Tag: Devotionals

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Trust In Your Buckler

5 Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. ~ Proverbs 30:5

This means that faith in our God is not just belief—it’s trusting Him to cover you, to absorb what would otherwise destroy you.

A buckler, on the other hand, is a small, usually round shield used for close, hand-to-hand combat to deflect blows, parry sword strikes, and facilitate offensive maneuvers. How does that relate to God being our Buckler?

Just as the buckler was a close personal shield, so is our God a close personal shield who deflects spiritual attacks, danger, and harm before they can overwhelm us.

God is our ever-present protector in the spiritual battles of life. He shields us from attacks, gives us wisdom to parry temptations, and empowers us to stand firm and take action in His name. Like a buckler held in the fist, God is intimately close, moving with us and defending us in every moment of the fight.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Trust In Your Buckler.

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Cherish Your Freedoms

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Today is the day we set aside to remember our brave men and women who served honorably in our military, whether in a time of war or in time of peace. Today is their day.

We remember your service, and we thank you for serving your country honorably. Your sacrifice does not fall on hard hearts. I realize it is not a light matter to serve one’s country.

I myself went straight from high school graduation to boot camp. While all my friends and the majority of my graduating classmates celebrated our graduation by taking the summer off, I was shipped off to boot camp, where I celebrated my 18th birthday.

So, again, thank you all for your service! Your service is very much appreciated. Without sacrifice there is no freedom. And freedom does not come cheap. Freedom is never free. Let us not let their sacrifice die.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cherish Your Freedoms.

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Live It

Matthew 5:14-16

[14]  You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Eric Metaxas wrote in his book, Bonhoeffer, that German church leaders believed aligning with the Nazi state could restore the church’s influence or German national strength, but in reality, they were surrendering the church’s independence and mission.

He highlighted how the German Church didn’t respond with immediate resistance, not because the evil wasn’t apparent, but because it seemed gradual, respectable, and even regular at first.

Just like during the lockdowns, pastors were arrested and fined for not complying. Likewise, pastors and church leaders were arrested under the Nazis for noncompliance.

During the lockdowns, churches were not allowed to gather for worship because it was believed that doing so would spread the disease. Yet, at the very same time, massive nationwide protests erupted across America, with an estimated 15 to 26 million protesters taking to the streets. And what was done…? There was widespread property damage, riots, looting, arson, and clashes with the police.

What am I saying? What is the point? Our freedoms are fleeting. Our right to worship and serve God is being threatened. Now isn’t the time to give up the little bit of power we have left. Now is the time to stand up for your faith. To speak out for Christ. Pray diligently and fast with earnestly seeking the favor of God.

We don’t give up our freedoms and rights for a possibility of power or authority. How can we have power or authority without rights and freedoms? We can’t. Our job as Christians is to be Christ to the world. We do that by teaching, preaching, and living the Gospel.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live It.

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Let The Waters Flow

[14] The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, [15] his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ~ Revelation 1:14-15

This is John the Apostle describing His vision of Jesus. Now, what I want you do understand is that John isn’t describing physical characteristics, but spiritual ones. For instance, Jesus died, rose, and ascended into Heaven around 33 years old, and according to the Pharisees reaction of Him, He did not have white hair. He didn’t look old. This is a spiritual description of Jesus. John was looking into the Spirit.

So, what’s so special about His description? John describes Jesus voice like the voice of many waters. I was speaking with someone one day about the meaning of this, and they were fully convinced that the voice of many waters meant that Jesus had a deep voice. Here’s the problem, the book of Revelation actually defines what this means.

15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”

Revelation 17:15

Jesus’ voice is the voice of many waters because Jesus isn’t bound to one language or people. We are to go make disciples of all nations, regardless of language, people, or nations. We are called to spread the good news about Jesus.

We don’t have to learn Hebrew or Greek in order to read the Word of God because it is not bound to any one language. It is by the Spirit that we understand. The language it is translated into doesn’t matter, as it does not change the words.

Therefore, go, make disciples of many nations. Spread the good news. Share the Gospel.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The Waters Flow. 

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Seek Consistently

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” ~ Luke 11:5-10

It’s the three-strand cord explained in obscurity. So, I will decipher it for you. Now, the friend asks his friend for a very specific number of loaves – three… to be sure.

Jesus said that the friend will not get out of his bed to give him what he asks for because he is his friend… but because of his incessant asking and his continual knocking, he will give him all that he needs – this friend is super persistent.

Now imagine, if the friend had let his head drop, his shoulders slump, and had turned around and walked away. He would have been out of luck. He would have left there empty-handed.

And I’m very much afraid that that is what happens to a whole lot of us Christians. We don’t persistently knock. We won’t continually ask. We fail to consistently seek.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Consistently.

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Do Not Shrink Away From Offense

6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. ~ Matthew 11:6

Jesus’ words, teachings, commands often offended people. The Jews picked up stones to kill Him more than once, and nothing has changed today. Just the very mention of the name of Jesus gets people uptight and offended. So what are we to do? Do we dim the light to make the darkness feel more comfortable for Bubba in the back row Do we soften the truth so that those… who love lies… won’t be offended?

Look, we are not called to make Jesus palatable—we are called to proclaim Him as LORD. We are not called to edit the Gospel—we are called to preach it, in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

We are not called to win the world by becoming like it—we are called to shine as lights in this world of darkness, holding fast to the Word of Life (Philippians 2:15–16).

The world may call His words “harsh.” The false teachers may call His commands “unloving.” But we know that His words are life. His truth is freedom. His Gospel is power. So, how can we do anything but preach the Gospel as recorded 2000 years ago?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Shrink Away From Offense.

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A Weighted Bread

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the LORD, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

The physical manifests in the spiritual, and the spiritual has either rewards or consequences. Now, let us consider the significance of what Paul just said. Two words jump out at us as we read that:

  1. Unworthy
    • Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD.
  2. Discerning
    • 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This is the only time that those two particular variations of those words are used in the New Testament. However, the lemma for discerning is used several times. But as it is, Paul is saying that this is a very solemn time. It’s not a time for fun and games, and playing pattycake. It’s a time to inspect yourself and ask the hard questions that require honest answers.

Am I living a Christian life? Am I sexually pure? Meaning I’m not sleeping with someone who is not my spouse. I’m not engaged in pornography or illicit behavior. Am I mixing the occult with the things of God? Am I walking in love, righteousness, and holiness? Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? A sin that nobody knows about— but me: Hatred? Lust? Any ungodliness at all?

This is the time to search your heart and ask as David asked in Psalms 139:23-24. An introspective evaluation must take place. Otherwise, Paul is suggesting that eating and drinking in an unworthy manner, along with not discerning the body of Christ, will make you terminally ill and eventually cause you to die.

Subsequently, the other side of the coin is that if you do eat worthily and discerningly, you will receive life. But not just life, but life more abundantly, because Jesus is “The Bread of Life.” Meaning, you will receive the three-strand cord of Jesus’ atoning and redemptive work as described by the prophet Isaiah 53:5. The atoning work of Jesus gives us unlimited access to the Throne of Grace.

Thank You LORD for giving me the opportunity to approach Your Thone of Grace without fear but in confidence. Thank You LORD for Your sacrifice that has given me this opportunity. Please search me. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might be convicted within myself of all sins I have given into. Please help me to see them and overcome them. Open my eyes to their dangers and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Help me to take Your communion only with a pure heart and a right spirit within me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Forsake Que Sera Sera

48 That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. 50 And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” ~ Deuteronomy 32:48-52

It’s now been 40 years since the people of Israel left the land of Egypt. Moses has died and Joshua has received the heavy mantle of leading the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, The Promised Land. How did we get here?

Moses led the people of Israel in the wilderness faithfully for forty years. Neither their clothes nor sandals wore down (Deuteronomy 29:5). Yet Moses never made it into the Promised Land. Why? Throughout their time in the wilderness a Rock followed them in order to provide them with drinking water as they journeyed 40 years. The LORD told Moses, speak to the Rock so water may come out of it, but instead Moses struck the Rock. Not once, but twice. And the LORD told him that because of his actions he would die on Mount Nebo. He would never step into the promised land, but only see it from a distance.

This wasn’t just disobedience. This was anger driven disobedience. Moses had, once again, let his anger get the best of him, and the LORD had had enough. So, instead of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land he had to go to the top of Mount Nebo, in the Land of Moab and die a premature death. His body wasn’t ready, but that physical act of disobedience caused a spiritual reaction that ended up costing him his promise and his very life.

Just because God has a plan for your life doesn’t mean that you will see that plan be fulfilled. It is up to you to make the right decision and take the right steps. God has done His part. He planned good things for you and gave the plan to you. It is up to you to follow it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forsake Que Sera Sera.

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Watch Your Intellect

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. ~ Proverbs 3:5-8

Something I’ve noticed and been thinking more and more about recently, is that the more book smart someone is, the more they seem to struggle with understanding the Bible and who God is. I guess sometimes God doesn’t fit our logic. Well, I think a lot of the time, He doesn’t. God does things that we just don’t understand. He does things we disagree with. And what I’ve been really noticing is the smarter someone is, the harder it is for them to fully trust God at His Word, so they use their own logic and their own understanding.

Learning and growing intellectually is important but never let that get to your head. Never let it blind you from seeing the Truth of who God is. Never let it create your own truth. It’s very easy to put your own ideas in the Bible. Here’s what I mean. It’s very easy to twist Scripture to make it say what you want, especially when you are very smart. It’s also very easy to believe that what you have twisted and misinterpreted is correct and truth.

So, what should we do? Stop seeking intellectualism? No. We should always seek to become more knowledgeable, but we should always make sure that our source for understanding is God and not our own wisdom. For the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of man. So, don’t think more of yourself than you ought, always humble yourself before God seeking His Truth and not your own. Seeking His wisdom and not your own. That is the only way we can walk a straight path back to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch Your Intellect.

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Forsake Your Idea of God

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ~ Exodus 3:14

As a child one of the greatest trilogies to be released was Spy Kids. I still watch it as an adult. In the second movie they introduce a character, Romero, who created genetically modified animals such as spider-monkeys, slizzards, flying pigs, etc. He had originally created them to be miniature to sell a unique petting zoo for children, but he accidentally made them grow very large when he spilled chemicals on them. Because of this, he became frightened of his own creation and hid from them ever since.

When he meets the two main characters, Carman and Junie, he poses a question to them, “Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he’s created?” I think he perfectly sums up the average person today. Not that the average person believes God is afraid of us but that the average person sees God through their own experience and therefore makes false comparisons, creating wrong ideas of who God is and how He sees us.

See, we can’t all just decide how we see God and each person’s own opinions are all right. If one sees Him as loving and good, while the other sees Him as malevolent and evil, those are two contradicting ideas that cannot both be true. So, how can we know whose opinion of God is correct? It’s very simple actually. No one’s opinion of God is right. It’s God’s own description of Himself that is the sole Truth. It doesn’t matter what we think God is or should be or what we what Him to be. It matters who He is.

How do we know who He is? We read the Word He gave us. The Bible. The Word of God that has not been changed nor corrupted. The Word of God that is infallible, without error or contradiction. That is what we base our belief of God on. We throw aside our own opinions for the Truth of God. We deny our flesh, pick up our cross, and follow Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forsake Your Idea of God.

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