Move Closer Every Day by Gloria Copeland

FROM FAITH TO FAITH -- DAILY DEVOTIONALSEARCH September 25, 2013 Move Closer Every Day Gloria Copeland I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. – John 15:5 Abiding in Jesus isn't something that comes automatically to any believer. It's a lifestyle that involves discipline and effort. We have to choose to give ourselves to our union with Him, to give Him first place where our attention is concerned. If we want to grow spiritually, if we want to walk in power and in fellowship with the Lord, we'll have to spend the time it takes to know Him. That's not something we can do for a while and then forget about either. We must continue in it every day. For the moment we stop moving closer to Jesus, we always start drifting away. You see, here in this natural world you're surrounded by ungodliness. You live in a body that is totally natural. Unless you purposely counter that with daily prayer and time in the Word, your body and your mind will simply give in to the pressures around you and go the way of the world. Right now, make a decision to give yourself to the things of God. Focus your attention on the Lord. Surround yourself with His Word. Listen to preaching and teaching tapes while you're getting dressed, driving to work, preparing dinner, working on your car, exercising, cleaning house and when you go to bed. Listen to the Word of God anytime, anywhere! Abide in Him today. Scripture Reading: John 15:1-11 © 1992 Eagle Mountain International Church aka Kenneth Copeland Publications All rights reserved.

Getting Serious about God (3) The Word for You Today March April May

They took prayer seriously. The New Testament church was conceived in the womb of prayer. After ten days of united prayer in the upper room, "Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4 NLT) All the believers devoted themselves.. to prayer. It remained a prayer-conditioned fellowship. It was born, bathed, and brought to fruition in prayer. Prayer will make the hard parts of your life easier, and more fruitful. Consistent prayer lifts you to a higher, positive place where you learn how to accomplish more while experiencing a deep peace of heart and soul. Learn the unforced rhymes of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matt 11:28-30 TM). Seriously, can there be a better way to live?

Getting Serious about God (2) March 13 The Word for You Today March April May

They took fellowship seriously. Church is more than a common--interest-based social club. We're a family-birth-children of our heavenly father, blood relatives. The cross made it so. "We have all been baptized into one body by One Spirit" (1 Co 12:13 NLT).. Those early disciples valued their relationship. They "met together...shared everything they had.... sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need" (Acts 2:44-45 NLT). God's word describes members existed individually but they can only function properly in connection with one another. The members understood the need to value each other, and to sacrifice personal interest for the sake of the whole. As isolated, self-reliant, self-promoting individuals they would have been destroyed by the overwhelming force of their enemies. As a believer you may survive apart from church, but you can't thrive. Your God-given potential will never be realized until you commit wholeheartedly to a local fellowship and invest yourself in serving God's vision for that church.

Getting Serious about God (1) The Word for You Today March April May

It's estimated that there are over half a billion practicing Christians in the world. But the church wouldn't even exist today if it hadn't been for a small group of disciples who were sold out to Christ. The things of God were not a part-time interest or a convenience-based commitment to those early Christians, but their highest priority. They took church seriously. "The believers met together in the Temple every day. Is once a week your limit? Are you a hit and miss churchgoer? So what drew them? Their encounter with Jesus transformed their priorities that, "Everyday they continued to meet" (Acts 2:46 NIV). They hungered to gather in the presence of the Lord, believing His promise, "Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them" (Matt. 18:20 NLT). Taking God seriously requires regular involvement with other Christians, experiencing this unique aspect of His presence, hearing His Word together, and encouraging one another (Heb. 10:25). You need that special dimension of fellowship with God that happens only when His family gathers together with Him.