Tag: Devotionals

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Worship The LORD

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:14-16

Notice that the Spirit of the LORD had to depart from Saul before the harmful spirit could torment him. That means the Spirit of the LORD no longer protected him. Saul was now left spiritually vulnerable. Now notice, It had to be his choice to do something about it. Saul had to command his servants to seek a man who was skillful at playing the lyre. They could not just assume to have the authority, they had to be commanded to seek the worshiper on Saul’s behalf.

Understand that they were not just looking for any old lyre-player; they were looking for a worshiper of Yahweh, the LORD God. Because demons and tormenting spirits must flee when we worship the LORD. It is our choice, it is our decision, no one can make it for us, we have to decide, and when we do, the LORD will show up. The servants of Saul understood these things.

They went out and found a worshipper, the shepherd boy David. He was skilled at playing and writing music and hymns that we now call the Psalms. They brought him to King Saul, and whenever the tormenting spirit came upon Saul, David played and sang, and the spirit had to depart.

I would encourage you today to put on some worship music and begin to worship the LORD God and see how much better you feel. Not just listen but actively participate in the worship. Raise your hands, turn your face to heaven, and worship. Remember, God will never leave us nor forsake us, but He is enthroned on the praises of His people. So, when God is lifted up in our hearts, He will come, and He will make His home with us, and nothing or no one can pluck us out of His hands. We are His.

Father, deliver us from evil. Rebuke the devourer on our behalf, and cause us to worship the One True God, You, O LORD God Almighty. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Shift

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

Anxiousness is overcome by trust and faith. Trust and faith are both built through a prayerful relationship with Jesus and keeping in His Word. Why? We have to know what God’s promises are before we can believe them and have faith that He will fulfill them.

We have to read His Word in order to get to know Him and trust Him. God isn’t a far-off, distant God. He is a close God. He desires a relationship with His people. We truly understand that we’ll shift our faith from being in whatever our anxiety is screaming at us to the many good promises of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Shift.

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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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