Jesus is Our Guide

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Protector, Servants of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. Ex 13:21-22 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

One of the more popular tours anyone can take is a guided tour, because the guide is well versed in the history of the area and the guide has a personal stake in preserving and forever celebrating the area. This sounds much like God with the Israelites, and it also reminds me of God, through His Son Jesus, today. God had brought the Israelites through a lot, and He held the hands of Moses and Aaron for a long time while He worked on Pharaoh. He has also brought us through a lot in our lifetime, and we should never be so silly as to brush that aside as good luck, good fortune or even think that it was a natural course of action. I love that saying that “if He brings us to it, He will bring us through it”. I am convinced that just as we could see in our past how God has worked through the miracles that He performed in our lives and the lives of our relatives, He still has a purpose in our lives today. In fact, He wants to guide us through paths that will impact unbelievers, so that He can deal in their lives towards the hope that is theirs in knowing Jesus as Lord. Although so unfortunate, I have seen over recent days how people who once attended church for the wrong reasons, are now out of touch with the Master of this universe, and with His people. There is still much work to be done, and I believe that God is looking for humble, dedicated, willing servants to carry the gospel into the highways and byways, to our family, friends and our neighbors, through our example and witness to the fact that Jesus is Lord in our life. Friends, I believe that this is as urgent as the command to the Israelites, we need to ‘place the sacrificed blood on our doorposts’ so that others will know that Jesus reigns in our hearts and lives, and also as a constant reminder of our dedication to Christ. Only what’s done for Jesus will last friend, but we have to do it – do something, to be God’s instruments in witnessing to, and winning, the lost.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father thank You for the reminder of the urgency of the hour in which we live. Thank You for being my Deliverer, my Friend and my Guide. Please continue to work in my life so that I may represent You well before a lost and dying world. Please make me constantly aware of the lost around me, and the boldness to share the gospel with them in ways that You can open their hearts into making decisions to accept Your gracious Son, Jesus. There are many obstacles in this life that will lead me astray, but thank You for guiding me into heaven, Your home eternal, as You did in guiding the Israelites into the promised land,

Forgive as Christ Forgave Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Draw Me Close to You, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Getting Along, God’s Word, Healing, Helper, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love your Neighbor, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Peace, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, RepentanceLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matt 18:35 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

One day when we were deep in sin, in fact even to the degree that we protested before the king that Jesus should die just because He ‘rubbed’ us the wrong way, just because He showed us up with all of His humbleness and good works, yet His Father allowed Him to die on a cruel cross at Calvary just to ease the path to heaven for us. If we, as Christians, are then to be like Jesus, who are we to turn our noses up, harden our hearts and be unwilling to forgive our brother or sister, just because they may have hurt our little feelings? God is a God of love, so as His followers we are to be a people of that kind of love. God is a forgiving God, so as followers of His we too are to be a forgiving people. God sent His Son to display the attitudes we should have here on this earth. Unless we read the Book of Instructions (the Bible), we may often think that WE have everything under control and may even think that we have no sin in our lives. Friends, we have a lot to be desired, should we try to compare ourselves to the King of all times, the Creator of this universe. We have a long way to go, compared to the love, forgiveness, humility and understanding we read about in Jesus. But let’s not wait any longer to start our journey, let’s recommit ourselves today to try and parallel our lives to the one exampled by Jesus, the only perfect One that ever walked this earth. Others need your forgiveness so that they can go on to be victorious in Jesus. You may need forgiveness so that you can go on to victory in Jesus, this same chapter gives guidance on how to go about seeking forgiveness when your offender may feel no guilt at all. Live daily in the Word, so that you can live daily for Jesus!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father this has been an eye-opening chapter today, for it is filled with Your instructions on how we are to live our lives worthy of, and following Your example. Please give me grace, power and a humble heart to forgive others just as You have forgiven me. Help me to live a daily life being an example of You and sharing Your love with everyone that I come in contact with. Oh that others will see Jesus walking this earth through the lives of Your believers, and especially in me, what a difference this would make towards fulfilling the Kingdom message!

Be Persistent in Obeying God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, God our Helper, God Reigns, God’s Word, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Surrender, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 8.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.” Ex 8:25 (NLT)

28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God. But don’t go too far away. Ex 8:28 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Often we try so hard to please God and try to please those around us. We must be careful to please God in all that we do. Often folk around us will plead with us to compromise, like Pharaoh did in the case of Moses and Aaron. I feel like this is a daily battle, and something that requires daily prayer, as we search for or seek God’s guidance and direction. God is in control of our lives. He is in control of our future. Unless we rid ourselves of all the distractions and opposition of His will, we will be easily tempted and/or pressured into following a path that opposes God’s will for us. If Moses was not deeply grounded in his faith, he would have walked away from the assignment given to him to free his people, the Israelites. There were so many times that it sounded like Pharaoh was committed to follow the plan after most of the plagues, yet he changed his mind as soon as he felt like he once again had control. Because of the long range plan designed by God, and God’s persistence to encourage His willing servant Moses, eventually His plan proved successful and Moses and his people were free to leave. Let’s learn to place our faith and trust in God and follow His instructions, no matter how bleak things may appear around us in response to our obedience.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, I thank You that I know and serve the only One with all answers to all of life’s challenges, and You are the only one that has the key to my future with You. Please help me to stay faithful to Your will and way. Please help me to stay focused on Your Word, as I believe that it holds the answers to all of life’s challenges that I face every day. I know that You are in control, please guide me to follow Your directions every day.

Are You Clean Before God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Chosen by God, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Purity, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 4.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. Ex 4:24 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

This verse really caused me to stop and ponder a while. God had elected Moses to set His people free and to lead them on an awesome journey, to a country where both milk and honey flowed, according to the Word of God. However, in sending him from one place to another to make final arrangements for the journey, God took advantage of a time that Moses and his entourage stopped for the night to confront Moses about a situation, and this was confrontation to the extent that He was about to kill Moses. Bottom line is that Moses had not followed one of the God-based laws of that day, to circumcise his own son. I believe that regardless of what sin it was, God did not want a man leading His people out of Egypt when there was sin in his life. This then opened up my eyes to remind me that just because we may be leading a ministry, or perhaps teaching others about Jesus’ love, and even thought we may feel very led of God to do that, I was reminded that God wants to use clean vessels to perform His work. Yes, I know that none of us are perfect, but I feel like this passage was appropriately placed to show us that we must not only make a onetime clean-up in our lives, but that we are to be ‘clean’ as Jesus is ‘clean’ if we are to represent Him before His people.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, I pray that as You have spoken to my heart this morning that You will also open up my spiritual eyes so that I may clearly see any sin that separates me from You, yes any sin that would prevent the effectiveness of Your ministry through using me as Your vessel here on this earth. I pray that You would forgive me where I have failed in this, and instead open my eyes clearly to Your ways, Your attitudes and Your commands. May You find a clean, contrite heart ready and willing to serve You wherever and whenever You issue the call.

God’s Timing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, Humility, Obedience, Power of Prayer, SurrenderLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 2.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

24 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.25 He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. Ex 2:24-25 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that too often we are discouraged and think that God has forgotten us because He has not answered our prayers yet. On the other hand, we would be in trouble if He answered everything that we ask of Him in the manner in which we ask for it to happen. It would almost appear sometime that we have taken on the role of God and appointed Him the puppet to respond as we ask. In this verse we see where God looked down on the Israelites and knew it was time to act. Any sooner may have caused the Israelites to miss out on lessons learned while they waited on God. Any later may have resulted in them losing faith and reacting negatively to the actions against them. God’s timing is always perfect; it’s our patience, humility and understanding that we need to work on. Let’s always remember that He is God, He is in charge, He has all the answers, He knows the future and what positive or negative results would occur if answers are not timely. Let’s do our part to be the obedient, patient, humble child of God waiting for His response and His action to our prayers.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Often we ask and we ask and we ask dear God, and sometimes we get impatient and think that our prayers must have hit a brick wall. Today I have been reminded that it is my job to be the child and ask, while Your job to respond when the timing is right so that everything will be just right. Thank You for being my God that I can come to with my concerns. Thank You for answered prayer. Thank you for answering on time, and in Your own way, not necessarily in the selfish and unintelligent way that I may do it filled with shortcomings and possible long-term negative results. You are God, and I thank You for that. Please help me learn to always take my role, and allow You to be God, to respond and act in ways that will ultimately bless me and/or the situation that I am praying for. You are God Alone, praise be to God!

We Shall Overcome!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Faith, God Cares For Us, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 1.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became.13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands. Ex 1:12-14 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

God spoke to me in two ways in this chapter this morning:

  1. Jacob and his forefathers had been so devoted to God, showing such respect to Him and giving Him praise as they saw His hand at work, and they were blessed in so many more ways. I am overjoyed to be reminded here in this passage that Jacob’s ancestors are still being extremely blessed and protected by God. This tells me that while I strive to walk uprightly before God today, and may witness many miracles and blessings from God, still I may never know the full extent of God’s blessings. He may go on and bless through my family long after I am gone, because of my faithfulness. This is no reason to be faithful today though, for God deserves my very best today because of my commitment in allowing Him to be Lord of my life. What is returned to me and my descendants as a result of my faithfulness, is all considered ‘blessings’, praise be to God!
  2. Sometimes when we are burdened and feel mistreated, as in the case of the Israelites, we may be tempted to give up. However, like the Israelites, we must learn to always look to God, from whom our strength comes, and be overcomers. Sometimes in the depth of our burdens we become even stronger. There is a song that touches on this through the words “I Never Lost my Praise” and this is because we never lose our hope, our joy in the Lord, our blessings from God, even when we think we are going through the toughest of times God is still in control and will give us the strength and joy of overcoming. That’s just the kind of God that I serve!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Please God help me stay focused on this each and every day, especially those days when I feel like I must be handling all the struggles and setbacks alone. I know that You promised to never leave me alone, so help me to focus on the fact that You are there with me through all circumstances, and with You guiding me and looking out for me, what have I to fear? May You receive praise because of my faith, dedication and expressed love for You through everything that I say and everything that I do.

WWJS (What Would Jesus Say)

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Follow Jesus, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

 8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.9 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as

commands from God.’
“ Matt 15:7-9 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees who had come to analyze the man whom their people were so enthused with and following everyday to witness miracles and to be taught the principles of God. Jesus then told the Pharisees how He felt about their actions and their worship. My mind then reflected on ‘What Would Jesus Say’ to me about my words (the things that I say); my thoughts; the content of my heart; my act of worship and that of my church. Too often I believe that we carry on like we have no master, and often I’m sure that we say things that would not be words from Jesus’ mouth. Furthermore we often do well at going before God at select times and, using our ‘churchy’ intellect we tell Jesus how we love and adore Him, then as soon as we walk outside the doors of the church building, or get over the tragedy for which we were praying so hard, we quickly transform into the way of our friends or peers. Are we a ‘farce’? Can anyone look at us at anytime and truly see that we are representatives of God? Are we a part of the problem or working to solve the problems that Isaiah spoke of? I am convinced that the problem still exist today, but I am also convinced that we serve a God big enough to help those of us interested in overcoming the problem. God wants us to be more like Him every day. As we turn lose of self and grasp hold of the hand that could help us live out holy lives dedicated to Him and representing Him in every way, then our daily lives will look more like Jesus and we will have more of an impact for the kingdom in our daily earthly walk.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I wouldn’t dare point fingers at anyone, because I am a part of the crowd that Your fingers are pointed towards, for I often fail in living this life totally under Your control and guidance, and no doubt You look at me and consider me a ‘farce’ at times. Please accept this as my honest plea for help me to be a stronger, more committed child of the King today. Help me to never give in to the earthly thoughts of doing unkind things or saying unkind words just because I am in this world, for I serve a Savior that is way bigger – bigger than all the struggles I might face; stronger – stronger than any temptation that may weaken my witness; but praise be to God for You are also more loving than anything or anyone in this world; You are definitely more capable than anyone or anything I can turn to for help to overcome my weaknesses; and caring enough to grant my desire to represent You better in my every action, thought or deed. You are God, and I am Your servant, please grant me the strength to honor and obey Your commands.

True Unconditional Forgiveness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Forgiveness, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Love, Love your Neighbor, Power of Prayer, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 49-50.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

16 So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us17 to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.18 Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. Gen 50:16-21 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I find it intriguing to see the sincere and unexpected forgiveness of Joseph towards his brothers, who hated/envied him so much because of the love of their father towards him, that they tried to kill him and almost as bad, sold him as a slave to strangers. But I am reminded of the love of my Savior who, in spite of the sin (hatefulness, wrong doers, murderers, liars, deceivers, lovers of evil, etc. etc.), yet God sent His Son Jesus, to die on a cruel cross, so that we may seek forgiveness of such sins mentioned. In other words, He still showed His love towards us and provided a means for us to overcome these things and still make it to heaven some day. We may think that this is evidence of the love of a father towards his children, and I feel like we are right on target with that belief, but I also know of families today where a father has not spoken to a son for years, because of some wrong doing along the way. In other words, the love of my Savior stands tall, and is way more that our minds could ever imagine. What I do know is, that no matter how deep in sin we are, or how bad we may think we are, we needn’t think that Jesus would never forgive us. God’s Word teaches in John 3:16 that “whosoever believeth in Him” and that includes any and every one that comes boldly before Him and asks His forgiveness and invites Him into their heart or life to rule and reign, that they too will become heirs to the Kingdom of God. Wow, that’s love! That’s true unconditional forgiveness! There is no greater love than that!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

I pray that everyone reading this blog will be prompted in their heart to accept this Savior that I love and cherish, and allow Him to truly and unconditionally forgive you of your sin, so that you may encounter real peace while still alive on this earth, and the assurance that your future is secured in Jesus. He is the answer for you today friend!

He Has Done Great Things!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Forgiveness, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Power of PrayerLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Genesis 48.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day,16 the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may he bless these boys. Gen 48:15-16 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Jacob had built such a relationship with God over the years that he now asked the same God who had been with his father and grandfather, and the same God who had walked with and directed his path every day to bless these grand children now kneeling before him. I feel like this prayer would have been such a strong influence on these boys, because it was a very personal prayer in that it was not just asked of the God of that time, but of the God who had been very personal and shown his power in so many ways to Jacob over his lifetime. I believe that it would be so very powerful for us to pray in this way. Not only to go to God asking for this or that, but to stop and remind ourselves of all the miracles wrought by God in our lives and especially concentrating on miracles wrought by God in similar circumstances to that for which we are praying. In other words, as we pray for a sick person, reflect on the healing of someone like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. God’s Word is filled with examples of how He performed numerous miracles. We know of circumstances where Jesus performed miracles in our lives and/or the lives of our loved ones. Let’s once again give God the credit for what He has done, while at the same time building our confidence for the thing that we are about to ask for. Let’s always remember that God has ‘Done Great Things‘ and always will, as we look to Him for our needs in faith.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord, I come before the God that showed Your mighty power to Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, the God who healed the woman with the issue of blood, and the man lowered through the roof into the presence of Jesus, the God who brought Lazarus back to life and Jesus back to life after three days in the grave, the One who accepted me as one of Your children after cleansing me of my sin, the One who promised never to leave me or forsake me. As I come before You this morning I come with what appears impossible requests when looking at them through my human eyes, but after reflecting on the awesome God in whose presence I find myself, I realize that nothing is impossible for You when I place my faith and trust in You. I pray that You will move in a mighty way in my church dear God. The very vehicle that You have instituted to spread the gospel to a lost and dying world, yet we are plagued by the weaknesses of humans. Lord may Your church arise and be holy. May we represent You in every form today. May I and my fellow brothers and sisters be Your church, Your witnesses, Your representatives with all that we come in touch with. Lord may we be loving and kind to each other. May we learn to overlook each others’ weaknesses and instead look for ways to help strengthen those individuals instead of dragging them down. You have done GREAT things, and I believe that You would love nothing more than to continue doing GREAT things through Your church, so that Your will might be accomplished and lifted up before all me, for You have promised in Your Word that You will then draw them to Yourself. Please allow me to be Your representative today in ways that will be fruitful to the kingdom. Thank You for doing great things in my life and the lives of my family.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Faith, God our Helper, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 14.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matt 14:29-31 (NLT)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

We are children of the King – the King of all kings! The One who is greater than all mankind! The Creator of the universe! Yet too often we let the things of this world worry us. In fact, the worries consume us. This means that we have our eyes more on the problem(s) than we do on our Master – the One who can solve ALL those things that concern us. Peter did exactly the same, he took his eyes off Jesus and allowed himself to worry about the waves around him. At the time he did this I believe that his worry was more on what he (Peter) could do to save himself or calm the waves, but that was not his problem, in fact that was way out of his control. This is the challenge we have, we worry about those things that we have no power to control or solve. We must learn to take our eyes off our inadequacies and instead focus on the power of Jesus, who overcame death and the cross. There’s a hymn that I am reminded of as I focus on this thought this morning, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus“, particularly one line that reads “..and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”. We need this so badly, to take our minds off the worries and instead focus on the Master.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I could only imagine that it must sadden You to see Your children burry themselves in worry and concern, after all that You did to prove Your love to us and after all You did to prove Your power to us. Please forgive me for taking my eyes off You so often. There is no reason for me to look at my inadequacies and shortcomings when my hand rests in the hand of my Savior. Please alert me to my power source when I feel downhearted and overcome by the concerns of this world. With my eyes fixed on You, I should find little time to focus on the ‘waves’ of challenging circumstances and tough situations. I appreciate Your love that You show so frequently for me. Thank You Jesus!