Breakaway of the North Devotions

Bible Study Verse Mark 4:39-41 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Silence! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, "Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?" And they were terrified and asked one another, "Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!" (HCSB)... Thoughts On a past elk hunt, I was fast asleep in my trailer, when, around 3:00 a.m., a massive thunderstorm blew up. A tree about 50 feet from the trailer was hit by lightning. There was a bright flash and the trailer shook as if an earthquake had struck it. That night, this verse came to life for me--I knew exactly how the disciples must have felt on board that boat. I remember lying awake the rest of the night, afraid that the next bolt of lightning would hit the trailer . . . (Ernie W) Action Point There are many things that cause us to fear. Psalm 46:1 tells us, "God is our refuge and strength, a Helper who is always found in times of trouble," (HCSB). It is great to know that God is there for us no matter what the circumstances may be.

Bible Study Verse Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV) Thoughts... Let's face it, most of our lives are geared for work and some fun as time and money allows. As Christians, however, there is more to our lives than just working, paying the bills, and the occasional reward of taking a nice trip to the woods, wilderness, lake, or stream. The higher calling of connecting with God and His kingdom is so much more fulfilling than anything this temporal world can offer. (Tom H) Action Point After reflecting on this passage, commit yourself to truly seek God first for at least a month. During that month, see if life becomes a lot more satisfying. If you found that it is, then keep seeking God first; and don't stop!

Bible Study Verse Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise - "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." (NIV) Thoughts... Have you ever watched a wild animal with its young, maybe in person or on an outdoors show on TV? There is no question that the young do what momma says; they do it, or very probably die. And when mother speaks, the young obey right now! So, let's apply that to mankind. God said to honor our parents, that we'll be blessed for doing so. Notice, it doesn't say anything about obedience. It's just a given--if you honor your parents you'll also obey them. Now, let's talk about our relationship with our heavenly Father. If we're to honor our earthly parents, isn't it much more important to honor our heavenly Father, God, with our absolute love and obedience? And, isn't it also true, that if we don't honor God, if we don't obey Him, and accept His gift of forgiveness for our sins, that we'll die? God loves us as no other parent can, even those of us whose parents loved us more than anything else. He loved us enough to send His Son to die in our place. He deserves complete honor! (Cliff S) Action Point Godly parents are a gift. Honor them every day of your life. Honor God, as He is our heavenly Father, and gave us the greatest gift of all--eternal life through Jesus Christ, His one and only Son!

Bible Study Verse Psalm 121:1-2; 7-8 "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever." (NIV) Action Point... Whether hunting, fishing, hiking, or just looking out the window, spend time every day enjoying the Lord's creation. Seeing the magnitude of His power helps keep your daily life in perspective. Sportsmen's Tip of the Day Altitude does make a difference! When planning a trip to the mountains, give your body a couple of days to adjust to the altitude change before hiking, hunting, or starting any strenuous activity.

Bible Study Verse Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (NIV 2011) Thoughts... The place: Wrangell, Alaska. The vessel: The Navigator, piloted by my cousin, Rob. I have been on several boats on the ocean, mostly scuba diving. This time we (Rob, five friends, and the deckhand, Caleb) were on a fishing boat headed out for five days in a secret spot that only Rob and the halibut knew about, or so Rob had promised us. The morning we were to head out dawned with a dense fog that severely limited our visibility. It was that way until about 10:00 in the morning. As we pulled out through the fog and into the open sea on the way to the secret spot, I had to put my complete faith in Rob's skill as a skipper. I didn't know where the channel and underwater rocks were. I didn't know how to utilize the depth finder or the GPS system. I had never seen an oceanic navigational chart before. And, there was absolutely nothing I could do to help Rob that would make our trip safer. But, I had complete confidence in Rob's skills and judgment. Therefore, I was at peace as we headed out, and was excited about the week's adventure that lay ahead. By the way, the halibut were there. (Cliff S) Action Point Jesus and the Apostles taught very clearly that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, that it is a gift from God. I am so glad it is this way. I can't imagine what I could do to make myself worthy of God's love and forgiveness. And, could you imagine what it would be like if we had to earn our salvation? We would never know for sure if we had worked enough. We wouldn't know if our good deeds outweighed the bad. We would never be able to be at peace with God during our life here on earth not knowing for sure if we were good enough to win His favor. Praise God, that isn't the way it is. Jesus said that if I believe in Him and have faith that He has forgiven me of my sins, that I am saved from an eternity of separation from God

Breakaway sponsored for life church in Missouri 1200 kids and adults

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10

Do your kids know these Bible questions??? Have them take this quiz.

Once in a while a man comes along who's not afraid to obey. We cannot imagine what it must have been like to be Noah. He lived in a culture that was corrupted by immorality and violence. According to the story, the earth was literally "full" of it. So reprehensible were people's lives that God regretted having created these divine image-bearers. So much so that he decided to remove every living thing from the face of the earth, like a man clearing a table with the back of his... hand. Can you imagine? But on his way to starting all over again, the Lord looked at Noah. His life was so exemplary that in the middle of all this debauchery, he found favor in God's eyes. This man, Noah, was righteous and blameless among the people of his time. Because of his faithfulness, he was the one man whom the Lord chose not to destroy. We don't have to look very far to find a lesson in this man's life. Like Noah's culture, the one that surrounds us is drowning in immorality, corruption, and violence. And like Noah, we can choose to quietly capitulate or to stand against it. Once we decide to stand firmâto live in obedience to Godâthe tricky part comes with trying to understand how. What does submission to him look like? And what should we expect as the result of this obedience? Tucked away in this story is the secret to Noah's success. Noah walked with God. For Noah, surrender was not a single decision or noteworthy event; it was a process. A routine. A journey. A walk. Obedience was the natural result of this methodical approach. Walking with God meant knowing him. Knowing God meant loving him. Loving meant hearing. Hearing, obeying. And obeying God meant salvation. We can imagine that decades of subtle and overt ridicule may have led Noah to question God. There had to have been moments of loneliness and genuine doubt. But taking one step at a time along the path God had laid out for him kept Noah on track. Noah's obedience led to the preservation of not only his own life, but of the lives of his wife and children. Once the project was complete and everyone around him had rejected the notion that God would actually destroy the earth with a catastrophic flood, Noah and his whole family entered the safety of the ark. Then the Lord shut him in. Noah's obedience not only led to the preservation of his own life but the lives of his wife and children. In fact, Noah's faithfulnessâin the form of a great arkâbecame one of the early church's symbols for refuge. The interiors of many great cathedrals were built to resemble the inside of a boatâa shelter in the time of storm, a reminder of an obedient man who went before us and was saved. Reflect On: Genesis 8 Praise God: For using his followers to accomplish his purposes. Offer Thanks: For Godâs mercy toward the human race.

Bible Study Verse Mathew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (HCSB) Thoughts... Are you a perfectionist? I got to thinking that some fly fishermen tend to lean in this direction. I have heard that some surgeons like to fly fish, and they are good at it too because they know how to tie good knots; like the ones they use in surgery. Most doctors tend to be perfectionists, (we hope). I call myself an imperfect perfectionist. I want everything perfect, but I tend to mess things up more than I make them perfect. Could it be we all have the same goal to see things perfect, but are frustrated that hardly anything we do or achieve measures up to our high standards of what we believe they ought to be? (Tom H) Action Point Give up trying to be perfect! Do the best you can, but allow God to live His perfect life through you. The command in Mathew 5:48, is impossible apart from the enabling power of Christ who indwells in each true believer.

Nehemiah: a bible story that involves more than building

God has provided us all the directions we need for this life through his compass, the Bible. Life has a way of muddying the picture for us and it's easy to get turned around or lost. That's why it's imperative that we make God's Word a staple part of our daily lives. It's really not important what I think about the issues that may confront me; it's more important that I know what God has to say about them. His response needs to be mine! (Dave M)... Action Point Let's rely on God's Word daily as our compass to this life. We need to read it and let it soak in, so that our lives will be transformed into what God desires for each of us. Sportsmen's Tip of the Day If you are going to go backpacking out in the bush, make sure that the maps you take have a laminate covering. You don't want to get out there and have the print become indecipherable due to rain or snow.