our thoughts and casting them far from us. We need you Lord. We depend on you. Thank you Father for doing this for us. In Jesus' name. Amen."

POSTED BY: Dr. joe Savage AT 10:38 am | Permalink | E-mail this

Friday, 07 March 2008

Lessons Learned from Brett Favre

I don't know anything about the spiritual life of Brett Favre, the recently retired quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. What I do know is there are many things we can learn from his life as a player.

1. Work hard everyday to earn your salary - Favre said in his retirement interview that he hoped that the Packers felt that every penny they had paid him was worth it. Certainly considering that Favre started 257 straight games, it appears that he earned his salary and worked hard. The scripture teaches us to "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people" (Ephesians 6:7). Those who follow Christ should always be the hardest working people especially in light of the fact that we ultimately are working for God and not for man.

Reflection: Are you a hard worker? What would your peers say about your work ethic?

2. Work with enthusiasm - Favre played every down with enthusiasm and passion. Interestingly, the word enthusiasm derives from the words En Theo which means "In God." That's right. To be enthusiastic is to be "en theo" - in God. Of course, God wants us to be enthusiastic about the right things!

Reflection: What are you enthusiastic about? Are you enthusiastic about the right things in life? Does your enthusiasm reflect your relationship with Christ? Is your enthusiasm contagious?

3. Play life as a team - Favre said that it was never about the records or personal achievements, but instead it was about the guys . . . the team. Interestingly, Jesus had a team of disciples. The Apostle Paul had a team. Peter had a team. In fact, every leader we see in the Bible had a team. Furthermore, marriage is a team, a family is a team, and friends should be a team. In fact, even the Holy Trinity is a team as each part of the Godhead has a specific role and responsibility. It is God's desire and design for us to work and have relationships as teams. Life was not meant to be lived individualistic.

Reflection: Are you a team player? Can those on your team depend on you?

4. Keep family involved - Brett Favre's family seemed to always be around. In recent years, the Favre's have faced great adversity as several family members have passed away and Brett's wife, Deanna, has had to battle cancer. In spite of their trials, the family has stuck together as one unit and stayed involved in each others lives. Remember, the most precious commodity that you have is your family. Never let a job, person, or anything else disintegrate your family. They are simply too important.

Reflection: Are you keeping your family involved in your life? Are you allowing anything to come in between you and your family?

Today's Prayer: "Lord, help me to be all that you desire. Help me to be a good example to both my peers and my family. Lord, increase a passion and enthusiasm inside of me so that I can reflect your goodness and calling. Build my family and make us stronger. I confess that we need you. In Jesus' name. Amen."

POSTED BY: Dr. Joe Savage AT 12:00 pm | Permalink | E-mail this

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