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| Hi there! Welcome to November and to the JESUS issue of YW! Yup, this entire issue is about Jesus!! Sooo . . . . why did we write an entire issue about Jesus? Here’s a roundabout answer. In A. W. Tozer’s incredible book, The Knowledge of the Holy, he wrote that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” What we think about God is a massive, massive part of how we view ourselves and our world. Of course, God knew that. And of course, He wanted us to have an accurate understanding of who He is. So He came to earth to show us. Jesus was a personal tour guide of God—of Himself. Jesus is a BIG part of what should come into our minds when we think about God. That was God’s intention. That’s a lot of why He came. Sometimes we don’t make the connection that Jesus is God. We don’t connect that His responses in situations are the way that God responds in those situations, that what He said is what God said. We don’t make the connection that although God is invisible, Jesus made Him visible. But we so need to!! The reality is this: Because Jesus came, we don’t have to wonder what God is like anymore. This month, be really intentional about making the connection that how Jesus acted and responded in the situations we’re going to read about is how He responds to similar situations in your life. This week, we’re looking at how Jesus wants to set you free. What areas do you want freedom in? Trust and know that He wants to set you free! Have a great week, child of the King! Laurin
Here's this week's devo: JESUS—GOD—WANTED PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE FREEDOM. HE HATED ANYTHING THAT ROBBED THEM OF THE PEACE AND JOY OF LIVING FREE. THINGS LIKE DISEASE. GUILT. SIN. DEATH. PEOPLE WERE ENSLAVED. JESUS KNEW THAT. SO HE CAME TO BREAK THEIR CHAINS. [READ] One day at the temple, Jesus was called upon to read the Scriptures. In Jesus’ day, and still today, Jews read Scripture on a set yearly schedule—so the Scripture passages that Jesus read in the temple that day were no coincidence. He opened the scroll of Isaiah that had been handed to Him and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). The scene was probably pretty normal until Jesus sat down and said this: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
[THINK] Jesus declared that He was the Freer of prisoners, the Sight-Giver of the blind, and the Releaser of the oppressed. But He also said a phrase that we might miss, but it would have caught the ear of the Jews in the temple. It’s the phrase that He would “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was referring to the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25. God had told His people that they were to rest and be refreshed every seventh day on the Sabbath. More than that, every seventh year they were to take a sabbatical and let their land rest from planting crops. That seventh year they wouldn’t plant or harvest, but would eat from the plenty God had given them from the previous six years. God wanted His people to receive refreshment from Him every seven years. And then, even beyond that, after seven cycles of years, or 49 years, God wanted His people to declare a Year of Jubilee. “Sanctify the fiftieth year; make it a holy year. Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone who lives in it—a Jubilee for you” (Leviticus 25:10 MSG). During the Year of Jubilee, God’s people were to release all captives, they were to forgive all debts, they were to return all property to its original owner, and they were not to plant or harvest. They were to rest. It was a full year of ultimate celebration. Family members returned home; the burden of debts were removed, never to be brought back again. But the Israelites were never able to practice the Year of Jubilee. The people just couldn’t bring themselves to release their slaves, to release their land, or to release their debtors. Sadly, Israel never once celebrated a Year of Jubilee.
[LIVE] Isaiah had foretold that God would send Someone to declare a Year of Jubilee—a year of celebration and freedom. But it would involve an even better celebration than just freeing a slave or releasing land. It would involve freeing people from fear, from guilt, from captivity to Satan, and from the stain of sin. To the paralytic, Jesus said: “Get up, take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:11). To the blind man, He said: “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:42). To the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, He said: “Take heart, daughter . . . your faith has healed you” (Matthew 9:22). To the sinful woman who anointed His feet with perfume: “Your sins are forgiven. . . . Go in peace” (Luke 7:48. 50). Jesus gave sight to the blind. He released the oppressed. He freed the captives. Declare the Year of Jubilee—freedom has come!
[NXT LVL] Read more about the Year of Jubilee that God gave to His people in Leviticus 25. | | |
| Hey there, child of the King!
Here’s a sobering thought about sin. Think of your biggest regrets that you have in your life . . . the event/decision that you wish you had an eraser to wipe out. Most likely, sin was involved there. Most likely you stepped outside of what God wanted for you and sin killed you in some way. Yeah. Sin is no good. No good at all.
Soooo . . . let’s roundkick sin in the face, sucker punch it in the gut, and give it a noogie. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, sin has no place here.
Have a great week, child of the King!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
Sin doesn’t always appear twisted or dark. In fact, it can deceptively seem like just the opposite.
[READ] Sin often looks appealing. That’s because Satan, also known as an angel of light, intentionally wraps sin in a pretty package.
Talking about someone with our friends may seem like harmless fun. We may think, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.” But it does. Gossip can harm a person’s reputation, one of their most precious possessions. “What dainty morsels rumors are—but they sink deep into one’s heart” (Proverbs 18:8 NLT).
Speaking unkindly to someone—especially when we’re angry with them—can feel satisfying. But speaking hurtful words is like sticking a knife in someone’s soul. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG).
Sex and sexual acts outside of marriage may seem fun. But they cause distrust in relationships, put a barrier between us and God, and destroy our soul. “The man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul" (Proverbs 6:32 NLT). "Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT).
Pursuing money and possessions may seem like we’re moving up in the world, but it can shift our perspective from heavenly things, rob us of eternal treasures, and come between us and God. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13 NLT).
Like a fish chasing a shiny lure, Satan makes sin seem appealing, even though it’s deadly. And while sin seems fun, it actually steals life from us. Jesus said He came to give us life, but Satan’s intentions are sick and sinister. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NLT).
[THINK] Think about your biggest regrets. Chances are you bought into what Satan was selling through sin, and it hurt you. You probably weren’t motivated by doing something wrong. You might’ve gossiped because you wanted to win the approval of others. You might’ve sinned sexually because you thought it would enhance a relationship. You might’ve started drinking to have fun. But the sin killed you. Or it killed a relationship. And it killed your connection with God. Our biggest regrets usually happen when we step outside of what God wants for us.
[LIVE] In the situations you regret the most, what did sin cost you? What did it steal from you? A relationship? Sexual purity? Confidence in yourself? What died in you? Your connection with God? Your trust in people?
Let the effects of sin cause you to hate it. Think of what you’ve lost and let it sicken you.
Hate sin. It is killing you. And be assured, God hates it too.
[NXT LVL] Jesus used some gory, grotesque words when He talked about sin because sin is sickening. Read Matthew 18:6-9.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW Magazine’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hey there, child of the King!
This week is week 3 of our look at sin. And this week’s main point made me absolutely, physically sick. This week we talk about sin’s ripple effect—how it impacts so many people, especially the innocent. If you’ve ever been sinned against, you know how this works. It's absolutely awful!
In high school, I had someone break into my car in the parking lot. All they took was a box of animal crackers (go figure), but they tried to hot-wire my car, and when I first saw my car, all of these wires and stuff were hanging out of it. Seeing it sent chills up my spine. For months afterward it didn’t feel like my car anymore. My safe place, my car, had been made unsafe. Technically, all I lost was animal crackers and the mechanic bill to get my car put back together, but I lost more than that. I lost security. I lost safety. I know that sounds silly, but it’s true! Someone else’s sin stole from me. And sin does that every single time. It never affects just one person—and it’s the innocent that takes a lot of the heat from sin a lot of the time. Can you see how that has happened in your own life?
So, let’s continue our mission to roundkick sin in the face, shall we? (I really like that imagery. :o) No more of this sin bologna! Let’s fight against it in our lives—we are children of the King!
Have a great week, loved one!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
Sin’s impact is way bigger than we think it is.
[READ] Sin doesn’t just affect us—it affects the people around us too. That’s because we’re all connected. Like one tumbling domino that causes the rest to fall, sin can have a domino effect on people around us. Adam and Eve’s sin affected us all—putting us under a curse of death (Romans 5:12). In a similar way, a small group of men flew planes into the Twin Towers on 9/11. But they didn’t just kill themselves. Thousands of people lost their lives, and not only that—every person in our country lost a sense of security.
In the same way, a few greedy people made selfish decisions that caused our entire economy to collapse. A few people made sinful choices, but everyone suffered the consequences—even people who were leading honest and unselfish lives.
Sin affects relationships in the same way—sin affects way more than just the sinner. If we steal from someone, they not only lose their possession, they lose a sense of safety and security. When we lie to someone, we commit the sin, but the other person loses trust in us. Sin never impacts just one person.
[THINK] The community effects of sin can last longer than just the here and now. God shared that the consequences of sin can ripple through a family for generations—even the third and fourth generations (Numbers 14:18). It’s easy to see this effect in sins like divorce and adultery, where the emotional scars can be passed on for generations.
But what about other sins? Or those things we consider to be “smaller sins,” like white lies? Could there be long-term consequences with them too? God’s Word implies that all sin has a lasting effect. While people are only held accountable for the sins they themselves commit (Ezekiel 18:20), somehow the negative effects of sin echo into future generations. Even if we can’t see the consequences now, they may surface down the road.
[MORE] Scripture teaches that the spiritual condition of our nation affects how God interacts with us as a people—affecting even the weather. Israel’s sin caused curses like famine and drought (Deuteronomy 28:15-48). God had promised that if Israel obeyed Him, their crops would grow. He would send rain. They would have food to eat. But if they disobeyed Him, God would send famine, plagues, and diseases—all with the intention of drawing His people’s hearts back to Him. The nation’s well-being was affected by sin. Could it be that the same applies today?
[LIVE] Respect the power of sin. It’s costly and it’s far-reaching. It’s more far-reaching than we realize—affecting the people connected to us, the generations beyond us, and the way God interacts with us as a nation. We don’t completely understand how all of this works, but God has told us the truth about the effects of sin. We must live and act in light of the truth, even though we don’t fully understand it.
Your decisions echo beyond you. By your obedience to living God’s way you can choose to protect your children and grandchildren and be an umbrella of protection and blessing for generations to come. Today, ask God to help you set up the generations beyond you for a life of blessing and closeness with Him.
[NXT LVL] Sin can also rob you of eternal rewards. Read Revelation 22:12.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hey there, child of the King!
Stinky, stinky sin . . . That’s the topic of this month, and today’s topic too. A friend passed along a YouTube video that fits right in with this month’s theme. It’s pretty hilarious—poking fun at our perception of God and how He feels about us. But, sadly, it’s also pretty accurate. I think a lot of us think that God keeps a tally chart of our sins and is just waiting to get us for them. We act as though He’s all condemnation, all the time. And while we may not outwardly say that we believe that about Him, at least internally we act like we do. And we interact with Him a lot of times like we believe He’s just flat-out out to get us for sin.
This video was put together by a church doing a series on misconceptions about our view of God. And I’ve got a feeling that Jesus totally cracked up at His voice on it. Of course, there’s no irreverence to Jesus intended in this video. We’re poking fun at ourselves here—not Him. :o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvMhXh1xH8E
This video’s a perfect fit for today’s devo on sin. Unlike the Jesus that’s portrayed in it, God hates sin not because He’s a killjoy, or because He just wants us to follow a bunch of rules, but because sin kills us. It literally kills our souls. And it kills our connection to Him. So we should hate it too.
Let’s sucker-punch sin in the gut, okay? And then, let’s resist it with every ounce of our strength.
Have a great week, child of the King!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
Sin is a thief—it robs us of God’s good things. More importantly, it robs us of intimacy and depth in our relationship with God.
[READ] “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18 NLT). Those are the words of David—whom God called a “man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). Since David was so close with God, he knew that a sinful heart would damage his relationship with God. David knew that sin would come between them.
Sin puts distance between God and us. It’s not that God steps away from us—Hebrews 13:5 promises that He’ll always be with us. Instead, sin builds a barrier between us.
Think of being at odds with your best friend. When there’s something between you and your best friend, things feel “off.” The love and acceptance they offer you is missing or lessened in some way. And they’re just a person in your life—your best friend doesn’t define who you are, but their love and support hold you up in some way. Distance from God—the true Source of our identity, our love, and our acceptance—is disaster.
Sin cuts us off from God, from the Source of every good thing (James 1:17). It is a mini-rehearsal of what will sadly happen to people who choose to live cut off from God forever: “The subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).
[THINK] If we choose to pursue God above everything else, He’ll take us up on that invitation, working in us and through us. But when we choose to distance ourselves from God, He will respect our decision. He is a gentleman.
If our choices show that we’re chasing other things more than Him, God will slow His work in our lives. He’ll allow us to experience the natural results of our decisions. He won’t give us deep spiritual insight because we’re demonstrating that that’s not what we’re looking for. He’ll slow the growth of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives because growth of the fruit of the Spirit comes from staying close to Him. We won’t experience the blessings we normally would because we’re stepping away from Him. God doesn’t work in our lives without our permission.
[MORE] Since sin keeps us from God, sin keeps us from hearing the Holy Spirit. Like a spiritual earplug, sin mutes and dulls our ability to hear His voice.
When we’ve sinned, God won’t stop communicating with us. He loves us too much to do that. But His voice will shift from guidance mode into conviction mode. That’s because the most important thing we can do is get right with Him again, so He’ll continue to urge us to come back to Him through conviction. Most likely, He won’t share anything new with us—like guidance, direction, discernment, or a fresh outpouring of His love—until we’ve responded to the conviction that He has already given.
[LIVE] In the Old Testament, God used very personal words when referring to His people’s sin—He called it adultery (Ezekiel 23:37). In God’s eyes, sin isn’t a mistake; it isn’t a bad choice. It is cheating on Him. It is choosing another love. Ask Him to help you view sin that seriously.
[NXT LVL] Read Psalm 51—David’s conversation with God after his sin with Bathsheba. Pay attention to how mournful he is—he realized that his sin had damaged his relationship with God.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hey there, child of the King!
It’s me (Laurin) again! Liz, our YW intern had to go back to school!! Ahh! I miss her—and I’m sure you do too. So, it’s back to little ol’ me again. :o)
So, this month’s topic isn’t the most fun topic. I’ll admit it. But it’s an IMPORTANT topic, one I think we overlook. It’s important because it’s killing us. It's SIN.
I know, I know, we have all of these pushbacks against sin. Something inside of us coils up when we read that word because of the condemnation we’ve grown to associate with it. But this month, let’s try to ditch all those, okay? Let’s just look at sin and what it does and why God abhors it so much.
If we saw how gross sin is, we’d hate it with every fiber of our beings. Let’s take a head-on look at this putrid, foul thing, okay? And then let’s give it a roundkick to the face—fighting against it with all of our might. Because it’s killing us.
Let’s continue to claim our lives for God’s Kingdom!
Have a great week, child of the King!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
WE ALL REALIZE THAT SIN IS BAD. WE’VE HEARD THAT TRUTH OUR ENTIRE LIVES. BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS SIN? AND WHAT DOES IT DO TO US?
[READ] Sin is anything that hinders the goodness God wants you to live in and experience. God wants to give us real, true life. But sin—stepping outside of what God wants—brings the opposite: death. Sin kills and destroys our dreams, our hopes, and our relationships. Instead of life, sin ushers in death. It’s the most sinister bait-and-switch.
God tells us clearly in His Word that when we make decisions about the way we’re going to live, we face a literal choice between life and death. Following God’s ways brings life. Sin brings death. After Moses had reviewed God’s Law with the generation of Israelites who were about to enter the Promised Land, he had this to say: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Choosing between life and death sounds extreme. It is—because the consequences are extreme.
[THINK] Life is about relationships, and God wants our relationships to be good. He wants us to trust people, share our hearts, and be close with each other. He longs for relationships where love and affirmation freely flow between people—where we receive love and affirmation from other people, and they receive the same from us.
Sin shatters that.
Take honesty. When we’re honest in relationships, we share our hearts. We can fully trust the other person, knowing they’ll protect our secrets and speak truth to us from a place of genuine love. Honesty allows for relationships that are deep, safe, and secure—relationships that are whole.
But has someone ever gossiped about you? Has a close friend shared one of your secrets? Do you remember the pain you felt when that happened? The sinking feeling in your stomach when you realized that someone betrayed your trust? Sin causes those feelings. Because when someone gossips about you and breaks a confidence, the security and trust in your relationship dies. Your freedom to be vulnerable is gone because that person isn’t a safe place anymore. You hold back. You aren’t yourself because you’re afraid—you’re afraid of being hurt.
God wants us to experience wholeness in our relationships. Yet sin breeds insecurity. It sows distrust. It inspires fear. Insecurity, distrust, and fear are all footprints of death.
[LIVE] Sin kills. Sin is the reason we don’t experience the incredible, amazing plans God has for us. It is an agonizing suffocation of life. Instead of ushering in God’s Kingdom of life and wholeness, sin ushers in hell. It introduces our lives to things like suspicion, insecurity, fear, hatred, injustice, heartache, dissension, impurity, greed, lust, sickness, pain, terror, and loneliness. Sin is a thief, a robber, and a rapist.
Avoid sin. Do whatever it takes. Don’t let it claim territory in your life—it robs you and it kills you.
[NXT LVL] God absolutely hates sin because He knows how much it robs us. That’s a lot of the reason why God seems so incredibly angry for much of the Old Testament—during the time covered in the OT, the people He loved were living in ways that were ushering in death. But He’s not an angry God—He’s merciful and loving. He wants what’s best for us more than we want it for ourselves sometimes.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
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