Category: Stand in awe

Awe at the Display of God’s Power

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awe, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Stand in awe, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2023-02-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 9:38-43
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 38  … a man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, this boy here is my only son, 39 and a demon keeps seizing him, making him scream; and it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth; it is always hitting him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast the demon out, but they couldn’t.”
41 “O you stubborn faithless people,” Jesus said to his disciples, “how long should I put up with you? Bring him here.”
42 As the boy was coming the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus ordered the demon to come out, and healed the boy and handed him over to his father.
43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of the power of God.

APPLICATION: Back in the beginning of this chapter, Jesus gave His disciples power to go out and preach the Good News and cast out demons. Don’t you know that the crowd was no different then, than we are today, and they just flocked in to see how Jesus would respond to this father who reported that His disciples were unable to cast the demon out of his son? Were they given the power, and now lost it? Did they run out of that supernatural power? But wait, that was covered in Romans 11:29 where it reads that God’s power would never be withdrawn from those He gifted. However, this may be a good time for us to review the origin of our gifts – for it is a gift of God. Divine followers of Jesus Christ may be blessed with a gift of God and they may have power from on high to heal, to counsel others, to teach others, or even have evangelistic gifts, and there may come a time when they find those gifts weaning away from them. Why?? Well, Jesus covered this for us in the Scriptures also, for in Mark 9:29 Jesus said: “This kind [of unclean spirit] cannot come out by anything but prayer [to the Father].” God forbid if we ever take it on ourselves to think that ‘we’ have any healing power. Only through the power, and the blood of Jesus Christ alone, might we ever be honored with Him using us to lay hands on anyone so that He can bring about healing. No matter how gifted we feel that we are, we might have even been one of the most gifted witnesses in the whole country, we will be ineffective today if we have not been maintaining that gift by prayer and fasting, by spending time in the presence of God. Now, being in the presence of Jesus, of course He was able to heal the young boy of the demons that impacted him on a frequent basis. But notice the crowd when they witnessed this healing – they were struck with awe and wonder! They witnessed for themselves the love, compassion and healing power of this man they had heard so much about. One Bible version says that they had a time of clapping and praising God. Do you recall the last time that you were struck with awe at the miracles by God in the life of someone at your church? Hopefully this is not just a private affair that takes place at the altar after a sermon, and not shared with the congregation to celebrate this power of God released in response to the faith of a believer. Friends, we must never forget that the God we serve today, is the same God that we read about in the Bible, learn about in Sunday School and hear from our pulpits when our pastor shares what God has laid on his heart for His people. This is not ‘pie in the sky’, but this is true power from our all-powerful God! Worship Him, my friend. Call on Him for your needs, and call on the pastors and elders of your church to pray over you in faith, believing in the power of Almighty God. Let the church come alive with times of awe and celebration! It will rejuvenate us to go on in victory to win the unsaved and heal the sick – in Jesus’ Name!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The crowd was struck with awe at the power of Almighty God! I believe that will bring revival to a church that sees this happening on a regular basis!

PRAYER: Praise the Lord God Almighty, our God’s not dead, but very much alive because we see Him at work in our own lives and in the lives of His church! He healed the young man in our story today, and He still has the power to heal today, if only we will give Him the opportunity to use His power in our lives. Thank You Jesus! You are our mighty and awesome God, and we humble ourselves before You like this hurting father did for His demon-struck boy. Needs are numerous in my life, in the life of my family and also in my church, oh God. Please move in miraculous and mysterious ways in these needs so that Your church might be revived and renewed in their mission. I pray that every reader and listener of this devotional will catch a glimpse of the powerful God that we serve and call Father. 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!

Who Can Stand Against Our God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Miracles, Miraculous, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Stand Firm, Stand in awe, Take a stand, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-10-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 17:26
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

APPLICATION: As a young, innocent child, we tend to stand up for our tall, handsome, strong dad as we’ve seen him overcome many obstacles and provide for our family in amazing ways. Through good Sunday School teachers, VBS (Vacation Bible School) teachers, and young-at-heart pastors, we may learn very early in life that there is One even more powerful, more loving, more caring, more giving and even more outstanding than our dad. Some of us go on to accept this Jesus as our Lord, and give Him full access to our lives and our energies, while others tend to shrug off the idea of Christianity so that they could enjoy all that the world offers. As I read today’s Scripture again, I believe the Holy Spirit made me analyze whether I fit in better with Saul’s army, or with young David. The army saw a huge giant in front of them. In fact, something much larger than the whole Philistine army that surrounded them. They were paralyzed by this giant of a man. For the non-Christian, they can only see the giant, because they have rejected God and would prefer that He leave them alone. But for the Christian, what do we see when obstacles appear? Are we as confident as young David, and able to say in the presence of our senior officials and church leaders: but wait a minute, that thing, or that disease, or that financial burden, or that huge question mark, they are just minor obstacles to our awesome and almighty God. As a church leader, are you willing to listen to your young innocent Christians who have not been struck by doubt and fear, and still strongly believe that our God is one who stands ready to move mountains for us, and able to handle all of our obstacles, even if they appear like ‘giants’ to us? As a young Christian, please be encouraged to stand firm in your faith, and while I strongly believe that you should respect your elders, I want you to always remember that no one outshines or overpowers Almighty God. Friends, the body of Christ consists of men like those who made up Saul’s army. They tried to run David off to go and attend his small flock of sheep, and leave the big job to the big guys. But praise God, He also sends along young men like David, whose faith has not been dampened by the doubt of unbelievers and sometimes, older Christians. In fact, they are still young and innocent enough to believe that God will make a way, even when there seems to be no way – at least in the eyes of men. Romans 8:31-39 assures us that there is nothing that could separate us from the love of God. Because of that connectedness to God, I firmly believe that neither will anything prove bigger than our God, or more powerful than our God. Trust in the Lord your God, and ALL these things will be granted to you! David trusted God, and gained his confidence in God through His relationship and proven miracles from God. As a child of God, we too can have that same assurance today!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Who or what can defy the army of God? David assured us that nothing is bigger or more powerful! Let us therefore trust in our God for ALL things!

PRAYER: Thank You heavenly Father for the confidence we can have in You! David showed us that there was no room for fear, but instead, we should look at the obstacles in life through the lens of our awesome God. Oftentimes there are life-challenges that will seem like giants standing before us and blocking our path to victory, but Lord it is especially these times that we need to hear Your still small voice reassuring us of Your might and Your power over EVERYTHING You created. Please calm our nerves today and help us to see You, the maker and ruler of all things created. Please use these stories of reassurance to draw the lost unto Yourself. May today present opportunities for lost family and friends to find Christ. Use us Lord to be Your hands, feet and lips here on earth. Draw all men unto Yourself, for Your ultimate honor, glory and praise! AMEN!

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

Worship Results From Your Encounters With the Master

On By Ed AlgreenIn Celebrate God, Recognize God, Stand in awe, Worship1 Comment

Saturday, 2019-10-12

Bible Reference: Exodus 14:31
Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:  31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

OBSERVATION: God’s handiwork is displayed all around us! Some expect it, some take it for granted and may even ignore it, while others recognize worse case scenarios and therefore recognize the beauty of God’s creation. In the case of those in the latter category, those people may even pause and give thanks to the Almighty for His miraculous works. Meditate with me as we consider the wonderful works of God for the Israelites as they stood in awe at the miracles of God, performed for their benefit. He does the same for us today, so I trust that this will lead us to worship of our King!

APPLICATION:  I believe that God moves just as mightily in our midst today, as He did for the Israelites when the Egyptians were chasing after them. For you see, anytime we witness, or hear of, a saint of God being healed; or miraculously protected in a terrible accident; or hear of God’s children being saved during a hurricane; these are all examples of miracles that occur in and around us that can only be explained as the hand of God. So as I meditated on this verse, I wasn’t as much in doubt of God being at work today, as He was with the Israelites, as I was in wondering if perhaps we have become so fast-paced that we hardly stop to recognize and praise God for His wondrous power in us, or in His children with whom we worship or rub shoulders with every day. I wonder if we may have just forgotten to program time for this important aspect into our Christian walk. We very easily ‘blow up’ the bad things that happen all around us, but how often do we stop to celebrate with a Brother or a Sister over an obvious miracle that has occurred in their lives? Part of fellowshiping together as believers, is that we grow spiritually as we celebrate God’s mighty works among our body of believers. It seems like so often our corporate worship services are so programmed and rushed, that we tend to meet societies need of getting together for a very limited and prescribed time. But within that programmed time, do we take time to truly remember and/or recognize all that God has done, and is doing among us, and then celebrate God’s very current miraculous works? When last have we stood in awe at the works of God? The Israelites didn’t wait until the next Lord’s Day to be led in praise and worship, for the scripture says that they were filled with awe and placed their faith in the Lord and His servant Moses. Perhaps we’ll see more people place their faith in the Lord, if they think that God’s children have a current, sincere and meaningful relationship with the Savior they are trying to promote. I am of the impression that this corporate worship service took place right on the banks of the Red Sea as they saw God’s mighty works unfolding. I bet that was some kind of awesome worship service that day – unplanned, unorchestrated and no clock watching for a given finish time. As indicated in the next chapter, a new song of deliverance was immediately penned with the expressions of the praise and worship from the people reacting to God’s mighty works! How would that song turn out if it was written at one of our worship services today? What words would you contribute to the song, based on your daily experiences with the King of all kings?

PRAYER: Lord, You are so good to us! You are patient, yet kind enough to work miracles in our lives every day. Please help us to open our spiritual eyes to see the glory of all that You accomplish in and around us, and help us to respond with due honor and praise to Your mighty works. May those who look at us, for proof of our relationship with You, truly see a child filled with awe over the mighty works You accomplish each day that impact us and draw us closer to You. May they be drawn to You and seek to know You in a very personal and meaningful way. Be glorified in us today Lord, as we recognize You, and celebrate in attitudes of thanksgiving, all that You do. May we again today stand in awe of You and Your mighty works. I love You Lord, and ask all this in the mighty name of Jesus, AMEN!

Filled With Awe!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Recognize God, Stand in awe, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Exodus 14:31): 31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

THOUGHTS: I believe that God moves just as mightily in our midst today, as He did for the Israelites when the Egyptians were chasing after them. For you see, anytime we witness, or hear of, a saint of God being healed; or miraculously protected in a terrible accident; or hear of God’s children being saved during a hurricane; these are only examples of miracles that occur in and around us that can only be explained as the hand of God being upon us. So as I meditated on this verse, I wasn’t as much in doubt of God being at work today, as He was with the Israelites, as I was in wondering if perhaps we have become so fast-paced that we hardly stop to recognize and praise God for His wondrous power in us, or in His children with whom we worship or rub shoulders with every day. I wonder if we may have just forgotten to program time for this important aspect into our Christian walk. We very easily ‘blow up’ the bad things that happen all around us, but how often do we stop to celebrate with a Brother or a Sister over an obvious miracle that has occurred in their lives? Part of fellowshipping together as believers, is that we grow spiritually as we celebrate God’s mighty works among our body of believers. It seems like so often our corporate worship services are so programed and rushed, that we tend to meet societies need of getting together for a very limited and prescribed time, but within that programmed time, do we take time to truly remember and/or recognize all that God has done, and is doing among us, then actually celebrate God’s very current mighty works? When last have we stood in awe at the works of God? The Israelites didn’t wait until the next Lord’s Day to be led in praise and worship, for the scripture says that they were filled with awe and placed their faith in the Lord and His servant Moses. Perhaps we’ll see more people place their faith in the Lord, if they think that God’s children have a current, sincere and meaningful relationship with the Savior they are trying to promote. I am of the impression that this corporate worship service took place right on the banks of the Red Sea as they saw God’s mighty works unfolding. I bet that was some kind of awesome worship service that day – unplanned, unorchestrated and no clock watching for a given finish time. As indicated in the next chapter, a new song of deliverance was immediately penned with the expressions of the praise and worship from the people reacting to God’s mighty works! How would that song turn out if it was written at one of our worship services today? What words would you attribute to the song, based on your daily experiences with the King of all kings?

PRAYER: Lord, You are so good to us! You are patient, yet kind enough to work miracles in our lives every day. Please help us to open our spiritual eyes to see the glory of all that You accomplish in and through us, and help us to respond with due honor and praise to Your mighty works. May those who look at us for proof of our relationship with You truly see a child filled with awe over the mighty works You accomplish each day that impact us and draw us closer to You. May they be drawn to You and seek to know You in a very personal and meaningful way. Be glorified in us today Lord, as we strive to recognize You in all that You do. May we again today stand in awe of You and Your mighty works. I love You Lord, and ask all this in the mighty 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 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 www.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!