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DEVOTIONS
FOR March 8-13, 2010
Topic:
“Obediently FLEE
Temptation and Trust God”
Don’t forget to start your devotion time with a prayer!
Ask God to speak to you through His word and that His Spirit would give you
understanding as you APPLY His truth to your life.
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Spend time with the devotions this week. Read the Scriptures and then
think how you can apply them to your life.
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MONDAY
March 8
Look
up and read
1 John
2:3-6
Walk like Jesus
“We know that we
have come to know Him if we ______ His commands.” (vs. 3) The next few
verses point out that we can not claim to know Jesus and choose to disobey
His teachings at the same time. Jesus spent His life teaching about love
and forgiveness- choosing to stay away from sin and the things that separate
us from God. When we follow what Jesus wants for our lives, God is able to
make His love complete in us. Verse 6 continues: “Whoever claims to live in
Him must walk as _______did.” How did Jesus live? Whose will did He
follow? How did He deal with temptations? Where did He find His
strength? We are called to be OBEDIENT and to live like Jesus. Spend some
time today looking at your own life. Do your actions reflect a life like
Jesus’? Pray today for God to open your eyes to the areas in which you need
to be more obedient. Ask for God to accomplish His will, not your own.
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TUESDAY
March 9
Look
up and read
2 Timothy
2:22
FLEE Temptation
“______ the
evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, _____ and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” How does it say
that we are to respond to the evil desires of our youth? What does it mean
to “flee”? The definition of flee suggests that it is an action in which we
“run away, as from danger or pursuers; it is to move away from, fly, or
speed.” Fleeing does not mean staying as close to our temptation as we can
without giving in and crossing the line. To flee means that we are moving
as fast as we can in the OPPOSITE direction of temptation and sin. What are
some temptations that you face during the week? Are you tempted to gossip
or cheat? Is it sometimes convenient to tell a white lie? Are your
thoughts pure? What is it that you struggle with? How do you need to
respond so that you are moving quickly away from those things that may cause
you to stumble? What does Timothy call us to pursue instead? Can others see
faith, love, peace and righteousness in you? What changes can you make to
grow closer to having a pure heart for God?
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WEDNESDAY
March 10
Look
up and read
Hebrews
12:1-3
Throw Off Sin
“Therefore…let us _____ _____ everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles, and let us ______with perseverance the race marked out for
us.” Our walk as disciples of Christ requires work. We are to give up
whatever puts our relationship with God in danger. Can you identify some
obstacles in your life that might get in the way of your relationship with
God? What are you going to do about it? Continue in verse 2: “Let us fix
our eyes on ______....” Who are we supposed to focus on? How are we going
to be able to “throw off” the sin that easily traps us? -By fixing our eyes
on Jesus! When we are faced with temptation, it is easy to lose sight of
the big picture. But we are not alone. Jesus has overcome every temptation
and He has conquered sin for us. By choosing to focus our eyes on Him, we
can find the strength to persevere even when life gets tough. Spend some
time today fixing your heart on Jesus. What things would He want you to
focus on today?
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THURSDAY
March 11
Look
up and read
1
Corinthians 10:13
God Won’t Give Us
More than We Can Handle
“No temptation has seized you except what is _______to man.” Paul says that
wrong desires and temptations are things that everyone deals with- so we
should not feel like God is singling us out when something tough comes our
way. Paul continues: “And God is _______; He will ______ let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also
provide a ____ ________ so that you can stand up under it.” Any temptation
CAN be resisted because God helps us! What does it mean that God is
“faithful?” Can you think of a person who is usually there for you when you
needed them? How does knowing that you can count on someone make you feel?
God is even more so ALWAYS there for us! He never changes how He is, or the
amount of love He has for us. We can trust that He will always be the same,
and He will always be here for us when we need Him. He says that He will
provide a way for us to stand up under temptation. What confidence does that
give you? If you know that God is able to help you through EVERY
temptation, how are you going to respond the next time you are faced with a
tough situation? Who are you going to turn to? Read this verse again and
think about the truth it holds for us. Pray that God would help you place
your confidence in Him today. |
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FRIDAY March 12
Look
up and read
Psalm
9:10
Trust…God is
Faithful We
have been studying this week about being obedient and fleeing temptations.
A lot of times, it is going to be uncomfortable and difficult for us to
follow what God is calling us to do. We have to trust that He will be with
us and will help us overcome. Can you think of a time when you didn’t know
how things were going to turn out, but you had to trust that you would make
it through? David reminds us in the Psalm: “Those who know Your name will
______in You, for You, LORD, have never _______ those who seek you.” To
forsake someone means to abandon that person. God doesn’t say that we will
never face suffering or temptation, but that when we choose to seek Him, He;
Himself, will never leave us NO MATTER WHAT! Wow! Spend some time
reflecting on this awesome promise and praise God that He is faithful and
trustworthy. What are some things you can do to continue to seek God each
day?
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SATURDAY
March 13
Look
up and read
John 14:21
Obedience= An Expression of Love
Who does Jesus say is the
one who loves Him? “Whoever has my commands and _______ them, he is the one
who loves me.” Does this change your understanding of why we should obey
the things Jesus commands us to do? Think of a time when you wanted to show
a friend or family member that you really loved them. What did you do to
express your love? Jesus tells us that to express our love to Him, we need
to do what He asks of us. And what promise do we have when we love Him? “He
who loves me will be _______ by my Father, and I too will _____ him and show
myself to him.” That’s a pretty sweet deal! When we choose to love Jesus,
we can be confident that God will love us and Jesus will reveal more of
Himself to us. The deeper our love grows, the more we will want to obey Him,
and the more we will be free to feel His love again in return! Looking at
your own life, are you expressing your love to God through obedience? Do
your actions tell Jesus that you love Him? Spend some time this weekend
reflecting on how you can love God even more in the choices you make this
coming week. Thank Him for His love for you!
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See you at Sunday
School, Worship and Youth Fellowship this Sunday!
Bible references provided by
www.biblegateway.com
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