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Category Archives: Daily Devotions
#What’sNext?
#What’sNext?
1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
Even the Mac won’t work……..old reliable giving me a fit as I sit down this morning.
“Lord give me the strength for the day, to fight my enemies for the day, to live as you wish, and not be grabbed by the world and all in it. Mentally strained and physically drained headed out into the day you have prepared. Help me to be a light and not a hindrance to the gospel. Give me the strength to know I am at battle with a defeated enemy, and treat his attacks as such. I rest in knowing every minute of every day has passed through your hands.”
Amen
Heavenly Revelations
Heavenly Revelations
2 Corinthians 2:10-12 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 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.
Does the Bible intimidate you? I mean, do you have trouble reading your Bible because you have trouble understanding your Bible? The Bible will intimidate you; the realization that you are holding God’s Word in your hands is very humbling and intimidating; that is a good thing. If it doesn’t, your eternal soul is in trouble, and my prayer is that God humbles you one day to the point it does. Understanding the Bible is truly a gift from God; it is that simple. Understanding the scriptures is a priceless gift from his Spirit living inside of you that is revealing truth to you. God may use his saints, teachers, and preachers, but it is always his Spirit that is revealing truth. Understanding the Bible is not found in doctorate degrees that are measured by worldly standards. Even these Godly men have had truth revealed. If not, they are only modern Pharisees that Jesus condemned while he walked this earth. I personally know highly educated men that could rest on their education, but yet time with them reveals their humble spirit, and how they use their gift from God to teach God’s Word; they are not puffed up in pride.
If you are intimidated by your Bible, read the second chapter of Corinthians. Enter the time you are about to spend in God’s Word by prayer for wisdom, for him to reveal truth to you. Don’t seemingly read it to check the tasks box, but read it to hear from God. Spend a week there, meditate there, see how God used the great apostle Paul there. See how one of the most highly educated men humbled himself there; Paul rested on a simple ministry and the power of God to reveal truth. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Paul had enough wisdom and persuasiveness technique to sell an Eskimo ice, but he relied on simplicity and God.
I barely graduated high school, and have very limited college education; it is hard for me to even claim to be “edjumicated.” I simply try to use that gift to let you know I am no different from you. Anything that you see in me in relation to Him is equally available to you. All it takes is a heart that pursues him. He knows your heart, and he will reveal to your heart truth when he sees the pure desire for it. How are you gonna find out if you don’t pray, and open your Bible for him to reveal?
No fear to speak
No fear to speak
1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Tim McGraw sang a song in recent years about living like you were dying. It was about someone who had received bad health news and spent their remaining days doing their bucket list; riding bulls, jumping out of airplanes, loving like no tomorrow, living with no fear of tomorrow. The world injects fear into our every decision,but there is a freedom in the removal of that tool of Satan. How would you live if you had no fear? Fear is a compass to a degree that God designed in us, a compass called common sense; a compass that keeps us from borderline stupidity. There is a great deal of difference in the common sense God has given us, and the fear that Satan torments us with. If I were to simply reply to the scripture above in my defense of my faith, it would be the hope of heaven and the fear of hell. The hope of all that Jesus has rescued me from, and the fear of what would have happened if he didn’t. The hope of all that He opens my mind to in my heart through his Word, and the fear of all that awaits those in hell who do not know his Word. The hope of eternal paradise, the fear of eternal torment. The hope of sharing my faith, the fear of those who do not listen.
When you truly begin the “get it,” you will live with no fear as the country stars sings. You will live with a boldness that sends you upstream against the world. You will suffer for your faith, but even in that suffering you earn eternal blessings. 1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” What is the worst thing that can happen to you once you realize you are headed to heaven? What is the worst thing that can happen to you here temporarily, once you realize you are eternally rewarded by your temporary sufferings? Every, single, thing you endure here can be used to draw glory to God. There is nothing He has not designed or allowed that you will face. Once you realize that Satan had to ask permission for this trial you are under, you realize God has faith in you to endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Why worry what other people think? Why let Satan keep you silent today when the Holy Spirit prompts you to share your faith? Why worry if you will be labeled a Christians, or a Jesus freak, or a person that is shunned by those who live for the world. Why would you be ashamed of the faith you proclaim? Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. The day is here, it is today that you are called to live out your faith where God has placed you to witness of him. Will you swim upstream against the world? Will you be bold and have no fear of what the world will think of you? Will you let God use you to draw others to himself? Will you speak?
Seasons of…………
Seasons of…………
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Most of us realize that our lives go through seasons. The Bible is full of these examples, and the wisest man who ever lived penned them in the book of Ecclesiastes. The season I am in now, I am praying that God will soon allow me to move on from. Struggling on so many levels, seemingly increasing on so many levels, and spiritual warfare abounds. Satan has brought upon attacks of anxiety and depression that flood my mind; mentally straining to the point of physically draining. I am preaching a week from now on this passage above; Satan seeks to convince me my strains are because of my sins, not because I am trying to go against the world and live as a disciple of Christ.
I have committed to a mission trip to India, only because I felt called to go; the attacks increased tenfold. My life is a battlefield, and I am on the front lines engaged in an invisible war. This is a season of preparation by my Lord for whatever he has planned for me. He is allowing these lows to take me to heights I cannot fathom to draw glory to him through my testimony to his sovereignty. I do not choose the paths, but I follow the path maker. He makes me step out of the boat into the unknown, where only Jesus is.
If you are struggling with life just as I am, pray and go to the Word of God for strength. Know that he is allowing or designing every step you take, and it all can be used to draw you closer to him.
Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
Distracted
Distracted
Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
How many paths could we go down with this story of Mary and Martha? How many roads of religious duties have taken our hearts off Jesus? How many have fallen to the false self-righteousness and fulfillment of working out our salvation? How many have fallen to the distractions of this world in any way and their hearts and eyes and minds be taken off Jesus? Satan works in distractions; many times Satan uses distractions as deceptions that give us those feelings of self worth. This morning as I sat down here early for only the second time this week, I searched distracted in my Bible. The world has me distracted right now.
Everything in this world seeks your attention to take your eyes off the next world. The pressures of this world build anxieties that steal your daily joy of abiding in Him. The ruler of this world will be pleased for you to live in the duty of religion, but he fears the abiding walk with Christ. He fears those that pray daily, read the Bibles daily; those that seek Gods will just for that day alone and not to worry about the next. That is the simplicity of a Christian life that abides; seek God’s will for just today and not worry about tomorrow. 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.
If you are feeling distracted too, make the effort to change. Get alone with God; change your routine, say no to overcommitting, say yes to sitting at Jesus’ feet as Mary did. She felt in her heart what was needed and responded to her heart. Luke 10:41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Hear the compassion in Jesus’ plea for Martha to slow down. Hear the compassion for her to not be distracted by duties and to just rest in him. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Preparation
Preparation
Matthew 7:26-27 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
After a rough couple of weeks of the pressures of the world combined with no internet for almost half that, it is good to sit down here early morning with God. In prayer this morning I felt led to Matthew 7 where Jesus is closing his Sermon on the Mount; his longest and most powerful message. A message full of hope and warnings. Jesus did not hold back the power of the conviction of sin in his message; Jesus closed his sermon talking about those of us who do not listen to his warnings and how great our fall will be. You can just picture the astonishment of the crowd as they heard God preach; I cannot imagine personally hearing this sermon. Jesus has been telling us how to live and how not to live in this discourse; if you have those types of questions read Matthew 5-7 and He will answer them.
There are false prophets among us today just as when Christ walked the world two thousand years ago. Teachers that lead us down many lines of religion; many paths that don’t teach the entire Word of God, but just enough to make it sound like the Word of God. Paul warned Timothy in his final letter; 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (ESV) The way for you to “find out” these false teachers is both simple and divine; spend time in God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit grant you discernment. He will open your eyes to the truth through your heart and mind; you will be given knowledge by the One who helped pen the words you are reading. Suddenly what you have heard and questioned may become perfectly clear. All paths do not lead to God (universalism), and you are not promised a life here of ease; 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
You would have to be living in a hole in the ground to not see the evil peaking around you today. You cannot deny, or maybe knowingly do deny, the evil that lurks among us. Is it not possible that Satan is peaking before his ultimate fall? Is his limited reign of this earth being stretched to God’s sovereign limit? Is God sickened by the state of humanity and waiting to just say ENOUGH?!!!! In the midst of chapter seven of Matthew, in these final words of Christ, are the warnings of the Narrow Gate; also are the scariest words in the Bible where he warns of those whom he denies. You must make up your mind on how you will live today, for today may be your last, but it is all in preparation for your eternity.
Slipping….away from…..
Slipping….away from…..
Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Quiet Sunday morning with God
Letting his Word stir my soul.
Reflecting on my life
Wishing I wasn’t in this hole.
So much around me
So much within,
So much bothers me
So much sin.
I hear and I feel
How the cares of this place,
Take our attentions
Away from His face.
Lusts of every kind
Pursuing every desire,
Whatever we want
Becomes a raging fire.
We pursue endless things
Never happy when we attain,
We cannot fulfill
With any material gain.
I am no different
I have been pulled away,
Too many trials and pursuits
Too little time each day.
Responsibilities abound me
Weary from all the tasks,
Thankful for grace and mercy
What more could I ask.
My heart is not in it
My heart seeks the divine,
My heart seeks to point you
Even in this rhyme.
Nothing else here matters
Problems or stuff you attain,
Only your time in heaven
Will you ever truly gain.
Is there really any sin
Is there really any thing,
That can surpass heaven
Or weaken hell’s sting?
We will spend eternity
In paradise or in pain,
Do earthly pleasures outweigh
The price due for the gain?
I am guilty too
My eyes and lusts for stuff,
I thank God for conviction
Letting me know “enough.”
My promise is to you
What will change your ways,
Daily time in God’s Word
Will change your days.
My plea is very simple
Open you Bible and read,
In your heart will be placed
His eternal seed.
Paradise will be found
Hell will be lost,
One truly died for you
Jesus paid the cost.
Satan’s Snipers
Satan’s Snipers
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Why should I act like I have it all together? Why should I put on my happy face and make you think that all is well in my world? As a disciple of Jesus, you might expect me to live some lofty life; some carefree seemingly endless seam of blessing full of the joys found in this world. Why would a Christian suffer, if Jesus is so good? Many a false teacher is proclaiming that false gospel today; “if you are not living blessed by God you do not have enough faith in God.” I am not sure if their Bible has in it John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The man who God used to write most of the New Testament suffered greatly for God; even at his salvation God told Ananias how, For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake. (Acts 9:16) As a Christian you are at war with the limited ruler of this world and Satan is not about to let you off easy. You have waged war against evil itself, but you are now fighting on a spiritual plain that is in an invisible world. You cannot see nor defeat by your own strong will and power; you must rely on God and the power of his Word; you must understand that you are fighting a defeated foe.
Spiritual warfare is so real but recognized by so few. This warfare comes at you cunningly by the father of lies and deception, always seeking to weaken your faith. His tactics are endless and extraordinary. The stronghold in your life are his snipers behind battle lines. I know the Lord has clearly been speaking to me on strongholds he has in my life; only you and God know your weak positions. Satan’s snipers are deadly; they kill from within for they weaken our testimonies and faith. The world reaches out and grabs our attentions and suddenly we are in pursuits of the pleasures of the world. Only a heart, mind, body, and soul pursuit of God daily can defend against these attacks. We cannot win on our own accord, but the strength found only in prayer and diligent study of God’s Word can, and already has won the spiritual war.
Strongholds…..what are yours? Where has Satan placed a sniper in your life? You know, and likely he is trying to get you to deny it’s existence, or maybe lessen the importance of it’s existence. Listen to Jesus’ words about Satan as he condemned the religious leaders of the day. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. Go to God in prayer and his word to fight the good fight against the enemy. Joy is not found in this world; it is found in eternity with Jesus and all that Satan tempts you with is to take your eyes off that reality. It takes a diligent daily pursuit of God to fight this spiritual war; laying down your guard let’s the snipers in. Fight the good fight in prayer and his Word and know that only he can defeat that stronghold in your life.
How ya’ living?
How ya’ living?
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
How ya’ living? How does your daily life reflect your faith? How does you daily life reflect what you participate in on Sunday? Participation in Sunday church alone is called religion, and if Sunday is your only point of reference to gaining heaven, you need to read Matthew 25; no let me put that much clearer; you need to pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal and speak to your heart as you read Matthew 25. This chapter in the gospel of Matthew calls for a self-reflection of your life, for it gives three parables that clearly give examples of how to live, and how not to live your life as a Christian. The parables of the Talents and the Ten Virgins, and the Judgement of the Gentiles. All of these parables reflect what it will be like to kneel before Jesus one day and give an account of our lives. Yep….you have to answer for how you lived your life once you came to hear and claim to know Jesus as your Savior. Saying a prayer and signing a card does not give you hall pass to continue with life steep in sin, living under hyper-grace, and not living a life changed forever by the gospel. If you think you will be entering into heaven just on that 60 seconds of your life, you are wrong and need to read Matthew 25. The power of the gospel has the ability to save all your sins, past, present, and future, but nowhere in the Bible do you find the evidence of today’s week presentation of the gospel. You are called to live your life as a disciple and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all that will hear. You are called to not live for this world and all the pleasurable pursuits of sin found in it. You are called to dedicate your life for it’s short time here to the One who give you eternity there (heaven).
The parable of the Ten Virgins tells us about those who live their lives unprepared; are you so focused on success and sin that you do no invest in things that eternally matter? The parable of the Talents speaks to those that do, or do not invest their time eternally; where is your time being invested in the only place with a guaranteed return? The Judgement of the Gentiles speaks to those that claim Christianity, but have no evidence in their lives of it; they may have prayed prayers or signed cards but their lives produce no fruit of their salvation; they are living a lie. All throughout the New Testament we are called to live our lives as disciples; we are called to let Him do work through our lives to produce eternal fruit through us; we are called to be servants to the One who saved us from eternal punishment to eternal paradise. Jesus did not come the first time to judge the world, he came to save the world. The next time he returns he will judge the world and we will be held accountable to a Holy, righteous, judge. Think about this from 2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. You will never be perfect, only One was, but you are called to try every day to live your life for the One who gives you life. How ya’ living will be asked of you when he returns to judge. Are ya’ ready to answer for yesterday?
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