Tag: humanity

Devotional 177: In the World, Of the Spirit

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John 18:15-18 Peter Denies Jesus

15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high prbiest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

18 Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

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Acts 9:36-43 Dorcas Restored to Life

36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. 37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. 43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

There is much in this that is parallel to Jesus’ own story. (Mark 5:35-41)

What a roller coaster of a disciple! He cursed when he promised the Lord he would die by his side, then he was found warming himself with the servants on a cold night as a sham of a trial went on for Jesus.

Later we see him boldly working a miracle on Dorcas in much the same way that Jesus put out the mourners and scoffers. Here Peter does the same as Christ did with the little girl whose parents were grieving, putting out the mourners who were showing him things she’d made for them.

There can be no distractions now, no scoffers. No deniers of those who say it’s impossible. No one who puts heavenly matters into earthly things.

For a time, Peter enjoyed the simple heat of a worldly fire, safe in deceit for the moment, denying who he was in Christ as Jesus was undergoing unholy humiliation, beginning the process of taking on our sins.

When Peter raises Dorcas from death, through faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he is in full glory as the restored Apostle, the one who walked on water to his Lord’s side until He grew afraid and looked at his circumstances in the world, needing to know in that brief moment how Jesus must have felt being able to do it Himself.

When he raises Dorcas, he becomes the spiritual rock to whom Jesus gives the keys to Heaven, and the power to bind or loose, because the power flowing through him continued to circle back to glorify the Father.

If we have lived any length of time, there are dead things in the upper rooms of our days: dreams, plans, hopes that we tried to make fit but were not our calling, or were laid aside because we no longer sacrificed to achieve them.

Some we buried in silence and shame. Others because those who said they believed in us and would be with us no matter what, fled when the time came and betrayed us denying us and breaking their vow.

But there is a G-d in Heaven, and His Word does not return to Him void. What He has spoken, sang, and rejoiced over in you He will bring to fruition.

In these times, like Peter, let us bring a strong, bold, faith-filled witness that cuts to the heart. Let us stand in our rightful place to teach, speak boldly, and count the persecution as part of the cost when Jesus tells us the world can’t hate us because it hated Him first, testifying that its’ works are evil. (John 7:7)

Are we, as believers, ready to stand up in the midst of the assembly, and be voices crying in the wilderness? May He count us among the worthy.

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Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Your servants, on their best days, are weary, scared, and doubtful as the enemy grows increasingly loud and busy, as the world is becoming all You prophesied.

Help us to keep our eyes focused on You as our treasure, then our hearts will be there also. Help us not to look at the circumstances surrounding us, so that our hearts don’t grow faint and we fall, submerging ourselves in sin, and sighing in our spirits as we go back to the life we used to live before placing our faith in You.

Give us wisdom to discern the meanings of the times we’re in, and know what to do.

Be with us in the midst as we pray to You in one accord for our nation, our leaders, our fellow citizens, and our purposes to make You, Father, the center of all things once more.

And if we are still stiff-necked enough not to repent and receive a bounteous healing, we ask that You put aside all scoffers and raise us from the dead, alive in You, and grateful for it as we glorify G-d, now and forever.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.

Devotional 176: The Return of Understanding

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Daniel 4:34-36
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.

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If indeed the only inevitable thing is the working out of G-d’s plan, there is not much to say about the current circumstances facing the nations. The sparks of trouble are surely flying upward, and brother rises against brother to curse and not bless.

The rudderless tongue pushes words on the patterns of the wind, which blows without discretion or selection, leaving behind damaged people in sorrowful circumstances.

Guns, fires, racial slurs, murder, intimidation, harassment, brutality, protests, signs, slogans, and a restless, chaotic current have gripped the souls of men and blocked their view of heaven. They turn deaf ears to the Word, hiding the veil of politics behind it like the Pharisees, forgetting there is a G-d in Heaven from whom there are secrets, and for whom a thousand years is as a day to man.

We proclaim ‘G-d bless America!’ but we have not blessed G-d, and He does not accept the honor of the lips only, when the heart is far from Him.

In our humanity, there are people we don’t like, and in our worldview, there are things about the governing of nations we have issues with. It has always been that way because the Gospel is not preached, lived, or these days, possibly, even believed among the leaders.

As believers, we are told to fear G-d, and honor the king. He is watching to see if we do so, even if the king is mad and in need of humbling.

That which we call ‘time’ is indeed fleeting, and getting further away from us as we continue to insist on enjoying ourselves in the midst of a plague. That, in and of itself, is not a bad thing, but it shouldn’t become a priority.

Let us rest in the knowledge that the Father has already seen the end result of all this strife, and if He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and revere the Son, and submit to the voice and power of the His Spirit, He has promised He will heal the broken heart and avenge the innocent.

Let us leave the divine justice to the only One who can judge rightly, for He is worthy, and the Father has put all into his hands.

Like Nebuchadnezzar had to be humiliated before He gave G-d glory, let us pray together, unceasingly, that we don’t have to do that here in the US. or anywhere else in the world. Let us give our offering for anything we have against each other, go before the Throne and place it on the altar, and be reconciled in this hour while His hand is yet still.

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Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

We cry out to you once again, having lost our way.  Our leaders have assumed the mantels of proud kings, so as a nation we have now become blind to Your will, deaf to Your Word, and bereft of power in ourselves to bring good from evil.

Return our reason to us, Father, and let us stand once again in Your light, under the loving hand of our Lord Jesus who leads us to the path of reconciliation, and the power of Your Spirit, convicting us of sin and guiding us into all Truth.

Let us give You glory and honor among us once again, kneeling not in protest, but subjugation to Your loving will, and reverence for the King of all Creation, as we repent of our sins, our bloodlust, our hate, fear, anger, and rebellion against You.

Grant us mercy, Father, for behaving like beasts of the field and submitting to Legion, who gratifies our emotions and flesh, and robs of us discretion, discernment, and wisdom.

Your servants stand in the gap, Father, interceding before the hour strikes when You smite us for our prideful ways, our fearful arts, our wild emotions, and our evil thoughts.

Let our understanding return to us as we raise our eyes to You, repenting with godly sorrow, that excellent majesty reflecting Your power, might, and glory, be restored to us once more as we enjoy the covenant of grace in one accord, one nation, indeed under G-d for the time remaining to us.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.

 

*art by Daniel Blake

Devotional 175: Every Secret Thing

If the Earth is indeed the Lord’s, and everything in it, then there are no secrets.

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Ecclesiastes 12:14

14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Matthew 12:37

37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 15:15-20

15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

We live in an age where we are now ‘free’ to indulge in attacking and persecuting from the safety of wherever we believe ourselves to be safe.

Because of faithlessness and pride, we forget that we are all held to a higher standard. If the Earth is indeed the Lord’s, and everything in it, then nothing \is done ‘in secret.’

The conspiracies, lies, government schemes, dark web, trafficking, all of it is as bare to the sight of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as a person on the walking down the street in the noonday sun.

Every slur, insult, dirty picture, and hateful comment of every tribe and tongue who lash out under the deception of darkness will stand before the judgment seat, their level of unbelief notwithstanding:

2nd Corinthians: 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

There will be eternity when time ends, and there will be nowhere else we have to go.

The thought of having to give an accounting of all we have thought, said, and done should give us pause as we currently find our nation divided, hurting, angry, desperate, and greedy.

We are in trouble indeed if the Lord has indeed given us over to the desires of our hearts, removed the Spirit who guides us into all truth, convicts us of sin, and checks our baser natures as love, temperance, compassion, empathy, civility and responsibility are replaced by pride in the things that compose the flesh, things that we had nothing to do with, being created beings capable of exercising dominion, but not operating on the same level with the Father.

Today, let us gather before Him in humility, repentance, and godly sorrow before the darkness completely overtakes us. Let us stand together, and through faith in His Name and by His power, tell the demons that plague this land to go, shouting from the rooftops that which He whispered to us in the watches of the night.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Today, I confess to the sin of a rudderless tongue, conveyed through technology, that I have lashed out at those who meant no harm, who do not think the way I do, who don’t share my worldviews, who don’t look like me, or even speak my language. 

I confess to a heart of stone, and stopped ears, as my pride speaks to my flesh and drowns out the Spirit of holiness that dwells in me, imparting to me that which is of You.

There are times I lose sight of my Shepherd, content to graze in idleness when progress is called for, content to sleep when there’s work to be done, and prone to rebellion in wandering to spiritual strongholds that appeal to my sinful nature as the Father’s loving words call for me to turn back.

Today, Lord, I release my pride, and hand You my heart once again to heal and purify.

Let me feel the joy and power of the Holy Spirit awakening in me as the first time You sent Him when I surrendered to You, for their will be no hiding place, no secrets, no power of self, no pride in me before Your light, no chance for redemption without abiding in You, and  no justification for the evil I’ve done, standing convicted before Your wisdom. 

Make my repentance one of substance, lasting and true; I would not be among those who call you Lord, and yet be cast out from Your presence.

What light I may possess, though it flicker, make it increase. What faith I may yet have, cause me to remember the many times You delivered and restored me, as You have today. Open the pages of the books of my rememberance.

I take joy in Your mercy, and am thankful for Your grace. 

Today, I stand with the tempestuous St. Peter, and declare there is no other Name under Heaven by which I am saved, that You have the words of Life, that You are the Son of G-d,  and You know that I love You, in faith believing I have been likewise restored.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.

 

Devotional 174: Wells of Salvation

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A Hymn of Praise

12 And in that day you will say:

“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”

3 Therefore with joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.

     The wells of the day were not within easy reach; if they weren’t up in the hills, they were some distance that required strength and endurance to access. The wells were mostly located in territories that were considered hostile, or at least off limits, to the Jewish people.

Yet this mighty prophet’s hymn of praise speaks to a well that doesn’t hold physical drink, but one with far greater power beyond slaking the thirst of a physical traveler, but the spiritual needs of sinners seeking forgiveness and redemption from G-d.

We see this in king David’s plea:

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Having achieved getting there, if one was not an outcast one could rest, drink, socialize and refresh before returning to hand out that which would give life to the towns and villages.

It’s in the Father’s nature, and it is his will to see us reconciled through faith in Christ, who spoke of Himself as living water to the Samaritan woman. (John 4:9-15)

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Jesus broke all tradition here in dealing with a Samaritan, and a woman, having a conversation with her and ministering to her even as she though she was, in fact, an outcast in her village. Even so, when she evangelized about meeting Him, such was her faith that they actually did go back with her, and were blessed for about two weeks by His presence.

But while it’s the Father’s nature to want us reconciled to Him, it is also His nature that he can’t look on sin, no matter how small or large to suit our justifications for it. He may use the Israelites as His chosen vessel, but it’s also His desire that we tell the world, calling no man unclean.

It seems we have a choice to make, when in fact it’s not choice at all:  The kingdom or the campaigns.

We can pray the will of the Kingdom over the campaigns, and pray this nation live up to its stated goals for everyone, not just a select few.

Let’s gather together around these holy wells, and pray.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

As You have blessed men and women whose hearts were set on You, hear our prayer to let Your Holy Spirit heal this land, and bring godly sorrow and repentance, rebuking the tools of the devil that plague our land in this day.

Help us to remain steadfast, focused, loving, and bold as we stand in the gap for the faithless and the innocent. Now more than ever, set up divine appointments and guide our hands and feet, that we might not be found idle in the harvest field.

We were once a nation under G-d, but we have turned our backs and reduced Your omnipotence to political goals that will enrich us after November, but that is not Your will. It is to pray for all humanity, in all its colors and traditions, languages and customs, that their eyes may be opened, and we experience the wonder of seeing someone accept the Son for the first time, and open their heart to work alongside us.

Today, we gather around our wells wherever they may be, however deep, and we draw from it to give to those who thirst for You in this hour. Help us to do it in love, but not to compromise.

Let us speak truth without judgment, and let our light shine to reveal Your presence in us, that they may see, believe, and repent.

Let us minister in love to the hurting and the angry.

Let us comfort the fearful.

And let Your peace, passing all understanding, abide in us as we abide in the Son, doing Your will until You call us to Your side, working in faith believing all things are possible through You, and Your will, we can do nothing apart from Him that You sent to us.

Let us rejoice that we have been chosen to serve our G-d and King, dwell with our Savior, and be guided by Your Spirit.

In righteousness, peace, and joy we honor You.

Amen.

Devotional 170: Well-Driven Nails

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Ecclesiastes 12:11 

11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

Often, our Father’s work through the Holy Spirits spoke to the people of the times in language they could understand along cultural lines, teaching them by using the things they used in their daily lives. This work by Solomon is among those deemed to be worthy among the surviving books, so G-d has preserved it for us.

But this line in particular is striking in its contrast:  “…well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd”  What does a shepherd know of nails? Maybe they’d helped to repair fences in their duties, but that wouldn’t take much in the way of words beyond the conversation needed to repair the fence.

A nail well-driven is the sign of knowledge and skill, and in the case of a carpenter, craftsmanship. A well-driven nail by a shepherd means the repair to the broken part of the fence is complete, and will hold fast all that remains inside of it, and withstand what comes against it.

Don’t miss the imagery of the implied prophecy: A Shepherd’s words are like well-driven nails. What did the words of Jesus do, and how are they like nails? Let’s consider:

They were painful to the hearts of the wicked and sinful, and when something causes you pain, you aren’t interested in anything but removing the source of it so that your life is comfortable again. The source of our spiritual pain is sin, and it’s only removed through repentance. Resistance and denial can also remove it, but it won’t cure the condition.

They were strong and drove through the blockage of whatever was hindering the work  until Jesus spoke. Sickness, demons, nature, and death bowed to His will, and obeyed His commands.

They were enduring, because the use of cheap and ill-prepared materials meant the work would eventually fall apart. In that case a better, more lasting repair would need to be done, and cost more to the one in need of it.

They come at a cost because they must be purchased from the one who makes them. The Father gave the nails to the Son, but demanded a price from Him for using them for our salvation and redemption. And though He was given a seemingly impossible job to do, He loved us enough to buy them.

They are eternal because they will not pass away when we do. Neither will they pass away when He returns to see how well we’ve used the nails he’s given us to secure the hearts of mankind to His cross and resurrection.

Today let’s tell those we encounter about the Shepherd of unusual talents: the One who removes our sins, repairs our hearts, and refreshes our spirits, and redeems our souls.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

Today this nation suffers with high emotions and heavy hearts. Our thoughts are fertile soil for the prince of this world to sow, and he is busy.

In the midst of the chaos and hate, let us drive words of healing, love, and peace through the hearts of those who are hurting, who have lost so much, and suffered through the departure of loved ones through no fault of their own.

Let us rise up in this hour to meet our divine appointments as shepherds to lead secure the disheartened within our compassion, driving off the fear and sadness of the times.

Reveal to us the task that lies nearest at hand, and give us the boldness and wisdom to do it, that we may be ministers in the healing work to come.

Keep us free from sin, and blameless of unrighteousness. 

Keep us in Your sight as we seek to walk uprightly in a time of pain and rage.

Today, as we rise according to Your mercy, rejoicing in the day You have made, we pray for this nation and all who dwell within it so that Your mercy and grace may yet abide on us. We ask for another chance to get it right, to establish the justice and freedom we so claim to love for everyone that dwells in the land you have so richly blessed and prospered.

By Your mercy restore our peace, and help us to discern the signs of the times, that we might address the needs of this age, being counted fruitful and profitable servants deserving of entering Your kingdom in the age to come where no sin exists, every tear is dry, and every heart is healed.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devotional 168: The Years of My Pilgrimage

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Genesis 47:5-10

5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”

7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

Here’s a short definition of pilgrimage: “A trip to a sacred place for religious reasons.”

The Earth was once sacred, but dominion was handed over to its enemy by Adam, and we came under the Lord’s rebuke, our days now few and evil. But the Lord redeemed sinner Jacob, and changed his name, for nothing can remain the same under the hand of G-d.

We await the arrival of the new earth we are to dwell in, by the light of G-d, under the Savior’s rule, for eternity.

Today, with all that’s going on globally, with all the losses of the sureties we came to rely on, we are reminded with a heavenly certainty that those things were in fact, never sure at all, and that we are here for a time and then no more. A life that’s a vapor.

Our relationships within our homes, and in our communities, and spreading out to the world newly consider our relationship with the Word: the commandments, the conditions, (If you do this…), all of Christ’s prophecies, and all of the Father’s promises.

This plague, which ravaged us without even reaching the point of plagues past, should make us reflect on our most important relationship, the one we have with the One who will judge our works, hold us to account for all that we’ve done and said, and welcome us into the kingdom or cast us out.

In the midst of our enemy using all the vices of the flesh that corrupt the human spirit, we are to be mindful to not walk in fear, but to not be wise in our own eyes. There is a saying:

 “Call on G-d, but row away from the rocks.”

We are given the oars and the boat because we can’t walk on water, stop its flow, or calm it down.

Today, in your pilgrimages, wherever they may take you, bless those within it when you enter and when you leave, as Jacob did Pharaoh.

Our days are few and evil, and likely will not attain even to Jacob’s years, but the Lord our G-d will advance us to where that we may finish the work He called us to, if we are faithful and patient to keep possession of our souls.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

          We come before Your throne today under the covering of Christ’s blood, to thank You for giving us the strength to make it through the past few weeks as the plague that came upon us cut its path through Your creation, and is still at work.

        The daily routines of our lives were shattered, and while the faithless rail and panic, and the false invoke You as they threaten harm, we use this time to pray and draw closer to You not in hiding, but in rejoicing that You are Jehovah-jireh, our Provider.

       We place the blood of Your Son over our hearts, and pray healing for the afflicted, salvation for those taken in His name, mercy for those who died in their sins, and unity in the Gospel amid a lost and dying culture.

      Impart to us the mercy and grace of the Son’s new covenant once more where we have failed to live up to His image, and to give You glory.

     We are reminded today that the Earth, and everything in it, is Yours, and You knew all of all Your work before its creation. (Psalm 24:1, Acts 15:18)

     Bring us through this time to emerge on the other side as better than we were, closer to You, and one another. Purify us, Father, and keep us by the power of Your Spirit, doing greater works that reveal deeper truths as we move from glory to glory, sanctified and justified, spotless and blameless, on our pilgrimage to redemption.

   In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

   Amen.

Devotional 162: Where Two or Three Gather…

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Matthew 18:18-20

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

If indeed, the Father has handed over all to the Son, who has proven Himself worthy on Calvary, in the times we cannot gather in unity to praise and worship in corporate fellowship, we can still yet gather, like vineyard clusters, and still have Him move among us.

If we hold by faith to the tenet that He is omnipresent, how then, especially now, can we neglect to ask for heavenly intercession to bind our earthly suffering?

We became for a long time a proud, indulgent nation full of self-righteousness and hatred for our brothers and sisters, enjoying mocking of the faithful, believing in the demon’s call to kill based on skin color and languages;  even now, our Asian brothers suffer slings and arrows, both verbal and physical, through the tongues and hands of ignorant people.

Let’s not neglect to pray for them, as well as each other.

Let us turn our eyes, thoughts, hearts, words, and deeds to Heaven, that we might bind up the suffering, give strength to the struggling, peace to the dying, and light to the spiritually blind, and when they finally look to the hills, let it be our light surrounding His that they see, that they might glorify G-d. (Matthew 5:16)

Let us take heart in the fact that our Father has already seen the fruits of the ending of this plague, and let us go about doing the work in faith, the former and the latter thing, for such work pleases Him, and makes us profitable to the Kingdom. (Matthew 23:23)

The end will come, both the end to this plague, and the end of all things.

We, His hands and feet, His tongue and heart, must remain steadfast in our service, and consistent in our beliefs, though the accuser throws the last of hell’s storehouses at all we hold dear, for there is an end to him and his kingdom as well. It will be renewed, cleansed, and purified by the light of the G-d Himself, for the earth is His, and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven, 

      We are afflicted, for You have allowed it to be so by Your sovereign will. Your creation suffers, and wonders, and grieves, and flares up in bursts of anger and fear, but Your Children, the grafted in and the chosen, are also in the world, and afflicted, for You have not spared them, calling them out of the world to rest and come home.

     We who remain cry out to You to bind the enemy’s workings, that we might be a healed land who once again acknowledges that the earth, and all in it, and the silver and gold, are Yours. 

     We plead the Blood of Jesus over the spiritual strongholds of hate and pride that grip this land in a gory fist of hellfire, that our wounds and diseases might be healed, our hearts burn within us with holy fire, and our eyes opened to the Truth, and Your promises to Your people, for You are not a man that You should lie.

     Reveal Your presence to the gathering clusters of believers who still seek Your face, and ask once more for mercy, grace, and love that we are not worthy to receive, but You still bestow upon us. 

     Forgive us for our pride, and thinking we have done all this in and of ourselves, not realizing that we even breathe but by Your will, until our appointed days are fulfilled. 

    Let us now run the race with an urgent joy, that we might see Your people saved, and once again humbly seek Your presence to start anew, and serve one another down to the least, who is the greatest in Your kingdom. (Matthew 23:11)

    In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

    Amen.

 

 

Devotional 161: See That You are Not Troubled

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The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

I was going to title this devotional, “The Beginning of Sorrows,” for such, it seems, is the present time we live in with the pandemic. But having seen pictures and postings that feed fear and hysteria, panic buying, and extreme politics as each party blames the other for allowing this virus to slip through the cracks, so to speak, I thought it would be better to strengthen us as believers.

So many times, our Lord tells us not to be afraid,  as the Father spoke to Joshua when he lead the Israelites after Moses’ died. He also says that if we believe in Him and His work as the only way to salvation we shall see G-d, because by believing in Him, we believe in the Father who sent Him. (John 12:44)

It is the nature of prophecy to say what will happen, not when. But as the technology we now possess allows for further saturation at an ever faster pace around the world,  we watch the turn of events in nature, governments, finances, and the church itself as it grows cold, political, and falls away from His teaching, and perceive, like the woman at the well, that He is a Prophet.

Let us then continue to look for opportunities to tell others about Him, and why the peace we possess, while it is beyond their understanding, is not beyond their reach, for whoever calls on His Name will not be cast out. (John 6:37)

So today, Believer, take Him at His word and be at peace, take care of yourself, and by your patience, possess your soul, and peace of mind, body, and spirit will refresh you in the vine that sustains us all. (John 15:5)

Watch, pray, tell, and rejoice, then having done all you can, stand back and see what G-d will do.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

Your Son has declared Heaven is Your throne and earth is Your footstool, so we are not to swear by it, for You are faithful to provide us Your bread for our and reward us for faithful service. (Matthew 5:33-34)

We ask, as voices in the wilderness preaching to a dying world, that we maintain possession of our souls, our peace, our families, and our earthly things. We pray hedges of protection around those we hold dear, for You value the people we do, the ones that You have given us to show your Light, share Your knowledge, and put them under Your anointing to do the Kingdom work to which they are called.

Let us take time out from the noise and tugs on our clothes that demand our attention, as the crowd pressed around You on every side, to remember that all You spoke will come to pass, and that it may be the Lord G-d will hide us in the day of His wrath as He deals with the faithless. (Zeph 2:3)

Abide in us, Lord, Your fruitless servants who seldom live up to even the basic standards, doing what is only our most basic duties. Cleanse and prune us once again to bear much fruit in Your Name, and to the Father’s glory.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.

 

Devotional 160: Keep My Commandments

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John 14:21

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Our Lord’s words are never spoken lightly, for if it’s the heart of mankind that’s evil, it must be to that heart He speaks. If, as He tells us, His doctrine of grace, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration are not His (John 7:16), and if in all that He did and still does in our lives, He shows us the Father’s will and heart for us (John 14:9), how is that we neglect to keep His commandments?

The Son never presented Himself as an alternative path to G-d, separate from the Father’s plans and will. He’s been deemed worthy by the Father of judging all the nations, and if they are One in will and spirit, how much more brightly will the filthy rags of our self-proclaimed righteousness burn as it consumes the rewards we might have received walking in humility and obedience, and added to our faith as we planted its seed in others?

Our Savior tells us to keep His commandments, not follow His suggestions, or take His advice, that we might be blessed unto redemption of our souls.

If we are not to obey and humble ourselves, the rituals we perform are but for men only, and He tells us that in those things we have the praises of men as our reward, but not the Father’s blessing.

We fast, pray, and present our spotted souls to Him so that He might cleanse our sins, refresh our spirits, restore our hearts, and increase our faith, that we may follow Him more closely.

Today, let the dead faith of hearing only be resurrected by the doing of His will for us to have a more abundant life as we serve others, telling them of what we have seen and heard and know, that they might follow us along the Narrow Way to redemption, and life everlasting.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

It is not an easy thing to follow a doctrine so contrary to the human heart, living under the dominion of the enemy’s manipulation. He is the ever present serpent who tells us it is impractical, and indeed, stupid, to love and pray for your enemies, and if our lives are but a vapor, or wilting flowers, there are delights the world has to offer us that we should enjoy, if we will only bow down to him.

As trials and tribulations assail our mortal forms, the human spirit that’s disconnected from the Holy Spirit will find this almost preferable than to obey what seems to them illogical at best, and foolish at worst.

You forgave the thief next to You even as You prayed for the Father to forgive the ones who crucified You, not knowing what they did even as they gloried in Your suffering.                                                                               

Yet it is through You alone that salvation of the soul comes, and the decision to live and reign with You, suffer with You, and inherit the crowns of glory we we’ll cast at Your feet, is ours to make.

Among Your own You were rejected, and to those not of You, You call through us as we consecrate our lives to You.

We would be better servants, Lord, bringing souls with us into the harvest that were formerly lost, the seekers of Truth, the listeners, the lonely, the cut-off, the isolated.

We would be all things to all people, that we might save some.

So we keep the faith, sowing good will among the people, doing all things well, as we continue to study Your example. Help us to remain grafted in to You, watching and praying in the Spirit as You work through us by our faith in You, and the promise of what You tell us the Father says, that we may be reconciled to Him.

In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You.

Amen.       

Devotional 157: A Greater Witness

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John 5:31-36

The Fourfold Witness

31 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

John’s burning for Christ, the brightness of his passionate preaching, had prepared the people for the Messiah to come, but He came in a way they did not expect, doing what they did not expect.

A king was not born in poverty to obscure parents. A king did not associate with harlots, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans, and sinners. A king did not go about having to tell people that he was a king.

So while they rejoiced for a time in John’s light as he prepared the way for the Messiah, the coming of the actual Messiah was anti-climactic in the unfolding of its events, and the works that Jesus did, to the point where even John had to ask if He was the one they sought, or was there another. (Matthew 11:3)

As prophecy predicts what, but not when, John’s words spoke to the second coming, but we must also remember that the teaching methods of Christ also produced division, and Jesus said He did not come to bring peace, but a sword, to divide the faithful from the unfaithful even within the same house. (Matthew 10:34-36)

It was also not the kind of war they were used to seeing, because it takes place in the spiritual realm, and we are not designed to see them with our eyes, and Satan goes about the work of blinding our hearts, stopping our ears, and planting tares among the vulnerable fields of churches whose foundations are not built on the Gospel’s rock, and don’t have Christ as their capstone. (Psalm 118:22)

 When He returns, it will not be as the Lamb of G-d, but the Lion of Judah, and He will cleanse the world of His Father’s enemies for all eternity. The first will be last, the least will be greatest, the humble exalted, the merciful forgiven, and the repentant heart redeemed.

Let us be careful then, that we are not rejoicing just for a time in the greater witness and brighter light of our Lord. The novelty of John’s ministry probably appealed to many, and they came to hear him; while his words were convicting enough to see many baptized to repentance, it’s Jesus’ ministry that is the core of our souls’ redemption. It began with Him revealing the Father to us when we called, and sending us the Holy Spirit, and it will end with Him at the judgment, where our works will be tested, we give account, and our souls weighed to enter forever into our Father’s rest, or the outer darkness.

Let us choose then, today, to rejoice for eternity.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

      As we enter into Your presence today, let us be mindful to not only offer thanks for our blessings, however few, and praise to the Father for You giving us eternal life, but to get our spiritual houses in order, reaffirming our love of all things holy.

      We ask that the Spirit purge from us all earthly chains of doubt, temptation, and rebellion against that which we know to do, for we would not have a greater darkness in us. (Matthew 6:21-23)

      As we honor You, and give over the ways of our earthly affairs to Your wisdom and guidance, let our fellowship continue beyond the hours of assembly today into all that we do, mindful that You are with us, watching over us, and that none of the accuser’s minions may take us from Your hand.

     Let us rejoice that You see us, wherever we are, gathered in twos and threes, agreeing with You as we walk, as You set our hearts burning within us with the fire of the Father’s Word, all of which points to You, our living Redeemer.

     Creation is groaning, governments are falling, believers are persecuted, people are dying in their sins,  and the prophecies You spoke are coming to pass. We are fearful, though we do not have a spirit of fear. We are saddened, though You tell us to rejoice. As much as we would like to stop the end from coming, we can’t, so strengthen and embolden us as go about doing the work You have given us to save the souls of mankind.

    Let us, like Paul, become all things to all, that whoever hears the call may be saved.

    Let our lives reflect John’s as bright and burning lamps on the hillside, doing works that glorify, and give greater witness to, our Heavenly Father.

     In righteousness, peace, and joy may we honor You. 

     Amen.