Control Your Mind

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2021-10-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 18:6-9
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 As David was returning after killing Goliath and as the soldiers were coming back home, women from every town in Israel came out to meet King Saul. They were singing joyful songs, dancing, and playing tambourines and lyres. 7 In their celebration the women sang, “Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands.” 8 Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, “For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!” 9 And so he was jealous and suspicious of David from that day on.

APPLICATION: I found it interesting to read this chapter of 1 Samuel and see how Saul allowed his best warrior to become his worst enemy, at least in his mind. The first time he looked at David with jealousy and suspicion followed almost immediately after he thought that David was the best thing that ever happened to his army. In his mind, Saul let the words of a playful song from women along his path to the palace just gnaw at him into imagining things like:
a). The people prized David more than Saul – in the lyrics they sang of David killing ten times as many as Saul while in battle. This incident happened immediately after David killed Goliath, so there was absolutely no basis for Saul to get jealous. Looking in from the outside, it would appear like Saul should have been a proud king who had a very young man go out and single handedly kill what the Philistines prided as their most masterful warrior;
b). The people will soon elect David for their king – There was absolutely nothing mentioned in the story that could have cause Saul to jump to this conclusion. But because it became real to Saul in his mind, it gnawed at him and cause him to despise, and even hate David;
c). Saul feared for his life because of the success of David – There is no indication that David ever threatened Saul in any way, but in Saul’s mind the idea of David being recognized as a great warrior, caused Saul to become very frightened and he feared for his life, even without sensible basis;
Because Saul allowed all of the above to interfere with his peace of mind, he became a very angry man who started devising ways to attack, harm, destroy and just hurt David in any way possible.
So might we ever fall into the trap that Saul fell into? Of course we can. It happens all too frequently. Perhaps never to the extent that we may want to cause physical harm, but we know that mental anguish and revenge could very easily result in extreme bitterness.
But how do we protect our minds from becoming intertwined with the sort of bitterness that plagued Saul? Philippians 4:8 instructs believers to: think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and worthy of praise. If there is anything of excellence and worthy of praise, we are to think on these things. These are characteristics of our loving God, and we can develop and implement these as we feed on the Word daily. So when you start feeling like Saul, let me encourage you to dig a little deeper into the Word while yearning to be more like Jesus in everything He directs you to in His Word. Don’t leave any room for Satan to tempt you or bombard your mind with his lies and his hatred for anyone.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Greater is He that is in You, than he that is in the world. Overpower old Satan with a fresh bit of courage, wisdom and direction from God’s Holy Word! Seek God and all of His righteousnesses, and all these things will be given to you, child of God!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for showing us what happens to our mind when we sit, sour and soak in the bad attitudes of Satan and his cohorts. That life is not for the child of God, but Lord we need You daily to help us stay focused on You and the many blessings that You bestow on Your children. Saul was a great warrior, but he allowed Satan to slip in and fill his mind with evil plans against a young man who respected him and fought hard for him. Lord, we desperately want others to see the love of Jesus in us, and we pray that they might hear Your call on their life. Please use us for Your good, and keep the evil one at bay at all times. 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!

Refer Only What You Have Proven

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God our Provider, Needs, Praise, Proven, Recognize God, Share, Testimony, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2021-10-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 62:5-8
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 5 I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for him to rescue me. Only God is my Savior, and he will not fail me. 6 For he alone is my safe place. His wraparound presence always protects me as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? 7 God’s glory is all around me! His wraparound presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength.
8 Trust only in God every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you—he will help you!

APPLICATION: When we are at our wits end and feel like there is no where else to turn, we often look for advice from family and friends that we believe care about us. There are times that many Christians will only want to speak with a pastor, when times are especially stressful and seem out of control. Like David, I believe that it is vitally important for others to know that we have first-hand experience about the subject we are asked to counsel on and share a reference on. For example, our personal testimony about what the Lord has done for us, is way more important to a friend than any Bible story we might share, or any recent story shared by our church pastor or leader. The latter is a third party reference, and we may leave out certain details, or we may add to the story to make it sound believable. In telling our own story, or testimony, we may show the emotions of the moment that we are sharing, or we may throw in some very personal feelings into the story. I am always thrilled at the way that David shares from such a sweet personal relationship with God. He personalizes the story and speaks of His Father in the first party. I might say that he (David) stood in silence before his God, the One whom he loved very deeply. David instead spoke of standing in the presence of the One I love! You may find room for error, or questioning in my story, but in David’s story it was very personal. Because David had such a personal relationship with the Father, he was able to safely say to others, I could afford to tell you to trust in God, because I did so, and He created for me a clear, safe path, fit for a king. I am confident as I suggest that you share your troubles with this loving God of mine, because I did so and He calmed me and made me rest besides still, peaceful waters. It seems like David was sharing that ‘you could go to the bank with this – He will help you if you only ask and believe in His awesome power. Friends, let me encourage you to share a first-hand experience with those you are witnessing to. I believe that they would rather know that this is a proven formula you are giving them! When you tell someone to ‘give it to Jesus’, hopefully you can support that with an example of something you gave to Jesus and you witnessed His awesome love in response to your request. Sure I might have a good story you might find worth sharing with your friends, but there is absolutely nothing better than your own personal experience with your Savior and your Lord!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: If Jesus did it for me, I am convinced He can do the same for you, if you believe and trust in Him. Teach us Lord to share all that You have done for us so that others will be encouraged to also ask You for help in their situations of life.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for the peace that passeth all understanding. Thank You for the love that surpasses all other love, and thank You Lord for the assurance of knowing that one day soon we will meet You and the Father in Heaven, where will will sing and shout with the angels about our finally being ‘home’! Lord, You have been so personal to us in taking care of us and watching out for our every dilemma. Help us Lord to share these blessings with others. It’s always good to share how You blessed others, but may we make it a point to follow David’s example in sharing our story, our relationship with You, and our many blessings that we have been recipients of. Often we will share about many other earthly trips we have taken, gifts given to us, and people we have met, but we seem to shy off from sharing about how You have blessed us, Lord. Others need to know about You. May those we know, hear about our Lord because of the many times that we share our story with them. Reach out and touch your people today Oh Lord, so that the unsaved will be drawn to You and the saved will be encouraged. 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!

Don’t Condemn Others, You May Be Just as Guilty

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

Monday, 2021-10-25

Bible Reference: John 8:3-5
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in bed with a man who was not her husband. They forced her to stand in front of the people. 4 They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The Law of Moses commands us to stone to death any such woman. What do you say we should do?”

APPLICATION: At one time in my career I found myself talking to a coworker about the shortcomings of a fellow employee in another department. It was nothing terrible, or at least I thought so, until the coworker turned around and told me that it was odd for me to mention the issue, because that’s exactly what the other party says about me!! Whoa! Was that ever an eyeopener for me! Another personal example of how God slapped me into reality: Being heavily involved in church, there was a time when I looked around and questioned (judged) why others were not doing as much as I was. A very honest pastor reminded me that there were things that individual was doing behind the scenes that I would never know about, but he was way more dedicated to the Lord’s work than most people would know about. Whoa – again! Friends, I’m not sure that there is any person on earth that God would delegate His authority to judge, condemn and destroy the will of another believer. Let me remind all of us that we have a full-time job trying to keep self aligned with the teachings, commands and ordinances of our Master. You see, He is perfect, and we are so far from perfect that it would take us a lifetime of daily persistence, and undiluted dedication to our Savior in order for us to truly follow His commands, and live a life that resembles Christ. Our obligation is to love and pray for our fellow believers, not judge and condemn them. God assures us in His Word that He will hold each of us accountable for our own sins. Let’s never lose sight of the incredible job that is ours to watch over self, while loving and caring enough for others with hopes that they too will do the same as they prepare for that glorious day when we will all see Jesus face-to-face!

PRAYER: It is so easy to get caught up in condemning others, oh Lord, and that’s not our job. Please help us to spend our time looking at You, imitating You, and studying about You so that we will understand what You desire from us. Perhaps at some point others may see enough of Christ in us, that our witness might be effective in helping them also seek for the Master. As you told the Pharisees, let the one without sin throw the first stone. We have no room condemning others, while we also have sin in our lives. You commissioned us to be obedient to Your commands and follow Your perfect example, and You will be the Judge of all. We have no reason to try and assume Your job, for You are perfect. Please forgive us when we overreach our bounds. Please complete Your work in us daily, oh Lord. 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!

Look at The Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heart, Heart Knowledge, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-10-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 16:6-7; 18
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
18 One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.”

APPLICATION: For years I served on various Search Committees looking for church pastors and/or church staff. For years I also interviewed applicants for jobs where the individual would be subject to my supervision. I now hope that things would have been somewhat different if I had long ago studied this chapter of 1 Samuel in more detail! A lot of times we often hear the saying ‘Common sense is just not that common anymore’, perhaps that comes from a person intent on being obedient but without applying their heart to their actions. Notice that as soon as Samuel saw the looks, stature and age of Jesse’s oldest son, he was sure he knew who God’s pick was for the next king of Israel. But God not only knew the heart of the next king based on history, but also based on his commitment to God and his future dependence on God to make good decisions. Friends, I believe it is beyond amazing how God was preparing the path for His new king. In Saul’s depression, he needed the calming music of a harpist. God had been preparing David for this opportunity from a very young age. Also, God had arranged for one of Saul’s advisors to have knowledge of David and He gave the advisor the boldness to share what he knew about the heart of David: 1). Talented – meaning that he devoted his time to learning an instrument that he fell in love with, the harp; 2). A brave warrior – usually this will be a character of a man with great confidence in what he and God could do, in spite of the circumstances around him; 3). A man of war – David had principles towards things that were important and necessary at times, even if that happened to be ‘war’; 4). Good judgment – we know that David was the youngest son, so to be considered for this character trait, he must have listened well and obeyed. No doubt his dad was a key mentor, but this advisor also knew that God was super important in David’s life; and 5). The Lord is with him – just as David was credited with having the Lord on his side, I pray that we too will be so much like Jesus Christ, that the world will give reference to our relationship with God. For He is also on our side!
So let me encourage you dear friends, to live your life for the One you serve. May it be evident whose you are. Also, let’s learn from this experience by Samuel, look at the heart of a person, not at the outward appearance or on their personal achievements. God has blinders on for the latter, and He concentrates on the heart of man instead. So should we!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Forego the outward appearance and concentrate on the heart of man. This is good for every purpose in life, and for every person that we meet or associate with!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, instead of spending so much time and money on improving our outward appearance, please continue to teach us the lesson that is so prevalent in today’s Scripture. Please teach us to constantly work on the heart, based on what You have commanded, and on what You demonstrated to us while You were here on earth. I truly believe that others need to experience how much we care based on our actions and kind words. I pray that it will be very evident to them that it’s all about Jesus, and nothing of our sinful selves. Be glorified today precious Lord, even through Your humble servants who need Your touch in every aspect of life. Please reach into the hearts of the unsaved today also, may this be the day that they will experience You in all of Your fullness. 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!

As God’s Chosen, Why Not Listen?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Chosen by God, God's Chosen People, Listen, Listen to the Word of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2021-10-23
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 15:17-19
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 17 Samuel continued, “You may not think you’re very important, but the Lord chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. 18 When the Lord sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. 19 Why didn’t you listen to the Lord? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?”

APPLICATION: Too often we see people for who they were, and not for what they have become ‘in Christ’. But just as critical, some folk will seek to follow Christ, while still opting to live life in its old form. It often irks me to hear friends say that in Christ they have new freedoms to do as they want and remain saved by our wonderful Lord. Less we live under false doctrines, I must mention that yes, Jesus will never allow His children to be snatched from His hand once He receives us as His very own. However, why do we want to be His child? Isn’t it because He made an awesome sacrifice so that we could be saved? Are we not filled with deep appreciation for that sacrifice, and will endeavor to do whatever He commands? So as in the case of Saul in today’s Scripture, why would we still want to do our ‘own thing’? Did Jesus not pull us from the sin that once burdened us and accepted us into His kingdom? Why would we want to leave His love, His protection, and His care for our future in Heaven to return to the sin of this world and self gratification? I believe it is very obvious in the Scripture that Saul felt like he was pleasing Samuel, and that it was Samuel’s God that he served. Notice the words used in Scripture. But today I feel like we should see the unfortunate results of Saul’s non-committal to the Almighty God. He went into battle like God told him to do, but as soon as he felt like he was winning the battle, he suddenly took on a very prideful attitude and did what he very well pleased. Yes, God gave Saul his very own self will and the brains to decide on what he felt was right or wrong, BUT that will never trump obedience to the Almighty God. Perhaps today you are doing your best to be a child of God, but you still want to please your mom, your pastor, your boss or your best friend. In God’s Word He tells us ‘Choose you this day who you will serve’. When you accepted Jesus as Lord, and surrendered your will to His, did you mean it? Did you give Him the reins of your life? If so, please read His Book of Instruction and follow His perfect will for your life. He has your best interest at heart, while seeking to win the lost that you come into contact with. Don’t confuse your friends, let them see God, and God alone. Saul lost the crown because of his selfish pride, please don’t allow your pride to overrule your decisions. Trust God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God will make a way for us when there seems to be no way. But God wants your obedience to His perfect will for you. Obey Him and Him alone.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for showing us through the life of Saul how important it is to follow Your instruction – precisely. When we mix in our own opinions with Your instructions, we are doubting Your wisdom and Your power. You delivered those of us who have accepted You as Lord, into Your kingdom and given us full instructions on what to do after our decision to follow You. Please Lord, help us to put our selfish desires and prideful will aside and just listen and obey. For those who will read this devotional and have not accepted You as Lord, please soften their hearts today and show them the way to eternal life, so that one day soon we can all celebrate around Your throne in Heaven. Lord, we surrender all to You. Have thine own way in us, for Your kingdom’s sake. 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!

Our Opinion vs God’s Commands

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, direction, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, Worship4 Comments

DATE POSTED Friday, 2021-10-22
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 15:3; 7-9
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”
7 Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

APPLICATION: God instructed Moses, a humble man with a speech impediment, to bring His people (over 1 million of them) out of Egypt, across miles and miles of bare desert, and deliver them to a special land He was preparing for them. Through many ups and down, God delivered His people, kicked out the inhabitants of the lands He wanted the Israelites to have and He saw them settle in to new lands that were free of slavery, and filled with milk and honey. With this as a backdrop, Saul was also ordered to continue the assumption of land for the Israelites, by killing all of the Amalekites and every living thing they owned. Now, looking at everything that God had already successfully carried out, using very unlikely leaders, one would imagine that Saul would do exactly as he was told. However, as you could see in verses 7-9, that was not the case. In fact, since Saul had done such a great job capturing the land – ha ha, he felt like he could assume ‘proper’ leadership and make decisions of his own. This is no different to what Christian leaders still do today, right? We know what the Bible says, yet we interpret it to our own liking and purpose. then we wonder why the church is not as powerful, or godly, or impressive to unbelievers, as it should be. Are you kidding, says the outside world? I know what you’re doing, you just want my money; or you just want more power; or you just want more TV viewers, etc. Meanwhile back in church business meetings, the leaders stop to ask God what could possible be the matter? Friends, later in the book of 1 Samuel, we will read about how God dealt with Saul’s disobedience. In our churches today, some of you may have lived long enough to see the results of disobedience to God, or where a church has lost its vision or its drive to do what God has commanded them to do. But since our churches are really a body of believers, and not a building as such, wouldn’t its decision making, or its obedience factor, be directly attributed to the hearts of the individuals involved? While the leaders who make decisions are primarily at fault, the membership still has a grave responsibility. Have we become so bold that we have pushed God aside, and decided to do what we think is best for today’s society? I believe it is time for us individually to stop looking at the world, and how to best fit in with the world and its wicked ways, and to instead seek God and His righteousness and obey His commands that He put in place for a successful man, woman, family, church, business, child, etc. God is the One we run to, and not the local newspaper, evening news, Town Hall, Senator or President. Only God can show us how to run: our lives, that He created; our families, that He put together; our churches, that He ordained; and our businesses that He has blessed us with. As His child, we need His Word; His leadership and His direction, in order to be successful in doing what He wants for us! If you are a child of the King, will you recommit to seek His face and His will, then totally obey what He commands?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God had a plan not only for assuming the Amalekite land AND longterm success of Saul’s remaining reign, but Saul intervened with a plan of his own and totally destroyed the awesome plan God had in mind. Oh that we will learn an awesome lesson from this huge mistake by Saul. God has a plan, and He wants us to be a part of that plan, but He is more interested in our availability than our abilities. He knows what He’s doing!

PRAYER: Oh dear Lord, please teach us to trust in You and obey Your commands, no matter how convinced we are that we may have a better way. May we always remember what an honor it is to just follow Your commands and not have to worry about amending, or fixing, or adjusting anything about them. We are never smarter than our Creator! I believe you have great plans for us, and for the various things that we are blessed to be a part of, if only we will let go and let God have His perfect way. Please help us to always take our rightful place in our families, our churches, our social clubs, and our workplaces, and just stand ready to follow Your lead. Thank You Heavenly Father for using even us to accomplish Your mission here on earth. May we never be a stumbling block in the path of any that You have plans for. 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!

Jesus Wished That Mothers Would Never Witness This

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2021-10-21
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 23:26-30
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 26 …..The guards laid Jesus’ cross on Simon’s shoulders and forced him to walk behind Jesus, carrying his cross.
27 Massive crowds gathered to follow Jesus, including a number of women, who were wailing with sorrow over him. 28 Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. You should be weeping for yourselves and your children. 29 The day is coming when it will not be the women with children who are blessed but those who are childless. Then you will say, ‘The barren women are the most fortunate! Those who have never given birth and never nursed a child—they are more fortunate than we, for they will never see their children put to death!’ 30 And the people will cry out for the mountains and hills to fall on top of them to hide them from all that is to come.

APPLICATION: I am convinced that God knows what we need, and when we need it. Lord willing, my wife and I will attend the funeral of a 17 yr old son of a great friend of ours later today. The boy was shot in his face, and lived by way of machines for just about 5 days. As I read the Scripture this morning, and reminded of all that Jesus endured, for our sake, it seems like He wanted the women who wailed for Him along His path to Calvary, to know that days will get even worse – to the extent that some women will be happy that they never had children. It is very interesting that as we watch the evening news we tend to say the same thing to one another: ‘surely things can get no worse’. My greatest desire is that no matter how much worse things might get, I pray that God can still smile as we show the kind of compassion Jesus showed to the women who mourned as He passed by. Can’t you imagine that these women were probably related in some way to some of the Pharisees who demanded the death of Jesus? Yet they were sad about what was ahead for this man of God. He did nothing but heal, teach, feed and love on the people, yet there were charges trumped up against Him to insure that He was removed from society. Today I believe that God is challenging us in two ways, based on this Scripture:
1). Aim to be honest and loving to mankind, and never like the Pharisees who were determined to get rid of Jesus because of the good He did in their community. You may say that you would never imitate the Pharisees, but let me ask you to consider: How much do you promote the work of the Lord in your community? How much do you encourage your local pastors and church leaders to continue the work of the Lord in your church and community? Do you attend church regularly so you could support and encourage others in their walk with the Lord? To tear down your pastor, your church and your friends from an honest relationship with the Lord, is as bad as what the Pharisees did to Jesus. Do you read your Bible daily so you could be encouraged and led by the words of Jesus?
2). Be compassionate to others, like Jesus was – even on His way to Calvary. Are you able to do this in the presence of your enemies, or those who despitefully use and abuse you? It is always easy to be like Jesus when in the presence of our friends and family, but I believe that Jesus can give to us strength and boldness to also follow His example when confronted by evil, hatred and revenge. It becomes a whole lot more obvious that God is working through us in those cases.
I sincerely believe that Jesus would wish for us that we would never be faced with hatred, anger or sin of any sort. But I also believe that Jesus would wish that we all stand ready to display the character of Jesus in everything we do or say, regardless of our circumstances. Please consider connecting with God again today my friend, and draw close to Him, be used by Him, and honor Him in all that you do, so that He may be lifted up, praised and glorified!

BLESSINGS NOTED: Jesus showed compassion even on His way to Calvary where mankind showed their greatest act of hatred and revenge on One who loved them and cared for them. Oh that we could show the same compassion on those in our circle who need to see Jesus in action.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am reminded of something that Paul shared – it often feels like two opposing forces are at work in us. We know that You would have Your children love like You loved; embrace everyone just like You showed mercy to all; and help everyone along just like You gave each of us strength and encouragement to go on each day. However, Satan is also tugging at us to promote his evil habits. Please teach us to pray each day for strength to overcome the evil one. Please help us to read Your Word each day for encouragement and wisdom from the Great I Am. Oh Lord, I believe that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. May we be convinced of that in every scenario of life. 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!

Wanted – A Man Who Would Obey God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2021-10-20
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 13:13-14
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 “You fool!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have disobeyed the commandment of the Lord your God. He was planning to make you and your descendants kings of Israel forever, 14 but now your dynasty must end; for the Lord wants a man who will obey him. And he has discovered the man he wants and has already appointed him as king over his people; for you have not obeyed the Lord’s commandment.”

APPLICATION: If we use portions of clips of sayings by our mentors, we might say something like ‘you dress them up, send them to college, then expect them to come back home and listen to God?’ Sounds almost comical, right? But how often do we find leaders who feel something like I just described! They’re in charge, they are smart, so just standby and pay close attention while they tell you where to go and how to get there! Two very important things I saw in our Scripture today:
—> Our way is always better – Most church leaders do a fair job of praying about the needs of the local church. That’s because the needs appear much bigger than we could ever imagine. However, Saul’s story is often similar to what happens to local churches today, after they catch a vision for what lies ahead. They often take over from God and take the reins.
—> Grant me boldness to.. – So many of our church congregations speak their minds, but it is often in a very condescending way, and usually by way of complaints. How often do we have a member approach the pastor and share the results of their steadfast prayer about a decision the church is struggling with? What about other areas of leadership, such as work leaders, or government leaders? We are commanded by God to pray for our spiritual leaders and our government leaders. How often do we challenge either of these in love, with a word from the Lord? Yes, we give them a piece of our mind and we tell them how they should do their job, but do we ever begin the conversation with: ‘after days of persistent prayer and fasting, I feel compelled of God that He would rather see you do…..’? How often have you done something like this with a state senator, or even the president/prime minister/etc.? I know, you are just one minor voice in the wilderness, but what about the One that you represent? If you are in prayer over something important to your church or city or state or country, and you receive direction from God, shouldn’t He have his say – even through little old you?
Friends, without being judgmental at all, I truly believe that if we obey the command given to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 to humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and pray in earnest before Him, then He will hear from heaven and He will heal our land. Which land? The same land that our church is praying about ministering to; the same state our senator wants to govern; and the same country our President wants to run. If each of these bodies extend their reach to the areas they are responsible for, under God’s protective and guiding hand, then perhaps God will keep us from harm of disease, war and the evil of criminals – He will heal our land and use us for His purpose. Saul was hindered from a long life in leadership because he failed to follow God’s commands. So will we if we fail to call on God and obey His commands. Be a man, or woman, committed to obeying the Lord your God, won’t you?

BLESSINGS NOTED: God chose another leader after His own heart, after Saul chose to lead in his own way and disobey God. We too might have impressionable churches and impressive countries, if we determine to obey the Lord our God!

PRAYER: A young man is killed before he could ever finish high school. A seasoned pastor loses his job due to temptation. A country is overrun by crime and destruction. Why? Why? Why, Lord? Is it because we have become too much like Saul in doing what ‘we’ think best, instead of following Your commands? Please Lord, open our eyes so that we might see the glory You have in store for those who place their faith and trust in You and are obedient to Your commands. May we be diligent in our prayers, honorable in obeying Your commands, and persistent in seeking Your face through the good and bad times of life. You are our King and we worship You Lord, please extend Your ongoing peace on us so that we might remain humble and willing to obey Your every command. Not knowing what lies ahead always result in our shortsightedness and errors in our decisions. We want to do Your will and always seek Your perfect will for everything here on earth. May we be diligent in leading the charge towards this end in everything that we are a part of. Please speak especially convincing to the ones who has chosen to live life without You Lord. Draw them to You and convince them of their need for the Savior, before it is eternally too late. 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!

Pray, Don’t Sin

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-10-19
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 12:22-24
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 22 For the sake of His reputation, He will not cast away His chosen people. Before you ever chose Him, the Eternal One chose you as His own because it pleased Him.
23 As for me, the last thing I would ever do is to stop praying for you. That would be a sin against the Eternal One on my part. I will always try to teach you to live and act in a way that is good and proper in His eyes. 24 Make this your one purpose: to revere Him and serve Him faithfully with complete devotion because He has done great things for you.

APPLICATION: When we take on Kingdom responsibility here on this earth, in God’s work and especially around His church, it would be awesome to think on these things that Samuel shared with his people. Let me encourage you to really soak in the words shared by Samuel at this very critical time in the leadership of this great nation. I will expand a little, hoping that you will also see what God might be saying to us:
—> From Judge to King – The Israelites were tired of being different to other nations around them, so they asked that they have a king just like other nations. Although Samuel did an awesome job as a Judge over Israel, they felt it was time that they be like everyone else and have their own king. God told Samuel to go along with them, knowing full well that they would soon turn away from Him – again, very soon;
—> God’s Reputation – His reputation stands consistent and firm. To the Israelites, because God chose them long before they decided to choose Him. We may tend to question God’s love at times, especially when we recognize that His ways are not our ways and that He may chose to do things a lot differently that we do. We often choose to do things in ways that might bring glory to ourselves, but Jesus is fully in control and deserves our praise – at all times;
—> Pray for one another – just as Jesus prayed for the Father’s will in the garden before His arrest, so should we pray in love for the will of the Father and the benefit of our fellow man;
—> Disciple those in our circle – Samuel promised to teach his people and live out a life that is pleasing to God. Live out what you teach, dear Brother and Sister;
—> Make this your purpose in life – to revere, worship and serve the creator and sustainer of all life. Recognize His great works and and obey His commands, knowing that He does all things for our good.
Friends, know that God loves you more that you could ever imagine. Only God ever sacrificed a part of Himself for our benefit. He gave His very own Son so that we may ditch this old sinful world and be fit for the glories of heaven. How about making your greatest goal of life, to accept Jesus, and live a life dedicated to Him until God calls us home to be with Him in heaven? I have information in my Footnote that will help you make this a reality!

BLESSINGS NOTED: So many blessings included in our Scripture today. God chose us long before we decided to choose Him! God commanded that we pray one for another – He designed us to care about our Brother/Sister! Because He has done so many good things for us, we should desire to faithfully revere and worship Him all of our life!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for loving, caring and encouraging me! You created me, and You care for me while I’m allowed to spend time here on this earth. Please teach my readers, listeners and myself to always stand firm in our faith and to live out our purpose for which You placed us here. May others see so much of Jesus in us that they will desire to know You and and purposefully live for You as they seek to disciple others while await their call to glory! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog 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!