Devotionals Archives

February 16, 2021May 28, 2021

Obey

²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” ~ Mark 12:29-30

We always quote this verse, but we never really explain it. We never really get deep. We are quick to say, “We love God,” but do we really understand what those words mean? See, we automatically assume that loving God is just this kind of mental thing, where we say, “yep, I love God. I’m a Christian,” and that’s it. But in reality, loving God is both a mental and a physical act.

Jesus knew this would happen. Jesus knew that we would only speak with our mouths, but never act on our words, so He explained to us in the book of John that if we loved Him, if we loved God, we would keep His commands. John 14:15, “¹⁵If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Which we do, to a certain extent.

We keep the commands that suit us. We cherry-pick the commands, and we think this is okay. We think that it’s not as bad as others, so it will be overlooked. And sometimes, we just straight up refuse to believe that something is a sin because it is tradition. It is something passed down. It is something we feel was built into us. When we do this, it’s like the young man that committed adultery in the book of Proverbs. Just as “he [did] not know that it [would] cost him his life,” we do not realize it will cost us our life.

Just as the young man knew deep down that it was wrong, but nevertheless made excuses for himself, we do the same. We read it’s wrong. We know it’s wrong. But yet, we still do it. We convince ourselves we’ll get away with it. Not realizing it will cost us our lives.

Obeying is love, and love is obeying. They are inseparable. You can’t cherry-pick the bible and then try to make up for it in other areas. That’s why it is said in the book of 1 Samuel 15:22, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” In today’s world, we don’t go out and sacrifice rams or lambs; we sacrifice other things.

Giving to the poor is a sacrifice. Clothing the naked. Feeding the hungry. Going to Church. These are all sacrifices. And yes, each and every one of them is important, but if you do not obey, your sacrifice is meaningless. Anyone can give money. Anyone can give food. Anyone can do these things, but obeying, obeying very few people can do. That’s why it’s how you love. Because you’re putting God’s desires and plans, first. When you obey, you are cleansing yourself from all unrighteousness and getting one step closer to that initial creation you were meant to be. You are one step closer to getting back to the image of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Obey.

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The Christian Box

¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ~ Genesis 2:19-20

I believe one of the biggest reasons why young people or people, in general, do not become Christians or associated as Christian in their businesses. Our Christian artists now only want to be known as regular artists, and a lot of the time, it’s because they do not want to lose their creativity or be placed in a box. We don’t want to own Christian businesses because we can’t mix God and our regular lives for the fear that will stop our growth.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, we have lost our creativity. We are satisfied with the mediocre and treat the things of God as common. But that is not how it was in the beginning. God planned for man to be a creative being, acting in the image of God the Creator.

Look at what the Scripture says, God brought every living thing to the man to be named with no help from God in the process. He not only had the capacity to name ALL the living creatures but also the capacity to remember their names. Wow! Talk about creative thinking. That’s your heritage; that is who you are. So go ahead, come out of your comfort zone. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not creative or that being associated with Christianity will somehow put you in a box. Being a Christian becoming more and more like God is exactly why creativity is in your DNA. It’s a part of your God-given image.

Heavenly Father, speak to and encourage those who do not even realize how creative they are. Open their eyes so that they can see the creative and smart being you have created them to be. Place a burning desire in the hearts of those who are creative to use their gifts to further Your kingdom. Give opportunities to those who are willing to step out in faith. Let them shine in Your light with the brilliance of the midday sun. LORD send a wave of creativity over Your people so that Your name may be glorified forever. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Deliver Your People

⁶The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.” ~ Exodus 5:6-9

If we read the previous chapter (chapter 4), we will find that “that same day” refers to the first day or the first encounter that Moses and Aaron had with Pharaoh. They had just had a town meeting with all the elders, and everyone was pumped about how concerned God was about them and their situation. Social Media was lighting up, and the whole internet came to a screeching halt as everyone chatted excitedly about leaving Egypt and slavery. I mean, these people had pure hope and joy excitedly surging through their veins. They probably even had detailed dreams in HD color – they were so hopeful and excited. But instead of Pharaoh saying, “Oh, my bad, I didn’t realize you needed worshiping God, please go quickly and do what you need to do.” He said, “No way! Get back to work! and by the way, let me help you with some of that free time you seem to be burdened with!”

So, instead of things getting better, things got extremely worse, and they gave up; they lost hope. And that is exactly what happens to us today. We think deliverance from our Spiritual Egypt should be quick and easy, and because it doesn’t work the way we think it should, or immediately, we give up and lose hope. But I am here today to encourage you that because conditions have gotten worse for you in Egypt does not mean the dream is over. If the LORD is your God and you have been groaning and crying out to Him, He has heard you. He will come to your rescue and deliver you and bring you into your Promise Land. So do not give in and do not give up. Keep the faith and do not lose heart; even if things get worse, God will deliver you.

Our Heavenly Father, You alone are God Almighty, and besides You, there is no other God. You care for us, and provide for us, and satisfy our mouths with good things, that our strength is renewed so we can soar on wings like eagles. Thank You, LORD. Now O LORD, please come down with great concern and see the plight of some of Your people. In Your great compassion, deliver them from their cruel bondage and bring them into a spacious land flowing with milk and honey. Bring lasting hope to Your people, I pray. Hope that can and will weather the storms that are sure to come before they reach the shores of their promise. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Don’t Ignore His Nudge

“¹⁷But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. ¹⁸For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal.” ~ Job 5:17-18 ^NLT

When God disciplines us, it isn’t to destroy us. God corrects His children with love. He may take away, but He also gives. God doesn’t just leave us in our sin; He corrects us. Then when we are corrected, He brings us back into His presence. He takes the shattered, broken pot that most others would just throw away and molds us into a new and beautiful creation.

God doesn’t just leave us in our filth; instead, He guides us through His Holy Spirit into the life He has planned for us. God’s correction isn’t out of hatred; otherwise, we would have no second chance. We wouldn’t get chance after chance to make it right with God. His laws aren’t restraints; they are freedom. His discipline isn’t wrath; it’s love. Only a father who doesn’t love his child would allow them to blindly walk off the edge of a cliff to their death.

His laws aren’t a list of do’s and don’ts; they’re a guide to life. They keep us safe from harm. If God doesn’t discipline us, then He cannot be love. Don’t be discouraged or angry or even ashamed when you feel convicted; that is the Holy Spirit nudging you back onto the path to life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Ignore His Nudge.

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Breathing Fruit

³¹ And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. ~ Isaiah 37:31

Every Christian’s goal is to bear fruit. Good fruit, fruit that will last. If we don’t bear fruit, we won’t receive rewards. Fruits are what separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Jesus said we would recognize false prophets by their fruits. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

So, what does it mean to produce fruit? Proverbs 20:11 says, “¹¹ Even a young man is known by his actions–whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Therefore, fruits are your actions, good or bad. It’s what you do and not necessarily what you say. People make beautiful promises that they never intend to keep. They can’t because a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. They describe the devil as having a silver tongue. Meaning, he is skilled in persuasion. He makes it sound beautiful and appealing, even desirable. But the intent is vastly different, and the end is death. So, good fruit is so very important, but how do we produce it. We cannot produce good fruit above without taking roots below.

Now, what does that mean? Jesus told a parable about the sower who went out to sow his seed. He said, “but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” Our roots, therefore, are our belief and faith in the good soil, which is the Word of God, that we are planted in. If the soil is good or fruits are good. The more nutritious the soil, the more abundant the fruit. The sweeter and better the fruit. The greater our faith, the greater the miracles. Jesus told the two blind men in Matthew 9:29, “²⁹ According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Get into a Bible-believing Church, who doesn’t restrain the power of the Holy Spirit but teaches that the same Spirit that raised Christ freedom the dead still dwells in us. And if He still dwells in us, His power had not diminished in the slightest. Grow those roots and bear those fruits in Jesus’ name.

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Seek The Desires of God’s Heart

³Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. ⁴Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalms 37:3-4

Often times, we only quote the last part of this verse, ‘He will give you the desires of your heart,’ and in doing so, we completely miss the how. Here’s what I’m saying, when we only quote the last part of this verse, we miss our obligation to God. Our part of the deal. God doesn’t just give us everything we want. He doesn’t just give us all of our desires. Why?

Because our hearts are filthy and lead us to sin. Look at what Jesus says about our hearts,

¹⁸But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
Matthew 15:18-19

Jesus was convinced that the heart was deceitful above all things, just as Jeremiah 17:9 states. But don’t be discouraged; look at what David prays to God in

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalms 51:10

Our hearts are deceitful above all else; this is why David prays that God would create in him a NEW heart. This is why David, in the verse above, tells us to first, ‘Delight yourself in the LORD,’

See, when we delight ourselves in the LORD, we are no longer seeking our own happiness. We are no longer seeking our own desires, but instead, we are seeking the desires the LORD has for us. We are now seeking His plan instead of our own because we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. He is cleansing us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is transforming us until we are made perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t stop fighting to do good. The LORD is faithful to His children. Seek Him first, and you will receive the desires of your heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The Desires of God’s Heart.

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Remember His Promises

⁴³So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. ~ Joshua 21:43-45

The LORD does NOT change. If He fulfilled the promises He made to Israel, He will fulfill the promises He made to you. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it’s taking for your promises to be fulfilled. It took generations for the promises to Abraham to come to pass.

I know that in our generation, it can be difficult to have patience because God’s timing isn’t like ours. It won’t always happen overnight. It won’t always happen as soon as we ask. It took Daniel 21 days of constant prayer to see His prayer fulfilled. We’ve been promised that when we ask, we shall receive when we ask in faith. So, don’t give up on the promises you have yet to see. Don’t give up on the prayers you have prayed. Don’t lose your faith.

faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Hold to your promises. Remind the LORD daily in prayer and have faith because our God will fulfill every promise. Not one of His promises fail. EVERY ONE IS FULFILLED.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember His Promises.

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Go To God

¹³Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. ~ James 5:13

When we’re in pain and going through hard times, who is the first one that we go to? Often times, God is the last person we go to. A lot of times, we go to others before we go to God. Sometimes we don’t even go to God. Why?

My whole life, I was taught that no matter how small or how the problem, I can always take it to God. My parents made sure that I understood that God wasn’t just this impersonal God in Heaven who didn’t care about us. They made sure that I knew that God is more than just an all-powerful God to be feared but a friend, a comforter, a helper, and a father.

The LORD is an awesome God that should be feared, but He is also our Heavenly Father that loves us more than silver or gold. Just like no problem is too small or too insignificant to bring to your earthly father or your best friend, nothing is too small or insignificant for your Heavenly Father. He wants to help you. He wants to be there for you, to be the shoulder that you lean on.

So, when hardships and trials come your way, go to God first. You aren’t bothering Him. You aren’t annoying Him. God wants you to come to Him with your problems. He wants to take the load off of your back.

²⁸Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

⁷Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go To God.

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My Stronghold

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” ~ Psalm 27:1^ESV

There will be situations that arise that will invite the spirit of fear into your life, but fear not for the LORD Himself is a shield round about you. Though the world might seem dark and gloomy, He is the light of your salvation. Though the wicked threaten and rage against you, the LORD God Almighty is the stronghold in your life.

The word stronghold means a place or a means of safety; in other words, He is your safety and your protection. Now understand that God thinks in terms of eternity because He is eternal, He is infinite, and He dwells outside of time. We live bound to time, so it’s hard for us to understand the concept with our finite minds.

But know this, though the people rage, though the enemy Buffet you, though the situation seems hopeless, God is your strength, and your protection, He will deliver you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a wall and a shield around me. Teach me to lean and depend on You. No matter the circumstances, or even the outcome, let my love for You never diminish. But rather, let me keep my eyes, thoughts, and hope turned towards eternity and the things of God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Resist and Worship

⁸Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹And he said to Him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” ¹¹Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him. ~ Matthew 4:8-11

The Bible states, resist the devil, and he will flee. But how does one resist? By not giving in, but it doesn’t just end there; otherwise, the tempter will wear you down. When Jesus was being tempted, He resisted, and the devil kept chipping away. It wasn’t until He began to worship God that the devil left Him for a more opportune time, and then angels came and attended Him.

So, the moral of the story is, the devil will flee when you worship. Make it a point today to have a good time of worship with your family and see the difference it will make, the peace it will bring. Remember that angels are ministering spirits that bring comfort from God in times of turmoil.

Our Heavenly Father, please give us Your spirit of worship so that we can worship You in spirit and in truth. Direct our thoughts and our prayers, and when we know not what to pray, let Your Holy Spirit make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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