Tag: Devotionals

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A Heart of Stone

27 Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. ~ Exodus 9:27-28, 34

Whenever the plague became too unmanageable for Pharaoh, he relented and agreed to God’s request. But as soon as the LORD relented and removed the plague from him and his kingdom, Pharaoh fell into his old ways again. God did wonder after wonder in the land of Egypt, yet as soon as every wonder was complete, Pharaoh forgot the power he had just witnessed. His heart was stubborn. He had a heart of stone instead of a heart of flesh. Everything he said he would do he went back on as soon as the pain eased. As soon as the suffering ended.

This is the same with us today. We forget the power of God so quickly. We forget the goodness and grace of God so fast. During times of trial and tribulation, we seek God. When things go wrong, we are in church every Sunday, but as soon as we are rescued from our tribulation, we stop going to church. We stop praying. We stop seeking. Our hearts are stubborn as stone. We forget too quickly who God is and all that He has done for us.

LORD God, please replace our heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Please envelope us in Your everlasting love that we might not forget who You are and all that You have done for us. Help us not to just come to You in the bad but help us to seek You in every season of our lives. Teach us to pray and seek You daily that our hearts may never be hardened against You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Dangers of Growing Cold

20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. ~ Judges 16:20

Samson had grown so spiritually cold that he couldn’t feel when the Spirit of the LORD left him. Samson had become spiritually asleep. He was the Judge at the time. The leader of the people of Israel, and yet, even he succumbed to the distractions of this world. And when the Philistines came, he could no longer defend himself. Samson had become just as weak as everyone else. He had become human.

This still happens to us today. We allow the distractions of this world to slowly wean us off of God so that we don’t even realize that we are no longer abiding in His love. They distract us with our jobs, family, friends, past, television, riots and chaos, depression and grief, and every kind of temptation known to man. The world keeps us so busy that we forget to make time for God, and we stray from His protecting presence. Then when the world attacks, we are like a sitting duck. We have nothing to protect us.

But just as God redeemed Samson when he humbled himself and called out to Him, so will He redeem us when we humble ourselves and call out to Him. Our God didn’t die on the cross and rise again just to leave us in chains and slaves to sin. No matter what we’ve done or how far we’ve run, God will always come running to our rescue when we bend our knees and call on His name.

LORD God, please awaken the sleeping spirit within us. Let us hear Your voice and feel Your Holy presence once again. Help us to be aware of the distractions of the world surrounding us, that we might not fall into any trap set before us. Guide us on our journey back to You, LORD God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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What You Seek You Will Find

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ~ Exodus 3:2-4

It wasn’t until Moses sought out to know why the bush was not burned that God actually called out to him. If Moses had just kept walking, he would’ve missed out on his call. But because he drew near to God, even though he didn’t know it, God drew near to him. All it took was Moses seeking out the Truth for him to indirectly seek out and find God.

So, many of us miss out on our call because we don’t seek out the Truth; we seek out our truth. Whatever we seek, we will find. When we seek evil, we will find evil. When we seek good, we will find good. When we seek our version of the truth, we will find false truth. When we seek the Truth, we find the Truth. We find God.

LORD God, help us to seek the Truth. Your Truth and not our own. Help us to never seek out what is false simply because it’s easier or because it’s what our flesh desires. Guide us on the path You have laid out for us, that we might abide in Your perfect love. That we might receive every good and perfect gift, You have in store for us. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Spirit of Division

24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ~ Mark 3:24-25

A Spirit of Division has engulfed the Church. We are divided on almost everything from politics to race. And now, we are becoming divided on core Christian beliefs that never used to be questioned, but have now been deemed offensive, intolerant, hateful, and harmful. Why do we think that is? Our enemy knows that if he can bind the Church, then he can freely plunder the nation.

So, if he can get the Church distracted from being one in Christ Jesus and praying for our nation, then he can easily bind us up. When we are divided, we are giving the enemy okay to come into our nation and bind us up. We have to see past the divisive tactics of the enemy so that we can pray for the soul of our country. Because if we aren’t careful, when we are tied up, we could fall spiritually asleep and never finish the race set before us. So much is at stake, we have to overcome this Spirit of Division and come together in one accord as they were in the Upper Room on Pentecost, because that’s the only way we will see mountains begin to move and the soul of the country begin to be restored.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rebuke the Spirit of Division.

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Be Like a Sentry on Guard

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful. ~ 2 Samuel 11:2

The application here is that David had become spiritually lazy; he found himself in bed instead of out fighting the war with his soldiers. We are in a war, a spiritual war. A battle for our souls and the souls of our family, our friends, our congregations, our neighbors, those we know, and those we don’t even know.

We cannot afford to lie on beds and fall asleep while the battle rages all around us, we need to be doing what God has called us to be doing, and one of those things is our private time. If David was in his private time, he would not have been where he was not supposed to be, and not gazing at another man’s wife and lusting in his heart.

Spiritual laziness leads to spiritual slumber, and that’s exactly where David found himself; spiritually asleep. David started to think in his mind. He probably even fantasied about her. David had several wives by then, so it was not like he needed yet another. But the lust of the eye, as John wrote about in 1 John 2, got the best of him.

That is why we can’t let down our guard for one second; we must always be on the alert like a sentry. God warned Cain that sin is always on the attack; it never sleeps because it knows what it wants. You are what it desires. So, stay alert, armed, and ready to defend yourself from all attacks of the Evil One.

Dear LORD God, please awaken our sleeping spirit within us. Help us to stay awake, guarding our minds, hearts, and eyes as a sentry guard’s the gate protecting all inside the walls from any and all intruders. Help us to grow that we might not become distracted during our private time, prayer time, worship time, or Bible time. Help us to be on guard that we might successfully defend all attacks of the Evil One. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Dangers of the Second Look

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

As God told Cain, Sin is constantly at our door. There will never be a time when sin isn’t attacking us until Jesus returns for His bride. But we can defend ourselves against sin by doing what is just and right. And sin’s tactics haven’t changed from the beginning. With every sin, it’s the second glance, the second look that opens the door to the crouching sin. And all it needs is a small crack, a tiny little opening and in it comes like a flood.

This is where sin gets us, in our thoughts. In our fantasies. Because someone will say, I’m only looking to see, not to find. There is nothing wrong with looking as long as I don’t touch. Just remember, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is to get in and devour you. If you don’t shut it down at this point, you’ve 95% lost the battle.

We have to tear down every thought, opinion, word, and desire that is displeasing to God. We have to crucify the flesh with all of its pleasures and desires. We have to stand firm on the Word of God and make the firm decision to follow Him. That is the only way we will ever be able to overcome evil with good.

Dear LORD God, please give us the strength to overcome. Give us the desire to overcome. Let our hearts and our eyes not be swayed by the things of this world, but instead, may our heart’s desires be for You. May we strive for Your presence and Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Ready Your Sling

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. ~ 1 Samuel 17:38-40

Sometimes we lose sight of what we are meant to do. We get caught up in the glamour of things. And I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have nice things or that God doesn’t want us to have nice things. I’m saying that sometimes God wants to use something simple and easy to show how great and powerful He is.

King Saul, out of concern for David’s life, clothed David in his own armor, not realizing that God had something greater in store for David to use. David, because of his quiet time with God, had the Spirit of Discernment. He could discern that that armor wasn’t meant for him. He understood that God had something greater in store for him to use so that God could get all of the glory and praise.

Sometimes God uses large, elaborate things to get His point across, but sometimes He just uses something simple like a rock and a sling. This is the importance of quiet time. The more time you spend with God, the better you know Him and the clearer His subtle voice becomes. Because as you become closer with God, you will be able to discern when to use your sword and when to use your sling.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ready Your Sling.

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Yesterday’s Faithfulness Guarantees Today’s Victories

32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” ~ 1 Samuel 17:32-37

By now, Goliath was taunting the Israelite army for a whole of 40 days. That is running to almost a month and a half now, and nothing was being done about him. Even the king, the mighty king Saul was afraid to fight hand to hand combat with the giant.

So, David began to inquire about the situation as if he was going to do something about it. The men who heard him were clutching at straws when they relayed the news to the king. But when the king called him in and saw that he was only a teenage boy, I’m sure his heart fell. His high hopes of Israel’s pride and confidence being restored were quickly smashed.

But David insisted, not out of pride, but out of confidence, because we walk by faith, not by sight. David remembered his quiet time. He remembered how he killed the lion with the help of God. He remembered how he killed the bear with the help of God. He was confident in who his God was because he had spent time with his God. He had a personal relationship with Him. David was able to not only face Goliath but fully defeat him with the help of God because of his great faith.

This is how we are to fight the giants in our lives. Some will say it’s impossible to overcome the giants in your land. They’ll tell you you’re too young like they told David. Or too poor, too weak. Or they’ll bring up your past or your parents’ past. They’ll give you every reason they can think of that this giant in your way will overcome you, but as long as you follow God with faith and confidence, you can overcome any giant in your land.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember the Lion and the Bear.

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Freedom Isn’t Free

11b … for they loved not their lives even unto death. ~ Revelation 12:11b

There is a famous quote that is always popular around this time of the year. It says, “All gave some, but some gave all.” Today we remember those who gave all. The fallen, those who loved country more than self. Who loved family and freedom more than their own lives.

We remember and honor those soldiers who kissed their loved ones goodbye as they proudly donned their uniforms, knowing fully well they may never return. Yet through tears and heartache, they tore themselves away to fight a war and pay the price for others to have the right to kneel when the national anthem is played. To chant death to America while enjoying her freedom.

With their own blood, they bought and paid for the right and freedom for others to say how unfair and unequal America is and how they are being kept down while being paid millions of dollars a year and living in mansions.

These were just ordinary men and ordinary women, making an ordinary salary, with ordinary lives that were cut short way too soon. Not given the chance to live, to enjoy the freedom they so desperately fought so hard to preserve, we honor you.

We thank their families for their sacrifice, a sacrifice we do not take for granted. While it may just be a holiday to some, to us, it’s a day of remembrance. A day to call to memory the countless names, the faces, the friends, the fathers, the sons, the daughters. We will never forget their great sacrifice. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Father, thank You for freedom. Thank you for the brave soldiers who died to give us the right to live free and without fear of persecution. May we never forget their sacrifice, and may America always remember the blood that was shed for her, including the precious blood of Your Son Jesus. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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Are You Making Time For Private Time?

1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. ~ 2 Samuel 11:1

King David sent Joab to do the job he himself should have been doing. Too often, we rely on someone else to do our praising for us. We come to church and sit back content with the person next to us raising their hands in worship or singing to the LORD. We can’t get too emotional. We can’t let done our guarded dignity. What if someone sees us shed a tear? You know real men don’t cry.

We are satisfied with listening to a message and never applying it to our own lives. Well, that message was for someone else, not for me. We’ve even stopped praying for ourselves; we call the preacher and the prayer team to pray for us? Now I’m not putting down the power of agreement in prayer, but when we send for someone else to do our praying for us, we are in big trouble.

The truth is, it is everyone’s job to have their own private time with God so that He can refill, renew and replenish us. It is in those times that we learn to lean on the everlasting arm of the LORD. Private time is that important. If you don’t have one, then you give the Devil the opportunity to lead you into sin.

Dear LORD God, please help us to see the importance of private time. Give us the desire to have private time with You, that we might make it a priority in our lives. So that when temptations or tribulations come, we will be prepared. We will have a strong foundation to stand on. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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