How To Control What You Receive

On 2016-01-112016-01-11 By Ed AlgreenIn gifts, Giving, LoveLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! Read on and be blessed friend!………

The Bible Text: ³⁶ Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.³⁷ “Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others, and God will forgive you.³⁸ Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands – all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.”
The Bible Reference: Luke 6:36-38
The Bible Translation: The Good News Translation (GNT)

My Take Away: Way too often we whine about how ‘lucky’ others are, and we may even complain about how little we receive. I believe in these verses we see some prerequisites in order to receive all the blessings that God might have in store for us. Here are some things we need to improve on, if we ever expect to receive the full extent of the blessings God has in store for us:

Be merciful just as, and because, God is merciful – This is powerful, because it does not clarify that we are to be merciful to only those who, we feel, deserve it. God made us all, and I don’t believe He created any distinction on who He would be merciful to. He expects the same from us, friends!
God will not judge or condemn us, if we simply practice the same restraint when dealing with others!
God will forgive us, if and when we forgive others!
God will give to us, as we give to others. – If we are stingy in our giving (monetarily or otherwise), then don’t expect a lot from God. However, if we give generously in response to the blessings that God has blessed us with, then we can expect God to give generously in return to us. For it is the same measure that we use in our giving, that He will use to bless us in return.

Isn’t it neat that God has given us the rules and the conditions that control how generous He will be to us? Let’s dig deep into our hearts and evaluate whether we are doing all we can, to receive all we can from our generous and loving God!

Prayer: Father God, You are so good to us each and every day. I can’t imagine how You can possibly bless me more than You do already. But after reading these verses today, I am reminded that I do not give of myself or my other possessions, near as much as You bless me with each and every day. Thank You for reminding me and my readers about the importance of sharing our gifts with others. It’s all Yours Lord, as we would have nothing without You. Please help us to freely share all that has been freely given to us, and I thank You in advance for Your promise to shower even more upon us in return. I love You Lord for You are so gracious, loving and kind to all of Your children. May You be worshiped and praised in return this wonderful day, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

2016

What’s Inside Us Will Exude From Us

On 2016-01-092016-01-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Imitator of Christ, Light, Reflection of ChristLeave a comment

The Bible Text:

The Bible Text:
The Bible Reference: 1 John 1:7
The Bible Translation: New International Version (NIV)

My Take Away: Ever heard friends say that they would never agree to put a bumper sticker on their car with a Christian message, because they know what it looks like when a driver passes you in a fit of rage, pointing his finger and all, only to look on his rear bumper and see a fish symbol or a church bumper sticker? Is it any wonder then why we see churches split and huge divisions in the church among Christians? For breaking man’s laws, is in direct conflict with God’s law. John shares with us in the surrounding verses of this scripture that God himself is light, and that there is no darkness in Him. If we live in Him – obeying His commands and imitating His walk while here on earth, then other like Brothers and Sisters will sense that communion and there will be great fellowship together. Does this not conclude then that when there is not that sweet fellowship, or when there is rumblings, or when we are acting like children of Satan, that we are not walking in the ‘Light’? Friends, please note the subject of this devotional, and also re-read the text. I believe you can easily discern that if we have the Light of the World in our lives, directing our paths, controlling our tongues and leading us to His Word for our ‘daily bread’ (our inspiration for every aspect of our lives), then wouldn’t it make sense that our lives will reflect that ‘Light’, and that our actions will impact lives because they are imitating the teachings and example of Christ? For the Christian, our speech and our actions can also act as a thermometer, if we are totally honest with ourselves, because when we speak and/or act like the Devil, we would quickly realize that we have permitted way too much darkness to enter our lives, and that we must diligently strive to reunite and/or realign our lives with Christ. The secret is, that we spend time in the Word, and pray to our Father daily. Only then will our lives truly take on the character of Jesus and therefore permit our lives to honestly reflect Him before mankind. So the challenge today is: based on what you see exuded from your mouth each day, and based on your actions, who exactly is it that you serve? Who is inside, controlling what you preach and/or example to others? If it’s Jesus, the world will know and believe, because of your interaction with them, and your witness to them! When you have a desire to serve only Jesus, I believe that He will fill any gaps or shortcomings that you may be sensitive to. He just needs your availability, He will take care of the necessary abilities!

Prayer: Father, may Your light, Your character, Your commands and Your love fill our lives to overflow, so that we may become more like You in every possible way, every day and in every circumstance. Lord, we want others to know You personally. I pray that they will see so much of You in us, that they will be assured of Your existence, and have an undying desire to know You in a very personal way. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, and for Your glory oh Lord, AMEN!

2016

The Bible Reference: ^
The Bible Translation: ^

My Take Away: ^

Prayer: ^

2016

Needed–A Pure Heart and A Right Spirit

On 2016-01-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Cleanse me Oh God, Forgiveness, Heart, Right SpiritLeave a comment

The Bible Text: ^10-13Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁷ The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.
The Bible Reference: Psalm 51:10-13, 17
The Bible Translation: New Century Version (NCV)

My Take Away: Sin is something we do, or say, or think, that is contrary to the command and will of God. David had just committed sin through an unlawful act with Bathsheba, that resulted in the birth of a child, and the child being taken by God as punishment to David and Bathsheba. Now, after just what I’ve written so far, most of us would dismiss any conviction of sin in our lives, because most of us would probably say “thank God, I’ve never done anything quite that bad”. Before you get too pious friend, let’s be reminded again about what sin is. You see, we are quick to compare our acts, thoughts or deeds to the guy next to us, or the lady across the street, or even David, as described in God’s Word. But I must humbly remind you that sin is something against God, so when you go before a righteous and holy God, there is no need to compare yourself to anyone else, and no need to tell God about the provocation by the other person that may have caused you to sin. He only wants to hear how your heart got out of sync with Him, His design and His commands. Getting our hearts right again with God will return a ‘right spirit’ within us and cause us to desire reaching out to teach others the ways of God, so that they may surrender their hearts to God. Verse 17 reiterates that God will not reject a heart that is broken. One that is sad about the sin that has occurred in our lives. There’s a song that is written based on these verses, click here to listen to it as you continue to meditate on this devotional today! I pray that today you will get together with God and ask that He renew a right spirit within you, and that you will be willing to ask Him to cleanse you of any sin that might prevent that ‘right spirit’ within you.

Prayer: Dear God, no matter how hard we try, we will not succeed in sharing Your love and Your forgiveness with others, especially when there is enmity and sin in our hearts. This is not what we want oh God, for we want sin removed and we want the temptation of sin to be taken away from us. Please create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Please return to me the joy of my salvation, and may that joy overflow in me so that others might see and believe in You. Its all about You God, but please cleanse my heart so that You can easily and freely use me as Your instrument to reach those around me. I pray the same for me readers today Lord, for the world needs more of You to be seen in more of us. I ask these things of my awesome God, through the name of Your awesome Son, Jesus, AMEN!

2016

The True Worshipper

On 2016-01-072016-01-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Give thanks, Sincerity, WorshipLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider even us, to nourish us for His glory! Read on and be blessed!………

The Bible Translation: The Good News Translation
The Bible Reference: Psalm 50:22-23
The Bible Text: “Listen to this, you that ignore me, or I will destroy you, and there will be no one to save you. Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me, and I will surely save all who obey me.”

My Take Away: In my first read through these verses I was convinced that verse 22 was referring to a non-believer and verse 23 to a believer in Jesus Christ. If you got the same impression, may I encourage you to click on the scripture so you could see the whole chapter. You will quickly agree with me that the whole chapter is referring to those who ‘worship’ God. This was quite an eye opener for me, for I quickly recognized that just as David saw people coming to the temple to offer a sacrifice to the living God, I believe there are still some today who offer similar sacrifices through the money they give to the church, thinking that surely God will be satisfied with them if they give a little from the excess they have earned. There may be others who give, or ‘sacrifice’, of their time, or even attend church services. Friends, when your heart belongs to God, it means that you have surrendered your whole self to God – body, soul and spirit. If everything about you belongs to God, then who do you suppose owns your money? There is no ‘sacrifice’ in what you give to God, when you truly belong to Him. Perhaps, instead you are to be thankful for the 90% that He allows you to keep for your earthly obligations. When you surrender your all to Jesus, you are acknowledging that everything you are, or have, now belong to God, so you are in a continual mode of thanksgiving for the mighty works that you recognize Him doing through you. Why else would you be blessed with a job, when so many others are struggling to find one? Why else would you have the opportunity to witness to someone for Jesus, when they live right next door to the pastor? God has vowed to destroy, or as some translations read, “He will rip you apart” if you ignore Him and His gracious hand in your life. There’s no pretending, lying, or hiding anything from God friend. You are an ‘open book’ in His eyes, and therefore it really upsets Him when you think for a moment that you could ‘pull the wool over His eyes’. A totally surrendered life will be one looking for ways to worship God for His awesome power and love to you. It will be one to recognize God’s handiwork and His blessings in your life and praise Him continually for His unmerited grace. This is what pleases God and honors Him. This is what is referred to in verse 23 when we see God reaching out His hand to save us! Is there anything you need to clear up before approaching the throne of God friend?

Prayer: Lord God, You are so merciful to us. You are so patient with us, especially when we try to convince ourselves that it was our knowledge, or our health or because of the people we know, that we are surviving in this rough old world. Please sober our confused minds for ever thinking that we could do anything, or survive any day, without Your ongoing grace in our lives. There is no way that we can save anyone, but based on Your Word Lord, I believe that You will work through those who have presented themselves before You with a heart that is contrite, and has been washed by Your blood, and that is totally surrendered to You. Please allow Your Holy Spirit to work on us today so that we may clear up any misconceptions that Satan may have planted in our minds. It is only then that You will find room to work through us to minister to Your children. Lord, please open the hearts of my readers today, so that they might draw closer to You and present themselves faultless before the Father one day. These things I ask in the strong and sacrificial name of Jesus, the Christ, AMEN!

2016

Your God-Tools For 2016

On 2016-01-062016-01-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Give it up, God tools, Let go and let God, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)
The Bible Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
The Bible Text: The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

My Take Away: I was blessed to be a part of a group last night that watched the movie ‘War Room’. In that movie we were taught a similar principle as is taught in this passage of scripture today, that the Christian has at least one major God-tool at our disposal, and that we should take every opportunity to use it for the glory of God. As Paul indicated to the Corinthian church, there are tools of Satan in place all around us that we are powerless to face and challenged with on our own – that’s why they are so successful in this world with non-Christians. Often we can fight those things that are seen, and or obvious to us, but when we see our God-given marriages, children, extended families, neighbors, friends and churches failing, we quickly deduce that we are so helpless to do anything about those things. Friends, I was reminded that it’s not our marriages, children, extended families, neighbors, friends and churches that we are fighting, but instead it’s the Evil One that is trying very hard to kill, steal and/or destroy God’s chosen people – you and I. There is only one way to fight Satan, and that’s on our knees, crying out to God and pleading our case before our awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-encompassing creator and Lord over everything – Jesus Christ. I believe that it is so important to remind ourselves daily who’s in charge, and that our God has the power to handle everything that we are willing to surrender to His control. I believe it is only then that our minds will be fresh. May we never forget to call on God when we sense an act of Satan that hinders our walk, our talk and our glorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, these tools of Satan is nothing that the untrained should ever approach, these are God-sized, and can only be handled by Him. Let’s not waste time trying, or permitting the risk of us being sucked into, or wooed by Satan. Let’s surrender to God the things that we know should be handled by Him. No experimenting or trying to do it yourself. God’s got this, and we just need to humble ourselves and surrender our lives totally into His care. I believe that He loves us enough that He truly desires to be our Father!

Prayer: Father we are really quick to grab the right tools and physically take care of issues around our home, but then we fall apart when we have emotional or sin issues that impact our Christian walk, or our relationships. Thankfully You have provided tools for us to communicate with the Creator of this universe, and of mankind; the Great Physician; our Healer; the only Son of God; the Redeemer of mankind and the only One who can save us from our sin-riddled life, and bring us before the throne of grace, that we are so undeserving of. You loved us enough to die for us, Lord may we love You enough to totally surrender and dedicate our lives to You. May You find open, accessible lives that You can use for Your glory in all that You permit us to be a part of here on earth. This is my heart-cry today Father. May Your will be done in my life and in the lives of those who will meditate on this devotional today, is my prayer that I ask in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

2016

The Essence of Worship

On 2016-01-052016-01-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Church, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible Translation: Common English Bible (CEB)
The Bible Reference: Psalm 48:9-10
The Bible Text: We dwell on your faithful love, God, in your temple. Your praise, God, just like your reputation, extends to the far corners of the earth. Your strong hand is filled with righteousness.

My Take Away: As I meditated on the Word today, I tried to think about where my worship time is today, versus where it should be after reflection on these two verses. I believe that most of us will automatically think of our church services when we think about ‘Worship’. However, it would be extremely challenging for any of us to come to a ‘Worship’ service and be impacted by God if we only sit and listen to the many ways that our Worship Leader, or our Pastor saw God’s faithfulness throughout the week. Could you possibly imagine that praise would exude from God’s people all over the world, if only our Pastors were being touched by God? Friends, in these verses the Psalmist is encouraging us individually to reflect on the faithfulness of God. As we do this all across this vast earth, can’t you see where our thunderous acts of praise and worship in unison, could possibly be compared to the Israelites that marched around Jericho as told in Joshua 6? Our obedience, our actions, our faith and our love for our blessed God would result in many walls of doubt, sadness, and unbelief being collapsed. Please join me in making every effort to recognize God and His handiwork, and to worship and show our appreciation to Him every day. For as we become a worshipping and praising people, we will automatically do that as we meet corporately in our respective churches. Yes, our Worship Leaders and our Pastors will still make every possible attempt to lead us into corporate worship, but guess what, you and I will have so much joy bottled up inside of us because of us already dwelling on God’s faithful love, that our hearts will explode into worship and praise to our wonderful and magnificent God. Friends, we may be a very needy people, but let me assure you that our awesome God is very worthy of our praise and worship at every opportunity. In our key verses today, it seems like the Psalmist may have completed the following sentence: At my church, our service is …… May I encourage you to try the above for a few weeks then complete this sentence yourself? Always remember, the joy in your heart is not placed there by an exciting corporate Worship Leader, or a young and vibrant Pastor, it’s the result of all that God has blessed, and still blessing, you with! That’s why He is worthy of your personal praise!

Prayer: Dear God, I pray that You may continue to bless us, Your children, but I also pray that You will create within us a clean and contrite heart, so that we might always be filled with appreciation that will result in expressive worship to our Provider, our Redeemer, our Faithful One, our Savior and our Lord. You are so worthy of our praise Lord. Please forgive our lack of appreciation by not responding in constant praise and worship to You. May there be a change in us, oh Lord, and may it be evident in our churches as we fill its pews each week. I ask these things in total appreciation for all that You do each and every day for me. In the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

2016

Biblical Keys to Success and Prosperity

On 2016-01-042016-01-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Obedience, Prosperity, SuccessLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider even us, to use His Word to nourish us for His glory! Read on and be blessed!………

The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
The Bible Reference: Joshua 1:8-9
The Bible Text: ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

My Take Away: Many are starting off this year with new goals of improving themselves in various aspects of their life. Some are beginning diets to help control their weight problem; some are starting gym memberships to try and keep their physical bodies in shape; while there are still others who have vowed to draw closer to God in 2016. In this passage of scripture today we read about how God tipped the Israelites for success in their new land that He had promised them. Now , stop for a moment and ponder why else would this be included in the Book, if not to give us direction on what to do as we march into the new areas of our life that the good Lord has given to us? I felt like a prime example would be applying this principle to our lives as we enter the gift of a New Year. We are told that if we want to prosper and succeed in everything we do this year, we must:

Study our Book of Instruction (the Bible) continually – this means that you not allow dust to gather on its covers. That you not wait for the sermon next weekend to hear the Word read, but that you deliberately setup a reading plan. May I suggest that you visit www.biblegateway.com for suggested plans;
Meditate on our Book of Instruction day and night – don’t just skim over the verses on the page. Highlight those words where God really catches your attention. Think them over, and how you might apply them to your own life. Please don’t try to apply them to anyone else, except yourself;
Obey everything in our Book of Instruction – Allow the Word of God to minister to you, and then follow, or obey its teachings. Consider it your roadmap for each day of your life;
Be strong and courageous, and
Do not be discouraged – Satan will challenge you at every opportunity. Be strong and courageous by applying the proven abilities of God to your current day situations and/or challenges. He’s a great big God and He will do great things for His children who He cares so much about.

Friends, I don’t know about you, but I have wished many friends every success, and prosperity in this New Year in which we now reside, but I now wish that I could have shared with them the success plan detailed by God. I pray that each one meditating on this devotional today will take note of these principles for success and prosperity in the remaining portion of 2016.

Prayer: Praise God that You are not just a God of the rich and famous, nor just for the Christian believer. In fact, I would begin by praying for the non-believer, because for them to avail themselves of the benefits, they must first belong to God. This means starting off the New Year in a new relationship – with the Savior of this World, Jesus Christ. Only then will the playing field be leveled, to allow you the same benefits as Christians who will benefit from following the Godly principles mentioned above for success and prosperity. Please God, soften hearts today for life commitments to be made, and for Christian hearts to be anxious about wanting to do Your will. You are my God, and I praise You for accepting me as Your very own child, with all of the benefits of heaven, and for success and prosperity here on earth. Please tender the hearts of those who do not currently know You personally, and provoke them to a decision to accept the gift of Your precious Son today, please? I ask these things in faith and believing in Your great power, AMEN!

2016

Stop, Drop, Listen and Obey!

On 2016-01-022016-01-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Control, Faith, Listen, SurrenderLeave a comment

May I encourage you to incorporate your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ into starting your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider even us, to nourish us for His glory, through His Holy Word! Read on and be blessed!

The Bible Translation: The Message
The Bible Reference: Psalm 46:9-11
The Bible Text: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

My Take Away: I’m not on Facebook a whole lot, but by now I have seen many evaluations of 2015 – good and bad, and then I have seen many wishes for 2016 – worldly and spiritual. Whether you’re a Facebook fan or not, it’s a place where people express their views. Unfortunately, I believe that what I have read, expresses the minds and thoughts of the average person alive today. But when I read this passage of scripture in various translations, God helped me to realize that Facebook is not the place I should go to for a spiritual meter on how well God did in 2015 nor a general opinion about how He might rule in 2016. Here are some of the thoughts that I believe God embedded in my mind during my study today: a) Get away from the noises of this world. Get to a place where it’s just you and God. ‘Step out of the traffic’ of everyday noises and seek the face of God. ‘Be still and know that I am God’ is the way one version put it. b) Don’t be one to look for the general consensus of the world, or even the church, but reflect on the proven power of your God and be reminded of His awesome power. Know that He is in control of each one of us, and if we allow Him to direct our path and control our tongues, then perhaps we too can be used for His glory, and then we just might see God’s mighty works performed in our land. We should be reminded that God is in charge of us individually; our families; our respective churches; our workplaces; our towns; yes, everywhere and in everything that He has created. Knowing all this then, why would we worry our pretty little heads with what might happen in each of these scenarios? In other words, we have no idea what may happen in our lives – health-wise, relationship-wise or in any other area of our lives, but after being reminded of who’s in charge, will our worries amount to anything other than degrading our mental health? Friends, you can say the same things about each of the other scenarios mentioned. For the United States, we have entered into a year of major elections. God is telling U.S. Christians to be still and know that He is God over everything in our lives, especially our elections. We are told in Romans 13 that God places our rulers in authority over us, so are we worrying our little heads because we fear that God might mess up? Be still Brothers , and know that He is God over everything that we know and have committed to Him. Sisters, be still and allow God to be God. He is very capable, willing and able to handle our affairs today, just as He did for Jacob, Moses and all other Biblical accounts written in God’s Word to support our theory on this. Be still! Listen! Surrender control to God and return thanks to Him in all things!

Prayer: Lord God, we acknowledge that You are indeed God of our lives, and God of this universe. Please forgive us for so often trying to reverse that order, especially when we think that we know better than You, how things should go here on earth. Thanks for the reminder that You made it all and that You are still very capable of managing everything, even today. Forgive us Lord for our lack of faith. Even as I write this, I am very concerned about many matters that I already know are hot agenda items this year, especially our national elections. Please forgive me, and give me extra strength and boldness to declare Your glory, Your power and Your majesty as You continue to control my ‘world’. I am very weak, but praise be to the God of this universe, You are immensely strong, and very much in control of Your creation. In total surrender, I join with my Christian Brothers and Sisters – Your servants, to lead the pack in glorifying You as our Leader, our God, our Savior and our Lord. For these things, and for Your glory, I ask all this in Your strong and mighty name, ‘Jesus’ my Lord, AMEN!

2016

Solid As A Rock

On 2016-01-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Dependable, Faithful, Solid, TrustLeave a comment

The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
The Bible Reference: Deuteronomy 32:3-4
The Bible Text: I will proclaim the name of the LORD; how glorious is our God! He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

My Take Away: To all my followers of ‘Nuggets From God’s Word’, please allow me to wish you and your families a very Happy New Year! I pray that you were blessed as you read one or more of my ‘Nuggets’ posted last year, and that you will come back often in 2016! Please remember to read these as inspirations from God, not some tangent that the writer is running on about! Therefore, I would suggest that you ask God to show you what He is saying to you through my postings. For some, accepting my wish for a ‘Happy’ New Year, will be an extreme challenge to even think about, as you may be bringing with you a lot of the unpleasant ‘baggage’ that you dealt with in 2015. Unfortunately, this may have probably shaded your perspective on what good, or happiness, could possible come forth in 2016, especially as you reflect on 2015. For other readers, you may be on a spiritual high, and your expectations for a brand new, clean-slate, kind of New Year is probably something that You have been pleading with God about for weeks, because You want to see the powerful hand of God work through you in brand new ways, and in ways that God would be glorified. Friends, please remember that our God is not One to take sides, or play favorites. In His eyes, He sees no particular religion, or denomination, or gender or ethnicity, for He sees children that He created, and that He allowed His very own Son to die on a cross for their salvation. I believe where we are weakened in our faith is when we pray like people in charge, for we must always remember that we are nothing – pleading before a God who is everything, has all power, and is very willing to deal with any little thing that may seem like a mountain to us. Where we often go wrong is that we lose hope when God doesn’t handle things exactly the way that we ask it of Him. May I encourage you to continue into this new year with every confidence in the God that made this universe, that created you and I, that causes the sun to shine each day, that brings the beauty of each season for us to enjoy? Friends THIS is the God that we serve! Can we place our faith and trust in THIS God? I will gladly acknowledge that my God is solid as a Rock; In Him I am well grounded, and in Him I know that I can depend on His responses to things in my life, whether it’s in the form I asked for it, or better – because of His foreknowledge and His love for His children. Won’t you consider placing your hand in the hand of the One who calmed waters when His children were in trouble; healed the sick when they merely touched the hem of His garment; and even brought back to life those who had been dead for several days? I have accepted, and willingly serve this awesome God, and I want you to consider accepting Him as your Savior, your guide, your protector and your friend today!

Prayer: Father, as we enter into this New Year that is only several hours old, may we reflect on the lessons learned in 2015, and may we reaffirm the strength that we have found in You. Moses described You through the image of a rock – solid, unmoving, durable, unchanging, supportive and no respecter of persons. May we draw closer to You oh God, and may we find even more value in the awesome God that we serve. Not for selfish reasons oh Lord, but that others might see, hear, touch and believe in the One true God. I commit myself to You in 2016 and look forward to serving You in ways that would impact others for You. I ask these things in all humility, and with all dependence on You oh Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

Discouraged? Sad? Here’s Hope!

On 2015-12-302015-12-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Discouraged, encouragement, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Psalm 42:11 ~ Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!

THOUGHTS: One of the translations I compared as I read this verse, used the word ‘depressed’ in lieu of ‘discouraged’. Friends, I come from the background of a quiet and quaint little town, and while there were challenges with gossip, there was little to get stressed over. It seems like today, we have become such a ‘worldly’ people where we desire everything that our neighbor shows off, and we have become a people who refuses to say ‘no’, so we place way more stress on ourselves than we could possible handle calmly, that all we seem to hear about is friends who are discouraged, depressed, sad and even suicidal. It appears to me that David felt himself leaning towards a low in his life, and he shares with us how he felt his Physiologist advised him to handle this! When discouraged, seek God. Not to ask for a handout of encouragement or special blessings, but to praise God! When you are feeling sad, remember that it is not God who is making you sad, so praise Him for His daily goodness, and the people and things that He places in our lives to bring us joy! Friends, let’s learn to praise God in all of our circumstances. Let’s learn to encourage one another in love and good works, for this will not only lift them up, but it will lift our spirits and give us more reason to worship our God! Think of His rich blessings friend, and I believe you will quickly conclude that the reasons you might feel depressed, is really insignificant in comparison. God has provided the means to our happiness and encouragement, may we be careful to be a thankful people that will break out in constant praise and worship for His goodness! Friends, please know that I am not underrating depression, because I realize that there are some folk receiving serious help for this ugly decease. I am merely pointing you to God and to sing His praises in the midst of your storm, so that He would be glorified for the awesome work that He performs each and every day for His dear children. I am hopeful that when you follow David’s (the Psalmist) prescription, you will fix your eyes on Jesus instead of your circumstances.

PRAYER: Lord, you are so good to us, and yet we seem to overlook that, and instead groan in self-pity to a state of depression, and/or deep sadness. ‘Low’ times were evident even in the heart of David, yet he found peace and revival in lifting up Your most worthy and awesome name. My deepest prayer is that You might remind Your children how important it is to look into Your eyes and praise You, way more than to seek You with outstretched hands asking for more of Your kindness and mercy. Lord, may we learn to personally worship You more, and may we incorporate the help of our Christian Brothers and Sisters by joining them in corporate worship at every opportunity. I love You Lord, and I look forward to observing Your goodness and Your greatness, so that I might worship You with all my mind, spirit and soul. Please touch the hearts of my readers, so that their spirits might be uplifted because of times of praise and worship. You are worthy, oh Lord, and we are so needy! Bless Your holy name, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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!

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Tag: BFCSebring.com

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Discouraged? Sad? Here’s Hope!