Tag: Devotionals

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The Scoffers And The Wise

8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath ~ Proverbs 29:8

Solomon said that a city is set aflame by scoffers, but wise men turn away wrath. In other words, scoffers—those who mock God’s wisdom and stir up strife—agitate a city until neighbors become enemies and communities begin to tear themselves apart. Because where scoffers dominate, communities eventually suffer. Businesses close, families move away, and neighborhoods deteriorate because strife always destroys what wisdom seeks to build.

We have all watched tragic events become occasions for anger, destruction, looting, and violence. Instead of seeking justice through wisdom, many choose revenge, and entire communities suffer. Solomon’s words are just as true today as when he first wrote them: scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

In Proverbs 11:11, Solomon went on to say:

11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

A city is exalted by the blessing of the upright, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. So, who is the scoffer but the wicked person? The one who does not know, nor do they acknowledge God in their hearts. Yes, they may honor Him with their lips, but their hearts, the part that counts the most, is far from Him. Businesses have had to relocate and close doors in some places because of the wickedness of scoffers, and move to a city that is blessed by the righteous. There is too much destruction in that city. They want total anarchy. They want the police defunded. They want what is not theirs, and to do as they please because they are entitled to it.

On the other hand, the wise do not answer evil with evil. Rather than responding with violence and vengeance, they seek peace, forgiveness, and justice God’s way. There is no taking to the streets in a blind rage to burn and loot and destroy. But instead, spontaneous worship breaks out. People begin to ask questions about God and His kingdom. People begin to return to church and seek God once again. That’s the difference between a scoffer and the wise. One turns to hate and violence, while the other turns the other cheek and seeks love and forgiveness.

Maybe the next time something doesn’t go your way, or you feel you have been wronged, you should evaluate your response and ask, “Am I responding like a scoffer, or am I responding like the wise?” Seek wisdom. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, so seek first the LORD God Almighty and His kingdom. Allow His Holy Spirit to order your steps and so direct your paths, and everything else will fall into place.

Father, help me to make the right decisions. Help me to act wisely and not like a scoffer. Give me strength and endurance to seek You and Your kingdom first, that I might stick to the course that You have planned for me, and that I will be a blessing to the city and community in which I live, and not set my city aflame, in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

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Don’t Accept A New Name

14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:14

I saw a video the other day of a guy explaining that the names given to the Sith lords in the Star Wars movies are just mockeries of who they once were. It made me think. That’s exactly how the enemy works. He takes what you were called to be and manipulates it until it is a complete mockery of who God designed you to be, all while convincing you he is for you and not against you. That he is the one who can help you and no one else can.

Darth Vader, once Anakin Skywalker, means Dark Father. He was supposed to be the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force, but instead he turns to the dark side and loses his wife and children. He becomes a Dark Father. A childless father. Everything the Dark Side had promised him failed, and everything he feared came to pass.

The enemy will tell us everything we want to hear. He’ll dig into our emotions and use our own fears against us. He’ll take us even deeper into fear where we have no hope of ever being free, all while he continues to convince us that he is for us. This world is full of empty promises. Don’t fall for them. Always remember Peter’s words:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Accept A New Name Except If It’s From God.

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Come Together As One

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. ~ John 13:34-35

Yesterday, July 6th, was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup game. He had led his national team, Portugal, to win three titles. Because of him, they were a household favorite for the World Cup and Euro Cup. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the sport, but I watched, with tears in my eyes, as he went home with no World Cup win. Why? His age? Wasn’t his day? No. Sadly, every pass his teammates made to him was as if they’d rather lose the game than for him to score. Each and every pass was either way too far ahead or way too far behind. I watched them pass good balls to each other, but poor balls to Ronaldo. It was heartbreaking, and I did cry as that final whistle blew.

It reminded me a lot of the Church today. Today, we look at those of us who are succeeding. Who have either financial success, a large platform, or a spiritual gift that we want, and we tear them down. We go out of our way to make them the villain. We, here in the West, are our own worst enemy. We’d rather tear each other down and have the entire world hate the Church, than to build each other up and support one another. We build platforms on badmouthing people and ‘exposing’ people, when it just comes across as hatred and jealousy, not as exposing darkness to let in the Light.

Jesus warned the Pharisees:

25 Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”

Matthew 12:25

We can’t have revival in the land until we unite as one body under Christ. One bride to Christ. One heir in Christ. We have to learn to love each other as Christ loved us. As He continues to love us. Paul encourages us that Christ is interceding for us in Romans 8:34. How often do we pray for our fellow Christians? Especially those in the spotlight that represent us to all who are watching and looking, instead of hoping and waiting for their downfall with excitement. We, just like the Portuguese National Football Team, cannot do anything great unless we come together as one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Come Together As One.

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Pray For His Kingdom

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” ~ Matthew 6:9-13

If you grew up in church, you grew up saying the LORD’s prayer. If you’ve been in church for even a few months, you know the LORD’s prayer by heart. The LORD’s prayer is one of the first scriptures we learn as Christians, but I feel like maybe we just say it without thinking about what the words actually mean. For instance, the part of the prayer ‘Your Kingdom Come…’ never really clicked in my head until randomly one night. We’re not just praying for God’s will to be done on earth or for earth to be like Heaven. We’re praying for power.

Jesus said:

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Matthew 12:28

Jesus compared the power of the Holy Spirit, specifically the power to cast out demons, to the sign that the kingdom of God has come upon the people. So, it’s not just ‘Your will be done,’ it’s ‘let your power fall on us and flow through us. It’s signs, wonders, healings, miracles, and yes, casting out demons. Things that people say were just for a time. Things that people say aren’t for us in the Church today. If that’s so, then the LORD’s prayer isn’t for us.

We can’t cherry-pick things that we like and then ignore the meaning of them. We can’t exclude things that we deem to be too hard or controversial. It’s either all or nothing. Therefore, when you pray, pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill you, just as Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Just as Paul told the Corinthian Church:

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

1 Corinthians 14:1-5

20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

1 Corinthians 4:20

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For His Kingdom.

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Check Your Bread

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” ~ John 6:35

Throughout Scripture, bread is essential to the human diet. In fact, it’s compared to the very Word of God. Jesus Himself even refers to Himself as the Bread of Life. Bread is seen as a life-giving food, yet today the bread we eat isn’t good for us. It has no nutritional value. In fact, it has a lot of harmful additives to it. It really made me think. Bread is a really good example of how the enemy distorts the good things God has for us so that it can be harmful to our souls.

This is why Paul warned the Corinthian Church that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We’re all used to the bread that we buy in stores. It tastes good to us. We crave it. And the moment we taste what actual bread should taste like, we immediately don’t like it. We’ve become so accustomed to bread that is bad for you, that the bread that is actually good for you, we don’t want. It tastes bad to us.

Satan does the same thing with Scripture. He manipulates Scripture until the Truth no longer tastes good to us. Until it no longer satisfies our cravings, and we want our ears tickled. We want our sin justified. We want death instead of life. This is why we are told to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We are like computers, and our mind is the hard drive. Our mind needs to be wiped of certain procedures in order to move forward. In order to gain new understanding. In order to grow in Christ.

Just like detoxing your body and cleansing yourself of all of those additives, preservatives, etc. will help curb your appetite for them, so will cleansing your mind, eyes, and ears of sin curb your appetite for it. What we fill ourselves with will be what we crave. What we push into our system will be what’s on our mind. It will become our abundance. Therefore, beware of the Devil’s schemes. Pay attention to the bread you’re being served. Is it from God or is it of this world?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Check Your Bread.

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Don’t Waste This Birthday

13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:13-15

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. ~ Matthew 7:15-20

250 years ago, a new country was born. One built on the belief that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness by their Creator. Men and women willingly gave up their status, wealth, homes, and their very lives in order to ensure that the United States of America would be free from the tyranny of the British crown. 250 years later, there are those who try their best to take these rights away from us each and every day, as they pretend to be acting in our best interests.

They say they are for the people, yet do their best to take away the rights of the people. America wasn’t built in one day. It wasn’t just born out of thin air. It was built on the sacrifice of the brave men and women who wanted a better life for themselves, their children, and their children’s children. They were willing to lose everything, as long as it meant they had freedom. Today, we desire the opposite. We’re willing to sacrifice our freedom for the sake of convenience and empty promises.

The world has dramatically changed in the past 250 years. We’ve become comfortable in our privileges and rights. We’ve become spiritually dead because we don’t know what it’s like to not have the freedom of religion. The freedom of assembly. The freedom of speech. So, we’ve become docile to the point of deep slumber. And as we’ve slept, the wolves have descended. They’re wide awake, taking away everything from us. Even the simplest of things such as the right to collect rainwater.

The enemy will continue to run rampant, as long as the Church remains asleep. As long as we refuse to do anything. 250 years ago, our forefathers risked their lives and all that they had; what are we willing to risk to defend our freedoms? To ensure that our children and our children’s children grow up in a better world than we did? Will we get up a little earlier in the morning to pray? Will we spend a little extra time in our Bibles seeking wisdom from God? Will we begin to spiritually invade the enemy’s camp through prayer, fasting, worship, and time with our God?

Today is America’s 250th birthday. It’s a day that we remember, celebrate, and commemorate the birth of this beautiful nation, but let it also be a day of prayer that it might remember its God and renew its dedication to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Waste This Birthday.

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Seek Out Knowledge

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. ~ Hosea 4:6

3 [Jesus] answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” ~ Matthew 15:3

The more negative comments we receive on our website, the more I realize that the source of these comments is from a place of ignorance. One of the biggest problems in the Church is one that plagued ancient Israel as well, the lack of knowledge. We go based on human tradition instead of the Word of God. Instead of studying the Word of God to show ourselves approved, we ignore Bible verses and stories because they contradict what our tradition says. It contradicts our preconceived notions.

God looked out over His people and said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” I don’t think today is any different. Actually, I think it’s worse. The Bible is accessible in paper and digital form. It is translated into hundreds of languages. There’s really no excuse why we should remain willfully ignorant about the things of God.

So, what’s holding us back? Is it spiritual laziness? Pride, because we don’t want to be wrong? What’s keeping us from growing in the faith? The book of Hebrews chastises the Hebrew people by saying, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). The Hebrew people had been separated and made special because of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God made Himself known to them. Gave them promises. Gave them revelation and prophecy that He didn’t give to others, yet when the Messiah came, they missed Him. When the Holy Spirit came, they didn’t grow.

The Church has been given so much opportunity to grow. We’ve had revival after revival, yet we drop the ball and remain on milk. We rarely ever make it to solid food. To meat. Why? Ask yourself, what’s holding you back? What’s keeping you from growing in the faith?

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:5

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Out Knowledge.

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For I Know Whom I Have Believed

12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. ~ 2 Timothy 1:12

This is the second letter that Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy, probably while he was in prison in Rome awaiting execution by Emperor Nero. In his letter, Paul acknowledges his suffering and hardships, such as the prison chains he was bound with at the time. But that was not his focus. Amid all the suffering and persecution, and the realization of certain martyrdom for him, he wanted to write words of encouragement and instruction to Timothy, a young pastor of the flock there in Ephesus. Still, even more importantly, Paul focused on the greatness of God the Father who, through grace, gave us Jesus.

Paul then reminded Timothy of all that Jesus has done for us by abolishing death and giving us eternal life through belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of which he said he was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. Then he wrote these amazing words: “for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

Paul doesn’t say “whom I have believed in,” but rather, “I know whom I have believed…” That shows a personal relationship. It’s not someone he has heard about, or heard someone else describing, but those words suggest that he had a personal relationship with Jesus, his LORD and Savior. He knew Him intimately, and did not need someone else to help him believe. Paul was completely and totally convinced that Jesus was more than able to do what He had promised to do: raise him from the dead on the last day and give him a crown of righteousness along with eternal, immortal life. He placed all that he had suffered at the hands of the Jews and at the hands of the Gentiles—his imprisonment, the beatings, the stoning, his ministry, his very life that had been poured out for the sake of the Gospel—he placed all of that in the hands of Jesus knowing fully well that he would receive a just reward that was not even worth comparing to all that he had suffered and gone through.

…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

Are we that confident in who Jesus is and His trustworthiness to keep all that we have committed unto Him until that Great Day of Judgment? Can we truly say, “I will not try to get even or bring judgment on someone else for what they have done to me, but will leave all things, all judgment to God who will recompense on the great and eternal day.”

Father, thank You for who You are, and for sending Jesus Christ Your Son who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross that brought us salvation. Thank You, LORD Jesus, for coming and abolishing death and giving us life and immortality. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Beware The Hooks

27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? ~ Proverbs 6:27-28

In an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, SpongeBob and Patrick were playing with fishing hooks, even though SpongeBob said that Mr. Krabs had told him not to play with hooks or even be around them. With the influence of Patrick, the pair would ride the hooks almost to the surface before they jumped off and floated gently back down to Bikini Bottom. It seemed innocent enough to them—they were having fun. They did not realize that the hooks were attached to fishing lines, which were attached to fishing poles, which were in the hands of fishermen in a boat.

When Mr. Krabs arrived and found them playing on the fishing hooks, he scolded them and explained that if they were caught by the hooks, they would be put into a can of tuna and mixed with mayonnaise, which completely freaked the two out. He told them that the hooks look fun and harmless, but they lead to destruction.

We are sometimes just like those two simple sea creatures, SpongeBob and Patrick, not seeing the dangers of sin. Jesus, through His Word, has warned us not to play with sin, just like Mr. Krabs warned SpongeBob. Sin is deceitful and will suck you in even before you know what is going on. And when sin is finished, it brings forth death. In the words of Mr. Krabs, “Worse! You end up vacuum-packed in a can of tuna, with nothing to look forward to but the smell of mayonnaise.”

For us, if we continue in sin, we have nothing to look forward to but the dreadful expectation of judgment and an eternity of punishment and torment in a lake of fire. Christ died that whosoever believes in Him, and will live for Him, will never perish, but have eternal life. So, be careful of the hooks, and watch out for the enemy’s lure and bait. Heavenly Father, I ask you to watch over me and to protect me. Help me see the enemy’s plans, tricks, and gimmicks. But help us to live for You that we will hear, “Well done, My good and faithful servant, now enter into the joy of your LORD.” In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Watch How You Fill Yourself

43 For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ~ Luke 6:43-45

I saw a short of a woman walking through a store with a shopping cart, recording how all the shelves were locked, with products requiring worker assistance to access them. What caught my attention, and everyone else watching, was that the woman said, “How are you supposed to shop …?” except she stuttered on shop and almost said steal instead. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Things that come out of our mouth don’t just come out of nowhere; they come out of the abundance in our heart.

The abundance of our heart, we can try to hide and keep secret from others, but sooner or later, our own lips will tell on us. Our subconscious will speak what our conscious tries to keep hidden. The abundance of your heart is the desires you give into. The things you think about. The actions and decisions you make. The things you condone verbally and in your heart. These are things that define you. The things that define you are the things that fill your heart. They are your fruit, and that is how you are known by both man and God.

We all have skeletons in our closet, but they don’t have to be the abundance within us. We bring ourselves before the LORD daily and have Him search us. Have Him show us what needs to be removed so that we might replace the darkness with light. So that our abundance might be light and our subconscious might speak good and not evil.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch How You Fill Yourself.

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