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About oneminuteministry

This blog will be a way for me to share where Christ is speaking to me, and how my relationship with Him is growing. My desire is to encourage you in your walk with Christ as the only Way. John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the father but through me."

Tunnel vision

04 Mar

Tunnel vision

2 Timothy 2:14-15   Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The apostle Paul was encouraging Timothy of how to keep focused; of how to not waste his energies on some of the false profits in that day. Some things are just considered babble, and not even worthy of Timothy taking the time to respond. Paul is pressing Timothy to focus on the Gospel, and the defense of it, but to not spend his time addressing the matters that truly do not matter at all. Focus on his ministry and make sure that it always has substance that benefits the hearers. Do not waste his time and energy on things that truly did not make a difference.

“Rightly divided” is only found here in the New Testament. It means to “cut straight”, like a straight path, or keeping a straight course. Paul is charging Timothy to not let the distractions take his eyes off his ministry. Satan loves to provide the distractions. When you begin to pursue God in his Word and prayer, it is no coincidence that phones ring, something seemingly important arises, you remember a “to do” that hasn’t gotten done, anything and everything to take your eyes off spending time with God. Satan knows the power that comes in a heart truly seeking God; a heart focused on serving God and becoming a disciple for Him. Satan wants to give you every reason, even seemingly good reasons to not come to abide.

A heart for Him is a heart that feels his power in the Word that is given to us. The more time you spend in the Bible, the more the Holy Spirit reveals it too you. 1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. With this time cultured in the Bible comes an understanding that brings about a light in your heart that others begin to see. This light is the light of Christ that lives in you, and He begins to use you to teach what He has shown you in his Word. The more time you spend there, the more you live a life focused there, the more you become like Him. Stay rooted in God’s Word and begin to strive to be the best disciple you can be for Him. You will begin to see the distractions for what they are, and your heart will be less bent to respond to them.

 
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Posted by on March 4, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Whoa….did I do that?

03 Mar

Whoa….did I do that?

1 John 1:8-10   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I was talking yesterday with someone and they shared how some people they know think they are not sinners. Before I even knew it I had spouted off a paraphrase of this scripture. I guess I don’t get it; how could anyone believe they do not sin? That would be a pride so lofty they would likely consider themselves heavenly; yet were captive of the demon below. Is that belief truly out there? Denial of God, denial of Christ, many other roads of religion; but is there a sect of humanity that elevates themselves to that level? Even when I was my farthest from God in a life steep in sin, I had that conviction; knowing I was doing wrong, but denying it’s impact.

When you begin to research this epistle of John, you read of the blends of religions that were steering people away from the Gospel of Christ. There were blended cultures that divided God; divided Christ life, and death. They did not believe that a holy God could create matter; they did not believe Christ truly died on the cross; they did not believe that Christ was fully God and fully man. John was an eyewitness to this and he testifies of it. 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. The apostle John and Christ did have a special relationship; John was the apostle whom Christ loved. John was always close to Christ in His most intimate moments.

There must come a point in your life you feel these sin convictions. These convictions should lead to Salvation, but the repentance does not stop there. We are still living lives as sinners, but we are living lives assured of our salvation in our faith in the power of the atoning sacrifice at the Cross. We should feel guilt immediately upon sin that steers us to confess that sin. Matthew Henry pens the repentant life so well: “The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and the mortification of sin, of continual faith in, thankfulness for, and love to the Redeemer, and hopeful joyfully expectation of a day of glorious redemption, in which the believer shall be fully and finally acquitted, and sin abolished forever.” YES! Come Lord Jesus and rescue us from this body of sin. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 
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Posted by on March 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thank you for 500

02 Mar

Thank you for 500

Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Today is my 500th OneMinuteMinistry devotional. Today is different, it is more of a thank you letter than a devotional. I was headed up I-77 one day when God laid this ministries name on my heart. I shared it with a friend, and God used him to prod me on to start writing. When I searched the domain name it came back available in all domains: .com, .org, .txt. .me, and so on. A direct confirmation from God to me for what he had laid on my heart. It started with a handful of you in a news media fast for 30 days , for a January resolution in 2012. It grew into the blog/website, and an email list, that I now personally send it out to about 1,100 people every morning. I have received news that it has gotten into a very large ministries distribution recently by an incredible God orchestrated event. I stand amazed consistently at how God works.

Many of you ask how I do it; why I do it; when I do it. The answers are all found in Matthew 6:33 above. I get up very early every morning and spend time with God. I reflect on what he has shown me in my life in relation to what he shows me in His Word. I am humbled by how He has revealed Himself to me every morning. You can have it all to; there is nothing special about me. The bottom line of my ministry is to point you to spending daily time with God. We all have come to that point of wanting more, yet we never seek Him with a genuine heart. We flippantly read the Bible or pray, and feel good about going to church for an hour one day. I was that guy for most of my life, buried in the false security of religion, and would have died in it if it were not for Christ stirring my soul. All the answers you desire for your life are found once you seek God with all your heart every day. Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. It will not be easy; He never promises us that; but with it will come eternal security and peace that the world cannot provide. You will gain an understanding that all the trials of life that you face are only temporary. They all can draw you closer to God, and they all will remind you of the eternal paradise that awaits you as a child of His.

Christ last words to us are known as the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Nowhere in the Bible does he tell us to say a prayer, sign a card, and continue on as we were before. There should be a change in your life, a call to action in your life, you are told by Christ to make disciples. You are to share the hope that you have in Him. You are called to give the bad news of sin, followed by the Good News of Salvation in faith in Christ alone. You are to spend your life in pursuit of Him with all your heart, mind, body, and strength. This brings about a state of abiding; a state of being in Christ. This is the goal of the Father, to make you like his Son, to make you a light in a dark world. What in your life could possibly be holding you back from dedicating your life to the One who created it, sustains it, and restored it for eternity with Him?

 
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Posted by on March 2, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Spotlights

01 Mar

Spotlights

2 Corinthians 4:5-6      For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I am a behind the scenes kinda guy. I will give my labors of love, but expect no recognition for them. Whatever I find myself doing, I try to do it to the best of my ability, and to draw glory to Christ. I want no glory in any work or ministry I perform. I have Colossians 3:23 on the side of my work truck to remind me every day: 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. The sin in me wants to puff my chest out in pride, but Christ is me is the reminder that He is the provider; I am the bondservant or slave that rests in his grace and mercy. Why would we want to draw attention to ourselves? We can provide only temporary satisfaction, while He can provide eternal hope and joy. The glory rests in His work, not ours.

Paul was defending his ministry here in Corinthians. Some of those had come to say he was being deceptive, and he took great offense in that. He understood that all he was came from Christ; he had nothing to deliver except the promise of the Gospel; in it is the completion of any temporal and eternal need. 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. (ESV) He knew that he had been called by God to become a minister of the Gospel, and he only wanted to point those who will hear to Christ, not to draw any glory to himself. There is no more powerful message than that delivered in Christ; the only glory in yourself is a life transformed by the knowledge of the Salvation that lies in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  

The world we live in pushes the pride of accomplishment. From the houses, to the cars, to the salaries, to the stuff we obtain. We rest in the pride of the American dream; “I can do all things that I put my mind to.” God may allow this for a season, and he may also remove them for a reason. He may bring to you the understanding that it all flows and stops through his sovereign hands and control.  James 1:7 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  You are called by God to be a light in a dark world that needs him. Make sure that spotlight is on Him and not you.

 
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Posted by on March 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Behind these blue eyes

28 Feb

Behind these blue eyes

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I am no different from you. I am in many ways likely struggling with life just like you, maybe even more. I just like you put on my happy face and give cordial responses when asked, but wherein does the truth lie? Who do you have in your life that truly knows what your deepest struggles are, those that are warring inside your head? Even my wife and best friend do not know the level of warfare inside my head. My greatest sin is pride, and my confidentiality is wrapped up in it. Do you bear you soul to those closest to you? Sometimes the battles get so great that I feel as though I am loosing my mind; my memory is the first to suffer in these strains. That produces more strain from the understanding of my DNA and the disease of Alzheimer’s. It is almost a vicious cycle. There is One who knows all that I am under, and the heart I have for Him.

I find myself in Matthew Six repeatedly. Real personal advice from the mouth of Christ on how to live my life daily. Where to focus, where to place our trust, where to place our hope, what to do every single day. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. The understanding of all that this life has, is found in that scripture and the pursuit of it. Nowhere in it does it say it will be easy, but in it is found true understanding of eternity. It it is found spending time in God’s Word and prayer, and therefore you will come to possess the strength to face and fight all that you battle every day. You will learn that it is temporary, and the rewards are eternal. You will understand that you sin because you are a sinner, and the forgiveness is only found in Him. You will learn that you are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone; that you can never do enough to earn it. (Ephesians 2:8)

God wants to grow you closer to Him. This means that He will put acts of obedience before you to gauge where your faith lies. He may take you down very hard roads that you would not have traveled to accomplish his purpose. He may seemingly hurt you to grow you more into the image of his Son. All He desires is to make us more like Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:8 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. You may not share with others all your deepest struggles, but you can share them with the One who already knows them. He has either designed it or allowed it to accomplish his purposes. The more time you spend with God every day, the more you come to understand the struggles in life are just for a moment, and that moment is to draw you closer to eternity.

 
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Posted by on February 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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From the bottom of the sea to dry land

27 Feb

From the bottom of the sea to dry land

Jonah 2:1-3    Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.

They did it; the sailors on the boat which Jonah was on threw him into the sea to escape the wrath of God upon them as a result of Jonah’s disobedience to God. They pled for God’s mercy on the sacrifice they were performing; Jonah knew he was about to die. God prepared the fish that swallowed him whole, and in Jonah’s mind it was likely the end. Jonah describes seemingly being taken to the bottom of the sea, to the “roots of the mountains” (ESV); to the gates of the dead found there. His near death experience led him to plea to God; to turn his face towards the temple and pray. At some point in this incredible journey he came to realize the great fish was there to save him. He repented of his sin and disobedience and the great fish vomited him onto dry land.

The only place to look when you are at your seemingly bottom is up. You can either concentrate on looking down into the pit of pity, or you can look up to the One who can deliver you from there. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. Jonah had done nothing but run from God, nothing but disobey God, nothing to deserve God’s mercy. Jonah is another example of salvation by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. God is letting you face these seemingly insurmountable trials to draw you to Him; it is in him that you find what you have been looking for all along: Eternal hope and the security of it. Once you possess it, the rest will seem trivial.

I am at a seemingly financial death, a place where the only place I can look is up. I believe Satan wants me to cry out in anger at my God for the loss of imaginary financial security. I believe God is allowing me to go there to grow in my faith and rest on his provision for me. I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I know what God is calling me to do in a large step of faith. It is when you are at these places in your life that you are closer to God than ever. It is at the places in life that you say “Yes God, I will.” Jonah let go of his prejudices towards Nineveh, and obeyed God in the very hard command to go and preach repentance. As a result an entire evil nation repented and was eternally saved. What is your reluctance holding back?

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Wake up

26 Feb

Wake up

Jonah 1:4-5    But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

I have openly shared of my struggles with anxiety and depression. The roller coaster of life’s emotions, the highs and lows that take us from one day to the next. You don’t even have to possess the torment of depression to possess the stresses that take you down those roads of seemingly self-pity. Of dropping into the pit of the “why” or the “what next”. So many times the best escape is to shut down; to lay your head down and escape with sleep. Anxieties may inhibit sleep, but once it moves into the depression you can lay your head down anywhere and rest. I cannot help but think Jonah felt this pressure; and escaped into the ships hull to run from it and sleep. If it was rooted in fear of God, of the sea, of his next step in life, he would have been pacing the hull, not sleeping in it.

I am at a place in my life like Jonah; feeling a call on my life to go, and trying to prepare to be obedient. I can see the storms in my life that God is using to get my attention, to steer my ship, to prepare me for what He has planned. Some days the pressure gets so great I too must escape into the hull of the ship. Where do you go when God starts pressing on you? Sleep may be a means of temporary rest, but He will be there to remind you when you awake. The captain of the ship awoke Jonah to remind him. Jonah 1:6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” Is it possible that in your own life, that in your running from God you have them in your boat too? Are those around you suffering because of your disobedience? I have asked myself these questions.

The ships captain and crew were doing all they could do to lighten the load to keep the ship from sinking. They were trying in all their power to thwart the sovereign will of God on what He had planned for Jonah. They did not realize that God was even using their situation to draw them into the knowledge of Him. They came to know Him on the sea that day. Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. God is likely at work in many areas of your life, and those he has placed in your life’s circle. It is impossible for us to understand how He even takes our mistakes and turns them into victories, but if my God can breath a star into existence, the plans and details of my life define simplicity.

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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East or West?

25 Feb

East or West?

Jonah 1:1-3    Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

I feel led to spend some time in Jonah, to write from there possibly too. I awoke this morning earlier than usual, for I have a lot on my mind. The pressures of life, seemingly lots of big things on my plate that preoccupy my mind. The things many times that God places there; callings on your life for obedience; changes in your life that make you uncomfortable; the big things that lurk beneath the surface, for many times they are the messages from God. I too, like Jonah seemingly choose to run from them sometimes. Why do we do that? We cannot run from God! In the start of my study I have come upon the complexity of this book. Yet in the early stages of this prophetic narrative it is simple; we cannot escape the call of God on our lives.

Jonah heard God plainly tell him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to those who were of the evilest nature. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian army was the evilest of all in their debauchery against those they conquered. The theories for why he fled may differ, but the flight is what may also apply in our lives. When we feel those tugs on our heart from God, do we too turn our backs on Him and go the opposite direction? Jonah went as far in the opposite direction known to him. Tarshish was believed to be a somewhere in Spain, the eastern outermost boundary known at that time. We cannot flee from the omni-presence of God. He is the all knowing, all encompassing, Sovereign Ruler of the universe.

We get scared, we get comfortable, we get lazy. God may be calling you out to do something you cannot imagine doing, or something you simply resist. The power of God is found in the tasks you cannot complete, and the presence of God is found where you resist. Your resistance is the power of sin in your life to even imagine the defiance on the call of obedience. Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? The power of sin is that idleness or denial in the answer of that call. The obedience is the road to righteousness that He has laid out before you and I.

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thicker than water

24 Feb

Thicker than water

Obadiah 1:10 “For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. 15 “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.

The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament; it is a direct prophetic book to the nation of Edom, a single theme of the coming judgement and destruction by the Lord. The nation was a descendant of Easu, (Jacob’s brother), and they constantly were scheming against their brothers nation Israel. Repeatedly throughout history they turned their backs on their brothers in their time of need. At the time of Obadiah’s prophecy, Israel was under siege and they were fleeing for their lives. Their own family was turning their backs on them, blocking their escapes, killing them, or selling them into slavery. They were turning their backs on them at the time of their greatest need.

I have been seeing and learning of these examples recently; of families at such odds they cast one another out onto the street. We all may differ, we all may quarrel, but we as a family must hold together that bond. I know no matter how bad things in life might get, I could go to my family for the necessities in life. This should have happened in the time of Edom and Israel; put aside their differences and helped out in the time of need. The pride and arrogance of the Edomites caused this proclaimed judgement of the Lord that Obadiah proclaimed. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. (ESV)

Step back and take a look at your family. Are there any of them that you know are in a time of need? Are you ignoring the knowledge of that need for any or multiple reasons? Are you pretending that you don’t know or can’t help? What if God treated you with the same disregard that you are treating them? Verse 15 shows the nation of Edom that they will reap what they have sown. The day that we must stand before the Lord and account for all our lives is certain. I personally believe that how we handle our family affairs will be held in high regard at that day. The Lord placed us in that circle for a reason, and we should seek to fulfill His Will for our lives by pouring our lives into those closest to us; not turning our backs upon them.

 
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Posted by on February 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Does your faith have feet?

23 Feb

Does your faith have feet?

Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

In the commentary on Matthew 10, Matthew Henry calls this an “ordination sermon”. Jesus is ordaining the apostles to the work they are called to do; to spread the Good News that our Savior brings to this dying world. They are to go out into the world, to put feet on their faith. My church  is doing that today; going out into the community to knock on doors and invite people to church; to spread the Good News that Jesus Christ brings into the world. The community like any other may not receive it, may reject it, may downright deny it and be angry towards it. We can never argue a person to Salvation, we can only present the Gospel in the hope that God has prepared their hearts to receive it. We are told by Christ how to handle those that deny. Matthew 10:14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

The Apostles were told of what their futures held; to be persecuted before men as preachers of Christianity. They were to expect imprisonment, torture, even unto death. They were to always stand for Christ to the end; to not worry for their suffering would be rewarded eternally. To not worry what to say when they were brought into the courts; the Holy Spirit would be with them to provide the words He wanted them to hear. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. That same Spirit lives inside you and will give you the words to speak when you step out in faith to share, or to defend your faith in Christ. It is He who provides when we know not how to answer. If you stand before someone who’s heart God has prepared, He will deliver just the right words for them through you.

Have you ever went out and put feet on your faith to evangelize? Going into environments or situations that make you uncomfortable in your own abilities? How can you see God work in your life if you only go where you are comfortable? The power of God rests in the abilities that you have not; the answers you have not; the situations in life where you fully rest on Him is where you see the greatest work by Him in your life. Getting out of your comfort zone and into the power of God. There is no fear that should lie in these situations. There is heavenly power and strength that lies in the feet of an evangelist; for they know that nothing is to fear here, for they know they are in the center of God’s Will spreading the Good News to those who will receive it. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Step out, and step into, the power of God to spread hope into a dying world.

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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