Devotionals Archives

December 21, 2020May 28, 2021

Prophecy of The First Christmas

“⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” ~ Isaiah 9:6-7

The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, wrote this prophecy, as he was moved by the Spirit of God some 700 years before the birth of Jesus. In the midst of rebellion and insurrection against God and fear of invasion from their enemies because of idolatry, God had a plan to redeem not only Israel but all mankind by sending a Savior. But not only a Savior, but God Himself. How do I know that for sure? Look again at the verse above. Isaiah boldly proclaims that one of this Savior’s Names is Mighty God. That is truly amazing, since God, through Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4 said: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Who is this Savior or Messiah? Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The One who was born 2000 years ago and who was crucified for the sins of mankind, who rose from the dead on the third day and is seated at the right hand of the Father. What’s more, He is coming back again, and soon. Praise the LORD!

Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the Cross. I pray that the eyes of doubters will be opened and harden hearts repent. That they may receive that very first Christmas present, The Presence of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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The Sign of The First Christmas

“¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah told king Ahaz to ask the LORD for a sign. Any sign he wanted would have been done for him to see that the LORD God was going to deliver Judah out of the hands of the king of Syria and the king of Israel. But king Ahaz said no thank you, I will not ask. How often do we get the opportunity to ask for something, but we don’t, for whatever reason, and we miss out on a blessing? James said in his epistle that we have not because we ask not.

I remember many years ago, we were doing a 21-day fast, and we had maybe about 21 people participating. One night while praying and worshiping with everyone, I felt like the LORD was saying, ask me for anything you want. So, I told everyone there what I felt. I am not sure if anyone there asked. I was so caught in the moment; I never did ask for anything.

Ahaz, on the other hand, sounded so pious when he said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” But Ahaz was into idol worship and didn’t want to give them up because he rathered relying on the king of Assyria, whose gods he was worshiping. But this is what James said, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask:” (James 3:2).

But, God said, you know what, I’m going to give you a sign anyway because this sign is not for you alone, but for all people past, present, and future. What seems like an impossible task is what brought us salvation, for what is impossible with man is possible with God. This Christmas, put all doubt aside, cancel all reservations, and put the LORD God to the test and ask.

Heavenly Father, give Your people the confidence to approach your throne of grace with confidence and boldness that they may ask, claiming the promises You have promised us. And when we ask, please hear, and when You hear, please answer. Thank you for the sign of the first Christmas. We accept Your salvation, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Imitate Jesus’ Speech

“²⁹Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” ~ Ephesians 4:29

As Christians, we often ask why we can’t say certain things or why we can’t joke a certain way. But Paul made it quite clear, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, why? Because what comes out of your mouth reflects what is in your heart. If your talk is dirty and filled with corruption, then your heart is dirty and corrupted. If your heart is dirty and corrupted, then your soul is dirty and corrupted.

As Christians, we can’t expect to talk and act like the world when we are supposed to be separate from the world. We have to follow in God’s footsteps, not the world’s. Our speech should imitate Jesus’; our walk should imitate Jesus’. We should be like Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Imitate Jesus’ Speech.

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The Little Green Monster

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” ~ James 3:16

The driving factor for all quarreling, envy, and strife is the fact that we think more of ourselves than we ought. According to Paul, we should try to seek the good of others rather than always trying to be first (see 1 Cor 10:24). Think about what angers us when we get on the road. Someone cuts us off or hesitates a little too long at the light, and our anger flares. We get all bent out of shape because we had to wait a few extra seconds; if you notice, that doesn’t really set us back that far.

I remember several years ago, we had just moved to a new city, and I was still figuring out where everything was and how to get there. One morning I was taking my mother-in-law to the clinic for medical treatment – for a sickness to which she eventually succumbed to a few days later. We came to a light, and I was unsure where to go; because of unfamiliarity with the area, coupled with the fact that I was concerned for my mother-in-law, I hesitated a little too long.

A very impatient driver sat on their horn as they sped past. Needless to say, rushed, we took the wrong turn. I believe if the driver of the other car knew the circumstance, they would have acted differently. We should try to treat others with more respect than we think they deserve and stop all the unnecessary anger. Be willing to accept the wrong, even if it is not ours to bear (1 Cor 6:7). Then we will begin to light our dark corner of the world.

Heavenly Father, please help us to make a difference in our communities that are filled with so much hate and anger. Let us not be caught up in that spirit of anger but to operate in the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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The Battle For Forgiveness

God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, Lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. “Return quickly to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. You can settle in the land of Goshen and be near me — you, your children, and grandchildren, your sheep, cattle, and all you have.

There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.”’ Look! Your eyes and my brother Benjamin’s eyes can see that it is I, Joseph, who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my father here quickly.” Then Joseph threw his arms around Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept, and afterward his brothers talked with him. ~ Genesis 45:7-15 (HCSB)

Joseph did not hold his brothers’ sins against them because he understood his being sold into slavery was used by God to save his family. If it was us, would we still feel a grudge against them because we would hang onto the pain? Or would we see the Supernatural Hand of God at work? A lot of times, after something happens, that may cause us great pain, we learn that God used that specific incident to move us Supernaturally for the better, but yet, we still hold on to the pain. We blame them. We hate them.

But surprisingly, in this case, Joseph forgave, embraced, loved, and provided for the same brothers who had caused him such harm and pain. In our lives, the situation may have been used to shift the supernatural to bring us deliverance or to separate us from the same ones that caused us great offense. Even though the relationship is not meant to be restored, forgiveness is still required.

Always remember that if we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven. Be obedient to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit as He shows you those people you need to forgive. Don’t let anything or anyone hold up your blessings or cause you not to walk right before God.

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Praise Until You Find Peace

“⁵Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation ⁶and my God.” ~ Psalms 42:5-6a

When we are depressed or mourning, the last thing we want to do is praise God. For the majority of us, we want to go deeper into depression. Go deeper into mourning. We don’t want relief because, for some reason, it begins to feel comfortable having a pity party instead of moving forward. But why?

The Devil’s mission in life is to destroy the Children of God, and if he can’t do it physically why not mentally? He sends little thoughts into our minds so that we dwell on them and sooner or later, it becomes our only thoughts. It begins to consume us and we stop moving forward. Mourning is good, but only for a time.

Don’t let your mourning overcome you as it does so many of us, including myself. You just want time to stop and because it can’t, you stop moving forward. But don’t let the enemy win. Fight back. Praise. Worship. Because God abides on the praises of His people. And where the Spirit of The LORD is, there is freedom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Praise Until You Find Peace.

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Seek Not Vanity

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, a man who had everything. 700 wives, 300 concubines, all the wisdom in the world, yet with everything he had, he was never satisfied. He was never happy. To sum-up Ecclesiastes in three words, everything is vanity. But if you get to the end of the book he explains, everything is vanity apart from God.

We go seeking happiness in success, relationships, books, TV shows, movies, video games when none of that will bring us anything other than a temporary happiness. When God, full of joy, is waiting for us to come to Him. Solomon said the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. But we’ve strayed from this idea. We’ve sought after earthly things and broken images to satisfy us and fill us up. When none of that will ever satisfy us, but instead always keep us wanting. God wants us to enjoy life, but not at the cost of losing sight of Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Not Vanity.

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Strive To Give Hope

³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ⁶This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground.

⁷And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. ¹⁰Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” ~ John 8:3-11

We’re always so quick to be on the defense when people correct us when we’re sinning. We usually bring up this verse…. but what we don’t realize is that Jesus doesn’t just say this because we’re not supposed to “judge” each other; He said this because we normally don’t see our own sin but are so quick to point out and condemn others. So it’s not the “judging” part that is the problem; it’s how they were doing it. Correction isn’t the problem. Hypocrisy is.

And when Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you,” He didn’t just stop there; He didn’t just allow her to continue in her sin, which is what a lot of us think. We think that oh Jesus loves me, He’s not gonna condemn me, but Jesus said to turn away and sin no more. That’s the part we always seem to miss because we don’t want to admit that we are in the wrong. See, once we admit we are in the wrong, then we have to change, which means denying our flesh, which we as humans don’t want to do. So the next time we get corrected, we should accept that and look at our faults because it could be a life or death situation.

And if we’re the one who is correcting another, let us check ourselves first. Let’s live as Jesus did, not as the Pharisees did. Instead, let us be an example to the world by showing mercy, love, forgiveness, and always leaving those we meet with the hope Jesus gave to this young woman.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive To Give Hope.

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The First Noel

“⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:8-12

As we celebrate, on this 25^th day of December, the birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, we reflect on the first Noel that was declared by angels to lowly shepherds. The angels were excited to share the good news of great joy. The long-prophesied, the long-awaited Messiah, was born. Not in some palace or ritzy dwelling, but in a foul-smelling, animal-filled stable.

God Himself humbled Himself and was born of a woman in order to become man so that He, through His own death, might redeem man. That is the good tidings of great joy. But it was not just for the shepherds, or the Israelites, or the rich, or the poor for that matter; it was for all people. Whomsoever will…, can come to Him.

As I mentioned, the angels were excited to share the good news that, incidentally, was not for them. How about you? Are you excited to share the good news of great joy? Are you excited to tell others, or are you intimidated? This Christmas, amidst all the celebrating, remember to put Jesus first. It’s His birthday we are commemorating. Yes, yes, I realize that Jesus was more than likely not born on December 25^th, but it’s the day we commemorate His birth.

It’s not about the day; it’s about His birth. You don’t see the Commonwealth citizens up in arms because the queen of England’s birthday is commemorated on a day other than her natural birthday. So, let us remind our friends and neighbors and even family members who have forgotten what we are actually celebrating. The birth of Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a man, to live and to die, and to be buried, and to be raised to life on the 3rd day. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is coming back to get us soon. That is the First Noel proclaimed by the angels that day or night 2000 years ago.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of eternal life with You. Give us the excitement, the boldness, and the confidence to share this good news with others.

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Let God Use Your Weaknesses

“⁹But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Many times we feel as though God could never use us because of what we’ve done. What we can’t do, but God can use anyone with a willing heart. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be the best. You just have to have the heart of a servant. The heart of someone willing to follow Jesus and God will lift you higher than your weakness. He will use all of those times you’ve messed up for good to help someone else who is struggling just as you were.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Use Your Weaknesses.

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