Devotionals Archives

January 8, 2024January 5, 2024

The Righteous Soul

⁷and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ~ 2 Peter 2:7-8

Lot lived in the land of Sodom, a city so wicked that the cries against it rose to God and forced Him to come down to see if the cries were true (Genesis 18:20-21). Lot didn’t just dwell in the land silently overlooking their great sins. No. When Lot saw wickedness take place, he spoke out against it and corrected them, even though they threatened evil against him (Genesis 19:1-11). It tormented his soul, but he didn’t let it corrupt him.

Abraham asked God if He would spare the city for the sake of ten righteous men, but they were not found (Genesis 18:22-33). Instead, only one righteous man was found in the entire city, so the LORD only saved that one righteous man and his family (Genesis 19:12-29). We are living in a world that doesn’t rejoice in Truth but in evil. Every day, the world embraces the kingdom of darkness more and more, and the Church, instead of being the light and spreading Truth, we give into the darkness and dim the Light within us.

If we want to be saved from the Wrath of God as Lot was, we have to act as Lot did. We have to speak Truth and act righteously, regardless of how the world may react. Our souls have to be tormented by evil, not give in to evil. We are to now be the light of the world, for it’s no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us and through us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Torment Your Soul.

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Train Yourself To Let Go

³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ~ Matthew 10:37-39

One of the hardest teachings Jesus ever gave us is that of loving Him. He stated that to love anyone, including your parents, children, and your own life, more than Him makes you unworthy of Him. Jesus was trying to get us to understand that we aren’t this mortal body but the soul within. If we train up our children in the way they should go, then our children will accept salvation, and we will never lose them.

Within the Star Wars franchise, there’s a Jedi named Yoda. When guiding a young Jedi padawan (trainer), he learns that this padawan has a fear of losing someone he loves. So, Yoda gives him advice.

Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

Yoda

Losing someone you love is difficult. It can destroy you and freeze you in time if you allow it to. Christ tells us not to let that happen. Don’t let even the fear of losing someone stray you from the path set before you.

Today, we will attempt to rewrite and re-explain Scripture in order to approve of the sins of our parents, children, friends, and ourselves. We “love them” more than we love God. We “love” so much that we’re willing to believe and propagate lies in order to appease the fear of losing them. Because we’ve seemingly saved our relationship with them, we don’t even see that we’ve damned them and ourselves to an eternity away from Christ.

We have to understand that true love doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), and all wrongdoing is sin (1 John 5:16-18). Therefore, we must turn from our sins and help others to turn from their sins as well. This is the only true act of love. We have to be willing to lose a relationship with someone through sharing the one and only True Gospel with them if we truly want to love God and them. This isn’t an easy teaching, but it is a necessary foundational one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Train Yourself To Let Go.

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Uproot And Plant

¹⁰Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ~ Matthew 3:10

The Pharisees and Sadducees were all in the Church, so to speak, but they did not obey the LORD Jesus’ commandments. Therefore, John the Baptist told them that even now, the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Listen, if you are not bearing good fruit, you will be cut down and thrown into the fire, the eternal fire and torment. And John did not leave it to misinterpretation or misunderstanding by saying fruit. No, he did not. He said good fruit, not just any old fruit.

We have to always honestly self-judge and self-evaluate so that we can be sure we’re bringing good fruit before the LORD. We have to make sure that we are willing to uproot any tree that doesn’t bear good fruit. See, many Christians just want to shave the tree down, but few are actually willing to uproot the entire tree that they might find total freedom.

We let the root of bitterness spring up which causes us troubles and thereby defiles us (Hebrews 12:15). Some people are satisfied to simply shave down some branches, but they never uproot the tree in order to get to the root cause of the problem altogether. In other words, the problem never gets rooted out.

I declare to you right now that you cannot live any old way you want. You cannot continue to live in sin and debauchery and expect the LORD Jesus to overlook your blatant disrespect and rebellion. God will only accept good fruit, so plant good seed. Water it. Nurture it. And uproot all trees that bear bad fruit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Uproot and Plant.

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Jesus Our Deliverer

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ~ Acts 12:6-8

The Scripture doesn’t say how long Peter was in prison; we only know that it was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Neither do we know how long after the death and resurrection of Jesus this took place, but we know it had to be at least a year since Jesus was crucified just before the Passover. So, Peter could have been in prison for several days waiting for the feast to be over or just one day.

But at any rate, it was the night before Herod was planning on bringing him out to do him harm as he had done to James, the brother of John. But Jesus sent His angel to deliver Peter. Why? Because the Scriptures tell us that the Church was in earnest prayer for Peter. Jesus is our deliverer; He will never leave us, nor will He forsake us.

You may be going through something, and it seems like you are at your wit’s end. You may feel like you’re bound with two chains, sleeping between two soldiers with sentries guarding the door, and there is no way out. Rest assured that what seems impossible for man is quite possible for Jesus. It may seem like you are out of time, but know this, Jesus has no time limits, for He holds time itself in His hand.

Don’t wait for your situation to change before you move. Peter’s chains did not fall off until he began to get up after being told to do so by the angel. The iron gate did not open until they approached it. We, as Christians, walk by faith and not by sight. Just because it looks like a dead end, just because it looks hopeless, just because we can’t see the end, doesn’t mean it is a dead end, or that it is hopeless, or that the end is obscure to Jesus. He will fight for you, and He will win.

Thank You, Father, for Your great deliverance. Thank You that You will never leave me nor forsake me and that I am always within Your reach; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Follow The Way

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:6

I heard a pastor say that we need to be more Holy Spirit-centered and less Christ-centered. He explained that the gifts are the gifts of the Spirit, not the gifts of Jesus, so therefore, if we want the gifts of the Spirit, we have to be Holy Spirit-filled. Here’s the thing, though: nothing is done in the name of the Spirit.

We have authority in Jesus’ name. We pray and receive in Jesus’ name. We enter the throne room of God because Jesus went first and made a way. We are saved by Christ. The Holy Spirit may be the source of the gift, but access to that source only comes through Jesus. Therefore, to be anything but Christ-centered would be to fall short. Without our focus being on Christ, then we can’t walk in step with the Spirit. We are the body of Christ. The body follows the head. The Spirit is what helps the body fulfill the head’s instructions.

Christ is our center. Christ is our head. Christ is our everything. Never let new teachings change your focus. If you want to see the power of the Holy Spirit move in your life, then keep your focus on Christ. For Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow The Way.

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Break Generational Curses

⁴You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. ~ Exodus 20:4-6

Stanley Yelnats family has a generational curse. The curse went from generation to generation to generation. Even the story of the origin of the curse was passed down, but no one ever tried to send the curse. The curse was finally broken by the great great great grandson of the man who brought the curse upon his family. He didn’t even do it intentionally, but because he knew the past, he was able to make a better future.

See, many of us have generational curses passed down to us from no fault of our own. These generational curses keep us from wholly fulfilling the will of God because they keep us trapped in one place in our lives or another. We can see certain strongholds afflict generation after generation in certain families. One plagued with alcoholism, another with fear, and another with homelessness and poverty, another with the inability to finish anything. Generational Curses are passed down from generation to generation through the mindset of its victims.

Breaking generational curses starts with the acknowledgment and identifying of them. Some are broken with just repentance, while others may take intense fasting and praying to break. One thing is the same in each situation, every stronghold can be broken, and every open door can be closed in Jesus’ name.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Break Generational Curses.

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The Plague of Fear

⁷for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Fear is one of the oldest spirits to oppress mankind. It plagued Adam and Eve, forcing them to hide from God. It’s a dividing spirit that separates us from God. It keeps us a slave to it through one thing, faith in it.

Fear only works if you believe in it. Fear has to convince you to believe him before he has any power. See, all other spirits can oppress you even if you don’t believe they exist. Addiction, lust, anger, etc., don’t need you to believe they have you or are a problem for them to overtake you, but fear you have to believe exists before it can overtake you.

Dear LORD, please break the chains of fear off of me. Please strengthen my faith in the love You have for me because it’s in Your perfect love that the power of fear is broken. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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In the Wilderness

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. ~ Luke 1:80

This is speaking of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus the Promised Messiah. The Scriptures say that he was in the wilderness before his public appearance to Israel. You know who else was in the wilderness before His public appearance to Israel? Jesus.

Luke 4:1-2 says,

¹And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry.

If you notice, before their public ministry, many of the Old Testament heroes spent time in the wilderness. John the Baptist, Jesus, Moses, and Jacob were in the wilderness taking care of his father-in-law’s sheep, Joseph spent time in the prison, and the list goes on. But in the New Testament, the heroes spent time with Jesus.

Acts 4:13 says,

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Even the great evangelist Paul spent time alone with Jesus before his public ministry. While writing to the Galatians, he described himself as still being largely unknown to the churches in Judea after three years.

But Acts 11:25-26 says,

²⁵ So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.

So, what am saying? The truth and seriousness of the return of Christ is still looming large right in front of us. We don’t have a whole lot of time left to mess around. We must be about the Father’s business. So, this year, determine to spend some time in the wilderness with Jesus, in prayer, fasting, and studying the Scriptures. It is the only way you will grow and the only way to really get to know the one who died for you and is coming back to get you. You don’t want to be a stranger to Him when He comes back in all of His glory. Be sure to set aside time to be alone with the LORD in this coming New Year.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can spend time alone with You and that You want to be alone with me. There is no greater privilege than spending time with You, the one who purchased my salvation. Now, please help me to serve You with my full heart and with all of my strength; in Jesus’ mighty name, I pray, amen.

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Look For The New Door

¹⁸ Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. ~ Matthew 13:18-23

There’s an old TV show called Reba that addressed the idea of someone going from a Christian to an atheist. One of the main characters, Van, told Reba, his mother-in-law, that he no longer believed in God because he prayed to God that he would be able to continue playing football, and God didn’t answer his prayer. A lot of times, that’s the temperature of the Church. We expect God to answer every prayer exactly as we’ve requested as if God is a magical genie that is around to grant our every desire. When in reality God gives us the desires of our heart if they line up with his good plan for our lives.

See, God knows the beginning and the end. He knows the outcome of every situation and the repercussions of every mistake. He can see things we can’t and understand things we don’t. His ways are higher, and our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Unlike a genie, God doesn’t just give us everything we ask for because not everything we ask for is good for us. This New Year put your faith in God’s plan for your life instead of in the plans you have for yourself. Put your trust in the maker of the universe, who is the Beginning and the End. The God that loves you more than words could ever express.

We may not know every step of every plan God has for us, but what we do know is that God is good. He’s a good, good father who loves us and desires good things for us. So, in those times that God closes a door, look for the new door He’s unlocked for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look For The New Door.

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One Breath Away

² For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:2^NLT

As people, it’s very easy to put off what we can do today for tomorrow. We procrastinate everything, even our own salvation. It’s difficult for us to comprehend our own mortality when we wake up each and every morning. We expect to wake up each morning just as we expect the sun to rise in the east every morning.

The problem is that tomorrow is promised to no one. One of the hardest pills to swallow is the reality that each and every one of us is only one breath away from eternity. Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may never come.

Dear LORD, please help me to overcome procrastination. Help me to not put things off for tomorrow. Help me to fulfill the call You have for my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Tag: Devotionals

The Righteous Soul

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