Devotionals Archives

September 4, 2020September 1, 2020

Grow Your Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~ Hebrews 11:1

We always speak on faith, but do we actually know what faith is? Hebrews 11:1 defines faith for us, but do we truly understand it? Faith is knowing that what you hoped for, what you prayed for, will come to pass. It’s the conviction of things not seen. Even though we have never seen Christ in the flesh, we have a conviction that He was, He is, and He will be. That’s what faith is. Faith is knowing that something is true, without actually having to see it with your own two eyes.

Faith is what draws us closer to God because through faith, we are saved. Through faith, we are redeemed. Through faith, we are healed. Through faith, we seek. Through faith, we draw near. Faith is our connection to God. Faith is believing without seeing. But how can you do that? How can you believe without seeing? You stop doubting and start trusting. You stop saying that the branch can hold you, and you walk out on to the branch confident it can hold you. You stop holding back from serving God wholeheartedly, and you allow yourself to jump in headfirst. Read your Bible, pray, worship, and hear the Word of The LORD. That’s how you build a relationship with God, which is the only way you can grow your faith.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow Your Faith.

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Fulfill Your Call

¹⁰But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” ~ Exodus 4:10

Did you notice that Moses never had a healing? There is no record of Moses ever becoming a great speaker. Could this have been a moment that God was trying to use to give him his healing? But fear overtook Moses, he couldn’t see what God saw. He couldn’t see himself as God’s spokesman, so he missed his blessing. He missed his future because fear overcame him. As Mordecai told Esther that God would raise up someone else, if she was not prepared to fulfill her calling, it is the same with Moses, and with us today.

God has called each and every one of us for a specific job. We may not be ready at the time of the call, but God always makes us ready to fulfill the call. He brings us to a higher level, we just have to trust him. We have to fight fear and its grasps in order to fulfill the call God has placed on your life. Don’t be as Moses and have to be replaced in part of your call by another because of your abundance of fear and your lack of faith.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fulfill Your Full Call.

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Fear Not

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.” ²So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

³So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ⁵When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” ⁶And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. ~ Exodus 32:1-6

There are two kinds of fear that happens in these verses, the first one is fear of the unknown. The people didn’t know what happened to Moses, and they were no longer used to a God they could not see. So fear entered. Fear does that to us today. Is this God called Yahweh really God? Can He really keep you? Can He really be the only God? What if this is all a lie? Maybe He wasn’t the one that took you out of your situation, maybe that was another god. Maybe He is just a lie. Fear puts all of these doubts in your mind because we lack trust.

The lack of trust comes from the lack of faith and understanding. The people desired gods that they could see, just as the Egyptians had gods that they could see. Even though they just watched Yahweh, through Moses, cast 10 plagues on the Egyptians, deliver them out of Egypt, part the Red Sea, rain down Manna in the wilderness, none of that mattered to them. As soon as fear came into their midst and whispered, look Moses is delayed, they gave in and sought after other gods. That’s how we are today, we seek after other gods as soon as God does not show up on our time. As soon as we feel He is delayed, we run to something that we can see at that moment, in that time.

The other kind of fear is the kind Aaron had, fear of the people. I’m sure Aaron had some doubt as well, but his fear didn’t truly kick in until the people came up to him with their fear. Aaron gave in to the fear of the people turning against him, so he did as they asked. He made them a god out of their gold and then proceeded to intertwine their sin and God. Verses 5 and 6 say, “When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.’ ⁶And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” He made the calf, then to make it seem alright in the eyes of God because he knew it was wrong, he had the people have a feast to the LORD. We do this today. We don’t go and have a feast, but we try to make sin as if it is acceptable in the eyes of God. We’re so afraid of people being offended by us, or being mad at us, or turning away from us that we will do whatever it takes to keep them happy. Fear tells us we’ll be alone, we’ll be hated, we’ll be ostracized, so we blend religion and sin so that we don’t have to completely turn our back on God, while still being accepted by the people.

Don’t allow fear to control your lives. Fear is a liar. Always has been and always will be. God may not come when you think He needs to, but He will come at the perfect time, His time. He won’t let you down. He’s never forsaken you, and He never will. Stand up for what is right, you may not be the most popular person, but you won’t be alone. There are others who follow God without making exceptions for the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fear Not.

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Act

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28

A lot of the time, we take this to mean that everything will work out for the better. No matter what happens, it’ll work itself out. We don’t have to stress, Que Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be. But that’s not exactly what Paul is saying in this letter to the Romans. He is saying that things will work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, but you have to still work. We can’t just assume that things will fix themselves. We have to do some sort of work, some sort of action. We read this and forget that James tells in James 2:17, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Faith is moving forward and acting as if it has happened, and working towards it becoming a reality. You can’t just expect God to just fix everything on His own, He’s not a solo act. He follows your lead and helps you along the way. He doesn’t have the takeover spirit. If you want to see something happen, pray, have faith, and then put it into action. Don’t just wait around. You don’t have to stress, but you can’t just walk around waiting for something good to just fall in your lap either. You have to keep working towards that good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Act.

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Find Your Mordecai

¹⁰Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

¹²And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ~ Esther 4:10-14

Fear tried to take hold of Esther. It wasn’t just losing her life in the palace that she had grown accustomed to, it wasn’t just being ostracized, it wasn’t even jail that she feared. It was her life. Her life was on the line, and fear was doing its job, blinding her to the fact that her life was at stake no matter what she chose. This is where good company comes into play, without iron sharpening iron, you only see what fear wants you to see.

Esther was blessed with a good man of God to guide her. Mordecai showed her that her fate would be even worse if she chose not to stand and do what was right. He was the voice of reason in a time of chaos and fear. When all looks lost, you have to find a way to look past fear, for God’s ultimate plan will come to pass, with or without you. “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find Your Mordecai.

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Open Your Eyes

¹⁵When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ~ 2 Kings 6:15-17

Sometimes fear overcomes us, blinding us from the truth. Fear covers our eyes so that we can’t see God on our side. When God is on your side, nothing can stand against you. Fear knows that so it weasels its way in and strikes fear through our bodies, blinding our sight so we can’t see the force of heavenly hosts that have come to our rescue. Fear does this to not only knock us down but to keep us down as well. Fear is sometimes our biggest enemy because it separates us from our call and keeps us stuck in a state of unproductivity, so we never move forward.

Though fear is frightening, it isn’t unstoppable. Even when you’re surrounded by the enemy, God is still with you. In the wise words of Michael W. Smith, “It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You.” You may look surrounded, but for every enemy surrounding you, there are more allies ready to defend you. You just have to turn your eyes from focusing on fear and focus on God. Look to God and pray that He will show you your way out. Pray that He will show you your allies. Fear will make you feel as if you have to fight alone and that God is not there, don’t listen to Fear, you are not alone. God promised He would never leave you or forsake you. So be encouraged, for Fear will never win, unless YOU let him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Open Your Eyes.

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Look Through The Storm

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

²⁸And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” ~ Matthew 14:22-33

Sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. Jesus was walking out to the disciples, but they didn’t see Jesus, fear overcame them, and they saw a ghost. That’s how we are sometimes. We expect our salvation, breakthrough, or deliverance to come in a perfect little box tied with a bow that’s on our front porch, but sometimes to get to our salvation, breakthrough, or deliverance, we have to set out on our own and go through a storm. When we think we’re about to sink, that’s when it shows up, but it won’t come shouting, “I’m your salvation.” or “I’m your breakthrough.” or “I’m your deliverance.” It’s going to come walking on the water, but fear will try to manipulate the way you see it. Fear will make you see your end, instead of your new beginning.

You have to listen out for the voice of The LORD, and then walk out to Him. Walk out in faith and boldness. Be confident that Jesus is with you. Be confident that The LORD is for you and not against you. Be strong and courageous. Don’t allow fear to mask your breakthrough. Listen through the storm and Holy Spirit will guide you to your breakthrough. Don’t allow fear to overwhelm you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Through The Storm.

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Defeat Your Giants

²⁷And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. ²⁸However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. ²⁹The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

³⁰But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” ³¹Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³²So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. ³³And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” ~ Numbers 13:27-33

Fear shows us what we can’t do, not what God can do. Fear shows us the giants in the land, not the victory we have already been given. Fear shrinks us down first in our own eyes, and as we see ourselves, so our enemies see us. We become grasshoppers, instead of mighty warriors of God Almighty. We become defeated before we ever even enter our Promised Land.

The majority of the time, we are like the 10 spies who were blinded by fear, instead of like Caleb and Joshua who overcame fear and saw their potential. They saw their promise, not their current circumstance. They saw themselves as God saw them, as mighty warriors. We have to be like Caleb and Joshua, who refused to allow fear to stop them from entering their Promised Land. They saw the giants in their land, but they knew their God was with them at all times.

God is with us at all times, we don’t have to fear the giants in our land. The obstacles in our path may be large, but our God is larger. Our God is unstoppable. Our God is all powerful. Our God is the King of kings and the LORD of lords. With our God, nothing is impossible.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Defeat Your Giants.

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Change Your Dream

⁹So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, ¹⁰and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹²Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. ¹³In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. ¹⁵For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

¹⁶When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, ¹⁷and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. ¹⁹In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” ~ Genesis 40:9-19

There were two different dreams and two different interpretations, both of which are very significant today. There are two very different roads with two very different destinations. One road leads to destruction and one leads to restoration, both destinations and both roads are determined by a dream. Our dream, the dream we listen to, the dream we follow, and the dream we live. See, those men had Joseph to interpret their dreams after they had them, after it was too late, but we have the interpretation of dreams before our destination is set in stone. We have an interpretation from God Himself, who got off His throne and said “this leads here and this leads there.”

Watch yourself and you will see what your dreams are, and therefore you will see what your eternal destination is. But unlike the two men in this story, we can change our dreams.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Change Your Dream.

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Rule Over It

¹²When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face, I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. ¹⁶Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. ~ Genesis 4:12-16

Isn’t it interesting that even though Cain killed his own brother, his twin, God refused to allow anyone to kill him? God removed Cain from His presence and cursed him to be a wanderer and a fugitive, but yet took the time to mark his forehead so that no one would be able to kill him.

Isn’t that like God is with us today? We sin, we leave his presence, but we are protected from those who would murder us. And if someone kills us, vengeance would be taken on them sevenfold. But it’s not just physical death that that’s for, it’s for spiritual death.

When we cause someone to sin, to leave the presence of God, to blatantly disobey the bible so they can live whatever life they want, we are killing them. Spiritual death. The worst kind of death, because very few return from spiritual death. The majority of mankind die from this. But yet if someone leads another astray, they will have that person’s blood on their hands. Just like if anyone killed Cain vengeance would be sevenfold on them, same here, you would become responsible for the blood of those whom you have deceived, and vengeance would be taken upon you.

So, what’s the point? Don’t let another lead you astray, and don’t lead another astray. Hold fast to God’s words in Genesis 4:7, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rule Over It.

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