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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-11-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
John 11:14-15 (MSG) |
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Text: |
14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Earlier in chapter 11 the followers of Jesus had reminded Him of the danger in returning to Bethany, the town where His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived, because the last time they were there they were stoned. Right after Jesus’ command His disciples to follow Him to Bethany, Thomas spoke what may have been on the hearts of most of the disciples, when he said “let’s follow Him so that we may die together”. However Jesus had a greater mission in mind, and I believe we could also learn from this…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It seems like our attention is often enhanced by the unexpected. Jesus could have healed His friend Lazarus while he was still alive; He could have brought him back to life as soon as He was told that Lazarus had died; He could have performed the miracle before a large crowd, or He could have done it in the middle of the night. However, I believe that Jesus saw the doubt and limitations being built by His own disciples, so He wanted to go beyond anything they had seen before, to make sure that lives were miraculously touched, and that God the Father received glory. This very much spoke to me about the normal church attendee today. We have come to expect a special order of service, the same speaker bringing the sermon and we have become so accustomed to getting out at a certain time, that we could easily plan our oven to complete cooking lunch at a certain time. Now IF God was programmable, all of this would work within His time-frames, but knowing that He’s not, what would happen if people started getting saved in every service, or Brothers getting healed, or sisters recommitting their lives to Christ in every service? Think about it, Jesus deliberately delayed His arrival to Bethany so that followers would see a different kind of miracle – one that would shake them up from their normal expectation, and they would be reminded that He truly is the Son of God, who could do ALL things. We too get ourselves into a box of believing that God can do only so much, because we have seen or heard of Him doing just that much before. Friends, I believe we are being taught here, along with the disciples, that the God who created us and placed the stars in the sky, is still very much alive and capable of doing way more than we could every dream or believe. I believe that our part is: to believe in the only One who could save us from our sin; trust Him to watch over, protect and guide us in the way of Truth daily; learn to worship Him, thank Him and depend on Him daily; trust Him by never putting Him in a box of limited possibilities; and get excited about the place He has prepared for us in glory. Do you feel like you are lacking in either of these things? Do you feel like you have placed complete faith and trust in Jesus, to accomplish way more than you could ever imagine? We tend to ask for only as much as we could believe, or have faith to ask for. God can do so much more than that friend! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, I believe that we are just as guilty as Your disciples were in the story of Lazarus, They followed you to Bethany, but they were so worried about their own lives that I believe it was challenging for them to truly appreciate the miracle that You brought about with Lazarus that day. We have become so accustomed to knowing the limitations of everything that we encounter, that we tend to place those same limitations on what our awesome God could do. Please forgive us for our littleness and for the blessings we miss out one because of our limitations. You are worthy oh Lord, please forgive us for our unworthiness and grant us new perspectives about You every day so that we may be overzealous in praise and thanksgiving. 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! | |
Category: Power of Prayer
Reasons To Praise God!
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-09-30 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 63:2-4 (Voice) |
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Text: |
2 I have seen You in Your sanctuary and have been awed by Your power and glory. 3 Your steadfast love is better than life itself, so my lips will give You all my praise. 4 I will bless You with every breath of my life; I will lift up my hands in praise to Your name. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David was in the wilderness at the time that he wrote this Psalm. In spite of his loneliness, David was still filled with praise and still looked to God in awe and with thanksgiving. I believe that we have a great lesson to learn from this experience….. |
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| APPLICATION: | |
| Generally if the atmosphere is right, the musicians top notch and the praise team one in harmony, most church attendees would consider that they have worshiped God, especially during that part of most weekend services. David was reflecting on his times with God – in the temple/sanctuary and in times of prayer and praise. Friends, I believe that we have to constantly be reminded that God is everywhere, and we have things to praise Him for that will often be forgotten by the time our weekend services rolls around. I believe that we must also learn that we don’t need to wait before praising God for His miraculous work in our lives. His Word declares that we are assured only the very moment that we find ourselves in, and nothing more. Furthermore, if someone blesses us in some way, wouldn’t we very quickly thank them and praise them for their kindness? Why then should God be any different? I believe that a sobering thought for us to consider, is that if we need any of the things I first mentioned above, to prompt us to worship our Father, are we truly worshiping God for something personal, or are we simply being obedient to the worship leader, or ‘turned on’ by the music? Let’s remember that we have a heavenly Father who loves us more than anything that we could even comprehend (Ephesians 3:19). Can you imagine this means that in spite of our weaknesses or sin or lack of praise, He loves us way more than we could understand. Knowing this, and knowing that He has prepared a place for us to spend eternity with Him in glory, why on earth would we be bashful about praising Him for the miracles we see in our own lives and all around us. Wouldn’t it be neat for us to arrive at church early and find someone there praising the Lord – long before the service begins, because their heart is so overfilled with gratefulness? Would it have an influence on friends and coworkers if they knew us for our praise and thankfulness that we express to God everyday? They might begin to think that there is something real about this God we sometime talk about! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness, and thank You for the hope that we have in You. Please open our hearts and minds to be fully connected to You, so that we will be faithful in our worship and praise of our Savior and Lord! May others be impacted by this and desire to know You personally. May our hearts be so filled with praise and worship that we easily burst forth in praise even at the mention of Your name. 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! | |
When God Answers Prayer
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-09-18 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 59:16-17 (TLB) |
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Text: |
16 But as for me, I will sing each morning about your power and mercy. For you have been my high tower of refuge, a place of safety in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, to you I sing my praises; for you are my high tower of safety, my God of mercy. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David had a way of expressing himself about the relationship that he had with God, and how God answered his prayers in the very miraculous ways that only God could do! In these verses today David was acknowledging through praise, how God heard his prayers and protected him against Saul’s men that surrounded his home. Let’s look into the ways that we can apply this in our own lives…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| No doubt there have been times of desperation in our own lives where we have knelt before our Maker in desperation and prayed over very critical moments for a family member, or perhaps a parent, or even a friend. Often we can remember the growth and encouragement that came when our prayers were answered just like we asked of God. However, we tend to get our noses a little ‘out of joint’ when we tell God to do such and such, and He decides that there are alternate ways that He would prefer handling things. This might be a good reminder that the whole reason that we ask God, is that we know that there could be more than one outcome to a situation. For example, in David’s scenario, God could have left Saul’s men hidden for a longer period of time which would have allowed Him more time to work on David; He could have used these men, yes even the opposition, to take David out; or of course He could have stricken the enemies blind so that David could walk away unscathed. I believe that God will gladly listen to our personal desires, or wishes, in a scenario, but I also believe that when we ask that His perfect will be done, that we should strap ourselves in and prepare for the strong, all-knowing, mighty hand of God to be applied in our best interest, or that might bring praise to the Almighty. I believe that most Christians are good about asking, but we may be way too caught up in telling God how to answer our prayers. Additionally, we are way too quick to say that God didn’t, or won’t, answer our prayers, when in fact He answered in line with His perfect will for us. Friends, if we truly know God personally, and we are willing to take Him at His word, then we need to follow the words of an old hymn, ‘Just take it to the Lord, and leave it there’. The other challenging thing for us, is to be ready to obey Him and follow His perfect plan for us, no matter which way He answers. This type of obedience is probably one of the most challenging for mankind, because our tendency is to snarl our noses up when we may have to do something differently than what we asked for. I believe that we need to decide that if God is truly in control, it’s our responsibility to listen and obey Him, knowing that He has our best interest, and His glory, at the center of our heart. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Precious Savior, thank You for being patient with us as we learn from Your Word, and through our own personal experiences. You are a God who loves and cares for us, and who can be trusted with perfect decisions for us so that You may be glorified. Please help us to take our burdens, cares and concerns to the foot of the cross and leave them there. Please help us to be obedient, even when Your perfect response is different to our personal desires. Lord, may our faith increase everyday because of the awesome working of Your hand, 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! | |
How To Gain God’s Favor
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-09-14 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Isaiah 58:6-9 (GNT) |
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Text: |
6 “The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.
8 “Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| By clicking on the Scripture link, you will see the whole part of this chapter in Isaiah that speaks to the subject of fasting. You can read this and see the heart of God in response to our condition when asking Him for anything. After all, who are we, in our sinful, unclean, selfish character, to ask a holy, righteous, almighty, Son of God for anything at all? Let’s have a look, as this speaks directly to us today…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We’ve heard parents say this over and over to a child that comes to them in boldness, and often disrespect, asking for something: “Who do you think I am child? You may speak to your friends like that, but you don’t speak to me, or any adult like that”! Sounds familiar? Well, who are we to think that if we follow some religious tradition, we could demand anything of God? I was humbled by a pastor from my past, that always prayed to God to ‘please’ do this, or ‘please’ don’t do this. Sounds like a simple word that we would use when asking any human for something, but seldom do we add that pleasantry in our prayers. God told the Israelites in this Scripture from Isaiah something very similar to a New Testament lesson that He also taught – on getting the board out of your own eye, before talking to Him about the splinter in your neighbor’s eye. I believe that God had Isaiah tell the Israelites, and record it in His Word so that we might know, that what God is more interested in than anything else, is the heart of mankind. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God said that: If my people would humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land. Similarly, in this Scripture, God is telling us to come before Him holy, and righteous – in other words, straighten up our act and perfectly align our lives with Christ, then He will shine on us; heal our wounds; save us; protect us; answer our prayers and be attentive to our plea before Him. Is there something more you might want than that list my friend? This is the God that we worship and adore! This is the God that we approach for forgiveness and with our petitions! May I suggest that you approach Him with the respect He deserves and having considered the issues with self before whining and complaining to Him about others! I am convinced that God loves His children and wants to work His miracles through those of us who are considered clean and worthy vessels. Won’t you join me in seeking God to use even you and I? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for guiding us to all truth and holiness. Thank You for showing us so vividly what it is that You would like from us, so that we may gain Your favor. Lord, I pray that each one reading this blog today might hear directly from You through these simple words, and that they may draw closer to You as they seek Your face in prayer for themselves and for others. 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! | |
Your Church – House of ‘Prayer’?
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-08-31 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 19:45-47 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple…. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In the verses immediately preceding these, Jesus entered into Jerusalem and wept over the city because of all that He saw going on there. The sadness stirred His anger as He walked into the temple, a place set aside for prayer, as declared in Isaiah 56:7. Jesus immediately thought of the prophecy by Jeremiah where he declared that the house of God would be turned in a den of thieves (Jer. 7:11). Let’s see how this impacts us today…. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In our study yesterday, we looked at the results of the Israelites ‘crying out to God’. My interpretation of that is: they were pleading earnestly with God in prayer for Him to rescue them. Throughout the Bible we see example after example where successful, dedicated men of God pleaded earnestly with God for His protection, guidance and wisdom. Would you dare say that each of our churches are more dedicated to prayer than anything else in our ministry? I believe that I can safely say that churches today are more geared towards praise and worship, preaching the Word, youth and children’s programs and adult ministries that may, or may not, be linked to a Bible Study or prayer. For those churches who still have prayer meetings, it is one of the least attended services of the week, with very few exceptions. So this makes me question, can God look at our church as a real Isaiah 56:7 church? I believe, that we can attribute this to the heart of our people during the week. If we pray and meditate during the week, we will certainly miss that, and demand it for the church at large, during corporate worship, or even that we hold special prayer meetings. I heard one old saint say that if all we were going to do on Wednesday nights is pray, he just won’t come, for he wanted to hear the Pastor teach! This may be the heart set of many, but yet we call it ‘Prayer Meeting’! Jesus said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that ‘if my people would humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven….’ Friends, I believe this is telling us that we need God’s help to turn from our wicked ways; we need His power to heal our wicked, sinful land; and we know for sure that He is the only one capable of touching the heart of mankind and creating within them a desire to accept Jesus as Lord. This all starts with prayer! Please give this a much higher priority in your home, in your church, and in your life! As God heals our land, you will be among that crowd! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, just as You cleansed the temple before You taught, please cleanse me of all my sin so that You may also teach me Your truths and give me opportunities to share that with others. Lord, I would also ask that You work in the lives of our church leaders to assume the primary focus of Your intent for the church, that it be a place of prayer, where we sometime preach, and teach, and have fun times, and have great praise teams, etc. May the main thing be the main thing in my church oh Lord, my Rock, my Redeemer; and soon coming King, 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! | |
Persistent in Faith and Prayer
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-08-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 17:6-7 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
6 Then the Lord said, “If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, 7 don’t you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night? 8 Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith and are praying?” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus used an example of an unkind judge who gave a kind answer to a lady who came before him persistently. Jesus likened this to those who come before Him persistently in prayer, but He seemed skeptical about how many He would find like this when He returns. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Our first read of this scripture might result in us saying “of course we pray”. But the question may arise ‘But how persistent are you in prayer?’. Pastors and church leaders become very discouraged by the number that shows up for prayer meetings and even fewer who are comfortable speaking publicly to God at those meetings? But you know what’s really scary? God knows the hearts of each one attending prayer meetings, and those who never make the effort. I don’t believe He is as concerned about how loudly they speak out in prayer to impress the leaders and attendees, as He is about their heart’s condition. You see, it is easy for most folk to pray when they are accustomed to doing it habitually. Prayer is not reserved for just Wednesday nights, or when the pastor asks you to bow your heads in prayer. The woman in the scripture verses today went before the judge persistently, before he finally got it, or really heard her heart’s cry. A child will ask for something once, and we take it as a wish. A child who asks persistently will get our attention and cause us to act. I’ve heard of employees getting hired because they constantly followed up on their application. It showed the employer that they seriously want the job. Does God know the request closest to your heart, based on how much you’ve asked Him for it? I believe that those of us who are persistent in our faith, knows that God can do what He says He could do, and those of us who are persistent in our prayer knows that God is hearing each time we ask, and that He will answer when the timing is just right for Him to receive the glory in response. Let me encourage you to develop a persistent habit of prayer, so that God will know that you are serious about what you are asking. Then be persistent in your faith, knowing that God’s timing is always right and that He will never let His children down. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| We are such an instant world anymore Lord, and we crop such an attitude when our prayers are not instantly answered the way that we ask. Please forgive us Lord, and may we never treat You like a microwave or a drive-thru restaurant, but like the Savior of this world. The King of all kings. Majestic in glory and Creator of this whole universe. May we never forget who is in charge, who has the power to raise the dead, make the blind to see again and so much more – including the simple things that we bring before You that overwhelms us. Thank You for being patient with us and loving us anyway dear Lord. For I ask these things in Your name and for Your glory, 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! | |
Celebration Time!!
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-08-15 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 15:6-10 (ERV) |
|
Text: |
6 …. go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change. …. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ 10 In the same way, it’s a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Can you imagine the joy that we feel when we hear the good news that one whom we have prayed for, surrendered their hearts to Jesus? Now top that off with the party the angels have when they rejoice around the throne in heaven! It’s ‘Celebration Time’ on earth and in heaven when a lost person accepts the call of Jesus upon their life! To God be the glory! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Many parents pray for, and worry about their children who are opposed to surrendering their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There are many children who do the same for hardened parents. We all have friends that we love dearly and we are concerned about their eternal destination. But friends I want to challenge you and I to take our prayer responsibility way more serious for unsaved loved ones. Let me explain: Does it happen at your house, like it does at mine, that when we lose something we value, we call in all family members resident in our home, and we begin a search that sometimes result in emptying certain draws, moving furniture around, looking under lose objects, etc. You know similar to the two stories in our Scripture today? There’s usually a time of rejoicing when we all find the missing object – often exactly where we then remember placing it!!! Well, imagine if we were that concerned about our lost family and friends? Imagine if we called in the troops for regular prayer meetings to pray for God to soften their hearts to the point of surrendering to Him? Imagine if we asked God to melt our hearts and help us to live such godly lives in front of them that they would want the same thing (the same One) that made a difference in us? Now imagine your lost friend(s) accepting your invitation to join you at church one weekend, and the anticipation that would build in your soul as you look for them to walk the isle and accept your risen Lord! Can you see where a huge celebration might break out? Imagine for a moment that every time things quiet down a little in your rejoicing, you could still hear the angels around the throne singing, praising God and celebrating like you could never have imagined? Friends if there ever was a glorious worship service that was unplanned or organized into the order of service, that would be it! Let’s get busy praying for that brothers and sisters! It’s super important! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Heavenly Father, as I stop and reflect back to the night that I surrendered my heart to You, I never knew about the celebration that was going on by the angels and those who played a part in my life up to that point. The times of encouragement from my parents; The lessons taught by Sunday School teachers; Words of encouragement from church leaders and elders of my community; VBS teachers who probably thought that they were going through the motion with us kids but not really having an impact. Now that we have many that we unknowingly mentor, teach or model for, I pray that we will seek the power of God to allow us to represent Him perfectly so that nothing is lost in the translation of something we might carelessly say or portray in our actions. Help us to be the eyes, feet and heart of Jesus in every way, knowing that others are following in our footsteps and they need to know You personally. Thanks be to God. 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! | |
Prayerful Expectancy
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-07-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Luke 2:25-26 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
25-26 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| We are led to believe that Simeon was a godly man who prayed. We also know that he prayed in earnest about one particular thing, more than anything else – that God would send a warrior, or savior for his native Israelites. This caused me to stop and think about the one thing of highest importance that I pray about, and I would like to challenge my audience to do the same. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| For those who regularly attend prayer meetings at your church, and if your church family are given the opportunity to pray out loud, I believe that you can generally understand the heart of each prayer warrior. Somewhere in each one’s prayer you will hear them pray from the sincerity of their heart for at least one specific person, ministry or kingdom work. Simeon was like this, for he prayed diligently for help for his country Israel. Friends, I don’t know about you, but I believe that we could do with lots more Simeon’s in our churches in America, who will make the needs, concerns and sins of our country as their top priority for prayer. I have relatives in the Bahamas, and no doubt many of you reading this devotional may be located in other countries or have relatives living abroad. I have every reason to believe that these other countries also need prayer warriors who will commit to pray unceasingly for help in these countries also. Oh that our countries might return to God, and seek to operate according to God’s laws that have succeeded century after century under the protection of His powerful hand. Won’t you join me in prayer for our respective countries friends? No matter how impossible it may look to doubting eyes, we know without a doubt that our God lives, and He is still in the miracle working business. Why not ask for His power to save our countries so that we may live peaceably, in love and unity with one another, with God as our leader and enabler! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, You are our Rock; our Provider; our Protector; and our Healer of everything, including our nations. Lord You’ve told us that if we, Your meek servants, would humble ourselves and pray, You would hear from heaven and heal our land. That’s our desire Lord! We want to see You and we also want our friends and family to see You one day. Living in a country that entices the worship of our awesome God could only serve to encourage the lost to seek Jesus, the answer to the world and it’s many problems. Thank You Jesus for loving us enough to care, 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! | |
‘Mountains’ That Seem Impassable
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-06-09 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Numbers 21:33-35 (GW) |
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Text: |
33 Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei. 34 The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” 35 The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| God delivered His people, the Israelites, from the hands of the Egyptians. He led them by day and by night through the wilderness and taught them many lessons, including how they should conquer fear; obstacles; times of need and desperation; and situations that would remind them of huge ‘mountains’ that may seem impassable in their eyes. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I’m sure you’ve heard the slogan ‘If God takes you to it, He will see you through it’. Real neat thought to hear from your preacher when you’re sitting in a ‘cushy’ church and everything is great at the time, right? But what happens when disaster hits; or huge medical decisions become necessary; or you encounter battle after battle each day? In fact, you begin to feel like each day you awake, you are faced with ‘mountains’ at every turn. Can you imagine what Moses must have felt when he saw the many ‘mountains’ each day that faced the thousands and thousands of people that were looking up to him for leadership, protection and direction? Let me suggest to you that your hope and your security in Jesus Christ begins with a personal relationship with Him. Not because you attend church with your parents, or even attend church now with your own family. A personal relationship begins with a heartfelt decision to accept Jesus not only as you would another friend, but to give Jesus full leadership and control in your life. Notice how Moses sought out God about the battle he and his group were facing at Edrei? We all know that in any battle, we need to strategize and get out there and fight. However, when God is your King and your Lord, you are to always seek His will. For when ‘mountains’ stand in our way, we should always remember that God created the ‘mountains’, so if He wants to remove them, or make a way through them for us, He can simply speak the word. I gave several examples of ‘mountains’ you may be facing today, may I encourage those of you that have a personal relationship with Jesus to seek His face and worship Him, for He is still God. Thank Him for the blessings and the challenges He has helped you through. Then seek His reassurance and/or direction for all you are facing, or will face in the days ahead. Allow Him to love on you and comfort you through every facet of your life, including all the ‘mountains’; miracles; opportunities; disappointments; and encouraging times. ‘He’s got this’ friend, we just need the faith, humility and confidence to let Him. Can you commit to that today? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| So many times in life we may stop and question ‘Why me Lord’. However Lord, as we are reminded of Your power shown to Moses and the Israelites, we recognize that had it not been for the challenges, they may not have sought You out at all. Had it not been for the miracles, they would not have known about Your awesome power. Please teach us to always praise You, and accept Your response to our prayer request when you say ‘no’, realizing that it is not the same as not answering our prayer at all. We petition You because we know the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Lord, we pray that we may be an extension of You to a lost world. This will include giving Your ‘no’ answer even at those times that we may personally wish it was ‘yes’. Please grant us more faith to be more like You; act more like You; and obediently follow Your Word and Your perfect will for us, and those we lead or influence. 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! | |
God Hears Our Prayer!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-06-08 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Daniel 9:20-23 (TLB) |
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Text: |
20 Even while I was praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, desperately pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain, 21 Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, flew swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice 22 and said to me, “Daniel, I am here to help you understand God’s plans. 23 The moment you began praying a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Listen and try to understand the meaning of the vision that you saw! |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Unlike many of us that may spend less than 3 minutes in prayer, this whole chapter in Daniel highlights most of the content of Daniel’s conversation/prayer to God, for he was burdened for his people and his land and he knew that the only one who could do anything about the stubbornness of hearts, would be the Eternal God. Daniel took God seriously at His Word, that ‘If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves and pray, then God……’. True to His Word, Daniel found out that the minute he humbled himself, opened his mouth in prayer, then God began acting in response! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
A question often asked in Christian circles is: ‘Does God really listen to my prayers, and is it possible that He would ever act on ‘my prayers’? Fortunately we don’t control God, or the prayers that He chooses to answer. But as for our prayers, I would suggest a few tips that I believe Scripture teaches:
God does answer prayer, friends. Do your part to ensure that you are asking of a very personal God with whom you have a very deep relationship with. Daniel did this and God acted immediately. Our God’s not dead, He’ll do the same for you! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, thank You for answered prayer! Thank You Lord for accepting me as Your precious child, and for Your continued care and answers to my prayers. On behalf of all who may read this devotional and myself, please continue to work on us with building a closer and stronger relationship with You. I believe that You care about every little concern of ours, so I pray that we will present our cares of all sizes at Your feet and seek Your will and Your blessing. Thank You for being there in so many ways for Daniel and thank You for the promise that You will be with us always. Praise to our wonderful 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! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 