Tag: Devotionals

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Depend On God

9 My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9NIV

We often try to hide our weaknesses, thinking they disqualify us from being used by God. But Paul reminds us that it’s in our weakness that God’s strength is most visible. Instead of striving to appear strong, we’re invited to lean on His grace. God doesn’t need our perfection—He works powerfully through our dependence on Him.

Simply humble yourself before Him. Remove all the masks and disguises you keep on for the world, and let God hold you and heal you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Depend On God.

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Find His Way

John 3:16-17

[16]  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

Something that I recently realized, that I hadn’t before is that many people have an issue with Christianity because they have an issue with forgiveness. I’ve heard many people point out that in Christianity anyone can be forgiven no matter how evil or wicked they are. They could spend their whole lives being a cruel and truly evil person but of they repent and follow Jesus, then they’re good. This upsets or puts off many people from Christianity because they see it as wrong and unjust, but here’s the thing, no one deserves salvation that’s why it is a free gift from God given to us by grace.

See, this will only be a turn-off to you if you don’t understand that you are just as lost and just as evil as the entire world. We are all born with sin. Filled with sin and deserving of Hell. But God in His infinite wisdom and love made a way for us through His Son Jesus Christ, so that we might all have an opportunity to be saved.

See, when Jesus died on the cross and killed sin, He didn’t just take away some of the sin, He took away all of the sin. He didn’t pick and choose ones that He felt were worthy of forgiveness because no sin is worthy of forgiveness. If we sin in one area we are guilty of sinning in every area. God doesn’t measure evil the way we do. He isn’t bound by our human finite understanding. His ways are greater than our ways and His thoughts are greater than our thoughts.

If we would remove our own self-righteous pride and look at ourselves through the eyes of God we would be able to see that we are all tainted and consumed by sin, unworthy of His mercy and grace, but because we are all His creation and we are all loved by Him, He gives each of us an opportunity to be forgiven and washed clean of our sin.

It’s like a loving parent. No matter what your child has done, you will love them. You’ll try to find a way to forgive them. A way to make things right again. Why? Love. Love will find a way, and if there is none, it will make one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find His Way.

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Build The Temple of God

3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” ~ Haggai 1:3-4

In the days of Haggai there was no longer a Temple in Jerusalem to go up to to offer sacrifices and to meet with God. They weren’t focused on rebuilding the Temple, instead they were focused on building homes and lives for themselves. Today’s Church is not much different. We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit yet building the Temple isn’t a big part of our lives.

See, Jesus explained that an hour was coming when there would be no need to worship the Father on their mountain nor in Jerusalem, but the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:21-24). Paul further explains this in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Paul makes it abundantly clear that we are now God’s temple, therefore, we must glorify God in our bodies. So, if Haggai was in our day, he would prophesy the same thing to us. Because we schedule other activities in place of our worship time. Our quiet time with the LORD is sacrificed for things that could actually wait. We are distracted when we are at church with life’s demands. Even our time of prayer and fasting is not honored. We prioritize other things less important. We give little attention to God when it is His time. Our prayers are rushed. We cut our worship short to accommodate things we deem more important.

God wants us to succeed and be prosperous, but not at the expense of building His temple, which is our body. God expects us to build His temple as a priority, not treat it as an inconvenience. We are His Temple, therefore, build His Temple that His presence my dwell in your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build The Temple of God.

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Hold Fast To His Plans

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11NIV

When I was a kid, I had a teacher, at a Christian school, once tell me that God doesn’t desire to save everyone. Some people He created simply for Hell because He didn’t want them. When I quoted Jeremiah 29:11, she said that that verse is only for the exiled Jews. She then refused to let me respond and just continued speaking over me.

But I want you to think about this for a second Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Therefore, that teacher wasn’t just wrong but blasphemous as she told such a bold-face lie on God. So, then is Jeremiah 29:11 also for us today? Yes, of course it is. Does God not have plans for us? Does He not want to prosper us? Does He not want to withhold harm from us? Does He not have plans to give us hope and a future? Of course He does. These are our promises as well.

Yes, they were spoken to the people of Judah when they went into the Babylonian exile, but we, as God’s people, can claim them as well because no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalms 84:11b).

In his message from God, Peter assured us that God does not show partiality to any people, what He has for one, He has for all. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither male nor female when it comes to God’s great promises, and access to Him (Colossians 3:11). We are all the same. With the same opportunities. The same blessings. The same plans. There is no: This is for one but not the other.

The Jews were under the same erroneous understanding. They thought that salvation was only for the Jews, and God’s great promises were for them alone, since the promises were given to them. Paul also corrected that misunderstanding when he iterated the very same thing in Romans 2:11. Listen to me, God loves us. He wants what’s best for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is our defender and our provider. We all have a call and plan for our lives. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold Fast To His Plans.

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Be Present

15 And when he [Jehu] departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. And Jehu took him up with him into the chariot. 16 And he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” So he had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had wiped them out, according to the word of the LORD that He spoke to Elijah. ~ 2 Kings 10:15-17

Rechab left behind a legacy of honor and obedience. One that today’s world rarely sees. He wasn’t out there using his money or influence to incite riots … and fund violent protests to further an agenda that only hurts our nation and enriches the already wealthy and powerful. That kind of behavior only weakens our nation rather than strengthens it. It serves only to divide instead of unite.

And that’s why today’s culture is reaping the consequences of fatherlessness with:

  • Rising crime
  • Depression and anxiety in youth
  • Broken families
  • Moral confusion
  • Lack of direction or discipline in children
  • Because those who should be protecting us are not!

Look, these are not random problems. They are consequences of planned foundational breakdowns, especially the absence of godly fathers, strong moral leadership, and firm spiritual conviction in the home and society… We lack those things.

With weak leadership and moral compromise in the highest places, it is our children who suffer the most.

Their whole environment is working against them; in fact, the whole system is stacked against them from the get-go. Children today are growing up in a world that’s working against them, rather than for them. It’s not neutral.

The music, the movies, the education system, the legislation—it’s all pushing them away from God and into confusion. They have no idea of true morality, and truth, period.

That’s why fathers matter now more than ever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Present.

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Guard Yourself

7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. ~ Genesis 4:7

Recently some heartbreaking news came to light about Michael Tait. Now, I’ve been listening to Michael Tait since I was a small child. I grew up on DC Talk, Tait, and Newsboys. One thing I’ve learned from all of this is that anyone can fall prey to sin at any time regardless of how great, righteous, or altogether they seem.

When Michael Tait joined Newsboys he took them from just another Christian Contemporary Music Group to a worship group with songs like God’s Not Dead, Guilty, We Believe, and so many other songs that have truly ushered in the presence of God in worship. Though, I do truly believe that Michael Tait has a heart for God, and am so glad to hear that he sought help earlier this year and has been sober for the last couple months, his very public fall is quite the eye-opener.

None of us is good. None of us is perfect. Each one of us has the potential to fall flat on our face and be overcome by our own sin. My sin may not be your sin. And your sin may not be my sin. But we all have sin. Sin that tries to overtake us. Sin that tries to consume us. Sin that tries to be our god.

Therefore, we must be on our guard. We should take what happened to Michael Tait as a wake-up call for every believer. If we don’t hold tight to our faith and nurture our relationship with Christ consistently, we will fall. We will be overcome.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Guard Yourself.

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Remember God’s Love

8 but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:8

It wasn’t for the righteous that Jesus died, nor was it for a good person that He died.  We weren’t His friends … we were His enemies.

We were unlovable, hateful toward Him, and everything that He stood for—yet still, He chose the cross. Still, He loved us. Still, He laid down His life for us.

He didn’t wait for us to get better or to turn our lives around. He died for us while we were still sinners—while we were still rejecting Him. That’s the depth of divine love. That’s the kind of love that doesn’t make sense to the natural mind.

Therefore, encourage yourself and others in this. Don’t be too quick to condemn and cast judgment, but instead when your brother sins be there to help pick them back up again. No one is perfect. No one is even good. Not one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember God’s Love.

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Rise From The Dead

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:2

I saw a video that said, “a neuro-parasite can take control of an insect’s brain and make it walk, even after it’s dead.” The video itself showed a bug whose body had been completely eaten out and yet it was still moving. It was like watching a zombie walk. This is what happens when the Church becomes spiritually dead.

We’re still walking, just going through the motions like a zombie, but we’re not spiritually awake. We have no self-awareness. We’re apathetic. We have no discernment, wisdom, or understanding. This is the importance of Paul’s command to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.

So many in the Church are just going through the motions. They’re in church every Sunday, pray and read the bibles regularly, but have no relationship with Christ. They have no fruit, and they don’t even realize they’re spiritually dead. So, what are we to do?

We humble ourselves before God and ask Him to show us where we are spiritually. We must honestly search ourselves and seek God’s wisdom and discernment to see the Truth of our spiritual state of being.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for being spiritually lukewarm. Please open my eyes that I might awaken from my spiritual slumber. That I might rise from my spiritual death. Please show me my spiritual temperature. Please show me where I am spiritually. Thank You for never leaving me, nor forsaking me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Check Your Temperament

Colossians 1:15-20 ESV

[15]  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Bees are a hive mentality system. The queen runs everything and the workers follow the queen. She is the head of the colony. She is so influential in the colony that her personality dictates the personality of the entire hive. If a hive is hostile and aggressive, the only way to fix that is to remove the queen. Whether the queen is hostile or aggressive will determine whether the hive is hostile or aggressive.

Once the queen is removed, the beekeepers will introduce a better-tempered queen. They will then wait and watch the temperament of the bees to see if they change. Sometimes the queen’s influence is too strong and the colony is passed the point of saving and must be killed.

We, the Church, are meant to be much like a bee hive. The LORD Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. We are to bear fruit in line with Jesus. Fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Yet, many in the Church don’t have the qualities of our KING. Why? Because their head is not Jesus. They’ve allowed grief, fear, anger, unforgiveness, lust, perversion, etc. to be their head instead of Christ Jesus.

If you truly evaluate yourself honestly, would you find that your temperament matches the temperament of The KING or of a king of this world?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Check Your Temperament.

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Sense The Aroma

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 ESV

[14] But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. [15] For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, [16] to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, equated the Church to an aroma or fragrance to others. To God, we are the aroma of Christ, among those who are being saved and perishing. Then Paul goes on to say to one a fragrance from life to life and to the other a fragrance of death to death. Did you notice that Paul changes the words he uses depending on who he’s speaking in regards to?

First, he starts with “aroma” (euōdia) to God, then when he talks about how we are to other people he changes to “fragrance” (osmē). Now, aroma (euōdia) means a sweet smell, appeasement, incense offering, or offering, but fragrance (osmē) only means smell, scent, odor, fragrance, or perfume. Why does it matter?

To God, we give the aroma of an appeasing, sweet-smelling incense offering. Throughout the Law of Moses, the Israelites were commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His commanded to bring a sacrifice to the LORD to appease His wrath because of their sin. When Jesus died He took the sin of the world upon him and killed sin in Himself. Then He took that sin far far away to Hell and when He rose on the third day, He gave us the hope of our resurrection to come.

When we are baptized, we are baptized into His death and given the aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice to the LORD God. And just as some perfumes are sweet to some and stink to others so are we who are in Christ. We carry that aroma with us wherever we go. So, to others who have that same aroma smell a sweet fragrance while others do not.

This is why the world hates us. This is why before we even meet people, some despise us. This smell dwells and communicates in the spiritual realm. Our spirit can sense and even communicate with other people’s spirit. Its not you, yourself, the world hates but the aroma of the one dwelling inside of you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sense The Aroma.

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