Mike Keyes Ministries Int.

OCTOBER 01 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
1 Corinthians 11:31 - SET FOR YOURSELF A HIGH STANDARD

In today’s text, Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to judge themselves before God does it. That’s a practice you and I need to be doing as well, because if we set for ourselves a high standard of excellence, we’ll constantly have a reference point that measures our spiritual progress, or our spiritual regression. If we set for ourselves a high standard of excellence which we hold ourselves to, God will never have to judge us because we’ve already done it to ourselves. And, it’s also important to realize and remember that these standards are PERSONAL, not public. These are standards of behavior and life style that you and God know about, and that’s it. Other people don’t need to know what standards you set for yourself, unless you see fit to tell them.

You see, it doesn’t really matter if others know of these self-imposed standards or not, it’s enough for us to know that we know and God knows. These are standards set, established and regulated by God’s Word, using verses, statements and promises that the Holy Spirit has quickened to our hearts personally. So in one sense your standards of excellence could be the same as someone else’s because we’re all reading the same Bible, but in another sense, they are very personal to you because no two people are alike. And even though you could be standing on the same verse as someone else for your personal standards of behavior and excellence, how that truth applies to you, and how you use it to judge yourself is as unique as you are in Christ! Each of us are very aware of our strengths and our weaknesses, so even though our standards of excellence are derived from God’s Word, they become extremely personal because we’re applying them to our personal, private lives in ways that don’t apply or pertain to others. In that way, you use God’s Word to set personal and private standards that you chose to hold yourself to, whether anyone else does or not. Have you established any sort of a behavioral “checklist”? Have you set any kind of self-imposed standard to measure your growth by If not, its important you do that, and do it as quickly as you can. It will help you monitor your life and keep you heading in the right direction for God.

SEPTEMBER 30 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Luke 21:5,6 - DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH ANYTHING TEMPORAL

When the disciples told Jesus how impressive they thought the temple was, Jesus simply said there would come a time when nothing of what they saw that day would be left standing. History is full of examples of this kind of erroneous mentality towards the temporal things of this world. How many wars have been fought, and how many lives prematurely lost, over the conquest of more land, more gold and more power? And where are those kings, those dictators, those tyrants today? Gone and forgotten, except for perhaps a footnote, or a few paragraphs in some history textbook. The point should be well taken for us today, and we should not fall prey to the same kind of mentality. As Christians, we are NEVER to be deceived by the allure of the temporal. Ever! Yet, how many times do we hear Christians talking about how much they LOVE their house, their car, their clothing, their time-share properties, their work or their business? That’s the wrong kind of thinking my friend, and if that’s the way you’re looking at the things you “own” in this world, you better wake up and change the way you relate to your earthly possessions.

vvAs for what Jesus was referring to, He was referring to the fact that in about 70 years, the Roman army would come through and totally level Jerusalem, including the marvelous temple the disciples were so enamored with. Recent disasters which we’ve all seen on TV, and even experienced in person, testify once again to the futility of putting your love, your affection and your attention towards the things of this world. Devastating tsunamis have killed multitudes in Asia and the Far East. Earthquakes have killed thousands all over the globe. We have huge hurricanes that claim thousands of lives and take decades to recover from. In the USA, we have deadly tornadoes every spring, killing hundreds and destroying entire towns in just a few minutes of time. Whenever I view scenes of all the wreckage, carnage and destroyed property, and as I look into the faces on TV of the survivors of such calamities, I’m again reminded of the word of our Lord here in this passage today. Friend, you’re a fool if you think ANYTHING you own or have in this life offers you any sense of security or protection. Stocks, bonds, investment properties, savings, businesses, all of it - can be lost in the blink of an eye. Things may look impressive today with your investment “portfolio”, but something unforeseen could happen tomorrow, something beyond your control, and you could lose everything. So, the lesson for today is this: KEEP YOUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE (Colossians 3:1-6), not on things of this earth. In Christ, spiritual things are secure, earthly things are not. Never forget that!

SEPTEMBER 29 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Romans 7:21 - SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY!

We are created as tri-part beings. We are spirits, we have souls, and we live in bodies. Spirit, soul and body. If you read Romans 6,7 and 8, you find an extensive discourse on the battle all of us must wage and win daily. It’s the fight between the desires of our flesh against the desires of our spirit. Paul had this struggle, and we all have it today. Yet, sad to say, most believers spend most of their time pampering the enemy, coddling the enemy, and sleeping with the enemy! How do they do that? By giving place to their carnal appetites and desires. Are you one of those? I hope not! As an example: look at how much money the world spends on making the flesh look better, younger, stronger, whatever! The cosmetics industry is huge, all driven by people’s fleshly desires. Now there’s nothing wrong or sinful with doing your best to look nice and presentable because we’re all Ambassadors for Christ, but at the same time, you have to understand that as your enemy, your flesh will never be satisfied with what you pamper it with today. It will always want more tomorrow, and this is the deceptiveness of sin.

So keep everything in balance, and don’t give place to your flesh. Its dead to sin and wants to drag you to hell if it can. It wants to do three things: eat, sleep and sin, and not necessarily in that order. The more you cater to it, the more dominant it becomes in your life. Eat one Krispy Kreme donut today, and your body will want a dozen of them tomorrow! And if you’re not strong enough to resist, you’ll go out and give it what it wants! Paul said we’re to subdue our flesh (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). That word “subdue” in the Greek means to “beat the body black and blue”. The flesh isn’t going to want to pray, or read the Bible, or attend church, or do anything that your born-again spirit wants to do. So, you have to MAKE IT OBEY! There’s no other way, because it won’t cooperate on its own. It can’t, because its dead to sin! Recognize this and make the appropriate choices daily. Instead of sleeping with the enemy, kick that puppy out of bed and never let him in again!

SEPTEMBER 28 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Romans 6:11 - ARE YOU DEAD OR ALIVE?

When you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, you were translated out of the kingdom of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God Son (Colossians 1:13). When that happened, you died to the flesh, and became alive unto God in spirit. This is what Paul was trying to get the Roman Christians to understand. He was imploring them to cast off the works of the flesh and put on the new man in Christ. We must be doing the same thing today if we’re to be pleasing to God, and “meet” for the Master’s use. Remember, your flesh is still dead to sin, and it’s your eternal enemy. It never wants to obey God, and always wants to rebel against God. You must control it, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:26. For this to happen, it will start with a mind-set that considers the flesh dead, even as it continues to rise up and usurp authority daily. To live above the flesh, you must consider it dead, and treat it as such.

You can’t live in the spirit while your flesh is allowed to run rampant in your life. You have to “kill it” and reckon it dead each day. This is what Paul was talking about when he said that he died “daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). You’ll have to do the same if you want to rise above carnality, and truly become spiritual in Christ. Die daily! That doesn’t mean you kill yourself physically, obviously. Rather, it means crucifying the flesh, and considering it dead in your life. You give it no place for expression, and constantly, daily - you keep it subdued under your spiritual feet by meditating and doing the Word of God. It’s a day to day battle, but a battle that must be won! And remember, yesterday’s victory over the flesh doesn’t guarantee victory today! Each day is a new day, and a brand-new opportunity for both your flesh, and your spirit! So, as you rise each day, ask yourself; Will I be dead or alive today? Which way will I go? Will you let your flesh have its way, or will you treat it as a dead entity, and walk in the newness of life in Christ? Only you can make that choice, but depending on how you choose, you’ll either empower the devil, or empower God. You are the deciding witness!

SEPTEMBER 27 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Romans 5:5 - YOU CAN LOVE LIKE GOD LOVES!

When a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to not only recreate their spirit, but also to take up a permanent dwelling within their spirit forever. When that happens, the love of God is “shed abroad” in that person’s heart, making them capable of loving like God does. Now, it doesn’t take a genius to look around and see that in the body of Christ, very few of us love like God loves, but nonetheless, it’s possible. Not only is it possible, its commanded! In several places in the New Testament, the Bible specifically commands Christians to walk in love. One of the best examples of this is John 13:34,35. Not only did Jesus command us to love in that passage, but He also said it would be the only way Christians were to identify themselves as true believers. Think about that!

Walking in love like God requires exercise, discipline, and a commitment to be pleasing to the Lord. You have to practice walking in love, and the more you do, the better you get at doing it. There are opportunities every day to walk in love, because we’re always surrounded by people who aren’t walking in love! So, each time you’re confronted with the decision in how to react to things people say or do around you, make the choice to walk in love! When you do, you’re exercising your spirit and bringing it to the place where it becomes so strong, nothing the devil tries can succeed against you. This is the way it was with Jesus. Satan tried everything in the book against Him, but without success. The Bible says Jesus was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). The love of God within Jesus so strengthened Him that no matter what the devil threw at Him, it was repelled forcefully, and authoritatively. And although Jesus will forever be the only Man to walk this earth sin-free, we can come to the place where God’s love so dominates our lives, we become mirrored reflections of Jesus Himself! Jesus told His disciples that when they saw Him, they were looking at His Father. Well, for us today in Christ, let’s dedicate ourselves to love to such a degree, that when people see us, they’re really looking at Jesus! It’s possible! It can be done! I’m on the journey and getting better at it every day. How about you?

SEPTEMBER 26 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Romans 4:16 - CALLING THINGS THAT BE NOT…!

Abraham is called the father of our faith. Why? Because he acted in faith like God,
and basically, set the example for all of us to follow afterwards. What did he do that made him so “God-like?” He called things that were not as though they were. You and I have to do the same if we’re to ever be pleasing to God, because Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it’s impossible to please God. Faith chooses to look at things through God’s word, rather than by how they may appear through our five physical senses. This takes a discipline and a dedication that most believers aren’t willing to undertake. It’s so much easier to just accept things the way they appear in this world, rather than choosing to change them by faith if they contradict God’s word. This is the difference between the Abraham kind of faith, and the Thomas kind of faith (John 20:29).

Most Christians are like Thomas. They won’t believe in something unless they can contact it, or verify it, or feel it, by their five senses. Abraham, on the other hand, chose to take God at His word, and believe something was true even though his five senses said it wasn’t. Remember there are two kinds of truth. There’s physical truth, and spiritual truth. Spiritual truth is a higher truth, and always supersedes physical truth. As an example: your body may tell you you’re sick, but God’s word tells you you’re healed by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24). It’s true you’re sick physically, but that truth can be superseded by God’s word if you choose to make it so! How? By agreeing with what God said and putting His word in your mouth to bring what you desire to pass. That’s what God was doing when he changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Abraham means “Father of many nations”. At the time he was so named, he was father of no one, and his wife was barren! Yet, he chose to believe God, and as a result became the great man of faith that we read about today. Follow in his footsteps today as well. Stop calling things as though they appear in the natural world. Start calling things as though God’s word is final authority, because it is!

SEPTEMBER 25 DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Luke 6:22-23 - HOW DO YOU KNOW ITS TIME TO LEAP FOR JOY?

Everybody loves to be happy. Everybody loves to have things going their way. When good things come your way, and good news abounds in your life, it’s easy to leap for joy. But Jesus said there were other times when leaping for joy was appropriate. He tells us to leap for joy when everybody is against you, lying about you, persecuting you and refusing to even talk to you, because you’re obeying God and doing your best to live right and do right in His sight. Is this easy? Of course not. You can’t do it unless you keep your eyes on the Lord and stay VERY focused on Him and Him alone. Why? Because it hurts when people lie about you and say all manner of evil against you falsely. It’s not easy to take, but that is what Jesus teaches us to learn to do. Can you do it? Most believers can’t!

I’ve had to practice what I’m preaching to you, more than once. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is the mature thing to do. In fact, Matthew 5:44 exhorts us to pray for those who use us and despitefully come against us. The natural, immature thing to do is to want to fight back, defend yourself, accuse your accusers, and exact your measure of revenge. That may feel good for your flesh, but its disaster for you in the spirit realm. And when you’re tempted to do that, remember what Jesus said to do. Leap for JOY! Joy! Imagine that! Not leaping for sorrow, or anger, or retribution, but for joy! Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength, and in times like that you need God’s strength to pull you through. So let joy have its way, and leap for joy in the midst of tests, trials and difficulties with people. If you can learn to do this apart from your feelings, you’ll be well on your way to insulating yourself from what people say or do against you, and that is certainly something to leap for joy about!

Attention to all: we have live stream at 7:30 tonight Arizona time. Please join us!!