Are You Paying Attention?

On 2017-06-102017-06-10 By Ed AlgreenIn direction, God's Guidance, Guidance, Leadership, Leadership of the Holy SpiritLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-06-10
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 22:32-33 (GW)
Text:	³²The Messenger of the Lord asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I’ve come here to stop you because the trip you’re taking is evil. ³³The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey.”
OBSERVATION:
Balaam had some ulterior motives to go and see King Balak. Knowing how self focused we could be when dealing with selfish desires, God warned Balaam before he left home, but He decided to warn him yet again along the way. He did this by placing a messenger in the path of Balaam’s donkey to try and get him off track. Balaam was so upset with the donkey seemed self controlled instead of obeying his master, that he would have killed the donkey did he have the right gear at the time. Let’s apply this to our lives today….
APPLICATION:
Just as God tried to redirect Balaam, He also dealt with Jonah in a similar fashion. For He had a ministry in store for Jonah, but instead Jonah decided to take a boat elsewhere. After winding up in the belly of a huge fish for three days, Jonah got the message. What does it take for God to get our attention? Ever looked back on life and realized how disastrous life would have been had you followed your own inclination? When we sought God about moving to the US from our home country, the Bahamas, it all came through very quickly. Family members thought we were absolutely nuts and possibly going through a midlife crisis. Within one year of our move, one of those same family members told me, after having his heart repaired following a heart attack, that now he could see clearly why God moved us here. A similar incident occurred within a few years and it was once again reaffirmed that we followed God’s will. In man’s eyes, there is nothing special about this servant of God, but in God’s eyes, I’m His son, a recipient of the blood He shed for us at Calvary, and He wants His very best for His kids. Have I also been disappointed in life, you betcha, but understanding that I have the God of this universe directing me – opening doors of opportunity and closing doors that may have thrown me off-track, I am convinced that He who started a good work in me, will continue to see me through life until the day I stand in His presence in glory! I was reminded of these ‘building stones’ or highlights one night when given the opportunity to share my story with another Christian Brother. Try that some time friend. I believe that you too will reflect on times when God spoke to you and you may have declined His invitation. For those of you that did accept His invitation to permit Him to rule and reign in your life, I believe you too will reflect on times that God would have opened doors for you, and times when He placed an angel in your path, like Balaam, to prevent you taking the path you were asking Him permission to take. God loves us friend, and He will honor His Word that He will take care of those entrusted into His care. Let Him guide and protect you Friend. Pay attention to the ways that He is directing You. Always pray for guidance and His perfect will for your life, then pay attention!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, the adversary is pushing at every turn to indulge in our weaknesses and try to get us off-track in our mission to serve You and be obedient to Your every command. Please help us to keep our eyes so permanently fixed on You that our path is directed by You and very clear to us which way we should turn. Lord, I believe that there will be some who reads this blog that are currently going through testing and times of decision on which way to turn next. Please give each of us assurance today, that You are still God and that You will take care of Your own. Help us to totally surrender our will to You and be willing to accept all the ways that You will guide us, for Your eternal glory. Lord we praise You in advance knowing that as You have guided us already, You will continue. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

‘Mountains’ That Seem Impassable

On 2017-06-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-06-09
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 21:33-35 (GW)
Text:	³³Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei. ³⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” ³⁵The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
OBSERVATION:
God delivered His people, the Israelites, from the hands of the Egyptians. He led them by day and by night through the wilderness and taught them many lessons, including how they should conquer fear; obstacles; times of need and desperation; and situations that would remind them of huge ‘mountains’ that may seem impassable in their eyes.
APPLICATION:
I’m sure you’ve heard the slogan ‘If God takes you to it, He will see you through it’. Real neat thought to hear from your preacher when you’re sitting in a ‘cushy’ church and everything is great at the time, right? But what happens when disaster hits; or huge medical decisions become necessary; or you encounter battle after battle each day? In fact, you begin to feel like each day you awake, you are faced with ‘mountains’ at every turn. Can you imagine what Moses must have felt when he saw the many ‘mountains’ each day that faced the thousands and thousands of people that were looking up to him for leadership, protection and direction? Let me suggest to you that your hope and your security in Jesus Christ begins with a personal relationship with Him. Not because you attend church with your parents, or even attend church now with your own family. A personal relationship begins with a heartfelt decision to accept Jesus not only as you would another friend, but to give Jesus full leadership and control in your life. Notice how Moses sought out God about the battle he and his group were facing at Edrei? We all know that in any battle, we need to strategize and get out there and fight. However, when God is your King and your Lord, you are to always seek His will. For when ‘mountains’ stand in our way, we should always remember that God created the ‘mountains’, so if He wants to remove them, or make a way through them for us, He can simply speak the word. I gave several examples of ‘mountains’ you may be facing today, may I encourage those of you that have a personal relationship with Jesus to seek His face and worship Him, for He is still God. Thank Him for the blessings and the challenges He has helped you through. Then seek His reassurance and/or direction for all you are facing, or will face in the days ahead. Allow Him to love on you and comfort you through every facet of your life, including all the ‘mountains’; miracles; opportunities; disappointments; and encouraging times. ‘He’s got this’ friend, we just need the faith, humility and confidence to let Him. Can you commit to that today?
PRAYER:
So many times in life we may stop and question ‘Why me Lord’. However Lord, as we are reminded of Your power shown to Moses and the Israelites, we recognize that had it not been for the challenges, they may not have sought You out at all. Had it not been for the miracles, they would not have known about Your awesome power. Please teach us to always praise You, and accept Your response to our prayer request when you say ‘no’, realizing that it is not the same as not answering our prayer at all. We petition You because we know the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Lord, we pray that we may be an extension of You to a lost world. This will include giving Your ‘no’ answer even at those times that we may personally wish it was ‘yes’. Please grant us more faith to be more like You; act more like You; and obediently follow Your Word and Your perfect will for us, and those we lead or influence. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God Hears Our Prayer!

On 2017-06-082017-06-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Power of Prayer, Prayer, RelationshipLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-06-08
SCRIPTURE
From:	Daniel 9:20-23 (TLB)
Text:	²⁰Even while I was praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, desperately pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain, ²¹Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, flew swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice ²²and said to me, “Daniel, I am here to help you understand God’s plans. ²³The moment you began praying a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much. Listen and try to understand the meaning of the vision that you saw!
OBSERVATION:
Unlike many of us that may spend less than 3 minutes in prayer, this whole chapter in Daniel highlights most of the content of Daniel’s conversation/prayer to God, for he was burdened for his people and his land and he knew that the only one who could do anything about the stubbornness of hearts, would be the Eternal God. Daniel took God seriously at His Word, that ‘If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves and pray, then God……’. True to His Word, Daniel found out that the minute he humbled himself, opened his mouth in prayer, then God began acting in response!
APPLICATION:
A question often asked in Christian circles is: ‘Does God really listen to my prayers, and is it possible that He would ever act on ‘my prayers’? Fortunately we don’t control God, or the prayers that He chooses to answer. But as for our prayers, I would suggest a few tips that I believe Scripture teaches: Don’t go to God as a stranger out of desperation. Go before Him reverently, acknowledging that He is God (in charge) and that you are His humble servant, saved only by His grace, in need of Him, once again today/this week/etc; When no personal relationship exists, it is very challenging to have a sincere, meaningful conversation with someone – especially God. Relationships flourish when there is ongoing conversation between both parties; when there’s giving sacrificially to the other party, and receiving humbly from that party. God is no different, honor His Word by reading it daily and allowing God to speak with you and direct your paths; Pray to God about everything and be willing to accept His response, that may not always agree with our personal desire; Be willing to act on what God directs you to do – obedience; Learn to go before God looking at His face, and not for His outstretched hand. Yes, I believe He wants to give you the desires of your heart, but looking into His face will encourage you to worship Him and recognize Him for who He is. Then if you are in need of something, you will recognize that you are placing your most private thoughts and most urgent needs before a very worthy God. God does answer prayer, friends. Do your part to ensure that you are asking of a very personal God with whom you have a very deep relationship with. Daniel did this and God acted immediately. Our God’s not dead, He’ll do the same for you!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for answered prayer! Thank You Lord for accepting me as Your precious child, and for Your continued care and answers to my prayers. On behalf of all who may read this devotional and myself, please continue to work on us with building a closer and stronger relationship with You. I believe that You care about every little concern of ours, so I pray that we will present our cares of all sizes at Your feet and seek Your will and Your blessing. Thank You for being there in so many ways for Daniel and thank You for the promise that You will be with us always. Praise to our wonderful Lord, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Consequences From Disobedience

On 2017-06-072017-06-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-06-07
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 20:12 (ERV)
Text:	¹²But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You did not trust me enough to honor me and show the people that I am holy. You did not show the Israelites that the power to make the water came from me. So you will not lead the people into the land that I have given them.”
OBSERVATION:
The Israelites complained about there not being any water to drink, and that soon they and their animals would die of thirst. Moses and Aaron petitioned before God for relief to this problem, and they were given specific directions on how God would miraculously produce water from a huge rock. However, pride set in and Moses decided to add some theatrics to the miracle by smiting the stone with his rod. God still allowed water to spring from the stone, but He dealt severely with Moses and Aaron.
APPLICATION:
I wonder how guilty we are of praying for someone, seeing God answer our prayer, then allowing the individual to praise us beyond anything we deserve. As we read God’s Word, and encounter Him daily, we must always remember that He created us to worship Him and to lift Him up. God sent His own Son so that we may again recognize His love for us and have even more reason to praise Him endlessly. When friends ask why we are so happy – it’s because the King of this universe loves us and cares for us, not because we lost weight, or our wife had a baby, or you just got married, although each of those things would place you on cloud 9 and smiling throughout the day, however when you know Jesus as Lord, and you’ve been praying for each of these things, your happiness is not necessarily in the results, but in the Savior who heard your cry and answered your prayer. Moses could have used yet another opportunity to give God praise in the presence of his people, but instead he made himself and his rod to be the hero. Also, we are given opportunities to share the love of Christ when God answers our prayers, let’s aim at giving Him the glory friends, for without Him we are totally helpless. Remember, He is God, and we are merely His humble servants doing what He says, and what He gives us power to do. To God be the glory for all that He does through even us!
PRAYER:
Thank You heavenly Father for working through even us to carry Your message to the lost and discouraged. Thank You for also using us when You see the need for physical hands or bodies to be present for some to believe. Have Your perfect will in our lives Lord Jesus and bless as only You can, so that all glory goes to You. May we learn to always stand behind the cross, so that the world will see Jesus. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

What Will You Do With Jesus?

On 2017-06-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Boldness, True witnesses, WitnessLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-06-06
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 15:12-14 (Voice)
Text:	Pilate: 12 Then what do you want me to do with the King of the Jews? Crowd: 13 Crucify Him, crucify Him! 14 But now he called to them. Pilate: Why? What has He done to deserve such a sentence? Crowd (crying all the louder): Crucify Him, crucify Him!
OBSERVATION:
Barabbas is an active and a militant Jewish leader. In one sense, the choice that the crowd is offered—to have either Jesus or Barabbas released—can be seen as a choice between two types of revolutions. Do they want a revolution of power, a revolution that is easily visible, a revolution that will conquer their enemies in a way they can understand? Or do they want a revolution of healing, a revolution of love, a revolution that will bring the kingdom of God to earth in a mystical, transcendental way? It’s no wonder they make the choice they do. Who wants a gentle revolution in a time of war?
APPLICATION:
I would like for you to assume that you were in the public square of your town, and that a local judge, accompanied by military police on each side of him, with automatic rifles in plain view, is about to take the stage. Having been coached by your pastor and church leaders about what all of this involves, you stand as part of a large crowd before the judge. Now the question is posed to you, what will you have me do with your King – Jesus? The crowd all around you is shouting “Electric Chair”; “Hang Him”; and you see the smile come across the faces of the Military Police as they point their rifles over the crowd. No response is the same as agreeing with the crowd. However, remember that He’s the same Jesus that healed your mother; made your uncle to see again and raised cousin Lazarus from the grave. But what will you do with Jesus under these circumstances? I know, I made that choice extremely challenging for most of you, but allow me to challenge you with very lightly ways that could easily happen to you today. You arrive at work and immediately hear of a meeting that the president of your company has called with all employees. He comes onto the stage and in an obviously angered tone, lashes out about the reports he has received about these, so called ‘Christian’ workers who keep Bibles on their desks and use one of the board rooms at lunchtime to conduct a prayer meeting. You realize that Satan is making a dig at you and your fellow Christian workers, but what will you do? The 8 hours per day you are being paid for is expected to be worked for the company, and not evangelizing. However, you are convinced that you can’t leave Jesus at the door until you knock off. Friends, the Holy Spirit resides inside of you to guide you, protect you, give you wisdom, tip you off to digs from the evil one, love on you when you feel all alone and encourage you when you feel like you’re losing the battle in testifying for your Master. May I remind you that what’s inside of you will come out in the words you speak, your mannerisms and in the actions you take. I love a recent verse God placed before me, and it read something like this: when placed in situations where you don’t know what to say, simply open your mouth and speak what’s on your mind, as the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you will give you the right words! Wow! Let’s learn to stand up for Jesus, knowing that He’s got our back and will lead us in ways that will glorify Him! Glory to God on high!!
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank You for being my Savior, Lord and soon coming King! You were mocked, beaten and suffered pain and embarrassment on a cross for my benefit. You already know the limits that each of us can take before we ‘break’, or cave in to the opposition. Thank You Father for filling us with Your sweet Holy Spirit as our strength, our guide and our deliverer. Please help us to be bold in our witness, and give us the strength to endure all things, for Your name’s sake. May You be glorified in all things that we do, all places that we visit, and all things that we say, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Our Awesome Lord!

On 2017-06-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence on God, Envy, God's Work, Trust, TruthLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-06-05
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 37:3-7 (NCV)
Text:	³Trust the Lord and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth. ⁴Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want. ⁵Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you. ⁶Then your goodness will shine like the sun, and your fairness like the noonday sun. ⁷Wait and trust the Lord. Don’t be upset when others get rich or when someone else’s plans succeed.
OBSERVATION:
This is a very positive Psalm where David gives those of us who trust in the Lord some very positive actions: Do good; Feed on the truth; Enjoy serving the Lord; Depend on the Lord; Trust in the Lord; Wait on the Lord; Don’t envy others who get rich or succeed. In concentrating on these things, our goodness and fairness will shine like the sun!
APPLICATION:
I found that some of these very things that David mentioned, are some of the very things that Christians struggle with today. So I believe that it is important that we take note of key points that David teaches us on how to achieve favor with God and be happy in our life experiences: Trust in the Lord and follow His ways – always do good; While living here on earth aim at filling your mind with truth. Ultimate truth is from God almighty, so feed on His Word daily. News reports are so twisted and slanted anymore until listening to their reports will give you impartial truths, and often untruths. Look for truth and don’t be so quick to accept what the world says; Seek out work that benefits the Kingdom, and enjoy what you do for the Lord. Churches are always looking for volunteers, and often it is so challenging to get that help. God attaches a reward to this point, that He will give you all you want! Another point with a promised reward, is that when you Depend on the Lord and trust in Him, He has promised to take care of you! Don’t be so quick to look at the riches in others or their ability to succeed, God has a reward for you that is ‘out of this world’! Friends, verse 6 sums up our rewards in ways that this world cannot understand or appreciate: our goodness will become obvious, and our fairness will be recognized just as the noonday sun! In other words, our efforts to be like Jesus and show His goodness to the world will please God and ultimately bless us in return! Glory to God for His goodness to us, His humble servants!
PRAYER:
Dear Father, thank You for using Your servant David to encourage us to live our lives pleasing You and blessing others. Lord, You bless us in so many ways and we are eternally thankful. May we be encouraged through Your Word today to be Your hands extended to those in need, and may we love and encourage just as You have done for us, so that You may be glorified in all that we do and say. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God Defends His Leaders

On 2017-06-032017-06-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Church Leaders, Leader, Leadership, PastorsLeave a comment

Post Date:-	Saturday, 2017-06-03
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 16:19-22 (TLB)
Text:	19 Korah had stirred up the entire nation against Moses and Aaron, and they all assembled to watch. Then the glory of Jehovah appeared to all the people, 20 and Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Get away from these people so that I may instantly destroy them.” 22 But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the ground before the Lord. “O God, the God of all mankind,” they pleaded, “must you be angry with all the people when one man sins?”
OBSERVATION:
Three Levites who had served in the temple, gathered 250 others to support their cause in going to Moses to question him about his leadership. Moses had no argument with them, but simply humbled himself before them and submitted to God’s decision and action against the leadership for their revolt to know for sure who would continue to lead the Israelites. I found it humbling when Moses and Aaron bowed before God the next morning at the entrance to the temple and they pleaded with God not to eliminate the whole bunch of the revolution gathered, just the one who stood defiant to the will of God. However it really upset God that sinful men were questioning His decision for leadership.
APPLICATION:
I believe that this story could be a sequel from one of many churches today. For members, or even attendees decide that there is something they don’t care for in their pastor, and they begin gossiping with others. This often leads to a revolution forming against the pastor. The church then becomes useless in ministry, because factions form against the pastor and the revolution quickly places their own sins aside and decides to track those of the pastor and those close to him. What if the God that we serve – the same God who stepped in against Korah and the Levites, decides to settle the issue once and for all on those who oppose His leadership for each of our churches? I wonder how many would fall into the instant sinkhole because they are fighting against the man of God, instead of praying for him; lifting him up with encouraging words; looking for ways to support him in all that God has placed on his heart for God’s people. Friends, it is one thing to know what happens to unbelievers, but for those who claim salvation while still acting like the world, and looking for ways to disrupt the work of the Lord, I dread to think of God’s actions for them when He has taken as much as He could out of their negative impact on His ministry. Friends, may I draw your attention to this whole chapter in Numbers so you could read for yourself, then allow God to minister to your heart about which side of the fence you are on. Are you for the ministry of Christ to the lost of our community through your local church, or are you doing and saying things that tear down and destroy the ministry. One option pleases God and He blesses you and the ministry. The other option destroys the ministry, discourages the worker/leader/pastor sent by God, and you are therefore warned through this study in Numbers, that the same destruction could be in store for you and all those you might encourage into your revolution. Allow God to be your guide and redirect you today, if needed.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is so unfortunate that many a good church has been destroyed by things very similar to the incident Moses faced with his very own temple workers. Should there be anyone guilty of such a revolution today that reads this devotional, please get their attention and work a miracle in their life. There are so many that needs salvation in our communities that our energies would be much more effective evangelizing rather than internal destruction of Your army. Please have Your precious will and way in our lives heavenly 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 could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Asleep On The Job

On 2017-06-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Dedication, God-honoring, Honest, Honest RelationshipLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-06-02
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 14:37-38 (CEV)
Text:	37 When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, “Are you asleep? Can’t you stay awake for just one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”
OBSERVATION:
A crowd followed Jesus up to the garden, however He took just three disciples along with Him to a place of solitude so that He could pray. At the place of prayer, Jesus asked His disciples to stop, watch and pray, while He went on just a little farther for some one on one time with the Father. Knowing what was in store for Him, He had some very serious conversation with His Father, yet He was also concerned about His disciples, so He kept checking on them. I feel like those three disciples vividly represent ‘Christians’ today and, with God’s guidance, I will expand on that in our ‘application’.
APPLICATION:
Jesus was praying so earnestly with the Father that His very heart was broken. I would imagine that He should have felt some relief knowing that His inner circle of disciples were right there praying with Him, or were they? God created this beautiful world in which we live, and He also created each of us especially to worship Him while living on this earth enjoying it. While we are definitely living on this earth and being blessed by everything around us, how would you think we are rated in truly worshipping the one who provided all this for us? Simon Peter had just sworn to Jesus, a short time before the garden scene, that He (Jesus) could depend on him to be faithful right until the end of time. Yet when Jesus returned to check on His three disciples, they were all asleep – including Peter. I often feel like a very large percentage of ‘Christians’ are ‘asleep on the job’ as we plunder through our time here on earth while placing priority on everything else, besides our commitment to worship our Lord and be His faithful followers and missionaries. Some attend church services, while most others are asleep on the job and can’t find an hour a week to join with believers in worship to our Savior and Lord. Unfortunately, many that attend a worship service pretty much represents the three disciples in our Scripture today, for our arms are strapped to our sides, our lips are sealed, and our expression shows that we can’t wait for the service to be over. Many will listen to the pastor pray, the praise team sing and, if we could stay awake, we may listen to the pastor share his heart about something from the Scripture. Excuse me, but where did ‘our time of worship’ fit into any of that I just explained? Our presence inside of a church does not count as worship to the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Ghost. Where was our heart, our thoughts and our concentration during that time together? How would we respond to Jesus if He returned today and asked us the same question as He did to Simon Peter? Are we truly appreciative of the sacrifice made for us at Calvary? Is Jesus pleased with our daily expressions of gratitude? In most workplaces employees are fired for falling asleep on the job. How do you suppose God should act about us falling asleep on the job of worshipping Him, witnessing in His name, being good honest representatives of His to a lost world that needs Jesus?
PRAYER:
What a sobering reminder to us today dear Jesus, for I feel like Your saints here on earth are very much in the same boat as Peter, James and John. Please forgive our unfaithfulness and today fill us with Your unction to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus as we face a bitter world where most have no appreciation for the sacrifice You made and the love that You share with us every day. Regardless of their position in life, please grant us the boldness and deep desire to bear Your cross and be a living witness before them, and all those that we are privileged to come into contact with. Please awaken Your church, so that together our communities may witness the outstretched arms of our Savior and Lord. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

When God Leaves You Alone

On 2017-06-012017-06-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Always There, Committed, Totally committed, Unconditional commitmentLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-06-01
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 14:41-43 (NCV)
Text:	⁴¹But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? You will not win! ⁴²Don’t go, because the Lord is not with you and you will be beaten by your enemies. ⁴³You will run into the Amalekites and Canaanites, who will kill you with swords. You have turned away from the Lord, so the Lord will not be with you.”
OBSERVATION:
I believe that frustration is shown in the Scripture today by Moses, because it seems like the more he did to direct his people under the careful leadership of God, the more ungrateful, stubborn and determined they were to do their own thing. Imagine how the words of Moses must have penetrated the hearts of the Israelites when the Amalekites and Canaanites came out from the hills towards them. They must have quickly reflected on some of the times that God separated the waters for them to walk through; how water came forth from a rock when it was struck by the staff of Moses, yet the same God that performed those acts honored their request and left them alone to go into the mountains. What a lonely, isolated, hopeless feeling that must have been.
APPLICATION:
Isn’t it interesting how an older child might ask parents to just leave them alone, yet they expect those parents to still be looking out for them and always ready to help them with one problem or another? In the life of a born again Christian, they may make a special effort to get out to church at least one Sunday per month, so that they don’t hear from the pastor; they just don’t have time for personal Bible study; and they really don’t feel like they know how to pray. Often it is these same ‘Christians’ that denounce God for not coming to their rescue when disaster or need comes their way. Friends, my God is honorable and trustworthy. When you make it obvious to Him that you would rather do ‘life’ alone, He honors that and gives you all the space you want. But remember, He is a relational God, not a puppet that you can pull out of the drawer the second time you sneeze, or wind up in hospital with more serious health issues. Moses told the Israelites that God would not be there for them, because they turned away from Him. Based on your relationship with God, do you suppose God is ready and willing to be your God, or will the words of Moses echo in your mind, that because you turned away from the Lord, He will do the same to you? That’s a sad moment when that occurs friend, I hope that each one reading this devotional today will keep that fire burning between you and your God. He deserves our praise and adoration each and every day, and He will be with us always, even until the very end of time here on this earth!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your very life as a sacrifice for my sin. Thank You for saving my soul from the stench of sin here on this earth, to the glories of heaven one of these sweet and glorious days! We were reminded of some very sobering words spoken by Your servant Moses this morning, and it could very easily reflect the same mindset of many who consider You as their God of convenience. Lord, You are an awesome, loving, caring God. Please help us to be the humble, committed, trustworthy servants worthy of that kind of God. May our eyes be fixed on You and our hearts totally committed to You. Amen!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

When Doubts Arise

On 2017-05-312017-05-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Committed, Totally committed, Unconditional commitment, Without doubtLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-05-31
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 14:17-19 (TLB)
Text:	17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the other disciples, 18 and as they were sitting around the table eating, Jesus said, “I solemnly declare that one of you will betray me, one of you who is here eating with me.” 19 A great sadness swept over them, and one by one they asked him, “Am I the one?”
OBSERVATION:
A room full of disciples and the Lord Jesus, when Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. I would have expected them all to try and reassure Jesus that it definitely would not be them, but instead they all questioned Jesus if it was them. I found that very interesting.
APPLICATION:
Perhaps the disciples were very aware of their weaknesses and knew that they would possibly cave in to pressure from the authorities. Perhaps they had been privately chatting about some of the impossible things that occurred during the time they had been following Jesus, and they were having some doubt about the reality of it all. Just as we all sin today – from the preacher, to the faithful member in the pew or the guy who has chosen to never visit a church again in his lifetime, so it could be with us if told by Jesus that we could be the ones who would betray Him. In fact, we would probably start apologizing right away, because we know how possible it would be. Perhaps that’s how the disciples felt that night. What we do know is that one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter, swore up and down that he would never deny Jesus Christ, yet under the right conditions, he did exactly that. I believe for the Christian today, our doubts arise when we face the opposition, for how many of us truly stand up for our faith when hanging around a gang of friends who wants nothing to do with Jesus? Would we question, like the disciples did, about whether Jesus was referring to us, because of the guilt we felt very deep inside? So is there a way to improve on this, you might ask. I believe that Jesus knows everything about our nature, and He knows that we are prone to sin as long as we remain here on this earth among sinners. However, we know from His Word that Jesus loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine; we know that He gave of His very life as a substitution for our sin, so that we may appear before the Father spotless. So I am convinced that He also knows our heart and whether we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Friends, it’s not in saying certain words, attending a certain church, hanging around certain friends – although each of these certainly helps us to live a good life, but it’s really all about our heart, because our intent and our will is governed by what’s deep inside of our heart. A personal, sincere and dedicated relationship with Jesus helps you acquire the attributes that He teaches in His written Word. As we reach for perfection as a Christian, we should aim to live, speak and act just like Jesus did. From these qualities, Jesus will know what might come from our mouths and how we might act in the presence of worldly pressures. You could easily overcome doubt and guilt, friend, with the help of our Master and Lord!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, weak though we are when depending on inner strength, yet we serve an all powerful and Almighty God. Thank You for loving us enough to cluster us under Your wings and watch over us, and protect us from the evil of this world. Lord, we want to be just like You, and be Your witnesses here in this world. Please give us the strength, wisdom and boldness to be Your hands and Your feet even among those who oppose You. Help us to seek Your face, and develop such a relationship with You that we would constantly grow in the likeness of Jesus every day. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!