Devotionals Archives

March 7, 2022February 26, 2022

Show Up

⁵And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went about among the villages teaching. ~ Mark 6:5-6

The Bible encourages us that healing is the Children’s bread and that by His (Jesus’) stripes have been healed. In other words, God wants to heal all of us, yet so many aren’t healed. There’s cancer, disease, pain, suffering, depression, anxiety all throughout the Church. We don’t look any different than the world, yet Jesus paid for our healing. He already paid our debt, so why don’t we see more miracles, especially in the Church?

We have become Nazareth. Jesus’ hometown was where He did the least amount of miracles. It wasn’t because He didn’t have the power to do so, but because they didn’t have the faith to receive it. They saw Jesus as just a carpenter’s son, not as the Son of Almighty God. They couldn’t get past their own perception of Christ. We’re no different. We see Jesus as our Savior, we even believe miracles are possible, but we don’t have the faith that Jesus still works today. He told us that the faith of a mustard seed could move mountains and even do the impossible.

We grew up not seeing the lame walk, the dumb talk, or the blind see. We grew up not seeing signs and wonders, so we don’t see that as a reality. We’ve become stuck like Nazareth. They wanted the Messiah to come. They saw the wisdom in His teaching, but they couldn’t get past how they saw Him. They couldn’t get past their own opinions of what the Messiah should be so that they could see all that He was. That’s where we are today. We believe, but we don’t have the faith. It’s like we’re in court, we have the best defense attorney in the world, but unless we show up and do our part, we might as well not have an attorney at all. That’s what faith is; it’s showing up; Jesus already did the rest.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Show Up.

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Seek Out Your Worth

⁷Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. ~ Luke 12:7

There are 7.9 billion people living on the earth today in almost 200 countries around the world. With so many people, in so many different cultures, doing so many different things, it’s easy to feel alone and insignificant. It’s easy to feel invisible and meaningless. But you aren’t.

Think about this, the God that created all of those people created you as well. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He picked out your hair color and your eye color. In fact, He numbers the very hairs on your head. Why? Because you’re important to Him. He loves you.

Let that sink in for a minute. The God that created everything we see and don’t see took the time to form you in your mother’s womb to make you the unique person that you are. He gave each of us a special gift and a plan for our lives. A plan to give us hope and a future. A plan that He created just for us. Each person is special to God. Why? Because He created each person. You weren’t a mistake, nor were you an accident. God created you and formed you. He called you by name. He gave up His own life so that you could have a new one. So that you could be saved.

Never believe the lie that you aren’t important. The God of the entire universe knows your importance and your worth, so seek Him, and you will see it too.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Out Your Worth.

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Rejoice In His Presence

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. ~ Matthew 28:19-20

2,000 years ago, Jesus ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. Yet, He promised His disciples, before He left, that He would be with them always. That promise wasn’t just for His disciples at that time. That promise was and is for all who serve Him. It’s a promise that is still true to this day. The LORD didn’t leave us as orphans. No, instead, He sent His own Spirit to dwell with us and in us. He Himself lives through us and intercedes on our behalf. The Father goes before us, clearing the way in His own name.

We have not been abandoned. Be encouraged; the God of this universe is with you always. He isn’t a far-off and distant God that is unreachable and inaccessible. He is the God that is close. All you have to do is call on His name, and He will answer you. Seek Him, and you will find Him. He is a God that desires to be close to His people, for His place is with His children. So, rejoice and be merry, for the LORD God is in your life, and He is doing great things for you and through you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rejoice In His Presence.

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Walk In Love

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Without love, we are nothing. It’s not all about you. It’s not all about us. It’s about Jesus. It’s about salvation. It’s about loving others that they may believe and live and not die. Outside of the free world, there are Christians who are constantly persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Yet, they don’t hate their persecutors; they pray for them. They show love every chance they get because they understand that without love, they are nothing. Without love, we don’t have hope because without love, we don’t even have Christ. Therefore, show love regardless of what others show you. We don’t repay evil for evil; no, we overcome evil with good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk In Love.

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Lighten The Darkness Around You

⁹Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ~ Matthew 24:9–12

According to Jesus’ own words, all nations will unite against Christians and hate us for His name’s sake. If it is all nations, that sounds to me like this would include the United Nations. They just do not like our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. But why?

I’ll tell you why. It is a spiritual thing. The world has gone secular because it is run by secular men and women. And the name of Jesus is left out because that is the only name given to us by which we can be saved.

It is a name that the secular would rather steer away from. Because once you come into contact with that name, you will no longer deceive the world.

- You will no longer have selfish ambitions
- You will no longer have selfish desires
- You will no longer lie and cheat and steal
- You will no longer be bound as a slave to sin
- For whom the Son sets free, is free indeed

The world is getting darker, but we are still the light of the world, for Christ Jesus lives through us. The only way to brighten the darkness around us is to share the name of Christ with all willing to listen.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Lighten The Darkness Around You.

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Share Each Other’s Burdens

²Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. ~ Galatians 6:2

A lot of times, we go through things that our friends can’t always understand, or we feel we have to bear the load on our own. Christ didn’t die for us so that we could live alone and carry our own burdens. If we go to someone with our problems, instead of trying to carry the load by ourselves, the load will become lighter.

No, not everyone is going to go through the same exact struggle as you, but your true friends won’t judge you and tear you down; they’ll help you up and help you carry the load until the burden has been lifted. And once our burden is lifted, we can help someone else carry their load. We don’t have to live this life alone; we have each other.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share Each Other’s Burdens.

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Sympathize With Each Other

⁸Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ~ 1 Peter 3:8

No one can go through this world alone. Everyone needs help. We are one body in Christ Jesus; that means that we don’t and can’t work alone. The hand needs the arms just as much as it needs the stomach or the legs. The body needs each limb and each organ in order to work perfectly. You are not alone. Everyone needs help. And once you’ve gotten help, pay it forward and help another. Be there for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sympathize With Each Other.

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Fight Like A Child of God

⁷But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ~ John 15:7

As Christians, we’ve been promised that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus, it will be given to us. Yet so many of us ask and don’t receive. Why? A lot of the time, what we ask for would only hurt us because it takes us farther from the will of God. There is nothing that we could imagine for ourselves that could even compare to the plans that the Father has for us.

So, how do we receive answers to our prayers? We have to remain in the LORD and in His word. How many of us can honestly say that we have sought the LORD like Elijah did? Or have you had the faith of Abraham? Or the righteousness of Job? When our hearts yearn for the LORD, and our desires begin to match His, then we see our prayers begin to be answered. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be answered the next day. Daniel didn’t get an answer for 21 days. Elijah had to pray 7 times for rain. Abraham had to wait 25 years for his promised child. If we want our prayers answered and promises to become our reality, we have to start fighting like the great men and women of God we read about in Scripture. This is a spiritual war. We have to do our part if we want God to do His.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight Like A Child of God.

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Hold To The Great Hope

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works. ~ Titus 2:11-14

We don’t live in utter hopelessness like the world. We have hope that the LORD will fulfill His promises and come back for us. No matter how dark the world around us gets, the Light of the World dwells in us and through us. We have been saved by grace through faith that we might no longer be a slave to sin, but now we are free in Christ Jesus. We have hope. One day our God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and give us a new earth that is perfect for us to live with Him forever. So, don’t let the world around you bring you down or take your joy; there is always hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To The Great Hope.

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Humble Yourself Before Judgment Day

¹²For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. ~ Proverbs 3:12

Correction is a process that the majority of us don’t look forward to. We don’t like to know that we’re doing something wrong, especially if it’s something we like. It feels almost like a personal attack when we’re corrected, but then we miss why we’re being corrected. I’ve heard so many people that say, ‘If you’re not God and this isn’t Judgment Day, you have no right to judge me.’ Like the majority of people, I’m not a fan of correction, but I’d much rather know that I’m doing something wrong so I can correct it before Judgment Day comes when it’ll be too late to do anything about it.

Something that we have to understand is that correction isn’t a personal attack on the person getting corrected; it’s a chance given to us to better ourselves before it’s too late. What if someone is correcting us out of hate instead of love? Don’t let someone’s delivery stop you from growing. If someone corrects you accurately, but they do it hatefully, let God deal with their delivery, and you worry about you. That’s not an easy task, but it is a possible one. The moment we stop worrying about our own pride is the moment that other people’s words and judgments won’t tear us down. When we change our focus to God instead of ourselves, these minimal issues don’t seem so big.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Humble Yourself Before Judgment Day.

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