Anthony Diaz 5/23/25 Anthony Diaz 5/23/25

Trendy Religions

In the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 NLT

Professing faith in Christ isn’t the same as possessing Christ, who is the Source of faith. “Whatever” has become a mantra for many, a trendy approach to a religion of belonging to self. Some identify as Christians but can’t explain it. Others call themselves religiously sympathetic. News articles have been written about the trend of designer religion: developing a religion that reflects one’s desires. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is watered down to a myth, it is no longer the gospel of Christ. The world doesn’t object to this kind of religion. But the Bible says, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21 NIV). Society may think itself clever in devising new ways to worship, but the Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Religion is being rebranded as spiritualism and encompasses whatever people want it to be. But true Christianity is distinguished from all the religions of the world by God sending His Son to redeem the human race from sin and empowering them to know and receive the truth of redemption for sin by Christ’s death on the cross, and resurrection to life everlasting. He offers this to all who will repent and receive His gift. Christians distinguish themselves by being followers of Jesus Christ and obeying Him.

Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-19 23:06:46.

Anthony Diaz 5/22/25 Anthony Diaz 5/22/25

The Second Coming

Christ . . . will appear a second time . . . to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 ESV

The first coming of Jesus Christ is the greatest event in world history and will climax with His second coming. This is the centerpiece of God fulfilling His promises. Jesus came the first time in a humble way—as a baby cradled in a manger in Bethlehem. But the next most important event will be the second coming of Jesus as King of kings, when He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives overlooking His beloved city of Jerusalem. This event will be so revolutionary that it will change every aspect of life on this planet. When Jesus conquers at Armageddon, He will usher in life as it was originally intended. Righteousness will reign. Disease will be arrested. Death will be modified. War will be abolished. Nature will be changed. What a time to take the world headlines and God’s headlines found in His Word and watch the unfolding of the great drama of the ages. History is going somewhere. God will bring beauty from the ashes of world chaos. A new social order will emerge when Christ comes back. The paradise that mankind lost will be regained. For those who have not yet accepted His gift of grace—eternal salvation—today is the time to make Jesus the center of your life.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-19 23:10:13.

Anthony Diaz 5/21/25 Anthony Diaz 5/21/25

Growth Essentials

Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. Colossians 1:10.

The idea of growing mature in the things of the Lord is similar to babies going through the stages of childhood. Each phase causes children to grow physically and mentally, always learning. The apostle John wrote about becoming mature in the faith. We can never live the Christian life on the highest plane unless we are continually growing and moving forward. Whether a teenager, young adult, career person, or a senior citizen, for those who have been Christians, growing strong in the Lord is never finished. The Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Read it, study it, think on it, and memorize it! How many things could be more easily solved if we read what God thinks? What we dwell on, we love. “For as [a person] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). The more we dwell on the Word of God, the more we will thirst after it, and the more it will keep us from wandering from its truth. When coupled with prayer, we have put on the armor of God to help us withstand the evil that is in the world, and we will learn compassion toward those who do not know Him. These disciplines are essential to spiritual growth, and God blesses those that seek after Him.

Anthony Diaz 5/20/25 Anthony Diaz 5/20/25

Love Your Neighbor

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all. GALATIANS 6:10.

It’s natural to feel helpless when we read about trouble at home and abroad. We see destruction that threatens the lives of millions and the struggles of those in our neighborhoods. We cannot solve every problem, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from doing something for those who cross our paths. We can use those opportunities to tell others about Jesus Christ. This is His call to His followers: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to [everyone]” (Mark 16:15). While everyone cannot travel the whole world, we have been given a command to tell others about Christ, those in our part of the world. We should be careful about comparing our abilities to those of others. As God leads, He equips. Are we paying attention to those who are in our pathways day in and day out? One faithful witness is worth more than a thousand professors of religion. We witness by our lives and by His Word. When people in Christ unite in the common bond of the Word of God and prayer, we are strengthened in our life’s work—to be salt and light in the midst of darkness. The Spirit of God goes before us, preparing the way, giving us the words and granting us courage. But we must be diligent to live His Word, read His Word, speak His Word, and trust His Word.

Anthony Diaz 5/19/25 Anthony Diaz 5/19/25

Three Types Of Peace

God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. Isaiah 12:2

Most people yearn for one thing more than anything else: inner peace. Without it, they have no lasting joy or security. The word peace is used in the Bible in three main ways. First, there is spiritual peace—peace between God and man. Second, there is psychological peace—peace within. Third, there is relational peace—peace among mankind. The Bible says that sin has destroyed or seriously affected all three of these dimensions of peace. When man was created, he was at peace with God, with himself, and with others. But when he rebelled against God, man lost peace in every way. These dimensions of peace can be restored. We cannot bring this about, but God can, and has. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, was sent into the world to take away our sins by His death on the cross, therefore making it possible for us to be at peace—with God, within ourselves, and with each other. By His resurrection, Christ showed that God desires that all people know perfect peace. Christ provides the power to overcome every sin. He can break the ropes, fetters, and chains of sin; but each person must repent, confess, commit, and surrender to Christ first. Right now, it can be settled and we can know peace, joy, and fellowship with God, with ourselves, and with others.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-19 22:40:26.

Anthony Diaz 5/18/25 Anthony Diaz 5/18/25

Outside Intervension

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10.

Who doesn’t want to be saved? Some years ago, a man’s plane crashed into the ocean. He survived the crash but had blood on his forehead that attracted the sharks. He spent ten hours kicking at the sharks to survive. Finally, he spotted an aircraft and waved his orange life vest. The Coast Guard swooped in and rescued him. The man did not need a new swimming technique in order to be saved; he needed outside intervention. We all need outside intervention if we’re going to live eternally with God in Heaven someday. This is why God sent His Son on a rescue mission. It isn’t narrow-minded to claim that there is only one way of salvation or that the Christian message leads to the right way. Do we fault a pilot for being narrow-minded when he or she follows the instrument panel while landing in a rainstorm? No, we want the pilot to remain narrowly focused! Millions of people today want salvation and the hope of Heaven, but on their own terms. Christians do not proclaim salvation in any other but Jesus Christ. The Christian hope is that everyone will come to know Jesus as their Savior. The greatest act a Christian can perform is to tell others about Him.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-18 04:01:02.

Anthony Diaz 5/17/25 Anthony Diaz 5/17/25

God’s Advesary

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Satan is a mighty prince with hosts of demons at his command, and he has set up his kingdom on Earth. His power and position are revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Confusion about the personality of the devil has resulted in large measure from the caricatures of him that became popular during the Middle Ages. To allay their fear of the devil, people pictured him as a foolish, grotesque creature with horns and a long tail. They put a pitchfork in his hand and a feeble-minded leer on his face, and then proclaimed: “Who’s afraid of a ridiculous figure like this?” The truth is that the devil is a creature of intelligence and resourcefulness. He was once a sublime figure who decided to use his divine endowments for his own aims instead of God’s. His reasoning is brilliant, his plans ingenious, and his logic well-nigh irrefutable. God’s mighty adversary is no bungling creature with horns and tail—he is a prince of lofty stature, able to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. He is unrelenting and cruel. The devil is not, however, all-powerful, omniscient, or omnipresent. The devil has a plan and God has a plan, and each person must decide which plan to follow. Jesus said, “Follow Me,” and those who flee the devil and turn to Jesus Christ by faith will know His joy and peace for eternity.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-18 03:56:53.

Anthony Diaz 5/12/25 Anthony Diaz 5/12/25

Sin’s Cost

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

Sin is a terrible and destructive thing, and sometimes we have to pay the consequences for our foolishness and rebellion against God. He doesn’t promise that consequences of sin will vanish when we come to Him with repentant hearts and submit ourselves to Him, but He does promise to be with us. The story of King David is well known. He sinned greatly when he committed adultery with another man’s wife. God forgave him when he truly repented, but the child born of that illicit union still died as an act of God’s judgment on David. Now God does not always respond in the same way to the same circumstances, but He is sovereign and will use things in our lives to teach us about Him. There are times when God works in ways that are beyond our human understanding to bring healing and restoration, although none of us can predict when this will be the case or in what fashion. God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power (Ephesians 3:20). The best we can do for those who suffer from their past is to tell them about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and show them through Scripture that He is ready to hear their prayer of repentance and be Lord of their lives.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:58:03.

Anthony Diaz 5/11/25 Anthony Diaz 5/11/25

Our Enemy

It is no great thing if [Satan’s] ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 11:15.

Deception is everything opposite the truth. People will stand in roaring ovations for the illusionists, escape artists, and magicians. Much of it, in the form of entertainment, tricks the mind, causing us to think we are seeing something real when truthfully it is fraudulent. Prisons and jails are filled with con artists—and sad to say, so are many churches. We must have discerning spirits to determine right from wrong, and God will give us the power to know truth if we submit wholly to Him. Some deceivers around us are more obviously in league with Satan than others. Scriptures tell us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Even when Satan appears to be on the side of good, he is only using it as a mask to deceive us. His real intentions are always evil. Never underestimate Satan’s power, and never underestimate his ability to deceive us and make us think he isn’t to be feared. He is not as powerful as God, but he still is a powerful spiritual force who works against God in every way he can. This is why the Bible commands us to put on the full armor of God so that we can withstand his power (Ephesians 6:13). The most important truth about the devil, however, is that in the end he is a defeated foe!
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:56:24.

Anthony Diaz 5/10/25 Anthony Diaz 5/10/25

Jesus’ Welcome

The LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. 1 Chronicles 28:9.

If you found yourself wandering around in the forest with no food or water, no compass, and no communication device, would you be content to remain lost? If someone suddenly called out your name, would you remain hidden? It’s doubtful. You would run toward the sound of the voice. God is calling lost souls to come to Him. Just as He called out to Adam and Eve, He sends out the rescue call to us. “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live” (Isaiah 55:3). The world is filled with lost and wandering souls. It is wise to ask: What preparation have you made for your soul? If you stop and listen with your ears and your heart, you will hear God’s voice. If you ignore Him, you are gambling with your eternal future. If you have rebelled against God, please do not turn away from this message until you open your heart to Him. Jesus has His hand outstretched, waiting for the lost to come to Him. When we start down the road to repentance, He does not cast us off and forsake us. He is there to meet us and welcome us home.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:50:40.

Anthony Diaz 5/9/25 Anthony Diaz 5/9/25

Revival

It is high time to awake out of sleep. Romans 13:11.

The lawlessness, the crime, the immorality that are a stench in the nostrils of God are hastening God’s judgment upon this land. The ills, divisions, troubles, and difficulties that beset our nation could be turned around if its people would humble themselves before God in repentance. This could be changed and transformed by a spiritual awakening to the Word of God. History records the importance that Christian revival has had in paving the way for better conditions around the world. One example is in the story of John Wesley, who began preaching in the fields, churches, barns, on hillsides, in the rain, in the scorching sun—at any place people would gather to hear God’s Word proclaimed. Then he took up his pen and wrote against the evils of his day. He opposed everything that he found to be contrary to the commandments of God. From the heart of this great man had come a message that meant new life to the common man. Indeed, the foundations of the Western way of life had begun to bear fruit and a new consciousness under his ministry. It was the great revival under Wesley that set in motion forces that eventually destroyed slavery around the world. Never stop praying that God will raise up a generation that will speak God’s truth, and pray that hearts and ears will be open to His call.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:54:59.

Anthony Diaz 5/8/25 Anthony Diaz 5/8/25

The Fifth Commandment

“As I have loved you . . . love one another.” John 13:34.

The Bible clearly says, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12 KJV). This passage sets no age limit on such honor. It does not say they must be honorable to be honored. This does not necessarily mean that we must “obey” parents who are dishonorable. We must honor them. Honor has many shapes and affections. Yet adult children sometimes say things to their parents that they would never say to their friends. While every circumstance is different, the Bible says, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3–4). This speaks of “others.” How much more should we do so, then, for parents? Stories of strained relations between mothers and daughters are not unusual, unfortunately. One woman wrote and lamented over difficulties with her mother, but when her mother died, the daughter grieved because she had not tried harder to heal the relationship and said, “I’ll never have another chance.” We must be mindful that life is lived only once. One of life’s hardest lessons is that we cannot change the past—and this is especially so when death intrudes. It is a bitter lesson that leaves guilt and regret. The only solution is to ask God to open our eyes to things we need to do now.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:44:55.

Anthony Diaz 5/7/25 Anthony Diaz 5/7/25

The Skeptic

The natural man does not [accept] the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. 1 Corinthians 2:14.

There have always been skeptics who say that believing the Bible is for uneducated people. This is contrary to truth. Understanding the Bible demands the use of the mind, but when the mind is diseased by sin, it is clouded and confused. Years ago a young man by the name of Joel was a living example of such a person whose mind was under attack. He was thrown in prison for trying to kill a man. When released, he was filled with hatred and did everything he could to show his scorn to society, only to land in San Quentin. There he was diagnosed as “criminally insane.” When released eleven years later, his godly mother was there to greet him and said, “Joel, you need the Lord Jesus. You need to ask Him to forgive your sins, to give you a new life.” In time, Joel did just that. His mother’s faithful prayers were blessed by God, and Joel’s life was transformed. He became a prison chaplain and won many criminals to Christ. The Bible teaches that sin affects the mind. A person may be intellectually brilliant but spiritually ignorant. An intellectual mind can be turned into a first-class mind when Christ penetrates the very heart of a person. We must never give up praying for others.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-05-06 15:43:14.

Anthony Diaz 5/6/25 Anthony Diaz 5/6/25

Made To Worship

I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. Romans 7:18

Flesh is the Bible’s word for unperfected human nature. Leaving off the “h” and spelling it in reverse, we have the word “self.” Flesh is the self- life: it is what we are when we are left to our own devices. “Self” will show itself to be selfish. Jesus said that “the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). There was once a man who had lived a wild life and became a changed man when the Lord saved Him. His friend said to him, “I feel sorry for you. You’re going to church, praying and reading the Bible instead of going to the nightclubs, drinking, and enjoying beautiful women. You can’t do anything fun anymore.” The man laughed and said, “No, you don’t understand. It isn’t that I can’t; it’s that I don’t want to. The Lord changed what I want to do by making me a new man!” When we truly love God, we will “want to” do what pleases Him. The Bible promises that He will give us the desires of our hearts because our minds are “fixed” on Him. This is the work of His Spirit within us. It is God who makes it possible for us to live apart from fleshy desires while still in our human bodies. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 21:12:41.

Anthony Diaz 5/5/25 Anthony Diaz 5/5/25

The Empty Place

You have made known to me the ways of life. Acts 2:28 niv.

W e are taught to be independent, to make it on our own. Yet within each of us is a deep- seated frustration: I ought to be better. I believe I was made for something more; there must be more to life than this. Why am I so empty? Such feelings can cause us to struggle toward some unknown, unnamed goal. While we are told to “plan ahead,” few really think about the future. A good many people make spontaneous decisions, never considering the consequences. When their world begins to crumble, they begin to feel empty inside. Their emptiness is the absence of God in their lives. There was once a brilliant young lawyer who did not seem to find a need for God. He began to write about a famous person, hoping to find a surprising secret to his life. In the process of his research, he discovered that the man had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which led the young attorney on his own spiritual quest. The only answer to filling the empty place in the heart is found in God. The most important quest is our personal search for answers concerning life that will lead us to the One who created life. His name is almighty God, and He cares deeply for mankind and proved it by making a way for us to have eternal life and joy unspeakable.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 21:04:17.

Anthony Diaz 5/4/25 Anthony Diaz 5/4/25

True Freedom

I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. Romans 7:18.

F lesh is the Bible’s word for unperfected human nature. Leaving off the “h” and spelling it in reverse, we have the word “self.” Flesh is the self- life: it is what we are when we are left to our own devices. “Self” will show itself to be selfish. Jesus said that “the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). There was once a man who had lived a wild life and became a changed man when the Lord saved Him. His friend said to him, “I feel sorry for you. You’re going to church, praying and reading the Bible instead of going to the nightclubs, drinking, and enjoying beautiful women. You can’t do anything fun anymore.” The man laughed and said, “No, you don’t understand. It isn’t that I can’t; it’s that I don’t want to. The Lord changed what I want to do by making me a new man!” When we truly love God, we will “want to” do what pleases Him. The Bible promises that He will give us the desires of our hearts because our minds are “fixed” on Him. This is the work of His Spirit within us. It is God who makes it possible for us to live apart from fleshy desires while still in our human bodies. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 21:12:41..

Anthony Diaz 5/3/25 Anthony Diaz 5/3/25

Our Advocate

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13.

T he Holy Spirit— the Spirit of the living God— has been sent to help those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is a great and wonderful gift from almighty God. Jesus promised that He would send “the Helper” so that Christians would not be alone in this world (John 16:5– 7). A friend once said, “I need Jesus Christ for my eternal life, and the Holy Spirit for my internal life.” For those who believe in Jesus, His power can change a life, a marriage, a relationship, a church, and a world. Unfortunately, this power has been ignored, misunderstood, and misused. The Holy Spirit is not to be confused with the “spirit world.” He is a Person, not to be feared but to be embraced by believers because when someone gives their life to Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer with faith to trust, and live for, the Lord. The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. The most important thing that the Spirit of God does for mankind is to show sinners that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 20:59:13.

Anthony Diaz 5/2/25 Anthony Diaz 5/2/25

The Power Of Prayer

In the morning . . . He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35.

W hen we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we can be certain that God hears our prayers. He Himself gave us the example of true prayer Father in Heaven. The Bible tells us that Jesus prayed hours before breakfast, rising a great while before daybreak. The precious hours of fellowship with Father meant more to Him than sleep (Luke 6:12). Jesus would leave the great crowds gathered to hear Him preach and go to the wilderness so that He could spend time in prayer (Luke 5). How different our world would be if people were committed to do the same. God blesses those who commit themselves to prayer. Noah prayed, and God him a blueprint to build the ark. Moses prayed, and God delivered the Israelites bondage. Daniel prayed, and the mouths of the lions were closed. Elijah prayed, the fire of God consumed the sacrifice in the presence of the prophets of Baal. David prayed, and he defeated Goliath on the Philistine battleground. The disciples prayed, and three thousand people were added to the church in one day. Remember that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. We must ask God to help us pray with our hearts and minds centered on Him. This is the power of prayer. to the His gave from and
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 20:57:07.

Anthony Diaz 5/1/25 Anthony Diaz 5/1/25

Directing Our Emotions

A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. Proverbs 29:11.

God’s anger is always just. Even His anger is righteous because it is directed solely against evil. Jesus forcefully drove out from the temple those who were callously making money (Matthew 21:12– 13). In much the same way, when we see children abused, we should speak out and pray that righteous anger will lead to solutions to protect the helpless. We must be careful, however, that our anger is not a cover for lovelessness or self- righteousness. Anger and bitterness (as well as hatred, jealousy, and resentment) aren’t identical, but they are closely related. Bitterness is anger gone sour, an attitude of deep discontent that poisons our souls and destroys our peace. Paul’s anger against Christians was replaced with a burning passion to spread the gospel. Peter’s anger was channeled into boldness for Christ. Our goal should be to reflect Christ in all that we do. The heart is the center of our emotions and the seat of decisive action. Our emotions can lie to us, and we need to check our emotions against the Word of God. While we strive to live as Jesus would have us live, He will help us direct our emotions. His great, all- prevailing truth stands for time and eternity.
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 20:54:27.

Anthony Diaz 4/30/25 Anthony Diaz 4/30/25

He Lives

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” Revelation 1:18.

Alexander the Great’s biography was written four hundred years after he died, so its author obviously never knew him. But Alexander’s legacy lives on, while people doubt the life of Christ as documented by those who walked with Jesus. Many people down through the centuries never had a record of their own births. Yet the existence of Jesus is still called into question despite the intricate genealogy found in Scripture. Some question whether Shakespeare wrote the plays that bear his name because none of his original manuscripts survived. Some see Shakespeare as a pseudonym because there are no documents dating his birth. His biography is peppered with suppositions, yet it’s said that Shakespeare is the second most quoted writer in the English language— after the various writers of the Bible. We’ll never meet Shakespeare in this life because he’s dead. But today every person can meet Jesus Christ in this life because He lives! The marks of His sacrifice on cross are found in human hearts. Gravestones often bear the words: “Here lie the remains of . . .” But from Christ’s tomb came the living words of an angel, declaring: “He is not here, but is risen!” (Luke 24:6). Jesus’ tomb is empty. The resurrection of Jesus is an attested fact of history and a fact to be proclaimed as truth. Jesus lives. the
Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-29 20:51:55.