Dana Duke on LinkedIn: ‭II Timothy 3:1-7 NKJV‬ [1] But know this, that in the last days perilous… (2024)

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Peace In The Midst Of The Storm 'And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master carest thou not that we perish?' - Mark 4:37-38Considering the fact that the boat was filled with water, it is amazing that the disciples had to awaken Jesus. This was not a large ship with cabins below deck but rather a small, open boat and Jesus was, no doubt, 'soaked to the bone.' This reflects Jesus' humanity and how tired He must have been. It also shows that Jesus must have been in a very deep sleep. Medical science has discovered that the deeper we sleep, the more rest our bodies get. This is a clue as to how Jesus could maintain the grueling pace He kept, along only with an occasional all-night prayer time. He was receiving the maximum benefit from His sleep.Jesus did not say 'Let us go out into the midst of the sea and drown in a storm.' He was going to the other side. This shows that the disciples still didn't understand Jesus' authority. They were committed to Him as their Messiah, but they hadn't yet realized that Jesus was Lord even over the physical elements. Many Christians still do this today. They receive the spiritual benefits of salvation but have not reaped the physical benefits of health and prosperity, which are also part of our salvation.Whichever we focus upon - the storm, or the Lord in the midst of our storm - will determine how we manage the storms we face in life. He is not asleep concerning the things you face in this life, He's right there in your 'ship,' resting, because He knows you'll both get to the 'other side.' His peace is yours. Believe His Word. Rest in His love.

April 17, 2024 THE QUEST FOR GOD "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!— Job 23:3ELIPHAZ TOLD JOB that if he could just find God, things would be okay. But Job doesn’t know where to find God.Some people assert that because they cannot see God, they cannot believe in Him. But can you see the wind? Can you see electricity? You don’t have to see something to feel its effects. Stick your finger in an outlet and the jolt you feel will make a believer out of you in a hurry.Though I have never seen God, yet I have felt the presence and the influence of God within my life. I have heard His still small voice and I have seen His power at work in my life and in the lives of others around me.Have you been searching for God? Jesus said: “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30). Are you thirsting after a meaningful relationship with God? Jesus cried out to the multitude: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).If your spirit is searching after God, if you find yourself thirsting after a meaningful relationship with Him, then Jesus is the end of your quest.WHEN YOU COME TO JESUS YOUR SEARCH IS OVER, FOR YOU HAVE THEN DISCOVERED GOD.Father, thank You that we have come to know Your love. We feel Your presence, we hear Your voice, and we see the effects of Your hand at work in the world.In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Wednesday, April 17 The Mind Matters "And take the helmet of salvation. Ephesians" 6:17 The turban worn by Israel’s high priest was a mitznefet. That same word now describes a floppy, fabric helmet-covering worn by today’s Israeli soldiers on the battlefield. It breaks up the crisp silhouette of a traditional helmet, reduces glare, provides shade, and blends in with the terrain. Innovation continues—from Roman times to the present day—to find better ways to protect the head in battle.Recommended Reading:James 1:5-8The reason for protecting the head is to protect the brain—or in spiritual terms, the mind. When Paul refers to the “helmet of salvation” as part of our spiritual armor, he surely means the protection of the mind. So how does salvation protect our mind—our thoughts, our need for wisdom, our communication with God in prayer? It is the assurance of our salvation that forms the protective shield against doubt, temptation, and carnal or unwise thoughts. Just knowing we can call on God for wisdom, grace, and mercy at any time protects us from the fiery darts of Satan (Hebrews 4:16; James 1:5-8).Do everything you can to protect and renew your mind by resting in the assurance of your salvation through Christ.The end for which God instructs the mind is that He might transform the life.Albert Martin

Walking In God's Light “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5JOHN CONTRASTS THE nature of God (“God is light”) with the nature of man; and he begins to show the characteristics of those who walk in the light as opposed to those who walk in darkness. It is not enough that a man should claim to be in the light. He must actually walk in it. He must be a child of the light.What will be true of the individual if God is actually the light of his life? Obviously, the light of God will be doing for him what light does. For one thing, the light will be exposing the darkness so that the dark places are increasingly cleansed of sin and become bright and fruitful places for God’s blessing. This does not mean that the individual will become increasingly conscious of how good he or she is becoming. On the contrary, a growth in holiness will mean a growth in a true sensitivity to sin in one’s life and an intense desire to eliminate from life all that displeases God. Instead of boasting in his progress, the person will be increasingly ready to acknowledge sin and seek to have it eliminated. It will be a genuine acknowledgment. It will not be as it was in the case of a woman who once asked Charles Wesley to pray for her because, as she said, “I am a great sinner.” She added, “I am a Christian but I sometimes fail so dreadfully. Please pray for me.”Wesley replied, “Yes, Madam, I will pray for you; for truly you are a great sinner.” She answered, “What do you mean? I have never done anything very wrong.”If God’s light is really shining on us, we will rather say, as did Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isa. 6:5); or with Peter, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8); or with Paul, “I am the foremost [of sinners]” (1 Tim. 1:15).Second, if God is our light and if we walk in the light, we will be growing spiritually. The Bible will be becoming more precious, for God is revealed in it. We will love godliness. And we will be finding fellowship with God’s people more and more delightful and valuable.Finally, we will also be finding it increasingly desirable to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, we will yearn to serve him, for we will know him more and more as the one who brought us out of the bondage of our darkness into his marvelous light. To follow Christ is the natural desire of the one whose life has been illuminated by him.

When People Love Darkness “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”—John 3:19George Washington said, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”We start using excuses very early in life. Maybe as a student, you discovered the well-worn classic that has been used by generations: “The dog ate myhomework.”As the years go by, you start getting new excuses to rationalize your behavior, such as “Everybody was doing it.”Then, as you get a little older, you discover other excuses like “The alarm didn’t go off,” “Traffic was really bad,” and “The check is in the mail.”People also come up with excuses as to why they don’t come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They call them reasons and might even classify them as questions. But when you get down to it, they are nothing more than excuses.Maybe you know what it’s like to share the gospel with someone who barrages you with a mass of arguments and difficult-to-answer questions. However, there is only one reason that people aren’t putting their faith in Christ. It isn’t because they’re necessarily struggling with the gospel message philosophically or intellectually. Nor is it because they’re skeptics or agnostics.It is not about whether there are contradictions in the Bible. Instead, these are excuses. They’re attempts to cover up the real reason, which is this: they love darkness and don’t want to change.Jesus said, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed” (John 3:19–20.Deep inside they know that becoming a Christian will require change. So, they hide behind a well-worn excuse. They don’t want to turn from their darkness. They don’t want the wind of the Spirit to blow into their lives and bring about change. They don’t want to be born again.Notice Jesus said that “people loved the darkness more than the light.” It is not only that they tolerated darkness or lived in it. They loved it. And there are people today who love sin as well.What is the worst sin a person can commit? According to the Bible, it is unbelief. Unbelief is a choice. It is hearing the facts of the gospel and saying, “I’m choosing not to believe that. I don’t want to believe that.”This is not to say that people don’t have legitimate questions. There are people with skepticism about the Christian faith. Yet Jesus always will reveal Himself to the genuine seeker.However, some people think they can continually put off coming to Christ. But they need to know something. There comes a point of no return in the human life& if they continue in a pattern of rejecting Jesus Christ, they can go beyond that point.We can’t change the fact that people love darkness. We can only pray that they will see their need for Jesus Christ.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37TODAY'S TRUTH The day Jesus died on the Cross looked like a day of total defeat, when in fact it was a day of total victory! From a human perspective, it looked as if the enemy had won. The soldiers were mocking Him. His robe was torn and sold. The sky was gray and dismal. All hope seemed lost.What appeared to be utter defeat was actually the portrait of sheer victory on a grand scale that the world had never before seen. That was the day you and I were set free from death, hell, and the grave, from sickness and disease. It was the day we were liberated from the chains of the past, from addiction, from every kind of hindrance that would defeat us in our daily lives.On this day, Jesus descended from the Cross into the bowels of the earth and shook His finger in the face of the prince of darkness. He gave us all authority, on earth and in heaven. No matter what we ask for in His name, we can now have it because of the complete victory that was won on the darkest day the earth has ever known.Think of the chains that bind you today and then look in the mirror. You are now face-to-face with your worst enemy. Yet the person you see in the reflection has been completely liberated, set free to live a life of abundance. Calvary made that possible! Today, whatever chains have shackled you to the past, whatever controls you and manipulates your life, keeping you from enjoying the goodness of the Lord…let it go in Jesus’ name. You are more than a conqueror. Live like it. Act like it. Think like it. That is what Calvary did for you.

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