Scripture: Numbers 32.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Numbers 32:23 (NLT)

23 But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

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

The subject of this devotional is a phrase that I have heard most of my life, and it was used in a sense that I should remember that nothing that I did was hidden from mom or dad! Little did I know that this was an actual quote directly from Numbers 32:23, and spoken by God when He warned the Israelites to be sure and follow through with all that they had promised Him they would do for their families and flocks. Very often today we make promises to God, especially when we’re in a pinch and desperate for the intervention of God. At times like this we make some promises and deals with God like: if you heal my child and restore her back to normal life, I will go to church the rest of my life. Friends, I have seen where promises like this were made, and then they were testified about before others, but the human part of the bargain was kept for perhaps two weeks! Consider the facts right after 9/11 when churches were filled the weekend following the event, then each week thereafter fewer and fewer people kept their promise of attending church if God would keep them and their families safe from terrorists. In verse 24 God went on to say that it was fine for the people to do what they wanted to do, but just know that if their promises were not kept and they failed to keep their word, then know that God will act. Because of the years in the wilderness, I believe that the people knew what this warning meant, because over time they saw some pretty sever repercussions for disobedience. Friends, God warned that we are to keep our word, in fear and out of respect of an awesome God that will hold us accountable, so be careful little lips what you say today! Remember, God’s not dead, and He is our constant Friend, Protector, Savior and Lord, BUT He is also our Judge and accountability partner.

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

Lord Jesus, please guide me into the path of righteousness this day. Please help me to listen before I speak. Please remind me of the One that I represent, and how important it is that I say it straight, and as accurate as possible, so that the hearer could easily place their faith in what I say because of my relationship with You. Thank You for the reminder today that You are very aware of all that I say and promise, and as a soldier of the cross, I am expected to live in obedience and follow through on all that You have said and all that I have promised.

**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
**

Scripture: Mark 14.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Mark 14:29-31 (NLT)

29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”

30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

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

Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples that was closest to Him, yet when placed under pressure he buckled and did exactly what he promised Jesus he would never do. Peter was placed under pressure, and very close scrutiny, because Peter knew that if the authorities confirmed that he was closely associated with Jesus and His ministry, that they may very well do the same thing to him as they were doing to Jesus. We may never be placed under that kind of scrutiny, but we must be prepared for that kind of scrutiny. There will be times that friends may ask us in a crowd what our stance is on Christianity, or whether we are a Jesus follower, or why don’t we join them for some worldly fun that we know would be a bad reflection on our witness. In fact friends, today could very easily be one of those days when we may have to take a stand for our Lord. This is easy to do in church, or amongst other Christian friends, but are you strong enough and bold enough to take that stand before a group of jeering friends who are looking to see us fail in our pious thinking or our supposed stand for Christ? Are you prayed up and ready to take a stand for our Lord?

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

Lord Jesus, You have given us confidence to serve You and take a stand for you, but way too often we silence our lips because we don’t want to stand out in the crowd. We just want to melt away in the crowd and not be noticed. I believe that taking a stand for You may convince the doubting and the unbeliever that we really are who we say we are – born again Christians. Please give me that boldness and courage today to take a stand for You. Please give me strength to truly stand firm for what I believe so that I may be the witness to my co-workers and friends that they expect and need in order to convince them that I am real in my faith. May You shine through in every moment of my life today is my humble prayer and plea. Please touch the lives of my Christian brothers and sisters who also claim You as Lord.

**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
**

Scripture: Numbers 24.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Numbers 24:13 (NLT)

13 ‘Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD.’ I told you that I could say only what the LORD says!

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

As inviting as it may have sounded to Balaam to have King Balak send for him to come and get rid of the Israelites for him in return for some awesome gifts, Balaam said to the messengers that he would only do what God authorized him to do and what pleased the Lord. When Balaam stood before the Israelites and allowed God to speak through him, he wound up doing just the opposite of what Balak wanted, for he blessed the Israelites. Friends, this is a powerful statement, especially when we think about the power that the kings had back then, and their total disregard for human life. Think about it – out of fright for what Balak may do to him, or out of greed for what he could get from Balak for a successful mission, Balaam could very easily have gone with the flow and did what the king ordered. Isn’t that what many of us would do today? Yes, I know that you are insisting that I am wrong with that last statement/question, but may I at least encourage you to speak with God and ask for His guidance to avoid such a pitfall? I believe very strongly that way too often we become crowd pleasers, and way too often our greed kicks in – like in the case of so many Christians who fail to believe God when He said He would care for us and take care of our every need, yet we are some of the first at the counter to purchase lotto tickets! Yes, way too often we find it easier to place our faith in the enormous odds of winning the lotto than we are in trusting the God who created this universe, you and , and who has proven Himself over and over again. Balaam was determined that his power came from the Almighty, and doing anything outside of His perfect will would be useless and utterly powerless. Let’s seek that kind of faith today friends!

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

Lord we claim to the world that we believe in You and have faith in You and we follow Your every command, yet we show the world that we are really wimps who will do almost anything they ask of us. Please forgive me for the times I have failed to fully trust You and stay true to Your perfect will. I need Your strength to overcome, I need your wisdom to understand the right thing to do, I need Your perfect will to be so evident to me that I will never question the right thing to do in every circumstance of life. Please be the Lord of everything thing in my life and in every move I make and in every word that comes from my mouth. In my life, may I seek to serve You and honor You in all things. Thank You Lord Jesus for hearing 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
**

Scripture: Mark 12.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.

30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

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

God’s laws are not burdensome. They can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others. These commands are from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). When you love God completely and care for others as you care for yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of the Ten Commandments and the other Old Testament laws. According to Jesus, these two commandments summarize all God’s laws. Let them rule your thoughts, decisions, and actions. When you are uncertain about what to do, ask yourself which course of action best demonstrates love for God and love for others. A lot is packed into these two commandments and it would appear on the surface that they are very easy to remember and follow. Let’s ask God today to help us be mindful of these two items as we concentrate on the people we come into contact with (our neighbor) and our thoughts, words and actions so that they may be an example of the One that we love, Jesus our Lord. The Word says that as we obey these two important commandments, we will find where all other commandments fall into place.

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

Jesus, thank You for providing a path for us to follow. Thank You for loving us enough to help us stay on the right path and do the right things. No one knows better than You how challenging it is to live life down here in full obedience to Your Word, and as an example of You, but throughout Your Word You have convinced us that there is no greater strength than to place our faith and our trust in You. Thank You for loving us that much. May I be true to Your Word today, is my humble 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
**

Scripture: Numbers 20.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Numbers 20:8-11 (NLT)

8 “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

9 So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the LORD. 10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” 11
Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

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

I want to draw your attention to a few facts in these verses. By way of introduction, know that Moses and Aaron were about to throw their hands up, because their people who they led through the wilderness were giving up on them as leaders. They did the right thing by going and bowing down to the Almighty and seeking His face and wisdom on what to do next. In verse 8, God told Moses what to do. From previous history, Moses knew that God would do what He promised, but it appears like Moses was becoming a bit obnoxious with all the powerful acts performed by God through him, so in verse 10 he asked the people if ‘we’ (he and Aaron) should bring water from the rock. Furthermore, he added his own special effects to the whole scene by not just smiting the rock once with his rod, but a second time. Although not included above, in verse 12 God punished Moses for not trusting Him enough to follow His instructions. Friends, we punish our kids for not obeying our instructions, and I know from this passage that God will also punish us when we try to assume the leadership role over Him. He knows what’s best for us. He knows what danger lies ahead. He knows what opportunities could be met up ahead when we follow His plan. Remember, He’s the one who created and put this whole earth together. He’s the one who put our complex bodies together. Most of all friends, remember that He’s the one who has a plan for our lives long after we tire out from this old world. But to take possession of that plan, we must be obedient to His call on our lives. Friends, there is no greater purpose than to follow the perfect will of God, and as we do that it’s amazing how everything else falls into place! What will you do with Jesus today?

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

Lord Jesus, I know from everything You have taught me that You are in control and that You have a master plan for my life. Please continue to mold me and work on my obedience so that I may be all that You have designed and planned for my life, so that Your perfect will might be accomplished through all that I do. Thank You for loving me enough to use even me in Your plan!

**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
**

Scripture: Mark 10.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Mark 10:46-49 (NLT)

46 …… A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road.

47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” ……..

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

In this chapter we can see in three different instances that Jesus is so much more accepting and forgiving than mankind. The rich man came to Jesus – He found time to talk to the man and explained what was lacking in the man’s life. The children came to Jesus and while they were brushed away by the disciples, Jesus welcomed them and even used their character to illustrate the humbleness of heart that adults must have to truly accept Jesus. In this instance, a blind beggar was calling out to Jesus. Yet again the disciples brushed him away, but Jesus did the opposite for He called the man to him and healed him. I am thankful that Jesus also had mercy on me and forgave me of my sin and welcomed me into His fold. Friends, I believe that all too often folk attributes the qualities of being good enough to being worthy of standing before Jesus and asking Him into their heart. It is demonstrated in this chapter that Jesus accepted folk as they were and told them what was necessary to then follow a life of holiness. What about you friend, are you using one excuse or another to hinder you from making this most important step in life? With His help as your Lord and Savior He could help you through any challenge that you might have. He doesn’t expect you to try and correct all that before you invite Him in, He wants to help you overcome the effects of sin in our lives. Let me encourage you to make this decision today friend! Contact me by email (using the link below) if I may help you or pray for you about this decision, or feel free to see your local pastor for help in this. Jesus loves you way too much to see you miss out on heaven!

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 so much that You accepted me into Your kingdom. Thank You for Your sacrifice that made salvation possible. Please help those who are struggling with this decision today. Tender their hearts and give them the boldness to make this step of faith today. In Jesus name I pray!

**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
**

Scripture: John 17.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

John 17:4 (NLT)

4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

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

In these first few verses of John 17 Jesus is having a conversation with His Father, God. In this particular verse 4, Jesus says to His Father that He has completed the work He was sent to do – to bring salvation to the world. The way that God spoke to me through this passage is by showing me that if I am to be an image of Jesus, following in His footsteps and taking His lead on the things I should do here on this earth, then I too will be striving to follow the will of God with all my heart. In fact, I believe that at the end of each day I should be able to reflect on the day and say to my Savior that I have completed the work that He placed me here to do. For as I do that each day, I believe that I will definitely gain the confidence to say to Him at the close of my life here on earth, much like He said to the Father, thanks be to God I have completed the work for which I was called. I don’t know about you friend, but I don’t feel like I could honestly say that at this point in my life, but I do believe that if I make this my goal, and if I seek the Father’s face daily for His help in achieving this awesome goal, that He will surely give me the direction, the strength and the fortitude to serve Him in sincerity each day by accomplishing all that He has placed me here to do. Are you prepared to join me in following Jesus in this way? With Jesus as our Savior and our Guide, we can do all things through Him who strengthens us!

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

Lord Jesus, please give me strength each day to follow Your will. Please help me to be obedient in all that You might lead me to do, so that Your perfect will might be accomplished. Please give me determination and commitment to do all that’s necessary to honestly say each day that I have completed all that You have asked me to do. May Your will be done oh Lord, not mine!

**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
**

Scripture: Numbers 13.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Numbers 13:30-31 (NLT)

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”

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

This story is evidence that a majority vote will normally win an argument! However, as Christians we must be careful to measure even the popular vote against what God says in His Word. For in this story we can see where the majority of the men that went to scout out the Promised Land that God had promised to them, returned with very negative thoughts. In fact, reading their accounts it is very evident that they only accounted for their abilities, in spite of all the miracles they had seen firsthand while travelling through the wilderness. Caleb, on the other hand knew the power source behind them and was convinced that this challenge was nothing compared to the obstacles they had overcome with God’s help while traveling through the wilderness. Friends, this is typical of people in general where some may look at the glass half empty, while others see it half full. We have a book with story after story that detail miracle after miracle. We meet together with other believers that testify to the great power that our God demonstrates in their lives day after day, and with all that as our back drop, we should display all the faith, courage and abilities as anyone here on earth could possibly muster up. Unfortunately, there may be times that we focus on the majority vote, instead of the awesome God that we serve. May we all be encouraged to be like Caleb today and stay focused on God and His awesome power, and not on the circumstances that could very easily lead us astray. Think about it, there is nothing that our God and us cannot conquer. Why not let Him?

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

Lord Jesus, I believe with all my heart that, as children of the all-powerful, almighty God, we are more than conquers in all things. Please help me to keep my eyes focused on this truth today. Please touch the life of that friend who is struggling to see the positive side of Your power and strength today. Please give them the confidence of Caleb to encourage them in their circumstances today.

**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
**

Scripture: Numbers 11.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Numbers 11:21-23 (NLT)

21 But Moses responded to the LORD, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ 22 Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

23 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

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

All too often we allow the spirit of weakness to well up in us and overpower us. We are reminded from God’s Word about His great power and we see from current miracles that our God’s not dead, He’s very much alive and just as powerful today as in all the evidence that we see in His Word. Yet we come before this awesome God like weak and defeated folk who has no knowledge of God. In verse 23, God became visibly upset with Moses, because in spite of the miracles God had done through Moses and in his presence, yet Moses had the audacity to doubt how he and God were going to feed the multitude of people gathered as an army for Moses. Friend, don’t beat up on Moses. We are even worse when we go before God in prayer on behalf of something or someone, with challenges that appear to be a mountain to us. Friends, we serve an awesome God, whose power excels anything we could ever imagine. Let us place our total selves in His hands and immerse ourselves in His love, and allow His mighty hand to reign over everything in our lives or anything that could ever trouble us. Rest assured, He has this covered. He’s in control! We just need to let go and let God have His will and way. He can do it!

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 falling short in the area of faith and complete confidence in You at times. Thank You for this reminder this morning, that You are God and God alone. I have no reason to doubt Your power, Your grace and Your love for me. Please allow me to place my hand in Yours today with the greatest confidence in knowing that You are still God and can do all things that bring honor and glory 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
**

Scripture: Mark 8.  

OBSERVATION
(Key verses)

Mark 8:27-29 (NLT)

27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”

29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

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

I believe that if the right person asked us how we feel about Jesus, we might respond that He’s my best friend, my Lord and Savior, my deliverer and I love Him wholeheartedly. Now, I also believe that if we were challenged with that question by someone we didn’t know very well, or we didn’t know where that person stood, we may respond a little more reservedly. My challenge today is verse 29, where Jesus is asking very pointedly to each of us, but who do you say I am? This takes on a new perspective, because Jesus knows us very personally. He knows if we respond hypocritically, for He knows our very heart. So my challenge to us all is, how would we respond to Jesus if asked this question today? I bet for those of us without challenges, this may be a quick, easy, very positive answer. For those of us that are faced with challenges, I need to remind us that Jesus is Lord of all, yes all of life’s challenges and good times. He died a sacrificial life for us, while we were yet sinners, so of course He loves us and cares about all that is going on in our lives. Let’s not turn our backs on Him, or love Him any less if we are thrown a cure ball today with a challenge that may cause us to question “where is God?” Jesus said that He will be with us, even until the end of time here on this earth. Careful not to disown Him or think less of Him when things are not going our way.

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

Thank You Lord for loving me even through the worst of times. Yes, even in times that I may not be very proud of. Please strengthen Your people today so that we may learn to stay loyal to Your love, and our Savior, even in times when things are not going the way we want them. Thank You for loving me. May I always be loyal and loving to You in return.

**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
**