Tag: Devotionals

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Wrestle In Prayer

44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ~ Luke 22:44

Prayer gives you the power to go toe to toe with the enemy. There is no doubt that prayer is a lot of work. It is hard and laborious, but it is worth it, and it’s the only way you, if you want to operate in the supernatural.

So, do not be fooled, you cannot operate in the supernatural by throwing up arrow-prayers every now and then. It’s imperative that you find a time and a place of daily prayer and summit yourself fully to it.

Jesus was found praying daily. Even while it was still dark, He was up and praying. His disciples followed suit and found themselves a time and a place of prayer.
Therefore, we need to make sure we are doing the same thing as well. We have to follow in their footsteps if we want to see and do all that they did. We have to work hard in prayer.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Wrestle In Prayer.

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Be After His Heart

13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, 14 but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.” ~ 1 Samuel 13:13-14CSB

When people think about God’s standards, they either think that He is a pushover just letting everything go or a malicious dictator just waiting for you to mess up. The Truth is God is neither. See, God is perfect. Therefore, He demands perfection from His creation, but because we can never be perfect, God’s requirement for us is to just seek His heart.

In other words, even though we will never reach perfection on this earth, we strive for it. We crucify the flesh, we seek the LORD and His Kingdom, we repent and strive for Holiness. We chase God.

God knows that we aren’t perfect, so He Himself came down from Heaven and made a way for us to be saved. A way for us to be transformed by the renewal of our mind. A way for us to seek His heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be After His Heart.

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Honor Them

12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Exodus 20:12

Paul said that this is the first commandment with a promise. The promise is that if you will honor your father and your mother, your days will be long in the land. Now, this is not to say that you will have a “Can’t Die Young” card, so you can do whatever you want without the consequences. It simply means that God will honor you as you honor your parents.
Here are some practical ways to honor your parents:

• Pray for your parents
• Spend time with your parents, even after you are grown and have a family of your own. Set time aside to visit and spend quality time with your parents. Listen to their stories and memories of days gone by, even if you’ve heard them a thousand times
• Ask their opinion and take their good advice. Parents are wiser than you think
• When they are aged, care for them and attend to their needs. Let them know that you appreciate what they have done for you
• Don’t rough them up or be short-tempered with them, but speak kindly and positively to them and let them know that they are valued

Pick up the phone today and call your parents; let them know how much they mean to you. Let them know that you appreciate all that they have done for you. As you honor your parents, you honor God.

Father, help me to love and honor my parents the way you intended. Bless my parents, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Just Be Still

10 Be still, and know that I am God. ~ Psalms 46:10

I was at a lost for something to post. I was up stressing at 5:10 am. So I got up to pray and ask, LORD, give me something meaningful … something that will be of encouragement to someone. I got nothing. Then it came to me … a life lesson.

Sometimes, we pray for something specific and don’t get an answer. We labor in prayer, yet God seems so far away. But know this: when God seems the furthest away, that is when He is the closest. For in our weakness, He is made strong. Be blessed today.

Heavenly Father, please make your presence real to us today. Help us to know the width, the height, and the depth of your great love. Carry those who are too weak to walk and guide those who seem to have lost their way. Encourage those who have almost lost hope and minister to each need today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Build Faith Over Fear

10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10CSB

A lack of faith and a lack of trust amount to the same thing with the same results. Faith believes that God can do all things, and trust believes that He will do it for us. Lack of faith produces fear, worries, anxieties, doubt, etc.

Over and over again, the Scriptures warn, teach, and proclaim, “Fear not! Fear not!” But we reply, “It is easier said than done.” This may be a true statement, but it doesn’t have to be an excusing statement.

So often, we make excuses to justify not getting close to the LORD. To justify not building up your spirit man, while allowing your forest to lead and run rampant. We are to crucify our flesh every day so that we might not let anything keep us from God.

If we want to see our faith restored, then we need to spend time in the Word of God and in prayer and worship. If we want to see our fears vanish, our faith needs to be built up into at least a faith of a Mustard Seed. Faith that has the potential to grow and produce fruit. Faith that has the potential to see God move on your behalf. Faith in the love God has for us.

If we would just build up this kind of faith through seeking Him; therefore, if we continue dwelling in His love, fear wouldn’t stand a chance.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build Faith Over Fear.

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Seek Like They Did

Acts 3:1-6
3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

It was the hour of prayer when Peter and John were heading to the place of prayer, to do what? To pray. And what happened? The power of God showed up. Without prayer there is no power. This is why the Church today doesn’t see the same miracles the early Church did. Our prayer lives are different than theirs were.

We consider praying before each meal and before bed an intense prayer life. How sad is that? Our prayer lives are basically non-existent anymore. We don’t need a second outpouring, the Spirit is here waiting for us to pick u0 the slack and start seeking God again. To start striving for Holiness and putting Christ above everything else.

If you want to see God move in your life, start by setting up a prayer time everyday and keeping it. Build your relationship with God by building up your spirit-man. Crucify your flesh and put it into submission, so that nothing will separate you from Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Like They Did.

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Return To The Former Way

32 Some were shouting one thing and some another, because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.
Paul was packing, teaching, and leading many to the LORD in Ephesus. This slowed the business of those who made shrines of the gods because people were getting saved and no longer buying them. So what do they do? They incited a mob and started rioting. ~ Acts 19:32CSB

Their goal was to silence Paul and his friends so that the Gospel would no longer be preached and their way of life would stop being affected. See, Satan is the master of confusion. God, on the other hand, is not. So, Satan used the greed of those men in order to silence the Apostles and Disciples.

There was so much confusion that many of those rioting had no idea why they were rioting. Herd mentality had caught hold of them. Being offended for another person had wrapped its claws around them. Today is no different. So many people are angry, offended, victimized, and oppressed, but they have no idea why or how they are those things. Those who have answers repeat the lies they have been told, just as they did 2000 years ago against Paul and the other Apostles and Disciples.

There is nothing new under the sun. The strategy of the enemy hasn’t changed, so why should our defense change? The Apostles and Disciples stood their feelings and remained peaceful and silent. They didn’t insult, get loud, or agitate the crowd. They kept their peace and allowed God to move on their behalf. They didn’t allow anyone to keep them quiet. They simply accepted the punishment for preaching, teaching, and spreading the Gospel, then kept going. They didn’t stop. They refused to allow chaos to stop them from sharing the good news of Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return To The Former Way.

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Flip The World

13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds. ~ Acts 17:13CSB

Paul and Silas were traveling throughout the known world, spreading the Word of God with anyone willing to listen. They even went into the Synagogues and showed the Jews the prophecies of in the Scriptures why the Messiah had to suffer. They were leading many to Christ, even the Gentiles in those areas. God was moving in the lives of those willing to listen. Because of this, the enemy had to try to stop Paul and Silas.

He stirred up people against Paul and Silas. They were thrown into prison. Those who had invited them and showed them hospitality were attacked and imprisoned. They even left the city and went to a new one, but the same angry men came to incite the people around them.

Whenever God is moving, Satan will try to move even harder. When you feel a spiritual attack coming on you, don’t be discouraged. Keep going. This only means you’re heading the right way.

Satan will try his best to stop you, but it’s up to you to stand firm and refuse to back down. For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. No matter what evil may come your way, you have to keep fighting in order to turn the world upside down, just as Paul and Silas did.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Flip The World.

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Speak To Your Soul

4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. 8 The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night — a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” 10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. ~ Psalms 42:4-11CSB

David wasn’t a man without strife or hardship. He had enemies that came for him. His own men turned against him at one point. David had many (earthly) justifiable opportunities to give up and allow depression to consume him, but he didn’t. David always overcame. How? He rooted himself in the LORD.

At times, David had every right to feel sorry for himself, but he never did. He refused to allow depression to whisper in his ears. He didn’t allow his thoughts to become corrupted by pain or hurt. No. When depression came for David, David spoke to his soul. He spoke to himself. He encouraged himself in the LORD.

Too often today, we give up the battle and call in defeat without even a fight. We throw in the towel and just accept our fate without even fighting back. Why? Because we listen to the lies of the enemy instead of the promises of the LORD. The LORD promises victory, overcoming, joy, peace, prosperity, success, and much more. We can’t allow the enemy to bombard our thoughts with lies and corrupt our emotions. We must speak to our soul and encourage ourselves in the LORD as David did, lest we be consumed by the attacks of the enemy and miss out on fulfilling our God-given purposes.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Speak To Your Soul.

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Believe Regardless

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~ John 20:24-29

Thomas had stayed with Jesus for three and half years. He walked with Him and talked with Him. He saw miracle after miracle. He himself performed miracles, healings, and casting out of demons in the powerful name of Jesus. He believed in Jesus, but he couldn’t understand how God could be killed by man.

His faith had been put to the test just as many others had. The majority of people believe Jesus was a good man, a prophet, even the Son of God, but not God Himself. They can’t grasp how God, who flooded the whole world, could have come in the form of man and allowed His creation to kill Him. This is the same boat Thomas found himself in.

He refused to believe Jesus even rose from the dead because his faith had been so destroyed. He even went as far as to say he would never believe without being able to physically put his hand in Jesus’ wounds. It’s not until Jesus physically shows Himself to Thomas that Thomas truly believes that Jesus is God.
Jesus even responds to Thomas with these words:

Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

He didn’t deny that He was God. He didn’t tell Thomas he got it wrong. Jesus asked do you only believe because you have seen me? Then He says blessed are those who haven’t seen but yet believe.

We are to live by faith, not by sight. We are to believe regardless of what our eyes see. Jesus never blatantly comes out and says, “I Am God.” No. Jesus tells us through the Scriptures He fulfills and through the names He has. Why? Because He refuses to testify about Himself but allows others, such as the Father and His apostles, to do such things.

Today, you have the option to either walk by faith or by sight. To either believe that Jesus is God or just a good man and prophet. The choice of salvation is yours. So seize it today, for tomorrow is promised to no one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Believe Regardless.

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