The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

2 Kings 18:22, 28-31 (Key verses)

22 The Assyrian official went on, “Or will you tell me that you are relying on the LORD your God?

28 Then the official stood up and shouted in Hebrew, “Listen to what the emperor of Assyria is telling you! 29 He warns you not to let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah can’t save you. 30 And don’t let him persuade you to rely on the LORD. Don’t think that the LORD will save you, and that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing your city. 31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

I want you to think about church members (faithful members that is) who have seen God’s hand at work; listened to the Word of the Lord every time the church doors opens; gained confidence in their pastor; and have gained, what they believe to be, a solid relationship with the Lord. Now all of a sudden leaders of an invading army comes into town and stands before a gathering of these folk and they hear him asking the pastor if he is ready to renounce the power of his God and concede to the power of the incoming army. See verse 22 for the question posed to Hezekiah. Then the army official turns to the crowd and speaks like was said to the Jews under Hezekiah’s rule, as underlined in verses 28, thru 31. Are you strong enough to take your stand Christian Brother? Will you quickly concede Christian Sister? I want to remind you that we face these challenges every day. It is easy to stand in church and testify to God’s answers to our prayers, but to what do we attribute the sudden healing of our bodies or our marriage relationship, when we are put on the spot by a coworker who might ask of us? Do you really know in whom you believe and are willing to stand firm in your commitment to Him in all circumstances of life? It is very easy to quickly respond how easy this is for you, but I want to encourage you to practice it friend. Don’t use the ‘good luck’ or ‘lucky’ terms in your explanation, if you believe it was God who touched you, then say so – regardless of who you might be responding to, or might be standing nearby. I believe that God provides opportunities such as described, so that we can openly witness to the world that He is Lord, and that His power has touched our lives. Let’s not be ashamed of whose we are, or what He has done for us!

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your amazing touch on my life every day. Thank You for loving me enough to die for me; to watch over me; to provide for me; to hear me when I call; to love me unconditionally and to be my very best friend and confidant. Please help me to not be ashamed of You or all that You do for me, but to be an open witness of Your love and Your power. I love You Lord, and I lift my voice, to worship You with all of my heart! Thank You Lord! Please strengthen the lives of my friends today so that they may be bold witnesses in all aspects of their lives.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 11:33–36 (Key verses)

33 Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people who were with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. 34 “Where have you buried him?” he asked them.

“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.

35 Jesus wept. 36 “See how much he loved him!” the people said.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

Earlier in chapter 11, Jesus had told the disciples how important it was that everything transpired as it did with Lazarus, however when Jesus saw Mary weeping and how sad her support team of friends were, He too became overwhelmed with grief. Friends, this is the Master of this universe, who knew what was about to happen in Lazarus coming back to life again, but when He saw His children hurting He was overcome with hurt for them. You know, this reminded me that when things are not going as well as I would like to see them, I need to voice my frustration and my hurt with my Friend, Jesus. I was reminded that He hurts when I hurt. He cares about me, no matter how insignificant I may feel at times. The same applies to you friend! Won’t you trust Him today with all of your concerns? Allow Him to comfort you, and provide for you in every way. You and everyone around you will see just how much He loves you and cares for you. Now be sure that He knows you first as one of His own. If you have not accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, please do that first. Just as you take extra good care of your kids, Jesus is longing to do the same for His kids (us). Please contact me using the email address below if I might pray for you or help you in any way with your decision or your request.

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love. Thank You for caring for even me, especially at times when I feel like I am all alone with no one else who can do anything about the circumstance. Thank You that in spite of You having such a purpose in some of the things that affect us, yet You care about whether we hurt from those incidents. Oh what a love! Thank You Jesus! Please soften the hearts of those that need to make decisions today about their personal relationship with You.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 11:14–15 (Key verses)

14 So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him.”

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

So often things will happen in our lives, and we ponder over what we must have done to deserve such a thing. Isn’t it interesting to read this passage of scripture and see our Role Model’s take on what happened in the case of Lazarus’ death? Usually, the death of a loved one or friend is about the worst thing that we could think could ever happen to us. Yet Jesus said that He was glad this happened and that He was not there at the time to prevent it. Imagine the speculation and second-guessing that would have transpired if Jesus was there and prevented the death of His friend. It would have been attributed to luck, or happen-chance, or his body shook off the bad disease, or any number of guesses. However, bringing a dead man back to life was un-heard of. In our lives today, do we have the strength and wisdom to stop in the middle of a crisis or great loss, and ask God to use that as a means to reach the lost and make them to see that He is truly God of this universe, and could easily be God of their lives? I believe that God expects us to give thanks in ALL things. Praise Him in ALL things. Knowing full well that ALL things work together for the good of those that believe in the Lord Jesus and trust Him with all their hearts. Allow God to have His will in ALL aspects of your life friend, so that they (the unsaved world) will believe! There is nothing better you can do for your family and friends.

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, this requires a whole new level of faith and trust in You. Please touch my life today and help me to be strong enough to give You praise, even when things don’t appear to be going my way, knowing that You will be glorified in the circumstance and lifted up in the results of the world seeing Your mighty hand at work. In ALL things, may You receive honor and glory from all that is achieved in my life in every circumstance. Lord, be lifted up today, and may that impact the lost world in such a way that they will make decisions to commit their lives to You.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

2 Kings 15:1–5 (Key verses)

1 In the 27th year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah 2 at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. 3 Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the LORD. 4 But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 5 The LORD struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a house on his own, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

It seems like there is always one aspect of our lives that we don’t fully turn over to God. In this king’s life, he came short of cleaning up his country for the Lord by leaving the pagan places of worship. I wonder what all we leave behind when we surrender it ‘ALL’ to Jesus? Perhaps ‘ALL’ that we feel is necessary to surrender to Him? God brought great condemnation on the kings that did this. I wonder how much is really brought upon us because of our lack of commitment and total surrender. I bet we could not imagine how much sweeter our relationship with Christ would really be if we totally surrendered to Him. Not only was a dreadful decease (punishment) brought on King Uzziah, but the people continued to worship their pagan gods. The un-surrendered parts of our lives will be heavily attacked by Satan, because he sees that as an inroad into the life of a believer in Christ.

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, please help us to search deep within our hearts and analyze those parts of our lives that we have not totally surrendered to You. After meditating on Your Word this morning, I feel like I must do this, because I likened it to me making a long trip in a nice RV, but leaving the air-conditioners at home. The trip would be a lot more tolerable and comfortable if I had the units with me. When my life is not totally surrendered to You, I live life similar to my RV trip, missing some very important pieces that could drastically improve the quality of life on earth for me. Furthermore, my joy while serving You down here would be so rich, that I would find it difficult to understand how much better it will be when I see You face to face in heaven! Satan is after us with such intensity already, please help us to not leave any parts of our lives even more exposed to Him.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

2 Kings 13:3–5 (Key verses)

3 So the LORD was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time. 4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to the LORD, and the LORD, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer. 5 The LORD sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

Oh the faithfulness of our loving God. In verse 3, we are told how harsh God was on Israel because of their ongoing sin, as they were led by king Joash. However, in verse 4 we are told that God loved the people so much that when He saw them suffering so much under the attacks of the Syrians, He listened to the prayer of King Joash. Interestingly enough though, God sent a new king to lead the Israelites. In other words, God loves His people so much that He wanted to save them, but He wouldn’t do it through a stubborn and disobedient king. He could very easily brush us aside and use someone else to accomplish His work through, if we choose to do our own thing! Are you loyal to the call of Christ friend? Are you obedient to His commands and allow Jesus to lead your every decision and your every move? You may be leading others astray, if you are not careful!

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, thank You for saving my soul. Thank You for allowing me to serve in areas of this life where others may be affected by my decisions, especially as they pertain to Christian/Biblical principles. Lord, I want to be obedient to Your Word, Your commands and Your will for my life. Please improve my sensitivity so that I can be finely attuned to Your voice and Your direction. Please help me to be especially attuned to everything that I do and say that affects the lives of others. I would never want to mislead anyone astray. I would always desire to be an influence to their spiritual wellbeing. Please help me to be so closely in tuned with Your instructions and Your will, that those who follow me will do so in a way that pleases You, and is directed by You.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 10:14–16 (Key verses)

14-15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. 16 There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

Jesus was getting across to His audience (Jewish Leaders) that they were not the exclusive parties destined for the sheepfold – heaven. These leaders often looked on the Gentiles like they were ‘nobodies’, but praise be to God who loves us so much, He died for ALL men, regardless where they are from or from which side of the tracks they may come from. I wonder how it must sadden God ‘s heart when He looks at His children in worship today. Why is it that we have straight black churches, or white churches, or oriental churches, etc? I know that some of the issue is the language barrier, but I would really suggest that we reevaluate our reasoning. We can all work together; play together; depend on each other in times of need; take each other’s money when they enter our establishments, etc. Why is it again that we can’t worship together? OK, I remember, some are more charismatic than others, and the two shall never meet. No, that’s not it, because we never tell others how to act when they come into our business places, or into our educational classrooms. I’m afraid that God’s ‘holy’ people still carry the sin of prejudice around with us and it is considered OK by the masses, under certain circumstances. Why is it again that God is not blessing us? Could it be that we have really not ‘humbled’ ourselves; prayed and turned from our ‘wicked’ ways? When we exclude folk from worshipping with us, quite often we are also excluding them from hearing the gospel and possibly finding their way to the Master. Do we really want that sin on our backs?

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for times that I may have excluded others, possibly because they were different to me in one form or the other. Please get my attention each time this may occur and sober my thoughts to remember that You died for us ALL. You accepted us just as we were, and because this was in such contrast to the perfect model that You created, we too ought to be forgiving, and accepting of those that we have difficulty identifying with. Please eradicate the sin of prejudice, and promote a right spirit with us, so that we may be more like You in every way through every day. Please use this new spirit to work in the hearts of those that we come into contact with so that they may know the sweetness of the Savior who loves them unconditionally. Thank You for loving me and dying for me on Calvary.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 10:7 (Key verses)

7 So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep.

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

In verses 1 thru 6 Jesus illustrates to His hearers how important a gate is to a shepherd in allowing sheep in or out of the pasture. He did this to illustrate how the gate represents Himself. Meaning that we, as His sheep, have only one means of getting into our eternal pasture, Heaven, and that is through Him. Friends, I was reminded over the past week how important it is for us to teach the truth to folk about them making a personal decision and commitment to Jesus, and pursuing and maintaining a personal relationship with Him. I believe that way too often folk tend to think that because they have attended church most of their life, that they are automatically in a personal relationship with Christ. Sometimes they may also conclude that because they were brought up in a Christian home, that they are automatically in. Friends, while the gospel and the invitation is open to all (John 3:16), Jesus said that it is only through faith in Him (Romans 3:21-26) that one can enter into the kingdom of heaven. How is it with you friend? Reflect on the very moment that you surrendered your life to total faith in Jesus Christ and give Him praise and thanksgiving for that today. If you can’t, then I would urge you to make that decision today. We have no assurance of the very next breath that we take. Please don’t gamble with this decision. Get it right NOW between you and God. He is the only way to heaven!

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Thank You for providing The Way to heaven, Jesus. Thank You God, for sacrificing Your one and only Son for the purpose of saving undeserving sinners from a lost road to hell, and opening the gate to heaven for us so that we can live eternally with You. Thank You for tugging on my heart’s door to convince me of my need for a Savior, and I thank You for the boldness of surrender back in 1976 at Faith Temple Church of God when I gave my heart to You. Please touch the hearts of my family and friends that may meditate on this devotional today, and have not yet committed their lives to You. May this be the day of surrender for them, is my humble prayer. I don’t want to see them left behind.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 9:31–33 (Key verses)

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners; he does listen to people who respect him and do what he wants them to do. 32 Since the beginning of the world nobody has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind. 33 Unless this man came from God, he would not be able to do a thing.”

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

I believe that some of the best lessons learned, or the best sermons told, are from personal experiences. In this story today we see where the man that was once blind was confronted to tell his story about who healed him. The Jewish leaders wanted to hear the story that they were afraid he would go and tell the people of his town and therefore convince them of the messiah. Friends, there are folk awaiting to hear our story, if only we would be as bold as this man. However, the aspect of this that God spoke to me on is, what is the world’s perception of me as a Christian? Is there enough evidence to prove me guilty? How is it with you Brother? How about you Sister? Do they know us by our fruit, as described in the Bible? How’s our actions, and our attitudes? Can they truly say that God must be using us because we show evidence that we are His? The same principle applies today as told in this story, God will use His own to perform miracles, He will not use sinners. Can He depend on us? Can He count us in?

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

What a mind sobering point in this story, Lord Jesus. This type attitude/action/character is not something that we could pretend, or try to fool the people with. This is something that You would know from the very core of our being – the sincerity of our heart. Father, may the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to You, oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation. I pray that I can be a usable vessel for You without causing any embarrassment to You and Your work. Please help me to be more like You every day, is my prayer.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

2 Kings 9:11–12 (Key verses)

Jehu went back to his fellow-officers, who asked him, “Is everything all right? What did that crazy fellow want with you?”

“You know what he wanted,” Jehu answered.

12 “No we don’t!” they replied. “Tell us what he said!”

“He told me that the LORD proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of Israel.’ ”

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

Those who faithfully deliver the Lord’s message to sinners, have often been called ‘madmen’, and I would dare say that many today will call us ‘madmen’ if we stand up for what is against Bible teaching, and reveal sin for what it is. The reason for this is because our judgment, speech, and conduct would be contrary to that of other men. We would be influenced by motives that would be quite different to that of others (the ungodly). The irony of the story in 2 Kings, and of the story we would be faced with today, is that the charge is/would be brought by the worldly and ungodly who, themselves are mad indeed for not following the ways of God; while the principles and practices of the devoted servants of God are proven to be wise, reasonable and instructed by the God of this universe. Friends, this is nothing to be afraid of, or to shy away from. Jesus said that His ways are not our ways, and I would dare say to you that if we follow closely what Jesus teaches us to say and do, our ways will be different to those of the world. We may therefore be looked at as ‘madmen’. Please don’t let your coward-ness set in and weaken your walk with the Lord. Stand firm and be counted as a child of the king!

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord, I’m sure that You are very aware of the prejudices that sometime beset Your children, because of our beliefs and practices. Please help us to stay strong in your Word and to be obedient to it so that Your light will shine in every aspects of our walk at all times. Perhaps being called a ‘madman of Jesus’ would be a compliment, instead of an insult, as it would be an indication that our witness is evident to the world. Lord, I want Your love and mercy to be extended through me, so that the world might know Jesus. Please help the readers of this devotional to be doers of the Word and not just say they are Yours, so that the world will know You.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**

The Holy Bible: The Good news Translation

John 9:11 (Key verses)

11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see.”

My Thoughts:
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my life today?)

This story reminds me of the story of salvation. Our sins are washed away and suddenly we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Praise God, the experience of salvation and the healing of sight to the blind is only accomplished by the powerful hand of Jesus, and no other! Do you know my Jesus today friend? He is the same today as He was when He touched the hand of the blind man in this story, and He loves you as much as He did this blind man. You can depend on Him today, won’t you consider this invitation? Please drop me an email at the address below if I could possibly pray with you or help in any way. This is the most important decision you could make in your life.

My Prayer
(What I will ask of God, in order for me to properly apply His Word to my life)

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to provide the means for my salvation. The means for me to lay aside the weights of this old world and to place my faith and trust in You as my Rock, my Savior, my Lord and my best friend. I look forward to the day when I shall see You face to face and live with you in total peace and harmony for ever and ever! Father, I hurt for my family and friends that don’t know You personally and have not asked You for forgiveness of their sin. Please make this Thanksgiving weekend one that we can be eternally grateful for by melting the hardened hearts of these ones and encouraging them to surrender their hearts and lives to You.

 

**Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
**