Devotionals Archives

June 21, 2024July 10, 2024

Tear ‘Em Down

²⁸ Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, ²⁹but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit — worshiping the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ Nevertheless, the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. ³² In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory ³³ from the Jordan eastward: the whole land of Gilead — the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites — from Aroer which is by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan. ~ 2 Kings 10:28-33^CSB

Jehu did good in certain areas but not in all. He removed the house of Ahab and the high places, but he allowed for other idolatry to remain. Jehu, though he corrected one aspect of his kingdom, didn’t clean his full house. The LORD honored the good job he did when he obeyed the LORD and removed the house of Ahab, but he continued in sin, forcing the LORD to punish him.

Many of us believe that we can live our lives however we want as long as we go to church, give thanks for our food and day, and occasionally read our Bibles, but that’s not the desire of the LORD. He desires us to remove all sin from our lives. We are expected to be perfect like God is perfect. We have to tear down all strongholds, not just the ones written out blatantly for us but the ones we have to seek God to find. The ones deep within us that we don’t even realize.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Tear ‘Em Down.

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Allow God To Plant

⁶ Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went. ~ 1 Chronicles 18:6^CSB

The LORD described David as a man after His own heart. In other words, a man seeking the heart of God above all else. David knew that the LORD knew what was best. That God’s ways were above his own. So the LORD blessed David.

David flourished where he was planted. He didn’t argue. He didn’t try to do it a different way. No. He put all of his trust and faith in the LORD and the LORD turned around and blessed him and gave him victory over his enemies.

Today is no different. If you want the LORD to bless you and fight on your behalf giving you victory over your enemies, you have to allow Him to plant you in good soul where you flourish. It may not always make sense at the time, but it is always for your good.

Peace. Love. Forth and Allow God To Plant.

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Seek His Heart

⁸ They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. ⁹ Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ~ Nehemiah 8:8-10^CSB

It had been years since the Word of the LORD had been read in their presence. They didn’t know what to expect. As Nehemiah and Ezra read the Scriptures and began instructing people on how they were living compared to how the Scriptures said, the people began to weep.

See, they loved their God. They had a desire to know Him and dwell in His love. Today, the Church only has the desire for off-brand, unsatisfying love that is only of this world.

The enemy will even go a step further and call God’s love and His commands evil. Then, people will justify the enemy’s lies by saying the Scriptures are outdated, no longer necessary, and have no true place in our world today.

If we want to please God, we need to seek to have what breaks His heart to break ours, what angers Him to anger us. We need passion and desire for the things of God if we are going to dwell in His presence.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek His Heart.

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Be In Tune

¹⁵ Elisha responded, “Get a bow and arrows.” So he got a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.” ¹⁸ Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them. Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.” ~ 2 Kings 13:15-19 CSB

Elisha told the king to do two very specific actions: shoot an arrow and then strike the ground with arrows. After the first command, Elisha explained the meaning of the action, but the king missed the importance of the second action.

See, Elisha told the king that the first action was a sign of his victory over Aram, but the king didn’t take into consideration that the second action would be tied to his victory. Therefore, he only struck the ground three times.

The king’s spirit man was asleep. It wasn’t in tune with the Spirit of God, so he missed his opportunity to completely defeat his enemy. Today, we are given the same kind of commands. We are urged by the Holy Spirit to act, but it’s not until we’ve obeyed or it’s too late that we find out the reason for the command.

The only way we can be sure to never miss the opportunity of the LORD is to awaken your spirit man and grow him until he is in tune with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who guides, leads, and protects.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be In Tune.

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Experience More

²⁰ Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 2:20-21

To be sanctified simply means to be set apart as holy. Matter-of-fact, we’re not just set apart as holy, but we are set apart as holy because we have been brought into the arms of God, into the Kingdom of God. This is why we will be recognized by our fruit, because unless we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, then we aren’t sanctified. We are still in darkness.

Jesus didn’t come into this world so that we can remain in the world and never change. Jesus came to redeem us out of the world into His Glorious Light. Christ came and suffered so that we might be sanctified through Him.

Don’t allow the lies of the world to keep you from being transformed into a new creation in Christ Jesus. Don’t allow them to keep you stuck in the darkness, unable to encounter the Light and experience the Truth and Love of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Experience More.

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Take Back Control

^19b … that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice. ~ Genesis 18:19

God chose Abram not because he was the wealthiest man, the wisest man, or even the most righteous man. God chose Abram because God foresaw that Abram would teach his children and their children to follow the Word of the LORD. That was it. God knew that Abram would lead his household in the ways of righteousness in a way that it would be passed down from generation to generation.

Understand that the job of the father in the home is to command His children and his household in the things of God. Fathers, we don’t leave that up to the mothers to do. That is not their job. It is our job to command our children and our household in the things of God.

We are to teach and instruct. We are to guide and lead. That is the basic duty of a father. Statistics show that a child is more likely to stay in the Church when they grow into an adult if their father is an active member of the Church. Don’t leave your fatherly duty up to anyone else. We are to lead our families by following God and living our lives for Him, so that we might be an active example for our households.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Take Control.

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Will The Clay Say …

¹⁶You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? ~ Isaiah 29:16

When you put it that way, it is ludicrous. The Clay could never say to the Potter, “You did not make me.” The Clay would sound like a real simpleton because everybody would see the stupidity in it, and the Clay would be the laughing stock. But it is you, oh man, whom the LORD has thus addressed. It is today’s society that claims there is no God and has raised a rebellion against their Creator. It is today’s people that claim that they were not created, but evolved.

The truth is God did create us, and we are the work of His hands. He has created us to be who we are and has a plan for us. Our job, therefore, is to find out what that plan is and to follow that plan as best we can, for the LORD is our Helper and our source of strength. Apart from Him, we can do nothing; even our breath is borrowed from Him. So, why would we rage against Him? Why would we say He never formed me? Or the LORD God never created us. I assure you, God takes care of that which belongs to Him. He will keep in perfect peace, which He has formed. If you want to be taken care of, or if you want to have perfect peace, submit to God; no one can pluck you out of His hand, and nothing can steal your peace.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are God and that You have created me. For if You have created me, You will take care of me. I accept Your care right now, in the name of Jesus, amen.

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When Hard Times Come

¹⁸And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. ¹⁹And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands (2 Chronicles 32:18–19).

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had sent his officials to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem to threaten him into surrendering before the Assyrian army came and lay siege to Jerusalem. The officials not only insulted the Jews on the walls but insulted the God of Israel as well. He implied that the LORD God was not able to deliver them out of the hands of Sennacherib and his army. He also slandered Hezekiah, king of Judah as well. Verses 16 and 17 say, “And his servants said still more against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him.

It is like today; they say all manner of evil against the LORD God Almighty; they even call Him Mother and declare that He is a woman. It is a blatant insult to God to be called a woman, no offense to women. But it should be an insult to any man, not that God is a man, but He is male, to be called a woman. And likewise, it should be an insult to women to be called men. Because that is not who we are. We are proud to be who God created us to be because He does not make mistakes, nor does He misidentify humans. He created us to be who and what He created us to be.

Just like Sennacherib misunderstood God and did not know His great power and might, he had no fear of God. People today have no fear of God because they don’t know Him, nor do they want to get to know His loving nature. But know this: those who refuse His love will have to endure His wrath. Sooner or later, God’s patience will run out on the sinner, and He will take His revenge on the transgressor.

Then the Scriptures state that they (the Assyrian officials) shouted it to the soldiers on the walls in order to frighten and terrify them so that they would lose heart and not put up a fight but would surrender.

Same concept today. They shout God is not great! He cannot save you, nor can He deliver you, because God is not real. But as for us, we have your best interest at heart, and we are doing this for your own good. To save your life. To save the life of your grandmother. To save the life of your elderly loved ones. And they pump people full of fear until the nation is perplexed and rocked with anxiety, worry, and panic.

But our God told us that He did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. We are God’s prized possession. He loves us agelessly. There is no way that He will ever leave us nor ever forsake us. God will deliver us out of their hands, but even if He doesn’t, to be absent from the body is to be present with Him. Because for us to live is Christ, and for us to die is gain. Jesus is all we need and all we want.

Therefore, when hard times come, look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the One who purchased us with His own blood. Turn to Him, and do not be concerned with scare tactics or terror propaganda. Just put your trust and hope in Him.

Heavenly Father, please help me to put my faith, my trust, and my hope in You and You alone. Strengthen me so that nothing this old world throws at me will knock me off track, even if it connects with me. Thank You, Father, for Your Son Jesus, who delivers me out of all of my troubles; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Trust The LORD

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. ⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Easier said than done. When things go wrong, the first thing we do is to look at our circumstances, and then our understanding of what we see automatically kicks in. But God said, “Do not lean on your own understanding.” Far too often we evaluate our coming and going by what we see.

Today, I took my car in to have it serviced for a factory recall, and they will have to keep it overnight. They gave me a shuttle ride home and said that they would come back tomorrow to pick me up so that I could get my car. We only have one car. When I got home, my wife reminded me that our daughter had to get her packages to the Post Office before 5 pm today. I had totally forgotten that it was absolutely vital that the packages be sent out today before the Post Office closes at 5:30 pm.

We had no way of getting them there unless we took an Uber or something. Then the LORD—it would have to be the LORD—put it in my spirit to get everything ready and ask the postperson to please take it for us since we had a label, and the packages were all packed and ready to go. The problem was that one had to go to FedEx as well, something that never usually happens.

But as the LORD’s fate would have it, a FedEx van drove by at the very same time and stopped two doors down. I ran out and asked the driver if he would please take it since it was packaged with a label and ready to go. He said, “No problem at all.” We gave him the package, along with some water, some chips, and a frozen fruit bar to show our gratitude. Now for the Post Office. We didn’t know whether or not they had come and gone as yet.

About ten minutes later, the postperson drove by, and I asked her the same thing if she would take the package, and she said, “Yes, no problem.” Long story short, everyone was super stressed out because both packages had to be out today, and according to our understanding, there was no way they would be able to go. But the LORD provided what seemed impossible, and within 20 minutes, everything was done. The stress was gone. The joy of the LORD was back, and everyone was happy again.

And to top it all off, about 3 hours later, the service department called and somehow, they worked it out that not only did they start working on my car right away but told me it would be ready in about another two hours. Way enough time for them to come, pick me up, and take me back for me to pick up my car and still have plenty of time to make it to the Post Office if the need was still there.

What am I saying? God not only solved our impossible problem, but He gave us not one but two ways of getting the impossible done. Lean not on your own understanding, but rather, trust the LORD and acknowledge Him and everything you give Him, He will work it out for you.

Father, thank You that You are a good, good Father. Thank You that we can trust You and know with full confidence that You will work the impossible out for us. Teach us how not to be shaken by what we see or to be stressed by what we understand our circumstances to be. For You are a God that does the impossible, deals with the difficult, and brings hope to the hopeless. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

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Silence Them

³ Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁵ Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.” ~ 2 Kings 2:3, 5 ^CSB

It was time for Elijah to be taken up. It wasn’t private knowledge; others knew of this, and they came to Elisha to tell him Elijah was being taken away that day. They were the sons of the prophets of Bethel and Jericho. Two different times. Two different locations. Two different sets of people came to discourage Elisha, but he stood firm.

They came to him and asked if he knew his master was being taken away from him that day. The man who called Elisha and taught him everything he knew was being taken away, and these two sets of men came to let Elisha know.

Now, their prophecy could’ve discouraged him, but he didn’t allow their words to penetrate his heart or his mind. He silenced them.

Sometimes, people will come up to you to tell you how hard something is going to be or weigh in on how they believe your life will turn out. They may even have your best interest at heart, even though their words are discouraging. Sometimes, people in your life unknowingly allow the devil to use them in order to discourage you, and they don’t even realize it. They may think they’re doing what’s best for you when, in reality, they are defeating you before you can even truly get started.

Just as these sons of the prophets may have thought they were doing good by warning Elisha, so may other people feel the same way when they tell you discouraging things. But just as Elisha silenced them, you have to silence others. Not physically, but spiritually. You give the words they spoke to you and on you to the Lord. You don’t allow their discouraging words to penetrate your heart or mind. Instead, you cover yourself with the armor of God so that you might be protected from the attacks of the enemy. So that you can fill your mind with Truth and not lies. With hope and not fear.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Silence Them.

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