Xtreme Daily Bible Study
Saturday, October 31st
Written by Bill Scott
2 Corinthians 6:3-4
We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. (NLT)
People are watching you daily. This is why it is so important to be careful in the way you act. Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you’ll be perfect. We all make mistakes. What it does mean is we must strive to walk our faith our daily. If you are hitting all the parties at school, getting wasted, talking trash with your friends, viewing porn together, sharing how far you got last weekend on your date, you have missed the mark by a mile! At that point you are being a hinderance to those who need to find the Lord. I can remember in 7th grade not following the right path. I was doing things that were so wrong and I was doing them with friends who did not know God but did know I was a Christian. I can remember one friend looking at me and saying, “You are no different from us, you do all the same things, there is no need to be a Christian.” My heart sunk realizing I failed my friend and I hindered him from coming to Christ. That was a huge wake up call for me on that day. So here is the big question today. Are you being a hinder to someone coming to Christ? If so what are you going to do about it? Are you man enough, women enough to tell God you are sorry and ask for your friend’s forgiveness and tell them you have failed them? It’s a tall order huh?
Extra time in the Word 2 Corinthians 6
Friday, October 30th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Mark 11:17
Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ But you have made it a den of thieves.”
The first time I heard the story of Jesus driving out the money changers in the temple, I thought it was a sin because Jesus got angry. I was young at the time and didn’t realize that emotion in itself is not bad, it’s how you use that emotion. This was a righteous anger due to people who were supposed to be known as religious leaders taking advantage of people in God’s Name. It was required by God in Mosaic law that a animal without blemish be sacrificed as a covering for sin. Another part of that law was there was a certain time of year where Jews had to travel to Jerusalem to sacrifice. A lot of travelers did not have animals qualified for sacrifice. In response to this, merchants would sell animals in one of the courts of the Temple. This sounded convenient, however these merchants would raise prices ridiculously. The religious leaders never stopped this from happening because they received a portion of the earnings. What Jesus was doing was cleansing the temple on behalf of those who couldn’t do anything about it. It makes me sad to think that there are countless hurting believers and lost and needy people who are screaming for God and see a religious people who wouldn’t give them a second thought and are only out for their own well-being. If you have been hurt by these people, I want you to know that God is not like that. He will deal with them and cleanse out that wrong. He will come to you and defend you on His behalf if you turn to Him.
Extra time in the Word Mark 11
Thursday, October 29th
Written by Kyle Shultz
John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
Why is it that a number of beggars seem content to sit on a street corner and beg? Do you know someone who’s been holding onto a grudge against someone for so long that it has completely embittered them and they simply will not let go? Why do people who have been struggling with a “secret sin” hold it so closely? I believe it has to do with continual attempts to get better in their own ability and falling until the spirit is broken. When someone loses heart, it takes a lot to shake a person out of that. What Jesus is asking this person in the story, He is asking you and me today. Do you want to stay in a state of struggle until you bow in shameful defeat or do you believe that Jesus can heal what you can’t handle. Jesus said that all things are possible to the person who believes Him. Are you willing to hold Jesus to His Word and let Him carry out His will in you?
Extra time in the Word John 5
Wednesday, October 28th
Written by Kyle Shultz
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him
There is a story that Jesus told in the Bible of a king who held a wedding feast for his son. This king invited everyone in his kingdom to come. The only problem was that all the noblemen of the city were turning away the invitation because they decided they would rather fill their day with their own business. So the king sent invitations to whomever would come. If the person was a beggar, thief, widow, it didn’t matter. The only catch was they couldn’t come in their own clothes. They had to wear the garments the king gave to them. The feast was a joyous time, the king and the invitees were very happy. While at the feast, the king noticed a man that did not have the royal garments. Although the invitation was given to him, because he did not show up in the garments, he was thrown out of the feast, and then punished for violating the king’s command.
The truth is that the invitation for eternity with God in heaven is given to all. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, God’s arms are open wide to any who wishes to accept. His requirement for you is that you believe and accept the gift of salvation that Jesus paid His life for in saving you from your sins. Through Jesus is the only way by which anyone enters the gates of Heaven. If one tries to get their on his own, he will find that he never stood a chance. God’s wrath (His righteous judgment against sin) must be appeased. If you don’t trust in Jesus and His Work, that wrath that He took care of will be completely on you. It’s either this, you believe in the Son, or you don’t.
Extra time in the Word John 3
Tuesday, October 27th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Genesis 22:1
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
and he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Take no your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
This looks like something incredibly extreme that God is asking of Abraham. If you looked at this passage just as it is, it appears that God is telling him to make a human sacrifice. I want you to know up front that is not what God is doing, and I’ll explain why. The whole life and journey of Abraham is one of faith. God would give him a promise, and Abraham would believe God and move forward in that promise. In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that all the world would be blessed through him if he left his home and relatives and followed God in faith. Abraham believed and obeyed. Later, Abraham was promised the land of Canaan in Genesis 13, and Abraham believed God. In Genesis 15, God promised that He would give Abraham a son, the beginning of a great nation, and Abraham believed God. In Genesis 17, God said the promised son would be through Sarah, and his name would be Isaac, and Abraham believed God. God gave him many promises, and as Abraham believed God, his faith was strengthened. What God was testing was not if Abraham would do something evil, but if he would believe that God would fulfill His promise to him even if it meant offering his son back to God. The story ends with Abraham being willing to offer him, but God keeps that from happening. God was looking for the faith to believe Him even though it looked impossible for God to fulfill what He said He would. What I want you to think about is what’s going on in your life that seems unfair to you? Maybe God is allowing things in your life that don’t make sense. What I challenge you with is this; do you believe that He can work in your life and make good come out of what seems like is impossible?
Extra time in the Word Genesis 22
Monday, October 26th
Written by Bill Scott
Psalm 34:4
I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me, freeing me from all my fears. (NLT)
I’ll be honest. I have struggled with fear and worry in my life for a long time. The Lord has really freed me from a lot of that over the last ten years and for that I am grateful. I use to worry about some of the weirdest things. As you know most of what we worry about never comes true. I finally realized my worry problem was really a trust issue. If I chose to believe my fears and embraced my worries, then I was actually saying to the Lord that I didn’t trust Him. The opposite of FAITH is FEAR. This verse is very clear that God can free us from ALL of our fears. You do not have to go through life being someone that is consumed by fear. When fear grips me you’ll hear me say out loud, “I chose to believe.” I want Satan to hear that I chose to believe that God is in control of my life and that I trust him. Today work on the trust factor!
Extra time in the Word Psalm 34
Sunday, October 25th
Written by Kyle Shultz
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
With every miracle that Jesus did in the Gospels, He made some remark or command on the importance of believing who He said He was and of what He was capable. In our daily walk, the way that we see God move in our life and do the extraordinary is based on our faith. If you’ve been in church for a while, you know the definition of faith. I can say this from experience that there are a lot of times that I don’t walk in faith, and Christian is guilty of this. Why is that? It’s not that the vast majority of Christians want to recant their faith, but it seems like those who have the desire get into a rut and don’t know how to get out. Today’s verse gives us a measuring stick by how we can gauge our faith, or what we need to focus more on in moving forward. The first part says that we must believe that He is. What exactly is it that God is? He is God. If you generically pass over it, you miss the point. When you get a hold of what that means, that He is God, you see that He is. The first thing we have to be careful of in walking in faith is that we not limit Him. It’s easy to think of God at work like that of a capable human being, if that were the case, He wouldn’t be God. What we must also remember is that He is loving and wants to be your everything. If we think of God just as Supreme, He will seem distant. Remember that He has made us one through His Holy Spirit, and He sees us as Righteous in Christ. If He has given us complete access to Him, He wants us to use it and experience Him to the fullest. Gauge your beliefs based on these criteria and change what falls short. You’ll be amazed what a little perspective change will do.
Extra time in the Word Hebrews 11
Saturday, October 24th
Written by Bill Scott
Isaiah 38:17
It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles. Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline. You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing. But my sins you let go of, threw them over your shoulder–good riddance! (MSG)
We all go through tough times. During those times God has his might hand on you to protect and watch over you. There have been times in my life when I walked through the darkness. During that time I made some really bad decisions and yet God made sure that I didn’t go over the edge into complete darkness never to return. I asked the Lord for his forgiveness in regards to my sins and to my surprise he let my sins go and threw them over His shoulder. That means my sins are not being held over my head. They are gone, forgotten and destroyed. Was it good for me to go through the trouble times? The answer is yes. Would I want to face those times again? The answer is no. You see God can get the glory out of everything and He will if you give him the chance. I am a much stronger person today because of what I went through and I am an individual who understands God’s grace at a much deeper level.
Extra time in the Word Isaiah 38
Friday, October 23rd
Written by Kyle Shultz
Mark 5:18-19
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.
This is the tail-end of Jesus cleansing a man from thousands of demons. If you look at other instances when people said that they would follow Jesus, Jesus showed the error of their hearts and basically said they couldn’t until that was resolved. Jesus did not say this about this man, He knew that he was sincere, and would undoubtedly had been a good disciple. What Jesus did instead was point this man’s passion toward a direction that Jesus had planned. I’ve heard the fear, and I’ve had it myself, that if I surrendered to Christ my whole life, He would send me to Africa. The truth is that full time ministry is not the highest call of surrender. The highest call of surrender is denial of self and allowing Jesus to use you today in His plan. There have been many great men and women used as missionaries and leaders in churches, and there have been many who have hurt the name of Christ as well. If He has called you to ministry, awesome! If not, your calling is not any less, and He desires you to be just as committed to Him as a pastor, or missionary.
Extra time in the Word Mark 5
Thursday, October 22nd
Written by Bill Scott
Romans 8:25
But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. (NLT)
It’s all about faith! The waiting game can be a killer. If you know that God has called you to something then do not give up and react to something He has not called you to. The Bible encourages us to wait patiently for what God promised us. Some of you already know the calling on your life and Satan will try to get you to settle for second best. I would encourage you to wait patiently for your calling. There may be days were you do not see anything that resembles your calling, my encouragement is to wait. Do not settle for second best, wait for the very promise God has given you.
Extra time in the Word Romans 8
