Category: Ask and Receive

How To Know You Are A Child of the King

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Born Again, Christian, God Cares For Us, Grace, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, Knowing Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good news Translation

1 Corinthians 6:9–11

9 Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts 10 or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves—none of these will possess God’s Kingdom. 11 Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Thoughts:

Do you ever stop and ponder if you are truly saved and destined for heaven’s portals one day to be with Jesus? Perhaps your parents reminds you of a time that you made a public profession, or was baptized, but questions have arisen in your mind about your salvation because you, personally, don’t recall making a decision to accept Jesus as Lord of your life? Friends, I want to help you clarify that in your mind today in light of these highlighted verses. First of all, do you recall the day you graduated from high school? What about the day you got married? I bet by now you are wondering if I am being ridiculous with you, because these are important dates that everyone remembers. But that’s my point, these important dates are remembered because there was a specific time that your life changed. Friends, neither of these dates are anywhere near as important as the day that you may have said no to this world and its evil ways, and yes to Jesus and all the glories of heaven. This is a decision where your life changes forever, because through the power of the Holy Spirit that takes up residence in your life at the time of salvation, you leave behind the sins of this world, such as those mentioned in these verses by Paul to the Corinthian church, and you march to a different Master, a righteous Leader and Lord, who changes you from the inside out and leads you in the path of righteousness – right living according to God’s terms in His Word. Secondly, I want to draw the attention of those who may have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, yet in reading these verses this morning you are guilty of some of these sins. Friends, this is not an all-inclusive list of sins, these are just the ones Paul saw happening among the Corinthian church members. But think of it this way, all unrighteousness is sin; every actual sin, committed with design, and not repented of, shuts out the kingdom of heaven, for no sin is allowed there. We cannot hope to sow to the flesh, and reap everlasting life. Only the blood of Christ, and our desire to cleanse ourselves of sin, can take away all guilt. All who are made righteous in the sight of God, are made holy by the grace of God. If you are still struggling with the idea of whether you are secure in the kingdom of God, please use the information in the footnote to seek help. This is important enough that One Man gave His life to help you secure your eternal destiny, so please don’t delay!

Prayer:

Lord, I acknowledge that Your Word is very timely, appropriate and pointed – because only You know what we need, when we need it and why we need it. I believe that this is needed to help us recognize our sin, cleanse us of our sin, and redirect our more righteous lives to serving You as clean, strong, non-hypocritical servants before our lost family and friends. We just can’t be effective if we live just like them, accept the same sinful actions as they do and share in the same gossip rings that they participate in. We must represent You in spite of what appears to be acceptable to them, for we are a ‘New’ and a ‘Holy’ creation serving an awesome and sinless God. As You have opened our eyes in Scripture today, please tender our hearts to right decisions to seek Your forgiveness of our sin and to lives our lives acceptable to You and usable by You. Thank You for speaking to my heart today Lord, may Your perfect will also be accomplished in the lives of my readers today, is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in Your name alone, dear Jesus, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

24/7/365 Availability!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Encourage, Faith, God Cares For Us, Hears Us, Sees UsLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

Psalm 94:8–11

8               You stupid ones among the people, pay attention. You fools, when will you understand?

9               Can’t the creator of ears hear? Can’t the maker of eyes see?

10             Won’t the one who corrects nations punish you? Doesn’t the teacher of people know everything?

11             The Lord knows what people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.

Thoughts:

When we pray hard about a situation, especially one that we are very close to, we have our desired wishes in mind about how the situation should be handled, and I believe that we tend to pray towards that end. Often God will show us who is in charge, and who knows best, by answering our prayers in accordance with His perfect will and design. That answer may be exactly along the lines of what we had pleaded for, or it may be even better in the long run for the subject of our prayer. I believe that we sometime may question why God chose to respond in a particular way, and sometimes I believe we may feel like He may not have heard us at all, or perhaps we may question if He can’t see for Himself what is going on around us. These verses served to remind me that my Creator definitely hears me, otherwise why would He have given me ears! He definitely sees what’s going on around us, especially those things that really impact the lives of His dear children, otherwise why would He have given us eyes. If God is without ears or eyes, surely he would not have seen the need to create us with these extra tools! So friend, stand with me and be reminded that our God is all powerful, all knowing, sees everything and hears everything. He showed His power to calm even the rough seas, raise the dead, gave the blind back their sight and allowed the lame to walk again. What did you say your ‘major’ problem is, especially in light of these miracles wrought by His hands? Remember friend, He is there all the time for us. Let us learn to reach out to Him, love Him and depend on Him more so that we might see His mighty works, and reap the results of His awesome love!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please teach us to pray in faith believing on the Son of God and the power and might of His perfect will, and that ALL things are possible with the touch of Your mighty hand, or the simple word from Your mouth. Please help us to get off our soap boxes of thinking that we can tell You what to do. You are the Master, Designer, Creator, Almighty God, and we are merely Your humble servants bowed before You with outstretched arms fully dependent on You. Thank You for giving us ears and eyes that enables us to do Your works here below. But more than that, thank You for the reminder that we are to continue reaching out to You knowing that You can hear our heart’s plea, and You can see the wickedness that we encounter around us every day. Thank You for loving us and caring for us, even in our human weaknesses and frailness. Hopefully we can be more focused on You today and the power available to us by our Father who loves us way too much to see us fail or fall. Please be our guide today. For it is in Your precious and holy name that I ask all this dear Savior, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

We May Forget To Ask God for These Things

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 90:16–17

16             Let us, your servants, see your mighty deeds; let our descendants see your glorious might.

17             Lord our God, may your blessings be with us. Give us success in all we do!

 Thoughts:

 I believe that way too often we overlook reasons to praise God for His handiwork. For example, we look at a beautiful sunrise and we complain about the heat that must be ahead of us that day, instead of praising God for the sunrise that not only lights our day so that we might work, but also the sun is one of the major contributors to plant growth, which provides a great portion of our food chain. There are multiple other examples I could share, but David asked God in verse 16 to please allow us to see His mighty deeds. Not that he was blind, but so often we are blinded by the things that we take for granted, that we expect to be there for us. We must always be ready to ‘see’ the beauty and the good in all that God provides, and we must use those opportunities to praise Him for His wonderful works. In this verse David goes on to ask God to allow his descendants to see His mighty hand at work. Friends, we seem to be losing a generation that have no regard for God. Oh that we would adopt David’s prayer as our own sincere prayer to God. David continues his prayer to ask God for His ongoing blessings and to give him success. Friends, I love the unselfish prayers of our people, but I believe we get so hung up in asking for the needs of others until we brush aside asking God for those things that would help us personally grow successfully and that would allow us to succeed in ministry. Think about it friends, if we don’t practice what we preach, then what would our followers think that we do about our own success. They must know that we depend on God unwaveringly, and because of our relationship with God, we are accredited to minister to them and give them Godly advice. So yes friend, we have lots of needs when we go before the Master, but let us never forget the need to ask Him for our personal success, especially in anything that we attempt for Him.

 Prayer:

 Lord Jesus, it was refreshing to see that strong patriots of the Gospel needed to ask You for things like discussed above, because it helps me to realize that I am not abnormal as I truly need You for every decision, every direction, every witness that I share and in all aspects of my life and the lives of those that I may impact, such as my child. Lord, please help me to never overlook the beauty of Your creation and all opportunities to give You praise. Dear Jesus, I also ask that You please show your might and Your worthiness to our children so that they may not only succeed in this life, but that they might have life everlasting to look forward to! As You bless me with success, please help me to be a channel through which You might use those blessings to impact the lives that need to know You personally.

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Trust In God at All Times

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, Helper, Our Help comes from God, Protector, Thank You Jesus, The enemy, Trust, Truth, Victorious Life, Worry no moreLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

 Psalm 62:5-8

 5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Thoughts:

When we think about the life of David we remember that from the time he was just a young boy he placed his faith and strength in the hands of the Lord – remember when he went to battle with the giant Philistine? David faced many battles as Israel’s king, and he was able to place the battles before God, seek His direction and in following God’s commands, David lead many armies into successful battles. Many of the Psalms were written either in preparation for battles, or in celebration and thanksgiving for successes in battles. Now for those who are still trying to follow my line of thinking here, you are probably saying under your breath that you are not a king, and you have no armies to lead. But where God got my attention on this is that we almost daily face battles of one type or another. For some, it may be jobs and unreasonable supervisors, for others it might be family members, friends, co-workers or just about anyone that Satan could send our way to test our faith in the Lord. The big question, or challenge, for us to consider is: will these ‘battles’ result in the world seeing that we are just like them, in that we caved in to jealousy, revenge, hatred or an attitude just like theirs, or will they see in return: forgiveness; love; turning the other cheek; understanding and a God-like attitude? You see, for us to truly be ‘little Christ’s’ (Christians) then we must respond like Jesus would. If we say during the good times of life that God is our Refuge and Strength, do we maintain that same truth when under pressure or tested by Satan’s tactics, and our enemies are attacking from all sides? Please re-read vs 8 and be reminded that God is saying through His servant David, “Trust in the Lord at all times, for He (God) is our refuge (our safe harbor) and our strength”, and we have nothing to fear!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, it is easy for us to trust in You when we are on a mountain top looking down on our ‘enemies’ or looking down on the completed battle, but the challenge is for us to place our faith and trust in You before we go to ‘battle’, or during the ‘battle’. Lord, we are reminded in Your Word again today that You alone is God, yes over our good times, and the bad and the challenging times. Please help Your weak-at-heart children to always place our faith in You and to look to You for our guidance and victories. Way too often we try to take the wheel back from You and drive this life-ship ourselves. Please forgive us, for we should never forget that You are our Strength and our Refuge, a present help in times of trouble and in need. Lord, my unsaved loved ones will not experience this great Strength and Defender unless they have accepted You as their Lord and Savior. Please, may it be so, even today? I humbly ask all this in Your precious and all powerful name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Grace – Free and Undeserved

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Chosen by God, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Grace, Love, Reaching the Lost, Sin, Thank You Jesus, Things Eternal, WitnessingLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Romans 11:4-6

 4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”(1 Kings 19:18)

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Thoughts:

I find it interesting how God draws certain things to our attention as we read His Word. I believe this has reiterated the point to me that without staying in His Word, how then will we hear from Him? My reason for the aforesaid, is that my initial reading of the highlighted verses left me wondering why God would have Paul include this Old Testament reference in his talk to the Roman believers and also in His Word for our edification? God quickly drew to my attention something to share with you in today’s devotional. Friends, who are we that God should have ever gotten our attention towards salvation? Now, before we get all holy and self-righteous in thinking that we never killed anyone, like Elijah was referring to in his initial question to God about the Jews, the Bible clearly states that God detests sin. He hates it. But friend, all the same, He valued us/loved us enough to look beyond our sin and rescue us from this life of sin. Yes, He convicted us of our sin and our need for a Savior? That’s where Paul is coming from in this passage, and that’s what we must be diligent to praise God about, and that’s what we must be careful in helping our lost family and friends to understand. God’s grace is beyond anything we can measure or understand. He sacrificed His one and only Son to die a cruel death on a cross so that we might be saved, even while we were deep in sin, uncaring and undeserving of such grace. We just can’t comprehend that kind of grace/love! But just as Paul share with his Roman counterparts, I must remind you today that God’s very nature is love and just as He once put the life of His Son on the line for us, His grace is still sufficient today. Please don’t give up on that lost loved one. To the one that may be reading this today that may never have made a decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior, please don’t think that you are beyond God’s love. The mere fact that you are reading this devotional is an indication that the Holy Spirit is working to show you His love and grace. Be obedient to His call on your life today, won’t you? Please feel free to contact me using the email address below to pray with you and help you in the vital decision.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I praise You today for Your wonderful and unparalleled grace. You loved me enough to speak to me right where I was, in sin, and convince me of the need for my Savior! Although we are tempted to think like Elijah did and question why You would save some folk even after knowing their awful past, I thank You for not being like us humans, for we often think like the world still, and tend to give up on folk because their future seem so hopeless to us. Oh my, where would we have been if You felt the same way about us? Praise God that Your ways are way beyond our very best efforts, for You loved us even while we were still wicked and undeserving. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and Your grace. Please help us to see through eyes filled with the grace of Jesus so that we may have a positive, Godly influence in the lives of those that need to accept You as Lord. As Your sons and daughters we need desperately to be more like our Father. Please continue to impress upon us the character and love of our Savior so that the world might see and know, without our hypocritical selves interfering, that they need You in their lives. I ask all this in the precious name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Obligations To Share, Hear, Believe And Ask

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Born Again, Chosen by God, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Heaven, Holy Spirit, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

 Romans 10:13-14

 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Thoughts:

This is a power-packed couple of verses, for anyone meditating on these words will find themselves obligated in one way or another. Think about where your obligation is today and be obedient to God. For example:

  • Share – I got the impression that for those of us that know the Lord, our involvement in helping a lost person come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ, is that we share with them. Now before you try to correct me and tell me that you are not a preacher, I want to remind you that there are many times in God’s Word where we, who already know Him, are told/obligated to share with those who do not. Sharing is not necessarily ‘preaching’, it is telling of the Good News, the Savior that got hold of your life and saved you from your self-destructing, evil trip to Hell. In fact, you are the only one that could share that with a friend who may not know the Lord – it’s your story!
  • Hear, Believe & Ask – I believe that vs 14 is telling the lost person that if the Word of God is explained to them, or if someone shares their story with them, know that it is God-sent and give it your undivided attention, as you are expected to accept/believe in Jesus Christ and ask/receive/invite Him as God’s precious gift of eternal life.

Friends, Paul was careful to explain that God’s gift is offered to all. In his day Paul had to clarify that the gift was offered to both the Jew and the Gentile. In our society today, I believe that we need to be reminded that God’s gift is offered to folk inside of the church worshipping, and to the ones who have never entered the doors of a church before. To the one who is looked up to in the community, or to the murderer. In fact, in another Bible verse, it is clear that God’s gift is available to ALL – whoever calls on His name (John 3:16). That includes you brother and sister! If you hear it, believe it and ask Jesus to come into your heart.

Prayer:

Thank You Father for those who leave our churches and travel overseas to spread the name of the Lord – our missionaries. Also, thank You for our pastors and evangelists who sacrifices hour after hour in sharing the love and saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Please be especially encouraging to those of us that cross paths with friends, family and coworkers every day that so desperately need You. Lord, may we never leave an opportunity unattended. May we never have to feel the guilt of disobedience in not sharing Your love and Your Word with those who need You. Father, I especially pray for the unsaved today. You have told us in Your Word that You are coming back soon to take us with You so that we may live with You throughout eternity. In the light of this promise, please help our unsaved ones to grasp the importance of really listening to Your Word, and may they not only hear, but also respond without reservation to Your call on their life. TODAY is the day of salvation! Lord, may it be so for all those I know, love and care about. For I ask all this in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus, believing that it will be done. AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

How To Deal With Your Enemies!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Defense against the enemy, Faith, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God’s Word, Helper, Our Help comes from God, Power, Power of Prayer, Protector, The enemy4 Comments

God’s Word Says….

Nehemiah 4:13–14 (The Message)

So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows. After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: “Don’t be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

My Thoughts…

From the subject, I know that you probably thought that I was referring to that person that really dislikes you, or the person you can’t stand to be around because you just know that they are like a ‘snake in the grass’, looking for ways to harm you! Well, you are right to a certain extent, the examples that I gave might be classified as enemies. But how about a different type of enemy, what about the enemy of cancer, or heart disease, or aids? My take on these verses that God got my attention on, is that this can apply to anything or anyone in our lives that may serve to harm us or oppose us, or give the appearance of hating us. In these verses Nehemiah prayed that he might find ways to stabilize situations over which he was leading, and the first thing he found to help was to tell his people/army to think on the power of God – remember, remember, remember what He has done, and what He is capable of doing.

Challenge…

What if we took this advice when told about cancer in our bodies, or when we know that we are about to battle with someone who really hates us? Friends, we know that we will have enemies because any attempt to fulfill God’s desires will almost certainly draw opposition from the world. But here is a word of advice for us from a noted scholar ‘Breneman’: “God’s people should always regard prayer not as a last resort but as our primary weapon against opposition”. So friends, here is the word from God today: a). Always remember the power of the God that we serve. Deliberately reflect on the times that His power has helped us through situations, and of times that He has helped our forefathers in the Word through miraculous times. He is still the same God that we serve today, so let’s depend on Him! b). Let us be quick to pray and slow to react in anger and thoughtlessness when faced with opposition, or by those who may naturally offend us because of their lack of faith, The Bible tells us to fervently pray for those that despitefully use us. Let’s obey the Word friend!

Prayer….

Lord Jesus, You showed the example in that You went aside and prayed when burdened with everything that was about to happen in Your life or to Your followers. Please help us to also do this, instead of hitting back, instead of getting angry and saying things that we might later regret. Lord, we want to be more like You, so strengthen us to do Your will, and to follow Your example to always bathe our battles in prayer. Please also encourage us to always remember the many miracles of our powerful Lord, and remind us of Your ongoing power to do the same for us. We are so weak Lord, and it is only with Your power and Your strength, that we can look at heaven’s glory when old Satan is hitting at us from every side. Thank You for loving us anyway and being there for us through every circumstance! For I thank You, and I ask these favors, in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, my Lord and soon coming King!

Nothing is Too Big For God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Listen to the Word of God, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Joshua 9-11.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Joshua 11:19-20 (NLT)

19 No one in this region made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites of Gibeon. All the others were defeated. 20
For the Lord hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites. So they were completely destroyed without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

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

This passage reminds me that nothing, absolutely nothing, is too big or impossible for God! Praise the name of the Lord! I feel like so often in our lives today we limit God and our requests to Him by what we can see as a possibility. In this passage this morning I saw where kings for several nations joined together to fight and try to keep the Israelites out of their territory, but as noted in these two verses, God was preparing the land that He had promised to the Israelites when they left Egypt, and these folk had to go. God hardened their hearts and caused them, or provoked them, to fight the Israelites, and no matter the size of the joint army, God had already won the battle for the Israelites. This tells me that in today’s society where there are folk that are so hardened and don’t want to hear about the Lord, and when we, as Christians or children of God, decide that those folk are unreachable or untouchable, we are truly limiting the power of God. We know what the book says – God will be victorious over Satan and all of his forces, and I have a pretty good idea that it will not be because of what we do to help Him! We serve an awesome, powerful God. Let’s not limit Him in our prayers, in our families, in our churches, in our workplace nor in our towns. He will overcome this world! He will be victorious! Let’s not stand in His way. Instead, let us be steadfast in prayer, obedient to His Word, and follow His every direction – for He holds the keys to winning our church, our town, our state and our nation. Let’s be ready to join the victory party in heaven, instead of sitting on the sidelines and doubting if our God can overcome the people and the evil things that we see going on around us – for Nothing Is Too Big for our God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I pray that I can see through Your eyes and not be obstructed by the limitations of my eyes. Please help me to set aside my personal agendas, my limiting expectations and my projection of what I can accomplish, and instead fill me with the awesome realization that I serve a God that knows all things and can do all things. As I sit aside and see Your awesome power at work, may I be the greatest cheerleader and servant to follow Your every command. You deserve all my praise and adoration for the awesome power that You portrayed to my forefathers, and for the power yet to be displayed as You win the victories over sin and death that I see all around me. Praise God that I am on the winning side!

 

àWords 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.
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Faith to Believe

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Reigns, God’s Word, Obedience, Power of PrayerLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 16:9-14 (NLT)

9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

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

God really highlighted this passage to me this morning, particularly the point of unbelief that the disciples had surrounding His resurrection. At the first reading of this we might feel pity or feel sorry for the disciples for such unbelief. In closer deliberation I thought about who it was that struggled with unbelief. These were the men who were handpicked by Jesus; they were closest to Him during His ministry here on earth; they witnessed miracle after miracle which showed them firsthand the power of Jesus, and they heard Jesus speak about how He would rise again after the third day. Further, I am sure that the prayers that went up by these men after Jesus was arrested was probably very intense, for they had lost their Master, their friend, their leader. So why then would they be surprised to hear that Jesus was alive? Friends, we are just as bad today even after all we know from God’s Word, and even after all that we have prayed about, and even after all that we have witnessed and/or heard about Jesus doing here on this earth. I believe that Jesus can easily say to us today, “Oh ye of little faith”. Having just celebrated Easter, we know that Jesus is alive. We know that He is the same miracle worker that we read about in His Word and witnessed in so many cases here on this earth, so let us therefore place our faith and trust in Him. Let us expect the miracles that He has the power to perform and not be surprised when we witness the answers, but instead celebrate the power of God and His willingness to hear and respond to our prayers. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. Near enough that we could have a relationship with Him and witness His answers to our prayers and perform the miracles that we could only dream of. Have faith in God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I believe in You. I believe in Your almighty hand. Please help me to always pray in faith, believing that You have the power to do all things. Let me therefore not be surprised when You answer my prayers, but instead be ready to rejoice and lift up Your name above all names. Please help my unbelief!

 

àWords 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.
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The Desire and faith for Healing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Healing, Humility, Obedience, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 1.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 1:40-42 (NLT)

40 A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.

41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”

42 Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.

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

On our first reading of this we may feel sorry for the man with leprosy because we know that it is such an awful disease. We need to look at a few other factors in this story though, and apply them to our lives today:

  1. The man had a desire to be healed of the disease that had a grip on him. He was tired of people rejecting him and scorning him. He wanted to be useful in his society, but had very real limitations because of his disease.
  2. He had heard about the miracles being performed by Jesus, and he was convinced that he too could be healed.
  3. He was in need so he didn’t demand anything of Jesus, but he wanted to make Jesus aware of his faith.
  4. He didn’t feel so sorry for himself so as to exclude himself from the presence of, and possible healing from, Jesus.
  5. Jesus had compassion on the man. I believe that he was touched by his boldness, his desire and his faith.
  6. Jesus was willing to oblige. This sounds to me like Jesus may have meant: now that I see you are willing and ready for a miracle, I am willing to perform it.
  7. Jesus has the power to do ALL things. This leper may have never heard about another leper being healed, but he had heard enough that he placed his faith and trust in Jesus and that He would fulfill His (Jesus) will for his life.

Friends, I believe that you will see that this story has many similarities to what we face today. We may have separated ourselves from God, from the church and perhaps even from the general populace. It’s not until we want to do something about that, and stop feeling sorry for ourselves that we can truly move forward. It is also important for us to stop and recognize the source of all power, all healing, all perfection. Then we must be willing to give up the old life, humble ourselves before a righteous, yet powerful God, and allow Him to heal us of our imperfections and provide the strength, boldness and direction for a new life in Him. What are you waiting for? Jesus is waiting for your decision, your wish, and your desire to see change in your life. Let it be today, friend. You may not be around for another opportunity tomorrow.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, what a powerful reminder this morning. Please help me to surrender my weaknesses and imperfections to You today knowing that as I am willing to receive a touch from You, and give up the illness/sin that hold me back, then You will answer my call for help. Like Mark in the very first verse of this chapter, I am excited about the ‘Great News’ of Jesus Christ, and I seek to allow You to have Your will and way in my life today, dear Jesus! Praise be to God!