She Reads Truth: Women In The Bible, Part 1 from the Bible App

Devotional Eve: Who We Believe "I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (The Apostle Paul, from 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, ESV) I’m convinced that Eve gets a bad rap. Yes, she deliberately disobeyed God. Yes, she was easily swayed. Yes, she brought Adam down with her. (Though, to be fair, he made his own decision to take a bite.) The serpent was sneaky, to say the least. Everything that spewed from his mouth was a lie:There is no danger here. What you have is not enough; you deserve more. God is not protecting you; he’s holding out on you. One bite won’t hurt. Yes, the serpent shares the blame. But even he is not the biggest reason I find myself leaping to Eve’s defense.The thing is, I know this story and I know myself. And I am one hundred percent certain I would have made the same choice.I would have bitten that apple. I would have convinced Adam to do the same. In fact, I have. When I dare to look hard at my Southern church-girl past, it is littered with forbidden fruit, with times I heard God’s truth in one ear and the Enemy’s lies in the other and I chose to believe the lies.Of course, it is not always that simple. We really do try to get it right. But the shame and guilt we carry are proof that we don’t. No one does.Perhaps this sounds dramatic. I do have a tendency toward word drama. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we each face these apple-moments in our lives, in our everyday. We know truth and we live in it, but the lies just get so loud. We get weary, we get confused, we get angry, we get jaded. And we bite. Immediately the shame settles in. Like Eve, we hurriedly begin sewing together fig leaves in an attempt to hide our brokenness and our guilt.Let’s stop. Let’s put down our DIY efforts of self-salvation that Paul warned us about, and let’s run fast to the foot of the cross.We will find Jesus there, ready for us. Ready to forgive. Click here to join the discussion with the SheReadsTruth community

Not Ashamed by Pastor Rod Parsley

Not Ashamed But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:33 Are you embarrassed to be seen in public with a Bible? Do you hide yours in your briefcase or in your purse? Would you sit in a restaurant with your Bible proudly displayed on the table, or would you rather keep it hidden from view? We are called to be witnesses for God. Take your Bible from its hiding place and display it proudly. Many have suffered and died just so you could have that priceless book. Christ paid the price for your freedom, and because of what He did you are able to claim each promise in the Bible. Why be ashamed to let the world know that you treasure the Word of God? The Bible has an uncanny ability to stir up human emotions-love, joy, hatred or disdain. If you will allow Him, God will open a door of opportunity for you to witness-to plant a seed for the kingdom. You do not have to beat people over the head with God's Word. All you have to do is be willing, ready and not ashamed to let the world know you are a believer. Further Reading Mark 8:38 Luke 9:26 Acts 1:8

What's in your wallet by Joe Stowell

"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." Ephesians 1:11 An advertising blitz for a credit card company once featured two humorous television commercials. One featured Vikings who were defeated by credit card’s low interest rates. The other series of ads poked fun at the apparent difficulty of cashing in on the “other company’s” frequent flier miles. Every one of the commercials ended with the same catchy tagline: “What’s in your wallet?” It’s an interesting question. The stuff in our wallet represents financial security, purchase power, and prosperity. The question “What’s in your wallet?” is a clever way of planting doubt in our minds about whether or not we have the right stuff to get all the satisfaction we are looking for in life. It prompts us to wonder if we are getting all that we think we deserve. Is there more out there that we don’t yet have? Do we have what it takes to be successful? Of course, the intent of the ad campaign is to make us think that only this particular card will make us satisfied, secure, and significant. And if we don’t feel secure about having the right things in our wallet, perhaps we need to reevaluate its contents. But those who have traveled life’s road for a while will tell you that it’s not really the stuff in your wallet that finally brings the happiness you’re looking for. Thankfully, God has an announcement of His own about where to find satisfaction, security, and significance! In Ephesians 1:3-14, the apostle Paul can hardly contain himself as he lists the incredible resources that our Father has placed at the disposal of His children. When we turn to Christ by faith, we’re given forgiveness—the joy of a clean conscience before God. We’re entrusted with His wisdom—inside information on how to live life without the downside of our ongoing dead-end experiments. We’re given access to His mercy and grace to find help in the time of need, worship to lift our spirits above the din of ordinary living, and prayer to put us in touch with the One who cares for us and loves us without condition. We find all of this and more in our spiritual wallet! What are you trusting to bring you joy and satisfaction? What do you depend on to give you a sense of security and safety? Where do you turn for significance? Are you focused on a wallet that’s growing with the “right” credit cards, a thick stack of cash, and the right business cards? Ironically, a full wallet can be carried on a body with an empty heart. Live for the incredible spiritual wealth and riches offered to you by our loving heavenly Father, who, according to James, delights in giving good gifts to His children. Your physical wallet may be almost empty, but, if your heart is full of all that Jesus offers, you’ve got all the right stuff to defeat the Vikings that plague your life and to experience true joy and satisfaction.

A Devotion to Revive Your Dreams by Cynthia Ruchti

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35 At a retreat, I heard a clear challenge to dream bigger than normal, to dream Jesus-sized dreams, things only He could do, things He delights in doing. The retreat instructor offered us time to pray and write down those courageous, adventuresome dreams. I wrote in pencil, not only because writing in pen seemed arrogant, but because no dream is worth it if God isn’t in it. I needed more time to listen to Jesus stirring in my heart through His Holy Spirit. Two days after returning home from the retreat, life got messy. It started with a grease fire in the kitchen. The smoke, soot, and extinguisher dust scattered to every corner of the house. The cleanup took three weeks. The crew put a rush on it because my husband was hospitalized that same night, had surgery the next day, and spent more than a week in Room 530, Bed 1. He spent the following many months in a back brace and used crutches the brief times he could be out of bed or off the couch. “My dreams went up in smoke,” I whimpered. I didn’t even know where those pages were anymore. Jesus–the epitome of Truth–seemed to whisper something profound to my spirit. “No, they didn’t. They’re in the garage.” I’d hastily thrown office items into bins and hauled them to the garage when the fire remediation crew cleaned and painted the office. My dreams didn’t go up in smoke. They were temporarily relocated. To the garage. Faith Step: Misplace a dream? Is it truly gone or temporarily relocated? Spend some time today asking Jesus to revive the dream He planted in your heart. By Cynthia Ruchti This devotion is excerpted from Mornings with Jesus 2014.

Purpose by Pastor Rod Parsley

Purpose Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:3 Have you ever asked yourself why the devil is always picking on you? One fact to consider is that Satan only attacks believers-why would he waste time on people who don't follow God? But let's go a step further and think about God's purpose. Could it be because God is refining you and developing the fruit of the Spirit in you (Galatians 5:22-23)? Nothing is wasted or without purpose in Him. God uses our mistakes to teach, to correct and to help us grow. Almighty God seizes every opportunity to direct us in His ways...if we are willing and if we obey. When your home is attacked, choose to fill it with the faith-filled Word of God-walk in your God-given authority. When change does not happen quickly, stand firm in your faith in Jesus and watch things turn around. When you operate in faith and authority, Satan can't continue his work of discord, disharmony, hatred and confusion. All the other schemes and tactics of the enemy become "null and void" because of the provisions of the cross (Galatians 3:13). God's ultimate purpose is your success and victory. Further Reading 1 Peter 1:7 Isaiah 48:10 Job 23:10 God Bless,

A Devotion to Help You Through Difficult Challenges by Karen Barber

A Devotion to Help You Through Difficult Challenges Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19 The weekend before our son Chris deployed to Iraq, our whole family pitched in to clear everything out of his three-bedroom house, so it could be rented while he was off to a war zone. The job was huge. Yet it was nothing compared to the impossible task of making it through the next year under the daily stress of knowing that Chris could be in mortal danger. How on earth am I going to make it through his deployment? I wondered. I carried a bucket of heavy-duty cleaning supplies into the bathroom. The walls and floor of the shower were caked with a thick layer of grayish soap film. An impossible job! I thought. I pulled on rubber gloves and sprayed cleanser on the shower wall until it dripped down the drain. I took a sponge and made a swipe. The gray yuck didn’t budge. I picked up a scrub brush and leaned my whole weight against it. Nothing. Then I repeated the process. Spray. Scrub. Lean. Spray.... In a few minutes a clean patch of white shower wall emerged. Encouraged that the job really wasn’t impossible, I kept at it. An hour later I stiffly stood and looked with satisfaction at the now white shower. Cleaning the shower showed me how to get through a huge life challenge like being a mom of a soldier in a war zone. Don’t try to handle the whole overwhelming job at once. Just finish up one small part at a time until the long difficult task is done. Father, what I’m facing feels impossible but with Your help, I will make a little progress each day. By Karen Barber Karen Barber is the author of Daily Talks with God.

Faith is the Gift of God by Pastor Rod Parsley

Faith is the Gift of God For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3 All gifts are given to us by God and they are distributed by the Spirit of God-not for our own benefit but for the benefit of the body of Christ. Each gift is to help build, restore, counsel, strengthen, enlighten, encourage or to bless the Church and her members. Too often the gifts in the house are used to exalt "self," which is pride and haughtiness wrapped in the cloak of religious work, piety or duty. Our faith is not for ourselves nor should it be rooted in us-it is about God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." God did not call us to have faith in ourselves, but to have faith in Him. He has given us a measure of faith to believe in Him, and as we grow in the knowledge and understanding of God our faith will grow as well. Further Reading 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 Romans 12:6-8 Matthew 17:19-20 God Bless,