KICKSTART DEVOTIONAL
EVERY WEEKDAY AT 11 AM CST ON FACEBOOK LIVE
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On every Mission Discovery mission trip, we begin the morning together in God’s word. One speaker is chosen to give the word of the day so that everyone else can meditate on the Scripture. Our hope is that volunteers engage in group discussions throughout the day and in their small groups.
Since the way ministry is being done has shifted, our goal is to serve by creating resources that will help others focus on God throughout the day, and influence family and small group discussion.
Join us every weekday as we explore God’s word together. We will have speakers from all over the US and the world. Here is today’s Kickstart Devotional.
Video: Dan Herod // Take Heart, I Have Overcome the World
Social Media Image for Small Groups
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Take Heart, I Have Overcome the World
Mission Discovery Mission Trips with Dan Herod
Dan Herod is an author, minister, husband, father, and friend. He loves spending time with his family, staying healthy through exercise, and serving on the local volunteer fire department. His book, Suffer Well, is written from the depths of painful personal experience. If you would like to read it, you can find it on amazon.
Hello Mission Discovery family my name is Dan Herod and I am excited to be with you today. So as we navigate through this unprecedented season it’s vital that we stop, breathe and smile. Here’s why. God’s got this. He has this all under the realm of his control. Now has he caused all this to happen? No. Has he allowed it to happen? Yes.
And if he’s allowed it to happen that means that he’s got an idea. He’s got a good idea. In fact it is so good, we can’t even comprehend just how much good God is going to do, through this pretty difficult season. So several years ago I woke up one morning thinking it was going to be a great Saturday and it was. It was an awesome Saturday, until I went to bed that night because that night I went to bed with a face that was paralyzed. Half my face was not working.
Have you ever heard of Bell’s Palsy? That’s basically where half your face goes on strike and says No I don’t want to. So picture yourself looking into a mirror and this eyebrow doesn’t move or when you smile your mouth pulls all the way to the one side of your face because the muscles on the other side of your face they don’t work. And that was my world not for one day, not for two days, not for three. Not for one week, not for two weeks, not for three. Not for one month, not for two months, not for three but for five months.
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you can’t hear anything that they’re saying because you’re focused on all that’s wrong with you? That was me. That was my world. I hated looking into the mirror. I hated being seen because I felt so ugly. Now thankfully I’ve got about 90 percent of my face back, so I don’t feel so awful. In fact I’m actually in a really good place with my face and I’m thankful for that. But why did God allow that to happen?
Why did he let me go through that difficult season? I don’t understand the why. But I do know that God’s good. And here’s a question that we should consider. Why do we think that hardship isn’t going to come? If we follow Jesus, do we really believe that the Gospel exempts us from pain? Or is there a deeper reality going on here?
Jesus spoke to that a long time ago. He’s standing around with his friends the disciples and he says this, in John chapter 16 Verse 33.
“I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace in this world. You will have trouble but take heart. I have overcome the world.”
Jesus promises you and me abundant life. He’s came, he came. He gives and he lives to help you and me live abundantly. But right there in that sentence that I just read from God’s word, Jesus also promised suffering.
LET THAT SIT FOR JUST A SECOND.
Suffering in life is not a probability, if we follow Jesus. It’s a promise. It’s not if we’re gonna suffer, it’s actually when. So maybe we should ask how you and I are gonna suffer. That word that Jesus used in that sentence that I just read from the Bible for trouble literally means tribulation which is just a really fancy way of saying “ouchie mama”.
And so here we are, our savior Jesus, the one who went to the cross for us, went to the grave for us, came back from the grave for us and is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He promised us that it’s gonna be difficult sometimes. It’s gonna hurt. But then he gave us an incredible promise after the first one, a better one
if you want to go there with me. He said that he’s overcome it all. He is our champion. He is our Victor. He is the one who went to hell and back for you, so that you could live, when you feel like you’re going through hell because you best believe he’s going to write a comeback story for you. So keep this in mind, suffer well.
Think about how you are gonna get through this day. Don’t pull your tomorrows into today. We don’t have enough energy for that. Let’s keep ourselves fully rooted in today knowing that Jesus is with us. He walks with us through even the valley of the shadow of death. So let’s keep it in focus. Before we end this video I want to share just a quick video that my daughter and I made that will help us all keep it in focus. I hope you enjoy it.
I want to introduce you to somebody really quickly. This is my daughter Cami and she is amazing. Oh she got me good. I just needed to show you my amazing little girl. So, if you’re like me you are wearing multiple hats. As you think about all the hats that you have to wear right now in this season of life,
It can feel a little bit overwhelming. So I don’t want to just share one brief thought of encouragement with you today. Here it is. Now is not forever. When you think about all this coming at you right now, it can feel overwhelming. But here’s the beauty of perspective. It will either produce, or prevent, perseverance in our lives. And then we embrace a perspective that is productive, we can remember this truth. Now is not forever.
So as we walk through this season of difficulty of challenge let’s embrace the truth, that now is not forever. So, no matter what kind of hat you find yourself wearing right now remember this truth. Now is not forever. Yeah. Great job Cami. Plain and simple.
Mission Discovery family, Thank you so much for the privilege of being with you today. God bless.
