Tag: Devotionals

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We Know Good, But God Knows Best

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ~ Luke 5:1–7

Please notice that Jesus, knowing that Peter had not caught anything all night fishing, wanted to pay him for the use of his boat. But Peter knowing good, said it was useless to go back out there because there were no fish out there. Jesus, knowing best, told Peter to go ahead and push on out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Peter was tired and weary from working all night, now he had the added burden of washing his nets and will have to wash them again after catching nothing again. Peter knew good, and well, there were no fish out there to catch.

But Jesus insisted, go on, Peter, just try it. Peter did not want to go and try it. He wanted to feel sorry for himself and go home. But in obedience, he did as Jesus had instructed. The result? They caught so many fish that they had to call for help from their partners, and both boats were filled that they both began to sink.

The moral of the story is: even if it doesn’t make sense, even if you know that it is probably a useless thing to do if Jesus says to do it, do it. Just trust Him because we know good, but God knows best.

Father, help me to be obedient to Your word, no matter how silly and useless it may seem to me. Help me to understand that I might know good, but You know best. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Strive to be Holy

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ~ Hebrews 12:14NIV

Holiness is a word we don’t hear very often in the Church anymore, and when we do hear it, it is taken a bit out of context. We are led to believe that holiness consists entirely of our outward appearances. I heard a sister commenting on another sister’s way of dress, because of the no sleeves, that she would rather sit in church with someone who did not have love than someone dressed like that.

I’m not saying dress is nothing because it is something, but not everything, and it definitely is not the sign of holiness. Look around at some of the folk who are covered from head to toe, is that holiness?

But we’ve strayed so far from what true holiness is that we’ve lost our way, and nobody is trying to point us back in the right direction. We watch any old filth on the TV with the most explicit language and nudity and sexual content, and we don’t even bat an eye. Our consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

Holiness isn’t necessarily the way you dress but the way you act. Holiness is what’s on the inside. So, if all you’re pumping inside of you is filth, then all that can come out of you is filth. Feed your spirit with Godly things, and deny your flesh that you may grow and become more holy like God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive to be Holy.

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Where Does Your Faith Come From?

…Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? ~ Luke 18:8

As they say, Faith is more than just the name of a woman. It’s more than just a feeling. It’s crucial to our Christian walk. For the Scriptures tell us by faith the Old Testament heroes who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection:

It’s difficult to walk by faith if our eyes are always searching for proof or evidence. Faith is the bedrock that our firm foundation is built on. Just to clarify, faith in who Jesus is and in the truth of His promises to us is the bedrock that our firm foundation is built on. You see:

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark to save his household. By faith, Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age since she considered him faithful who had promised. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith, Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents.

By faith…by faith…by faith… Everything that was and is done or is worth doing is all done by faith. Faith in the God you serve. We all serve someone or something; we all have faith in someone or something. Who or what do you serve? Who or what do you have faith in?

LORD God, please help us to put our faith in You and You alone. Help us to find our hope in You. Help us to fulfill Your call for our lives by strengthening our faith so that we might be able to endure whatever lies ahead of us. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Endure

13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ~ Matthew 24:13

We cannot let the worries and concerns of this life distract us. We cannot let trials and tribulations discourage us. We cannot let persecution cause us to turn back. We must endure!

This is not a game. This is real life and death for multiplied millions. This is eternity. We only have this one life God has given us to fulfill His call and His plan for our lives. We only have this one life to save as many souls as we can. Eternity never ends. It never ceases. Eternity is forever, where will you spend your eternity, and how?

What we do today will affect our tomorrow and our eternity. We never know when we will step out into eternity, tomorrow is promised to no man. So, make the stance today, right now, to stand with Christ. To witness and win souls. To be light in this dark world. Because times of trials and tribulations are coming, but we have to endure for Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Endure.

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Call On the Name of Jesus

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ~ Matthew 28:16–20

This is after the resurrection and just before the ascension. Jesus had instructed His disciples to go to a certain mountain at a certain time to meet Him there. According to Matthew, these are the last recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me….” What does that mean for us?

When Jesus said ALL authority, He actually meant ALL authority, meaning that He has authority to overrule any other and every other authority or power or word or law. No other power or authority has authority when the name of Jesus is invoked.

So, in Jesus’ name, all addiction, fear, sin, depression, oppression is broken. All things are put into submission under His feet. When troubles come, call on the name of Jesus, for His name is above all names. He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Call On The Name of Jesus.

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Proclaim The Word of God

34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. ~ 1 Kings 16:34

Remember when Joshua and the Israelites marched around Jericho thirteen times and the walls came tumbling down? He placed a curse on the place, on ruined city of Jericho, but according to 1 Kings, it was not Joshua’s own original thoughts, but the word of God that he proclaimed. Clearly, this was the power of proclaiming the word of the LORD.

Prayer is our greatest weapon in our arsenal, yet it is one we hardly ever use. And when we do use it, we use it with timidity, we handle it like it’s a complicated piece of technology. When prayer is talking to your heavenly Father and your heavenly Father talking back to you. It’s the power of the proclamation of God’s word, or better yet, claiming and speaking God’s word into your life, into your situation.

There is nothing too difficult for our God to do, therefore, all things are possible for him or her who believes. You just have to believe, and then proclaim. So, proclaim God’s word over your life, but please understand that proclamation is not a mantra. Proclamation is speaking the word of God with strength, power, and faith. This is God’s word to me and my family, or to my country, or whatever situation you find yourself in.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Proclaim The Word of God.

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Teach Me To Pray

23 Therefore He said He would destroy them— had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. ~ Psalm 106:23

Can you just imagine that God said that He would have destroyed them if it was not for one man standing in the gap? Now think about if it was your family and God was about to destroy them, but He’s waiting for a little while hoping for someone, anyone, for you, the Christian, His chosen one, to intercede for your family. But you’re busy doing this and caught up doing that. Maybe things that even seem important now, or maybe it’s just unimportant things, me time, that keep you from praying for the souls of your loved ones. I shudder at the thought. If I would have only prayed…

Father, help me not to grow weary of interceding for my family and loved ones. Help me to see the extreme emergency of praying for my lost loved ones. Help me to remember that every day is precious, and you never know when it will be someone’s last. Teach me to pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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The Waiting Game

11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. ~ 1 Samuel 16:11-13

David was anointed king from time he was a boy, but he didn’t see the full throne of Israel until he was a grown man with multiple children. Sometimes our promises take longer than we expect, but look at what it says, 13 And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. So, from the day he was anointed (called), the Spirit of the LORD was upon him. God didn’t anoint him, then abandon him to wait and hope one day he would just figure it all out. God was with him every day from the moment he was called to be king. He was strengthening and preparing David for everything that would be before him, and because of this, David was Israel’s greatest king and a man after God’s own heart.

David wasn’t ready for his call immediately. It took many hours of quiet time with the LORD to prepare him for his call. Sometimes, we rush into our call because we’ve been anointed, but the waiting game is just as important as the call itself because what you do in private will be what you do in public. All things done in the dark will be brought to light. So, take that time to strengthen your faith. Build a strong foundational relationship with God so that when trials, tribulations, and pitfalls come, you have something to lean back on, so you don’t hit the ground when you stumble or fall. Meditate on and learn Scripture. Build yourself up Spiritually, but most importantly learn who you are in Christ Jesus so you will never be shaken.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Play The Waiting Game.

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The Night Will End

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ~ Exodus 32:1

The night sometimes feels never-ending. Every time God did something miraculous for the people of Israel, Pharaoh would relent just to change his mind. He even made their work harder for them. Then when they finally felt they were safe, here comes Pharaoh and his army blocking them in against the Red Sea. Now that their free from Pharaoh, Moses has disappeared on Mount Sinai for days. They haven’t seen him or heard from him, so fear strikes their hearts, and they fall back into their old ways.

This is how it is with us today. When we get saved, sometimes the process to our Helmet of Salvation is a tedious long battle. We try to go to Church, but something comes up. We try to pray, but we don’t feel we know how. We try to worship, but we feel self-conscious. We try to follow God, but it feels impossible. And at each and every step, fear and doubt are right there in our ears, reminding us of our past. They’re telling us we can’t do it. They’re telling us we’re not good enough. Fear and doubt will keep you wondering in the wilderness for as long as you allow them to.

When thoughts of doubt, self-hatred, shame, or anything discouraging enters our minds, we have to fight it. How? Refuse to think those thoughts by quoting Scripture and reminding yourself of who you are in Christ Jesus. The night may seem endless, but don’t worry, joy comes in the morning.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Wait Out The Night.

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It’s Always Darkest Right Before the Dawn

22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You done evil to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.” ~ Exodus 4:1

The LORD had just sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh for the first time, but Pharaoh, instead of letting God’s people go, made their work harder. The people of Israel then turned to Moses and started accusing him. So, fear struck Moses’ heart because he never believed he should go in the first place, but now the people of Israel are getting punished for His obedience to God.

Fear will show darken everything around you as much as possible so that you won’t realize dawn is right around the corner. In order to make it to the bright, beautiful sunny day, you have to first make it through the cold, dark night. In the beginning, God said there was darkness, then God spoke into that darkness and made light. He also said there was evening then morning. Jesus went through His night, the suffering of the cross and death so that He might reap His day, the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).

Don’t let fear convince you that night will last forever. It may get very dark, and you may be very afraid, but it’s always darkest right before the rising of the sun. And when that sun rises, joy will come. For joy comes in the morning.

Dear LORD, please give us the faith, courage, and strength to make it through our darkest nights. Please don’t allow fear to consume us by lying to us and showing us only the darkness around us. Show us Your hope in the darkness, oh LORD, and teach us to see Your light no matter what time of night it is. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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