Jeremiah 17:7, ” Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in Him.” Where does our hope come from? It comes from the Lord. And this hopeful expectation is rooted firmly in God alone. And as Hebrews 6:19 shows us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” But not only do we possess hope, but we are to pass it along, for Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” God wants you to know that you are filled with hope in order to fill others with His hope.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
God says you are: Strong
In the crucible of life, especially this year, we have endured the great heat and severe testing of the pandemic. But out of it we are made stronger if we keep our eyes on God. Psalm 18: 32 & 35 says, “It is God Who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great.” Our strength comes from the Lord and as Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Think of this…you are stronger than you know or can imagine. For the strength you receive from the Lord in this verse means it enables you to not only endure but to effectively handle any situation you confront.
God says you are: Protected
Proverbs 18:10 ” The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Especially this year and what’s happening with COVID 19 we can’t take the protection of God lightly. But instead of me rattling on, I feel it’s more important to read what the Word of God says. Psalm 20:1 “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.” Job 11:18 “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” Psalm 69:29 “I am in pain and distress; may Your salvation, O God, protect me.” There is protection in the powerful name of the Lord, and He assures us that He will keep us safe from calamity, and enemies…including COVID 19.
God says you are: Full of Joy
John 15: 9 &11, ” As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Now remain in My love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Let’s admit it…there hasn’t been a lot to be joyful about the last nine months. But it shouldn’t stop us from finding our source of happiness, well-being, and delight in the Lord. Jesus tells us that His joy is in us…fulfilled at the cross. And we should take this blessedness and share it with others…or as Mother Teresa once said, “Joy is a net by which you can catch souls.”
Luke 20:1-2 ” One day as He was teaching the people in the Temple courts and preaching the Gospel, the chief priests and teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to Him. ‘Tell us by what authority You are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave You this authority?’ “
The chief priests and teachers of the law didn’t like what they saw and heard. This Jesus fellow was teaching with a command of the law they’d never seen before, and He was proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God with such power and conviction that the crowds were being won over by Him…and this wasn’t good. So when they approached Jesus that day in the Temple courts they wanted answers. “Just who gives You the right to do this?” For they were afraid…fearing that their power and control over the crowd was slipping. But neither would they accept or believe where Jesus’ authority came from. “Jesus said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Matthew 28:18)
II Thessalonians 1:6-7 ” God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled…”
Our broken human nature likes to get even and retaliate when we think we’ve been wronged…even if it’s just in our minds. But God is very clear, “Don’t take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) But we want vengeance and when we don’t see it quickly from the Lord, we whine. But as Jesus tells us in Luke 18:7-8, “Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night?” There is but one just and righteous Judge Who will avenge all the wrongdoing in the world…while also, as it says above, giving the Believer rest from their affliction and tribulation.
Psalm 105:4 ” Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
Is going to the Lord with something the first thing you do…or is it only after you’ve exhausted all other options? Do you seek His presence at the beginning of a situation, or at the end when all your hope is gone? It’s all a matter of timing, priorities, and pride. If I think I can “fix it” why should I bother God with it, right?! But it says that we should seek His face always…continually and at all times. And when we look to God first, not as a last resort, He gives us His perspective, and purpose for the situation, along with His peace.
Matthew 11:28 ” Come to Me…”
The invitation is there for you to draw near to the Lord…but what could be holding you back? Maybe it’s the idea that God isn’t talking to you. In John 7:37 He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” The Lord is no respecter of age, gender, class, creed or color of skin…He died for all, and He died for you. But maybe you feel that what you’ve done in your past is too heinous for Jesus to forgive. I John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So, sorry, there’s no one that’s beyond the forgiving grace of Jesus. Or maybe what’s preventing you from coming to Him is that one immovable stronghold within you. Call it pride, rebellion, or spiritual independence…it rears its ugly head and stops you cold from accepting this invitation. But regardless, His invitation still stands and will until you draw your last breath. “Come to Me…”
John 3:20-21 ” Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Nothing good happens after midnight, or so the saying goes. And Ephesians 5:11 warns us, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.” Darkness and wickedness go hand and hand…and they like it that way. For evil is more comfortable in the dark…because it naively thinks no one can see. That’s why men love darkness instead of light…it shines forth brightly with truth and all their deception, lies, and falsehoods are laid bare for all to see. The penetrating beacon of God’s truth is absolute, transcendent, and divinely revealed to those who willingly come into the light.
Daniel 1:6-7 ” Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The chief offical gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach: to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”
The meaning of the Hebrew names for these four men all affirmed God’s sovereignty, mercy, and grace for His people. But the new names they were given by the Babylonian chief official sought to undermine and degrade this. For their new names were deliberately drawn from the Babylonian false religions, gods and idols, and erased any trace of God from them. Even today we have the challenge of believing what God calls us vs what the world calls us. The world will call us fat, dumb, ugly, stupid and old….while the Lord will call us loved, free, healed, whole, and His. The world is all about demeaning and humiliating…while God is all about lifting us up. So just remember this…no matter what the world calls you…the Lord named you first, and that name is all that matters.
Safetypinlove 