Category: Believe

Are You Registered Yet?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Assurance, Believe, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, Saved, Savior, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-02-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 10:17-20
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”
18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

APPLICATION: Often we only need to be associated in a group who is experiencing success in some area of their ministry, for us to start bragging about what God is doing in and through our church, or group. Praise the Lord that you can do that, and I pray that there will be many opportunities to experience success in your work, and then rejoice in the celebration of that success. The 70 disciples were given authority by Jesus to heal the sick, tell them about Jesus and cast out demons. These guys returned in such rare form! They bragged to Jesus about how they saw demons obey their commands when they used His name to cast them out. You can only imagine the excitement! Why, we do the same thing when we see people saved and their lives totally transformed. We are thankful to God when we see people leave their worldly offerings of ball games, beach parties, family times around the television, and so on, so they could be in church worshipping together with us. We know that coming to God’s house to worship together and hear a message from God, will speak truth intro their lives and could create an environment where Satan is not welcomed, so we rejoice and celebrate in God being at work. BUT, do you really get the jest of what Jesus told His disciples? In this world, there will be many reasons to rejoice, to celebrate, or even thank God for moving in the ministries of our church! But what what do you suppose will happen in our churches if our people would remind themselves of their eternal destination as often as they meet? Just talking about heaven should excite us beyond words, and cause us to worship, adore and praise the Lord Jesus for making this all possible to us. Don’t you know that when God’s children truly act like children of the King, and they respond to the reminder of whose they are and where they are going, this is bound to excite those worshipping together with us, and they will want to make sure that their names are registered in heaven and they have the assurance of eternity with our Creator, God Almighty, and His precious Son? The challenging part of corporate worship is that almost everyone will sing, or raise their hands in worship, while some may even sing in a choir, receive the offering or greet visitors. This might help everyone subscribe to a thought that they are all in the same boat and everyone is headed to heaven. But God’s Word declares that the latter only occurs when one has accepted Jesus as Lord of their life and repented of their sin. To repent means that you ask for the help of God to turn away from your sin, so that you might, instead, follow a totally opposite direction in life – one that is obedient to God, and following in His will for your life, as detailed in the Word of God. Friends, just as Jesus told His disciples who had been out ministering in His name, there is nothing more important than to know that your name is written in the book of heaven. If you are unsure, or if you have reason to doubt your assurance of this, please get with a local, Bible teaching Pastor, or drop a note back to me so I could help you with this most important question.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For those who have their name registered in Heaven, Jesus is ready to welcome you home when that time comes! Glory to God in the highest!

PRAYER: I find it fascinating that even after sending out the 70 to minister and heal in Your name, that You still saw the importance of them knowing without a shadow of doubt that their name is written, or registered in heaven. It is so easy for us to feel such a part of a group, that we may convince ourselves that we have the same privileges as the overall group has. Thankfully, I am reminded by Your words today, Lord, that a group setting will not save me. It’s only through accepting the new birth that is offered through Jesus Christ alone that I am saved, my name registered in the book of heaven, and I am on my way to spending eternity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Please Lord, use this simple reminder from You, and the simple explanation of this devotional to open the eyes of those blinded by Satan, pride and the greed of this world. Please show them the way, the truth, and the glories of heaven that can be theirs if they would simply accept You as Lord and Savior. Give each reader and/or listener new reasons to truly worship and adore You today! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

A Bonus From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Ask and Receive, Awesome God, Believe, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Sunday, 2023-02-19
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 1:11-12
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 11 God said to Solomon, “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— 12 I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!”

APPLICATION: I would imagine that it would probably depend on what we are going through at the time, as to what we might tell God is at the top of our ‘Wish List’, or is our greatest desire. If we are wanting to get married, then we would probably ask God to help us find the best suited mate available. If we are attending college, then perhaps we might ask God to help us achieve the best test scores possible, whether we have, or have not, spent adequate time studying as we should have! If the bills are mounting and there just don’t seem to be enough income to go around, we might ask God to wave His magic wand and make the bills go away for us. BUT, I’m hoping that many of my readers and/or listeners are in close fellowship with God, spends adequate time with Him each day studying His Word and praying for His divine direction in your lives. What would you ask for? My attention was drawn when the young, new king, Solomon, made it his very first move to take his leaders with him up to the temple. He didn’t say what he was going for, and Scripture doesn’t record, that his leaders asked any questions about where they were going or the reason why. This large group arrived at the temple and Solomon led the pack in proceeding to the bronze altar and sacrificing 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord. Isn’t it amazing how this very powerful young king didn’t recline back and order his servant leaders to handle the burnt offerings? Notice how Solomon didn’t make the offerings with any type of condition to God, or use them as any bargaining tool for what he wanted from God that day? But of particular notice is that God knew the heart of the dad who had prayed for his son to assume kingship over Israel, and how he wanted him to keep God first in everything he did. God also knew that in-spite of everything that Solomon had going for him, he found no greater priority than to gather his leaders and first go to the temple to seek the face of God, before any other task that required their attention. Notice in verse 11 how God’s heart was touched by Solomon not doing like most, who would ask for personal success and riches, but instead asked for help in being the best possible leader for a people he had been given the honor to lead. Although knowing his very heart, yet God wanted us to notice that He will bless abundantly more than we could comprehend, when His people will humble themselves, seek His face, and beg for help in meeting the needs of His people over whom we have influence. God blessed Solomon with the things he requested, but then as a bonus, God also blessed him with those things that he could have asked for! Friends, I don’t believe there is any greater ‘wow’ moment than to see the Great I Am do more for us than we ask or deserve! I wonder, when last have we sacrificed time at work or play or family, to call a few Christian brothers and sisters and invite them to meet you at the altar of your church? Assuming that some will show up, would they be surprised that nothing is personally wrong with you or your immediate family, but that you wanted to pray for a neighbor who needs Jesus, or for your Sunday School class that you will teach the following day, or the congregation that you feel truly needs to see Jesus in services the next day? Do you suppose that people are not being blessed, or saved today because of our laxity and lack of dedication to the God we are meant to represent and lead our people to in our respective ministries? At the very ending of verse 12, God promised to bless Solomon more than any king before or after him ever thought possible. What would happen in your family, or your Sunday School class or your church congregation if God chose to bless in this way because of your faithfulness? Could our city contain itself if it saw churches being blessed in response to their humbleness, their dedication, their teaching and their preaching? Why, it will become evident that the God we worship and adore really does exist, because the might works of God reveals itself through His church! Are you truly doing anything to invoke the blessings of Almighty God on His people and His church? Oh Lord, may we always facilitate Your blessing, and never stand as a stumbling block to all You want for Your people.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God was merciful to Solomon and blessed Him with what he asked for, plus, as a bonus, also blessed him with the things that he could have asked for! What an awesome, giving, and ever-blessing God we serve!

PRAYER: Glory to God in the highest for who You are and for all that You do for Your children – especially for the blessings that we may not even asked for! Oh that Your people will recognize Your greatness today and have a deep desire to worship You and seek Your ongoing goodness for all those we love and cross paths with each day. Your blessings are way greater than anything we could imagine or ask for, and I pray that we would realize once again that You just want our availability to serve, and Your blessings will overflow through us to bless others. May each one that walks through the doors of Your church today come with a new desire to worship You for who You are, and not just for what You could give them. Please Lord, help us to seek Your throne on behalf of others today, and not just for what You can do for us. May Your kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven. For thine is the glory, the honor and praise. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Just Believe

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Believe, Evidence of Faith, Faith, Faith in Action, Know and Believe, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship3 Comments

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2023-01-26
WRITTEN AT: Live Oak, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:47-50
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: 47 When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, shaking, and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” 50 When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.”

APPLICATION: I believe that too often we may tend to think that God only has time for the more serious issues of life. We may also tend to feel like we don’t need to bother Jesus, in His busyness with just the little concerns of life, so we try to resolve these things ourselves. Both miracles referenced in today’s Scripture were very serious. The woman who had an issue of bleeding for 7 years straight, is unbelievable for any child of God to think about. A child who lies on her bed with every indication that her sickness would lead to death – this is an atrocity for any parent to witness, and almost impossible to stand idly by and watch. Hearing that the ultimate Healer of all man’s diseases was passing through town, the sick woman mentioned above fought through the crowds knowing that she would probably never gain an audience with Jesus, but if she merely touched a piece of His (holy) clothing, she would be healed. This was a display of faith that is hardly ever heard of, but she believed in the power of the Great Healer and she had to get in His presence, for her own wellbeing. Her faith, or her belief in the power of the Almighty, led her to complete healing by Him. In the case of the synagogue leader, he sat helplessly at home watching his daughter fade away from this life. But having heard of this Healer sent by God, he knew that if he could get Jesus to swing by and just touch his daughter, that she would be healed. Notice how Jesus was in no hurry to drop what He was doing and run on over to the home of Jairus. Friends, this was in no way an indication of refusal, nor a lack of caring by Jesus, for He knew the situation with this child long before her dad ever set out to find Jesus. But the message is clear for us, just as it was for Jairus. Jesus will make all things new, in His time and for His purpose. He first of all told Jairus to not worry about the news he just received about his daughter’s death, for Jesus would still carry out His plan just as He promised prior to the arrival of the news. Let’s pay close attention to this, dear friends, we must not give up on Jesus, even when situations seem hopeless to us. If you believe, don’t allow anything sent your way by Satan to distract you in your walk with the Lord, or in your belief of Him. Now, I’m sure there are readers and/or listeners who will read this and retort ‘but you don’t know my situation, dear Brother, for God seems deaf to my cries for help’. Well guess what, there is no respecter of persons in God’s eyes when it comes to salvation, or forgiveness of your sin. And unless you have a relationship with God, you wouldn’t go to Him with your concerns anyway, right? After all, unless you have sought the face of Jesus, then in your sin, you are asking that He stay His distance from You so that You can live life as you please. Fortunately for many, Jesus is a perfect gentleman, and He will allow you to live life as you please. But for those who have joined with me in asking Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, not only do we have a sweet relationship with Him every day, but His hands are extended to help us in every circumstance of life, especially those concerns that seem to burden us down. When we reach for His hand, He is there. When we try to touch the hem of His garment, His healing is passed on to us and satisfies our every longing. When life hands us lemons, Jesus opens our eyes to the possibilities of lemonade, lemon meringue pie, etc. etc.! When our enemies try to discourage us and hurt us, Jesus helps us to feel His loving arms around us and He gives us a hand up, that brings us renewed hope. For Jairus, Jesus carried out His plan for his daughter, just as He promised when petitioned by Jairus. Jesus didn’t go back on His word because of changing circumstances, and I believe that He will do the same for us – if we trust in Him, if we have faith in Him, and if we allow Him to be God no matter our humanly circumstances.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Throughout the Bible we read about how faith is important to the child of God. It’s how we came to be a child of God. If only we can learn to develop our trust in Jesus – our faith, so that instead of becoming worry warts, we instead become heroes of the faith!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we came to You ‘By Faith’, now teach us to continue in our faith to worship and serve You each and every day. How can we encourage others to draw close to You in faith, if we struggle to surrender our all to You – in faith? In Your Word, You showed us that having just a little faith – an amount that may only be the size of a mustard seed, that we could move very large mountains. Our problems are small compared to the mountain You referred to, but I believe that we very easily allow the evil of this world to drag us down and cause us to doubt. As a child, my daughter had faith enough in her dad that she would jump from any height, knowing that I would do everything possible to catch her. May we have the faith of a child, so that we may feel secure in the arms of an Almighty and loving God. May our faith be so strong that it will be evident to the unsaved person who is seeking the faith to accept you as Lord and Savior. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

I’m Yours, Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Believe, Dedicated, Know and Believe, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-07-04
WRITTEN AT: Gallup, NM

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 1:36-38
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: 36-38 “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say….

APPLICATION: I believe that we all find it easy to accept and possibly even follow God’s commands in His Word, because we have heard about them since childhood, and we are somewhat comfortable about them, seeing that almost everyone on earth knows about them. But at the time of Mary’s orders from God, this was unproven territory. A young lady who had never had relations with a man, yet God would send an angel to her and caused her to ponder:
1. That she is the one that God chose to miraculously give birth to His Son. Wouldn’t it have crossed Mary’s mind, just like it would ours, that such an honor may be awarded to the matron of the church who has meticulously served God and His people for years and years?
2. Why would God choose an unmarried lady to be His Son’s mother? Wouldn’t God choose a married lady, so that the world would not suspect Jesus being born into, what appears to be, a sinful situation (His mother possibly having had relations with a man other than the one she was engaged to)?
3. Why me? What have I done to deserve such honor from the God of the Universe? Could this possibly be ‘for real’?
4. For assurance, that Elizabeth, whose husband had served God faithfully in the temple, is also receiving a miracle at the same time! And by the way, the angel reminded her that ‘Nothing is impossible with God’, so perhaps this is all a part of God’s mighty plan, and He has chosen to use just a simple young lady like herself!
You see, right from the very beginning – long before you and I, God chose to complete His work in mysterious ways. So why do we still doubt when we feel God calling on our life? We have been blessed with lots of recorded evidence of all that God does. In fact, we have every reason imaginable to believe what the angel told Mary: Nothing is impossible with God! May God grant us the faith to believe in the One who has control of it all – including all of our troubles, trials, and also the One who has all of our joys and blessings mapped out for us! That’s our God, my friend! Accept Him today, will you? Trust Him today dear Christian, for He cares for you!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: That which sounds impossible to us, is very possible with God! Like Mary, may we always trust in Him through every circumstance of life.

PRAYER: I’m Yours Lord, everything I have, everything I am, everything I’m not. Lord, I am completely Yours. Please prepare me to handle whatever You send my way and wherever You may lead me to. Mary was an awesome inspiration for Your followers today. May her words echo in our minds every time we doubt, every time we fear and every time we need confidence to believe in what may sound impossible to us. I am Your servant Lord, fulfill Your Word in and through me so that You may be glorified in everything I do or say. Please touch my readers and listeners with Your Word today as You prepare them to hear from You also. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Ask In Faith, Believing, and Receive

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Ask and Receive, Believe, Faith, Know and Believe, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-03-14
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 21:21-22
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

BIBLE TEXT: 21 And Jesus answered them (His disciples), Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a [n]firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. 22 And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive.

OBSERVATION: I’ve been told that when Jesus says something repeatedly, it’s because He wants us to really pay attention. For my regular followers, you will remember seeing several devotionals on ‘Faith’ over recent weeks. Hopefully as we meditate on the Word today, we will really allow God to penetrate our hearts on the subject of ‘FAITH’, for it is the crux of our believing in the Lord Jesus Christ – One whom we have never physically seen.

APPLICATION: As I read these verses this morning, I was sure that this was a repeat of something I had read earlier, and actually shared with you via Nuggets. In fact, I had to go back and review previous devotionals to make sure that I wouldn’t duplicate! I was reminded of a preacher who repeated the same sermon for a few Sundays, until an old lady came and reminded him. He responded that he just wasn’t sure that the congregation really understood and believed in what he had shared, so he thought to say it again! I have bolded the words that I feel God really drew to my attention. I believe that most of us pray. In fact, some of us even take time to attend corporate prayer meetings, and we may even join hearts with other believers to pray about things that impact us corporately as a church. What are we really doing when we stop all activity and pray to our Father? As a child, we were probably taught certain prayer lyrics that would eventually be replaced with internal words from our own heart. In a general sense, we know that prayer is a conversation we have with God. Why would one do that if it has the appearance of our words just disappearing into a black hole? Somewhere along the way, hopefully we may have heard about ‘faith’. You know: the kind of faith that caused a woman to fight the crowds so she could just touch the hem of His garment, and instantly she was healed; the kind of faith that caused a man to hop out of a very safe boat and at the command of Jesus, walk on water towards His Master; the kind of faith that caused a man to tell Jesus to raise his son from the dead, even from a long distance away; and perhaps even a current day healing that each of you may have witnessed or heard about. So I believe that Jesus is saying to His followers (disciples) in today’s Scripture, and to His followers today that if we have ‘faith’, and if we truly believe that we serve an all-powerful God who miraculously sent His one and only Son (Jesus) as our Savior, then we should pray as one who believes, and our requests will not only be heard, but also granted. Friends, what if you bowed your head at night with that kind of faith? What if you joined in corporate prayer with that kind of faith? What change might you see in your life of worship to our King, if you celebrated answers to your prayers each and every day? I don’t believe that God expects us to have a special place to meet with Him in prayer, or that we need to work up an attitude of prayer, or a special prophet leading us in prayer. The Word of God says that: if we have faith; and if we believe in our all-powerful God; then we may ask anything of Him and we will receive. Note that God loves us way too much to give us things that He knows will destroy us and our witness for Him, so He may direct us to pray in certain ways that He may approve of! Hebrews 11:1 tells us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Oh that we may ask of God without having a clue as to what the right answer is, or how He might handle the situation. We just need to ask, and depend on God to Do what He knows best to do!

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your mercies and I thank You for Your all-sufficient hand. Thank You for this reminder on faith, and how we are to ask of You in faith, believing on the power of the Almighty God. This is so real to us today, because things are happening all around us that we have no answers for, and we often struggle with why You would allow them to happen. But Lord, we acknowledge that we are mere man, and because of that, our minds cannot fathom the power, or the ways of an almighty God. But Lord, we know that You love us, and we know that You are sitting at the right hand of the Father petitioning for us. Lord, we believe. Please help us in our areas of unbelief. In faith, I want to ask for You to touch the heart of any reader who has yet to ask You into their heart. May this be the day of salvation for them, I pray. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Why Worry, Where’s Your Faith?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Believe, Faith, Miracles, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-02-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 16:8-10
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 Jesus knew what they were thinking and told them, “O men of little faith! Why are you so worried about having no food? 9 Won’t you ever understand? Don’t you remember at all the five thousand I fed with five loaves, and the basketfuls left over? 10 Don’t you remember the four thousand I fed, and all that was left? 11 How could you even think I was talking about food? ….

OBSERVATION: People are often referred to as ‘worry warts’ because they worry about every little thing. But for the Christian, our Scripture today reminds us that there is no need to worry, for we serve a God who can do all things! May we find peace in the God we love, adore and serve, as we meditate today on the perfect Word of God!

APPLICATION: As we read this story, I’m sure we will look at the disciples as weak, and as awful doubters. After all, they had participated in two huge miracles over recent days, where Jesus multiplied the little food found in the crowd, and the disciples were able to feed thousands of men, women and children. But now that they find themselves in need of food, they are filled with worry about how, or what they will eat. Jesus addresses their concern in our verses today. But what might Jesus say to us when we grovel in doubt, fear and a feeling of desperation? After all, many who will read this devotional today have read, or been under the teaching of some who have told about the various miracles performed by Jesus – the same Jesus that we believe in, and say that we have faith in. We know that miracles were performed while Jesus was alive, and many of us have either been witness to, or heard from family and friends where miracles have occurred in their lifetime. So why do we fear? Why do we doubt? Why do we feel like God performed miracles on ‘them’ but poor old me, I must carry this malady to the grave? Friends, some may wish they were princes because of the luxury, attention and goodwill afforded to them. But as a Christian, we are a ‘prince’, for we are sons (and daughters) of the King of all kings and Lord of all Lords! Never before in the history of mankind have we heard of a man laying down his life so that his subjects could be freed. But Jesus did! He willingly went to the cross and suffered pain and agony, so that we might have life eternal with He and His Father in heaven. So as His blessed children, is there anything that He wouldn’t do for us? Would He perform miracles so that we would not suffer pain and heartache? Would He heal broken bodies with sick parts? He did it before my friend, and I have no doubt that He would do it again! If you have faith to believe in the Son of God, then I dare say that you can muster up the faith to believe that He will do what He has promised. He cares for us and He wants us in good health so that we may serve Him passionately. Have faith in God, for He will never leave us or forsake us!

PRAYER:My faith looks up to thee oh God! Thank You for reminding my readers and I of the miraculous God that we serve, and the One in whom we have placed our faith and trust. Our needs are many, so we ask that You open the flood gates of heaven and pour out a great miracle on us today. You know what we need and whether we should have all that we ask of You, so Lord we place our faith and trust in You and await Your powerful hand to work on us. May the unsaved be convinced of Your power and therefore seek to know You personally. Lord I believe in You, please help my unbelief at those times that I doubt. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Only Believe

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Believe, Faith, Genuine Faith, MiraclesLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-09-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Luke 24:36-41
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 36-41 While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.

OBSERVATION: Jesus had told His disciples ahead of time that He would suffer and die, but He would only be in the grave three days. Mary and her friends had already returned and said that the tomb was empty. Now some of disciples were telling about Jesus being alive, and chatting together while walking along the road to Emmaus. Yet when Jesus appears before the disciples, some were still filled with doubt and frightened about what was really happening before their own eyes. I wonder, how might we react today if Jesus appeared before us? After all we have even more information before us about our risen King!

APPLICATION: I believe that after reading this Scripture today, I can understand a little more clearly why we tend to doubt so much here on earth. Think about it, these disciples had been with Jesus all of His ministry life here on earth. They saw miracle after miracle, including Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The disciples were told that Jesus would be taken away, and He would return to earth again, yet they still could not believe their own eyes. But let’s stop for a moment, before we get too deep into criticizing the disciples, or coming down hard on them, and let’s see how we might do with this scenario today. Fortunately, we are blessed at having heard about all that Jesus did through the days of the Bible. We have been blessed by all that God has done in our own lives and through our relatives. We have virtually seen miracle after miracle occur all around us, yet when we ask God for something and we see it miraculously materialize, we use excuses like: I am one lucky man; or I have the best friends around; or why didn’t I think of that? Friends, when will we learn to raise our hands, and in all humility, give God praise and glory FIRST – before we even try to think of any other contributors to our miracle. Think about it, the God of this universe has looked down in love and answered our prayer! When we take our petitions before God, there is no more room for ‘luck’ or ‘happen-chance’. We take it before Him in faith and it’s just like He says in return: “it’s OK my child, you can rest assured that I’ve got this. You’ve got nothing else to worry about.” Our part then is to rest in faith believing in the power of our awesome God! It’s like us passIng the baton to our Maker Knowing that He will take control of our situation! What a peace that is to the one who believes in Jesus Christ! If you don’t know that kind of peace today dear friend, please read my footnote on ways that you can get help in knowing my Savior intimately.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for loving even me. Thank You for caring enough of Your children to hear our heart’s cry and answer our prayers in ways that You know are perfect for us. Please give us faith to look towards You first; faith to rest our cares and concerns at Your feet; and faith to believe in Your glorious response to our prayers. You alone are God, and You alone can perform the miracles that we so often worry about. We love You Lord, and we lay ourselves before You, because we are such a needy people. Please hear our cry and answer according to Your perfect will. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Until The Whole World Knows

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Believe, Know and Believe, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-05-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 105:2-4
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Sing to him; sing praises to him.
    Tell about the amazing things he has done.
3 Be proud of his holy name.
    You followers of the Lord, be happy!
4 Depend on the Lord for strength.
    Always go to him for help.

OBSERVATION: It’s a given, that if you ask a grandmother about her grandkids, she could easily, and quickly, pull out a wallet filled with photos of her grandkids! Let a grandmother see a baby, and she is immediately drawn to it, as she is reminded of her own grandbabies. But what about little Christs (Christians)? Were your unsaved family and friends drawn to Jesus because they spent time with you over the weekend? I love that song ‘Until the Whole World Hears‘, as it really came to mind as I read these verses from the Psalmist today. Meditate with me as we think about what the world will hear and know as a result of being in our presence today!

APPLICATION: There are times where we will leave someone and we comment about what we observed in their character. We might comment to our spouse things like: ‘What a sweet person’; or ‘You could tell that person loves the Lord; or you might even say something like: ‘What an obnoxious person!’; or ‘Sure glad that I married you and don’t have to live with that every day!’. Yes, others can see right through us, even though we strive to hide our ‘bad side’ while with them! I believe that you might see some things in these verses that perhaps I may miss, because God may have one thing to say to you, while dealing with other challenges in me. But as I read these verses, I not only saw these things as requirements suggested by David, but also I saw these as characteristics that will overflow from the life of someone whose eyes are fixed on Jesus and whose life displays the character of the One who lives inside of them. In other words, I am reminded of yet another song ‘When Jesus is my portion. A constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches over me‘. Friends, when you know that One is closer to you than the mention of His name, won’t others see and experience that peace that overwhelms your soul? When you’re humming His praises all day long, or singing of His love at every opportunity, don’t you think that others will know as the Psalmist said in verse 3, that you are happy and proud to sing of the mercies of your Lord? When others are in a panic about things like Covid 19, or about approaching hurricanes, or earthquakes, etc., yet you are calm, as you are reminded of the words of Paul where he told us that for me to live is gain, but to die is even better as you will be with the One in whom you have trusted, face-to-face! Friends, your life is an open book to those around you. I pray that you will insure that your relationship with Jesus is strongly in tact so that the word might know, and follow the One in whom you have placed your faith and your trust. Seek God today, find Him while He is near and allow Him to rule and reign with you through every circumstance of your life.

PRAYER: Dear God, You created us in Your image, and designed us to worship and adore You. As a child of the King, no doubt we will act like the King, and be happy in everything that He sends our way each and every day. Please mold us to be just like You precious Lord., for people are watching and, in some cases, making decisions based on what they see us doing. If we’re happy and we know it; if we love You and we know it; if we invite You to be our constant guide and loyal friend each and every day, then the world will know it and be inclined to seek after that type of relationship for themselves. Work through us Lord! Love through us Lord! May You be alive and active in us through everything we say of do, so that the world might know and believe! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Our Miraculous God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Believe, Know and Believe, Miracles, Miraculous, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-06-12

Bible Reference: Luke 1:18-20
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen?” 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel. I stand beside God himself. He has sent me to announce to you this good news. 20 But now, since you did not believe my words, you will be stricken silent and unable to speak until the day my words have been fulfilled at their appointed time and a child is born to you. That will be your sign!”

OBSERVATION: Way too often we pray for God’s wisdom; His healing; His direction; and His protection, yet when God is on the move we tend to find explanations on why certain activity is occurring, or we may even attribute the turn in events to ‘good luck’. Oh my, where is our faith truly at? Who is our God? I have two similar Biblical characters to consider today that reacted surprisingly to God’s orders/miracles. Let’s examine our own hearts as we look at this.

APPLICATION: In my Old Testament reading today, there was the story of Balaam. He spoke to God about whether he should visit with king Balak. God directed him not to go. However, Balak was persistent and he sent back a different team of messengers to plead with Balaam to change his mind. Although having been given a Word by God, Balaam went before God each time that Balak’s team of men asked. I can’t imagine God changing His mind, neither telling Balaam that He had made a bad call in His first response. But eventually God saw the need to teach Balaam a lesson by letting him go with the messengers. Then I turned to my New Testament study and found this story of Zechariah, who encountered a similar discipline to that received by Balaam. I’m sure it is easy for us to look down our noses at both of these servants of God and in shock wonder how on earth could they possibly respond in the way that they did. But are we truly any different in our response to God and/or His miraculous work? I don’t think so, for I believe we are equally as bad, or perhaps even worse. Now think about this: we have learned from Balaam, we have learned from Zechariah, and I’m sure there are many other similar examples throughout God’s Word, but way too often we place God in a box only as big as our vision and our capacity. How often do we go beyond those borders? I have a very personal experience, I can share with you from my church: our leaders are stretching and testing their faith in trying to solve a challenge of overcrowding. Through faith in our all-powerful and fully capable God, they are led of God to find property to relocate, or expand our ministries to meet the needs of adequately ministering to the people He is sending our way, and will send our way over the foreseeable future. To approach our God for something like this – something that is several times larger than what we have; something that will meet the needs of ongoing ministries way beyond our ability to imagine – this requires a persistent faith that is strong and immovable. Please consider praying with BFC, Sebring, FL about this need. We want to see Jesus lifted up and glorified, even through our humble efforts. We are convinced that God has blessed us with the crowds He has sent our way, even in spite of a community that is largely unchurched. However, we take the Scripture very seriously, and He has encouraged us with the words, that if I am lifted up, I will draw the people unto myself. We are in a continual mode of lifting up the name of Jesus in all that we do. As for you, may I suggest that you stand in awe of who God is, and all that He has done, plus all that He has the power to do again. Try looking beyond things that your natural eyes can see, and try trusting God in the small and in the great things. Try listening to what God wills, and allow Him to stretch your vision and your faith so that you will openly allow His work to be done for His glory alone.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for saving a sinner such as I. It is hard to imagine that a miraculous working God like You, who has the power to do all things, and see all things that are yet to come, yet You loved me enough to use even me in Your mighty work. Lord, my readers and I stand in awe of You. We want to experience your awesome work, and we want to participate in the many blessings that You shower on us each day. Please teach us to pray. Please strengthen our faith to believe and deepen our trust in You for all things. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, so that You may be glorified in all things. Thank You Heavenly Father for loving even us. AMEN!

Believe You have Received

On By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Faith, Faith in Action, Faithful, Genuine Faith, Know and BelieveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Mark 11:22-24 (TPT)

TEXT:  22 Jesus replied, “Let the faith of God be in you! 23 Listen to the truth I speak to you: If someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. 24 This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours. 

OBSERVATION:   We’ve heard the old gospel song ‘Faith is The Key to Heaven’, and it melts our hearts away. But in today’s verses we hear from the mouth of Jesus the convincing and compelling words that Faith is also the Key to answered prayer. Do we really go into prayer with that kind of confidence? Let’s meditate in this for a little today…. 

APPLICATION:   While a child is putting on his sneakers, he is also screaming out to mom in the kitchen that Mike, who lives just down the road, invited me over to play for a few minutes. I’ve finished my homework & chores, so is it OK if I go and play a little? I will be back in time for the family dinner. The son, Jim, knows all the things that mom will ask him, so he includes everything while asking, or is it telling!!!! So let’s put this into perspective with our relationship with our heavenly Father. Are we in His Word enough? Are we trying to grow our relationship by attending church and/or Bible study? Do we feel like we know the mind of Christ and are asking in full alignment with His desire for our lives? I believe it is obvious why we don’t ask for certain things – it may make us too proud, or it may point our friends attention to us instead of God, etc. But do we know the mind of Christ like a husband may know the mind of His wife of 30 years? Our verses end with the words ‘… believe that you have received it, and it will be yours…’ I once had an old saint tell me that she was praying for an aching arm of mine. In about a week, while entering the church, she looked up at me and asked very confidently, “is that arm better now?” When I said that it wasn’t fully healed yet, she looked at me in puzzlement, as if wondering what must have gone wrong in her prayers for me. Friends, that’s the kind of relationship we need with Jesus. That’s the kind of faith and assurance we can then have in our prayers. Believe that we HAVE RECEIVED IT, and then WE WILL RECEIVE IT!

PRAYER:   Lord You are so good to us! Wretched sinners, yet You look down on us in love and listen to all the things that we worry about and ask for. Most of all, You meet us where we’re at when we come to you in prayer with all of our concerns and complaints. Being reminded of what You promised in Mark 11 today, we could only say again how thankful we are to be called Your precious children, and for the liberties that You give us as children of the King! Please forgive us when we become worried and bring menial things to You, for Lord they seem huge to us. Please work with us, continue to love us, make us more bold to come before You than ever before. Please help us to be so confident in our prayers when we know the mind of Christ and all that You have in store for us. Lord, we ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, our Lord and perfect Savior, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!