Devotionals Archives

August 14, 2024August 19, 2024

Make A Stand

¹³ 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 4:13-14

When we stand silent as others are persecuted because it does not affect me, so I don’t want to get involved. I’m not political, but what you don’t realize is that it will affect you eventually.

Martin Niemöller, a prominent German Lutheran pastor who sympathized with many of the Nazi ideas and supported radical right-wing political movements in the 1920s and early 1930s, said:

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

Niemöller spent eight years of his life in Nazi prisons and concentration camps because by the time he realized that the noose was also tightening around his own neck, it was too late. Open your eyes to the direction the world is moving in. Don’t believe that you alone will stand because you’re not currently being affected. Don’t believe that they will somehow find you favorable even though you no longer identify with what they are doing because it now affects you and your family. Don’t wait for it to be too late to make a stand because when it affects you personally, that changes everything.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Make A Stand.

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See Through The Corruption

⁹ I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. ¹⁰ The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. ¹¹ For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. ~ Romans 7:9-12

I was watching the movie Tron Legacy the other day, and something stuck out to me. The villain in Tron, Clu, wasn’t created as a villain but as a good man with a good purpose. He was created to make the grid perfect, but through seeking that perfection he became corrupt. The man who created the grid and Clu said this about him.

Clu can’t create programs. He can only destroy or repurpose them.

The Devil is the same way. After God created all things, He looked at His creation and saw that it was good. The Devil was there, and God saw that he, the Devil (Satan), was good. He was created for a purpose but corrupted himself, just as Clu did. And just as Clu could not create but can only destroy or repurpose. Satan doesn’t create; he takes what is already there, what is already good, what is already filled with purpose, and corrupts it for his own gain.

The Scriptures are good. They are life. They are living and breathing, yet Satan will take one verse out of context and manipulate it to his own desire. What is Satan’s ultimate desire? To separate mankind from God forever, just as he will be separated from God forever.

Here’s the problem, because the Devil manipulates Scripture and deceives some with his lies, many want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. This is the importance of searching through Scripture and studying it for yourself. Paul tells us to study Scripture to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). It doesn’t say to study someone else’s beliefs, truths, and opinions. No. Paul tells Timothy to study the Word of God so that he can rightly handle the Word of Truth and, therefore, show himself approved.

The Scripture is good. It is perfect. It is God-breathed and good for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), but that doesn’t mean Satan cannot manipulate and twist it for his own desires. Therefore, know the Scriptures for yourself. Seek the Truth of the LORD and not the truth of others. Study the Scriptures and strive to live your life in accordance with them, not with the world. So that when the Devil comes with deception and lies, you may be able to see through his lies and hold tightly to the Truth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and See Through The Corruption.

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Watch What You Build On

39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. ~ Psalms 78:39

Many people believe in some form of reincarnation. The belief is that if you don’t get it right the first time, you’ll get another chance, another opportunity to do better. Many cling to this belief because it gives them a false sense of security.

It’s like building your house on the sand and expecting the foundation to not be moved when the rains and the floods come. The LORD alone is our firm foundation. And according to our firm foundation, we only get one chance at this life. We only get one opportunity to get it right and run the race set before us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Build On.

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Stop Raging

⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. ⁵Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, ⁶“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” ~ Psalms 2:4-6

According to the Psalmist, God is not overly concerned with the raging of the nations. Matter of fact, God is not concerned at all about their raging, for He sits enthroned in the heavens, and He laughs at their feeble attempt to dethrone Him. What does this mean?

He holds them in derision, or scorn, or mockery, or disdain. They do not threaten Him nor worry Him, and neither do they make Him anxious. He is God the Almighty. In His time, He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury. He will not let any of them escape.

Does this mean God is a malicious God seeking the punishment and destruction of His own creation? No. God is a good, loving, just God. He is love. This is why He sent Jesus. There’s no way we could ever save ourselves or make ourselves clean enough to enter His presence. So, He sent Jesus to take our sin upon Himself and take it away from us. No longer do we have to be at war with God. No longer do we have to remain His enemy. Now, we can fall down at His feet and ask for forgiveness, and He will forgive us. Why? Because His desire is that none should perish but all come to repentance.

There are only two options: Continue to rage against God and perish, or repent, follow Him, and be saved. The choice is yours.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Raging.

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Blind Faith

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” ²⁵He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” ²⁶And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” ~ Matthew 17:24-27

Isn’t it kind of peculiar that the collectors of the two-drachma tax did not address Jesus Himself at all, but rather, they went to Peter as if Peter might say, “No, He doesn’t,” and then they would have something to accuse Jesus of? Also, it seemed as if Peter was due for tax as well since Jesus said to take the shekel and pay His tax and Peter’s tax as well. But the collectors did not seem to be bothered at all about Peter not paying. Their only concern was Jesus not paying the tax.

That is how accusers work. They are only concerned with the one they have targeted. The one they have decided to persecute. They don’t care how wrong someone else is as long as they point out your faults and bring attention to what you are not doing. Have you ever noticed that when someone wants to do something and they are told that they cannot do that certain thing, they sing out, “Well, so and so did it?”

That is exactly what these collectors were doing. They were watching and waiting for Jesus to slip up or to do something wrong. But Jesus’ question to Peter was a subtle way of saying, “I am exempt from paying the Temple tax because I am the Son of the Living God.” But obviously, they would be offended by that and become furious. So, to avoid the drama, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing.

He said, “Go and cast a hook into the sea, and the first fish you catch, open up its mouth, and a shekel will be in it. Use it to pay the Temple tax for both of us.” And what does Peter do? He goes fishing. Where he got a hook and a line from, I have no idea, but he got one. There is no record of Peter resisting or questioning Jesus about the absurdity of the command. Go catch a fish and open its mouth, and you will find money. He doesn’t think about how far-fetched it is; he just obeys and goes.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in precarious situations, and the LORD tells us to do something that, to us, sounds insane. So, we think to ourselves, this cannot be God; this does not make sense. And we do not do it because we do not want to look stupid. But here is the thing. When the Spirit tells us to do something, no matter how silly or how ridiculous it may seem to us, God’s word will never fail. We must follow God with blind faith, without questioning, without thought of how ditzy it makes us look. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Heavenly Father, please help me to trust You and be obedient to Your every command, no matter how ludicrous it may sound to me. Increase my faith, O LORD, that I might trust you even more. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Awaken Remorse

²³So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ~ Matthew 5:23-24^CSB

Jesus tells us that if we’re bringing an offering to God and we’ve wronged our brother or sister, we must first go to the person we’ve wronged and make things right. So, does this then mean that we have the right to hold our brother or sister up for a wrong that they have committed against us? My flesh would love to say yes, but no. We have no right to do so.

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, He stressed the importance and necessity of forgiving. Not for the other person’s sake but for our own. He made it clear that if we don’t forgive, then we won’t be forgiven. So, what is Jesus saying here? When we wrong our brother or sister in Christ, it’s not them we have to worry about, but God.

Throughout Scripture, God makes it clear that vengeance belongs to Him. That He will defend, protect, and fight for His people. Therefore, if you have wronged one of God’s people, one of His children, then it isn’t the person not forgiving you that you have to worry about; God will deal with them, and it is God you have to worry about. It is God coming to the defense of that person and seeking justice on their behalf. Why?

Because God is a just judge. Therefore, He will vindicate His people. When we allow our eyes to be blind and our hearts to grow hardened, we begin to become narcissistically blinded to the feelings, needs, and boundaries of those around us.
This leads us into a spiritual slumber that will cause our love to grow cold. When our love grows cold, our prayers stop getting answered. Our offerings stop being accepted. Our communication with God becomes halted.

Therefore, pray for love. Seek the LORD to give You His heart, His eyes, and His arms so that you might know when you’ve hurt someone, as well as the humility to ask for forgiveness and make it right with them again.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Awaken Remorse.

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Seek Regardless

¹⁰I mourned and fasted, but it brought me insults. ¹¹I wore sackcloth as my clothing, and I was a joke to them. ¹² Those who sit at the city gate talk about me, and drunkards make up songs about me. ¹³ But as for me, Lord, my prayer to you is for a time of favor. In your abundant, faithful love, God, answer me with your sure salvation. ~ Psalms 69:10-13^CSB

When we pray, we expect immediate results. We expect to see the answers to our prayers within hours or days (if we’re more patient), but the majority of prayers aren’t answered this way. The majority of prayers take true fighting to attain the answers we seek.

David described fasting and earnestly seeking but not seeing it, making him a laughing stock to his enemies and those around him. David could have easily thrown in the towel and gave up. He could have easily gotten revenge on his mockers, but instead, David sought the LORD even more earnestly. His motto truly was
I will become even more undignified than this.

David was a man after God’s own heart, not because he was perfect, but because He sought the heart of God above all else. He didn’t care how he looked to the world as long as God saw him and heard him. As long as God was for him, it didn’t matter who was against him. He kept seeking the LORD until he received his answer.

Now, I don’t want you to be confused when I say he didn’t care what others thought of him; I don’t mean it didn’t bother him. It did. We know it did because he brought it to God in prayer. In desperate, earnest prayer. So, it’s not that it didn’t bother him, but that He refused to allow it to stop him. He took that pain and rejection he felt inside and laid it at the feet of the LORD. Then he continued seeking, regardless of whether or not the ridicule, rejection, and mockery stopped. David didn’t let anything keep him from God, and neither should you.

Live as David lived, seeking the LORD and His righteousness regardless of what others may think or say, regardless of whether or not we see an answer immediately. Keep fighting. Fight through the pain, hurt, and attacks of the enemy. Fight for your prayers to be answered.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Regardless.

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Be On Guard

³ How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you attack as if he were a leaning wall or a tottering fence? ⁴ They only plan to bring him down from his high position. They take pleasure in lying; they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. Selah ~ Psalms 62:3-4^CSB

Sometimes, those around you filling your ears with flattering words and compliments aren’t always for you. Sometimes, they are your greatest enemy in disguise. See, the Devil doesn’t always show himself as evil. Sometimes, the Devil disguises himself as an angel of light. Someone on your side. Someone defending you. Excusing your flaws. Saying kind words to you to your face, but little do you realize inwardly, they are speaking evil to you and on you.

Here’s the thing. They may not always know they’re doing this. They may be blinded by society’s corrupt version of love. They may be deceived by the enemy and believe they’re doing the right thing. This is why you have to be on your guard. You have to be spiritually aware so that when someone comes into your life, you are well aware of who brought them and their purpose in your life.

Remember, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And the Devil is the father of lies. When you put these two attributes together, you get a deadly enemy.

Therefore, be on guard always. Don’t allow sweet words and seemingly innocent compliments to lull your spirit-man to sleep. Wake him up. Put him on high alert through prayer, worship, reading your Bible, and fasting. That way, when the enemy sends someone into your life with the intent of destruction, you will be able to spot them before they can cause damage to you and/or your loved ones.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be On Guard.

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Cast Your Cares

⁷casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7

God loves us. Jesus loves us and invites us to cast all of our cares, concerns, and worries on Him, for He is able to bear it all. He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day.

Worries and concerns stem from a place of mistrust and will always give root to doubt, but the Scriptures say to

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

The LORD is good, His mercies are everlasting, and He will never mislead you, nor do you wrong, for His love endures forever. Therefore, put your trust in the LORD. He will guide you. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cast Your Cares.

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Be Of The Light

⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ~ James 4:4

What you do not hate, you will defend. What you defend, you will support. What you support will consume you. What consumes you will define who you are. This is the way it has been from the very beginning. Sin is always crouching at your door, desiring to be a god to you, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:7).

Oftentimes, hating sin is difficult, especially when it involves a friend, loved one, or ourselves. We want to justify instead of correct. We want to make excuses instead of making changes. Why? Because we love our flesh. We love the darkness instead of the light. We don’t want to offend anybody or make anyone feel like they are living in sin.

But this isn’t the way God intended us to be. There are no grey areas with God. Everything is in black and white. It’s either right or it’s wrong. And all wrongdoing is sin. And all sin we must abstain from. We must shun the very appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Why? Because there cannot be unrighteousness with God. There cannot be evil with God. There cannot be unholiness with God. So we have to consecrate ourselves. We have to stay away from sin and reject it. We cannot make excuses for ourselves or anyone else. We have to be children of the Light (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Don’t allow any form of darkness to separate you from the love of God. For it promises you and those around you happiness, but happiness is relative and conditional. It’s not stable but wavers from day to day. Only True joy is unshakeable and our strength. And true joy can only be attained in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Of The Light.

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Tag: Devotionals

Make A Stand

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