Daily Devotional

Son, people need to understand that I know everything. I see clearly what they are doing, and I know every thought they have. They gloat over how they take advantage of people. They gang up against My righteous children and condemn them for their belief in Me. Everything they say and do is foolishness to Me, and all their plans are evil. People, think again! When will you finally catch on? I am coming soon, and judgment comes with Me!

 

My church, when doubts begin to come into your mind, think of all the wonderful things I have done for you. Make sure that your worship of Me is with all of your heart, and never turn back. Then people will be able to see the truth, because of your walk with Me. Remember, this walk of faith is to do WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU to do, even if everything looks like it is against you.

 

Lord, when I cry out to You, that I am beginning to doubt Your promises; it is Your unfailing love that gives me reassurance. It is Your comfort that renews my hope. For You are my only hope and my Mighty Rock – where I hide. 

 

Daily Devotional

Lord, I get so angry with myself, because there is a war going on in my mind and body. I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. I know that when I lose these battles I become a slave to the sin that won.

 

Son, because you belong to Me; My Spirit has freed you from the power of sin. So do not let your sinful nature control your mind, but let My Spirit that is living in you control it. Soon I will give you a new body, but you must wait patiently and confidently for it. This new body will give you full rights as My adopted children. So remember that the battle you face daily is nothing compared to the glory I will reveal to you later. For I causes everything to work for the good of those who love Me and are called according to My purpose for them

 

Son, if I am for you who is against you? Who is condemning you?  You must be convinced in your mind that nothing will ever separate you from My love! Not death, or anything in this life you live now. Neither angels or demons, neither your fears for today or your worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate you from My love. There is no power in the sky above or in the earth below, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate you from Me.

 

So wait for Me to come and help you. I will surely respond to the sound of your cries. My ears are always open to you. But, You must listen to what My Spirit says,  “If you live in My shelter you will find My rest. If you make Me your refuge, no evil will conquer you. When you call I will answer; I will be with you in trouble. I will rescue and honor You, and give you My salvation, and tell you should this is the way to go.” Then I will order My angels to protect you wherever you go.

 

Lord, thank You for giving me a new way of living; that is with Your Spirit. The same Spirit who raised You from the dead, now lives in Me, and He confirms to me that I am Your child!

Daily Devotional

Son, since you are determined to walk with Me – consider yourself alive to Me and dead to the power of sin. Do not let sin control the way you live, and do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to Me, and do those things that lead to holiness; that result in eternal life. Set up markers in your life to show you and others that up to this point – I have helped you.

 

Remember, righteousness and justice are the foundation of My throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before Me. The highest angelic powers stand in awe of Me, and I am more awesome than all that surround My throne. Therefore, I will never stop loving you or fail to keep My promises to you. No, I cannot break My promises, and I cannot take back a single word because in My holiness I cannot lie.

 

Since you have been made right in My sight by faith, you have My peace. So look forward to your coming problems and trials because they will develop in you endurance – endurance develops strength of character – character strengthens your hope in Me. This hope will never lead to disappointment, for I will come at just the right time.

 

Lord, You are a wonderful teacher, therefore, teach me to realize the shortness of life. Satisfy me each morning with Your unfailing love. Let my children and grandchildren see Your glory and know Your approval. Make all of our efforts successful.

Daily Devotional

Son, I am about to do a shocking thing; My glory is departing from America. Why? Because the leaders have twisted My instructions, violated My laws, and have broken My covenant with them. These leaders suppress My truth, and then claim to be wise. They say they know Me but they refuse to worship Me as God. Therefore, I have allowed their minds to become full of darkness and confusion, and they must pay the price for their sin.

 

When My glory begins to depart, people will think it is foolish to acknowledge Me. People become full of greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They will be backstabbers, haters of Me, insolent, proud, and boastful. They will invent new ways of sinning. They disobey their parents and have little regard for human life. They have no understanding, they break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know My justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them too.

 

When My glory is gone people will be allowed  to do whatever shameful things their hearts desire. The result of this life style is that they will suffer within themselves the penalty they deserve. Soon I will judge everyone according to what they have done, and I will pour out My anger and wrath on those who live for themselves. 

 

The Good News is that I am the Son of God. I was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, and I am Lord. My power is still at work, and can save anyone who believes in Me. This Good News tells people they can become right with Me, and this is accomplished by faith. Then they will be given glory, honor and My peace which the world knows nothing about. They will have a changed heart produced by My Spirit. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from Me, not from people.

 

Lord, help me to see every opportunity that You give me to tell everyone about Your Good News.

Kingdom Thinking – Part 15

2 Kings 5:1 “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.”

 

Kingdom thinking makes us realize that the same Jesus who died on the cross (John 3:16) is the same Jesus who created the world (John 1:3-4). In other words, Kingdom thinking honors Jesus as Redeemer as well as Creator. There is no separation between the two. But, there is a tendency to separate the two. When we preach the cross for individual sinners and do not apply it to the created order we are separating the Redeemer from the Creator.

 

A good analysis of the two coming together is from Hugh Welchel when he says: “Redemption gives us a picture of the way things could be:

  • The objective of God’s work in redemption is to free people to be what they were created to be.
  • Redemption is deliverance of the physical world.
  • Redemption restores the life-giving potential of all aspects of the created order, making a degree of flourishing possible in this age.

We must understand the full meaning of redemption. Christ died on the cross not only to save us but also to restore all things. Grasping the full implication of the gospel should make Christians interested in evangelism as well as serving their neighbor and working for peace and justice in the world.”

 

For most of God’s people this will be played out in the work place. This is why our work matters to God and should matter to us as well. Albert Wolters in his book CREATION REGAINED states: “What was formed in creation has been historically deformed by sin and must be reformed in Christ.”

 

Redemption in Christ is as big as His creative work. Redemption’s final goal is to push sin out of every corner of this creative world. Perhaps this is what the prophet Habakkuk meant when he said: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) We have been redeemed for a purpose and that purpose is to see the ‘reclamation of all things.’

 

God is concerned about His works. We read in Genesis 1, in the creation story, that He created all things and called it all “good” and being the Creator – He not only lays claims to all things, but also to destroy the works of the devil. We read this in 1 John 3:8: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

 

We all will play a part in this process. That is why our work matters to God. We look at the situation today and see what is going on in our government, economy, education, the media, entertainment and business and we can easily be overwhelmed with the challenge.

 

What we must keep in mind is that God has called us to be faithful and obedient in our ‘work’ or ‘sphere.’ Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a yeast that is put into the dough and spreads throughout. Look at the history of the Kingdom of God from the time Jesus started His ministry with the words: “The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of God is near.” From that time on the Kingdom of God, like yeast, has spread throughout the world and is still spreading. Kingdoms of this world have come and gone, but the Kingdom of God is still here and spreading.

 

How did it spread? It spread by normal folks seeking the kingdom of God in their own lives and working it into their various fields or spheres. An Old Testament example of this is with Naaman in 2 Kings chapter 5. Naaman was: “a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded. Naaman had leprosy, but there was a Jewish slave girl in Naaman’s household who told the wife about Elisha the prophet in Israel who could heal Naaman.”

 

Naaman was healed, and the bottom line in all of this is when Naaman makes this statement: “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.”  What an impact this made in the king of Aram’s household and officials! What did God use but a little Jewish slave girl, in her workplace (as handmaiden to Naaman’s wife), who mentioned the prophet Elisha that could heal him – and he was healed by obeying the word of the Lord’s prophet.  Word of this spread.

 

Daily Devotional

Son, tell everyone to listen very carefully to what I am saying. “I am about to pull out the support that this generation clings to and everything it supports will fall. Why, because this generation’s sin is very serious, they treat Me with contempt. They never consider Me, or even think to ask for My help. They think they can do everything by their strength alone. They will never be forgiven for this sin, and their future is total darkness.”

 

Lord, I believe what You say, and it will happen. It can be very discouraging and cause us to grow weary when I hear what You are planning to do. But, I know You will protect me and my family, for we are devoted to You. You are so good, ready to forgive, and full of unfailing love for anyone who asks it from You. Therefore, teach me Your ways, so that I may live according to Your truth!  Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. Your love for me is very great. Thank You that You are slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love, and that I can call to You whenever I’m in trouble.

 

Son, I will protect My faithful ones, and I have told you everything so that you and your family can prepare for what is coming. So go in My peace! I will grant you the request you have asked of Me.

Daily Devotional

Son, I want you to hear what the wicked are saying about My children. “Let’s wipe them out. We will destroy the very memory of them. We will seize for our use everything they own.”

 

My children must know that their joy and strength comes from Me. When they walk through the valley of weeping, I will turn it into a place of refreshing. I will withhold no good thing from My children when they do what is right. When My people cry to Me for help because of the oppression from others, I will rescue them.

 

Son, it is useless for you to fight against My will, for I have appointed you as My servant and witness. You are to tell everyone what you have seen and what I will show and tell you about the future. The purpose is to open the eyes of those who will listen, so that they can turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to My power. For everyone must repent of their sins and turn to Me. Then they will receive My forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among My people. They will show everyone that they have been changed by Me, because of the good things they do.

 

Lord, WHEN I AM SURE – I then can speak boldly. I will tell everyone that You alone are the Lord, and You alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth. I long to enter Your presence with my spirit, body and soul. I would rather be a gatekeeper in Your house than to dwell among the wicked. Therefore, I will not worry about a thing, FOR I AM SURE that You will do what is necessary for me and my family.

Daily Devotional

Lord, I want to follow Your ways. I believe everything written in Your word. Everyone will stand before You and give an account of their life. Because of this I try to maintain a clear conscience before You and people.

 

Son, so what are people saying about you? Do they say you are a hard worker? Do they know about what you have done for others? Do they talk about how you have sacrificed for your family and complete strangers. When you bring up My name do they tell you to go away, we will listen later when it is more convenient? So why do they act like this towards you? It’s because I am Lord of your life, and they will treat you the same as they treat Me. They have rejected Me the only One who can save them, therefore, I will reject them.

 

People do not listen to Me, they do not want Me around. So I will let them follow their own stubborn desires, and live according to their own ideas. Their lives will produce a harvest of grief and unrelieved pain.

 

Lord, help me to see who I am in Your eyes and not in the eyes of man. Help me to trust You when I am in trouble, and know that You can rescue me. Help me to realize that You have taken the load of sin from my shoulders and have freed my hands from their heavy tasks of trying to please people. You have allowed me to walk and talk with You as we go down Your path for my life. Thank You Lord.

 

 

 

Daily Devotional

Son, when sin is not confronted by My righteous people it will become bold and arrogant. Your leaders will unite with troublemakers and begin to mock My children. They will become an object of scorn and ridicule. They will be thought of and treated as a joke. Their walls of protection will be broken down, and they will have their freedom stolen from them.

 

Lord, look down from heaven and help us. Strengthen the people You love. Let Your compassion meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.

 

Son, what are My people waiting for; they need to confront sin and tell everyone about Me. They need to be strong and full of courage telling everyone, “I am the only one who can wash away sins, and I am coming back soon!”

Food for Thought

Young men are seen with a future, old men with a history. It is very important for old men to tell young men of their failures and victories. But, old men need challenges to stay young at heart. No man wants to be known as a man with no future, no matter how old he is.

 

An old man with a valued history and a valued future – is a very powerful man. Old men start to die when their history is not valued and they see no valued future. What is worse is a young man who just exists; who simply lives for the day.