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Category Archives: Daily Devotions

Talk to the Author first

12 Jan

Talk to the Author first

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

My favorite Bible is coming apart at the seams. Literally coming apart, and I was told to just get a new one…..but I can’t. This Bible is full of how the Holy Spirit has spoken to me over the past 6-8 years. It has all colors of highlights, underlines, notes in the margins, sermon notes, and full of life. I remember leaving it at church once and freaking out till I found it. This particular Bible is truly special to me and it very rarely leaves my study. The evidences of God in my life fill this book and only He and I understand how powerfully he has personally spoken to me countless times in it. This Bible is truly God’s light for me in this very dark world that we face daily.

We could go down seemingly endless lists of what people call the Bible; a love letter, a rulebook, a history book, a book of prophecy (and fulfilled), and on and on. What is it to you? If you begin to understand that it is God speaking directly to you, it will change the way you view it. We all want the clear sign, the banner in the sky, the voice in our ear, the answer to whatever question we are seeking him for. You have in your possession the answer in written form. Any answer to any question is found in the Bible. Every life application is found there; every life answer is found there. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. If you begin to grasp that all the Creator of all that is in the universe, that he put all that you will ever need to know in this book, that humble feeling you get at that revelation, is the beginning of the wisdom found there.

If you have tried reading it, and you just don’t get it, it probably means that you don’t personally know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. The Holy Spirit is who opens the truths of God to you when you read your Bible, and you only possess the Holy Spirit upon accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. The Spirit comes as a gift of redemption and the Bible takes on an entire new meaning in your life. If it seems a dull book, you are forgetting to talk to the Author of the book first to understand how to interpret it.

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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More than just work

10 Jan

More than just work

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

There is no more powerful weapon in the world than the tongue. There is no one of any age that has not experienced both praise and pain from the same source. Even as children we can say simple things that we do not even understand, that sting those direct words that come at us in the brutal honesty of children, ie: “Dad you are fat.” That same child that warmed our heart with their love at 3yrs old, just did immeasurable damage in four words. Satan at work in our youngest children with habits and words that sting all the way through life. I am just as guilty as any of you if not worse. I experienced an incredible twofold attack yesterday from Satan in making fun of my faith, and my faith based business. He dealt a painful blow that truly hurt from the sources he used, and they had no idea how deeply they were being used.

I was encouraged this morning to find one of the first daily devotional’s God ever used in my life was about secular ministry. It was also from the scripture I have on the side of my truck. God has used Os Hillman’s ministry greatly in my life; I attended a workshop he had in Atlanta and was forever changed by God. Where God has you five days a week is your ministry. How you conduct yourself at work as a Christian is your ministry. If you too are persecuted, you too are blessed.

Here is the TGIF (Today God Is First) devo for today.

Your Secular Work Is Ministry

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Col 3:23-25).
I sat across the table from the well known seminary professor and former missionary as he asked me a very direct question: “So, Os, tell me about this faith at work movement.” “Well, there’s really nothing complicated about it. I believe every person’s work can be viewed as a ministry if done with a motive to glorify God based upon Colossians 3:23,” I responded. “How can you say that if you’re not sharing the gospel in that job? You would have to be actively sharing your faith for it to be construed as ministry,” he argued. “No, that’s not true. The work itself is ministry because the word for ministry and service come from the same Greek root word, diakonia. When you are serving others even through your secular work and do it with a motive to glorify God, that’s why it is ministry. In fact, the Bible says you’ll receive an inheritance when you do,” I said. We continued bantering back and forth on the issue. I continued, “God created even secular work to meet human needs. Man began to divide work into spiritual and non-spiritual terms which introduced a form of dualism in the third and fourth centuries. But God never secularized our work. He desires our work to be viewed as worship.”
We concluded our meeting in disagreement. However, a few months later I met my friend at a booksellers convention. “Hey, you were right Os! I’ve done my study and work really is ministry because it is service. This man went on to write a book on the subject and said this; “Think about this. If you are filling someone’s teeth, you are ministering to your patient. If you are playing in a symphony orchestra, you are ministering to the audience. If you are flying an airplane, you are ministering to the passengers. If you wait on tables, you are ministering to the customers. All of that clearly fits under biblical diakonia.”
It was the first time I’d ever won a theological argument with a theologian!

 
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Posted by on January 10, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Give Him every day

08 Jan

Give Him every day

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

This morning I am physically hurting due to a shoulder injury that I deepened yesterday at work. I stayed in bed longer thinking about all that is coming with the surgery, and all that is effected by it with being self-employed. I went down a road of self-pity, and then later in prayer the Spirit reminded me of Romans 12:1 above. That encouraged me to think of how blessed I am as a child of God, and even the plans that he has in every day before, during, and after this injury that I do not know. He reminded me of Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. The Spirit deeply encouraged me during my prayer time, for he knew Satan had been doing the exact opposite during the early morning pity-party. God knows my heart for him even amongst all my daily failures and trials of life. He knows how much I seek to live my life abiding in him as a disciple of his. He knows that I fail daily, but seek to repent and believe on the forgiveness that lie in him alone. He did not promise us a bed of roses if we live for this world; we are to live for the world after, and focus on dedicating our lives to him for our short time here. 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.”

In my surfing social media this morning, this post from David Platt surfaced again. This is exactly the way I feel about how watered down the Gospel has become in our churches today seeking to entertain us to pack their pews. Nowhere in the Bible is the simple calling to say a prayer or sign a card and go on with your life. Jesus tells us to dedicate our lives to him. Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. My heart lies in those that sit in church every week stuck in religion, but will not see heaven. Your eternal salvation begins with a humble repentant prayer, but that is not the end. You are called to live your life for the One who gives you life. You are called to be witness of him to all that God places before you every day. The outpouring of your heart for him is the evidence of Him for all to see and inquire about him. A life that seeks to live their life for him is one that possesses the peace that the world does not understand. That life understands John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The Holy Spirit that comes to live inside of you at Salvation is seeking to do the work of Christ through you until you meet him in heaven. It begins with the prayer, but it is only the beginning.

Why “Accepting Jesus In Your Heart” Is Superstitious & Unbiblical

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

Wait…..what did He say?

07 Jan

Wait…..what did He say?

Hebrews 4:1 -2 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

My hope is there is a little fear in you as you read that passage; fear of God is a good thing. If not, slow down and read it again with the understanding of His rest, as heaven. Coming short of heaven; coming short because we did not mix our hearing of his word with the action of a faith proclaiming it. There are many examples and roads to go down here; the parable of the soils where God’s word fell on different soils and produced differently; the calling out in the epistle of James to live out our faith by works; the similarities of the scariest words in the Bible of Matthew 7:21-23. I could go on with how we may hear the word of God, and not live our lives effected by the word of God. Faith is the verb that produces change in our lives; faith changes what we feel in our soul and is continually fed by the word of God. As James said, “Faith without works is dead,” so is faith without the word of God.

The third chapter of Hebrews points to the failing of the Israelites that wandered in sin in the desert for 40 years. How God did not let that sinful generation enter his rest of the promised land that he was providing them, after rescuing them from slavery. They saw the proof of God’s provision for 40 years even daily in food, water, and direction, but they still had sinful hearts that rebelled and lacked faith. It is simply hard for us to understand their hardened hearts. Look at your life; at the examples that he has given you of his work in your life. Look at how we still continue to sin and rebel even daily against him. The closer I get to God, the deeper the conviction of my sin and failures against him sting.

Matthew Henry wrote, “The word is preached to us that we may profit by it, that we may gain spiritual riches by it; it is a price put into our hands to get wisdom, the rich endowment of the soul. There have been in all ages a great many unprofitable hearers; many who seem to deal much in sermons, in hearing the word of God, but gain nothing to their souls thereby; and those who are not gainers by hearing are great losers.” Faith is a work in the soul that is accomplished by the word of God. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is a work of God that does inside of us what we cannot do on our own. If He is stirring the inquisitiveness of your soul, pray and pursue him to become blessed by the faith that produces eternal heaven. You will enter a rest for your short time here that the world does not understand, for you will no longer live for this world. You will begin to see the eternal rest that awaits you as one who has the faith to repent and BELIEVE. In that action of the soul is the eternal promise of heaven.

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Just a beginning

06 Jan

Just a beginning

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The entire first two chapters of Hebrews work to this passage. They speak of the deity of Jesus Christ, of how Jesus is God, and how he became man. They speak of how he lowered himself even below the angels that he created, all to become a man to provide the necessary perfect sacrifice to save humanity that had fallen into sin. All the Old Testament pointed to the requirements of perfect sacrifices throughout the ritual of sacrificial perfect animals. The entire Bible points to our need of a perfect Lamb as our Savior; the first two chapters of Hebrews summarizes the fulfilling of that need by Jesus. Pray and take time to read the beauty of the Spirit inspired descriptions of Christ penned by the unknown author of the epistle of Hebrews.

In the verses leading up to the passage above, Jesus is speaking of the unity the believers have with himself and God. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Different translations describe brethren as brothers or family, but regardless of the translations we are unified with God through our relationship with Jesus alone. There is a huge depth in understanding that unity. Look at the depth of the first two chapters of Hebrews when God lowered himself from heaven to rescue you from sin. God becomes a man, and dies as a man, to rescue man from hell that awaits those who do not believe in all that Jesus alone accomplished.

When you begin to grasp even a small glimpse of all that happened at the INCARNATION, (unity between God and man), you will be moved by the Holy Spirit in awe of what He did for you. You will be moved to change how you live the remainder of your life for Him. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. If you are professing to be a Christian, but not living your life as Romans 12:1 describes, are you really a Christian? Are you really saved but just uttering a prayer, or signing a card, and returning to your life as before? That is an eternal question between you and God that I cannot answer. I can tell you with no doubt however, you will know when you are saved; you will know that you know you are secure. Your life will be a living example of Romans 12:1, because you will have grasped the power of the first two chapters of Hebrews. You will not fear the death that He conquered, for you know that in death, comes eternal life. Satan does not hold you in the fear of that bondage any longer.

If you do not feel eternally secure, pray for God to open your eyes through your heart to all that is found of him in the Bible. It all begins with that simple prayer, but it is just the beginning. Repent & believe.

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Changed but remained the same

05 Jan

Changed but remained the same

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

This past week brought a big change in my families life. Most of you know that I have been a lay pastor at Lakehaven church for just over a year. The first half of that year was an incredible high, but the second half was incredibly tough. I had been seeking God in prayer, his Word, and counsel for months; the Lord answered my prayers in his Word a few weeks ago. I stepped down as the pastor at church. Difficult does not even crack the door on how tough this decision was. Without doubt, the most difficult of my 47 years, for I will answer for it eternally. It was only after the peace that I felt in the book of Acts that morning, that I knew God was leading me elsewhere. It is in that peace that I knew it was OK. It was that peace provided in God’s Word, that no Godly counsel could provide. The answer to my question had to come from God.

My heart, my testimony, my desire second only to sharing the Gospel with you, is for you to spend daily time with God in prayer and his Word. Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “I am no better than my devotional life.” There is nothing that anyone can ever say to you that will change you like the Word of God. There is no way that you can spend daily time with God and remain the same level of sinner you were the day before. If your resolution is to be a better person in any way, true change is only found and started in the Bible. There is no pill or 90 day plan that will morph you into something you want to be; God wired you with that desire to “be better,” and that desire is fulfilled by humbling yourself before him. It is only there that any true life change begins, for it is only there that you admit your need for him at any level, on the highest level.

I am not getting out of the ministry. There is no subject out there I would rather discuss with you than the gospel and spending time with God. There is nothing I desire more than to hear than what you have been experiencing with God. No joy is greater to me than to hear about the joy that God brings someone else, and especially if He has allowed me to play any small role. Lord willing, I am going to concentrate on this OneMinuteMinistry, social media ministry, my workplace ministry, and seek God on the glimpse I believe he has given me of a Simple Church. We as a family are going to take time to heal and invest in quality time together, and even visit some churches in our area. We understand salvation is not found in our church attendance record, and we even had a great Bible study at home yesterday. Change may have come, but it still remains the same also. All I seek to do is encourage you to spend daily time with God any time we meet.

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Same day….different story

30 Dec

Same day….different story

John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

“Well, I am just headed to work today,” you might likely say. You could say running a few errands, going hunting in the woods, spending the day with your kiddos, or even sitting alone in your chair on social media all day. In every single circumstance their is an opportunity to share your faith. Let me challenge you even more by saying you claim complete solitude; diligently pray for someone close to your heart and the Holy Spirit will do a work you cannot. God has designed or allowed every step you will make today, and he is giving you opportunities to share your faith and harvest fruit from doing so. You will never know true joy as a Christian until you experience God using you to encourage someone else.

Jesus had just witnessed to the Samaritan women at the well. She was so moved by it she ran back to her city to share her faith and to take others out to meet Jesus. The disciples had returned to the well where they left Jesus to rest and found him talking to her. They were astonished he even was talking to a women, much less a Samaritan women. Jesus was showing her and them the gospel is available to everyone. He was teaching them about sowing and reaping heavenly work or fruit. He was teaching them to always witness to everyone God has placed in your circle of influence.

Is there someone who God has placed around you that you cannot imagine sharing your faith with? I have been in that situation many times myself. It takes a true combination of boldness and humbleness to speak to them. You must have the boldness to open your mouth, and the humility to know the Holy Spirit will give you the words. Christ told the disciples of the tough trials that awaited them as his disciples, and of how they must be such as this. Matthew 10:19 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. No matter what excuse Satan gives you today to remain silent, ignore your enemy and be bold in your faith. God may use you to produce heavenly fruit of which you will receive those eternal rewards when you get to heaven. It all begins today…..

 
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Posted by on December 30, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Sermon Link

28 Dec

What did you get for Christmas?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xtjrj4kowhhba2u/What%20did%20you%20get%20for%20Christmas_.docx?dl=0

 

 
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Posted by on December 28, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rejoice if you believe!

27 Dec

Rejoice if you believe!

Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

It’s “funny” sometimes how you see God working studying scripture. I have been studying Paul’s first missionary journey; how he preached with power from the Old Testament; fulfilled prophecies with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I ended up studying the first two Psalms, and in the middle of that study was how God laughed at our plans. The rulers were plotting against those of the faith; how they were going to overpower them; in the text they were even plotting against God, for they understood the union that they had. Psalm 2:3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. I cannot help but think of that timeless expression, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.”
Our little minds cannot understand the infinite complexities intertwined with Free Will and God’s sovereign design and control of the universe. We cannot understand how we can have the ability to float along through life wandering around his design for our life. We cannot clearly explain the most complicated doctrines in the Bible such as predestination and election. How big would our God be if we did understand these things? How big would our God be if he allowed us to understand them? Would we not puff our chest out in pride and slip into the root of all sin in that conceit? He is guarding our minds through his sovereign control. You must only have the faith to accept that.

When Paul was preaching to the Gentiles and the Jews at Antioch, only some believed. Many of the Jews spread dissension and plotted against Paul and Barnabas. Later in their journey they even stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city; but he rose by the power of God and continued to preach the power of God and salvation found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gentiles had begged for Paul to preach this good news to them; they were hungry to hear the word of God. Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. If you claim to believe in Jesus, in salvation only found in Jesus, then simply rejoice that saving faith has come to you by the grace of God. If you have an inquiring heart, but don’t yet know him, repent and believe and rejoice! That is God pursuing YOU!

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get through today

23 Dec

Matthew six is highlighted, underlined, circled, and worn out in my Bible. It is in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and verses 25-34 speak directly about worrying. I am no different from you; my list is long and this is a very real struggle for me. When I get overwhelmed, I go back to this passage and just try to concentrate on today.

 

Get through today

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.

Dear Lord I love you
I am yours today,
I want to abide with you
Please show me the way.

Satan wants me to worry
But in Matthew six you say,
Don’t worry about tomorrow
Just concentrate on today.

You show how you will provide
For all that we need,
Your analogies of fields
And the birds that you feed.

Satan wants to take
Our minds off of You,
Satan wants us to think
Of all WE must do.

Satan wants us to think
That we create our way,
He doesn’t want us to grasp
Understanding YOU provide the way.

Dear Lord I ask you
That you will help me today,
To understand you are in control
And the part I may play.

I know we all have big things
Decisions and responsibilities abound,
I know we must dig deep
In your Word answers are found.

Concentrate on just today
A blessing itself in that act,
Worrying about tomorrow
Will change the way you react.

 
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Posted by on December 23, 2014 in Daily Devotions

 

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