Tag: Devotionals

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Acknowledge The Reserve

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:37-39

I looked out my backdoor window the other day and saw a young deer cautiously approaching some food my father had thrown out for the wild animals that live right behind our backyard. See, our house is built right next to an animal reserve, so all of the wildlife is protected back there. Here’s the thing, though: the deer don’t know that. Especially not this young deer that we saw the other day. This is like us.

We don’t realize that we’re protected and in the hands of God, so nothing can remove us from His hands. And just like this deer, we allow Fear to dictate our lives. We miss out on the good food that God has for us because we’re afraid to step outside of our comfort zone. We’re afraid to step out in faith. We’re afraid to stand on the promises of God.

Yes, the enemy has power. Yes, the enemy can afflict. He can send spirits and men against us. He can even take our very life, but what he can’t do is stop us from fulfilling the will of God for our lives. He can’t stop us from being in the arms of God. There’s only so much the enemy can do to the Church of God.

Dear LORD, help me not to be overcome by Fear but instead help me to overcome Fear with my faith in Your love for me. Help me to stand firmly on Your love for Your love for me is unlike any other love, and I could not even come close to expressing it with human words. Teach me to trust in Your love that I might not miss out on the good things You have for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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A Call To Work

4 We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ~ John 9:4

Not all calls God has for our lives are flashy calls. Some of them are humble. Some are difficult. Some may even seem insignificant. But they are all work. I don’t have a secular job. I do this ministry full-time. This ministry is my job. This is my work. But to most people, even those in the Church (some of which are family), don’t see this as work. They don’t see the time, effort, and dedication it takes to do this every day.

We don’t have a large following. We’re not known worldwide or even city-wide, for that matter. The majority of our friends and family don’t even support us by watching a video or reading a devotional every now and then. Matter of fact, they don’t even subscribe to our website or channel. When we talk about working, it’s reduced down to, “Well, it’s not really work; it’s a passion.” It may be said nicely or playfully, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful and discouraging.

That’s when God starts to speak to you. And He reminds you that it’s not their approval or even their support that matters. It’s that you’re doing the will of God that matters. It’s not for them; it’s for God. We’re each called for something. We’re each given the tools (gifts, both spiritual and physical) necessary to fulfill this God-given call. And sometimes, it just feels pointless. Sometimes, you feel like just quitting because you don’t feel like you’re making an impact. But the thing is, if you’re where God wants you to be, then you’re making an impact even if you don’t see it.

Dear God, thank You for giving me a call. Thank You for giving my life purpose and meaning. Thank You that I’m not just a floating speck of dust in the universe but that I was divinely designed by the Creator of all things, who loves me enough to give my life purpose. Please encourage my heart that I might not be discouraged and my soul might not be downcast within me. Help me to focus on You and the call that You have for my life. Help me to always encourage myself in You regardless of what other people think or say. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Stay Strapped

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. ~ Nehemiah 4:16-23NIV

Nehemiah was in charge of the rebuilding of the Temple, and the enemy was against them. I want you to notice that they didn’t stop building the Temple. They didn’t get distracted by the threats of the enemy. They kept working. They stayed focused on their work. This is the wild part, though; they kept their swords on them. They even worked with one hand because they had a weapon in their other hand. Let that sink in for a moment.

They didn’t let the threat of the enemy take away from their focus on rebuilding the Temple, but they didn’t take the threat of the enemy lightly and kept their weapon in their hand as they worked. Then, on top of all of that, if the enemy attacked, the trumpet would be sounded, and all people who heard the sound of the trumpet were to run to that area. They didn’t believe in taking the enemy on on their own. No. They were to come to each other’s aid. They were to be there for their fellow worker. This is how the Church should be.

Each of us should be strapped with our Sword of the Spirit and Shield of Faith at all times, prepared to defend ourselves against the enemy but never taking our focus off the call God has on our lives. And when one of us is under attack, we should sound the alarm and come to that person’s aid. The underground Church is currently sounding the alarm. Begging the free Church to pray for them, and we pretend like we don’t even hear the alarm. Our fellow brothers and sisters are under physical and spiritual attack like we can’t even imagine, and we can’t even spare 10 minutes to pray for them. Even in our own freedom, we don’t take up our sword to defend ourselves. We don’t pray for our nations, leaders, those in power. We say there is no hope, and we just give up. It’s time for the Church to stand up for the faith and fight the spiritual battle before us on our knees before it’s too late.

Dear LORD, please help me to strap on the Sword of the Spirit at all times. Help me to put on the full armor that You have given to me. Help me not to ignore the sound of the alarm but to get down on my hands and knees and pray and seek You on behalf of Your Church. Help me to come to my brother and sister’s aid when they call out for help. Help me not to lay down my weapons but to stand strong and prepared for whatever may come. Show me how to focus on the will You have for my life. Teach me to be the kind of Christian that will hear You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, with whom I am well pleased,” when I stand before Your throne. In Jesus’ name, pray, amen.

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Strengthen My Hand

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.” But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.” ~ Nehemiah 6:9

Nehemiah had just received the okay to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This should have been a joyous time, but the enemy sent in men to discourage him and all who were building the Temple. They were trying to strike fear into their hearts. They told them their hands were too weak, and they’d fail. They were trying to speak not just fear into the lives of those men but also speak it over them. So, what does Nehemiah do? He prays that the LORD will strengthen his hands.

Here’s the thing: if we are living in the will of the LORD, then we’re now a direct target of the enemy. He’s coming for us. He’s sending his army after us. He’s looking for our weakest areas, and that’s where he’s going to attack. So, what are we to do? We stay grounded in the Word of God and stay in tune with His Spirit so that we might be able to see the attacks of the enemy and defend ourselves against them.

Dear LORD, please help me to see the attacks of the enemy. Open my eyes that I might be able to see through the attacks of the enemy and cover those parts of my life. Help me to put on the full armor that You have given to me as protection for my life. Help me not to ever give a footing to the enemy but to always keep myself protected through prayer, worship, reading my Bible, and fasting. Never let the fire in me grow cold, but instead, kindle the flame that I might be hot on fire for You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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More Hope For A Fool

12 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. ~ Proverbs 26:12NIV

The Book of Proverbs is filled with many wise and deep passages. I didn’t necessarily understand or fully grasp what this proverb meant, which says there’s more hope for a fool than for a person wise in their own eyes, until a few days ago. See, we run our ministry predominantly online at the moment, which means we come in contact with a lot of people that we probably wouldn’t if we were just a physical ministry. And the more I come in contact with people, the more I understand what Solomon was saying.

See, David defines a fool as someone who says in his heart that there is no God (Psalms 14:1 & Psalms 53:1). It’s not someone who says it out loud. It’s not someone who shouts it from the rooftops. It’s someone who says it in his heart. When our actions don’t follow God’s laws, then we become fools because we are saying in our heart that there is no God. Why? Because this is how we are living our lives, as if there will be no one to stand before on Judgment Day to give an account for all that we have done and haven’t done.

Let that sink in for a second. There is more hope for that person who says that there is no God in their heart than a person who thinks they are wise. That used to baffle me. I couldn’t see how that was true, but the more people I come in contact with, the more I understand. See, the Church is filled with many people who are living their lives for Christ. Who follow the commands. Who do all of these good things, but they refuse to be corrected on Biblical matters because they believe they’re wiser than the one correcting them. They could have no evidence for their belief and be shown 15 different verses that prove their belief wrong, but they will refuse to accept it because they believe they’re wise.

But a fool simply doesn’t believe or lives his life as if he doesn’t believe. Solomon says that there is more hope for that person. Why? Because that person can be corrected. That person can be witnessed to. That person can be guided, but a person wise in their own eyes can’t do any of that. They can’t take correction. They can’t take guidance. They ignore sound teaching all because of their own pride.

Dear LORD, help me to be neither a fool nor wise in my own eyes. Help me to not think more of myself than I ought. Show me Your Truth and remove from me any false teachings that I cling to. Expose any darkness within me and shine Your Light through me. May the Light in me never be darkness, but may I be a Light for You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Do You Love Him?

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to Him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” ~ John 21:15-17

Three times, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. At the third time, Peter’s heart broke because of the question. I want you to remember that just three days prior, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. And at that third time, Jesus looked directly at Peter. Jesus is now giving Peter the chance to make things right, but it wasn’t enough for Peter to have just said that he loved Jesus. Jesus gave him three things to do to prove that he loved Him. Today, we’re in the same boat as Peter.

We’ve just fallen down. We’ve relapsed. We gave into temptation again. We took a bite of that forbidden fruit. Now, Christ is holding out His hand, asking, ‘Do you love me?’ Of course, we tell Him yes. Of course, we believe that we do as well, but just as Peter had things to do in order to prove his love for Christ, so do we. We have to follow His commands. Yes, we will make mistakes. Yes, we will fall down. Yes, we will give into temptation, but we have to get on our knees, beg for forgiveness, and walk away from our failure. We have to walk away from where we’ve just messed up. It’s not enough to just say that we love Jesus; we have to live for Him. Our actions have to say that we love Jesus as well as our words.

Dear LORD, please help my actions to say that I love You. Help me to never offer You empty words that have no meaning. Help me to always live my life for You. Help me to always put Your ways and Your kingdom first above all else. Teach me to truly follow You and love You the way that You deserve. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Responsibility

39 They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight. ~ Psalm 106:39 NLT

The Scripture comes right out and says, “They defiled themselves…” It wasn’t that they were tripped up or deceived into going that way. It wasn’t that someone tricked them, and they had no idea what was going on. It wasn’t even that they were innocent in all of this. But rather, God said they had defiled themselves.

There was no one to blame. They could lay the blame at no one’s feet except their own because it was they themselves who had knowingly defiled their own souls with their evil deeds. It was their own actions that defiled them, not somebody else’s, but their own. And it is the same with us today; we defile ourselves with our actions and with our words, but yet consider ourselves innocent. It’s not our fault, we say. I’m innocent in all of this.

In today’s society, no one wants to take responsibility for his or her actions, and our government and social media encourage it. It’s not your fault; you had a hard life. It’s not your fault; you were mistreated as a child. It’s not your fault; it’s your parents’ fault. It’s not your fault; your childhood was victimized. It’s not your fault; you were born that way. It’s not your fault; it is a disease. It’s not their fault; they are just acting out because they’ve been held down for so long. It’s not their fault; they’re the victim in all of this.

 But the Scripture says that they did it themselves. They had defiled their own selves by their evil deeds. There was no one to blame. It is not someone else’s fault for you defiling your own self. Everyone has the responsibility to acknowledge his or her own deeds. Nobody else can accept responsibility for you; you must accept your own responsibility.

The Psalmist said, if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. It gives God no pleasure in punishing the guilty. He wants everyone to recognize and accept their own wrongdoing and repent and turn away.

Dear LORD, help me to take accountability for my actions. Help me not to blame others for my own mistakes and shortcomings. Help me not to cherish iniquity in my heart but to cherish Your Word in my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Proclaim His Death

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Jesus became sin so that in His death, He killed sin. He did a physical action to achieve a Spiritual result. By accepting Christ and being baptized in water, we do a physical action that triggers the spiritual action of dying to sin, as Christ died to sin. Therefore, since Christ Physically rose on the third day, we will also rise on the day that He returns.

This is what we proclaim spiritually when we physically partake in communion, the LORD’s Supper. Because of this, Communion is a two-fold ordinance, or ritual, as it looks back in remembrance and looks forward in hope to His return, which the early Church often referred to as the blessed hope.

We are now closer than ever before to the return of Christ. To the Blessed Hope that every generation so desperately longed to see. We’re seeing prophecies being fulfilled in our day and age. We see the End Times stage being set before our very eyes. Jesus is soon coming back, but is His Church, His bride, ready for Him? Are you ready for His return?

Times of difficulty are still to come, and we see them preparing for it even now. Nevertheless, the bride is to say come. Even so, come LORD Jesus, come. So, the next time you take the LORD Supper (Communion), think about what you’re doing. Think about the spiritual action you are proclaiming as you partake of the bread and the cup.

Dear LORD, please strengthen my faith and my love that I might withstand any and every form of persecution that comes my way. Help my life to proclaim Your death until You return. Help me to never get caught up in the pleasures of this world; instead, help me to always cry, ‘Come, LORD Jesus, come.’ In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Ram

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. ~ Genesis 22:8

God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. To take his only son Isaac, whom he loved, and sacrifice him. Abraham, being the faithful and trusting servant that he is, did as God commanded. So, as they (Abraham and Isaac) venture up the Mountain, Isaac looks around and notices that they have the fire, they have the wood, and his father, Abraham, is carrying the knife, but there is no sacrifice. So, puzzled, he asks his father, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham’s response is so profound he says, “God will provide for Himself a lamb.” Isn’t that remarkable? And sure enough, God did provide for Himself a ram. This is the same for us today. God has called each of us to sacrifice our own self on the altar. Not physically, but spiritually. Why? Because Jesus already came as our only sacrifice. It was never God’s plan that man should die, but that God Himself would die for man. Our only acceptable offering for sin. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the Lamb that God Himself provided, the Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. Thank You for taking my sin upon Yourself. Thank You for being my sacrifice even though I don’t deserve it. Thank You for redeeming me and reconciling me back to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Friendly Fire

1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even His brothers believed in Him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, He remained in Galilee. ~ John 7:1-9

Jesus never did anything in order to impress others. He never gave in to peer pressure, even when it came from His own brothers. They didn’t even believe in Him, yet they were trying to give Him advice on His call. This is still true today. There are many people who don’t even believe in your call from God or even in God Himself, but they want to try to tell you how to fulfill that call from God. They sound very sincere when they do it, too, but rarely does the enemy send attacks that look like attacks.

When Eve was tempted in the Garden, the Serpent didn’t come at her with anger and aggression. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan didn’t come at Him with anger and aggression. They were both asked questions. It probably didn’t even sound malicious when it was said. It probably sounded like enlightenment. If the enemy wants you to drink poison, he’s not going to label the bottle with a skull and cross bones. No. Instead, he’s going to label it healthy and say how it’ll help you and free you.

The enemy will use anyone he can in order to hinder the saints of God because we are the hands and feet of Jesus while on this earth. It’s us that goes out and makes disciples of all nations. We’re to spread the good news. We’re to keep charge over the earth. We’re to protect it and keep it. We’re supposed to keep evil from taking over the entire earth. So, the Devil uses whoever and whatever he can in order to overcome us.

Dear LORD, please help me to follow You regardless of what others do. Help me to always seek Your approval above all else. Help me to follow Your ways and fulfill the call that You have for my life, regardless of how hard or difficult it may be. Please strengthen me so that I may not fall prey to the attacks of the enemy; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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