June 2020 Devotions

God Has A Purpose

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Have you found yourself in one fiery trial after another? Does it seem the hits just keep on coming one after another? For a moment you may have peace and comfort than another attack, persecution, slander, or setback comes out of nowhere. Be encouraged, be of good cheer, and don’t despair. Remember, God has a purpose and good reason for each and every trial that comes your way. The Lord Jesus Christ told His disciple this would happen. He is also speaking to you.

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33

If you are in the Lord and chosen by His mighty hand to do His work for the Kingdom of God, you will be persecuted, you will have to endure much suffering and hardships to accomplish everything He intends for you to do. But He will take care of you, He will carry you, and keep you until your time has come to be joined with Him in glory.

And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22

Strengthen the souls of the disciples, encourage them to continue in the faith, and say that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

Every aspect of life for the follower of Jesus Christ is opposite to the ways and understanding of men in this world. The weak and meek are seen to be strong in God’s eyes. The poor in spirit are rich, the humble are exalted, the fool for Christ is wise, those who are willing to give generously even to the point of sacrifice are rich, and the one who loses his own life, hopes, and dreams for the sake of Christ’s will and plan will save it.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26

Do not be surprised when you fall into all kinds of tests and trials. The Lord also has to prepare you for what is ahead. He has to craft you into His image, and honestly, that does not come easily. Every good and beneficial thing that you have to learn comes with struggle, work, sweat, and sometimes even blood and tears. Just as a bodybuilder must work hard and endure much pain and struggle to strengthen and shape his body to achieve his goal, so also the Lord must shape you into His image that you will achieve His goals.

Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. Isaiah 46:3-4

This is why you suffer, this is why you must endure testing and trials. I say again be of good cheer, also rejoice, and be very glad for you have been given the great privilege to share in the sufferings of Christ. You will be richly rewarded for your faithfulness and endurance in your faith in Jesus Christ.

Your hope does not lie in the things of this world, in the accomplishments of your hands, or the opinion and approval of men. But it completely lies in the hands and in the sight of your awesome and holy Lord God the Father. His opinion is all that matters. His plan and will are what is important, and the accomplishment of the work He has set out for you to fulfill.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

May the Lord Bless you greatly and abundantly, pouring out His wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and His Spirit upon you in every way. Cutting away those things that displease Him, molding, crafting, and shaping you into His image. That you will be better equipped for the journey ahead and for the work He has planned for you from before the foundation of the world. 

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. 1Peter 4:12-19

Gospel Message, June 2020 Devotions

In Whom Do You Depend

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If your dependence is in the things of this world, you will be left empty. If your dependence is in the governing powers, you will be betrayed. If your dependence is in the people you have relationships with, you will be disappointed. If your dependence is in the might of your hand and the skill of your intellect, they will fail you. Even if your dependence is in your own knowledge and understanding in the writings of the Holy Bible and God’s Law, you will not attain Heaven.

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Psalm 146:3-4

But the only one who will fill, not betray, not disappoint, not fail, and can grant you eternity in Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Not Mohammed, Christchna, Budda, the Pope, church, your pastor, or anything else can change your heart from stone to flesh. That can bring you out of the darkness into the light of God.

There is no one else that can move you and change your heart, mind, soul, and spirit, creating you into a new creature. Only Jesus Christ and the Power of His Holy Spirit can change a dead soul into a living soul, and only by the grace and mercy of the Father God.

So that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:7-9

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31

Think about this very important subject. There is nothing more important than your eternal soul and your eternal destination after death. You must deal with it now before it is too late. Do not be deceived, surely your sins will find you out. 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  1 Corinthians 6:9-10

All man has sinned and broken God’s Law, that includes you. Be honest with yourself, you are a liar, thief, lustful, hateful, covetous, and unforgiving just to name a few. The Lord will not leave any sin unpunished but will give you justice for all the wicked acts and thoughts you have ever had.

Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:20-21

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28

The Lord Jesus Christ is God and He lived a perfect life. He suffered beatings, death, and the entire Wrath of God for you. That your sins could be forgiven. He was buried and was risen again by the power of God three days later. He did this for you. He took the punishment that you deserve for all your many crimes and sins against a holy and righteous God. 

Don’t wait any longer, don’t keep delaying and putting off the time and the place when you turn from your sinful life and cry out to God for forgiveness with humility and honesty. Seek the Lord with all your might, if you seek Him He promises you will find Him. Repent and turn from your sins.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:13-14

Put your complete faith in Him. If you jump He will catch you. If you repent He will forgive you. If you seek Him you will be found by Him. For His great loving-kindness, grace, and mercy are close by, He is waiting with open arms for His child to run home to the Father in Heaven who loves you. 

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; Isaiah 65:1-3

June 2020 Devotions

God’s Unchangeability

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It is a wonderful thing that the Lord God Almighty does not change. He has stayed the same from the beginning of time until now, He will always and will forever be the same for all eternity, just as He has been since forever before time began. 

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. James 1:16-18

He is the truth, the life, and the way. He is and always will be. Never to falter, never to be swayed by any force or power, and never to fail. How wonderful that He is always merciful, always patient, always abounding in loving-kindness, and always forgiving to those who humble themselves before Him.

To the wicked He seems terrifying, judgemental, and a cruel taskmaster trying to keep them from the pleasure of their sins that they love so much. But it is not that He is this way.

But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. Psalm 50:16-18

He is pure, holy, and perfect in righteousness. He hates wickedness and depravity, He abhors injustice and abominable behavior, and He detests wrong-doing and immorality. There is no place before Him that crimes against His holy and just Law that will not go unpunished.

Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:20-21

Cleans your hands and heart before Him, bow down before Him in His presence. Give everything into His hands, He will never lead you astray and His love and forgiveness will be bestowed upon you like the dew in the morning on a meadow.

And He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth. And He shall be their peace.

Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay not for a man nor wait for the children of man. Micah 5:4-5,7

Open your hands to God and allow Him to do to you whatever He pleases and take you wherever He wills. With an open hand and an open heart give freely to Him everything, that He may freely give to you.  

Desire nothing more than His good and wonderful will in your life, whatever that may be. Give Him everything, holding back nothing.

Pray and say, “Give me whatever you desire, Oh Lord. Take from me whatever you desire, Oh Lord. Lead me, guide me, and direct me by the power and fire of your Holy Spirit. Search me and know me. Remove from me any ungodly way. Wherever you desire, Oh Lord, may I desire, that I may fully and completely be given to your will and control from this place and forevermore, Oh Lord my God!” 

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. 

But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:6-12

May 2020 Devotions

Jehovah Is Your Shield

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The Lord is your shield, shelter, refuge, strong tower, and defense. Do you believe this? If God is your shield doesn’t that mean that there is something you need to be shielded from? If we need to be shielded from something that also means your life will not be easy, but hard and difficult like there is a battle ahead. 

Life is not a picnic but a treacherous journey into combat.

But do not fear for the Lord will protect you and there is nothing that can come against you, no attack, sickness, or struggle that is not first approved by the Lord Himself. Nothing will happen to you without His permission. Though the devil thinks this is his chance to tear you down and destroy you. The Lord will use those very same things to strengthen and build you up. 

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Genesis 50:20

Twice the Lord pointed out Job as being a righteous and blameless man who feared God and turned away from evil. He gave Satan permission to send attacks upon him that Job would be tested and tried. 

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Job 1:8

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Job 2:3

As severe as the trials were God allowed all of them to happen. Job had no Bible or scriptures at all, but he trusted in the Lord completely, even saying that no matter what happened to him he would trust the Lord. Job was protected from death and in the end, he was rewarded for his faithful endurance, and God was proved right as always.

“Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? Though He slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to His face. This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before Him. Job 13:13-16

You may think that prosperity, a smooth easy life is evidence of God’s favor and approval. But that is not how the Lord works. That is not how He shows His approval. Many times it is a hardship, difficulty, and fiery trials that mark the path of the true servant of the Lord. No one can achieve great feats of accomplishment in this life without hard work, pain, struggle, and endurance. It is the same with those who enter the Kingdom of God.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,  Matthew 11:11-13

It is with great struggle and difficulty that the righteous will gain ground in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is with great effort that the Lord shapes, molds, and makes you into what He desires you to be for His purpose. 

A weight lifter will not become stronger and stronger if he does not lift heavier and heavier weights. The Servant of the Lord is expected to endure heavier and heavier weight to grow stronger and mightier in the ways of the Lord.

Just look at all the godly servants of the Lord from scripture, Job, Moses, Abraham, David, Daniel, and more. Each one had a life marked by suffering and trial, and because of it they were made ever more righteous and worthy to be called servants of the Lord, and worthy. Even to the point that it was said of them, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” In the eyes of the Lord they were the best of the world.

Be not afraid of the stresses and the heavy weights put upon you in this life, but bear them up like you are in training for what is ahead. The Lord is your strength, protector, defender, and hope. He is always there beside us and will never leave or forsake us. Each pressing moment is designed to build your strength and stamina to handle what lies ahead. 

One way or another God will get you through it. He will defend your life until the end, and someday you will be so much more than just a doorkeeper in the House of the Lord because of your patient endurance for your King.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! Psalm 84:8-12

Quotes

Work For The Lord

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Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Colossians 3:23-25

Quotes

Pray For Them

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But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Jude 1:20-23

May 2020 Devotions

The Magnanimous God

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Rejoice and be very glad in the joy of the Lord, for He has come, and He has rescued you. He has come to restore, comfort, soothe, heal, and provide your every need. The Lord Himself will pour over you great joy to overflowing. All that you have suffered and endured is behind you, it is gone, not to be endured again. Though you may not know it, the Lord has already seen it.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”

I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 118:14-19

The Lord is your Restorer, Yahweh El Ashiyb. The Lord is your Healer, Jehovah Rapha. The Lord is your Provider, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord is your Peace, Jehovah Shalom.

He is your God, Elohim, He is the Lord God Almighty, El Shaddai, He is the Most High God, El Elyon, and He is your Master, Adoni!

Look up to the Heavens, look up to the Lord who has done all these mighty things for you, who has done great and wonderful wonders, so much you don’t even know. He is magnificent, He is mighty, He is miraculous, and He is magnanimous! 

Magnanimous Definition- generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

Praise Him and shout for joy for He is awesome and wonderful! He has turned your tears to joy and your sorrow to gladness! No more will you weep and wail, no more will you wallow in misery and shame. But the Lord God has filled your heart with love, hope, and the Spirit of the Lord who brings peace, joy, and rest to all those who are called by His name.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 

Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:9-11

The Lord will in no way forget His children. He will never forsake His chosen. He will forge the path He has established for them. He will not let them fall or be put to shame forevermore. 

Strengthen your weak hands and make firm your wobbling knees, your God is not a God of weakness or a God who can not see. He is the God with unlimited power, unsearchable vision, unfathomable wisdom, and unchangeable position. 

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. 

It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35

Quotes

Jesus Is Above All

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He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:3-4

May 2020 Devotions

Time Drawing Close

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The wicked of this world is poised, set, and ready to pounce upon the weak, poor, and vulnerable. At any moment when they get the chance, they will show their true colors, their despise of authority, and their utter wicked intent for all the world to see. They will not care one bit for the rules and laws of the land and especially of the Lord’s ways.

We are seeing just a glimpse of what is to come. But for now, they lay in wait in the shadows, for now, they hide in the darkness, fearing if they come out into the light they may be exposed. But a time is coming when that will all change, and they will not care who sees their evil.

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He [the Holy Spirit] who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

This day is drawing very close, and the Lord will come soon to take His church, His righteous bride. The wicked will ever become more wicked and consume their hearts in their own wickedness, scheming, and conniving new ways to put them into practice.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 2 Timothy 3:1-4

This is the last hour. You need to be busy doing the work He has given you, that you may be made complete in His sight. To finish the work He has placed in your hands to accomplish. 

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:18

Do not lose heart or be faint but strengthen yourself in the Lord that you may finish well. Very shortly the Lord will be coming, may it be 20 years, 10, 5, or less, only the Father knows. But it will be soon, and whatever remains to be done, know that the Lord will help you accomplish it.

For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:37-38 

It is the Lord God who Reigns! It is He who made the land and the sea, The Lord God Almighty who made the heavens and the earth.  Whatever happens will happen according to His plan, purpose, and timing. He rules over all in magnificent splendor and no one will sway His hand or change His mind. His reward will be with the righteous, and His wrath will be upon the wicked.

Those who love and follow the Lord, will see life and live in His rest! The wicked will not, they will shrivel away like a wax figure placed before a blast furnace, and our God will repay them for all their wrongdoing. 

We give thanks to the Lord for His righteous, holy, and just plan. All glory, honor, majesty, and praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah 

I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. 

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. Psalm 75