Devotionals Archives

May 26, 2024May 25, 2024

Fear The LORD

²⁶So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ~ Matthew 10:26-28

Jesus is instructing His hearers not to be afraid of men, for the most that men can do to one another is to kill the body and can do no more. You might say, “Well, that is a pretty significant thing, don’t you think?” And yes, it is. Nobody looks at dying as something desirable. No, it is written in the fabric of our DNA to live. God Himself said, “Live and increase and do not decrease.” But it is the spirit of suicide that entices young and old to commit suicide.

Jesus said that He came so that we may have life and life more abundantly. So, it is Jesus’ will and it is the Father’s will that we live and prosper. But even with that, the fear of death is not something that we believers hang on to, but when confronted with the choice to die or to renounce Jesus, we choose death. Man then can kill the body and can do nothing else, while there is a great and awesome day of the LORD that is coming when the sheep will be divided from the goats and the sheep will enter eternal life, but the goats will go away to eternal punishment. That is called the second death.

This is what Jesus was warning the people about. Not to be afraid of those people who can only kill the body and can do nothing else. But rather, fear God, who can not only kill the body but has the authority to cast the soul into hell. That is who we ought to be fearing.

The fear of God is so out of place today that we don’t even understand what it means to fear God. We don’t fear Him the way we fear and are terrified of some big, bad ogre-dictator. But a healthy fear like you would fear your earthly father. It is this fear that keeps us in line and stops us from indulging in blatant sin. Coupled with the love that we have for Jesus compels us to keep His commandments, and to love others. It demands that we forgive and overlook other people’s faults, all because we fear God.

Do you fear God? Have you made Him your personal savior? All you have to do is to ask for His forgiveness and He will forgive you.

Heavenly Father, please forgive me of my sins, and please erase my iniquities from before Your eyes. Help me to have a healthy fear of You so that I can please You with my thoughts, my words, and my deeds. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Prayer Can

¹⁶Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ~ James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another. In other words, live in peace with each other so that your prayers are not blocked. The accuser of the brethren is always on the lookout for those at war with each other. When he finds one, he uses it to have your prayers blocked. But with confession comes deliverance, and with deliverance comes freedom, freedom to have your prayers heard and answered. Some people don’t receive their healing because they have held someone up for something that that person probably has long ago forgotten.

Once you have cleared the air, so to speak, you can now focus your attention on prayer, effectual fervent prayers. Now, this word effectual carries the sense of activity or energy. It is not some Kumbaya, in the sweet by-and-by type prayer. But an active, emotional, heartfelt prayer reaching out to God knowing that He will hear and when He hears, He will answer. Because what you cannot change through your own strength WILL change through effectual fervent prayer.

Father God, help me to be consistent, determined, and fully persuaded about the things of God. Standing on Your promises, praying always, and never giving up before I receive an answer from You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Know The Savior

²⁶Eight 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.” ²⁷Then 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.” ²⁸Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~ John 20:26-29

Even though Thomas walked and talked with Jesus daily, his faith and understanding of who Jesus is was flawed. He refused to believe unless he could touch the scars. He refused to believe unless his eyes could see. This one incident became his legacy. We don’t remember Thomas as anything other than ‘Doubting Thomas.’ How sad is that?

Thomas did many great things for the LORD, but all we remember and talk about was his moment of doubt and unbelief because of his lack of understanding.

The true identity of who Jesus is wasn’t revealed to Thomas until he saw Him face to face. The identity that Jesus isn’t just our Savior, but our God.

Jesus isn’t just another one of God’s creations with a special purpose. No. Our Savior is so much more. He’s the Light of the World. The King of kings. The LORD of lords. The Alpha and the Omega. He is our Savior and our God.

Jesus didn’t come into being at His birth or even the creation of Heaven. Jesus has always been. Therefore, be encouraged. Our savior is more than us. He isn’t one of us elevated. He is God who lowered Himself to our level to save us from our own sin. He didn’t have to do it, but He did. He did it for the sake of the Church.

Get to know your savior. He’s not just another man. He’s the very creator of the entire universe. He is God. Don’t allow the lack of understanding to take away all that you have done for the LORD and taint your legacy. Build your faith through the Word of God so that you might not stumble in a time of faith testing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know The Savior.

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Stop Hiding The Light

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that winneth souls is wise. ~ Proverbs 11:30

It’s politically incorrect to share Jesus with anyone these days. So, most Christians keep their faith to themselves. Their friends, co-workers, colleagues, neighbors, etc., have no idea that they are Christians. Many feel this is the best way to not force their beliefs on others, but is that what we’re doing when we share our faith? God’s main purpose for us is to return to Him, but as Paul said, “How can they believe if they have never heard? And how can they hear if no one ever tells them?”

When we share our faith, we’re not forcing it on others; we’re giving them the opportunity to get to know Jesus. We’re giving them the opportunity to be saved. To remain silent and never share your faith is like hiding your light under a basket or burying your coin in the ground. It becomes useless to us and those around us. We don’t have to force salvation down someone’s throat to give them the opportunity to learn more about our faith. We just have to be willing to allow the Light of Christ to shine through us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Hiding The Light.

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Hold Your Peace In The Storm

⁴⁵Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, ⁵⁰for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” ~ Mark 6:45-50

Have you ever been in a storm and have been praying and seeking God, but He just can’t seem to be found? Have you ever cried out to Him all night but just didn’t feel His presence? Like He was nowhere around? Well this was the place the disciples found themselves in. But I’m here to tell you, when you feel all alone and feel abandoned when there is nowhere to run or no one to run to, when there is nowhere to hide, and Jesus doesn’t seem to be anywhere around, do not be dismayed, neither be discouraged but rather, be encouraged because the Scripture says He ever lives to intercede for us. Therefore, rest assured, Jesus knows where you are in your storm.

In your midnight hour, when you feel all alone, and no one is there. Family is not there; they don’t understand what you’re going through. Pastor is not there; he is not able to be in all places at once. Friends just don’t understand. They have their own problems. Co-workers, well … they don’t even believe in God or even care, some of them. Your Mama’s prayers just don’t seem to be working in this storm. Children aren’t much comfort either; the storm is too great, and maybe they themselves are the cause of your storm.

Let me encourage you today; Jesus sees you. He knows where you are in your storm. He sees you straining at the oars when the wind of this life is against you. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He, [referring to Jesus], is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus sees you in your storm and He is interceding for you, just like He was interceding for His disciples.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold Your Peace In The Storm.

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Allow The Word To Penetrate

¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ~ Romans 10:17

Faith and hearing, hearing and faith are tightly intertwined together to build [ὁ (ho) Pistis] The Faith.

It seems to me that faith cannot be built or had without hearing. We must first hear. We covered the difference between faith and The Faith [ὁ (ho) Pistis] in our first video in this series, so we won’t rehash that.

Now, if hearing is so important to my The Faith, then I really need to understand what hearing is, if I am going to mix it with my faith to produce an action. Therefore, it would seem to me that it is much more than just mere sound entering through my ear canal. It’s a hearing with the heart. It’s a spiritual hearing. A hearing with the desire to understand and grow.

Oftentimes, we hear, but we never really listen. It goes in one ear and out the other. We don’t think about it. We don’t dwell on it. We don’t try to understand it. We don’t meditate on it. We don’t let it change us. We allow the Word of God to become just words and not the Living, Active Word that penetrates our soul and awakens our sleeping spirit within us.

If you want your faith to grow, you have to seek faith. You can’t continue in the same old pattern, hoping for a change. You have to actively seek God if you want to find Him. You have to be active in Christ if you want your faith to grow.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Allow The Word To Penetrate.

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Pray Desperate Prayers

¹ About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ²He killed James the brother of John with the sword, ³and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. ~ Acts 12:1-5

Herod laid violent hands on some of the Christians, including John’s brother James, whom he killed with the sword, as well as Peter, whom he imprisoned, guarded by four squads of soldiers. He planned to kill Peter after the Passover, just like he had killed James, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Herod’s plan was to kill Peter because he saw that killing James pleased the Jews, but earnest prayer was made for him. Desperate intercession went up to God for Peter. Herod and the Jews had one plan, but the Church had a different plan, a plan that involved Jesus.

“Free Peter. Save Peter’s life, O’ LORD our God,” they desperately pleaded in earnest prayer.

This word earnest is the Greek word ektenōs. It means:

Eager, Continuous prayer

In other words, they were desperate.

I’m not talking a little five-minute, “If it is Your will, dear LORD…” type of prayer. This was an all-night, all-day crying out to God for His mercy on Peter type prayer.

The Christians praying for Peter was desperate for a move of God. They had just made the mistake of not praying for James in desperation and James had paid the ultimate price. He was executed by Herod. Peter fared much better. Why? Because of the prayer of desperation.

If you want God to move, then you need to pray desperate prayers. You need to be on your hands and knees seeking God. You need to reach that place where you’re willing to wrestle all night until you get your answer. You have to be willing to knock all night til the door is opened to you. You have to be willing to become desperate if you want to see God move miraculously in your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray Desperate Prayers.

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Turn the World Upside Down

¹ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ~ Acts 2:1-4^KJV

When the day of Pentecost had fully come. Please understand that the Jews were celebrating the Feast of Pentecost for centuries. This was not their first rodeo, as they say. That’s why Dr. Luke tells us when it had fully come. In other words, the fulfillment of the feast had finally come. God had given His Holy Spirit to His beloved Church. Now, the 120 believers gathered in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit, with power, with boldness, with confidence, with love. And they began to preach the message of the Good News. Souls were saved, lives were changed, and bodies were healed.

But the believers came together in one accord and waited upon Jesus as He had instructed them before His ascension. Great signs and wonders and miracles were wrought forth by the hands of the Apostles and the early believers.

Somehow, we, nowadays believers, have lost the power to perform signs, wonders, miracles, and great acts of healing. Maybe we need to get back to waiting upon the LORD, and to prayer, and to the study of God’s word.

So, this Pentecost Sunday, let us make a determination to wait, worship, and dedicate ourselves to prayer. Let us seek the LORD our God and turn the world upside down for Jesus once again.

Heavenly Father, please fill us with the promise of Your Holy Spirit, and with power and with love. In Jesus powerful name, amen.

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Enjoy The Spirit

¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. ~ Hebrews 1:1-2

The author of the book of Hebrews starts the book by explaining that God didn’t speak to everyone. In fact, God didn’t speak all the time. There were times when the Word of the LORD was rare, such as during the time of Eli, recorded in 1 Samuel 3:1. There was even 400 years of silence, but when the day of Pentecost came, recorded in Acts 2, God poured out His Spirit on all flesh, fulfilling Joel’s prophecy recorded in Joel 2.

No longer does God only speak to His people through the prophets, but now He speaks to all of His people through His Son Jesus because Jesus is the one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Does that mean we no longer have prophecies? Of course not! We still have prophecies today. Otherwise, we would have to get rid of any prophecy written after the day of Pentecost, which is every prophecy recorded in the New Testament after the ascension of Jesus. So, with that said, prophecy hasn’t disappeared. Prophecy is still here today. The only difference is that the prophets are not the only ones who can hear from God and commune with Him.

How encouraging is that? No longer do we have to go through man to hear from God. God speaks through anyone willing to be a vessel for Him because now His Spirit dwells in us. We are His temple. Yes, prophets are still important today, but no longer are they the only ones who hear from God. No longer is there a barricade between God and mankind. Now, there is only one step between God and mankind: repentance. All we have to do is repent, and the LORD will begin to change our lives. When we seek Him, we find Him. When we knock, the door is opened to us. The Spirit Himself dwells inside of us. We are no longer alone.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enjoy The Spirit.

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Seek First Love

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The Holy Spirit manifests His presence in two main ways: fruit and gifts. Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-20 that we will know the difference between sheep (Christians) and wolves in sheep’s clothing (non-Christians) by their fruit. So, the Holy Spirit displays His presence by the fruit we bear. Now, out of the Fruit of the Spirit, there is one fruit that we must all have: love.

Paul explains you can have all of the gifts in the world, but they are nothing unless you have love, the most important thing of all. Many of us desire the gifts of the Spirit, as we should, but we lack one thing: love.

Smith Wigglesworth was a man of God who saw miracles happen. He himself performed many miracles in the name of Jesus. He even resurrected his wife when she died. Even though he saw miracle after miracle, his main goal, his main objective wasn’t to heal as many people as possible or to perform as many miracles as possible. Smith Wigglesworth’s main objective was to save as many souls as possible. He wanted to win as many people to Christ as he could through his testimony and sharing the Gospel; he was a true evangelist at heart. Why? Because he understood that miracles and healings were amazing gifts, but the heart of the Father is love. His desire is that none should perish, but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

We should all seek miracles, healing, signs, and wonders, but in order to truly have those things, we first need love. Not just any love either, but the love of God. We need to love the world the way God loves the world, not the things of the world, but the souls. When soul-winning (building the Kingdom of God) becomes our main focus, the rest will begin to fall into place.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek First Love.

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Tag: Devotionals

Fear The LORD

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