God's Not Dead 2 E-Book

Robert Noland

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 148

Beschreibung

Throughout history, Christianity has come under fire for holding to a standard the culture abandons. Today's headlines increasingly reflect the pressure that comes as warning shots across the bow before the full-on attack of persecution begins.  The movie God's Not Dead gave us a front row seat to the one-on-one debate regarding the existence of God between atheist Professor Radisson and Christian university student Josh Wheaton. Now in God's Not Dead 2 the stakes are much higher than a college course as high school history teacher Grace Wesley becomes the pawn in an epic court case that has the potential to cripple free speech rights for Christians. An innocent question regarding Jesus from 16-year-old student Brooke Thawley ignites a firestorm on faith from Grace's accurate answer. The God's Not Dead 2 40-Day Devotional book digs deeper into the cultural questions of civil disobedience and religious freedom, coupled with the sovereignty of God and the Biblical heroes who have traveled this road before us. This 40-day journey will inspire, motivate, and challenge you to not only grow closer to God, but also deepen your roots to stand strong in the storms that life will surely bring. And once again, we shall see—God is not dead—He's surely alive! 

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLCRacine, Wisconsin, USABroadStreetPublishing.com

GOD’S NOT DEAD 2

Based on the motion picture God Is Not Dead 2 by Pure Flix Entertainment. All content from the movie used by permission.

Copyright © 2016 Robert Noland

Published in association with the literary agency WTA Services LLC, Franklin, TN

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5198-9 (softcover)ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5199-6 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version® © 1995 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE® © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Cover design by Chris Garborg at www.garborgdesign.com

Typesetting by Katherine Lloyd at www.theDESKonline.com

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Day 1

Hope and Grace

Day 2

Grief into Belief

Day 3

The Present of Presence

Day 4

Finding Forever

Day 5

The Price of Peace

Day 6

The Ultimate Question

Day 7

Diverting Doubts

Day 8

Opposition Offers Opportunity

Day 9

Listen Up!

Day 10

The Last Word

Day 11

The Valley Variable

Day 12

Gettin’ Out of the Gray

Day 13

The End of the Story

Day 14

Turning the Tables

Day 15

Fairness and Favor

Day 16

The Faith Filter

Day 17

Moving Mountains

Day 18

Fame in the Name

Day 19

Lord of Liberty

Day 20

Breaking Down Barriers

Day 21

Patient, Prepared, and Passionate

Day 22

Separate or Saturate

Day 23

Dangerous Revolutionary

Day 24

Legacy of Life and Love

Day 25

In Enemy Territory

Day 26

Timely Testimony

Day 27

Blood Lines

Day 28

Crucial Crossroads

Day 29

Deity Dot Connecting

Day 30

Claiming Clarity

Day 31

Eternal Evidence

Day 32

Pressure Points

Day 33

Delight, Desires, and Doorways

Day 34

I-Witness

Day 35

Interconnected Community

Day 36

Righteous Interruption

Day 37

Message and Mission

Day 38

When God Whispers

Day 39

Outnumbering Any Opposition

Day 40

Trust through the Trial

Show the World God Is Surely Alive!

About the Author

Pure Flix

INTRODUCTION

Mark 1:35 tells us Jesus got up early in the morning and went away alone to pray. One of the most life-changing spiritual disciplines you can invest in is a daily and dedicated time alone with God. No distractions, no devices or noise, and no one else around. Here are a few steps for success in utilizing this book:

1. Decide to commit.

Purpose to use this book for the next forty days, setting aside the time to make a habit of engaging with the words contained here. If you miss a day, just pick back up. Don’t quit—commit.

2. Pick a time.

While spending a few moments alone with God first thing in the morning is best to set the pace for your day, choose when will be optimum for your schedule. You may need to experiment a bit, but pick a time and stick with it.

3. Choose a place.

You need a quiet and peaceful setting. Get away from distractions. Turn off the phone. The place is crucial for you to be focused and comfortable as you engage with God.

4. Read.

Take in the content—every word. Carefully read the Bible verses. If you prefer to use your own version of Scripture each day, feel free to do so.

5. Journal.

Journaling space is included with each daily reading. Answer any closing questions, then write out anything you hear from God or feel you need to express. Journaling is a powerful tool He can use to help you process your spiritual walk.

6. Pray.

Allow time to speak with God and tell Him everything as you would a best friend. If you have never invested in personal prayer, the next forty days could revolutionize your spiritual growth.

7. Listen and obey.

Close your time with a quiet moment to hear God speak. Then obey what you hear and “walk out” what He tells you each day. The goal is to complete these forty days and allow Jesus to change your life!

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matthew 6:6 MSG)

DAY 1

HOPE AND GRACE

A new day dawns over Hope Springs. A young woman wearing a Hadleigh University sweatshirt slips out her front door with a steaming mug of coffee cupped in her hands. She sits down on the top step of the porch. Meet Grace Wesley, voted Teacher of the Year by the students at the high school where she teaches history. She reflects her namesake well—gracious, humble, and quite wise for her young age. She also loves Jesus … and her grandpa.

As the sun peeks over the world, Grace takes in the beauty of creation from the heart of one who knows her Creator well. She soaks in the quiet moment like a cleansing breath, takes another sip of coffee, and then heads back inside to start her day.

Grace finishes making some hot tea to place on a tray with toast, oatmeal, and blueberries, all in carefully measured portions. She picks up the picture-perfect breakfast and heads toward a bedroom.

Meet Gramps: Walter Wesley. While his body is failing, his mind and spirit are strong and quick. “Morning, Grace. I told you … you don’t have to keep doing this,” he says lovingly, referring to yet another meal delivered to his bedside.

Grace sets the tray down and smiles. “Gramps, this is the best part of my day.”

Walter grins. “Yeah, well, I’m not going to be around here forever, you know. You might want to think about finding another guy to have breakfast with.”

Grace lets the remark about his declining health slide, but not the humor. “Okay Gramps, I’ll work on it.”

As Walter contemplates his oatmeal, he decides to attempt a ploy he’s not at all sure will work, but he certainly wants to try. “Grace, I love your cooking, honey, but how about I take you out for some bacon and eggs this morning? My treat.”

She smiles. “Not after your last cholesterol test. Besides, I have a few papers to grade before my staff meeting.”

Walter refuses to concede. “I’m eighty-one years old. Bacon isn’t going to be what kills me!”

Grace leans over and kisses him on his forehead. “You’re eighty-two … and nice try. See you when I get home, Gramps.”

There is a simple, yet honest beauty alive in Grace’s life.

The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and will not be silent. … (Psalm 50:1–3 NIV)

In God’s creation, He does shine in beauty through the majesty painted before our eyes, and His presence is felt through the rays of sunshine on our faces. In those moments, we can hear Him whisper to our souls. Even in the silence, God is not silent!

No matter how busy life may get or how chaotic circumstances may become, there is a childlike simplicity to be found in every sunrise and sunset. There in the luminescent glow of the dawn or the subdued blues of dusk lies a deep knowing that God is indeed in control. His presence is emblazoned across the sky for any and all to see His handiwork.

For Grace, a high school teacher and caretaker of her elderly grandfather, no matter what challenges life brings her way, the certainty of her heavenly Father being beside her in each new day gives her comfort and security.

Little does she know, however, that a storm is coming and she will need all the peace she has stored up during her morning meetings with God. Life is about to throw her into a battle like none she has ever faced before.

When was the last time you sat quietly and watched the sunrise, expressing appreciation for God?

When was the last time you stopped to soak up some moments of solitude, to watch the sunset, thanking God for another day of life?

If your answer is that life is just too busy, this may be the perfect reminder to unplug for a few minutes and soak up some sun—and some Son.

In your journal, write down your most difficult challenges in life right now. Then write down a few of your greatest blessings. Ask God to show you how those blessings can give you the hope and grace to face the world by His side.

DAY 2

GRIEF INTO BELIEF

Sixteen-year-old Brooke Thawley trudges down the stairs into the kitchen. She’s cute enough to be a cheerleader and smart enough to be captain of the debate team, but she belongs to neither. Her demeanor and countenance suggest she is carrying quite a heavy burden, especially for someone her age. She asks her dad, “Can you drive Marlene and me to school?”

Richard Thawley, a midforties businessman, is methodically packing his briefcase at the kitchen table. Staunch and all business, he answers, “No time today.” Seeing the look on her face, he adds, “We’re all upset, Brooke. But we need to move on. You especially need to.”

She hears those words—again—and responds with a simple nod.

Dressed in yoga gear and holding on to every day of thirty-nine for all she’s worth, Catherine Thawley rushes in and grabs a protein shake from the fridge. Tagging on to the conversation, she adds, “Honey, you’re a junior now. It’s your make-or-break year, so there’s no room for self-pity.”

As Brooke’s frustration grows, she makes her way out the front door to find her BFF (best friend forever), Marlene, waiting there. She is all smiles until she sees Brooke’s expression. “Hey, are you—? Whoa! Rough morning?”

“You know my parents,” Brooke says as the two start down the sidewalk.

“Did you try to talk with them? Or are they just not going to deal with it?”

Brooke shrugs. “They’re over it and think I should just get over it too.”

Marlene tries to reassure her friend. “Maybe they just need a little more time.”

Just then, Brooke’s mom pulls up and through the car window says, “I’m serious, honey. You need to get focused, or you can say good-bye, Stanford, hello, Somewhere State. What would your brother want you to do?”

Brooke just keeps walking, “Got it, Mom.”

Carter was Brooke’s brother. He left her all too soon. His death created a void in their family that no one knew how to deal with … so they just didn’t.

A devastating loss needs to be both felt and dealt with properly to bring healing. Our Western culture often doesn’t allow people an opportunity to grieve. This causes many, even inside a close family, to take an every-man-for-himself approach.

Grief is an inevitable fact of life. The loss of loved ones will impact us in serious ways. But there are two kinds of grief—without hope and with hope.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 NLT)

The apostle Paul clearly addressed the difference in grief with hope in his letter to the Thessalonian Christians. Notice he didn’t say to not grieve at all.

While most mental health professionals agree that denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are stages of grief most people go through, there is no timetable for how long each of these last. People struggling with grief can get “stuck” in any one of these emotional spots for quite a long time. But most eventually arrive at acceptance and healing in due time.

For the Christian who dies, heaven is a sudden reality. For the Christian who suffers the loss of a loved one who knows Christ, certainly the pain is very real, but as the apostle Paul stated in today’s verse, we can know the person is safe in the arms of God. Our grief can lead to hope and even greater belief. How much more real is heaven when someone you know has gone there!

If you have dealt with the loss of a loved one, write down in your journal the emotions you felt (or are still feeling now), evaluating where you are. Have you moved forward in hope, or are you stuck? Help is always available. Secondly, whether you have lost a loved one or not, write down why you know you can have hope for yourself. Then thank God for His promises and your place in heaven.

DAY 3

THE PRESENT OF PRESENCE

Grace sits alone in the coffee shop after school, sipping a latte and grading papers. She looks up as Brooke approaches her table. Grace, being an observant and concerned teacher, noticed something was not quite right with Brooke at school. When she asked, the teenager just gave the predictable, nonchalant answer: “I’m fine.”

Brooke sits down and jumps right in. “I lied. I’m not fine.” A deep discussion ensues and we pick it up in the middle …

“Are you sure you’re being fair to your parents?” Grace asks.

“Trust me. They’re over it. And they expect me to be over it too. As far as they’re concerned, Carter’s gone forever. And now, I’m just trying to make sense of all this … And life? I don’t even know what it means anymore. My parents are totally materialistic. Marlene’s the only friend I have that isn’t completely self-absorbed, and I’m just, well … lost.”

Brooke continues, “The only thing I know for sure is that I’m never going to see my brother again. Everybody’s asked me if there is anything they can do. But the truth is, no one can do anything because the only thing I really want is just five more minutes to tell my brother how I felt about him.”

Grace, knowing where the conversation needs to go for Brooke’s sake, asks, “Did your brother believe there was something more?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you believe there’s something more?” Grace inquires, a little bolder.

Brooke pauses, thinking, not knowing how to answer.

Grace assures her, “Every person reaches a point in their life when they ask themselves this question. There’s nothing wrong with you asking it now too.”

“So I’m not weird?” Brooke asks, trying to risk a smile.

“Weird? No. Unique? Yes,” Grace counters.

Brooke is deep in thought now. “Nothing ever gets to you.” She pauses. “How do you do that?”

Grace answers humbly but confidently, “Jesus.”

As He was teaching His disciples about the coming Holy Spirit, Christ made an amazing statement and encouraging promise for His followers.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 NLT)

Jesus defines and distinguishes His brand of peace as being different from the circumstantial counterfeit available from the world. God’s peace isn’t dependent on life going right or wrong, the ups and downs, but rather solely on Him. His peace remains steady, strong, and supportive regardless of any situation.

The daily news feed brings us the details of battles all over the world—personal to political. Meanwhile, our minds and hearts send us constant signals of our own turmoil going on within. This can make the concept of true peace start to feel like just a pipe dream. The chaos we experience in so many areas of life can make this deep need seem like a distant mirage. There is even a chance that, for so many today, something or someone may be holding their peace hostage, demanding that it be handed over in trade for fear, fret, or futility.

Likely, if you were to ask the man on the street to define peace, you would hear an answer that describes the absence of something—no war, violence, or strife.

Jesus—the Prince of Peace—is never about the absence of anything, but about the powerful presence of Him!