Fwd: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/28/2010: "Our Advocate"

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Greg Laurie" <GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org>

Date: January 28, 2010 1:00:00 AM PST

To: Ervin Aquino <Aquinoervin@aol.com>

Subject: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/28/2010: "Our Advocate"

Thursday, January 28, 2010 Our Advocate Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. — Romans 8:26 There are times when you are so overwhelmed, so discouraged, or so afraid that you don't know what or how to pray. It is then the Holy Spirit will help you. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as a Helper: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). The word "Helper" that Jesus used comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means, "called alongside to help." It could also be translated as "aide" or "assistant." Some versions translate parakletos as "advocate," which is applied to Jesus in 1 John 2:1: "And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The Holy Spirit has come to help you, to aid you, to assist you in your prayer. The Holy Spirit has come to be an advocate and plead your cause before the Father, to intercede for you. Why? Because we don't always know how to put words to our prayers. The good news is that sometimes just a sigh or a groan will do. Prayer is not so much about the petitions you bring before God, although it can include that. Sometimes the most profound prayers are a sigh or a groan when you are overwhelmed and don't know what to say. The Bible tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26). God knows what we are really thinking. He knows what we really need. So we can cry out to Him, knowing the Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him! Greg@harvest.org Want to read more from Greg Laurie? Be sure to check out his weekly columns at World Net Daily. Click here to read his latest article. Copyright ©2010 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Today's Radio Program: "The Importance of Right Choices - I" Read the Word: Today--2 Chronicles 26 How to Know God Devotion Archives Live Services Pastor Greg's Blog Greg's Personal Site You are receiving this daily mailing because you signed-up to do so on Harvest.org. If you no longer want to receive this mailing, or if you wish to subscribe/unsubscribe from other Harvest Ministries mailings, please visit our e-mail subscription management page. Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000 Phone: 1-800-821-3300

Fwd: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/27/2010: "Known by Their Fruit"

-Ervin A. 

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Greg Laurie" <GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org>
Date: January 27, 2010 1:00:00 AM PST
To: Ervin Aquino <Aquinoervin@aol.com>
Subject: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/27/2010: "Known by Their Fruit"

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Known by Their Fruit "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." — John 15:16 How do people know that you are a Christian? They can't see your heart. They can't see your faith—but they can see the results of it. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). The only way someone can determine whether you are a follower of Jesus is not merely by your profession of Him, but by the evidence they see in your life. And that evidence should be spiritual fruit. Fruit doesn't grow overnight. And sometimes the best judge of the growth in your life might be someone else. You can be very introspective and say, "Have I become more like Jesus in the last 24 hours?" But that would be like trying to watch your kids grow. The growth is subtle, yet someone who hasn't seen your children for several months will notice it. In the same way, you don't necessarily see spiritual growth in your own life. But someone else might say, "You have really changed. I see you are becoming more like Jesus." Spiritual fruit is important, because Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16). He is saying, "I want there to be fruit in your life." But what is this fruit? Galatians 5:22–23 gives us the answer: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." We bear fruit by walking in communion with Jesus, by staying close to Him. And spiritual fruit is a result of that relationship. What we really need today is to bear spiritual fruit in our lives so that others can say, "Now there is a follower of Jesus Christ." Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him! Greg@harvest.org Want to read more from Greg Laurie? Be sure to check out his weekly columns at World Net Daily. Click here to read his latest article. Copyright ©2010 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Today's Radio Program: "Sin is at the Door - II" Read the Word: Today--2 Chronicles 25 How to Know God Devotion Archives Live Services Pastor Greg's Blog Greg's Personal Site You are receiving this daily mailing because you signed-up to do so on Harvest.org. If you no longer want to receive this mailing, or if you wish to subscribe/unsubscribe from other Harvest Ministries mailings, please visit our e-mail subscription management page. Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000 Phone: 1-800-821-3300

Fwd: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/20/2010: "What I Believe"

-Ervin A. 

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Greg Laurie" <GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org>
Date: January 20, 2010 1:00:00 AM PST
To: Ervin Aquino <Aquinoervin@aol.com>
Subject: Harvest Daily Devotion for 1/20/2010: "What I Believe"

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 What I Believe How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? — Romans 10:14 Sometimes people ask me why I do what I do. I have a very simple answer to that question, which is that I really do believe the things that we read in the Bible are true. For example, I really believe what the Bible says about our lives being "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). I really believe there is an eternity, there is an afterlife, there is a heaven, and there is a hell. I really believe that only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will go to heaven. And I also believe that I need to share this message with as many people as possible. I received the following letter from someone who came to Christ at one of our Harvest Crusades some years ago: My younger brother went to sleep one night and never woke up. He was 23 years old, and he had just graduated from college. He moved to Philadelphia after he graduated. . . . I found out the Harvest Crusade was coming to Philadelphia, so I took my younger brother with me to hear the gospel. He was not yet a believer. He went forward at the invitation and gave his life to Christ, and God called him home . . . one month after his commitment to Christ. My brother lives today because of your ministry. . . . . he is in the arms of Jesus, and that's where I will meet him again. That is why I do what I do. That is why I want to get the gospel out. And that is why we were placed on this earth: to come into a relationship with God, to know Him, and to glorify Him with our lives. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him! Greg@harvest.org Want to read more from Greg Laurie? Be sure to check out his weekly columns at World Net Daily. Click here to read his latest article. Copyright ©2010 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Today's Radio Program: "Why Does God Allow Suffering? Part 2 - I" Read the Word: Today--2 Chronicles 18 How to Know God Devotion Archives Live Services Pastor Greg's Blog Greg's Personal Site You are receiving this daily mailing because you signed-up to do so on Harvest.org. If you no longer want to receive this mailing, or if you wish to subscribe/unsubscribe from other Harvest Ministries mailings, please visit our e-mail subscription management page. Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000 Phone: 1-800-821-3300