If you look around today at all the unrest, division, and decisiveness…not to mention the ongoing pandemic and all that goes with it…you could easily be discouraged. Maybe you’re out of work due to COVID 19 and the bills are mounting up, or you’ve lost a loved one to the virus and were unable to be with them at the end. We are all feeling the repercussions of this unprecedented year. So much, that many of us are ready to just give in to all the trouble with a defeated spirit. But we have someone who has gone through all we are currently enduring…someone who is our example…His name is Jesus. For in Hebrews 12:3 it is said of Jesus, “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” We not only have the illustration of Jesus’ life here on earth as a road-map to follow, but we have God’s gracious disposition towards us in Christ – it’s called Grace. And under-girded with both…we can move forward victoriously and not lose heart.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
Isaiah 40:31 “Those who wait on the Lord…shall walk and not faint.”
Walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person. It’s how a person conducts his life and moral reputation in everyday matters. So this verse in Isaiah shows us that if we abide in the Lord we’ll be able to attain God’s ultimate purpose in our life despite the evil that surrounds us. It says we’ll be able to walk and not faint…that is not becoming fearful, our minds not becoming foggy. So how do we walk in this broken world and not faint? We ask God… as Jeremiah wrote, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ ” There is only one good way. After Moses had given the people the Ten Commandments he then exhorted them to, “Be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the ways that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33) There’s only one good way…and if we follow it…it will lead to righteousness and life.
Matthew 6:6 ” When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, Who is unseen. Then your Father Who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
What’s your motivation to pray? Is it to be admired for your long and flowery prayers…or to commune with God? When Elisha was praying for the dead son of the Shunammite woman it says, “He went in, shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.” (II Kings 4:33) He had no audience to hear him pray…no spectators to applaud and compliment him on his beautiful words…it was just Elisha praying and God listening. The Lord isn’t impressed by our vain repetitions of “Oh Lord” or how long we can pray. That’s because He’s more interested in what’s in our heart not what’s in our head. And when we’re alone with the Lord, we can be real and honest with Him, not hiding things we don’t want others to know about. Hidden prayer is then perfect prayer…perfect fellowship and oneness with God our Father, with nothing between us and Him.
Jeremiah 4:1-2 ” If you put your detestable idols out of My sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just, and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by Him and in Him they will glory.”
God is calling His people back and saying here, “Turn from your evil ways.” Even today we have become too comfortable with the status quo. Things that would make our Great-grandparents blush are shown on a daily basis to our children. We have become desensitized to the outrageous, immoral, and just plain wrong. So when Satan twists the truth just ever so slightly, we flock to it as the next new thing, when in reality it’s counterfeit. Yes, God is calling His people back to a life of truth, justice, and integrity…and as Hosea 12:6 reminds us, “You must return to your God; maintain love and justice and wait for your God always.”
Amos 8:11 ” The days are coming, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.”
Many times throughout the Bible God was silent. I Samuel Chapter 3 starts out, ‘In those days the word of the Lord was rare…” There was little if any prophetic revelation and a real lack of those who truly had a message from God. At those times in history it seemed like a desert…a dry place with no hope or encouragement. The Psalmist summed it up well when he wrote, “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.” (Psalm 83:1) A famine of food or water pales in comparison to the bread of life and the living waters of God’s precious word.
I Samuel 28:5-7 ” When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim, or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium so I may go and inquire of her.’ “
King Saul was in a bad place. Because he had rejected the word of God, the Lord rejected him as king. (I Samuel 15:23) Saul tried to get answers from other approved sources with no luck. So in his desperation, he went to the dark side. And he knew better, for the Lord had commanded the people to abstain from occult practices way back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy…but Saul did it anyway. We all want answers and we want them now, and when we feel the Lord isn’t being quick enough…we’re apt to go to the dark side too. Maybe it’s reading our Horoscope, or having our Tara Cards read, or having a Psychic Reading…all things that are far away from the illumination and truth of God’s word and can only lead us down the wrong path.
Jude 1:1 ” To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.”
Within this verse is a perfectly simple but totally effective description of the Trinity. The Trinity being three persons in one Godhead… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. First, we are called or summoned to salvation through the the Gospel Message by the Holy Spirit as we are wooed or drawn in. For the Holy Spirit shows us very plainly our shortcomings and convicts us… so that we may be saved. Next, we need to grasp just how greatly valued, esteemed, and loved we are by God the Father. For who else would give His only Son to die on a cross for all that we might have eternal life? (John 3:16) Finally, know you belong to Jesus who watches over you to keep you safe. (John 17:12) So just think of it…we are His and He is ours, and no one can ever snatch us out of His hand. (John 10:28)
Ephesians 2:13 ” But now in Jesus Christ you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”
The blood of Jesus Christ is a rich theological symbol for His sacrificial death…His life given for the sins of the whole world. Or as Colossians 1:20 tells us, “We’ve been reconciled through His blood shed on the cross.” God sent His only son, Jesus, to atone for our sins and make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. There was no other way to do it…the chasm is too deep between us…our ability to save ourselves impossible. So, “Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far away…For through Him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:17-18)
Psalm 5:11 ” But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.”
Ever since the COVID 19 pandemic struck I’ve been praying daily for my kids, grand-kids, family, and friends across the United States asking God to keep evil far from them. So when I read this Psalm, I see David bringing his enemies before God, asking Him to deal with them. That’s because God is our only reliable stronghold to seek refuge in times of trouble…for only He can we place our trust to shield us from all evil. So today, I ask Lord that You spread Your protection over Your people as we place our confidence in You. Shield us and keep us far from evil as we look to You for help. Amen.
Hebrews 3:1 ” Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.”
This verse is not addressing unbelievers…it’s speaking directly to those who belong to God and confess their faith in Him. As we read this verse we see it’s directed towards those who have accepted the invitation to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. So why then does the Writer of Hebrews have to remind us to, “fix your thoughts on Jesus”?? Anyone who’s lived through the first part of 2020 knows how difficult it’s been to focus on anything other than COVID 19 and the pandemic. Surely it takes a concerted effort daily in order to push all the fear, confusion, and media overload aside and put our attention on the Lord. When it says “fix your thoughts on Jesus” it means to first consider what He’s done for you, then contemplate the sheer magnitude of that… finally, ask the Lord for the wisdom in order to comprehend His plan and purpose for your life. You’ll find that when you fix your thoughts on Jesus the things of the world are put into proper perspective.
Safetypinlove 