Devotional Archives

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022

Hate Evil

^10a O you who love the Lord, hate evil! ~ Psalms 97:10a

Over the years, we, the Church, moved from hating the sinner to loving the sin. Neither one was God’s intention for how we are to live our lives. We’re supposed to love the sinner but hate the sin. When you love somebody, you correct them with love and compassion.

Remember that at one point, we were all sinners. The only difference between the Church and the world is that the Church has been redeemed. We’re no better than anyone else; we just have the Holy Spirit guiding us and interceding on our behalf. But who does the world have? This is how we love them. We correct, lead by example, and intercede on their behalf.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hate Evil.

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Don’t Give Into Fear

¹ The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. ~ Proverbs 28:1

We are the righteous children of God, so why do we fear? Jesus came down from heaven to earth to die on the cross and rise again so that we would no longer be slaves to anything. We are no longer slaves to sin, our past transgressions and mistakes, neither are we slaves to fear. So, why are we so afraid? For fear has to do with punishment, and we are now redeemed from punishment. We are the chosen children of God.

The Almighty lives in you, and He is doing a great work in you, so don’t be afraid to follow Him and His plan for your life. Don’t be afraid to try or to live. You are free. Always remember fear only works if you’re afraid. Unless you give into fear, there is nothing that fear can do to you. It has no control over you unless you give into it. So, stand strong in confidence and the authority of Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Give Into Fear.

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Light Your Lamps

²⁰You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. ²¹In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel. ~ Exodus 27:20-21

Aaron and his sons were the high priest and priests of Israel. They were the only ones who could enter into the presence of the LORD and intercede on behalf of the people. We no longer have humans as our interceders between God and us, but God-Himself, Jesus Christ, intercedes on our behalf, and it is through Him that we go before the LORD God Almighty. But look at what the priests of old had to do. They had to keep the lamp burning, tending to it from evening to morning. The oil they used wasn’t just any old oil either; it was pure beaten olive oil.

Today, we try to fill our lamp with any old oil. We bring half prayers filled with drowsy words as we drift off into sleep. We bring pitiful worship that isn’t even for fifteen minutes. We bring half-read verses of Scripture that we forget within minutes. Our oil that we’re filling our lamps with isn’t pure beaten olive oil. It’s any old oil we find lying around. Is that the kind of oil that will bring light to our lamp? Is that the kind of oil that won’t burn out seconds after adding it? How often do you add oil? How often do you tend to your lamp?

We are the light of the world because Christ is no longer physically on earth but instead lives through us. His Holy Spirit dwells in us and with us, so what excuse do we have when we bring poor oil to fill our lamps with? Jesus is coming back very soon. The signs of the times are revealing everywhere. Don’t let the temporary things of this world distract you from the eternal treasures God has in store for His people. Spend time with the LORD every single day, making sure to light your lamp with only the purest beaten olive oil. Don’t waste what little time you have left. Prepare yourself for the master will soon be on His way.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Light Your Lamps.

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Time For A Change?

⁵If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, ⁶if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, ⁷then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. ~ Jeremiah 7:5-7^NIV

God said, if we change our ways, deal justly with each other, and do not oppress the foreigner, fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood. That includes aborting or babies. Abortion is shedding innocent blood.

Stay away from other gods. Anything you put before Almighty God is an idol. Be careful of whom you serve. If we do all of these things and stay away from the other gods, then God will bless us and increase us.

Take an inventory of your life and make sure it is within the parameters God has set. Make sure you set nothing before the LORD God Almighty. No person, object, false god, or even yourself. We have to make sure we don’t allow ourselves to fall into the lies that the world is selling us. These are the last days; Jesus is coming back real soon. Are you ready for His return?

Father, forgive me for drifting. Forgive me for putting work, family, and the internet and social media above You. Help me to live for You. Help me to love You with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Do You Want To Be Free?

⁵One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ~ John 5:5-6^ESV

Okay, let’s set the scene here. A feast is being celebrated right now. Everyone should be in a joyful mood—lots of celebrating and food. Family and friends are all around. Yet Jesus is walking through the colonnade, looking at all the sick people lying around waiting to be healed. There was a multitude of invalids, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.

He’s looking at each one. Inspecting. He’s trying to find something or someone. Then He singles out one guy in particular. This man has been an invalid for thirty-eight years, and Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be healed?”

Right away, the man begins making excuses. I have no one to help me. I can’t get into the water. But that is not what Jesus asked. Jesus’ question was, “Do you want to be healed?”

It’s either yes or no. Sometimes that is how we act. Jesus is saying, “Do you want to be free?” And we find every excuse not to. I’ve done too much wrong. I’ve never been to church. I don’t know how to pray.

But just as that wasn’t what Jesus was asking the sick man 2000 years ago, that’s not what He’s asking us today. Jesus already did the heavy lifting. He already presented the offering, paid the debt, and made the path for us. Jesus is simply asking, do you want to accept the Salvation I am giving you freely? Do you want freedom from your sin? If you do, pray this prayer, and the LORD will forgive you of your sins and forgive you of all unrighteousness.

Dear LORD God, please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Please give me a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone that I might love You and Your law. Please renew a right spirit in me that I might be able to follow the path You have set out for me. Please free me from all of my fears and strongholds. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

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Pray For The Sinner

²³As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. ~ 1 Samuel 12:23

Even though the people had become wicked and rebellious, Samuel saw it as a sin to stop praying for them. Today, it’s so easy for us to become offended and angry by other people’s sin and disobedience that we give up on them. When we see them make the same mistakes over and over again, it’s difficult to stand back and still pray for them. We want judgment, justice, and God’s wrath upon them because they fall into the same old traps as before. But where is the love?

We have to love people, even when they sin. We have to love people, even when we think that they’re living in sin and debauchery. And the biggest way we love people is to pray for them regardless of how we feel they should act. Never remove your prayers from the world. Never give up on people.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For The Sinner.

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Share The Light

¹ Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. ~ Isaiah 60:1^NLT

Jesus said that while He was in the world, He was the Light of the World. But if you’ve noticed, Jesus is no longer in the world. Jesus has ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is spiritually fighting for us through His prayers of intercession. So, is the world now left in darkness since Jesus is no longer physically walking among us?

No. The world has not been abandoned, for His Church (His bride) has taken up His mantel and is now the Light of the World. It’s up to us to shine the Light of Christ in the darkness through teaching, preaching, disciplining, healing, giving, and loving. It’s now on us because Christ lives through us. It is no longer us who lives; it’s now Christ who lives in us.

Don’t hide your light from those bound in darkness. Set your light high up on a hill that all may see, and in turn, they may too come to the redeeming Light of Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share The Light.

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Sit At Your Own Table

³² The waiters served Joseph at his own table, and his brothers were served at a separate table. The Egyptians who ate with Joseph sat at their own table, because Egyptians despise Hebrews and refuse to eat with them. ~ Genesis 43:32^NLT

Joseph had the highest position in all of the land of Egypt with only Pharaoh, king of Egypt, above him. Every Egyptian answered to him. He even wore Pharaoh’s signet ring, yet the Egyptians still looked down on Joseph because he was a Hebrew. Pharaoh elevated him above all of them, but they still despised him because of where he came from and who he was.

Here’s the thing, just because God elevates you to a position of great power and authority doesn’t mean that those around you will accept you. God can be doing a great work in you and through you, and people will still bring up that you’re not enough or that your past is your present.

People will curse you and shun you, but don’t let that get to you. You’re not here from them. They didn’t create you. They didn’t die for you. So, why let them keep you from the purpose God has for you.

Be encouraged today; if God is for you, who can be against you? That’s not saying no one will be against you; it’s saying if they come against you, what will that do if you have God on your side? No one can remove your anointing from God. No one can remove your authority from God. No one can remove your call from God. You are chosen by Almighty God, even if the world doesn’t see your worth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sit At Your Own Table.

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Bring Forth An Offering

⁶But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.” ⁷“But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.” ⁸“Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” ⁹(In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.) ¹⁰“All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived. ~ 1 Samuel 9:6-10^NLT

This is a concept that seems long forgotten in the Church today. We don’t believe in tithes and offerings anymore. But it was so important to always bring an offering just to see the prophet that Saul didn’t even want to go. He didn’t want to go before the prophet, who was God’s representative on earth, asking for something without having an offering to bring. So, the two men made sure to give everything they had with them.

God doesn’t ask for much, yet sometimes not even an offering do we lay down before him. Our possessions will one day fade away. Our houses will one day crack and crumble. Our cars will one day break down and rust. But the LORD and all that He has will never fade away. It will never perish. It will never be devoured or destroyed. It is Eternal.

So, why are we so focused on the temporal that won’t last; when God is offering His Eternal for just a pinch of our temporal? One day God will test all that we have with fire. Will your treasure that you have built up sustain the heat? Or will it melt as the fire blazes? We only have one chance to build our treasure; which treasure we choose is up to us. So, choose wisely. Give to God what belongs to God, and He will give you from what belongs to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Bring Forth An Offering.

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Lean On The Almighty

²⁶ My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. ~ Psalms 73:26^NLT

When we live in a dark world that is only getting darker, it’s easy to become discouraged. But I want to remind you of whom you serve, for we don’t serve mere man, but we serve the creator of all man. We serve the creator of everything we see and don’t see.

We serve the God who sees us, even when we don’t sew Him. We serve the God who saves us, even when we don’t deserve it. We serve the God who called us by name so that we may not die but live. We serve the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Almighty, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, the King of kings, and LORD of Lords. There is no one like our God. He is unique in all of His ways. He neither slumbers nor does He grow weary. His Name alone is a strong tower. He is the Good Shepherd that gives His life up for His sheep. That is the God we serve.

You are not alone in this present darkness. God Himself dwells with you and in you. When you are weak, He is strong. So, lean on Him that He might carry you out of the darkness and into His glorious light. Don’t try to do things on your own with your own power, might, and strength. Let the Almighty God fight for you, clearing the way to your finish line.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Lean On The Almighty.

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