Devotionals Archives

February 17, 2024February 16, 2024

Avoid The Perverse

⁶You are not to come near any close relative for sexual intercourse; I am the Lord. ⁷You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your father and mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her. ~ Leviticus 18:6-7

Have you ever read the book of Leviticus and just thought to yourself, “Why did God even need to address this? This is just common sense.” That’s how I felt about these verses, and then I felt like God brought to my mind the warnings on bleach bottles and other poisonous liquids. These are common-sense rules, but there are always those who will misuse the product and then try to sue the company for their own idiocy. The same is true with the Law.

God gave us laws and commands not because we’re stupid or lack common sense but because the more we give into darkness, the more our vision is perverted, and the more we give into our own fleshly desires. Imagine if God didn’t give us any commands or laws but expected us to follow them. On Judgment Day, would we not be able to say, “But I didn’t know it was a sin.” Therefore, the LORD addresses the black-and-white areas plainly and clearly so that there’s no room for grey to appear.

So, what are we to do? We get rid of grey, and we stick to the original outline. We don’t give into our flesh, but we crucify it. We don’t quench the Spirit; we feed it. We don’t blur the lines between right and wrong; we call sin sin. We stop making excuses for our sin, and we strive for holiness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Avoid The Perverse.

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Do More Than Pronounce

⁴⁰ If a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹ Or if he loses the hair at his hairline, he is bald on his forehead, but he is clean. ⁴² But if there is a reddish-white condition on the bald head or forehead, it is a serious skin disease breaking out on his head or forehead. ⁴³ The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the condition on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like the appearance of a serious skin disease on his body, ⁴⁴ the man is afflicted with a serious skin disease; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; the infection is on his head. ⁴⁵ The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp. ~ Leviticus 13:40-46^CSB

The Levitical priests were given the task of not just being the moral authority of the people of Israel but also the doctors of Israel as well. Today, we, the Church, are to be like the Levitical Priests, but oftentimes, we fall short. How?

The majority of us aren’t a moral compass for anyone. The majority of us believe that we’re not called to judge, which is both wrong and right at the same time. See, we’re not called to pronounce a blasphemous judgment or condemn those in the world, but we are called to judge between right and wrong. We are called to judge the actions of all people in order to know whether or not they are of Christ or the Devil.

The few of us that still call sin sin and judge between right and wrong may save a soul, but we don’t disciple that soul. We move on to the next person to save. We leave these new Christians as infants, expecting them to feed and teach themselves, then are shocked and disappointed when they fall back into sin.

This is because we didn’t take the time to disciple them. The Levitical priests had to not only check to see if they were clean or unclean, but they also had to do a follow-up examination. They had to make sure that person left clean, or they’d be unclean and remain outside the camp. When we disciple someone, we’re looking for fruit that lines up with the Spirit. If we don’t see that fruit beginning to sprout, then we know that we can’t send them on their own way and move on to another person.

We’re to disciple people until we can confidently send them out to create new disciples. We’re not to just save souls, we’re to plant seeds and water them. We’re not to just pronounce someone unclean and leave them be. We’re to pronounce them unclean and then help them become clean by the precious blood of Jesus and the renewing of the mind through the Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than Pronounce.

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The Levitical Purpose

¹⁰ You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean, ¹¹ and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses. ~ Leviticus 10:10-11^CSB

The LORD was speaking to the Levites. They were the moral authority of Israel because it was them who went before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites. It was the Levites that were the priests and high priests of God. This is why the LORD told them they had to be able to distinguish between the holy and the common. The clean and unclean. Today, the Church represents the Levites to the world.

We are supposed to be the light of the world because Christ now dwells in us and lives through us, yet we struggle with discerning good and evil. We call evil good, and good we call evil. We make sin normal, and we endorse it in our churches and on social media. We are to guide the world out of darkness to the Light of the LORD, but instead, we’ve become like the Pharisees. Like blind guides leading the blind straight into the pit.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for not being a light in this dark world. Please forgive me for all the times I’ve endorsed sin and blurred the lines between good and evil. Please soften my heart to the things of You and renew a right spirit within me. Teach me Your ways so that I might lead others to You. Let Your Light shine in me and through me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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God’s Valentine

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. ² Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever; ~ Psalms 136:1-3

Twenty-three more times, this phrase, “for His Steadfast love endures forever,” is repeated twenty-six times in total. Doubtless to say, we are God’s valentine. We are His most loved and prized possession, and He wants us to know. We are the very apple of His eye. There is no sidestepping it or no getting around it. We are God’s valentine. It is hard to believe that an Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Knowing God and Creator can look at us and say, I love you this much, and then hold out His hands to us, revealing the nail prints in the palm of His hands.

Yes, we mean that much to God to send His beloved Son to die for us. Yes, we mean that much to Jesus for Him to come down to this old dusty earth to endure heat and cold. Sweat and sorrow. Pain and rejection. To know what it is like to be thirsty and hungry. To be mocked and ridiculed. To know what it is like to be weary and tired. Then to be punched and slapped and spat upon, and then to know what it is like to be whipped within inches of His life. And finally, to know what it is like to be crucified and to die. For what? For His dearly beloved bride, the Church.

Yes, it is true, God the Father loves us, and Jesus the Son loves us, and they gave us their Holy Spirit as a seal of adoption. No greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends. Jesus is our friend, He is our God and our Savior, but He is our friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, that You would send Your Son to die for me. Thank You, Jesus, for being obedient and coming to die for me. I can never repay You, but I will always love You. Thank You again for all You have done, and are now doing, and will ever do for me; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Genuine Love

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ~ Romans 12:9-13

Let love be genuine, not only during this week that we call ‘The Love Week,’ but let genuine love shine through your words and your actions. Genuine love can be spotted. It can be felt or sensed. It can be tasted. It beckons you, calls you from far distances. It has a specific smell, the smell of life, a fragrance of grace.

When you walk in genuine love and talk with love, evil will become abhorrent to you, and doing good will become second nature. One way of doing that is to be the first to show honor to your brother or to your sister. Not in a half-hearted way, but in genuineness of heart. Genuine love does not hold back its affections. It does not resist the need to pay a compliment when a compliment is due. Honor one another in genuine love.

Do not be fake; believe me, folks can spot an impostor because it carries all of the opposite attributes that genuine love portrays. Genuine love builds up and never divides. Therefore, we love people, for by doing so, we show that we love God.

If you love one another, you show love to God. If you are zealous for one another, you show zeal for the LORD. Love will Rejoice in hope; it will be patient in tribulation, and it will remain constant in prayer. For who ever stopped praying for someone they genuinely love? Or who will withhold the needs of someone that they genuinely love? The answer is no one. So, be obedient children of God, and love one another; thus, you will spread the fragrance of life eternal through Jesus Christ our LORD.

Heavenly Father, help me to be genuine in love and to honor those who, by their own love for the saints, demand honor. Help me to never let love become insincere or lackadaisical but to always show genuine love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Spread True Love

⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ~ 1 John 4:8^CSB

I remember having a conversation with someone, and they argued that we can hate people because of their sin. They even tried to explain that God hates them, too. When I explained God is love, they laughed in my face and told me that that was a Catholic teaching. In this world, we have two main types of people: those who believe God loves them so He’ll overlook their sin and those who believe God hates anyone and everyone who sins. Here’s the thing. Neither of these statements are true.

For God showed His love for us before we could even receive salvation while we were still His enemies. For God so loved the world that He gave… it’s not “for God so loved the righteous,” but the world. The world is all the souls of mankind. The world is those who rejected Him and crucified Him. We are the world; that is why He called us out of the world so that we might be saved.

God is love. And love doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing, but only in Truth. Love is loving the sinner and hating the sin. Love is praying for your enemies and blessing those who curse you. Love is turning the other cheek. Love is God, and God is love. It’s only in His perfect love that we are safe and redeemed from our sin and our past.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Spread True Love.

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Love Is Not A Fight

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ~ Ephesians 5:25-28

As Warren Barfield put it, love is not a fight, but it’s certainly worth fighting for. I saw this on some social media the other day. It said:

I messaged my father-in-law today, and said:
“You need to come get your daughter, she’s driving me nuts.”
Him: “Package is opened, seal is broken, item is used, warranty is expired. Sorry, that’s not a manufacturer’s problem.

And so, it isn’t. It’s your problem, husband. For you are the one that is instructed to love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for the Church.

You likewise must give yourself for your bride. You must meet her every need. The need to feel safe. The need to tell you all about her day and to hear about your day. The need for a protector.

And you wives, you aren’t without responsibility. You, too, must find your husband’s love language and speak it fluently and speak it often. Remember, you are your husband’s number-one cheerleader. Find one good thing he does and talk about it for a while.

It’s not stroking his ego; it’s stoking the flames of love that will burn bright in your marriage. A flame so huge it would take the rains of a category 5 hurricane and the winds of an EF5 tornado to put it out, and even then, it will still burn bright.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Is Not A Fight.

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Called By The Name of The LORD

⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. ⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— ⁷ everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” ~ Isaiah 43:5-7^NIV

²⁴ Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce? ²⁵ But this is what the LORD says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. ~ Isaiah 49:24-25^NIV

Wow! What a promise. This is a Last Days prophecy to Israel, but take a look at verse 7. God extended it to:

Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Isaiah 43:7

Are you called by God’s Name? Then this promise includes you and your children. We are living in the last days right now. The days just before the great day of Jesus’ return to get His Bride. We don’t have a whole lot of time left to be playing around with salvation. The clock is ticking, and the door will soon slam shut. We need to get our loved ones in, and God has given us a great and mighty promise. He said that no matter where our children have gone if we will only pray and believe and witness to our children and plant those seeds, the Holy Spirit will water, and God will give the increase.

It may seem like the fierce has captured your children, and the dreaded warriors have taken them as plunder, but God said that the captives will be taken from the warriors, and the plunder from the fierce. What has your loved ones held captive? Is it the pursuit of fame? Or the great desire for wealth? Is it apathy? Maybe some sexual deviant immorality has them bound. The captives will be taken from the warriors, and the plunder will be retrieved from the fierce. So do not fear, but believe God, for His promises will never fail.

Are you believing for the salvation of a wayward son? Are you believing for the restoration of a daughter? It doesn’t matter how far they’ve gone, the promise says “To the ends of the earth.” They can’t go that far as to get away from the love of God. They can’t have done as much as to be beyond saving. This is your promise today. So, get a hold of it, claim it, believe it, keep on praying and trusting, the promise is yours.

(As you pray the prayer, insert the name of your loved one).

Father, please bring Your strong conviction on _____ wherever they may be at this moment. Let _____ feel Your love and our love around them. Open _____ spiritual eyes. Let a strong burning desire to reach out right now overtake them. Let a feeling that cannot be ignored or pushed aside overwhelm them. I believe it is Your will that ______ be saved. Let the Blood of Jesus not be poured out for no reason for _____, but let Your light and salvation shine in the heart of _____ right now. Thank You, Father, for saving ____. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for convicting _____. I believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave will also raise _____ to spiritual life. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

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Cast Down

³ For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, ⁴ since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments ⁵ and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5^CSB

Lately, my biggest battle has been trying to cast down every thought that enters my mind that isn’t of God. I used to think that if you truly lay something down at the feet of Jesus, then you’ll no longer think about it. If you’re truly over it, those thoughts won’t enter your mind, but then I realized that there’s a difference between me dwelling on the past and the enemy shooting darts full of past memories into your mind.

See, it’s when we dwell on the pain and hurt of the past that we hold on to our own burdens instead of giving them to Christ. But when the thought pops into our mind randomly, and we cast it down, that’s no longer our flesh. That’s the enemy trying to force you to pick back up the baggage that we left at the feet of Jesus.

So what do we do? We continue to cast down every thought that isn’t of God. Why? Because we have this promise from the LORD:

⁷ Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7^CSB

If we resist the Devil and cast down those tempting thoughts that he throws at us, he must flee, and we will overcome through Christ Jesus. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen if we are faithful to the LORD and submit our hearts, minds, and souls to Him.

So, don’t be discouraged by the attacks of the enemy. Fight until you see victory. Cast down evil thoughts and replace them with good thoughts. Replace pain and hurt with love and forgiveness. Replace anxiety with peace. Overcome evil with good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cast Down.

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Watch How You Charge

^9b …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ~ Romans 10:9

Words aren’t empty. Every time we speak, we’re charging the air. Our words are either life or death. With our words, we confess and receive our forgiveness. With our words, we pray and draw close to the LORD. Words are the most versatile armament known to man. For with it:

We can bless or curse
We can build up or tear down
We can create or destroy
We can heal or kill
We can encourage or discourage

Therefore, we must be very careful how we wield our weapon of words because we can wield that same weapon against ourselves. This is why we watch our thoughts. This is why we bite our tongues. This is why we lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus so that when we speak, it’s only life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch How You Charge.

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