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BCC LifeWay Youth - YASM, Digos City, Digos (2026)

09/02/2024

𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗜𝗡

𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝟭𝟱:𝟵
"𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁!"

We are all familiar with the anxiety that arises when we misplace something crucial, such as our phone or keys. We look desperately, making hundreds of trips back to the same locations and projecting the worst-case scenarios of possible locations. There is a great sense of relief when we find what we've lost!

Christ related the story of something that was lost in Luke 15:8–10: a valuable coin worth a day's salary. The woman who misplaced the coin was so desperate to find it that she turned on a lamp, cleaned the entire house, and looked everywhere until she found it. She proceeded to tell her friends, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin" (v. 9). "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (v. 10).

To God, people are very valuable. In their sins, those who do not know Him are lost. In order to save them, Christ paid the ultimate price by dying on the cross. Do you know somebody who is missing? In order for people to confess their sins to God and find acceptance in His love and grace, ask the Lord to grant you the chance to tell them the good news!

07/02/2024

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

"𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦." 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟒:𝟐𝟏

Obedience to God's commands comes from your heart. When you begin struggling to obey God, that is a clear indication that your heart has shifted away from Him. Some claim: "I love God, but I'm having difficulty obeying Him in certain areas of my life." That is a spiritual impossibility. If I were to ask you, "Do you love God?" you might easily respond, "Yes!" However, if I were to ask you, "Are you obeying God?" would you answer yes as quickly? Yet I would be asking you the same question! Genuine love for God leads to wholehearted obedience. If you told your spouse that you loved her at certain times but that you struggled to love her at others, your relationship would be in jeopardy. Yet we assume that God is satisfied with occasional love or partial obedience. He is not.

Obedience without love is legalism. Obedience for its own sake can be nothing more than perfectionism, which leads to pride. Many conscientious Christians seek to cultivate discipline in their lives to be more obedient to Christ. As helpful as spiritual disciplines can be, they never can replace your love for God. Love is the discipline. God looks beyond your godly habits, beyond your moral lifestyle, and beyond your church involvement and focuses His penetrating gaze upon your heart.

Has your worship become empty and routine? Have you lost your motivation to read God's Word? Are you experiencing spiritual lethargy? Is your prayer life reduced to a ritual? These are symptoms of a heart that has shifted away from God. Return to your first love. Love is the greatest motivation for a relationship with God and for serving Him.

06/02/2024

𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦

𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝟱:𝟮𝟭
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻; 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗹𝗱.

Artist James Hubbell says, “Mistakes are gifts.” Whenever he’s working on a project and something goes wrong, he doesn’t start over. He looks for a way to use the mistake to make something better. None of us can avoid making blunders, and all of us have favorite ways of dealing with them. We may try to hide them or to correct them or to apologize for them.

We do that with our sin sometimes too. But God doesn’t throw us away and start over. He redeems us and makes us better.

The apostle Peter tended to do and say whatever seemed best at the moment. He has been referred to as an “impetuous blunderer.” In his fear after Jesus was arrested, Peter claimed three times that he didn’t know Jesus! Yet later, on the basis of Peter’s three declarations of love, Jesus turned Peter’s humiliating denial into a wonderful occasion of restoration (John 21). Despite Peter’s flawed past, Jesus restored him to ministry with these words: “Feed My sheep” (v.17).

If you have made a “blunder” so big that it seems irreversible, the most important matter is whether you love Jesus. When we love Him, Jesus can turn our most serious blunders into awesome wonders.

05/02/2024

𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄

"𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨."
Romans 8:18

Suffering is placed alongside great glory, sadness is contrasted with lasting joy, despair is put in contradistinction with the glorious hope that is set before us, while death is forever swallowed up in the abundance of everlasting life. Suffering in this world also helps us to keep our eyes off the things of this world, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. It is in times of suffering that we are inclined to lean upon the Lord, to entreat Him in prayers and petitions, to stay very close to the shelter of His wings. And Paul reminds us that "suffering produces perseverence, perseverance, character; and character, hope."

But here, Paul is exhorting us not to keep our eyes on what suffering in this world is doing in us, but to lift our eyes and fix our gaze on Jesus and "𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨." Suffering and all its aggressive associates pale into blinded insignificance when placed in their correct eternal perspective, for when laid alongside the truth of the gospel and the glory that shines forth from its eternal pages, they are not even worthy to be considered in the same breath as our reality in Christ and our eternal heavenly future.

Without Christ, we could never participate in God's glory because of our sin (Romans 3:23). In Christ, as God's fully adopted heirs, we will fully experience His glory forever (Romans 6:23). This verse does not minimize the pain we experience—it simply puts it into an 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞.

04/02/2024

𝗕𝗔𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦

𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭:𝟭𝟮
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹.

The book of Philippians describes how the apostle Paul used his tough situation—imprisonment—to preach the gospel. The Philippian believers were saddened by Paul's arrest for preaching Jesus, but he assured them that his bo***ge had "actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel" (1:12). The entire royal guard and others knew why he was in jail: he preached Christ. Anyone who came into contact with Paul learned about Jesus, whether they were soldiers (who guarded him 24 hours a day, seven days a week) or others outside. Some of the guards may have become believers as a result of his use of terrible news to spread good news (4:22). Just because Paul was confined did not imply that the gospel was confined.

As Jesus disciples, we can use our pain to be a platform to share the gospel. In our bad news, let’s find an opening to share the good news.

01/02/2024

𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓:𝟕

As you've no doubt discovered, becoming a Christian does not make your problems go away. But it does give you an Advocate to whom you can take every concern. The Christians Peter addressed were facing persecution. They did not know whom they could trust; a friend, a neighbor, or even a family member could betray them, resulting in suffering and even death. But Peter had walked with the risen Christ, and he had personally experienced the love that Jesus had for His followers. He knew that Christ was in control, capable of handling every trial and that He wanted to do so as an expression of His love.

Casting our cares is a choice. It means consciously handing over our anxiety to Christ and allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems. At times this is the most difficult part of trusting God! We don't like turning over the responsibility for our problems. We have been taught that self-reliance is good and praiseworthy. We may even enjoy worrying. Yet if we are to be freed from the burden of our concerns, we must choose to cast them into the strong hands of our Father.

Peter does not distinguish between little cares and big cares. God does not differentiate between problems we should handle on our own and God-sized needs. He asks us to turn them all over to Him. One of our greatest errors is to assume we can deal with something ourselves, only to discover that we really can't.

God sees you as His frail child, burdened with a load that surpasses your strength. He stands prepared to take your load and to carry it for you.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐦?

31/01/2024

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗨𝗘

𝗘𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀‬ ‭𝟰:𝟮𝟵‬
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

Paul moves from contrasting stealing and hard labor (Ephesians 4:28) to contrasting corrupting speech with encouraging discourse. In all cases, his goal is to show how Christians must make a conscious effort to live differently than we did before conversion. Just as stealing is linked with nonbelievers, so is corrupting conversation with people who do not know Christ.

Interestingly, Paul specifically indicates that we do indeed have control over what we say: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths." This contradicts the common excuse of "I couldn't help saying it." According to the Bible, we are accountable for the words we use (Matthew 12:36). Only a tiny proportion of people suffer from medical conditions which interfere with control of vocabulary. And, even such people can be expected to use whatever control they have, as much as they can. Christians do have control of our words, which are a powerful influence in how the world perceives us.

𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗰. Any individual who could properly manage their speech would have complete control over their entire body. Instead, as sinful human beings, our tongues are uncontrollable.

Instead of using "corrupting" or bad language, Paul offers two principles for speaking. First, we must discuss in constructive ways about important issues. Second, we are to speak in ways that are appropriate for the situation. What may be perfectly appropriate in one situation may be unpleasant or harsh in another. The purpose is to demonstrate grace to people who listen to our remarks. We are not expected to prioritize our personal feelings, but rather make it our intention to aid others with our words.

18/01/2024

𝙍𝙀𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙏𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹." 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝟭:𝟭𝟰-𝟭𝟱

Repentance is one of the most positive of all words. John the Baptist centered his preaching on repentance (Matt. 3:2; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). Jesus also preached repentance, commanding His disciples to do likewise (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 24:47). The angel predicted that the Messiah would save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). The requirement for this salvation would be repentance.

To repent means to stop going one direction, to turn around completely, and to go the opposite way. Repentance involves a dramatic and decisive change of course. God urges us to repent when the path we are taking leads to destruction. Repentance will save us from disastrous consequences! What a wonderful word! How comforting that the Creator loves us enough to warn us of impending danger!

Our problem is that we think of repentance as something negative. When we recognize our sin, we prefer to "rededicate" our lives to God. We may even tell others we have resolved to be more faithful to God than we were before we failed Him. Yet the Bible does not speak of rededicating oneself. It speaks of repentance! Repentance indicates a decisive change, not merely a wishful resolution. 𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙣!

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱'𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹. 𝗔 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱'𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

17/01/2024

𝗨𝗡𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗗

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝟲:𝟭-𝟰, 𝟭𝟵-𝟮𝟭
"𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂."

Most of us look to friends and family members for encouragement: whether it's recognition when we do something well or compliments about how we look. As important as these 'rewards' are, more important rewards await us after death. It's possible that the most rewarded human acts of all are carried out in secret, seen by no one but God. In a nutshell, the message of God's kingdom is this: live for God, not for the praise of other people.

As Jesus explained it, we have something like a heavenly 'savings account', where we store up "treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20) rather than on earth- treasures so great that they will more than make up for any amount of suffering we go through. Jesus spoke plainly about a place where "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43).

In their quest for their own kingdom, the Jews of Jesus' day had been looking for signs of God's approval through wealth and power. Jesus challenged them to change their focus to the life to come (Chapter 6). He didn't value success in this visible world. Invest in the future life, He cautioned. After all, rust, a thief or even a lowly insect can destroy anything we earn here. (v. 20).

16/01/2024

𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓

‭‭[17] Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. John‬ ‭17:17‭-‬18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God will always sanctify you before He sends you. The Father set aside the twelve disciples and made them holy by the Truth, His Son. As they related to Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), the disciples were refined by that Truth and were prepared to be sent out to preach the gospel. Jesus challenged their ambitions (Luke 9:46-48), chastised their lack of faith (Matt. 17:19-20), refuted Satan's influence (Matt. 16:23), and denounced their pride (Matt. 26:33-35). When Jesus had finished preparing them, the disciples were sent out in such power that their world was never the same again.

Satan will try to convince you that your sin renders you useless to God. That is a lie from the author and father of lies. As soon as you sin, the Deceiver will whisper, "You failure! You are now of no use to God." This can bring a deep sense of defeat and hopelessness to a Christian. Yet, there is no freedom that compares to a soul set free by God's grace. When God's people allow God's truth to realign them to God's will and God's standard, then the power of God will be released through them the same way it was through the first disciples.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬: "𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬" (𝟏 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏:𝟗), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝.

05/01/2024

𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝟰:𝟳

In the previous verses, James spelled out how his Christians readers had been living lives of worldly self-reliance, as many of us do at times. They had committed themselves to getting what they wanted at all costs, even to the point of fighting with other believers. They believed God, but they refused to trust Him to provide good for them and to accept that He was still providing good when He withheld what they wanted most. God sees this as adultery, cheating on Him with the world. He takes it personally. He opposes us in our pride when we live that way, but He doesn't reject us. In the previous verse, James wrote that God gives more grace. He gives grace to the humble.

How should we respond when we realize we've been on the world's path again? This verse reveals the beginning of James's answer: submit to God again. Give up getting what you want, and willingly receive all the good He gives. We must surrender our battles to achieve our own desires, and turn to serve others instead.

Finally, we must resist the devil. In chapter 3, James revealed that this worldly wisdom we've been following is, in part, from the devil, God's enemy. Satan has been instrumental in engineering this system of self-service from the very beginning of human history. James's promise is clear: If we quit the path of the world and resist the devil, he will run away from us.

𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝.

BCC LifeWay Youth - YASM

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