Devotionals

I don’t know about some people, but I tend to get stressed out.  Perhaps one reason is because I am anticipating what is coming up or being unsure about any future plans.  Regardless, stress is not a good thing whatsoever.  No one likes to be stressed, but I know someone who can bring your stress down: God.  One of the many names of God is Jehovah-Shalom which is Hebrew for “God, Our Peace.”  What we need to do is to be in that place of peace.  How can we find peace when there are a million things I got to do?  In Psalm 46:10, David writes that we need to be still and know that He is God.  In other words, we need to be in that place of stillness so that we can acknowledge God and let Him do what only He can do.  

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Galatia about the idea that there are no labels.  What do I mean by labels?  I mean that when we are in the family of God, we do not need to be labeled as a certain denomination or ethnicity or religion or anything else of that nature.  Paul wrote to the church in Philippi saying that we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).  Because we are citizens of heaven, we are no longer labeled as part of a denomination but rather we are brothers and sisters in Christ.  In our passage today, Paul concludes by saying that we are all one in Christ Jesus.  In other words, we are one body when we are in Christ.  We need to understand that we may have our external differences, but we are part of the family of God.  

Scripture 

Galatians 3:28 NLT- “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that I am in Your family.  Thank You for accepting us for who we are.  You say that we are valuable in Your eyes.  Help us to see that each and every day.  Continue to remind us about how important we are to You.  No matter what circumstances we are facing, help us to draw closer to You each and every day.  In Jesus name, amen.  

There are times in our lives where we feel like we are alone.  I have felt that before.  Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of friends who I could hang out with.  For the longest time, I felt like I was going to be alone and I thought that I was going to be like that for the rest of my life.  Maybe it was because I was autistic or some other reason.  Regardless, I could not get that feeling out of my head.  I have come to the realization that I was never alone even when I felt like it.  I learned that God is always with me.  It wasn’t until I was in high school and met some incredible teachers who showed me that I was never alone no matter what.  Ever since then, I have felt a sense of confidence knowing that God is always with me.  

In today’s passage, the prophet Isaiah says that God loves Zion.  And because He loves Zion, He will never abandon it nor turns its back on it.  The word “Zion” means “holy place” or “kingdom of heaven.”  One of the names of God is Jehovah-Shammah which is Hebrew for “The Lord is There.”  What we need to understand is that God is always going to be there for us.  Scripture says that we will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8).  Even when we feel like we are alone, the reality is that He is always there for us and is with us.  Psalm 23:4 says that when we go through the darkest valley, He is with us.  Throughout the Bible, we see on multiple occasions that He says that He is with us.  In other words, we have the confirmation.  Because we have the confirmation, we can have the assurance that no matter where we go or what season we go through, He is always going to be there for us.  

Isaiah 62:1 NLT- “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still.  Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent.  I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.”  

Dear Heavenly Father, continue to remind us that You are always with us.  When we go through seasons of hardship and seasons of difficulties, remind us that we are never alone.  Pour out Your love and Your grace onto us and help us to receive it with open hearts.  In Jesus name, amen.  

One of the many names of God is Jehovah Rapha, which is Hebrew for “the Lord Who Heals.”  One of the things that we need across our land right now is healing.  Healing from what?  Healing from all the division and turmoils that rings across the country and around the world.  People are divided over the simplest of things such as favorite sports teams, fast food joints, kinds of movies, and people are even divided over where they stand politically.  While I believe that it is getting out of hand, we need to understand that God is the only one who can heal and bring restoration to our land as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  

In today’s passage, we see that there is a choice to make.  God has given us a choice between life and death as well as blessings and curses.  In the next verse, we see where Moses says that we can make that choice by loving the Lord.  Not only loving the Lord but also obeying Him and committing ourselves to Him.  While we make choices in terms of what we eat, who we see, and what activities we do throughout the day, there is no bigger choice than whether we follow Jesus or not.  I want to challenge you with making that choice to say that I will follow Jesus.  Only He can bring healing to our spiritual lives.  All we need to do is make that choice and obey what He has for us.

Scripture

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT- “Today I have given you a choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.  Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.  Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!  You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him.  This is the key to your life.  And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for Your forgiveness.  Forgive us when we have made the choice to not obey You.  Help us to always stay committed to You and You alone.  Help us to not get twisted by what the world is doing.  Help us to stay focused on You.  Only You can keep us in alignment with You.  Help us to obey You when You have called us by name.  In Jesus name, amen.  

One of the names of God is Jehovah-Ra’ah, which is Hebrew for “The Lord is my Shepherd.”  If there is one thing that God knows how to do is to lead His people through difficult seasons of life.  One thing that a shepherd does is look after his sheep.  When one sheep goes off the property, they do everything that they can to bring them back.  In the gospel writing of John, He speaks about how He is the Good Shepherd.  In other words, He looks after His flock with the best intentions.  It is because of Jesus that we have freedom.  

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia saying that we are called to live in freedom.  We have freedom because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  If it wasn’t for Jesus, we would become slaves to sin.  He did not call us to be slaves to sin, but rather children of heaven.  Like how Paul says that we are citizens of heaven in Philippians 3:20, He has called us to live a life to serve others.  At the end of the verse, he tells us to use our freedom for service in love.  When it comes to the word “joy,” it is an acronym, which stands for “Jesus, Others, Yourself.”  

Galatians 5:13 NLT- “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.  But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”  

Prayer 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for setting us free from sin.  It is because of Your sacrifice that we are free from sin.  Help us when we fall away.  We know that we are human and we are prone to make mistakes, but help us to get back towards You.  Forgive us when we stumble and fall.  Help us to learn from our mistakes. In Jesus name, amen.  

If there is one thing that we are lacking in terms of having a better relationship with God, it is the act of worship.  One thing that we know for certain is that God can see everything.  There are times where we think that God cannot see what we are doing, but the reality is that God can see all things.  It is like when we enter into a public place like a mall or a stadium.  When we do, we see that there are security personnel to make sure that there is no shady or suspicious activity or behavior.  If someone does something that falls into the realm, then they are taken to an office or a station of some kind and play back the security camera footage from the incident in question.  God watches us to make sure we do not make mistakes.  All of us are going to appear before the judgment seat of God.  When we get there, He is going to replay the footage from our lives.  I say this not to intimidate or frighten anyone.  I say this because this is how He corrects us when we make a mistake.  

In today’s passage, we see the apostle Paul addressing the people of Rome saying that God is the God who sees.  He also says that we need to wake up.  This is absolutely necessary for all of us today.  We have to wake up.  We need to wake up and start being proactive for the Kingdom of God.  If we don’t, then we will be the cheerleaders.  I want the church to be actively engaged, involved, and participating in Kingdom work.  There is a difference between getting exposure and getting involved.  Exposure is like you stepping your feet in the shallow end of the swimming pool.  Involvement is you going deeper into the pool.  If the church is active and involved, then we will see the Holy Spirit move not only within us but within the church and beyond.  

Romans 13:11-12 “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out.  Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” 

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to wake up.  Help us to wake up and see the direction You want us to go and the instructions You want us to obey.  Without Your direction, we would be lost and be pulled in different directions.  Help us to be in tuned with You.  Let our actions ad our words be an image to what others are going to see.  Help us to show You to them.  In Jesus name, amen.  

As we continue to strive through our 10 days of prayer, we will look at the different locations around the world that is need of prayer.  Today’s location is Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.  In regards to this specific location, there are 110 cities regions throughout the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.  We need to be praying for the leaders who are overseeing their respected communities and their people.  Not just the political leaders, but also the spiritual leaders as well.  Let the people of God rise up and bring the people back to God.  What is unfortunate is that people are worshipping the creation instead of the creator.  One preacher says that people get wrapped up in the blessing instead of thanking the blesser.  How many times have we been in that position?  How many times have we been wrapped up in the blessing instead of thanking the creator?  This has to change.  

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul addresses the church in Colossae by saying God is supreme.  In verse 16, it says that everything that was created is through God and for God.  In verse 17, it says that He holds all of creation together.  Much like how glue and tape hold different items together, God is greater than those things.  It is because of God that we have creation being held together.  While man is trying to destroy creation, God is still working to make sure that His creation is perfect.  What we need to do is to keep His creation alive as much as possible.  

Colossians 1:16-17 NLT Translation “For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see-such as thrones, kingdoms, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we do not destroy Your beautiful creation.  Help us to acknowledge Your creation wherever we go.  We know that there are people and different natural causes that are destroying the earth, but we ask for You to give us a wake up and a reality check.  In Jesus name, amen.   

For the next ten days, we are going to go on a prayer journey.  As we embark on this journey together, we need to keep God at the center of it all.  In life, there are going to be times where we are called by the Holy Spirit to rise up and obey the call that He has for us.  Sometimes, we make decisions where we do not obey.  This can hurt our testimony down the road when we do not obey His call.  The one person that most people think about when it comes to not obeying God is Jonah.  Jonah was called by God to preach the truth of God but decided not to obey because he was filled with fear.  One other person that comes to mind is Esther.  She became the queen of Persia and was called to save her people from death in the hands of Haman.  While there was no doubt she was fearful, she obeyed the call to rise up and save her people.  

In today’s passage, we see where Esther’s cousin Mordecai is trying to encourage her to not give up despite the circumstances surrounding her.  In Esther 4:14, Mordecai was doing his best to encourage her to keep going.  Basically, he was telling her that if she keeps quiet, then the deliverance of their people will occur at another time.  He was telling her that God has placed her in a time such as this.  We, as God’s children, need to understand that we are in that place of such a time for a reason.  We cannot question the why behind what He does.  What we can do is trust and obey Him for there is no other way.  

Scripture 

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who know but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to be receptive to Your calls to us.  Help us to rise up and obey.  Father, we know that this world is a dark place, and we ask for You to help us grow and to help us shine Your light.  Let Your children rise up and call to You for deliverance and forgiveness.  Help our neighbors, our communities, our state, and our nation to turn to You.  Help all of us draw closer to You each and every day.  Let Your word resonate within us so that we can take it, receive it, and learn it.  

In Jesus name, amen.  

One thing that is happening in this world today is evil.  Satan is stirring the pot of evil and causing all these tensions and turmoils among the people.  In other words, spiritual warfare is among us.  It is real and it is causing more violence than physical warfare.  While both kinds of warfare are incomprehensible, we need to understand that we can be physically alive but be spiritually dead.  We cannot live a life where we are surrounded by all this evil and mayhem.  In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul writes to Timothy explaining that there are people who are going to be boastful and arrogant and selfish.  At the conclusion of verse 5, he tells Timothy to “stay away from people like that.”  Much like how we need to stay away from boastful and puffed up people, we also need to stay away from people who bring about evil.  

In today’s passage, David writes this prayer of deliverance.  In Psalm 140, David starts off by asking and praying for a rescue.  Rescue from what?  Rescue from those who are pouring out and displaying evil and violence.  David is praying from deliverance from these kinds of people.  Not only is he praying for deliverance, but he is also praying for protection.  In verse 4, it says “O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.  Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.”  David goes on to. Say that God is the only One who listens to me when I cry out.  He is the strong One.  He is the God of deliverance.  In verses 9 following, he prays for his enemies to be defeated by whatever they have planned.  He concludes this psalm by saying that the righteous people are praising His name.  That is what we need to do.  We need to praise Him at all times, no matter what season we are in.  I realize that it is easier said than done, however, God is the only One who will give insight into our situations and how we can move forward instead of dwelling on the things that have occurred.  

I want to challenge you by saying to praise God through all seasons of life.  From the good times, to the bad times, and everything in between, continue to praise God.  He’s got you and He loves you.  He knows what is best for us and what is necessary for us.  When we go through different seasons, it is easy for us to take control of the situation ourselves.  The truth of the matter is that God is always in control.  Do not take away His authority.  To put this in tennis shoes, never kick God out of the driver’s seat.  It never goes well.  He knows the plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11).  Because He has the plans for us, we need to have faith in Him knowing that He is always going to be with us no matter what.  

Psalm 140 (NLT Translation)

1.  O Lord, rescue me from evil people.  Protect me from those who are violent, 2. those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.  3. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.  4. O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.  Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.  5. The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way.  6. I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”  Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!  7. O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle.  8. Lord, do not let evil people have their way.  Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.  9. Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me.  10. Let burning coals fall down on their heads.  Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.  11. Don’t let liars prosper here in our land.  Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.  12. But I know the Lord will help those they prosecute; he will give justice to the poor.  13.  Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for Your will to be done and not my own.  I know that this world is messy and confusing and pulling us in many different directions, but help us to be rooted in Your word and in Your truth.   Only You know what is to come and You know all things.  Help us to have a solid foundation in You.  Without Your firm foundation, we will crumble like sinking sand.  Help us to not let the evil people come near us nor let the evil spirit known as Satan’s demons have access to our hearts, minds, and souls.  They have no place among us so help us to not give them the access nor the authorization to come into our lives.  You are strong and You will deliver us from evil.  Help us to be prepared and be aware of the enemy’s attacks.  Lord, give us the strength and wisdom to turn away from him and turn towards You without any fear or timidity.  

In Jesus name I pray, amen

In today’s passage, Peter begins by giving praise to God for the gift of being born again. This new inherited life is our faith that is only found through our salvation in Christ Jesus, and it should be something that each one of us not only treasures but wants to share with everyone we meet.

Our faith is what brings us true joy, the joy of the Lord; but our faith is also what moves us through this world’s trials. Pastor Mary taught about this during yesterday’s heartfelt sermon. She mentioned that Jesus did not die to take away our trials, rather He died to take away our sins, and He wants to use our trials and times of suffering to help others experience His eternal love. She also mentioned that the trials we face are designed to get us ready, ready to help others, and ready for when Jesus returns. Peter reminds us that through our faith, God is protecting us up to when He reveals Himself in the last days for all to see.

Friends, we cannot find ourselves, as believers, in despair, we must find ourselves living by faith and sharing the joy of our salvation and Jesus’s eternal love with EVERYONE!

1 Peter 1:3-9 NLT
The Hope of Eternal Life

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the resurrection in Christ that holds Your promise of the gift of eternal life with You. May our faith and hope in You grow as each one of us faces trials. Please continue to be with everyone who was impacted by Hurricane Helene. Help hearts to see the work of Your Family in the midst of such destruction, and to be drawn to You and to the priceless inheritance of spending eternity with You in heaven. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Although some people may think God’s love means no boundaries, in Scripture there are times our sovereign God communicates to a sin-living people and says, “Enough!” Obviously, that reveals a divine boundary has been set by God’s Word. God does not share space with sin; there is no sin within him (1 John 3:5). Therefore, if we really want a relationship with God, we must allow righteousness to be our Master (Mat 6:24). Grace has been given to the humble for this purpose; God opposes the proud (James 4:6). To think there will never be consequences for our sin is the epitome of the spiritual arrogance that leads to death. God IS LOVE, so rejecting him is sin (1 John 4:8).

In Acts 12, Herod Agrippa has successfully killed James [John’s brother] and plans to do the same to Peter until God miraculously helps him escape from prison. Not only does Herod persecute the early church of believers, by his attitudes and actions, he allows the people in his charge to see him as a god with authority and great power for their good.

Think about the statement Peter made in our passage yesterday, ““Do you think God wants us to obey you [human authority] rather than him?” (Acts 4:19). We note a distinct difference in how Peter and Herod Agrippa viewed divine authority—Peter is humble. Certainly, there are consequences to sinful and prideful leadership and we see it in Herod Agrippa’s fate.

Satan always uses people-pleasing leaders to pander to human flesh. Even though leaders may prove untrustworthy, people listen for what they want to hear in order to meet their desires. Such is the case with Herod Agrippa and the people of Jerusalem. The sin against God’s righteous glory always leads to horrendous consequences.

The Truth must be within us; otherwise, we are vulnerable to deception. These days are challenging, but we will only know how to navigate this fallen world when Truth—Jesus—is our Master. By the help of the Spirit, we must tenaciously live in the integrity of Christ who has been made Wisdom for us (1 Cor 1:30). “The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence” (Pro 14:16).

Acts 12:20-25 NLT The Death of Herod Agrippa
20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, 21 and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”

23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

24 Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them.

Prayer: Lord, today, we humble ourselves before your throne of grace. We pray for mercy and protection each day. Holy Spirit, keep us focused on Jesus the Author of our faith and help us to remain within the divine care of your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.