DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
When I first came to know Christ, I wanted my friends to also come to know Him. I prayed for them. Not long afterwards several of them received Christ into their hearts. We began meeting together early in the morning to pray and read the Scriptures. We lived at the time in Baton Rouge, which is the capitol of the state of Louisiana. Near the capitol building is a hill that overlooks a lake. We would meet on that hill and then separate for a period of time to have a time alone with God. We would spend time in prayer and reading and memorizing the Scripture. We then came back together and shared what we were feeling with each other and what we felt God was saying to our hearts.
Those were some of the most precious times of my life. I look back on those days with very fond memories. Even though most of us have moved away from Baton Rouge and live elsewhere, that little spot became holy ground to us. It was a place where we met with God and He met with us. It was a special time in our lives that actually set the pattern for our growth. When I return home to visit family and friends in Baton Rouge, I always like to go by that spot near the state capitol. It reminds me of the formative years of my Christian experience. But, most of all, it reminds me of my need for fellowship with others who have come to know Christ as I have come to know Him.
As I look back over the years, I’ve discovered that it’s been a close knit fellowship with others that has been so helpful to me in my walk with God. When I was a pastor in Germany, God gave me an attorney friend who challenged me to be all that God wanted me to be. When I traveled into Romania, God gave me a Romanian medical doctor friend who challenged me to reach the nation for Christ. He challenged me about my speaking style and method of communication.
At Sammy Tippit Ministries, we have a Board of Directors to whom I am accountable with this ministry. They are a group of men who love God and love me. But they’re not afraid to speak to me about the difficult things. A while ago, I asked them to be honest with me and tell me what I needed to do to become more effective for Christ. They did! It was devastating to me (in a good sense). I needed to be broken in some areas of my life and leadership. They loved me enough to be honest with me.
It’s that kind of honest and transparent relationship that enables us to become all that God intended us to become. I’m convinced that we all need a small group of people around us who love Jesus and love us – who love us enough to speak to us about the difficult things. There are three characteristics to such relationships. First, we need fellowship with people who love God – those who inspire us to love God with all of our hearts.
Second, we need fellowship with people who love us. I could accept the correction of those men because I knew that they loved me. I knew that what they had to say to me wasn’t because they were angry with me or that they “wanted to put me in my place.” I knew that they pointed out my blind spots because they genuinely cared about me. Finally, we need people who will be honest with us no matter how much it hurts. Not everyone will feel that they can be that open and honest. But every Christian needs someone or some group of people who will love us enough to correct us.
Jesus said that where “two or three come together in my name, there I am with them” (Matthew 18:20). If you want to experience true victory, then find two or three people who love Jesus the same way that you love Him. Meet with them on a regular basis and seek God together. Be open, honest, and vulnerable. God will work in and through you. You will grow in His grace and reach even greater levels of victory in your walk with God.
Matthew : Chapter 18
18) “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven. 19) “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 21) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22) Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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