Daily Devotional

Son, any nation that lives by My commands will be set high above all the nations of the world. Wherever they go and whatever they do, they will be blessed. I will guarantee a blessing on everything they do. Their land will be called a blessed land. I will establish them as My holy people, and all the nations of the world will stand in awe of them. I will make them the head, not the tail.

 

When a new generation comes up that refuses to follow My commands, pay close attention! Let all the people of the land and all surrounding nations listen! Let the whole earth hear. For I will bring accusations against them, and I am coming!

 

Because this new generation has refused to listen, all these things will come and overwhelm them. They will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery. Foreigners living among them will become stronger and stronger, while they become weaker and weaker. They will live in bondage to others until they are destroyed. Their hearts will tremble, and their souls will be in despair. Their lives will be constantly unbalanced because of fear. They will be unsure, and no longer walk around proudly; for it will be a terrible time.

 

People will tell you not to say such things. Such disasters will never come our way!  Don’t talk that way, tell us about the joys of rebellion and indulgence; for that is what we want to hear. Tell them I have no patience with such behavior! If they do what is right, then they will find My words comforting, but they have filled this land with sin and ruined it completely.

 

I came to seek and save those who are lost. So listen to My voice for it echoes above the sea. My voice is powerful and majestic. By My voice I can make the earth shake, and in My Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

 

Lord thank you that You give Your people strength, and bless them with peace. Thank You that Your anger lasts only a moment, but Your favor lasts a lifetime! Your favor has made me secure, and I will give You thanks forever!

 

 

 

Daily Devotional

Son, when I return will I find anyone with faith? Faith is just believing that what I said, I will do, and for people to act as though it has happened. Remember the story of the ten lepers, I told them to go to the priest and as they went they were cleansed of their leprosy, but they had to go first.When the blind man cried out to Me to heal him, I told him to stand up and go, but he needed to stand first so that he would be healed. Most people will not understand the significance or grasp what I am talking about. These people want Me to do for them without their being any action on their part, and this is why I ask, “When I return will I find anyone with faith?”

 

Lord, help me to increase my faith, by acting upon what You have told me. To obey Your words is simply my duty as Your child. What stops me is when I cling to this life of mine. I know that if I let go of my wants and desires, You will give me an abundant life. Help me to keep sight of the fact that I will live in Your house for ever and ever!

 

Son, never forget this! If you give up your wants and desires for Me; I will repay you many times over in this life, and the life to come, and I will declare that you are My special treasure. Therefore, you must obey all My commands. If you do you will receive praise and honor, and you will be known by Me. So watch yourself, because there will always be the temptation to give in to your desires.

 

Lord, I know that You are merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. So teach me how to live, and lead me along the right path.

Daily Devotional

Lord, I give my life to You. I trust You and I know that no one who trusts in You will ever be disgraced. Show me the right way to go, by pointing out Your road to me. Let Your truth teach me, for You are the One who saved me. My eyes are always looking for You, and I know You will free me from the traps set by those who oppose me. Man’s integrity and honesty will not provide any protection, so I put my hope in You. I am always aware of Your unfailing love. So, help me to live according to Your truth, then I will stand on solid ground.

 

Son, when anyone comes to their senses, and returns to Me, there is great joy in heaven! When they come to Me I am filled with love and compassion, I will run to them, embrace them, and kiss them. I will joyfully carry them on My shoulders. For salvation comes from Me alone.

 

To those who like to appear righteous, I know their hearts. They will not listen to My prophets, or even someone who has risen from the dead. They love their money, and scoff at those who follow Me. They run in an opposite direction to get away from Me, so that I will not see how wicked they are, but they cannot run away from Me. My word tells them their fate, and My judgments against them.

 

Son, I called to you from the land of the dead, and you heard Me. So use all your worldly resources to help others come to their senses and find Me. If you are faithful in small things, I will give you greater things. If you can can be trusted with worldly wealth, I will trust you with the true riches in heaven? If you are faithful with people’s things, then I can trust you with things of your own.

 

Son, you can cry out to Me any time, I will hear and answer you.

 

Daily Devotional

Son, soon everyone will acknowledge and bow down before Me. So tell everyone that if they want to follow Me, they must count the cost. It will require them to give Me everything they own. Their love for Me must be greater than their love for father, mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even their own life. Otherwise, they cannot be My followers!

 

Those who follow My ways will have reason to praise Me, and I will give them everlasting joy. I will lead them and they will have all they need. My path will lead them through green meadows, and beside peaceful streams. I will renew their strength as I lead them down the right paths, and their life will bring honor to My Name. Even when they go through very dark times, they will have no fear, because I am walking the path with them. My word will give them great comfort, and I will never ignore or belittle their suffering. I will never turn My back on them, and My ears are always listening for their cries for help.

 

Lord, everyone should listen and understand that Your ways are perfect.

Daily Devotional

Son, tell your country to prepare to meet Me, for I am about to bring all the disasters I have announced. For your country has twisted justice. It treats My righteous people like dirt. It hates honest judges and despises people who tell the truth, then deprives the poor of justice in the courts. I hate all their pretense of religious and solemn assemblies. I will not accept their offerings, or their noisy hymns of praise! What do I want? I want your country to come back to Me, to seek justice and righteous living.

 

I have raised up prophets, and the people must listen to them. I have put My words in their mouths and they will tell the people everything I command them. Remember that if a prophet speaks in My name, and his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that I did not give him that message. That prophet has spoken without My authority and his words will not need to be feared.

 

If anyone wants to follow Me they must turn from their selfish ways. If they try to hang on to their life they will lose it. But if you give up this life of yours for My sake, you will have a great reward and life with Me. For there is only one thing worth being concerned about and that is to listen to what I say.

 

You must read My word daily as long as you live. That way you will learn of Me and know My instructions. Regular reading will prevent you from becoming proud and acting as if you are above others. It will also prevent you from turning away from My commands in the smallest way. It will ensure that your family will know me for many generations.

 

Lord, thank You for listening to my cry for help. I pray to You because I know You will answer. Someday when I awake, I will see You face to face and be satisfied. You are my strength, my rock, my fortress, and my Savior, and You have the power to save me!

 

Daily Devotional

Son, I am the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and I reveal My thoughts to mankind. I never do anything until I reveal My plans to My servants the prophets. So what are My prophets saying? “Prepare to meet Me, because people have forgotten how to do right.”

 

People will receive My blessing if they carefully obey My word. I will bless them in everything they do, and give them success in all their work. They must never twist justice or show partiality. They must be people who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. These people will stand firm forever, and My wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.

 

Listen carefully, and do not be a fool who asks for wisdom and then says “no” without thinking it through. To those who listen to My teaching more understanding will be given. But for those who reject or refuse to listen even what they think they understand of My word will be taken away from them.

 

I will bless those who do not turn away from me. I will bless those who hear My word and obey it. Remember, I guard all that is mine, and they will know that they are always with Me. They will not be shaken, for I stand right beside them. I will show them the way of life, and give them the joy of My presence and the pleasures of living with Me forever. So don’t be afraid, just have faith in what I  have said.

 

Lord, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. Thank You that You have forgiven my sins, and they are many. Lord You have shown me and my family much love, and I must tell everyone everything You have done for us.

Father’s Day Devotional

Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I wanted to express one important thing that my years of being a husband (38 years) and being a father (36 years) has taught me.

 

The Bible says that your “calling and gifts are irrevocable,” so what does that mean? All my years in the church, the only time I ever heard a sermon on “our callings” was when they were trying to motivate people to go the mission field in a different country or to seminary to be a church pastor or Bible teacher (all good), but they are only a few of so many callings we have been given from God.

 

I did not know my calling until I was in my 50’s when the Lord told me I am “a builder.” I want to share this story because when we do not know our calling – it will affect others. I started a men’s group at a church we attended; it started out small and grew to around 40 men attending every week. Men were getting saved and others were being strengthened in their walk with God. Then the Lord laid it on my heart to move on from there and so we began to pray about where we were to go. One night in a prayer meeting the thought came to me about the church Carol and I were to attend. I didn’t even know it existed or what type of church it was, just that the Lord laid its ‘location’ upon my heart.

 

When I came to that church I thought I was there to do what I had done before in ministering to men and so I told my story to the pastor, and began to meet with the men. Carol and I also joined a “small group” of people our age and found out that they had been praying for someone to build their new church. This church had saved their money and bought the land, had the building plans and were working on the permit with the city. I didn’t want to hear that because I ‘assumed’ God had called me there to minster to men, not to build a building.

 

After I had been there for two years this building program had moved forward and now they were ready to pull their permit. At this time the pastor had met a developer who had helped other churches in the area get their buildings built on the land he would give them. All he was asking in return was to help him change the zoning for the land he owned so that he could develop it and build their church. The pastor took the offer and moved the church into one of the existing buildings of this developer until the time this man could deliver what he promised. The church sold their existing land and did not complete the permit process. They sold their land for 2 million dollars and the idea was to use it for the new building.

 

The developer who made these promises went bankrupt and the pastor invested all the church’s money into the stock market without anyone knowing. That market crashed and he lost the 2 million dollars of his people’s hard-earned money. The people were devastated. The pastor was removed from his position and as far as I know he is no longer a pastor of a church. The point of this whole story is that if I would have recognized what I was there to do for that church, which is my calling, the pastor might still be the pastor of that church on the land they had originally purchased for it.

 

Today when I look at men, I see them searching for their calling in life; the calling that will fulfill them and prosper them, and benefit others. Every calling from God is a high calling. Each has a good purpose in building God’s kingdom.

 

So this brings me to say to fathers: “You need to look at your children and ask God to help you see their callings for their lives. You need to nurture it, help them understand it and most of all except the truth that it is a high calling from God.” No matter what it is: a builder, an athlete, a chef, a fireman, a police officer, a store-owner, a doctor, a health expert, a seamstress, a home organizer or decorator, a counselor, even an ice-cream truck driver or hot dog stand owner – whatever! The enemy wants us to feel “low” or not “measuring up” to how other people make us feel in comparison, so that we don’t ever learn of our calling and how important it is to God that we fulfill what we are meant to do in life, no matter how insignificant it seems to you or anyone else.

 

Our calling is never based upon what I can do on my own, but always on what God can do through me, when I surrender.

 

Happy Fathers Day!

Michael Dietz

Daily Devotional

June 14, 2013

 

Son, I test everyone to see if they love Me with all their heart and soul. I will be merciful to those who listen to Me. So examine what I say vey carefully by listening as you read My word. If you are willing to listen to My word – then you will find that everything I say is true.

 

Don’t be afraid when people hate you, exclude you, mock you, or curse you saying that you are evil because you follow Me. The key to My joy is to love them. When they say hurtful things to you just bless them in My Name and pray for them. When they take things from you, don’t try to get it back, instead do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then I will bless you and you will have My joy in all you do.

 

Remember, you can identify a person by the results of their life. Those who say, “There is no God.” are foolish and easily corrupted. Their actions are evil; not one of them are good in My eyes. They are led astray by the same lies that deceived people of past generations. They have rejected My word and when you tell them My truth, they say, “Shut up!”

 

Lord, I trust in Your  unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to my Lord because You are good to me. Thank You!!

Daily Devotional

June 13, 2013

 

Son, I watch everyone closely, examining every person on earth. My storage tanks are overflowing with the wickedness of people. The foundations of law and order have collapsed. They lie to their hearts’ content, and say, “Who can stop us?” In all history, has anything like this happened before, that people have no joy?

 

I still rule from heaven, and I still love justice. My promises are pure. I will protect the oppressed, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land. So don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to Me for I am merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Everyone who calls on My Name will be saved.

 

So turn to Me while there is time. Soon everyone will tremble in fear because My day has come, and it will be an awesome, and terrible day. Who can possibly survive? Don’t just say, “We are safe, because we are good.” That means nothing to Me, prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to Me. Do not worship Me the same way people worship their false gods.

 

Lord, what can the righteous do? Son, tell My children to be very careful to obey all that I have written in My word. They must not add or subtract anything from My word. They must trust Me for their protection. I gave them My Spirit, and I will be their refuge. Tell them soon they will see My face!

Daily Devotional

June 12, 2013

 

Son, tell America to return to Me for her sins have brought her down. She has become satisfied, proud and has forgotten Me. She brags about her evil desires, and praises the greedy and curses Me. She seems to think that I am dead, and says, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me. God is not watching and He has closed His eyes and won’t see what we are doing.” How quickly she has turned away from My path I commanded her to follow! She rebels against My word and refuses to trust Me. I am about to call her to account for the trouble and grief she has caused. She will bear the consequences of rebelling against Me, and I have written it all down.

 

Tell everyone that will listen that I am giving a choice between a blessing and a curse! She will be blessed if she repents and does all that I command. She will be cursed if she continues to reject Me, My word and worships other gods she had not known before.

 

Son, I am the One who answers your prayers and cares for you. Those who are wise will understand all these things. Those with discernment will listen carefully. My path is true and right, and righteous people live by walking on it. You will be blessed because you believed that I would do all I said. Therefore, you must love Me and obey all My commands. Be careful, and don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from Me and serve and worship other gods. Commit yourself wholeheartedly to these words of Mine.

 

Lord, I will praise You with all my heart. I will tell all the marvelous things You have done.  I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name. You are a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. You will not abandon those who search for You, and You do not ignore the cries of those who suffer.