October 20 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Open My Eyes Daily Scripture Psalm 119:18 (HCSB)  "Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wonderful things from Your instruction." Encouragement The Psalmist asks for two things in this one sentence: 1) For his eyes to be open, and 2) to be able to contemplate. God's instruction comes to us through His word, both by His voice and in His word, the Bible, just as it did in Old Testament times when this psalm was written. The psalmist really wants God to open his spiritual eyes while he is reading and listening for God's instruction so that he will know how to act in the physical. But not only that; he wants to contemplate upon God's instruction, which means that he wants to meditate and think on it all day long. This is what God desires for each of us as well: for our spiritual eyes to be open, and for us to contemplate upon His instruction all day long. Only then will we know how to obey Him and act in the physical realm. Take Action! Do you, like the psalmist, ask for God to do this for you, or do you just go as fast as you can through the motions just to say you've done your devotions. In these last days, we can't afford to not hear from God. Nor can we afford to not contemplate on His word and know what pleases Him. We need to hear from God and contemplate on what He says to us because what He has to say is more important than what we think we have to do. Slow down and listen. Read His word, the Bible. Meditate upon it all day long and you will know how to serve Him. Come into His Presence Lord, show me how to slow down to hear Your voice and contemplate upon Your word. Instruct me and give me the wisdom to know how to serve You. Help me, Holy Spirit, to please You in everything I do. In Jesus' name, amen.   Greg Minassian Pastor Email Pastor Greg

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 19 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Miracles and Saints   Daily Scripture Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is [He lives], and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Encouragement  Mother Theresa has recently been installed as a “saint” by the Catholic Church. Among other requirements for sainthood as that church defines it, the person must have performed two miracles as authenticated by the Vatican. Mother Theresa spent most of her life helping the dying and destitute in what was at that time one of the poorest and most squalid places in the world, Kolcata (formerly known as Calcutta), India. The late, in-your-face atheist Christopher Hitchens called her “a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud.”Hardly an opinion of this Godly woman that many would back up. However, Mother Theresa candidly admitted that although she seldom if ever felt God’s presence, she never doubted that God was alive and working on her behalf. She believed and pleased God. Which brings us to today’s verse, one of my favorites. That phrase often translated “must believe that He is” is better translated “must believe that He lives” or “…He is active.”Permit me a (mercifully!) short excursion into linguistics and Jewish culture. The phrase in focus is a characteristically Hebrew expression. The verb translated “is” means much more than mere existence. It points to active presence. Remember how God answered “I am Who I am” when Moses asked, who shall I say sent me? In Exodus 3:14.The Hebrew word for “I am,” like the Greek word for “is” in today’s scripture, means vital activity, not mere existence. No doubt the writer of Hebrews had in mind God’s response to Moses’ query when he wrote today’s verse. Take Action! What is a miracle and who is a saint?We don’t need fancy theological definitions (thankfully).The Bible works just fine. A miracle is anything God does through us when we intercede on behalf of someone needing God’s touch:not only healing but supplying financial needs as only He can or averting a sure accident – anything that science can’t hope to explain. Here’s a personal example. For many years we have consistently found many dollars in our checking account that my wife, who is an excellent manager of our day-to-day finances, cannot account for. That is an ongoing miracle in our lives!Yes, Mother Theresa is a miracle-worker and saint, as are all we who believe, 1 Corinthians 1:2. Come into His Presence Precious Father, I am grateful that Your word holds answers to all our spiritual questions. We are blessed to be saints of the most high God. We know You do miracles through us all the time. In Jesus’ name, amen. Mark Bacon Teacher & Mentor Email Mark

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 14 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Worship The Lord Daily Scripture Psalm 117:1-2 (HCSB)  "Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify Him, all peoples! For His faithful love to us is great; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!" Encouragement It is interesting how the psalmist gives a call to "all peoples." The early Israelites, as well as some today, had it all wrong. You see, it was God's intention that Israel be a sort of storybook to the surrounding nations about how God is great, and His love goes from everlasting to everlasting. Also how He is the only God, and not their idols. Gentiles were even welcome, and to be treated well (see Ruth as one example). But the Israelites took the fact that they were God's chosen people as if they were better than everyone, and it got to their heads, So God has to deal with them in diverse ways. It had always been God's desire that all people come to worship Him and learn about His goodness and love. Take Action! If you are a living, breathing person, I have good news for you! God wants to show you His love! This is not, nor was it ever intended to be some dried-up religion where you sign your name on some dotted line, thus securing your place in heaven. This was designed by God, Who knows you personally, to include you in His wondrous plan of salvation and life of fellowship you can have with Him here on earth. Now don't get me wrong. Life is life, and that means that life is still hard. But whether it's hard or easy, we all have Jesus to call upon to be with us through thick and thin, and that, my friend, is worth worshiping God about, if nothing else. Come into His Presence God, I worship You today for including all peoples in Your plan for fellowship and salvation. That we are empowered by You to reach the lost is something for which I am thankful. Give us the power to be the example You have called us to be so that the world can see You in us, whether Jew or Gentile. In Jesus' name, amen.   Greg Minassian Pastor Email Pastor Greg

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 8 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Personal Strongholds   Daily Scripture 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”   Encouragement  “Stronghold: a fortified place; a place of security, protected from outside incursions.” So says a Webster’s dictionary. That pretty well describes a personal stronghold. These include traits or habits that insulate us from a stronger bond with God – things like drugs and alcohol abuse, gambling that saps our financial resources, and worry that we won’t have the money to pay next month’s bills. Two of the mind-traps that have men in particular by a throat-hold are pornography and fits of anger over little things. Anger and a sometimes poor self-image are the two strongholds that seem to have the tightest vice-grip on me. I’ve learned recently that as long as I derive a measure of perverse satisfaction from getting mad at myself over things as trivial as knocking over a glass of water, I’m not quite ready to let God go to work on my anger. It still, after all these years, resides in a fortified place in my mind, protected from the help others might be able to offer. Realizing that I have to tear down the walls that insulate my self-condemnation before God can reach into that place in my heart that hides my anger from others, is sobering to say the least. Take Action! Paul tells us in no uncertain terms that our war is an inner war of the mind, not a physical war (1 Corinthians 10:3). But we have weapons not of our making, mighty weapons, weapons of God that we can and must appropriate to yank down our personal strongholds. Bring every thought into captivity and obedience to Christ? Sure sounds like we can, read verse 6 of today’s scripture. And we have the help of our fellow God-followers. As James 5:16 tells us, we need to confess our sins to one another. Then we can enlist the prayers of our friends to reach into those protected places that need cleaning out. Remember, our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), it’s against the “powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” as one version phrases it. Those forces are way too powerful for us to beat on our own. We need God and the prayers of others. Come into His Presence Our loving Father, remind us that You cannot reach into our hearts and sweep out our negative character traits until we give up the negative enjoyment we get from them. Then You can go to work with Your heavenly broom. In Jesus’s name, amen. Mark Bacon Teacher & Mentor Email Mark

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 7 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Life Through Righteousness Daily Scripture Psalm 119:33, 37, 40 (HCSB)  "Teach me, Lord, the meaning of Your statutes, and I will always keep them... Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in Your ways... How I long for Your precepts! Give me life through Your righteousness." Encouragement Righteousness is being in right standing with God. Romans 5:1 cites faith in Christ makes one righteous through thick and thin. Romans 4 makes a great example that Abraham was called righteous before he was circumcised. The psalmist speaks of being zealous for God's righteousness and how He desires each of His children to desire Him and the things of Him. Sounds childlike and simple? It is. God wants us to want Him. His desire is that we seek Him to bring us to the point to where He becomes our first love (see Revelation 2:4). Take Action! God calls to each of us to come to Him (see Matthew 11:28). This involves childlike faith, and not deep theological academia. Let me rephrase: deep theological academia will work too, but childlike faith is what it takes to become righteous. God will accept anyone who comes to Him. Anyone. The Holy Spirit is ready and willing to cause each of us to walk in the right direction (see John 15-16). That is what we call sanctification: We are saved, we are being saved (the act of falling down and God picking us back up), and we will one day be saved (heaven). Come into His Presence Lord, You are the one who makes us righteous. You are the one who causes us to be holy. Thank You, Lord, for being so good. In Jesus' name, amen.   Greg Minassian Pastor Email Pastor Greg

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 5 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Back to Basics   Daily Scripture 1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” Encouragement  If you’re like me, you find it useful – even essential – to go back and review every so often the foundation for your belief in the ministry of Jesus and the legacy He’s given us. When my faith in God seems to be veering off the track, it’s back to basics for me. Expert golfers, violinists, and visual artists all know to periodically go back to the basics: revisit their swing, play scales, refine their shading and perspective on a drawing or painting. When you’re really good at something, it’s easy to get complacent and not even think about the basics anymore. I can think of at least one other fundamental reason besides keeping one’s skill or knowledge on track to go back to the basics: if we’re introducing a raw beginner to a discipline, we obviously don’t say something like, “pick up your violin and play me a scale.” (Although I’ve read that one or two famous teachers do just that!) When Paul and his disciples went into a new area, they usually didn’t start out by teaching fancy theology. They started with a message of repentance and acceptance of a resurrected Jesus Christ as Savior. Even when addressing knowledgeable Jews in Asia Minor or sophisticated philosophers on Mars Hill just outside Athens (Acts chapter 17), Paul introduced Jesus in simple, direct language.  Take Action! Is it too much to ask the various churches and denominations to put aside doctrinal and theological quibbles and agree to share with nonbelievers a basic, simple, unadorned gospel? The future of the church at large depends on it. Today’s scripture helps us remember who Christ is. Paul reminds his young disciple Timothy – and by extension us – who Jesus is: God’s Son, born to confer eternal life to us who believe (John 3:16). His resurrection affirms that He will resurrect us from our sin and give us the authority to become children of God (John 1:12). Come into His Presence  Lord God, I never want to lose sight of Who You are and of the place You have prepared for us in Your kingdom. When I face those seasons of fraying faith, I’m grateful that You have given us a simple and basic message to remind us of Your reality and work in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen. Mark Bacon Teacher & Mentor Email Mark

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org

October 3 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Getting Back on the Path   Daily Scripture Hebrews 3:7-10 “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.'”    Encouragement Previously we looked at this verse as it pertained to the path we choose to travel. I want to once again look at the same verse in light of the path. The path of God is much like the plan of God. Just like a pilot trusting the air traffic controller. We must learn to trust the path or plan God has for us to walk. This is the part of the journey where we walk by faith. It's where we simply learn to trust His voice. The struggle for the children of Israel was no different than that of our struggles today. They saw, heard and felt as we do. And they put trust in those things rather than the voice of the Holy Spirit.   Take Action! In my search for the right route to get me to my destination. I have found myself crossing over the road I just knew I should have turned on. When that happens, my first thought is, “I think I should have taken that road”. I missed my turn. Thank God for the many opportunities affords us ahead with turns that ultimately lead us back to the road we missed. God is faithful and will not leave us without a route back. When we miss the road, and we will miss the roads ahead at times, He’s there with the way back. Listen closely today. If you missed your turn, watch for the signs to guide you back Come into His Presence Father, help! We are all capable of missing the many roads that You have planned ahead for us. Help us today to be watchful for the signs that lead us to our intended destination. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen. Ed Herald Senior Pastor Email Pastor Ed

Victory Christian Center 18180 US Highway 150 Bloomington, Illinois 61705 309.663.7233 www.VictoryPeople.org www.Facebook.com/VictoryPeople.org