Category: Faith

Jesus Christ – The Same Now and Forever!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Remember, TrustLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Good News Translation – Hebrews 13:7-8): 7Remember your former leaders, who spoke God’s message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.

THOUGHTS: I remember the first time that I installed a pet door at our home, our dog would go up to it, but not touch it. We helped him by pushing him through the door a few times to show him that he could trust it, and now he zooms through it as if it wasn’t even there! Here are a few ways that we might learn to, or enhance our, trust in God as believers:

  1. Meditate on His Word (the Bible), and see how God miraculously handled situations for His saints such as Abraham, Isaac, Noah, Moses and Paul, to name a few. Then read the verse captioned today – He is the same yesterday, today and for ever!
  2. Listen to testimonies of God’s faithful servants today – Pastors, Missionaries, Bible School teachers, etc, and hear how they have experienced God at work in their lives – often in miraculous ways. Very often we can hear how God is still working in their lives and be reassured that God is the same yesterday, today and for ever!
  3. Always be ready and willing to trust God – even in the small, or what may appear to be insignificant, things in life. I head a faithful Brother say at one time that as he trusts God to help him find such minimal things as his keys, it builds his faith to ask God for help and guidance in the major areas of His life. It then helps him to gain confidence that God is the same yesterday, today and for ever!

Warning – we must be extremely careful to not let Satan tempt us into believing that God ‘is not the same’ when our prayers are not answered the way that we have instructed God. Remember God is all knowing and all powerful, and we are not. When we take our petitions before Him we must be prepared for His answer, not necessarily the selfish, unthoughtful ways that we may have told Him to answer. Let us therefore place complete faith in God, and as we take our small or large requests before Him, rest assured that He is able, and that He will respond with us in mind, knowing that all things work together for good, for those who place their total faith and trust in Him. Another warning – you can only place your faith and trust in someone you have a relationship with. If you do not have this type of relationship with the God of this universe, please look carefully into the notes and hyperlinks offered in the ‘Footnote’ below. God is able friend!

PRAYER: How awesome it is to be reminded of Your power dear God, and the unending peace I gain each day by placing my faith and trust in You. Should there be one that You may cause to stumble across this devotional today who need You as their personal Savior, Lord Jesus, then I pray that You might convict them and draw them to You. Should there be one who has lost confidence in Your ability to still touch lives today, then I pray that You might deal in their lives and cause them to remember Your awesome power. Please continue to bless and draw mankind unto Yourself, so that we might be reinvigorated in our faith and become even more bold in our witness and in proclaiming how faithful You still are today! Lord, You are gracious, good and eternal. Thank You for reminding us again that You are still God! I trust in You oh God, and ask all these things believing, and in faith – in the awesome name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

The Evidence & Results of True Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, HopeLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 11:13-16): 13 Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth. 14 When people talk this way, it is clear that they are looking for a place to call their own. 15 If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. 16 But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. That’s why God wasn’t ashamed for them to call him their God. He even built a city for them.

Thoughts: I believe I was renewed in my faith as I read this scripture, and was reminded of the faith shown by our forefathers. The writer reminds us that all the faith shown by these powerful men of God, such as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Jacob was not necessarily on the promises that would be revealed to them during their lifetime, but because their minds were not fixed on eartly things and/or places, God was not ashamed of their human failures and instead prepare a heavenly home for them that, no doubt, was their ultimate goal. I am reminded of a saying that often we are so earthly minded that we are of no heavenly good!! It sounds just the opposite for these great saints, and I believe that this may be much of the reason why they were particularly made a part of the scriptures – to help show us what 'true faith' really looks like. To my readers, let me encourage you to join me in re-evaluating the level of our faith. Let's begin with evaluating our priorities – are they more earthly minded than heavenly? Do our actions reflect the qualities learned from our relationship with Christ, or those inherited from our earthly interactions? Would God be ashamed for us to say that He is our God, or would He be proud of His children? We have a hope friends! We have a heavenly home and a gracious heavenly Father that awaits our arrival in His presence. Are you ready? Let's make Him proud of us as long as we are allowed to remain on planet earth, and may others be drawn to our Savior through the faith they see in us!

Prayer: Father God, I thank You for the awesome experience of knowing You, and being blessed by the many ways that You have already touched my life. Please help my readers and I to place our relationship with You as our very top priority, and please help us to learn from the faith of our ancestors, while giving us the urgency to also allow our faith in You to be so obvious in us that those following in our footsteps would see more of Jesus than of our sinful selves. May our lives be so focused on You, oh Lord, that You would be proud to hear us call You our Father and our God. May all who come behind us find us faithful! I ask this in humility and in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

 

 

Faith Demonstrated

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Hope, PeaceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Good News Translation – Hebrews 11:1-2, 7): 1To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. 2It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God’s approval. 7It was faith that made Noah hear God’s warnings about things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.

THOUGHTS: I believe that way too often we take this word ‘faith’ very lightly, for we tell others that we have ‘faith’ in them, or we might say that “yes, I am a person of ‘faith'”, however as we read these verses in Hebrews I believe it is evident that ‘faith’ is much deeper in meaning than the ways that we use it in light conversation. I believe that our ‘faith’ in God is developed first through the things that we learn about God throughout His Word, and because of the ‘faith’ developed and shared with us by great men and women of God that we have come into contact with. These experiences reinforces the ‘faith’ that we gain in God and therefore results in the surrender of our lives to Him through accepting His Son Jesus as our Savior. Understand, we have never seen God, nor have we seen Jesus, but because of all that we have learned, and in turn trusted, we have developed a ‘faith in God. I also believe that sinful man will have no desire to know anything about God, so when one starts to question, or when one becomes curious about this God we know and adore, this is pretty good evidence that God is actively working on them already, for the Word tells us that God will draw mankind unto Himself. He made us, and He has the power to open our eyes to Truth, and to draw us to a relationship with Himself. There were other great men of God mentioned in verses 3-6 of this chapter, so let me encourage you to read the whole chapter. But notice in verse 7 that Noah had to say ‘no’ to the whole world and ‘yes’ to God when he did the extraordinary – built a huge boat on dry land with faith to know that God will bring rain for the very first time in the creation of the world, and that the ‘boat’ would be required by he and his family, in order to survive. That is a demonstration of ‘FAITH’ friends! Is that truly the type ‘faith’ you have when you use that word? If not, may I encourage you to get into God’s Word and read about how He created the earth and how He created our first ancestors, followed by one miracle after another. Invite Jesus to open your eyes of ‘faith’ so that you might believe. Then invite Jesus to be your Lord and Savior so that your ‘faith’ might develop and draw you closer to God that will result in total surrender of your life – in faith! It’s the only thing worthwhile and meaningful to mankind today, and I sincerely pray that each of you reading this devotional will make this relationship of which I have spoken about, a reality today. Seek God, while He is near and while you are still able to, friend.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray that we might be like the father in Mark 9:23-24 who cried out to God with all the faith he had, but asked Him for even more faith so that any gaps in his faith might be filled. Some reading this devotional today may feel like they have no faith at all, while others may feel like they have loads of faith, but….. May I please ask that You, oh God, might fill us with as much faith as You know we can handle, and as much as we need for each day. Lord, we believe, but please help our unbelief. We know You exist, and we know about Your power and awesome love for us, but we need so much more confidence in our Christian lives before we can say like Noah, ‘Yes’ to God, in spite of the whole world telling us it just can’t be right. Fill us with all the faith that we need, and that You know we can confidently handle. For those You have led to read this devotional who may not even know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, please help them to understand that this is the first step of ‘faith’, and is critical to their life here on earth and for eternity. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Savior and my King, in whom I have placed my faith, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

We Have An Advocate

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Surrender, UnderstandingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Hebrews 4:14-16): 14 Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven, let us hold on to the faith we have. 15 For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

THOUGHTS: Often we find it difficult talking with someone who we suspect cannot identify with what concerns us. Let me illustrate: unless a person went through a period of poverty, it would be mighty challenging for them to understand our concerns about not having enough money to meet all of the bills, or not able to go to certain doctors because we can’t afford the general examination fee, much less any other fees that might accrue during our visit. Because we face these kinds of challenges here on earth, it sometimes gives us a complex in dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ. However, these verses this morning are a breath of fresh air, as it reminds us that Jesus lived here on this earth and faced the same challenges that we now face and He did it without sinning. Therefore, as we go to the Father in prayer, we can rest assured that we are communicating with someone who knows all about the challenges that we face, so we can talk freely with Him expecting Him to not only understand, but to help us through our situation. Friends, I am excited and filled with hope that I have an advocate who knows and understands all that I face every day. He longs to hear from me so that He might receive permission to shower His help upon me. He loves me more than I love myself, so I am convinced that He has my best interest at heart. I pray that you will gain this kind of confidence in Jesus Christ even today, friend. He loves you and He wants to be your advocate before our Father. Won’t you consider letting Him in today?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us enough to send us Your very own Son Jesus. Thank You for allowing Him to live on this earth and experience all of what we encounter each day. But most of all, thank You for bringing Him back to Your side to be our advocate. I am reminded of our Guardian Ad Litem program where children who are abused, neglected and abandoned receive the protection of a Guardian who looks out for their best interest. Thank You Lord Jesus for loving us and looking out for our best interest. Thank You for understanding our needs and our peculiarities. Lord, may we therefore trust our lives into Your hands so that You may mold us to be more like You; protect us from the evil one; and lead us to a path of righteousness, for Your name’s sake? I want to be just like You Lord, please lead me and show me the path to achieve that goal. Soften the hearts of the hardened today so that they may surrender to the only One who truly knows all about their needs and concerns. For I ask this in faith, and in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Lord, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

Be Confident In Your Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Godly ConfidenceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Timothy 1:11-14): 11 My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12 That’s why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure that he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with. 13 Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model. 14 You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you.

THOUGHTS: Living in the south all of my life, I can only imagine what it must be like to live in the cold north! One story relayed to me is about the time of year that the lakes begin to freeze over. I could only imagine that there must be a period of testing, before one would trust the idea of walking across, or skiing on a frozen lake. One would have to gain faith that the thickness of the ice will support their weight, and this might come through occasional testing, or through watching how someone else does, who has tested the lake for themselves. Paul had tested the faith entrusted to him on many occasions. In fact, even as he was teaching this fact to Timothy he himself was in jail because of his persistence to share the faith that he was blessed with. Wouldn’t it be great to see this type of faith and confidence evident in Christians today? Don’t you suppose that our churches would be filled each week with worshippers who would come to lift up holy hearts and hands to the Almighty who had blessed them through their faith in Him that week? Don’t you know that there would be no shortage of friends visiting you in hospital to encourage you with the faith they had earned over time in the great Healer and Encourager, especially during their previous times of ill health? Don’t you know that unsaved loved ones and/or friends would rather not be around us, because they know that we would be overflowing with our love for Jesus; stories of all that He has done for us; blessings that we have received from the study of our text book (the Bible); and our deep desire to see them know our loving, caring, guiding, protecting and all-powerful Savior? Conversely, don’t you know that these unsaved loved one would love to be around us when they are hurting or facing life challenges, because they know that we are so connected to Jesus and confident in our faith? Paul had enough of this faith, hope, love and personal experience with the Lord bottled up inside to share it with Timothy for the purpose of helping to give him confidence for the job God called him to do. Do you have that kind of faith friend? I would love to have this level of faith and boldness, how about you? I can confidently talk about marriage, because I’ve been married for almost 40 years, and I have experienced many of the ups and downs of most marriages. We need to be around Jesus enough to be able to share our experiences with Him, and knowledge of Him, with others. We do this already with our marriages, work or any other life experience, why not share an experience about the Savior who has given us hope and a promise for an endless future with Him in heaven! After all, we love our family and friends and want to see God’s very best for them!

PRAYER: Father God, You know more about us than we would ever care to admit, so You know the reasons why we don’t see a lot of end results like mentioned above. I would much rather see You get our undivided attention while we are able to help others along their course of life, rather than us waiting until a disaster, or major health issue occurs, as these things can often lead to ineffectiveness in our remaining life here on earth. I believe that there is no greater hurt, than that of regret. Please touch the lives of Your children today, and give us the faith like Paul so that we may boldly witness for You even under extreme circumstances like Paul encountered. May we never regret having done what we feel You directed us towards. I believe that Your Word is clear that You are interested in seeing us be Your witness to all that we come into contact with. May we make You proud today, is my humble plea, that I ask in the name of Your precious Son Jesus, with thanksgiving, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

How to Live in Harmony

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Harmony, Thanksgiving, UnityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible  (Contemporary English Version – Colossians 3:15-17):  15 Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.

Thoughts: Many marriages survive because spouses allow God to keep control and help them to live together in harmony. However it is extremely challenging when other family members try to live in the same house, or even worse, when others try to make a relationship mature in amicable ways without the help and leadership of Jesus. We often see these unfortunate mishaps in places such as work and church, and these will often result in splits by the parties involved. Jesus knew this, because He saw it happening in the early church, therefore He spoke through Paul to show the church at Colossae, and also our church of today, how such a feat is possible. First of all He made it very clear that we were chosen to be His children, and in having the same Father, and in seeking His control, we were chosen to be able to live together. So right off the top, we have a few checkpoints when we see a deterioration in relationships. Back up, check the list and ask God to mend the broken pieces that we have allowed to come undone. I also believe that Jesus is telling us to celebrate in thanksgiving when we see relationships blessed with oneness! This is most often aided by the help and direction of the Holy Spirit dwelling among believers, and depending on Him to teach and instruct each other. When this is achieved, vs 16 reminds us that we are to worship God with thankful hearts, recognizing that He has been at work in and around us, and deserves our eternal praise. In fact, our very lives should reflect the glory and praise of our good Lord who blesses us. Lord, You are Good and Your mercies endureth forever!

Prayer: Lord, You made us to love, worship and adore You, our heavenly Father. Thank you! For all that have chosen to follow Your plan, You have filled them (us) with Your Holy Spirit and blessed with Your awesome presence and power to overcome life’s obstacles. Lord, You are Good and Your Mercies Endureth Forever! Thank You! Father, I am convinced that this old world badly needs You, so I ask today that You might touch the hearts of Your children – those who have chosen You as their Savior, to live in harmony with each other. I believe it is only when the unsaved see results of Christ living in us, that they will be convinced that indeed there is a Savior who is actively at work among His people, whom they should consider. Lord, may we be good representatives of Yours and fulfill Your design for the local church and the harmony You designed in us. May the unsaved see the need for a Savior and readily accept Him today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving! 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

How To Handle Life Challenges

On By Ed AlgreenIn FaithLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (Good News Translation – Isaiah 37:16-17): 16 “Almighty Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky. 17Now, Lord, hear us and look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.

(Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 37:18-20) 18 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. 19 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. 20 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only Lord.

Thoughts: So many times we are faced with circumstances where we realize that we have allowed our walk with the Lord to fall into second place. Notice that I said ‘we’ allow, instead of indicating that God leaves us and moves on. Friends, I believe that when we sense a distance between God and us, we needn’t wonder whose fault it is, for our God is always the same – He loves us, cares for us and will remain with us to the very end. Way too often we beat up on ourselves so badly that we convince ourselves that there is no way that God could love us in our sorry state. I’m here to tell you that anytime you sense a distance between you and God, please search your heart and His will for what He would have you do. Notice in verse 16 that King Hezekiah recognized God for who He is – ‘You alone are God’. That’s a very powerful acknowledgment that each of us must recognize, especially when we are feeling isolated, alone and powerless. However, it will be challenging for you to recognize this fact when you’re in need, if you didn’t also acknowledge Him as God when everything was going well for you. The way that God got my attention in the second set of verses is that the king acknowledged that in spite of the overwhelming circumstances, he knew that the balance (final say) remained in God’s hands. Friends, this is an awful lot like us when we face very challenging circumstances, for in faith we must say that: in spite of what the doctors say, or in spite of what my check book says, or in spite of all odds ‘You are our Lord and our God’ and it is in You that I place my faith, believing that all things work for best, for those who love and serve God! King Hezekiah went before God in great confidence. We serve the sane God and we can go before Him in the same faith and confidence that the king did! Anything stopping you friend?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we are weak, but You are so strong. Please help me/us to place our faith and trust totally in Your hands and depend on You in every walk of life and through every circumstance, especially those times when we realize that things are way out of our hands and/or abilities. As indicated above, I realize that such trust can only be achieved through our faith in You during the ‘good’ times also, for if we only come to You in trouble, how would we know to trust You. So Lord, I plead with You to touch my heart, guide me and lead me in the path of righteousness. Teach me Your ways and help me to live so that my life will glorify You. May I learn to trust in Your ways and allow You control of my circumstances, even when the way seems dark and impossible to me. May Your Word touch some soul today who may be facing circumstances such as this, for I ask this in the precious and holy name of 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

Our God Can Do Anything!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – Ephesians 3:20-21)

Thoughts:

This is generally a time of the year that we reflect back at all of the challenges we have faced. Obviously we have conquered the circumstances because we are here to tell the story, however in spite of the awesome pressure and anxiety in dealing with the challenges, we can now use this time to glorify God for His awesome hand upon us! In reading this passage from Ephesians, we are reminded that our God is capable of doing far more than we could ever imagine! In fact, in order to make sure that we have all His power available to us, He sent His Holy Spirit to live and reign within us. So friend, I hope that we will be careful how we whine, for when we do, we are really questioning the ability of the Holy Spirit to see us through our circumstances. Let’s learn to place our faith and trust in Him, lean on Him, depend on Him and allow Him free reign in our lives, knowing that all things work together for good, to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus. We have seen evidence that He can do all things and that He will work in our favor, after all, we are His beloved children. Let’s stop stressing friend, and ask God to give His Holy Spirit free reign in our lives this Christmas season and throughout 2015! There’s no better resolution we can make than this!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are so good to us, yet we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Please teach us to release this stressful life to You so that Your Holy Spirit might have free reign in our lives. Please help us to consult with You, take instructions from You and obediently carryout Your will for our lives. We need You in our lives and we need to depend on You daily. Lord, may we be Your humble servants and do exactly this as we continue on in this tough, rugged and stressful life. Thine be the Glory Lord, for You are so good to me! I’m praising You and asking all this in Your precious name, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

No Substitute For Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Grace, WorksLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Galatians 5:4-6)

Thoughts:

Paul found a real challenge among his people where, although the people/his churches accepted his preaching, understood it and followed in accepting Jesus as Lord, yet it was challenging for them to accept this gift of grace without the need and/or support of their old religious practices, such as circumcision. Do we find that happening today in our churches? The challenge I see today friends, is that way too often we become so ‘religious’ or ‘church attendance’ minded, that we lose sight of what God truly did for us at Calvary. In fact, we have so many programs going on at our churches that folk could come in and join us in worship services, then follow into any number of other studies or groups, and before you know it they will be considered ‘one of us’. I’m afraid that folk can easily convince themselves that they are a Christian, because they follow so much of the traditional church programs and practices. In fact, I believe that our very own kids – growing up in a Christian home, attending regular and frequent church services and/or activities, could very well feel like they too are a Christian, without ever encountering Christ through a personal decision and an ongoing relationship with Him. Paul emphasized that anytime we take our eyes off Jesus, and/or co-dependent on anything additional, then essentially our faith in God becomes suspect. Unless we leave this study less than encouraged, I must quickly tell you that I am a strong advocate of the local church. However, if you attend church all of your life and never surrender your life to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Your Lord and Savior, then your lifetime of church attendance is in vain, because you are destined for eternal damnation in Hell. God has relayed this through His Word very clearly. There is only one way that leads to eternity with Christ. If you are not clear on the time period and place where you made this commitment, then I would encourage you to follow the direction offered in my footnote. I am praying for someone to make this decision today – before it is eternally too late.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for saving my soul back in 1976. As folk meditate on this devotional today, I pray that they will be prompted by Your Holy Spirit to make any necessary decisions to insure that their lives are in order, should You call them home today. Thank You for making the way available to us! Now my prayer is that no one will ignore the prompting of Your Holy Spirit as You minister to them today. May all the angels in heaven have reason to rejoice today over the one that might make a commitment to follow You, is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Jesus, my Lord, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! 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!

Your Defense Against Satan

On By Ed AlgreenIn FaithLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.

(Bible Translation and Location: Good News Translation – Ephesians 6:16)

Thoughts:

I believe that our country is well prepared in defending us from the evil that others may want to inflict upon us because of hatred for one reason or another. However, as individuals, how prepared are we in defending ourselves against the evil, temptations and trials that come our way each day? Normally we would think of ‘burning arrows’ as something an enemy might shoot into the camp of an opposing group, and we could apply this verse, if taken out of context and on its own. However, the ‘faith’ being referenced in this verse is part of the armor of God that Paul is teaching us to put on each day so that we may remain protected and strong against the enemy, Satan. If taken literally, you might say that you’ve never been hit by an arrow! Therefore let me suggest to you what some of these ‘arrows’ might be that would cause Paul to suggest how we might defend ourselves:

  • Depression – I believe that there are probably more folk depressed today than ever before in history. Whether it’s due to their concern about their health, family, job, finances or any number of things;
  • Discouragement – It is so discouraging for us to work our buns off for 8-16 hours per day, and still wind up broke at the end of the pay-week, or feel unappreciated by our supervisor, or not to receive a raise for our hard work;
  • Disappointment – You didn’t win the award or the promotion that you worked so hard to achieve. You are not pleased with the spouse your child found to spend their lives with. You can’t retire as early as you had hoped to.

There are numerous other ‘arrows’ that Satan may send our way to distract us from the path to righteousness and faith in our Lord and Savior. However, as children of God, refreshed by the Word daily, we know that God is in control of our lives and the circumstances that might impact it. The ability to take hold of these promises and know that God will be, and do, all that He said He would, is accomplished through our faith in our Creator. This ‘faith’ is possible through our first-hand knowledge and trust in the God of this universe, please read ‘To Know God‘, and our daily walk, or relationship, with Jesus. With this ‘faith’ we can move mountains, per scripture, and we can put Satan at bay knowing that he is not in control of our lives, but instead Jesus, the Son of the living and all-powerful God is! Praise His holy name forever!!

Prayer:

Jesus, Savior, Lord, Son of God, we are often overwhelmed by the fiery arrows of Satan. Please help us to stay focused and know that our Deflector of those arrows, and our Defender is so much stronger, loving, caring and very capable of handling our defense against Satan. Please soften the hearts of those who might feel like their decision to accept You as Lord is one that is made and forgotten. Please encourage them into a daily, relational, personal interaction with You, and give them knowledge to know that it is only in, and through You, Your grace and Your power that we could ever expect to defend ourselves against the evil one. Lord, may this be a day that Your children will seek You, know You and worship You in all spirit and truth. May we renew our relationship with You and maintain a sweet daily communion with You so that our faith may be energized and reinvigorated to overcome Satan in his daily attacks on us. You are God alone, and in You I place my trust oh Lord! I ask all this in Your precious and most worthy name, 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 I can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. I would also recommend the following resource to you: “To Know 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at my church home, Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!