Sending Out An S.O.S.
by Rick Warren

“I’m in deep trouble Lord! Rush to my aid, for only you can help and save me.” Psalm 70:5 (LB)"

Have you ever gotten yourself into such a mess that you knew there was no way you could get out of it on your own? Whether it was getting your car stuck or getting so lost you didn’t know where you were, you needed a rescuer.

But how easy was it for you to ask for help?

The Bible is full of situations where people needed to be rescued – Adam and Eve, Joseph, Moses, Jonah, the people of Israel. They all needed a rescuer, a savior. But not all of them found it so easy to ask for help. Why? Pride.

It’s hard to admit we need someone else’s help. If we do, people might think we’re weak or foolish or somehow less perfect than the image we like to project. But the Bible says, “You rescue those who are humble” (Psalm 18:27 NLT).

Jesus is the ultimate rescuer. He came to earth to save all humanity through his death and resurrection. “Jesus Christ … gave himself to rescue all of us” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV).

But that means you need to admit that you need rescuing. Jesus does not save people who think they don’t need saving, or rescuing, or deliverance.

It takes honesty and humility to admit our need and say like David, “I am in deep trouble Lord! Rush to my aid, for only you can help and save me” (Psalm 70:5 LB).

That’s all you have to do. Just accept his grace, his mercy, and his love. But make sure you swallow your pride first.

God Always Has the Final Say 

Not long ago, I was reading this story about a lady who was losing her house. She had gotten laid off and couldn't afford the payments anymore. Unfortunately, her home went into foreclosure. The bank took it over and was going to auction it off. This lady had already accepted the fact that this chapter in her life was over. She was doing her best to deal with it, but was so heartbroken. 

She was a single mom, and this house was where she had raised her children. She wanted to get some sort of closure and decided to go to the auction where the bank was selling off her home and several others.

When she saw her home on the auction docket, she couldn't help but weep and weep. A lady across the room saw that she was upset and walked over and asked her what was wrong. She explained how she was losing her home. The lady asked which home it was. When the bidding started, the lady, her new friend, started bidding on it. 

She went after it aggressively and ended up winning the bid. She turned to this lady and said, "I came here to buy my son a home, but now I know that God sent me here to buy your home and give it back to you." She handed her the papers right there.

Maybe you're facing a situation today like this lady. Maybe things look hopeless and dark. Maybe you've been standing on His promises for a long time, hoping, praying, and believing that your situation will turn around. Today, be encouraged because you never know the surprises God has in store for your future! It may look like it's over, but the good news is that God always has the final say. 

It's not over until God says it's over! Let that sink down into your spirit and renew your hope for the future. God is faithful, and when you put your hope in Him, you will never be disappointed. Keep standing, keep believing and keep hoping because this is your season, and it's your time to walk in the fullness of God's blessing!

Seeing Potential in Others

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE“...Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out”
(Ephesians 6:18, The Message)

TODAY’S WORD  
It’s easy to be someone’s friend when they’ve got it all together, when they’re walking in blessing and prosperity. Anybody can believe in people after they’re successful, after they graduate, after they’re promoted, after they get their big break. But, people need our support the most before they get their breakthrough. They need us to look past their faults and failures and see their potential.

Most times, people just need a little “push” of encouragement to keep them moving forward. We should always put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and see things from their perspective. You may have some good advice that could save them a lot of heartache and pain. Don’t keep it to yourself. Pick up the phone. Help them win. 

Maybe you excelled in a college course that they’re struggling in. Don’t sit back and think, “Too bad. They’ve got to learn it the hard way.” No, you are the hands and feet of Jesus. When you help others rise higher, you are fulfilling His mission. Today, share your love, support and encouragement. Invest life in others, see their potential, and together, you’ll rise higher into the blessing God has for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for giving me influence with the people in my life. Thank You for equipping me to help others rise higher. Reveal to me the potential You have deposited in the people around me and show me ways to help them so we can win at life together. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

He Looks Beyond Our Doubts 

When Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Mary and Martha at the garden tomb first. He said, "Go tell my disciples." Word quickly got out that Jesus was alive. Everyone was so excited! There was great joy among all the disciples—all of them except Thomas, that is. Thomas said, "Hey, wait a minute guys, I'm a believer. I love Jesus. I know He promised that He would come back to life. Yes, I understand those women said that they've seen Him. But unless I see Him with my own eyes, unless I feel the nail prints in His hands, unless I touch the scars in His side, I'm not going to believe."

Now Thomas spent as much time with Jesus as the other believers. You might say he "grew up in church." In other words, he knew all the Scriptures. He knew all the right answers. Deep down he wanted to believe, but his mind was filled with doubts.

A few days later, the disciples were gathered together when all of the sudden, Jesus came walking through the door. At first they thought it was a ghost, but they soon recognized that it was Jesus. What's interesting is that Jesus didn't go over to Peter and say, "Hello." He didn't go over to Matthew and give him a big hug. He didn't go over to John and say, "Hey! I'm back. It's great to see you." No, Jesus headed straight toward Thomas. 

He didn't go out of His way to show Himself to the people who had the most faith; instead, He went right over to the one disciple who had the most doubt. Jesus looked Thomas in the eyes and said, "Thomas, I've heard what you've said about Me. I've heard you don't believe. You have questions. You have doubts. And you know what Thomas? That's okay. That's why I've come to you first. Go ahead and feel the nail prints in My hands. Touch the scars on My side. I want to assure you of this, Thomas, I'm a faithful God, and I will do what I have promised."

Today, know that your doubts don't drive God away. He doesn't write us off and close the door. In fact, God is so merciful that those doubts can actually draw Him to us! He loves us so much; He'll do whatever it takes to reveal Himself to us. When we go through things we don't understand, God doesn't expect us to be superhuman. He just wants us to keep looking for Him. He wants us to keep the door of our hearts open. See, Thomas was open. He wanted the truth, and he wanted to find it out for himself.

Today, know that it doesn't matter if you have doubts; it doesn't matter if you have questions because God looks beyond your doubts and sees your heart. He is faithful. He loves you so much and wants to assure you just like He did for Thomas. Keep looking for Him today and know that He will reveal Himself to you!

…I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24, NIV).

Helping Yourself 

I heard about a professional mountain climber who was climbing a very difficult mountain with his team. It was very cold and hard for them to even breathe. Along the way about six hours from the top, there was an incredible snow storm, a blizzard, making it extremely difficult for them to keep going. 

At one point, this man saw another man on the side of the trail curled up, laying there asleep. He was basically freezing to death. He had a heartbeat, but could barely breathe. His team looked at him and kept going. They said, "If you stop and try to help him, you could lose your own life." But this man could not leave him there. 

He told the team to go on, and then he started massaging the man's arms, rubbing his legs, patting his face, trying to get him to wake up. Miraculously, about fifteen minutes later, the man came to and they walked down the mountain. He saved the other man's life.

A doctor examined them both and said to the professional climber who had stopped to help, "Your arms and legs were starting to go numb. You were starting to suffer from frostbite and wouldn't have made it much further. But when you started massaging this man, it increased your own circulation and probably saved your own life."

In life, sometimes it's easy to get so caught up in our climb to the top that we're too busy to help anybody else. We think, "I can't stop, other people are going to get ahead of me." No, the truth is when we take time to help other people win, what we're really doing is helping ourselves to win. When you reach out to help others, you are actually helping yourself become better, too.

Today, I encourage you to look for ways to help others win. It may be as simple as helping someone at the grocery store or helping a coworker with a project at work. Look for ways to help your family members get ahead. Do you see someone who is tired and overwhelmed? Is there something you can do to sow life and strength into them? Remember, you are the hands and feet of Jesus on earth. 

When you reach out to others, Scripture says you are reaching out and helping God Himself. And when you get involved in God's business, He'll get involved in yours. He'll make sure that the blessings come back to you in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over in every area of your life!

Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:37-40, NIV).

Don't Quit 

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit…
Rest if you must—but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are
. It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It's when things go wrong That you mustn't quit.

– Unknown

A Little at a Time 

If you're like me, you probably have a "to do" list somewhere nearby. It may not necessarily be written down on paper, but maybe somewhere in the back of your mind is a list of all the things you hope to get done today or sometime soon. I've found that we can get so busy in our minds thinking of all things we have to do that it overwhelms us and zaps our energy! We aren't even able to think of anything else! Sometimes our "to do" list, though full of good intentions, can actually distract us and keep us from God's best.

God wants us to live in balance. In life, everything doesn't happen all at once. All of our dreams, desires and goals aren't fulfilled instantly; it happens a little bit at a time. You grow one step at a time. You increase little by little. You strengthen your marriage a little bit at a time. You lose weight gradually over time. You get healthy one choice at a time. You pay your debt off a little at a time. 

Scripture tells us that "with God, all things are possible;" but notice that it doesn't say, "With God, everything happens instantaneously." Yes, we do serve a God of miracles. We should look for Him to act on our behalf, but we should also do our part to be faithful. Proverbs 12:24 says, "The hand of the diligent will rule." Hebrews 6:12 says that "through faith AND patience, we inherit His promises."

Today, I just feel like God is saying to all of us, "Learn balance. Learn to rest your mind. Get into the peace of God." The only step you have to focus on in life is the next one. Let Him lead and guide you in the way you should go. You don't have to figure everything out today; you just have to take that next step. You just have to start making that little adjustment. 

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by what you know you need to do in life. Just start doing a little bit at a time because before you know it, you will see those dreams and desires come to pass in every area of your life!

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin… (Zechariah 4:10, NLT).

Givers and Takers 


The Bible says, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."1

Some televangelists claim that if you give generously (to their ministry of course), God will greatly bless you with wealth. But is this true? According to today's Scripture if we tithe and give generously and cheerfully to God, this is something that God loves, but the blessing God promises is that our needs will be met—not that we will become wealthy—and as such we will abound in good works; that is, we will become rich in good works.

It is true that God has greatly blessed many capable and generous business people with financial success who have, in turn, given greatly go God's work. The important lesson we all need to learn, however, is that we need to give to God's work in thanksgiving to God and to Jesus for giving his life to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins—not for what we can get—but rather to become rich and abound in good works—good works that will glorify God.

To put it bluntly: in life there are givers and takers. Givers give cheerfully of whatever they have—even if it is only friendship, encouragement, and service—and always reap a reward and become richer as persons. Takers, who are always on the take to see what they can get for themselves, will always be paupers as persons, no matter how wealthy financially or otherwise they may or may not become.

Suggested prayer:  "Dear God, please help me to be a giver in every area of life, including of what finances I have, and so become rich and abound in good works. May I always give cheerfully as unto you in thanksgiving for all you have done for me. Furthermore, help me to be wise in all that I give and be certain that I am serving you and giving to your work on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV).


Daily Encounter by 
Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International

To Hear God You Must Cooperate
by Rick Warren

“The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.” Luke 8:15 (GNT)"

You need to be able to say, "God, I'm willing to do whatever you want me to do. Even if it seems scary or unusual or hard, I'm going to do it."

God speaks to people who decide in advance to do what he tells them to do, not those who say, “God, tell me what to do and then I’ll decide if I want to do it.” When you have an attitude of cooperation, you are going to hear from God. A willing mind is the good soil that we see in today’s verse.

You need to be able to say, “God, I’m willing to do whatever you want me to do. Even if it seems scary or unusual or hard, I’m going to do it, and I’m going to keep at it until I bear fruit.”

How do you bear fruit? Luke 8:14 says it takes persistence. But it takes more than that. In the next verse, Luke 8:15, Jesus says this, “they listen to God’s words and cling to them and steadily spread them to others who also soon believe” (LB).

One of the ways to bear fruit is to pass it on. Teach somebody else. That is the secret of growth. Whatever you learn, as soon as you learn it, pass it on to someone. Whoever teaches, grows the most -- because when you teach you show that you’ve not only heard it, but you’ve incorporated it and can communicate it to others.