Hello
my dear friends! Are you a good story teller? Before you answer too
quickly, remember that every disciple of Jesus has the opportunity to
tell the greatest story ever told. Yes, God the Father did send His Son
into the world and die on the cross for our sins and was resurrected on
the third day. And yes, He did send His Holy Spirit to empower us. And
yes, we are a part of the greatest story ever told. Its our redemptive
story too. In today's Psalms of Discipleship, the Psalmist gives his
perspective of why his story is so powerful. It's because of our Great
God.
Sharing the Greatest Story ever told with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #38
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 14 But as for me, I will hope continually, And will
praise You yet more and more. 15 My mouth shall tell of Your
righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the
sum of them. 16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I
will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone. 17 O God, You have
taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. 18
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I
declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to
come. Psalm 71:14-18
Core Value: Evangelism
Everyone
who is a disciple of Jesus has a story, a unique personal account, of
how the love of Jesus invaded their heart and made all things new. Every
redemptive story has two parts: part 1 is where we were and part 2 is
where we are now. Before Jesus showed His love to us, we were lost.
After His love overwhelmed us and embraced us, we were saved (for
example, John 3:16). It’s that simple. And because our story is that
simple we can share a simple Gospel with those who are still
experiencing stories that are stuck in part one.
Who needs to hear your story, your redemptive story, today?
Principle #38 & Personal Application: Quality disciples tell others about God’s great love and His glorious salvation.
• We tell of a God who gives us hope and a desire for endless praise
• We tell of a God who is righteous
• We tell of a God who saves
• We tell of a God does great deeds
• We tell of a God who will never forsake us
• We tell of a God who gives us the power to declare His strength and power to those who have yet to hear the gospel
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
Does the need to share my faith depend upon how I feel about me or how I feel about the Lord?
A great God offers a great salvation to a people in great need. When I
share my faith, what kind of words do I typically use to describe the
gospel?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because of Your grace You have
given me hope that causes me to have endless praise for You. I praise
You for Your righteousness and for Your great salvation. I praise You
for Your great deeds and thank You for Your faithfulness to never
forsake me. May I be faithful in sharing the Gospel with those who are
apart from Your family.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
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Hello
my dear friends! Today's Psalms of Discipleship addresses one of our
greatest needs: hope. Hope is what fuels us to keep on pressing on. Hope
is what gets us out of bed on a rainy Monday morning. And hope is what
helps us keep the right perspective when life's circumstances are not
going our way. May we learn the secret to life: to fix our hope on the
Lord.
Resting in Jesus,
Denny Bates
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #37
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 5 For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence
from my youth. 6 By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He
who took me from my mother's womb; My praise is continually of You. 7 I
have become a marvel to many, For You are my strong refuge. Psalm
71:5-7
Core Value: Grace
Has there ever been a time
in your life when you were without hope? Perhaps you were experiencing a
severe famine of a depleted bank account or maybe you were in the
middle of a perfect storm of crushing circumstances that left you weary
and hopeless?
Here is an important life principle that
disciples of Jesus must not only know about, but practice it too. We
must quit hoping in others, we must quit hoping that our problems will
go away. We even must quit hoping in ourselves. We must place our hope
in the Lord.
Principle #37 & Personal Application: Quality disciples have a hope that is fixed upon the Lord.
When we hope in the Lord . . .
• We place our confidence in Him: “You are my confidence from my youth”
• We give our unending praise to Him: “My praise is continually of You”
• We become an encouragement to others: “I have become a marvel to many”
• We find our strong refuge in Him: “For You are my strong refuge”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
What has been going on in my life where I have been able to place my hope in the Lord?
Can I think of a circumstance where others were encouraged by my faith in the Lord?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my hope, O Lord, my God. You are my confidence. By
Your grace You have sustained me from my birth. My praise shall be
continually of You. Because of Your grace at work in my life, I have
become a marvel to many as I have found safety in You, my strong refuge.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Looking for a way to jump start your devotional life? Try Psalms of
Discipleship: A One Year Journey with the Shepherd. Click on this link
for how you can order your copy today (Print or pdf ebook).
http://www.dennybates.com/#!a-one-year-journey-with-the-shepherd/c6pu
Hello
my dear friends! Have you ever run out of your own hope? You have
hoped, and hoped, and hoped for it seems a long, long time and remain
unsatisfied. What is the key? The psalmist shows us the power of hope is
not in hope itself, but in Whom we place our hope.
Resting in the One who gives us hope,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #36
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be
ashamed. 2 In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your
ear to me and save me. 3 Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may
continually come; You have given commandment to save me, For You are my
rock and my fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the
wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man, Psalm 71:1-4
Core Value: Prayer
It is has been said that hope is not a strategy, but it is a great
thing to have in hand. Sometimes we can hope for better circumstances,
we can hope for “enough” faith to gain the victory, we can have hope in
hope and never have enough equity built up in our hope account. So what
is the answer for the disciple of Jesus? The answer is we need to have
our hope fixed upon the character of the Lord. Here are a few examples
of hope that is well placed:
Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24 (HCSB)
I put my hope in You, LORD; You will answer, Lord my God. Psalm 38:15 (HCSB)
5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in
God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5
(HCSB)
Sustain me according to Thy word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Psalm 119:116 (NASB77)
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5 (NASB77)
Principle #36 & Personal Application: Quality disciples, with great
confidence in the Lord, cry out to their Deliverer for help.
• The prayer of faith is founded upon safe refuge in the Lord: “In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.”
• The prayer of faith is founded upon the Lord’s righteousness and
great salvation: “In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.”
• The prayer of faith is
founded upon the Lord’s faithfulness and trustworthiness: “Be to me a
rock of habitation to which I may continually come; You have given
commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.”
•
The prayer of faith is founded upon the Lord’s ability to rescue and
deliver completely: “Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I am feeling overwhelmed by discouragement, fear, or doubt, how may this passage of Scripture bring comfort to me?
What steps do I need to take in order to pray more and worry less?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always live like I am completely dependent upon You.
In You I can find refuge and be safe. In You I focus my prayers upon
the One who is righteous and true. In You I can rest upon Your
faithfulness and trustworthiness. In You I trust to rescue and deliver
me completely.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
What does a Disciple-Making Ministry look like? It looks like . . .
SOMETHING NEW
"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past;
Behold, I will do something new . . .” Isaiah 43:18, 19a
MISSION STATEMENT
Something New exists to challenge believers in Jesus to experience a
lifetime commitment to spiritual growth, and to empower disciples of
Jesus Christ to multiply His life in all of the world. This remarkable
journey of faith begins in our Jerusalem: in our home and in the
marketplace where we work and play.
CORE VALUES
We
value the Grace of God. It is free, undeserved, and deeply appreciated.
Being recipients of the gift of grace, we desire to give it away to
others who do not deserve it.
We value the worship of God.
Worship is not only singing songs. Biblical worship includes a
sacrifice, a submission of our will to His (Genesis 22).
We
value the Word of God. We believe the Bible, revealed in 66 books, is
God's truth. It is perfect and is meant to be read by believers on a
regular basis. The goal of Bible reading, and even Bible study, is not
the collection of more theological trivia. The goal is to experience the
truth and then make the personal application that leads to personal
transformation.
We value connecting with God through prayer. We
believe that prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue with God. We
believe God has provided the way for us to make known to Him, not only
our needs, but also our love and adoration of Him through prayer.
We value community with other believers through authentic
relationships. We believe that no one can effectively live the
victorious Christian life alone. We believe the "one anothers" of the
Bible can only be practiced and lived with power and credibility in the
presence of other believers. We value creating a safe place where we
can be honest with ourselves, with each other and with God.
We
value using our spiritual gifts by serving others. We believe that the
spiritual and natural gifts we each have, are given by God and to be
freely shared with those who are in need of our gifts.
We
value living out our faith by sharing with others the love of Jesus. We
believe that the Gospel Of Jesus Christ is not only Good News but is the
greatest story ever told. We desire to share this love by whatever
means we have.
We value growing disciples who are making other disciples for Jesus!
Wish to learn more about Something New? In box me on Facebook.
Hello my dear friends,
One of the great blessings of the Psalms is the transparency we observe
from the psalmists who are in trouble. They are in trouble. They are
real. And they pray. Good reminders for every disciple who follows
Jesus.
In His grip,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #35
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 O God, hasten to deliver me; O LORD, hasten to my
help! 2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated Who seek my life; Let those
be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt. 3 Let those be
turned back because of their shame Who say, "Aha, aha!" 4 Let all who
seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your
salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified." 5 But I am afflicted
and needy; Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O
LORD, do not delay. Psalm 70:1-5
Core Value: Prayer
Prayer offered during times of great duress is our connection between
hopeless and hopeful. One of the wonderful aspects of the Bible is we
are shown, time and time again, the inner thoughts of those who are
facing impossible, gut-wrenching circumstances. And time and time again,
the Saints of God are helped by the Hand of God in order to live out
the Purpose of God.
Principle #35 & Personal Application:
Quality disciples, because of grace, can turn to the Lord in times of
great trials and experience His help.
• When we pray, we pray with a sense of urgency and expectation (vs. 1)
• When we pray, we pray for protection from those who wish to attack us (vs. 2-3)
• When we pray, we pray with a heart of worship and thankfulness (vs. 4)
• When we pray, we pray honestly and to the point: Lord, help me (vs. 5)
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I feel I am under attack, how do I usually respond: with prayer or with panic?
How can a heart of worship help me to trust in Christ more?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I need help, help me to keep my eyes upon You. May I always look to You as my Helper and Deliverer.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Hello my dear friends,
Some days are a bit more challenging than others. Wouldn't you agree? Anyone can live out the "victorious" Christian life when life is easy. But it takes a far greater commitment to live it out when we are suffering. Some people suffer and become bitter. Others suffer and become better. What's the difference? Those who become better, even in the midst of challenging circumstances, have made a commitment to worship Jesus, no matter what.
The Psalmist was afflicted and in pain. Perhaps you are too. May I suggest you do what he chose to do and worship God.
Worshiping Him, by faith,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #34
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 29 But I am afflicted and in pain; May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high. 30 I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 And it will please the LORD better than an ox Or a young bull with horns and hoofs. 32 The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive. 33 For the LORD hears the needy And does not despise His who are prisoners. Psalm 69:29-33
Core Value: Worship
There are bad days, and then, sometimes, there are really bad days. There are the days when it seems that everything that can go wrong goes wrong. There are the days when the harder we try to fix the broken things of our lives; the worse it seems to be. When all else fails, our good options are limited to one response: we must worship. True, it is not easy to do so, especially when the pain and suffering are great. But it is also true that when we take our eyes off of our impossible situation (a lack of finances, poor health, challenging relationships, weak spiritual health, etc.) and place our eyes of faith upon the Lord, our faith will grow.
What impossible situation are you facing right now where worship can help you make it another day?
Principle #34 & Personal Application: Quality disciples will choose to worship the Lord, even during extreme times of suffering.
• Worship is a choice we make, a choice that is not based upon how we “feel” (vs. 29).
• When we are faithful to worship, we will experience His pleasure (vs. 30-31).
• When we are faithful to worship, our hearts will be revived (vs. 32).
• When we are faithful to worship, the Lord will hear our cry to be delivered from bondage (vs. 33).
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I become overwhelmed by my difficult circumstances, how does my worship of Jesus help draw me closer to Him?
What steps can I take that will enhance the focus of my worship? What kinds of promises has God made to me of what He will do if I worship Him?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me a heart of worship. It is because of Your grace that I can even begin to express back to You my gratitude for all You have done for me. Help me remember to worship You even when everything around me is challenging me to go it alone. May I always bring You pleasure as I respond in worship to You. And may my heart experience continual revival as I draw near to You.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/dennybates
Hello my dear friends! Why do we pray? Is it to simply "get" things from God and have Him at our beckoned call, or is there a greater purpose in prayer? Prayer, biblical prayer, is more than having a punch list where we check off our prayer requests. Prayer is all about intimacy between the Creator and His creation. It is not a monologue. It is a dialogue. Prayer is the "air" we breathe when we come into His presence. In today's Psalms of Discipleship we discover a man who is facing impossible circumstances. In response, he turns to the only One who has the power (and love) to help.
Praying to a Great God who answers great prayers,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #33
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth. 14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters. 15 May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit shut its mouth on me. 16 Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, Psalm 69:13-16
Core Value: Prayer
Is your faith founded upon having life go well with you by extending to you pleasant circumstances? Is your faith in your ability to have enough faith in you? Or is your faith centered on the character of God? Is your faith directed to the One who has the power to transform you and your impossible circumstances? These are all great questions of process. For the Psalmist, he directed his prayer to the Lord. Note this: the more he talked about prayer AND prayed, the greater his testimony of faith became.
The same can be true of you as well. Look at your impossible circumstances and then look to the One who not only can work in your circumstances but who also can accomplish an even greater work . . . in you.
Principle #33 & Personal Application: Quality disciples offer their prayer for deliverance based not upon their circumstances, but upon the unchanging character of God.
• The prayer of faith is directed to the Lord.
• The prayer of faith is founded upon the greatness of the Lord’s lovingkindness.
• The prayer of faith is offered during the direst of circumstances where only God can deliver.
• The prayer of faith rests upon the kindness and compassion of the Lord.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I am facing seemingly impossible circumstances, how does prayer help me trust the Lord more?
As I take time and mediate upon God’s character, what are some of His qualities that come to mind?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always direct my prayers to You. May I always keep Your promises before me and may I always consider Your character when I am put to the test. May I always remember that I alone cannot deliver myself from my circumstances and that only You can help me.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/dennybates
Hello my dear friends! Have you ever been in a situation where the only thing you can do is . . . PRAY? Today's Psalms of Discipleship is a wonderful illustration of what desperate believers in Jesus can do: We can pray to the One who makes all of the difference in the world.
Desperate for Jesus,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #32
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life. 2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. 3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore. Psalm 69:1-4
Core Value: Prayer
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt so overwhelmed with stress that you had a hard time breathing normally? Have you ever faced a circumstance where you felt alone and very vulnerable? Have you ever been on the verge of losing all hope? If you have answered anyone of these questions with a YES, then it confirms that you are a normal disciple of Jesus. Some would refuse to admit any inkling of fear and being out of control. Those folks live in an unreal world.
Fortunately, for us, the Psalmist was real with his feelings. Writing from his own struggles, he offers us a glimmer into his life by committing his great challenges with great prayer to a great God. Are you going through great problems? Take them to a great God. When will you begin?
Principle #32 & Personal Application: Quality disciples realize when persecution comes their way, prayer is the tool that draws them closer to the Lord.
This is the testimony of the psalmist whose enemies had no mercy upon him. When our enemies attack us, we can relate to his experience.
• We can pray while the waters or persecution flood us: Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life.
• We can pray when it feels like we are sinking: I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
• We can pray when we are weary and parched: I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
• We can pray when others hate us and wish for our ruin: Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How does Jesus, in me, allow me to face personal attacks?
What steps can I begin to take that will sharpen my ability to pray when I feel threatened by my enemies?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for drawing me close to You when it seems I am about to drown in the deep waters of persecution. May I always turn to You when trouble comes my way.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/dennybates
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
