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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-12-06 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
1 Kings 14:7-9 (ERV) |
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Text: |
7 ….this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I chose you from among all the Israelites. I made you the ruler of my people. 8 David’s family was ruling the kingdom of Israel, but I took the kingdom away from them and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David. He always obeyed my commands and followed me with his whole heart. He did only what I accepted. 9 But you have sinned worse than anyone who ruled before you. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| There was a lot going on in Israel with so many wicked kings that ultimately resulted in a wicked nation. In the case of Jeroboam, he sent his wife to the prophet Ahijah out of desperation over the serious illness of his son. However, Jeroboam had his wife disguise herself, because he wasn’t sure that he wanted to hear the lecture back from Ahijah. But what God had planned was carried through to completion, and a strong awakening message was returned to Jeroboam about his impending judgment. God sees and knows all things about us. I wonder what’s in store for us? |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| We are always opposed to being compared to someone else, for we feel like a unique individual who should be allowed to think outside of the box and achieve the end result in our own unique form, correct? A huge difference in this for the Christian, is that God has already established a ‘standard’, and we should always be striving to please God by reaching for that ‘standard’. I believe that successful people will look for someone who has already achieved a ‘standard’ in something they are developing, and they will follow that example to the best of their ability. Now because of our uniqueness, we will try some tweaking to see if we could improve on that which we are following, but we already know that the principle idea is proven. God had the privilege of looking over time and people to see who had made the best strides in following His commands, and in leading a country, He determined that David was that person. Suppose that God would look at our world and find a current-day success story? Could it be you that he would choose for your peers to look to for guidance and leadership in a godly fashion? Think about it – for those very things that you find extremely challenging to do, someone else has already successfully achieved, and from their testimony, you are aware that they depended on God through their whole mission. and remained faithful to Him. Will you have a degree of faith in following that person? Friends, let’s always be aware that we serve a God who placed the stars just right in the evening sky; He not only gave us eyes to look at those stars, but He also created our whole being. Those are pretty complex and amazingly wonderful things, aren’t they? Then remind me again why you think that He can’t handle your most difficult and complex situation? One big reason that we meet together as God’s church, is to share with each other the success stories in our relationship with God. If someone else has been successful in achieving a part of God’s plan, then we should flock to them and find out what they attribute their success to, because we want to follow that plan. God knew of David’s success, so He expected the same from all other kings who tried to fill the same role. You might be another ‘David’, where others are following in your footsteps. Please be sure that you seek God’s face every day, so that you could remain strong, faithful and always in a thankful and praising mood. God is able, and always faithful to those who love Him and are faithful to obey His commands. Oh that we may please Him in all that we do and say as we represent Him faithfully every day! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Lord, I believe that through this Scripture, You have reminded us to be faithful to You in all things and to be obedient to all Your commands that You put in place as a guide for our journey. In doing these things, we will not only please You, but we may help in guiding others who are floundering. Thank You Lord for placing us together as a body of believers (the church) – a support arm for each other so that Your church might be strong and bold in our witnessing to the lost in our communities. Oh that we may be found faithful when Jesus calls us home to Himself! |
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| 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
Category: Evidence of Faith
May ‘Hope’ Overflow In Our Character
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-11-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Romans 15:13 (VOICE) |
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Text: |
13 I pray that God, the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Paul had been called to minister to the Gentiles, but he finds it necessary to help Jews and Christians understand that joy and peace must be prevalent in the midst of their faith, for them to have a chance at expressing a witness to the unsaved Gentiles. This is still very true for us today, through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
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| APPLICATION: |
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| Oh that today we might be filled with an abundance of joy and peace like Paul prayed for in our Scripture today. In the midst of so much unrest in the world, and in the midst of so much crime and hatred in our own country, it is extremely challenging for Christians to have their light shine in the midst of so much dismay. The backdrop for Paul in sharing this with his audience, is Isaiah 11:10, where Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus, the Hope of all nations. Friends, in all business lines, our staff will not convince, and sell a product they don’t use themselves. Likewise, it is virtually impossible for us to ‘say’ we have faith in Jesus Christ, and there not be a glimmer of hope, peace and joy. The Bible says that by our works they will know us. I believe that ‘works’ here breaks down to: our actions, our joy, our peace and our faith. Paul prayed that God’s servants would be infused with these things. Perhaps we should be praying that God would still infuse us with these gifts, so that we may overflow with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and be more likely to touch the hearts of those that we witness to. The return of Christ is near, let us not waste an opportunity to share His love with all that we come into contact with. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, please fill us, Your chosen children, so that we may overflow with Your goodness, love and mercy. We want others to know of You, and through Your Holy Spirit may we be used by You to extend love, joy, peace and faith to all that we come into contact with. Oh that they may see Jesus. Humble the hearts of those that we meet today so that they may not become distracted by anything in our lives, for I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN! |
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| 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
A Message of Faith and Hope
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-10-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 6:61-65 (TLB) |
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Text: |
61 Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining and said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see me, the Messiah, return to heaven again? 63 Only the Holy Spirit gives eternal life. Those born only once, with physical birth, will never receive this gift. But now I have told you how to get this true spiritual life. 64 But some of you don’t believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe and knew the one who would betray him.)
65 And he remarked, “That is what I meant when I said that no one can come to me unless the Father attracts him to me.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus’ disciples were hearing Him speak of things that they never knew or understood, and they definitely couldn’t see how it would be possible for them to ever accept. For example, Jesus spoke to them about the Lord’s supper, and all that it represents. Many gave up, because they knew that they would never consider eating flesh and drinking blood of anyone. Many give up, or refuse to hear the truth of God’s Word today also, so let’s ‘dig in’….. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that ‘Christians’ struggle to understand, or believe, that friends and family wrestle with believing in the God that we love, adore and look forward to spending eternity with. Think about it friends, we are challenged to understand how non-Christians go on in life without a Savior, and they are challenged to understand how we could possibly believe in a God that we have never seen. Let me suggest that, as God’s children, we have no authority over making our friends believe in God. However, if we truly believe in God; love Him; worship and adore Him; obey His commands; and brag on His faithfulness and miracles that touch us, then I believe that our friends will see evidence of what God is actively doing in our lives. They need to know that our God is alive and active today! Of course when we practice drinking the cup and eating the bread, through communion or the Lord’s Supper, we are merely practicing what Jesus taught us to practice, for as we do that we remember His blood that was shed for us and His body that was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary. As we are reminded, we should be re-energized to go out and tell the world that we have a Savior who sacrificed His life and shed His blood, so that we might receive forgiveness of sin, and live eternally in heaven with He and the Father. Friends, the evidence that our friends need concerning the Savior that we believe they need, must be reflected in everything we do or say, otherwise they continue to doubt His effectiveness on humans. If its to be, it’s up to us, friends! Let God fill You so that we may honestly reflect Him in all aspects of our lives. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, many have predefined ideas of what You look like and what You are capable of doing. Please touch Your representatives (us Christians) once again today, and empower us to reflect You in all aspects of our life, especially in spite of all the sin and strife around us while here on earth. We have friends who are dying and going to Hell Lord, and we want You to make a difference in their lives. My humble prayer is that You might please use us as Your instruments to touch lives today for You. AMEN! |
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| 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
A Faith That Heals and Saves
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-08-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Luke 17:14-19 (MSG) |
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Text: |
14-16 Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
17-19 Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This is known as the story of the Ten Lepers. Leprosy is a dreaded decease where those afflicted were placed outside the city gates in order not to infect others. However these 10 lepers had heard about Jesus, and had some hope that He would heal them, if only they could get close enough to let Jesus know their heart’s cry. This happened as they had hoped and wished for, but the healing demanded a lot of faith from the lepers. Let’s examine this closer and see what God might say to us through His Word…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| For every person that passed within eye-shod of these lepers, I’m sure that 99.99% of them turned their heads and went on their way to avoid any type of contact with this dreaded decease. However, just as He does when He looks at the sinner today, Jesus looked beyond the physical needs of these lepers and saw the cry of their hearts; their desperate need; and their sincere need of salvation and healing. For the lepers, I could only imagine that the words of an old gospel hymn may have been written based on their mindset: ‘Where could I go but to the Lord’. I want us to look very carefully at the way this healing was performed. Without anything changing in their lives, the lepers were told by Jesus to go and show themselves to the priests. To humanly look at their skin, nothing had changed, yet they obeyed Jesus by going to the priests, as demanded. How many of you would be prepared to do that? Imagine that in one of your church services, one comes forward for prayer with obvious signs of an incurable skin decease, and I have researched and found that in spite of today’s excellent research and medical advancements, there are still incurable skin deceases. So after much prayer by your pastor, elders and leaders of your church, the pastor jumps up and demands that the afflicted ones leave at once and confirm with their doctors that they have been completely healed. As the afflicted look at their skin and notice that nothing has changed, what do you suppose they will do? As the congregation looks on, do you suppose they will stop praying and start celebrating? The Bible says that nothing occurred until the lepers started their journey towards the priests to whom they were sent, but the important lesson is that they acted on their faith in the healing process. If they had not, they would have gone back to their caves and brushed aside all they had heard about Jesus as a farce. Friends, if we believe on the One who died for our sin, then we must be willing to act on our faith. When we do, we will earnestly pray for those in need of healing, and when we ourselves are pressed with hardship and affliction, we will quickly follow the Master’s commands, in faith, knowing that only Jesus can heal, and only He can love the vilest sinner as His very own righteous son/daughter. Do you know this Jesus of whom I have spoken in this blog, friend? If you don’t, or are unsure, please click on the link in my Footnote entitled ‘To Know Jesus’, otherwise follow the other tips noted in my Footnote. Jesus loves you friend, and He want’s You to place your trust in Him. Whether you have never accepted Jesus as Lord, or if you are facing leprosy, cancer or some other decease, Jesus loves you and would like to see you surrender your life and your circumstances to Him. May I encourage you to seek the face of Jesus today for whatever you may be facing? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us in spite of who we are and all that we may have done in our lifetime. You cared about the lepers who cried out to You, and I am convinced that You care for each of Your children who call on You today. Thank You for loving us unconditionally. Please guide us to a love like that, so that we may not only love You in the same way, but also our fellow man. Your willingness to heal men who were rejected by society, is yet one more reminder that You also love each of us today, and would be willing to heal us if we call on You. Oh that we will show our appreciation by allowing You control of our lives. 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
Faith Like That of The Shepherds
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-06-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Luke 2:8-12 (NCV) |
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Text: |
8 That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. 10 The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. 11 Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God had a plan in action, with the miraculous birth of His Son through a virgin named Mary. Everything went just as God had revealed to Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth. Now God was working in the lives of those that were praying for this Savior to come and save them and their country from the awful stain of sin, corruption and destruction. Let’s have a closer look at the shepherds, whom God chose to reveal Himself to, resulting in them being one of the first groups to visit the newborn infant and God’s servants, Mary and Joseph. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Some may assume that I am getting wrapped up in the Christmas story way early this year, and while I totally love the story of our Savior’s birth, I am merely reading through the Bible and got to this Scripture today! I believe that way too often we hear the Christmas story, and because we have always loved the story of Jesus’ birth, we remember the story vividly and therefore never stop to meditate on particular servants or scenes, because we feel like we have heard it all so many times over the years. In the case of the shepherds, they were keeping watch over their sheep to protect them from the wild animals that may have been looking for a quick way into the pasture to grab one for dinner! It seems like these were godly men who prayed for a deliverer, and probably looked into the night sky while on watch, just praying some more and imagining what it might be like if that deliverer might come during their lifetime. I believe that many Christians probably do something very similar when they look at the challenges with politics in their own country. I love the outdoors, so I have often looked into the dark skies lit only by God’s perfect candles (stars) and imagined what it would be like to witness the return of Jesus Christ when He comes to take fellow Christians and myself up to our heavenly home to live eternally with Him! What if that night silence and dark sky was broken one night and God sent His angels to come and take us home? Of course you will immediately cry out for family and friends for whose salvation you’ve been praying, but can you even imagine the joy that will fill your heart to even imagine going to live with your blessed Redeemer for whom you’ve been loving, serving and anticipating for years? In fact, this may all have crossed the minds of these shepherds as they saw something bright and glorious appear before them in the dark sky. I’m sure they were in so much shock and awe that they probably had trouble concentrating on what was being told to them, but they gathered enough from the good news that they quickly decided to go and see this child that the angels spoke of. But let’s be sure that we get this. Imagine being a part of a group considered the lowest of the lowest in society, and now you are convinced that the Almighty God sent an angel to tell you about the birth of His Son? Furthermore, you are witnessing this group dropping everything, and risking to walk a distance to see if this is for real? As part of that group, what will you tell someone along the way who may ask about your travel destination? Friends, I believe you could see that while we classify people based on our perception, God is no respecter of persons. Some of us create separations by country, by race, by political party, by church denomination, etc. But I truly believe that God looks at us as His precious children, period. Being no respecter of persons, God could give someone that we least expect, a message that He would like for us to adhere to, or be encouraged by. Are we seriously looking for a word from the Lord each day, no matter who God decides to use as His delivery boy? Are we seriously looking forward to His return? What if it was today? Are you truly ready and waiting for His return? Let’s try to be like the shepherds who, when told about Jesus, dropped what they were doing and went to worship Him! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, You are so awesome in every way, and I praise You for who You are to me. In being reminded today of Your willingness to minister to ALL mankind, I am humbled and reassured that I can stand boldly before the throne and worship You and bring my petitions before You. Lord, for those who will read this and doubt about their worthiness in Your sight, please reassure them of Your love for all mankind – all who were made by You, in Your image and for Your glory. The shepherds glorified the arrival of their long awaited King and Savior, because their world was so challenging and filled with hatred and crime. Sounds like a mirror of what we face today Lord, so we plead that You might hear our cry for help and send us relief that only You could imagine or make possible. We have hope in You oh Lord, please help us to remain faithful until You are ready for us in heaven, 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
Only God
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-03-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Exodus 14:31 (AMP) |
|
Text: |
31 When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord [with reverence and awe-filled respect], and they believed in the Lord, and in His servant Moses. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Israelites had a hard time trusting Moses and his God, as they suffered through the heat, drought and weariness of wandering through the wilderness, even though God came through for them on many occasions. Here on yet another occasion it became evident to the Israelites that only God could hold the waters back so they could walk through the Red Sea on dry land, and only God could give the command to fill the sea back, after the Israelites were safely on the other side and the Egyptians were dead center in the middle of it when it collapsed on top of them. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We could see where the episode detailed in our Scripture verses today is yet another in a series of miracles that God performed to help gain the confidence and trust of the Israelites that He allowed Moses to lead away from Egypt. At the conclusion of this particular episode, the Israelites were able to look back in wonderment of what God had just done to bring them safely through a body of water, then how He used that same body of water to destroy their slave-masters – the Egyptian army. Is this what’s missing from our culture today? I believe that miracles still occur, but are they getting passed off as happen-chance, or good luck, or great doctors? How about when a young drug addict is drawn to the Lord, is it ever said that it was because of the prayers of a praying mom and dad, that God got to the heart of that son or daughter and drew them to Himself? Friends, we are quickly approaching the Easter season where we are reminded of the resurrected Lord. He is still on the throne and still very active in the lives of His children. Yes we can tell the stories of miracles from the Bible so that we could be reminded of the power of our God, but we must never forget that He is still on the throne; He still answers the prayers of His children; and that He still performs miracles even today. Drug addicts and those trapped by Satan will quickly tell you of the dark underground where they live. Now if only Christians will be as quick to brag about the power of God in their lives each day! When you see answered prayer, believe me, that was a miracle of God, not because of any power of yours or your pastor’s. Be ready and willing to praise and thank God for the miracles, and always be ready to brag on your miracles so that others may see, or hear, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Israelites saw and believed – your friends can do the same, if you remain faithful and give God the glory! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, it took miracle after miracle to get through to the stubborn hearts of the Israelites that You carefully led out of slavery in Egypt. There are many of our friends, neighbors and family who are enslaved to the greater sins of this world today, and You have placed us plum in the middle of all this so that we could expose them to the miracle of the gospel. Please touch your children once again today dear Lord and give us boldness to declare the goodness of the Lord. We are thankful for the miracles we see each and every day through answered prayer, please help us to use those experiences to brag on You before an unbelieving world. May they see Jesus through our eyes, so they may understand the Miracle Worker that we love and adore. May they seek Your saving grace even today dear Lord, 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
Pray – In Faith – and Receive
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-03-07 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 21:20-22 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had a point to prove to his followers, because He knew there was still doubt in their minds of what all they could accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit. So He merely spoke to a barren fig tree and it instantly withered up. Of course, the disciples reacted just as Jesus knew they would, and this provided a teaching moment for Jesus. Verse 22 should be posted in all prayer rooms today! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| For all believers reading this today, I believe that we can reflect back on our life-journey and see the path God set that led us towards accepting Him as our Master and Lord. For me, it was: placing the right lady in my life; one who was attending an evangelistic, Bible-teaching church that believed in altar calls; driving me towards attending her church vs the one that I was attending; placing a godly man in the service the night that I felt God tugging at my heart but wouldn’t let go of the seat to go to the altar, so God’s messenger came over, touched me on the shoulder and helped me make that walk that totally changed my life for ever. For the disciples, in our story today, who needed to learn about faith, Jesus also found the perfect time to demonstrate His power, and teach them about the miracles that could be wrought by even them, if they had faith. Friends, this story was placed in the Word of God to show us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we too have access to the throne of God to ‘ask for anything, in faith, and receive it’. Sounds impossible? Good, because the Bible said that these miracles will not be of our own power, but if we ask Jesus for it, and believe in faith that He can, and He will do it, then our prayer will be answered. So if we are asking this of Jesus, please realize that the things you ask will have to be things that He would approve of, and that fits into His perfect will. Jesus even gave an example of what could be possible through this kind of faith. So may I challenge you today to consider whether anything that you would ask in prayer today is greater than the ability to move a mountain into the sea? Probably not, right? Yet Jesus said that could be done, if we exercise our faith in Him! Wow! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, there are things that many of Your children are praying for right now that seem very impossible to us. Please draw us closer to You so that our faith might increase, and so that we would think outside of our small box of finite possibilities. We need You Heavenly Father to be in charge of our personal lives, so we fully surrender to You today. Please use us as Your instruments through which You can reach the souls of mankind. May we never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we see nothing but Jesus rather than the mountains of impossibilities that often block our view of You. Thank You Lord for reminding us of Your awesome power that can be extended from You to others we cross paths with, in the form of miracles 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 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 Highlands County, 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! | |
Being Refined For The Glory Of God
May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? You may be going through times of spiritual refining so that you may be drawn closer to the Lord, or brought back on track in being more like Him. Read more and be blessed!
Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Peter 4:12–14
Today’s Bible Text: Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)
My Take Away: I found it intriguing how God covers all of life’s possible issues or scenarios in His Word. I believe that He truly intended for us to know that His Word is our central reference point in life. It’s our ‘everything’ manual! Throughout God’s Word we read where God’s people were picked on and often killed because of their stand for the Lord, and while I realize that most of us meditating on this devotional today may never have experienced persecution for the sake of the gospel, I do believe that it still goes on in our world today. I don’t believe that Peter is suggesting that we go off looking for trouble, in order to prove anything about our Christian stance, but I believe that God is getting it across to us that His very Son went through persecution, and if we are seriously trying to imitate Him here on earth, then we should expect the same treatment that He received. However, He wanted us to know that when this happens to us, it will serve to refine us, or strengthen our will to serve God with even greater determination, or remind us of why we are serving our great, big, wonderful God! The refining process always hurts, but the glory at the end of the journey is worth it all! May I suggest that you look at indicators of refining, as encouragement in knowing that God’s not finished with you yet, but that He is still very actively involved in growing and maturing you in His service, for His ultimate glory!
Prayer: Father, it almost sounds crazy that we would rejoice when we feel picked on or abused for our Christian work, but I also believe that it would seem even more crazy if we were not seeing some reaction to Your work that we do. After all, no reaction would often indicate that our work, or even our words, are not a whole lot different to what people hear every day in their jobs or even on the street. I strongly believe that if we dedicate ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, and stand up for we believe He is leading us towards saying and doing, then that will be totally strange to a lost person. Christians, please don’t take that as a bad thing, for why would an unsaved person want to hear from us if we are no different to what they hear from their unsaved buddies? Please dear God, make us more like You, even if it makes us totally different to those we may be called upon to share Your Word with. We want them to see Jesus, and for them to be impacted by Your love that was expressed so vividly throughout Your Word. We need You heavenly Father, please bless us as we go our way today! 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. 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org 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 Highlands County, 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!
2016
Give It Up, Friend!
May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………
Today’s Bible Reference: 1 John 3:16-18
Today’s Bible Text: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation
My Take Away: I’m sure that I am slower than most, therefore the reason that I overlooked exactly the point that God was trying to get across to us in this passage today! So I wanted to share with you how I feel like God revealed Himself to me, and the instructions He made clear to me. The first part of verse 16 is a given, in that we have always been taught that what Jesus did on the cross was not a win for the king and his people that ordered the crucifixion of our Lord, but Jesus went to the cross in total obedience to His Father, in total love for us. John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible, because it explains the love of Jesus in dying for every sinner, and the everlasting hope offered as a result of that sacrifice. Now, back to verses 17 & 18 of our highlighted verses today, we (Christ’s followers) are challenged to do the same thing for our fellow man. Go to the cross for another, you might ask? No, although we may not be forced to give up our life, we certainly might be called on to volunteer our time to help someone who is incapable of helping themselves. OR, someone that might be hungry when we have more than enough to sacrifice our next meal to give it to them. OR, perhaps another nation is unable or unwilling to fully care for their orphans, and even though we may not be able to feed them all for a week, perhaps we could join or support a local missions group who will go and work around the orphanage so that monies given to the orphanage can be used to better feed or clothe the orphans. OR, if called on to give financially to those in need, perhaps we can give of our excess, or sacrifice the money we would ordinarily spend on items we could easily do without. Think about it friend, when we consider our ‘life’ we generally consider all those things that make it worthwhile for us to get up each morning, or to keep on slaving away at work each day. How much of that are you willing to give up for the sake of a person in need? I believe we had best be very careful to not find excuses when God asks us to be His hands and His feet, and to minister in His name. Let us always remember that He gave it all so that we might have life eternally in heaven. Anything we are challenged with should be in the light of that sacrifice, and done with the love of that sacrifice. Only then will an unbeliever truly understand the love of our Savior that we might tell them about.
Prayer: Lord, please help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and not on our circumstances. Please help us to give, because You first sacrificed everything as You gave it all for us. Please help us to stop thinking so selfishly about the benefits of our greed and finding so many excuses about all that we could give to others, if only we would deal with our selfishness and give up the wants of self gratification. Forgive us Lord for being inconsiderate of the needs of others, especially while we gloat in the excess blessings that You have showered on us. Please teach us to follow Your ways, even when it causes us to sacrifice. Your love oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. May Your love be evident in everything we do or say, so that You may be glorified here on earth. I ask these things in the precious, holy, sacrificial name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, 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. 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 http://www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org 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 Highlands County, 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!
Evidence of our Faith
THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – James 2:14; 21-23): 14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? …… 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham’s faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him.” That’s how Abraham became God’s friend.
THOUGHTS: Ever noticed how we evaluate people to determine who they truly are? After a short meeting with, or introduction to, someone, generally we can come away with our minds set on who they are deep inside. James is getting a similar point across to us in these verses today, for He tells us that if we truly have faith, there will not be a need for us to tell folk that we have it, but that it will shine through in our actions. The example given by James is a mind opener on this subject. Imagine Abraham exercising his faith in God to the degree that he is headed to the place of sacrifice prepared to place his own son on the altar to be sacrifice, because this is what God ordered him to do. Imagine doing something like that, being assured that God will work out something for His good, if we follow His command! Friends, I believe that this story is pure evidence that the faith of Abraham was far greater and convicting to him than any earthly possession. Matthew Henry said in his commentary on these verses: “This place of Scripture plainly shows that an opinion, or assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith. There is no way to show we really believe in Christ, but by being diligent in good works, from gospel motives, and for gospel purposes.” I truly believe that we are tested each day on our level of faith, and by the end of the day we can analyze how much of what we said or did was based on our faith in God and dependence on Him, versus how much was a result of our selfish will for our own selfish purpose. I believe the question to ponder today is, “do we truly believe in God?” If so, “Why do we not exercise sufficient faith in Him to prove our faith in, and dedication to Him” If we never said a word to our coworkers about our Christianity or belief in God, would they know by our faith that we are a Son, or Daughter, of the King of all kings, based on our expressed faith?
PRAYER: What a mind-sobering thought for us today oh God! We say with our lips that “we believe in You”, but is our faith truly evident and noteworthy to those that we come into contact with? What’s inside of us will truly come out when we face relatives, friends and coworkers who have gained knowledge of us through everyday dealings. I wonder, have they seen through my actions alone that there is a God, or that I am controlled by, and encouraged by, the very God of this universe? Please help my friends reading this devotional today, and myself, to truly put our heart where our mouth is. It is very easy to say at church, or in the presence of fellow Christians, that we are ‘Christian’. May our hearts be so affected by Your grace dear Lord, that our actions will overflow with the abundant faith of our hearts, and may You be glorified if this faith is recognized by anyone, because it’s all about You Jesus. I ask all this, in faith, and in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Lord and soon coming King, 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!
Nuggets From God's Word 