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Devotionals

Equipped With Assurance

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In today’s message I wish to talk about being Equipped With Assurance

So many things in life bear many uncertainties, but there are many things that we obtain by having God being the all-in-all in our lives

First of all, we have Forgiveness from God

1 John 2:1-2

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Often times when we face rough things we can cling to God’s Peace

Romans 14:17

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

One part that we often take for granted so often is our Freedom

Romans 8:2-3

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Even when we have strength, we never use the God given Power and authority

Ephesians 4:21-25

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

One of my personal favorite emotions would of course be Hope. For without it, we are a people without faith.

1 Peter 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Always remember when you are going through your every day, to equip yourselves with these things that God gifted us to be able to live life with. God Bless You!

It Is Well

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What a blessed day it is.  I awoke this morning and all was well.  Did this mean that I had lots of money, no pain, no heartache, no trouble?  No that it is not what I mean when I say that All is Well.  In 2 Kings Chapter 4 we find the story of the Shunammite woman and her son.  Elisha, a prophet of God passed through the area of Shunem often and there was a woman and her husband who showed him kindness by providing him something to eat as he passed through.  One day when Elisha passed through, he found that they had built a little chamber on the wall and had put a bed, table, stool, and candlestick in it just for him so that he would have a place to rest when he came by.  You might ask why did they do this for Elisha?  The bible says that the woman perceived that Elisha was a holy man of God.   She wanted to make a special place for Elisha to dwell.  In other words, she made place for him.  This was a new room just for him.  Elisha was pleased that the Shunammite woman did this for him.

If you want God to dwell in your life and if you want to find favor with Him, you have to make a place for Him.  He has to be first in your life.  He needs to be lifted up in your life just like the room was high on the wall.  He called her to him and asked what he could do for her.  She said that she didn’t need anything that she lived among her own people and had what she needed.  Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, told Elisha that he had noticed that the woman and her husband did not have any children.  Elisha called the woman again and promised her that she would soon embrace a son.  She could not believe what she was hearing.  The woman soon conceived and had a son.  The woman didn’t ask for anything but God knew her heart.  He knew she desired a child.  If you are faithful to God, he will be faithful to you.  He will give you the desires of your heart.  He loves you and wants the very best for you.

Years later when the child was older, it fell on a day that he went out to the fields to work with his father.  He fell sick and they carried the lad to his mother.  The bible says he sat on her knees till noon and then died.  She went up and laid him on Elisha’s bed and shut the door.  She called her husband and asked for one of the mules so she could go to Elisha.  The husband didn’t understand why she wanted to go find Elisha.  It wasn’t the Sabbath or a new moon.  Her response was “It shall be well”.    I just love this scripture.  I find great encouragement in the faith that this little woman had.  She had just held her only child in her arms and watched him die.  How devastating this must have been.  How heavy her heart must have felt.  But she said “It shall be well”.  You might ask how could she know this?

There is a peace that surpasses all understanding that God gives when he saves you.  You have great promises that you can depend on.  You know that he will not let you go through more than you can bear and that he can work all things to your good.  Just like Job who lost all he had, he still said “Blessed be the name of the Lord”.  When great trouble comes God’s people has the assurance that they are not alone and that the God who made the Heavens and Earth is in control.  No wonder the little woman could say through tear dimmed eyes, “It shall be well”.  I know we live in depressing times right now.  Life is hard.  But if you know the Lord Jesus Christ you can say  “It shall be well”.  If you haven’t been saved, then you can’t say this because it will not be well for your soul if you do not accept the salvation that Jesus has so freely given.

We find that the woman and her servant headed out to find Elisha not stopping for anything.  When she came to Elisha, he saw her afar off and recognized her.  He sent his servant to meet her and to inquire of her.  Is it well with thee?  Is it well with thy husband?  Is it well with thy child?  And she said “It is well”.  I have often thought why she changed it from “It shall be well” which means at some point in the future things would be better to “It is well”.  She was now with Elisha the man of God.  She was in his presence.  When she came to Elisha, she caught him by the feet.  Gehazi, the servant, came near to thrust her away but Elisha said let her be for her soul is vexed and the Lord has not revealed to me what the problem is.  She then said to Elisha, did I not desire a son of my lord and did I not say, do not deceive me?  The Shunammite woman had reached the person that could help her.  That is why she said “it is well”.  When we take our problems to the Lord in faith believing and not giving up, God will move on the scene.  He will not push you away but rather He cares for you and wants to help you.  He said to cast all your care upon him for he careth for you.

Then Elisha sent his servant ahead to take his staff to lay on the face of the child.  He spoke to the woman and said, “I will not leave thee”.  He arose and followed her.  When Elisha came to the house he found the child dead and laying upon his bed.  He went in and shut the door and prayed unto the Lord.  He stretched himself upon the child face to face, hand to hand.  The relationship that God has with us is personal.  He knows our very thoughts, every move we make.  His love and strength makes us strong.  His grace covers the multitude of our sins.  Soon the child came back to life.  He called for the Shunammite woman and said take thy son.  God is still able to work miracles.  No matter what the circumstances of your life are, if you know Jesus, you can say “It shall be well”.  If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, please call on him.  He will answer you and you too can find this blessed assurance that “It is Well”.

Make The Effort

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I would like today’s message to be simple, and to just be the exact statements that God has put on my heart. I tried to figure out a way to say it that it would be not offensive or provocative, but there is no real way to get around the truth other than to just say it. I come to you today with a very heavy heart. I have been broken inside from the things that I have sat around and pondered on.

You see, the reality of everything that I know is that my life would have never had the wonderful transformation without the intervention of God and its people. In other words, I would still be addicted to drugs and alcohol, would still be bound in that old depression and confusion, and more than likely would not be alive today. I will never be able to get around this, and will always remember where I have come from. I say all of that because every single day, I see and think about people that I know could have that same change done in their lives, but it doesn’t seem to happen like it did for me.

So in that, I am seeking and looking for myself as to which why I might be the holdup with that. And when I began to seek, the scriptures I am about to read came to mind.

1 Peter 5:1-11

1 – The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 – Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy Lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 – Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

4 – And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

5 – Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 – Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 – Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 – Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 – But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

11 – To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

There are so many present sufferings all around us, to which most of them seem to not have a solution. Rather than trying to be of help in most cases, we join in with the popular opinion, simply because it is easier on you and I to not get involved and help anyone. I know that this sounds so harsh even now, but I am one to not hide the truth. The truth is that people need our help every single day, without wavering. So many people are on the brink of suicide that we cannot even see, and yet, with our obedience could save them. There are others that just need a good friend, and yet, with our disobedience could lead them to a deeper depressed state.

If there is anyone around you that you know NEEDS your help, I urge you to get out of your comfort zone and reach out to them. It is never too late to lend a helping hand. It is never too late to lead someone to Christ. Don’t let the enemy devour up any more of our people. Don’t let the enemy let people be persuaded in these horrible mental states, which put themselves in a pit, ready to be taken from us and this world. Make the effort to win hearts to Christ, just as someone did for you. Show the same love and kindness. Never give up on the fight to see them saved. I encourage you this day.

Leaders Arise!

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There have been so many times in my life where I have felt so out of place and lost with no direction. During those times of confusion, I always turn to God to show me the right way out, for God provides the way of escape through anything that we are going through. I could not tell you the amount of times in recent days that I have heard from people that tell me that they feel “lost” in their calling. So if you need this today, this message is for you.

By our instinctive nature, it is our natural ability to follow those around us when we feel as though we are lost. There will be times when your friends and family will be able to bail you out of a situation that is bigger than you. And in that case, that’s all good by all means, don’t get me wrong. Unfortunately though, there are going to be times that the people that you are following are just as lost as you are.

As God has shown me as of late, there comes a point in your individual ministry where you stop being the follower and start becoming a leader. I’ve now realized that as time has went by that there are many that are watching my every move, listening to my every word, and are keeping track of just how close that I am staying to God. One thing is for sure, there is no greater pleasure to someone that likes to persecute your beliefs than to point out your shortcomings.

The difference between the leader and the follower is where you point the finger when everything goes wrong. When you come short and you fail, who are you blaming for the failure?

When you are the follower, you point your finger at someone else and say, “Well, I thought it was okay because they were doing it” I use to try and blame everything but the kitchen sink when I would mess up, but I’m learning more and more that it is none other than me.

When you are a leader, you point the finger at yourself, and realize that you have to improve on your example so the others around you will not falter by the same mistakes. The quicker that we begin to realize this small concept, the faster that we can move forward in becoming stronger examples for people that are all around us to follow, and for others to be able to be drawn to Christ.

So where are you standing with God? Where does your mind stand during the day? Does God have to go to great measures to try and speak to you, simply just to get your attention?

There is no better time than now that we as the followers of God become leaders to the world!

Numbers 27:16-17

[16] Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
[17] Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

As Moses was asking of God, I ask of you today, stand with me, and be those people that will help lead the people out the bondage that they face today. Stand as leaders, and be not followers of the world, but followers of Christ. Stand boldly in your calling, and don’t give up to the enemy!  God be with you, and never give up!

Go Against The Tide

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It has been very interesting lately for me to observe conversations of people that I am around to really understand the point of view from someone who walks with unbelief. Most of the time I will pray for all of the people that I am concerned for, the ones that are lost, as we all do. But as I continue to try and draw closer to God every day and learn more about what I need to do to improve, I am stirred by the thoughts that I have been given.

When we go with the tide of the world, we are as the world, and take of its appearance. When we go against the tide of the world, even though the waves crash hard on us, we become separated, and have the ability to finally stand out and be a people that can draw others to God. We often forget that we are with the Master of the sea, the very one who created the waters of the world. Let me try and break this down a little bit more.

You can go and attend all the church services, sing songs, preach messages, teach lessons, blog your ideals, and broadcast your beliefs to the world; but ultimately there is only one true representation of what people will really be drawn by. When it comes right down to it, how you live your life every single day with how you act and what you do is the complete definition of your Christian life.

In other words, there are going to be moments every single day where you will make or break someone’s decision to make Christ their Savior in their life. There are going to also be moments where someone that hasn’t been where they should be with God continues to stay that way simply because of the behavior they observe from you.

They might see you going through all of the motions of being a “Christian”, but where is the virtue that is talked about in the scriptures:

John 4:15-21

[15] Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
[16] And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
[17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
[18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
[19] We love him, because he first loved us.
[20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

The most important thing to remember in your everyday life is to carry that virtue, to remember that while going and doing all of the things that God has called you to do, while also walking an upright life before him and setting a good example in front of others, that every bit of this must be done with LOVE.

People need to see the virtue of love in our lives, that spirit of charity. For when that love is in our hearts, it will be able to handle all of the situations where anger or impatience would normally try to come in and ruin the example that we try to show. When we go against the tide and fight things with love and patience, with the faith that we are going to make it through, they will be drawn to our belief that we serve a God that will bring us through. That is what draws people, not the fact that we attend church every single time, or that we are efficient or great in all the talents that God has given us. Everyone is good at something; it’s how people handle situations that make people be drawn to it.

Go against the tide, be a believer in God, and know that the example you show is being watched every single day, and that we are held accountable! It’s so important to remember this last scripture:

Luke 6:22

[22] Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

The Whipping

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Welcome to the Heart of Grace Devotional.  Today I would like for us to think about the price Jesus paid for you and me.  I want to share a story with you today that will help us see more clearly how Jesus took our place. There was a school with a class of students that no teacher had been able to handle. Two or three teachers had been run off from this school in one year by the unruly students. A young man, just out of college, heard about the class and applied to the school.

The principal asked the young man, “Do you know what you are asking for? No one else has been able to handle these students. You are just asking for a terrible beating.” After a few moments of silent prayer, the young man looked at the principal and said, “Sir, with your consent I accept the challenge. Just give me a trial basis.”

The next morning the young man stood before the class. He said to the class, “Young people, I came here today to conduct school. But I realize I can’t do it by myself. I must have your help.” One big boy they called Big Tom, in the back of the room whispered to his buddies, “I won’t need any help. I can lick that little bird all by myself.”

The young teacher told the class that if they were to have school, there would have to be some rules to go by. But he also added that he would allow the students to make up the rules and that he would list them on the blackboard. This was certainly different, the students thought! One young man suggested, “NO STEALING.” Another one shouted “BE ON TIME FOR CLASS.” Pretty soon they had 10 rules listed on the board.

The Teacher then asked the class what the punishment should be for breaking these rules. “Rules are no good unless they are enforced, he said.” Someone in the class suggested that if the rules were broken, they should receive 10 licks with a rod across their back with their coat off. The teacher thought that this was pretty harsh, so he asked the class if they would stand by this punishment. The class agreed.

Everything went along pretty good for two or three days.  Then Big Tom came in one day very upset. He declared that someone had stolen his lunch. After talking with the students, they came to the conclusion that little Timmy had stolen Big Tom’s lunch… Someone had seen little Timmy with Big Tom’s lunch! The teacher called little Timmy up to the front of the room. Little Timmy admitted he had taken Big Tom’s lunch.

So the teacher asked him, “Do you know the punishment?” Little Timmy nodded that he did. “You must remove your coat”, the teacher instructed. The little fellow had come with a great big coat on. Little Timmy said to the teacher, “I am guilty and I am willing to take my punishment, but please don’t make me take off my coat.”

The teacher reminded little Timmy of the rules and punishments and again told him he must remove his coat and take his punishment like a man. The little fellow started to unbutton that old coat. As he did so, the teacher saw he did not have a shirt on under the coat. And even worse, he saw a frail and bony frame hidden beneath that coat. The teacher asked little Timmy why he had come to school without a shirt on. Little Timmy replied, “My daddy’s dead and my mother is very poor, I don’t have but one shirt, and my mother is washing it today. I wore my big brother’s coat so that I could keep warm.”

The young teacher stood and looked at the frail back with the spine protruding against the skin, and his ribs sticking out. He wondered how he could lay a rod on that little back and without even a shirt on. Still, he knew he must enforce the punishment or the children would not obey the rules. So he drew back to strike little Timmy. Just then Big Tom stood up and came down the aisle. He asked, “Is there anything that says that I can’t take little Timmy’s whipping for him?” The teacher thought about it and agreed. With that Big Tom ripped his coat off and stooped and stood over little Timmy at the desk. Hesitatingly the teacher began to lay the rod on that big back. But for some strange reason after only five licks that old rod just broke in half. The young teacher buried his face in his hands and began to sob.  He heard a commotion and looked up to find not even one dry eye in the room. Little Timmy had turned and grabbed Big Tom around the neck apologizing to him for stealing his lunch. Little Timmy begged Big Tom to forgive him. He told Big Tom that he would love him till the day he died for taking his whipping for him.

Aren’t you glad that Jesus took our whipping for us?  That He shed His precious blood on Calvary so that you and I can have eternal life in Glory with Him? We are unworthy of the price He paid for us, but aren’t you glad He loves us that much?

Isaiah 53:3 tells us that:

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

The Love Of God

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Can anyone really comprehend “unconditional” love? It seems the love that parents have for their children is as close to unconditional love as we can get without the help of God’s love in our lives. We continue to love our children through good times and bad, and we don’t stop loving them if they don’t meet the expectations we may have for them. We make a choice to love our children even when we consider them unlovable; our love doesn’t stop when we don’t “feel” love for them. This is similar to God’s love for us, but as we shall see, God’s love transcends the human definition of love to a point that is hard for us to comprehend.

The Bible tells us that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). But how can we even begin to understand that truth?  There are many passages in the bible that give us God’s definition of love. The most well known verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So one way God defines love is in the act of giving. However, what God gave (or should we say, “who” God gave) was not a mere gift-wrapped present; God sacrificed His only Son so that we, who put our faith in His Son, will not spend eternity separated from Him. This is an amazing love, because we are the ones who choose to be separated from God through our sin, yet it’s God who mends the separation through His intense personal sacrifice, and all we have to do is accept His gift.

Another great verse about God’s love is found in Romans 5:8. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In this verse and in John 3:16, we find no conditions placed on God’s love for us. God doesn’t say, “as soon as you clean up your act, I’ll love you;” nor does He say, “I’ll sacrifice my Son if you promise to love Me.” In fact, in Romans 5:8, we find just the opposite. God wants us to know that His love is unconditional, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still unlovable sinners. We didn’t have to get clean, and we didn’t have to make any promises to God before we could experience His love. His love for us has always existed, and because of that, He did all the giving and sacrificing long before we were even aware that we needed His love. I know a sister in Christ who makes this statement almost every time she gives her testimony; He loves me Just As I Am. This is such a true statement.

God is Love, and His love is very different from human love. God’s love is unconditional, and it’s not based on feelings or emotions. He doesn’t love us because we’re lovable or because we make Him feel good; He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son (who also willingly died for us) to restore that relationship.

God is Love! As such, true love — God’s love – can be summed up in this passage of scripture:  “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”  (1 John 4:7-11)

Responsibility With Grace

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When you are a kid, you can’t stand it. When you are a teenager, you do it just because you are made to. When you are an adult, you do it and forget it when you leave at the end of the day. When you are an older adult, you retire to get away from it all.

What am I talking about? Work of course!

I know why we have to take care of our every day needs with work on your job and at home, but why must we do it with such grace? It seems easy to give no effort and to get by with the minimum. But as we all know, there is a lot of work involved in getting out there, being responsible, and taking care of business, with success in all of it as the goal.

In the midst of all the required responsibilities, I hope that I get you to see a couple thoughts from this. To try and bring my point out more, I will make this into two scenarios:

The first person does all the required work, but with an attitude and resent to everyone around them. They take on the essential “do what I have to” attitude, while having no concept of charity.

The second person realizes that while work is work, that work is not the boss of their life, and they can still enjoy life with love and laughter.

My question is, which person do you feel like you are drawn to? It could be both, or you might be somewhere in between, just disgusted with it all. I could talk more and more about natural responsibility, but that’s not what this ministry is all about. I’m talking about your responsibility to God and the church.

Responsibility is knowing and doing what both God and others are expecting from you:

Ephesians 6:5

“Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ”

In hindsight, we need to remember that we are not here just for ourselves, despite popular opinion telling you alone to grab life by the horns, to live it up for yourself. That’s just not how it works. There are others that need you to be everything that you can be always. We do not have time to be anything otherwise!

Responsibility is realizing the importance of the task assigned to us:

Ephesians 6:6

“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart”

In all of the things we do, remember who you are serving. I’m not working to serve money; it just happens to be a benefit of my responsibility. I don’t do what I do to earn the popular opinion; I’ll never win the hearts of everyone, being since I cannot make everyone like me all at the same time. I do what I do in my life in service to my God and the people that surround me. I want those around me to succeed, but I want God to be pleased with all that I do. Let God run the rule in your life, and he’ll make those things you need to work around you be successful!

Responsibility is having a clear conscience before God and man:

1 Corinthians 4:5

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

Each day we live, we are writing another page to our life book. That which we leave behind is all that will be remembered, if at all. If anything, the things that I want to be remembered for is being a friend of God and a Godly friend to you, showing love and compassion as God did to me. It’s not the objects you leave that make an impact, it’s by your example and the testimony of what impact you made to others.

Of course, I rambled over on this devotional, but remember this: that and who you are responsible for matters, and YOU matter! But God should matter most, and he’ll equip you with the provision you ask for!

God Bless You!!!

Are You Ever Alone?

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I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much that this topic has been on my mind today. It seems to be something that I can’t get away from, so I guess I might as well just let it out.

God has been so good to me, and lately, has just given me an outpouring of knowledge in so many ways, and for that I am so thankful. He always gives me the pieces that I need to address the areas in my life that I always want more improvement in, and for that I give him glory!

At some point in our walk with Christ, whether it has been before you, or it is to come in the future, feeling alone is something that we have all endured, or are all going to walk through. You might be sitting at home and haven’t been out of the house in a very long time, because you feel like no one really cares if you come around anymore. You might come around all the time and still feel like that you have no impact at all to the people that you around. You might feel isolated from your colleagues at work, because even though you are making your best efforts to try and be a social overachiever, it’s all for nothing from what you can see. You might just be the quiet one and don’t know what to say to break out and become the next employee of the month, but you’re just overwhelmed with anxiety. You might even be an active member of a church and even feel like that you are completely by yourself in your efforts. You might just be the new person that just joined your church and haven’t been properly welcomed, and aren’t sure about where to go from here.

There are many scenarios and different kinds of people that I could describe here, but you can pretty much find yourself in the mold some way; either way, feeling alone always feels the same no matter who you are. It’s a sad feeling at first, then other emotions decide to tag along and steal the rest of any happiness that you did have in your life, leaving you to do nothing other than what you were doing in the first place, being alone.

It’s a vicious cycle, and I’ve never been one to sweep any topic of discussion under the rug, so here we go, let’s ask the question: Are You Ever Alone?

Let’s see what Jesus said about being alone:

John 8:12-17

[12] Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
[13] The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
[14] Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
[15] Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
[16] And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

John 16:31-33

[31] Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
[32] Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
[33] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus had absolute confidence in God, as we should. No matter where we are in our lives, even when everyone else is too busy for us, or doesn’t care about us: God is with us. He always hears our prayers and never gets tired of listening. You can pray anytime, and tell God about anything and everything that you are going through. Just like Christ said, we will have tribulation, and at times, we will feel alone and without any help, but we can be encouraged knowing that Jesus overcame the world, and that this life of suffering that we endure sometimes is not the last place that we have to live!

John 14:18-20

[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

We have comfort in our times of feeling alone; we have someone to give us the peace of mind when everyone else turns a deaf ear. Even when we feel as though we are screaming out inside for no one to hear us, Jesus said that he was within you, therefore he hears exactly what you are going through, and knows your suffering. There is not a moment in your day that he doesn’t see your hard times, and your tears. Hold your head up high, and know that God is your comfort. So the answer to the question is: NO, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

God Bless You!!!

Where There Is No Vision

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Today our devotional will be from Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish“

First of all, I want us to think about our natural vision. The most vital square inch of our body is the eye. We need good vision to function in our daily lives. Of all the senses that we have, I feel that vision would be the hardest to learn to live without.

Many people learn to live without vision, but are limited in their activities, often times they suffer from depression or discouragement; especially those who once were able to see and then lost their vision.  In your Christian life, do feel limited, or feel like you are not as strong or as true a Christian as you used to be?

To be a strong Christian in Church, we need to have good spiritual vision.  The Bible says that “where there is no vision the people perish” What is spiritual vision?  The ability to see what God want us to see; to have a spiritual discernment of the situations we face, to be able to look beyond the heartaches, the trials, and disappointments of life, to look beyond our own needs and desires to see the needs of others, especially those that are stumbling around in darkness because they have no vision.

Naturally speaking, it takes light to have vision. The light is reflected in the eye to different nerves that send messages to the brain that lets us interpret what we are seeing: the colors, the distance. Spiritually speaking, it takes the Holy Spirit to have a spiritual vision.  Before Christ came the Old Testament speaks of the time when there was no open vision. In other words only those that were priests or prophets were able to see what God wanted and what God could do for them.  When Christ came He opened up the way so that every individual could have this open vision.

The natural vision may vary from person to person, depending on health, age, disease.  Some folks have what we call 20-20 vision, which is considered the best. Others have less because of something that has hindered their vision. Sometimes glasses, contacts, or medications are used to improve the vision. If we had to gauge our spiritual vision, what would it be? 20-20, 20-50, or 0-0? If we recognize that our spiritual vision is dim, what can we do to improve or make it brighter?

If you are having vision problems and you go to the eye doctor, first of all he will check to see if there are any impurities or foreign objects in your eye that could be causing the irritation or problem.  First of all, let’s examine our lives and see if there is something in our heart that refuses to let God’s spirit work in our lives. We all know that only one thing separates us from God and it is SIN. Perhaps it is just the sin of idleness or worry or perhaps it is a little jealousy or an old grudge. Whatever it is, it will block your spiritual vision. To get rid of it we need to sincerely repent and ask God to forgive us. We need to understand that the world is such a dark place and people are going to Hell every day, and they need us to have the best spiritual vision we can to help them see the light.

Once the doctors removed the impurities or foreign objects from our eyes, you may have to have some type of medication or therapy to strengthen the eye muscles.  Spiritually speaking, it works the same with God. Once he has forgiven us, we need to work to increase our vision. Reading His word and praying are the two best medications you can use in your Christian life to gain strength and increase your vision. Exercising your faith when God asks you to do something will also make you a stronger Christian and bring you closer to him. Determine in your heart that you want to be closer to the Lord, to see more of His majesty and to have more of His spirit working in your life.  Obey when He speaks. Be humble! Know it is just His great mercy that lets you exist.  Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Press forward to the mark. Let that vision lead you home.

There are some great examples of God’s people that had visions throughout the bible. One of them was Job. He had a vision of his Redeemer. He knew that no matter what he suffered in this life that he would behold his Redeemer. It didn’t matter if his flesh had rotted or he had no natural eyes to see with, he would still see Him for himself. He had a vision that went beyond the grave. All of God’s children have this same assurance. Many times we just fail to look beyond the daily toil of life to see that our Redeemer is waiting on us and it is just a short time until we will see Him.

Nehemiah’s Vision of the Wall is one that I love to read about Nehemiah and his labor on the wall. First of all he was away from Jerusalem down in another land. Some of his countrymen were passing through and he asked them about the state of Jerusalem. They began to tell him of the sad condition of Jerusalem, how the walls were broken down. Nehemiah’s heart was broken by this news because he loved Jerusalem.  He began to seek God’s face and ask for his help and guidance. God worked and soon Nehemiah was on his way down to Jerusalem with a job to do. Now remember he was just one man, but look at the difference he was able to make because he was obedient to God’s command.

Nehemiah didn’t have a vision of the broken down city but he had a vision of what the city could be once the walls were rebuilt and the people united. Many times we look at our little church and think “well we don’t have too many people” and “we can’t do much” and so we just sit where we are. We need to be more like Nehemiah with a vision of what our church could be and how that lost people could be saved. It took obedience both from Nehemiah and the people to build the wall. It took unity of spirit and it took love. It took perseverance. Nehemiah and the people made up their minds they would rebuild the wall or would die trying. We need to be willing to fight the good fight.  I’m sure they got weary and we can read how that Satan tried to discourage them continually, but their vision was strong. They knew God would deliver as He had promised if they would just do their part.

If you look in Ezekiel 37, you’ll read about another hopeless situation where Ezekiel was placed in the valley of the dry bones and God told him to preach. I’m sure he could have made excuse after excuse why there was no need to preach to this bunch of dry bones. I suppose that is how many pastors feel when they preach to their congregations.  “What good will it do?  They are just hearers and not doers.” But Ezekiel believed God.  It was that simple. He believed that if God asked him to do something there was a good reason for it. He didn’t have to understand every detail but he just believed.

Many times God wants to work miracles in our lives and we have so little faith that we will not believe and He can’t do for us like He would desire to do. Ezekiel just kept preaching and soon those old bones began to move together and flesh began to come upon them.  They began to gain some strength. Then the breath moved into them and they were an exceeding great army. Again, look at what one person accomplished through his obedience to God. Don’t ever think that you don’t matter in God’s work. He needs every member of his Church. He needs us to be obedient. He needs for us to have that spiritual vision that will let us see beyond all of the negatives that Satan presents to us.  If we have good vision, we can see the fiery darts coming and can hold up our shield of faith.

John’s Vision on the Isle of Patmos was surely one of the greatest visions that one of God’s children could ever see. John saw that number that no man could number. He saw those that had had their robes made white with the blood of the Lamb. He saw me and he saw you in that number. There have been times in my life when I too have caught a glimpse of that heavenly number, that heavenly throne, that heavenly place that we are going to. We need to look beyond the present time and look to that great homecoming. This would certainly encourage our hearts when we are distressed. It would cause us to lift up our head and know that our redemption draweth nigh. It would let us praise our wonderful Savior no matter what.

So please, look to the Lord, pray about your vision, that it might be increased that we can see what God wants us to see!