Devotionals

Hypocrisy loves to hide in human hearts [the core of one’s being], because the Truth brings it out in the open. People may be quick to criticize what they do not understand, but a spirit of hypocrisy is godless and filled with inconsistencies. When a person becomes a hypocrite he or she are self-deluded and do not see in himself or herself what everyone else can see; divided loyalty. Hypocrisy causes a person to fail at discerning Truth; it becomes impossible to practice what one professes and boasts about.

In our passage today, Luke draws attention to the fact even tax collectors have repented and opened themselves up to the Truth and accepted God’s righteous way of living. However, the Pharisees continue to deny God’s righteous ways, pretend to be holy even though they have rejected God’s purpose for them as shepherds. So, they continue to justify their attitudes and lifestyles while criticizing Jesus for socializing with sinners. Jesus responds with what he knows to be the Truth about these religious leaders’ hearts. He shines the Light of Truth to expose their hearts. They hate him because of it, but Jesus is unafraid and determined to reveal the Truth through a short story.

Luke 7:31-35 Amplified Bible
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation [who set aside God’s plan], and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you].’ 33 For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a [heavy] wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews].’ 35 Yet wisdom is vindicated and shown to be right by all her children [by the lifestyle, moral character, and good deeds of her followers].”

Prayer: Lord, please help us guard our hearts against the ever-prevalent sin of hypocrisy. Instead, Lord, help us to approach each day with empathy and compassion for others, while still burning the flame of your consuming love. We have no idea how your grace has shielded our lives from evil, but we know we cannot invite evil into our beings by godless attitudes and living. So, we cast our hope on you to form us in your image, Jesus, and pray for our hearts to radiate your loving character when we encounter others each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts of hatred are always the work of evil. The psalmist reminds us, “The fear of the Lord [respect and awe] is actually hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). These acts of hatred began in the Garden of Eden and continue to rise up in our present world. Evil wants dominion of the world, but everything in heaven and on earth belongs to the Lord (Ps 24:1). Even though it is a fruitless effort against God’s power, haters still seeks to persecute Christ’s followers. Scripture teaches us Jesus was hated without a cause, but clearly the reason was because he was the perfect representation of the Truth (John 15:25). Evil hates that which is pure [like God’s love] and works to kill the Truth!

In our passage today, as a follower of Christ the Living Truth, the Apostle Paul is now hated by his fellow Jews. He was once a part of their hatred, but Christ delivered him to see the persecution he was inflicting on the work of God’s true Kingdom. Paul faces a mob of very misinformed people who now decide to make it their mission to destroy and kill him. He is innocent of their accusations and charges. Yet, they hate him, because the Light of Truth in him shines a light on the evil motives within their hearts. Truth, can be a bitter pill to swallow if we fight the transforming work of God’s gracious love within.

Yet, God brings wisdom and makes holy connections to spare Paul’s life. The Jews are so steep in their hatred, they are blind to the Truth. The Romans are motivated by an unquenchable grab for power and they just want peace at all costs. Paul is in the middle of a political nightmare, but God uses it to reveal all hearts involved including his own.

Acts 21:27-36 NLT
27 The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 28 yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” 29 (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

30 The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. 31 As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.

33 Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. 34 Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. 35 As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him. 36 And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for allowing the enemy to stir any discord or hatred in our hearts. We may even say we love you, God, but if we cannot love other human beings, your Word tells us our love is a farce. We pray for our souls to have a life-changing encounter with you, Jesus. Help us to stop thinking the enemy is flesh and blood and start realizing hatred flows from being lied to by the enemy. Make us strong and resilient in the face of a fallen world. Keep us focused on the Truth of your character as we seek to prevail until you return. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We know that David was a man after God’s own heart. From an early age, David placed his full trust in the Lord as he knew the Lord was his shepherd, and that with the Lord David had all that he needed (Ps. 23:1). As a young shepherd, David defended his flock against lions and bears and he also defeated Goliath, and he did these things with confident faith and trust in the Lord. As a result, Saul appointed David over the army. As jealousy towards David’s favor with the Lord filled King Saul, David knew his life was in danger and so he fled and he hid in a cave, and that is where he penned today’s psalm.

Friends, you and I can read today’s psalm and I believe that we can all agree that we have experienced the “dark cave”. We’ve had feelings of being trapped and in those dark places the enemy sought to fill us with loneliness, shame, guilt, worthlessness, anger, fear, anxiety, etc. When you and I cling to those feelings, the enemy will work to turn our attention to the world’s ways of “fixing those feelings”.

Truly listen, with your spiritual ears, to David’s prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual heart to receive what it is that you need to receive. Here are just a few ways that David’s prayer has ministered to my own heart, and I pray that the Holy Spirit provides each one of us with many more eternal lessons:

David has an unbelievably close relationship with the Lord. His prayer is in first person, and he mentions “I, me, and my” over two dozen times. David knows that no one else is going to be responsible or uphold his faith with the Lord, rather his relationship with the Lord is his own personal treasure.

David is an honest prayer warrior, who cries out to the Lord and even pleads with Him. Yet, David understands that he must submit to God’s sovereign will for his life, and that takes a place of confident faith and full trust in God.

David knows that in his insufficiencies God is fully sufficient. He realizes that God is using this dark and lonely place, to grow his faith and trust in Him.

David is fully aware that the only One Who can deliver him from evil, so that he may be joyful again, is God; because God is his only refuge, his full portion, and David wants to be in a place of praising God’s Holy Name.

Psalm 142 (NLT)

A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry out to the Lord;
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles.
3 When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn.
Wherever I go,
my enemies have set traps for me.
4 I look for someone to come and help me,
but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
no one cares a bit what happens to me.
5 Then I pray to you, O Lord.
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
6 Hear my cry,
for I am very low.
Rescue me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison
so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
for you are good to me.”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for moving within each one of us to allow Your Word to minister Truth to our hearts. Jesus, forgive us when we have not placed You at the center of our lives or when we have placed other people or things ahead of You. Help to grow each of our relationships with You. Thank You for being with us all of the time, especially in the dark places. Help us to grab ahold of You, so You can be the Light that guides us out. We trust that You are using all things for our good, even the hard things, allow all things to draw us closer to You, Jesus. We pray all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Some folks just love to talk. Nothing wrong with talking as long as we are also practicing wisdom while growing good listening skills. Solomon, the wisdom writer teaches, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (Pro 18:21). Our words have the potential to build up or tear down another person (Eph 4:29). It’s a serious thing with God since he is the pure Word.

Scripture teaches our words have power; therefore, we should choose them wisely. God’s Word is Spirit and Life and our words should drip with thanksgiving for Father God in sending His Son to save us (John 6:63). In our LIFE lessons Wednesday night, we shared about the power of praying with a deep sense of gratitude to God—overflowing with life-filled words of thanksgiving for the love of God imparted to us. Thanks, God!

In our passage today, Paul is in a Roman prison with his hands and feet in chains, but his prayers are filled with thanksgiving, because it is another opportunity to reveal the living Christ’s beautiful character within him to others. Paul is such an amazing example of a person who uses every opportunity to share about Jesus. Even while imprisoned, he shares the living Word of God through written letters to the church in Colosse expressing gratitude and thanksgiving to God for His eternal love and encouraging them to do the same.

Do we take every opportunity to share the Good News? There are people around us each day who may have a form of godliness, but their hearts may not belong to Jesus. God has promised to give us the right words to encourage others He places in our path to know He loves them and wants to live in them. May our witness to speak Truth increase in Jesus’ name!

Colossians 4:2-6 NLT An Encouragement for Prayer
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our lesson about sharing gracious and life-giving words with those around us. Help us to speak life and faith each day; convict us when our words fail to be wise. As well, help us to know when to be silent in order to show respect as good listeners. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the Old Testament, God promised to bring peace or wholeness and well-being to earth. In our passage today, the psalmist calls for the Lord’s salvation. As well, he calls God’s people to fear the Lord which means to give respect and awe to the Giver of all blessings.

When the blessings of God come together on earth—love, truth, righteousness, and peace—it begins to transform human hearts by making them new creations. Father God fulfilled the salvation promise when he sent the righteous Word, Jesus, from heaven to save our souls by dying on the cross (John 3:16; 1 Tim 1:15). God resurrected him and Jesus now sits in honor at the right hand of God the Father waiting on the appointed time to return (1 Peter 3:22). There are very few things I value as much as I do a sense of well-being—shalom; it’s wholeness and only Jesus can provide it for the believer. He is my treasure!

In the New Testament, Jesus expressed the urgent need for wholeness to his disciples, “I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order (John 16:33). So we must focus on the wholeness God brings our lives, because it makes all the difference in a day. May the eyes of the world be opened to the glorious One who makes us whole! Hang on to you peace, today!

Psalm 85:7-13 NLT
7 
Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.
8
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
    for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
    But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    so our land will be filled with his glory.
10 
Unfailing love and truth have met together.
    Righteousness and peace have kissed!
11 
Truth springs up from the earth,
    and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
12 
Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.
    Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
13 
Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
    preparing the way for his steps.

Prayer: Lord, love and truth, as well as righteousness and peace have been deposited into believing hearts. Thank you for saving us and making us new creations in Christ. Thank you for the grace and blessings you continually bestow upon us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is the work of the Word and the Holy Spirit to convict humanity of sin which is human disobedience or rebellion against God’s will causing slander to his character. Each one of us are responsible for how we live and conduct our lives—we are to love God and love others in Christ’s righteousness. We will one day give an account to the Lord for how we have represented him as the loving and merciful living Word on earth.

In our passage today, Jesus’ brothers have no real understanding about his purpose to bring salvation. Therefore, their motives and expectations of and for Jesus are misdirected. At the appointed time, the greatest miracle Jesus would ever demonstrate—the one for which he would become famous—was coming and a huge amount of people would be involved but not at the Festival of Tabernacles.

The greatest miracle is appointed to happen during Passover when Jesus planned to respond to the will of God by giving his life—being the sacrificial Lamb—to save humanity from the work of evil that was filling human hearts. Eventually, the brothers of Jesus understood his purpose. Later in his letter to the Jerusalem church, James writes about the work of Jesus for salvation and about the necessity for believers to now develop Christ’s righteous character.

Evil in human hearts can do despicable things; things that grieve the heart of God. It is tempting to blame God for evil, but there is no evil in God; however, there is evil in unredeemed human hearts. But evil must come out of hiding as the Light of Truth takes its stand. Jesus is the Light of the World and the Living Truth of how human beings were created to live. Evil is destroyed as humans live the Truth!

John 7:1-9 NLT Jesus and His Brothers
1 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

Prayer: Lord, you are righteousness and we thank you for the work you continue to do in our hearts. We need you to deliver us from evil and develop your character within our souls. Your death and resurrection sets us free to live for you. As your sons and daughters, may we live what we say we believe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When we believe as truth the saving and righteous work of Christ on the cross, building and advancing God’s kingdom becomes the believer’s work. Every day arrives as an opportunity for us to reveal the character of Jesus for the glory of Father God. This is our purpose while we wait for Christ to return. Certainly, some days we honor and reflect the fruit of his holiness better than others, but we must continue to call on the Spirit to help us guard our thoughts and words. The fruit of the Spirit we are called to produce is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). The harvest is coming!

In our passage today, James has a lot to say about genuine Christian behavior. Most people would describe themselves as honest, but some times our words and promises can be perceived by others as hollow. When we do not follow-through when we say we are going to do something, we are misrepresenting the integrity and character of our Lord. James wants us to understand the need for patience, endurance, and the power of a “yes” and “no” to help us produce the fruit of righteousness as we relate to others. Most of the time, we have a clear choice to say “yes” or “no” to a request. So, if you say, “yes” and commit yourself to something then do what you have agreed to do.

James 5:7-12 NLT Patience and Endurance
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remain patient with people and focused on our purpose while we wait for your return. Continue to form us in your image and help us to be careful when we commit to do something. Holy Spirit, please keep us mindful of your integrity and our responsibility. Fill us with the ability and courage to fulfill our commitments. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our passage today is a message through the prophet Ezekiel. We will pick up at the end of chapter 2 and continue into chapter 3. If you recall, Ezekiel was a priest who had been living in Jerusalem and he was amongst the first to be exiled during the Babylonian attack when the Israelite prisoners were captured.

Chapter 1 opens on Ezekiel’s 30th birthday. By tradition, it’s the year he would have been installed as a priest in Jerusalem. As Ezekiel finds himself in captivity, God opens his spiritual eyes, provides him with a supernatural vision, and God calls and commissions Ezekiel. This call far surpasses the “traditions” of priesthood. God wants Ezekiel to preach His Word and to prophesy to His people, the Jews. This was going to be challenging, as they were rebellious people against God. God knew that, and He still called Ezekiel to share His Word.

Friends, God calls us to do the same as He called Ezekiel, we are to spread His Good News to the world. Much of the world remains blinded by the darkness of Satan and they either don’t realize it or they have turned a blind eye to their rebellion against Jesus. Regardless, God still calls us to spread His Word, and to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus and His saving love. Remember, you and I were once blind, but now we are the “Living Stones for God’s House” because we stand on the Cornerstone, Jesus. As we stand on Him and profess His Word, by the work of the Holy Spirit, each one of us are royal priests, we are God’s chosen people, a holy nation, who are called to show others the goodness of God (1 Peter 2:4-12).

Just as God handed the scroll of His Truth to Ezekiel to eat, you and I are called to feast on God’s Word, every single day, as we are called to His Table, and we too must eat (ingest) His Word. Don’t get caught up in the worldly or “literal” meaning of eat. Within the spirit realm, God supernaturally called Ezekiel, and He is calling you, me, and all believers to allow His Word to sink deep into our hearts first (ingest it into our spirit), so then we carefully spread His Word to all and pray for hearts to open and listen.

Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:11 (NLT)

2:8 Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.”

9 Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, 10 which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.

3:1 The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4 Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. 5 I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. 6 No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! 7 But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. 8 But look, I have made you as obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. 9 I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are rebels.”

10 Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Ezekiel’s testimony. Forgive us when we do not share Your Word. Help us to grab a hold of our priesthood, and to feast more and more on Your Word, so that the Holy Spirit can keep guiding us to spread Your Good News. We love You, Jesus, and ask all of this in Your Holy Name. Amen.

Yesterday, we celebrated our national freedom knowing it costs a great deal to remain free. John F. Kennedy once said, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.” I am so proud of our C2C spiritual family for how we support our military and first responders who serve to preserve our freedom no matter what the cost.

In our passage today, Jesus has an encounter with two people who say they want to follow him and embrace his way of living. Certainly, Jesus welcomes these two people, but wants them to know there is a cost that may call for sacrifice of comfort, personal time, family, friendships, and pleasurable habits. To be a follower of Jesus requires loyalty to him as our highest priority.

Being a follower of Christ is not easy, but it is the most rewarding path of life. Our faith in Christ turns us away from selfish inclinations, to focus on the Father’s will and purpose for us. We live to please God; rather than live to please ourselves. So we are wise to count the cost of our commitment.

Matthew 8:18-22 NLT The Cost of Following Jesus
18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.
19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being so honest with us as your children. We do not have to blindly enter into a relationship with you; we can know the truth right up front. You provide us a choice. Thank you for setting us free from the power and wages of sin and selfishness. Thank you for making us whole in your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today, we celebrate Independence Day in America. We are such a blessed nation to have this beautiful freedom. Because of this blessing, the enemy works very hard to desensitize people to the value of freedom. It is our freedom that actually sets us apart from other nations. As one nation under God, we presently have rights and privileges other nations cannot even imagine.

We have the freedom to practice our faith—to worship the Lord God—and to pursue life, liberty and happiness, because we have constitutional laws that act as a shield to protect our freedoms. Wake up, brothers and sisters, and know God’s grace is the reason we are still free even though the enemy is trying to strip away what makes us victorious. We are saved by grace through faith; so the freedom to practice our faith is an immeasurable gift of coming under Christ’s authority (Eph 2:8-9)! Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Ps 33:12).

Our country is blessed because of God’s grace. We are to be obedient and good stewards of grace, because apart from Christ we are blind to the truth. When we are tempted to see salvation about our outward performance rather than believe everything rests upon the Lord and what he is doing for us on the inside, we are blinded to the greatest Truth.

Certainly, how we live our lives matters to God, because we are his representatives, but we can do nothing to save ourselves. Our position must be to receive what Jesus is doing inwardly to bring us greater liberty and freedom from sin and dead living; this is how we reflect the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 3:13-18 NLT 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for removing the veil that tries to cover our minds. Please bring clarity to your children; awaken our souls to the truth and renew our minds and help us understand the power of obedience to your Word. Continue to make us more like you, Jesus, because then we will be living more closely to your authority as our King. In Jesus’ name. Amen.