Category: Protection

The God Who Protects

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Protection, Protector, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-09-07
WRITTEN AT: Sebring, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Joshua 23:6-10
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 So be firm and unswerving, observing all that is written in the law of Moses without deviation. 7 That will ensure that you don’t start to blend in with the other nations around you or call upon their gods or worship them or serve them. 8 Just hold tightly to the Eternal One, your True God, as you always have, 9 for He has driven out great and powerful nations before you like leaves in the wind, and you know that no one has ever been able to stand against you. 10 One of you can pursue a thousand because it is He who fights for you, just as He promised.

APPLICATION: It seems like we have so much at our disposal to protect us in desperate times. We lock-down in our sanctuaries (our homes), sometimes protected by steel window bars, alarms and top-of-the-line locks, and we feel secure from the outside world. But then we look at countries that have been hit by earthquakes, hurricanes or war, and it leaves a degree of doubt in our minds as to our security. The Israelites had seen God work in miraculous ways to defeat nations much better prepared than they were, but then they lost their great leader (Moses), a man very near to the heart of God. Then Joshua was introduced as an awesome successor, and over time he proved through his relationship with God, that the Israelites were still under the protective hand of God. However, with evil nations still around them, and with Joshua telling them of his earthly departure, we could see where they would probably still be very concerned about their future. This reminds me of exactly where we are at today. We have read in the Bible of the mighty hand of God, and we have heard preachers explain the awesome power of God. Many may have even witnessed God’s miraculous hand at work in their own lives, or those of our relatives, or fellow church members, or even protection from great acts of God (earthquakes, hurricanes, wars by our enemies, etc) on our nation. But it seems like every day we hear of yet another challenging disease or disaster that strike us or our neighboring nations. I believe that God is prompting us today to consider exactly who it is that we could place our faith and trust in. It is very obvious that national leaders or health agencies do not have the answers, for in spite of their efforts, Covid is still spreading like wildfire. Earthquakes and hurricanes are still devastating countries and claiming the lives of many. How far are we willing to go in seeking protection for ourselves in what could very well hit us tomorrow? Please read the Scripture real good today and notice how Joshua was reminding his people to avoid all distractions and place their total faith and trust in God alone. I don’t believe that God would have us do anything different today. For only He has our very best in mind, and only He can protect us as we finish our journey here on earth. Accepting and serving Him will provide peace of mind while here on earth, and He will reserve a place for us at the feet of the Master as we enter Heaven for all eternity. The way seems clear to me and I pray that you will not only agree, but that you will follow through in accepting the love and person of Jesus Christ as He stands waiting with open arms to welcome and accept you.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of the power and love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, He will not only love and protect us through every challenge here on earth, but He has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven where earthly challenges will disappear!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we stand in awe of You and for the power and majesty shown forth to our ancestors. Each day we seem to hear of one disaster or another, one disease or another, and yet an additional strain of what seems to be an incurable disease. Thank You Lord for reminded us again today that You hold the keys to the Kingdom, and that You are in charge of our lives here on earth, no matter what comes our way. Help us Lord to be willing to set aside our pride, our agenda, accept You as Lord and Master of our life, and allow You to guide, protect and see us through the remainder of our time here on earth. Lord, we are excited about the awesome beauty, tranquility and peace in Heaven, but most of all about the pleasure of being in Your presence. Please continue to guide and protect us here on earth until You are ready to call us home to glory – our eternal home! AMEN!

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

Thanks For Watching Over Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Give thanks, Needs, Praise, Protection, Protector, Recognize God, Thank You Jesus, Thankfulness, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-07-08
WRITTEN AT: Williams, AZ

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 31:48-50
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 48 The army commanders went to Moses 49 and said, “Sir, we have counted our troops, and not one soldier is missing. 50 So we want to give the Lord all the gold jewelry we took from the Midianites. It’s our gift to him for watching over us and our troops.”

APPLICATION: In this very old story, God is bringing His people, a group who was generally ungrateful for all that God did for them, from a land of slavery and ill-treatment to a land of ‘Milk and Honey’ – the Promised Land. We read about all the ways that they turned their backs on God, and how they failed to recognize His awesome provisions and His love towards them. Yet on this particular occasion the Israelites were used of God to eliminate the Midianites from a land they were to assume ownership. It seems like for the commanders of each part of the Israelite army that went to battle, their eyes were opened to the glory of God and His protective hand over their people. They showed their appreciation by giving back to God one hundred percent more than than they were asked to give, as their way of saying ‘thank you’ for watching over them. Friends, this opened my eyes as I meditated on this. We thank God for our food and our health, but most often it seems like we just follow an habitual routine, or a tradition, of thanking Him for these very obvious things. Think about this: What if you or I won a large sum of money, or inherited a large estate. Knowing how comfortable we are already, and how we are meeting all of our bills already, what would we do differently if we were gifted this large estate? I know: you would tithe to your church; you might pay off any mortgages outstanding so that you would end up debt free for once in your life; you might use a chunk of the money to take care of your parents for the rest of their lives; and you may even create an endowment fund so that the orphanage supported by your church will be funded properly. But what if you felt a tug on your heart to give to God’s church for the ongoing ministry in your community? Isn’t it strange how we then become experts on how the church misappropriates it’s money; how the leaders favor one family over another to help when in need; how their budget is a joke; etc, etc? Please dear believer in Christ, notice that there is nothing said about how the Israelites may have felt about misuse of power or provisions by Moses and his leaders. They realized that God Almighty was their guide into the battle; their strength during the battle; their protector that brought them safely out of the battle; and their everlasting hope in every circumstance of life. Notice that the commanders didn’t say that their gifts were for Moses, but they were for God. Notice that they didn’t insist on how their gifts must be used, they just wanted to give unto God for all that He had given to them and protected them from. In God’s Word, He demands that we give to the Lord God. We are given direction on how much to give, based on what is taught in the Word. I believe that God is holding our church leaders accountable for the jobs they are given in leading us, and they are all answerable to God. Let’s learn to do our part, and allow our church leaders to do theirs. God watches over each of us in His own special way, and we each are accountable to God for what He has entrusted to us. God being our helper, may we all thank Him, and give to His work, as we feel in our heart that He commands us to do.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In a battle where all the men of the opposing army was killed, the Israelites realized that not one of their men was lost. They gave, thanked God, and worshipped Him, for protecting them. So should we when we see our God watching over us like He does each day!

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for protecting our ancestors and taking such good care of them. You do the same for us each and every day! So Lord, we just want to say ‘Thank You’ from the bottom of our heart. You are so good to us! Please forgive us when we whine and complain, for Your love is always with us, even when life don’t seem to be going our way. May our lives be an example to those searching for You, or just simply don’t believe in You. May they see Jesus in action through the normal course of our lives, and may they realize that You are alive and well, ready to listen to their cry for forgiveness of their sin. AMEN!

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

Tested and Tried – Joy Comes in the Morning!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Joy, Protection, Protector, Proven, Tested, TriedLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-04-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 1 Peter 1:6–7
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 6 So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. 7 These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.

OBSERVATION: Often we will purchase a used car, or a previously owned home, because we want to make sure that all the bugs have been discovered and repaired, rather than us being faced with the challenges. Christians who face challenges in life, will often look to the Bible for similar examples, so they could be comforted by the resolution that occurred. Despite what the world may feel about the absence of struggles for the child of God, Peter shares in our Scripture today that yes, trials will come, but we serve a God who is much bigger than all of our trials. Currently, the whole world is facing a huge challenge/trial. Let’s meditate on Peter’s word today and be comforted in the power of our awesome God!

APPLICATION: Peter tells his audience, and us, that there is a good chance that we will go through certain trials in our life, and this may really serve to prove whose we are, based on our response and reaction. Do you feel like Peter must have had some insight into 2020 in your part of the world, seeing that we are all facing the greatest challenge of our lifetime? Friends, isn’t it true that we find it extremely easy to worship God when everything is going like we expect, or want? Isn’t it true that we tend to feel like God really loves us when life is good and everything is going well? Conversely, don’t we tend to wonder if God has turned His face on us, or developed a deaf ear to us, when things are going poorly, even after much prayer on our part? I understand that certain religions feel like something is wrong if Satan is not using his forces to attack them – because they tend to wonder then if they are truly doing everything the Lord desires of them. While this may sound far-fetched, have you stopped to think that there is probably little in common between the believer and the non-believer? Shouldn’t this mean that there is a great divide between the two, and a strong sense of uneasiness between the two? I can assure you that Satan is very actively pushing his followers to aggravate believers, to tempt us, to push us to the limit, to test us beyond anything that he thinks we could handle on our own. So Peter is warning us that when these tests come, and when we feel the fiery trials target us, we must be confident in whom we believe. Yes, our current trial (Covid 19) is impacting believers and unbelievers, so many will question where God is at in a time like this. Let me encourage you dear friend, to be prayed up and united with the One in whom we believe and look to for our strength. We must always be aware that we are incapable of fighting in the fire all by ourselves, for it is only when we are in full armor and fully empowered by the Holy Spirit, that we can be victorious over Satan and his attacks. Remember, Satan has no need to heat up the battle for his own, he already has control of them, so we are prime targets for Satan. We can overcome, and be victorious, when we are actually as close to our Master as the mention of His name. Are you ready for battle today? May I encourage you to draw near to God and allow Him to draw near to you – with total protection against the evil one! Always be prepared friend! Prepared not just for the trials that will come your way, but also to be a strong and mighty tower for our Master. Many are questioning God during these times, and Satan is tempting them to question if our God really exists. Please be reminded that it was God who caused the sun to rise this morning, and gave us life to stand erect this morning. Regardless of life’s circumstances, God still stands strong and He is always able and willing to deal with life here on earth, while we wait for His return. He’s still God, my friend! Know Him today and know the peace that surpasses all human understanding.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You alone have the power to fight the evil one. Please help us to remember that each day, so that we might plug into the power source that will guard and protect us when evil comes. We acknowledge that we can’t handle the fiery trials that Satan will send our way, so we need You more today than ever before. My fellow believers and I want to come through this life victorious and standing firm in our faith, but we need You in everything we do dear Lord. Please be our guide, protector and strong deliverer today, and help us to stand firm in our faith. Our world needs Jesus, which is especially evident now as panic strikes over the uncontrollable virus that is hitting our world. You’re still in control, and we still need You, precious Lord. We commit ourselves to You anew. May Your will be done and Your kingdom come at just the right time! AMEN!

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

Protect Your Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Heart, Protection, SurrenderLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Proverbs 4:23-27 (MSG)

TEXT:  23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
    that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
    avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
    ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
    and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
    leave evil in the dust.

OBSERVATION:   When we guard our heart, I believe that we are looking at our mind; thoughts; will; and our affections. For out of these things we will see the issues of life that lead to the effectual cause of all men’s actions. It is from our heart that others will see our spiritual condition; our happiness; our decisions that make us a good person in someone else’ eyes, or a bad person. On the contrary, others might also see our deceit; our evil actions; or our mean actions as well. Guarding, or protecting our heart, is leading us to filter what aspects of the above is welcomed into our heart to determine the type person that we want to be known as.

APPLICATION:   The subject sounds like something my cardiologist might say to me, for without a good functioning heart there would be little chance of my survival here on earth. He would therefore give me exercises, or a certain diet to help me stay heart-healthy. Got created our heart, even the one we are speaking of here today, and I believe it is super important to Him that we keep our heart in sweet communion with Him, so that we may worship and praise Him eternally – as He originally intended. Unfortunately, sin came into this world, and in the effort of humans to always look around the corner for whatever seems most enticing, this divided the hearts and minds of people like you and I. This will often result in a life filled with worldliness, or in many cases a life trying to live for Jesus but being pulled back by the things of this world that we fall in love with. Friends, it is important that we stay away from sin, if we expect to have a noble spiritual life, where the Father has His will and way with us (Isaiah 59:2).  For the natural man, I believe that our heart is susceptible to wanting the best things for us to enjoy here on earth. However when the Holy Spirit begins to work in our lives and draws us unto Himself, we have a decision to make – we either say yes to Jesus, which automatically results in us saying no the the world, or vice versa. There is no combo deal in the offer, it’s one or the other. A married couple will leave old boyfriends and girlfriends behind as they commit their lives unconditionally to each other. So it is with God, friends! When a spouse enters into marriage without having severed a relationship with an old ‘flame’, divorce will quickly follow, because there is mixed allegiance by that spouse. Similarly, our God is a jealous God and He will not settle for a ‘mixed allegiance’. Decide this day, my friend, whom you will serve, and then stay true to that commitment until death makes that commitment impossible. As a child of the King, I have heaven on my mind, and I want to live my life here on earth in total obedience to my Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. My wish for the day, is that you will do the same Brother and/or Sister!

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus, thank You for making a way for us to one day see You in glory. Thank You for allowing us to enjoy Your presence while we wait here on earth, even among the many temptations of Satan. Please continue to protect our hearts dear Lord, so that we may stay true to You. Please touch hearts of those that may have made decisions just for grandma or grandpa, but never understood or totally committed their lives to You. These ones may think that they know You personally, but really have never personally sought Your face. Lord, we stand in awe of You, and we await Your return in deep anticipation! We want to see Jesus, the One who died for all! Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AMEN!

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

 

Your Response To God’s Testing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Miracles, Miraculous, Protection, Protector, SubmissionLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Tuesday, 2017-10-17
SCRIPTURE

From:

 John 6:5-9 (GNT)

Text:

5 Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?” (6 He said this to test Philip; actually he already knew what he would do.)

7 Philip answered, “For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins to buy enough bread.”

8 Another one of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.”
OBSERVATION:
The disciples had been following Jesus for sometime and had seen many miracles performed, yet when approached with a new challenge they were bewildered as to what they could do. It seems like Jesus never ceased to amaze them, for He often showed His miraculous work in new and innovative ways when faced with new  circumstances, That’s why Peter could not fathom the idea of feeding 5,000+ individuals without a large truck of groceries. Today we are also faced with similar dilemmas, so I thought we should look a little closer into this.
APPLICATION:
Things come our way that we least expect. Often we are made to feel like we have no control whatsoever over what happens, and often we feel out of control as to what results from life’s circumstances. Have you ever felt like Philip where something very challenging presented itself, and you were left with you hands outstretched and your mouth open, wondering what to do next? I was faced with very challenging circumstances a few times in my life, and I could do nothing but look to God for His wonder-working, miraculous touch in the situations. In each case, I needed His ministry as much as the individuals involved, for I felt helpless and to some degree hopeless that the outcome would be what I was wishing for. I’m sure that many of you can reflect on similar circumstances in your life also, and while I can’t vouch for all that you may have gotten out of your situation, I’m sure that if you surrendered it to God, your faith was tested, and so was your confidence in Him to do what He felt was best for you in the long term. Friends, we can generally do a fair job encouraging another Brother or Sister, but what about the times when it’s you who need lifting up, or need wisdom to handle a situation in God’s timing and in His will and way? Are you able to wait on the Lord at times like that, and accept what He has in store for you? Philip’s faith was tested that he would surrender the feeding of the 5,000 by, the Master who created them, and provided their needs each and every day. Unfortunately. Philip very quickly resorted to earthly ways of helping others. May God give us wisdom to not feel like we have to save the whole world and it’s many, many challenges, for we have a Savior who has already done this for us and has promised to never leave us alone, but to faithfully care for His loving children, until we join up with Him in glory! Let’s learn to submit to His helping and caring hand, and just celebrate with praises as we see Him work miracle after miracle. To God be the glory, for the great things He has done, and will do, until He returns to take us home to glory where He is! AMEN!
PRAYER:
Precious Father, You are awesome in every way! Please forgive us for being doubtful of that and therefore looking madly for the answers ourselves. Lord, I sincerely believe that as we surrender all to You and allow You to work miraculously in our lives, then we will gain every confidence to surrender the circumstances that concern us, over to You, knowing that the same God who turned water into wine; made the blind to see,  and the lame to walk again, is the same God who could still take care of our worrisome challenges. The answer to all of our tests is always ‘JESUS’, may our faith be strengthened by that reminder oh Lord, our rock and our everlasting Father 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!

The God Who Protects Us!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Give thanks, Protection, Protector, Thankful, Thankfulness, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-02-25
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Psalm 18:1-3 (TLB)

Text:

1 Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me.2 The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; he is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull. 3 All I need to do is cry to him—oh, praise the Lord—and I am saved from all my enemies!
OBSERVATION:
David had been rescued from battle after battle, and he sat down and considered the source of his protection, support and wisdom, and exploded with a sacrifice of praise to the only God, the One who was so gracious to him. He acknowledged that God stepped in and saved him from his enemies whenever he cried out to Him, and now his heart was so filled with thanksgiving and praise that it appears like there may not be enough descriptive words to serve the purpose! How are we doing in this area of life?
APPLICATION:
We hear about folk traveling hundreds of miles to be touched by a TV evangelist who has been known to heal attendees of crippling deceases, and we hear of prayer meetings where we are encouraged to bring our petitions and our needs before the Lord, but how often do we remember to return to the altar and lay our hearts out before God in awesome praise and adoration, having recognized Him as the Healer, or Provider, or Miracle Worker in our personal situation that we had laid before Him in prayer? As a kid, we were taught that it is good and proper to say ‘thank you’ after being blessed with a gift from someone. But how often do we return to God to acknowledge His holiness and His awesome blessings to us? Friends, may I encourage you to acknowledge God for His mighty works, and stop attributing your successes, recoveries and wins over serious deceases to ‘good luck’ or ‘your special moment’ or any other avoidance of praising God? If you took time to pray for God’s intervention in your serious situation, and you see a breakthrough in that situation, please acknowledge the One that you asked to help in the first place. I believe that each day results in multiple ways that we can stop and praise the Lord – protection while traveling the road of life; the doctors who helped us overcome serious illness; loved ones who encourage and bless us every day; food to eat and the comfort of our homes. Let’s not take those things for granted. God blessed us with then, and He knows what we need and when we need them. Let’s acknowledge Him in all things each and every day, and let’s not forget to thank those that God has placed in our path, so that they also might be blessed and appreciated by us. God is so good, and in so many ways. Let’s praise Him for who He is and for all that He does!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You are so good to us and so often we neglect in returning thanks and appreciation for all that You do. Please forgive us for our ungratefulness. Lord, may we learn from David and be more moved by Your Spirit to return to the throne of grace and offer up our praises to You on a regular basis. As recognized in my ‘Application’ above, You look out for us each and every day, and You bless us more than we could possibly deserve every day. Thank You Father for Your awesome love for us and for all that You do for us. May we be more like David in an example of a grateful and appreciative child of the 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!

How To Protect From Satan’s Strategies

On By Ed AlgreenIn Know and Believe, Know Jesus, Knowing Christ, Protection, ProtectorLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ephesians 6:10-12

Bible Text:   10　 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11　Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12　For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I don’t believe that this will be news to any of you, but Satan is out to get you, especially if you carry the banner of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I believe you have already witnessed that, way too often things happen in your life, or your day, that force you to believe that there are mighty forces fighting against you and working in opposition to you. Friends, I believe that as you talk with our valued law enforcement Brothers and Sisters, you will find that they ‘armor up’ every day so that some protection is in place, for they KNOW that they will face the evil, the disrespect, the hate, and the law-breaking of our society who, in most cases, will not think twice about ‘taking them out’ as they try to protect the innocent, like you and I. Let me encourage you to STOP and think for a moment about how that scenario differs from our day as we walk out of our peaceful homes into the world controlled by the prince of the air – Satan himself. I want to remind each of us that it is just as critical that we ‘armor up’ as we approach each day, for the battle against us is about to begin. Now for those who may not be very literate in the Word of God yet, I will refer you to the rest of Ephesians 6 so you can get more information on the armor and artillery you will take with you, for this devotional has nothing at all to do with the type, or size of the ‘piece’ that you will take with you to protect yourself. Remember, the warfare that you will face is “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly place“ – a quote directly from God’s Word – verse 12 above. When your spirituality is being attacked, you need spiritual forces to defend you. Jesus used the Word of God – so should we. Jesus called on the Father for every battle and or decision he faced – so should we. So friends, now that I have given you the prescription to help you protect against Satan’s strategies, may I encourage you daily visit the pharmacy (the Word of God for direction from God; and the face of God in deep and sincere communication – prayer) for help in your daily battles? God is the only power known to man who has power over Satan. Don’t try to do this thing called ‘life’ without God. Please have a look at the tips in my ‘Footnote’ and ensure that your relationship with God is securely in place.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, our Protector against the evil one, we place our faith and trust in You alone today, knowing that You alone can protect us against the many forms of evil that we encounter each day that challenge our faith and our stand for You. Please save us from our frustrations by constantly reminding us who’s in charge of the Christian’s life, and that You can and will protect Your precious children like no one else. We need You Heavenly Father as we are not qualified in any way to protect against Satan and his demons. I ask these things believing in the Word of God, and the Son of God – Jesus Christ – whose name is above all names, 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!

Temptation – Jesus’ Greatest Concern?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Guidance, Protection, Temptation2 Comments

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: Luke 22:39-40; 45-46
Today’s Bible Text: 39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that the passage surrounding these verses probably relate one of the most challenging times in the life of Jesus. I find that when we have a lot on our minds about our health, security or life in general, we tend to be concerned about the welfare of others we love at the same time. And this is exactly what happened to our Lord, for He shared with His disciples what His greatest concern was for them. In fact, I am sharing two sections of Luke 22, because in each case Jesus shared the same concern – “pray, pray, pray that you will not give in to temptation”. That tells me that Jesus knew there would be temptation, and that it would be one of the greatest challenges for His disciples to contend with. Just as I was reminded, I want to also remind you, my readers, that this is probably one of our greatest challenges each day also. I believe that we tend to think of temptation in the light of inappropriate thoughts or actions towards the opposite sex. But friends, let’s remember that Satan is out to tempt us away from the path God has designed for us in every aspect of our daily walk. Every aspect. Satan uses our family, friends, coworkers or even casual acquaintances to tempt us to lie, cheat, steal, look the other way, speak inappropriately, or any other temptation you can think of. Just as Jesus was concerned about this particular problem with His disciples, I am certain that He is also holding His breath in concern for us also. So what’s our role, you might ask. Let us keep our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus at all times. Let’s ask Him to direct our thoughts, our minds, our speech, our attitudes, our eyes and our hearts so that they may all lead us towards Christ, and not in the opposite direction. With God’s help, we can do this friends!

Prayer: Dear Father, please lead us not into temptation, but deliver us – every fiber of our being, from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the glory, for ever, and forever, 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

Tested, Tried and Proven

On By Ed AlgreenIn Protection, Protector, Proven, Tested, TriedLeave a comment

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 Peter 1:6–7
Today’s Bible Text: 6 So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. 7 These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: I bet if you looked at the subject of today’s devotional and thought I was referring to a car, or a piece of equipment you were hoping to purchase, you would eagerly read on hoping that I might confirm that it’s OK to purchase that item, because it has been tested, tried and proven to be all that is claimed through advertisements! But now that you read on, I believe you may have been surprised to read the Bible text and see where Peter is telling his audience, and us, that there is a good chance that we are going through certain trials in our life in order to prove whose we are. Friends, isn’t it true that we find it extremely easy to worship God when everything is going like we want? Isn’t it true that we tend to feel like God really loves us when life is good and everything is going well, but then we tend to wonder if God has turned His face on us, or developed a deaf ear to us, when things are going poorly, even after much prayer on our behalf? I just heard yesterday in Sunday School that a certain nationality feels like something is wrong if Satan is not using his forces to attack them – they tend to wonder if they are truly doing everything the Lord desires of them. While this sounds far fetched, have you stopped to think that there is so little in common between the believer and the non-believer that there should be a great divide between the two, and a strong sense of uneasiness between the two? I can assure you that Satan is very actively pushing his followers to aggravate us, to tempt us, to push us to the limit, to test us beyond anything that he thinks we could handle on our own. So Peter is warning us that when these tests come, and when we feel the fiery trials targeted at us, we must be confident in whom we believe. We must be prayed up and united with the One in whom we believe and look to for our strength. We must always be aware that we are incapable of fighting in the fire all by ourselves, for it is only when we are in full armor and fully empowered by the Holy Spirit, that we can be victorious over Satan and his attacks. Remember, Satan has no need to heat up the battle for his own, he already has control of them, so we are prime targets for Satan. We can overcome, and be victorious, when we are actually as close to our Master as we lead on to be. Are you ready for battle today friend? May I encourage you to draw near to God and allow Him to draw near to you – with total protection against the evil one! Always be prepared friend!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone have the power to fight the evil one. Please help us to remember that each day, so that we might plug into the power source that will guard and protect us when evil comes. We acknowledge that we can’t handle the fiery trials that Satan will send our way, so we need You more today than ever before. My fellow believers and I want to come through this life victorious and standing firm in our faith, but we need You in everything we do dear Lord. Please be our guide, protector and strong deliverer today, and help us to stand firm in our faith, for I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!  

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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

Be on Guard

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence, On guard, ProtectionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 5:8-11): 8Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 9 But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are. 10 But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he had Christ Jesus choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. 11 God will be in control forever! Amen.

 THOUGHTS: Ezekiel 33:7-9 was part of my Old Testament reading where God ordered Ezekiel to be on guard for Israel, which included watching out for their sin and quickly warning them of the ultimate penalty for their sin. So of course when I got to the New Testament reading and found where once again God is asking us to be on guard, God immediately got my attention. Friends, I’m pretty sure that you too have experienced how easy it is to worship God, and serve Him inside the church, and often inside of our homes, but why do you suppose it is so challenging to live out our convictions in the world? Why do you suppose that it appears like Satan is on our heels trying to trip us up in every aspect of life where we want to be strong and declare a good testimony for the Lord? I don’t believe this will surprise you, but this is the primary function on his job description! So how do we defend ourselves? Without God on your side, this is virtually impossible. With God’s help, and with our constant determination to serve only Him, and our keen ear to what God has to say to us, we can defend ourselves against Satan. In other words, we can be vigilant, or on guard against the enemy. God will watch out for His children, if we know Him, if we trust in Him, and if we allow Him to have His way with us. Will you commit to serving only Him today friend? If you already know Him personally, will you let go of self and truly trust Him to teach you how to guard against the evil one, who is out to kill, steal and destroy your soul?

 PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I realize that You are well aware of the many traps set for us each day by Satan as he tries to destroy our witness for You and the godly character You have developed in us. Please hear our cry for mercy, protection, guidance and peace as we aim to serve You wholeheartedly today and every day of our lives. We want to represent You well and we want our lives to be more in line with Your will and Your Word every day. Please build a shield around us that can’t be penetrated by Satan, and then give us the boldness to share Your love and Your witness with all that we come into contact with. We are Yours Lord, please protect us and use us as Your instruments of light and life to this dark sinful world that is wide open to the enemy, Satan. We need You more today than ever before Lord. Please protect Your children and Your witness. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!