The promises God has given us in His Word are of enormous significance for our life as Christians. The apostle Peter writes that through God's promises we will receive all we need for our Christian life and that thereby we partake of God's nature. We could also say that through the biblical promises God has given us His grace and strength and has given us the gift that was promised. . . . 

God will keep His promises! It is helpful to underline God's promises in the Bible and to memorize them so that we know them when we need them. . . .when we know that our request is in full harmony with God's will beause we are looking at things through God's perspective, we can be certain that He hears our prayer and that we will receive what we ask for.

 A key theme in the great controversy between Christ and Satan is that Satan does not want you to experience God?s wonderful, filling, life-changing love and grace. In fact, he does not want you to worship God at all! Therefore, to stop you, the devil will wake you up with indigestion, and you will not feel well enough to have your devotions. Your phone will ring, your email will ding, your kids will cry, your neighbor will need help, the power will go out, or any number of diversions. That online ad will finally be bringing buyers, your offer will be accepted, or your social media post will have hundreds of likes.

The issue here is this; the devil knows that this is the most important thing that you will do, so he will do everything he possibly can to get you to stop. If you can think of a few things that might interrupt you, know that the devil has perfected his abilities and has hundreds more ways to cause interruptions. On the other hand, think about this: ?Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.?

What really is the point of making morning devotions a habit? Is it a checklist item that you can check off daily so that you can brag to your friends about how much you read that day or how many days you have read the Bible? Nope. Is the point of it to get through the whole Bible in a year? Although that is pretty cool, that is not the goal.

The real goal is that when you and I actually embrace the Word of God daily, it changes us. When we learn to dig into God?s Word every morning (or evening) and apply it to our lives, it becomes all-encompassing, and it shapes us. When, after thoughtfully reading it, I apply it to my own life circumstances, I learn more and more of what the Bible means, and it grows me in my obedience and surrender to God.

If it is true that God speaks to us through Scripture, and He does, and if it is also true that I need to learn to live in accordance with Scripture, and I do, then these come together when I make time to read Scripture and apply it through life journaling. I am profoundly changed when I apply Scripture to my life.

All around us are heard the wails of a world?s sorrow. On every hand are the needy and distressed. It is ours to aid in relieving and softening life?s hardships and misery.

Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed.? Christ?s Object Lessons, p. 417.

Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.

All this is but a fulfillment of the principle of the law,?the principle that is illustrated in the story of the good Samaritan, and made manifest in the life of Jesus. His character reveals the true significance of the law, and shows what is meant by loving our neighbor as ourselves. And when the children of God manifest mercy, kindness, and love toward all men, they also are witnessing to the character of the statutes of heaven. They are bearing testimony to the fact that ?the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.? Psalm 19:7. And whoever fails to manifest this love is breaking the law which he professes to revere. For the spirit we manifest toward our brethren declares what is our spirit toward God. The love of God in the heart is the only spring of love toward our neighbor.?The Desire of Ages, p. 505.

The early Christian church grew because the Christians not only preached the gospel but also lived the gospel. Their unselfish love and commitment to meeting human needs, combined with sharing the good news of the gospel, impacted the world. They cared for one another, supported one another, and attempted to meet one another?s needs. Acts 2:44 records that ?all who believed were together, and had all things in common.?

New Testament Christianity was characterized by love for everyone. The Savior states, ?By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another? (John 13:35). The early Christian church reflected Christ?s love to those around them in the church?s first few centuries. Tertullian, an early church father, made this claim about Christianity: ?It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another.?

The power of love was irresistible. The example of these genuine Christians showed that love is stronger than hate, selflessness is stronger than selfishness, and giving is a greater motivation than greed.

There?s not a right or wrong way to have devotions. The important thing is that we have them! However, it?s crucial that we make time for both Bible study and prayer. We shouldn?t neglect one for the other; the two go hand in hand.

I usually start my devotions with my prayer time, as it just seems natural to start my day by talking with God. I also want the Holy Spirit?s blessing before I start reading His Word.

As there are many things and people I pray for daily, I?ve written my routine prayer requests down on flash cards, often with a Bible verse on the other side. Then I put the flash cards on a key ring, so they all stay together, and I can carry them with me wherever I go. Once a specific request is answered, I take the card off the ring and fold it up, putting it in a jar on my shelf. It has encouraged my faith to watch the prayer jar being filled up as God answers my prayers!

After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to fast and pray and get ready for His ministry. After He had been there fasting and praying forty days, Satan, disguised as an angel, came to see Jesus. Satan pointed to some stones and, appealing to the Lord?s appetite, said, ?If You are the Son of God, why don?t You use Your power and turn one of these stones into bread for Yourself?? He continued his attacks, but every time Satan tempted Jesus, the Savior answered him with Scripture, ?It is written . . .?

There is power in the Bible, and if we study it diligently and know its verses well, we will always have a ready answer to the deceiver?s temptations.

Jesus? words in the Sermon on the Mount challenge humanity?s core values. Instead of self-reliance, they speak of relying on God; instead of human ingenuity, they propose divine providence. God?s blessings are given to those who desperately need them. Thus, being ?poor in spirit? is absolutely crucial to our spiritual journey.

Spiritual poverty is an acknowledgment of ?utter helplessness,? the recognition of having ?no personal merit,? and a deep conviction of sin. The recognition of spiritual poverty is a prerequisite of salvation. Jesus said, ?It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners? (Mark 2:17). The description of His overarching purpose was ?to seek and to save the lost? (Luke 19:10).

There are at least three facets of spiritual poverty: a lack of spiritual standing, the condition of spiritual emptiness, and the inability to become spiritually rich by ourselves.  

God has designed you with the utmost care of love. It is easy to be dissuaded by the foolishness of humanity and retreat from church, but the simple truth is that we need each other. I have found that if I only go to church or meditate in prayer when I feel like it, life will ensure I never feel like it.

Right now, we are in a precarious moment in time. Global affairs continue to unravel, the vitality of our planet groans under the weight of sin, and the devil would rather see our church divided than united. It is up to us to be conduits for the Lord to use. You can wield the light God has placed within your heart by sharing it with others. I would even make the case that once we return to the roots of God?s love for us, find spirituality for ourselves, and bring what we have found to the church, we will agree on far more than we may expect.

We have looked at the contexts behind the disparities between youth and church officials, but I pray that you have begun to look inward. Now I hope you have arrived at a path to answer the initial question asking who cares what you think. The truth is, it does not matter! Whether an individual or organization cares what you think (which many do) or is passionately against it (remember compassion), if we stay true to ourselves?the individuals God desires us to be?things will take care of themselves!

?Lawrence Steven Dorsey III

Solomon also wrote in Proverbs 23:22, ?Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old? (NKJV).

Now, there is one prime biblical example of a man seeking out and listening to His Father?s advice. That?s right. I?m playing the God card.

The Gospels tell us that Jesus would continually slip away into the wilderness to speak with His Father. Just look at Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Matthew 26:36?44, and John 17. Jesus, who was fully man and fully God, spoke with His Father and asked for His guidance every single day.

Jesus provides a perfect example of not only listening to an elder?s guidance but also building a strong relationship with that person. Now, I realize that?s a tricky statement considering God the Father and Jesus are both timeless and the same entity, but I believe it?s still true in light of Jesus? humanity. It is important to listen to and acknowledge the value of older people?s advice, but it is also important to develop and maintain relationships with those individuals, to really connect with them.

?Amanda Blake

He who took humanity upon Himself knows how to sympathize with the sufferings of humanity. Not only does Christ know every soul, and the peculiar needs and trials of that soul, but He knows all the circumstances that chafe and perplex the spirit. His hand is outstretched in pitying tenderness to every suffering child. Those who suffer most have most of His sympathy and pity. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and He desires us to lay our perplexities and troubles at His feet and leave them there. . . .

When temptations assail you, when care, perplexity, and darkness seem to surround your soul, look to the place where you last saw the light. Rest in Christ?s love and under His protecting care. When sin struggles for the mastery in the heart, when guilt oppresses the soul and burdens the conscience, when unbelief clouds the mind, remember that Christ?s grace is sufficient to subdue sin and banish the darkness. Entering into communion with the Saviour, we enter the region of peace.?The Ministry of Healing, pp. 249, 250.

Lucifer, a created being, desired the worship that belonged only to the Creator. He attempted to usurp God?s throne by questioning His authority. His rebellion led to open warfare in heaven.

Although God bore long with Lucifer, eventually, He could no longer allow him to infect heaven with his rebellion. ?The heavenly councils pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law. God Himself had established the order of heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance.?

In that heavenly struggle, Jesus defeated Satan. As Revelation 12:8 describes, the devil and his evil angels ?did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.? In the great controversy between Christ and Satan, evil may appear to be triumphing over righteousness, but Jesus will be victorious at last. It is reassuring to recognize that He has never lost a battle with Satan. He is the heavenly Warrior who battles Satan on our behalf and enables us, through His power and by His grace, to triumph over the powers of hell.