Tag: Christians

He’s Still God – On the Mountain Tops and in The Valleys!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Uncategorized2 Comments

The Bible – Good News Translation

Psalm 116:10-11

 10 I kept on believing, even when I said,

“I am completely crushed,”

11 even when I was afraid and said,

“No one can be trusted.”

My Thoughts:

Friends, I believe that we often mistakenly void many of our commitments because of unrelated causes. Let me offer one or two ideas to explain my point: (1) You may work out at a gym, and after a few months you may not have lost any weight, so you quit going to the gym. Truth is, the volume of food that you have been eating has increased, but definitely not decreased, so although you are spending more calories, you are still taking in more. Nothing to do with the gym! (2) You are having an argument with an employee at work, so you quit your job of 10 years that paid you handsomely and gave you health benefits. Now consider the biblical application. In our Christian life, we must be in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and therefore enjoy a daily walk and talk with Him. When this is in place, we mature in our relationship with Him and can easily handle a ‘no’ response to a prayer request that we may have asked of Him; or in another case, a friend relationship that went sour; or in another case, your faith may be restored in a friend that you thought you couldn’t trust. Throughout our relationships and worldly activities our faith in Jesus should stay intact, if we remain strong in our relationship with Him. Think about it, nothing has changed in what He did for us at Calvary, or in what He continues to do for you and I. So we should be able to rejoice like the Psalmist did! Even throughout our trials and temptations, our faith should remain strong, and if we ask Jesus to help us in all aspects of our life, we should respond to situations like He would. Are you struggling in your faith because of issues other than your walk with Jesus? Be comforted today in knowing that our God never changes and will always love His kids! He is our God when we are on the mountain top and also our Comforter and God when we feel like we are in the deepest valley of our life. He’s still God, friend! Trust Him!

My Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray that my readers and I might be reminded that: You are the One that we adore! You are the One that we raise our hands and our hearts in praise to when life is rocking along without any known challenges! And You are especially the One that we must look to at those times when we feel like we are ‘at the end of our rope’, or feeling like we are in a deep valley. I firmly believe that You are still God, regardless of the circumstances that may occur in our lives. Please give us strength and humility to depend on You during those times that we feel so low, so alone, so useless and so far away from You. In fact, it is those times in particular that we really need You by our side and Your outpouring of grace, mercy and loving-kindness. Even as a child of the King, as long as we are here on this earth, we will still be challenged with issues that we feel so incapable of handling. Praise God we know You, our King, and we can depend on You to help us through every circumstance in life! In the name of Your son, Jesus my Savior, I ask that You hear my prayer today and that Your continue to bless Your children who need You so desperately today and every day, AMEN!

**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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Do It For The Glory of God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:31–33

31–33          So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.

Thoughts:

These verses sounds very similar to what we studied yesterday, but we looked at the aspect of being considerate of others as we celebrate the liberties of being a Christian. Today I want us to think about the phrase that I bolded in the above verses: “whatever we do, do it heartily and freely to the glory of God”. The first thing that I believe God prompted me to consider and that is my behavior at work. Friends, it is very easy to act godly inside the church walls, but as one church displayed over their exit doors, “You are now entering your mission field”. It would probably be frowned on by most employers to walk in to work with our Bibles under our arms, or for us to have our first sermon in the lounge while others stop in for their morning coffee. In fact, we would display our dishonesty in doing certain things at work, because we would encroach on the time that we are being paid to work, and that equals cheating our employers. In my opinion, being a representative of God at work means that we stand up for honesty – both in being a role model setting an example for those we work for, and in keeping our employees honest in giving of their best to our employer. Christians should be the best employees, in that they are to be honest, hardworking and setting an example for others to follow. Some might question why they should act this way when so many are taking long breaks, doing personal business at work, and not giving a solid day’s work? May I remind you from the word of God (above) that whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of God! Let’s not disappoint Him in seeing us acting or being anything other than following His footsteps, His commands and His will for our lives. Remember, non-Christians looking on at our behavior – in deed or word, will show them what God looks like, so that they may be encouraged to also want to know Him personally! Are you proud of the example you are displaying at work, or at any place where non-Christians are looking on? It’s not too late to change that attitude friend, or shall I say, not too late to seek God’s help and direction for ways you can change that. I would encourage you to call on Him while He may be found.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I wish that You would look on me today and be proud of my actions and/or words, because I have followed Your plan and Your design for this humble servant. Please work on me for a constant and consistent walk with You, especially in the midst of non-Christians. Of course, I also desire to be more like You in all aspects of my life, because I could be of encouragement to my fellow Christians in areas that they are struggling. Therefore I ask that You give me the qualities that I need to demonstrate Your love and Your example to all that I come into contact with. May You be glorified from all that I may do or say today, is my humble prayer and request. Please be especially strong in touching the lives of those that may meditate on this devotional today so that Your people will learn to be like You in all areas of life. I ask all this in Your precious and holy name, Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Be Considerate of Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

1 Corinthians 10:23–24

23 “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things are good for us to do. “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things help others grow stronger. 24 Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others also.

Thoughts:

I believe that anytime we feel that we have an advantage over another person, whether it be in education; or popularity; or financially; or the house/area we live in; or yes, even in our Christianity, that unless we are super careful and humble, we could easily inflate our value and/or our pride to feel like we are above another brother’s level, or better than that sister over there. Paul had to address this problem with the Corinthian church, because just as in our case today, if we are to be the image of Christ, we must remember that He was probably known more for His humility than He was for His power, or His place in the holy Trinity. I also believe that although we may sometime feel like being around a smarter person, for example, as it might help us to become smarter, we are never comfortable around them for very long because we feel intimidated by them. Friends, if we are to reach the rich and the poor, then we must be neutral in our feelings about worldly standings and concentrate solely on the condition of the person’s soul. You see, the lack, or the excess of finances is not a condition of, or a requirement of, getting into heaven. Jesus said, unless a man humbles himself, acknowledges his sin, recognizes the only One who could forgive sin, Jesus Christ, and ask for forgiveness of sin, it is only then that they will become a child of the King. They can’t buy their way into heaven, nor will Jesus feel sorry for their lack of finances and automatically accept them into heaven, they each must come to the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness of their sin and invite Jesus into their heart. Friends, whatever we do, whether we feel we are at liberty to do it because of the freedom of our religion, or just for selfish reasons, if we do it without regard for our brother who may not be as fortunate as we are in any area of life, then I believe that God will hold us accountable. As the verse above says, we are to look out for the good of others, not just ourselves. Talk to God about it today friend, He will show you any areas of your life that is not aligned with His will or His character, and direct you on how to correct that. If you have an empty prayer life, please use the information in the footnote to get the help of another Christian.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for reaching down Your awesome, powerful, loving hand to touch the life of this old sinner, bringing me to my senses, forgiving me of my sin, and crowning me as a child of the King of all kings. Just as You humbled Yourself to touch me, I pray for wisdom, boldness, humility and love to also touch the lives of those around me with the love of Jesus. Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I to then think that I am superior to any other human being, I’m just a humble sinner saved by grace who wants to see as many of my family and friends also know my Savior, so that together we may walk through Heaven’s portals and be welcomed by our Master! Oh, what a glorious day that will be!!! Lord, I humbly ask all this in Your precious name, even as I praise You for all You have done for me already, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Warning! Danger Ahead!!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:11–13

 11–12        These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13             No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

Thoughts:

In the first 10 verses of chapter 10, Paul shared with the Corinthian church much of what their ancestors had done and how they were punished for their sin. In verse 11 he tells them that these were all recorded so that they might be warned not to repeat the same sins, otherwise they would face the same consequences. Friends, our Bible today is totally inspired, and ordered by God so that we also may be reminded of the many sins of our ancestors and the ensuing consequences. With any common sense at all, we should take note, and not repeat the same sins, but I am reminded that without Christ in control of our lives, we are led by the same Satan that our ancestors were, and we are bound to repeat the same sins, and perhaps even more hideous – even as we read about, or see on the evening news. Like Paul, I must remind you friend, that we will be punished just like our ancestors. Sin will not enter heaven, and there is only one other place for you to go, and unlike David’s wish in Psalm 109 about his enemies, I would not wish the alternate place on my worst enemy. Friend, think about this real good, we are careful to take very seriously the warnings about possible tornado touchdowns, or hurricanes, or heart attacks, etc. I would so like to see us also take the warnings God has placed in His precious Word very seriously and take our precautions to prevent the danger that will result by simply placing your faith and trust in Jesus my Savior. He made special provisions just for us so that we might one day be with Him in glory where there is love, peace and joy forever in store for those who believe. The warnings are evident friend, and the provision for a safe and secure passage to safety is very clear. Please don’t continue to live your life in danger of not being prepared for something that could happen in an instant. Enjoy heaven’s glory while still here on earth by knowing my Savior today. He loves you and will welcome your decision, without regard to your present condition. Use information from the footnote to help you make this vital change. I assure you that you won’t regret it!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to my life of sin, a life without You in it. Thank You for encouraging me to make a right decision back in 1988, and thank You for working with me to maintain a life pleasing to You. I regret that it has not been perfect, but I thank You for being a forgiving God; an encouraging God to help me along the way and prod me of sin that was lurking. Thank You for working in my life to help me be more like You every day. I realize that Satan tries every trick in the book to trip me up, so I plead with You to continue to guide me, protect me and show me the ways of righteousness. May You receive glory because of something that I may say or do in the matchless name of Jesus. Paul’s warning reminded me that there is no time to waste, so I humbly ask that You immediately bring to my attention when I fail and lead me to the cross for forgiveness so that my life will not be marred by sin. Lord, I have unsaved family and loves ones, unsaved friends and coworkers, tender their hearts and minds so that they may heed the same warning of which Paul warned us about in 1 Corinthians 10. Please use my life to be a witness to them so that they may surrender their lives to You before it’s too late. Please be especially gracious to those led to this devotional today, may they shore up their position with You this day. These requests can only be handled by You dear Lord, so I humbly ask these in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Is There Anything God Can’t Do for You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 107:35–38

35             He changed deserts into pools of water

and dry land into flowing springs.

36             He let hungry people settle there,

and they built a city to live in.

37             They sowed the fields and planted grapevines

and reaped an abundant harvest.

38             He blessed his people, and they had many children; he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing.

Thoughts:

There are times that we are so buried in our own struggles, heartaches, bodily aches and pains that we bury ourselves in our distress and cannot see the light of day. Friends, I was encouraged when I read these verses this morning, and I believe that God clearly showed me that when I feel discouraged and distressed, and may not have the faith to see beyond my troubles, I need to dig deeper into His Word and be reminded of how powerful He really is. We hear from our pulpits often, and yes, I believe that our God is the same today as He was yesterday, and in the days of which we read in the Bible. So when I read about the miracles wrought, and the very serious struggles that God brought His people through, I can’t help but jump for joy knowing that ‘Joy comes in the Morning’, as an old sacred song says, for those who believe in Him. You see, David had his struggles also. He battled with sin just like we did, because it is also recorded in the Bible. But in this Psalm he was reflecting on what God did for His people as they trusted Him in their long journey through the wilderness, and as we read on through this Psalm you can see how this time of reflection brought peace, comfort, joy and encouragement to the Psalmist. This is a prime example of what we are to do, because friends I must tell you, there is nothing that our God can’t do for you and I! That’s exciting news, that’s encouraging for those who feels like they are at the end of their road in sickness, finances, family struggles and just discouragement for the future! This serves as encouragement for us to regain our focus and our trust in Jesus and to rest our troubles before Him that are appearing overwhelming to us at this time. He is ‘GOD’ friend, He is at the top of the chart, over everything going on around us and in our lives, we can trust Him with everything! If you are really struggling with something that this devotional has not already helped you overcome, please use information in the footnote to seek help in praying this through!

Prayer:

What an awesome God we serve! For you created this whole wide world that we live in. You created us humans to live in this world. You created the beautiful sun to bring sunshine, the rain to enhance the food chain for us. You have healed the sick, made the blind to see and brought the dead back to life again. Our struggles seem so overwhelming to us, but in comparison to the above miracles they must be so minute to You. But Father, I want to ask that You please calm the storms of worry and despair in us, and help us to find ways to enhance our faith and trust in you. I realize that as long as we remain on this old earth amongst all the sin and worldly distractions, we will struggle with the problems of this world, but I plead with You to help us stay focused on You, with our eyes fixed to the cross of Calvary, so that we may constantly be reminded that we serve a God who is much bigger and way more powerful than all of our struggles. With this truth always before us, I know that we can overcome! Thank You Lord for your blessings on me! I ask all this, yet praise You for the assurances of being my sustainer, in Your precious and holy name I pray, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Who Will Stand?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good news Translation

Psalm106:29–31

                 They stirred up the Lord’s anger by their actions,

and a terrible disease broke out among them.

                But Phinehas stood up and punished the guilty,

and the plague was stopped.

                This has been remembered in his favor ever since

and will be for all time to come.

Thoughts:

Phinehas was recognized a few times in the Bible: for his leadership role in a group sent out, and as an adviser in a war. So he was not a known religious leader whom one would have expected to stand up again the evil that stirred up the Lord’s anger in the verses above. This precisely brings up an important point that I would like for us to consider in response to this passage. In today’s society, we will immediately look to our church leaders to stand up for evil, because we consider them God’s point men in our churches. However, like in our homes we have kids, and sometimes, spouses that rebel against our stand against evil, I believe that church members will be the first to criticize our church leaders for the stand against the evil that they have either recognized, or been told about. You see, I believe that many of us ‘church members’ are so wishy-washy in our beliefs and especially in our stand against the norm that we go along with the flow way too often, instead of standing up against the evil that happens around us out in this evil world. We are such advocates of being politically correct – in other words ‘splashing around in the truth in order not to take a stand and/or hurting anyone’s feelings’. So if this describes our ‘church members’ in general, who again do we expect to stand with our pastors and/or church leaders when they take a stand on behalf of our church? It won’t happen friend! We have seen churches split over simple things like the paint color on the walls, so imagine how quickly members will walk when asked to stand with our church leaders on decisions made that might cause the media to point out our church for a Biblical stand that it took! In these verses we see where the effects of sin were already being felt – a terrible disease had broken out. Do we see the effects of sin in our society, and in our churches today? I dare say that we do. There are diseases caused by certain known sins such as homosexuality, yet we have churches that splash around in the truth and accept this as a way of life. In fact some churches even accept these individuals as members, leaders or pastors. Yet we wonder why God permits certain disasters upon our land? Friend, our God is no different today than He was in this scripture we are studying today. I am studying a book by a popular pastor who said that he is not allow to preach something that is not Biblical. When we surrender our lives to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, we agree to live according to His commands as detailed in His Word (the Bible). Why would we do this, but look to our ‘Christian’ brother living in sin and say it’s alright? As we take a stand for total obedience to God’s Word, we might be more apt to also join our church leaders in taking a corporate stand for Biblical truths and against SIN. Are you prepared to join the army of Christ, friend? Are you prepared to call sin what it is?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, taking a stand against the normal flow of society is very challenging. Yet when we accepted You as Lord of our lives, we agreed that we would live in agreement with Your Word, and its commands. You are very clear in Your Word on what is acceptable to You and what is sin. If there is doubt in our minds then we should consider the challenging thing as sin until we can get a clearer word from You. Many times we are so confused, I believe, because we are listening to the world for advice instead of looking to You for clarification. As we read Your Word more, we become more in tuned with what Your expectations of us. We then also understand Your commands and principles better. We learn the very heart of our Master and therefore have a much better base for the decisions that we should make, and subsequently for the stands that we should take. Please help us to stand firm on the Truth of Your Word, and that it is the only thing that would change our minds. We need more like Phineas in our world today. May I plead for Your strength and wisdom to be more like Phineas and not disagree for argument sake, but in order to stay the course for You. This is only possible through the power and mighty hand of my King, so Jesus I ask this in Your powerful and awesome name, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Think about your ‘Marker’

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Allegiance to the Lamb, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Celebrate God, Christian, Disciple, Evangelism, Faith, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God’s Word, Hope, Humility, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Share God’s Word, Surrender, TeamworkLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 33-35 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil.15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.   Gen 35:14-15 (NLT)

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

Jacob went to Bethel because he was reminded of how God revealed Himself to him there when he originally escaped from his brother Esau over 20 years earlier. While there the second time, God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, gave him renewed strength to repopulate the land, and gave him much of the land that He (God) had once given to Abraham and Isaac. I got the impression that God was giving Jacob/Israel a new beginning, and telling him “Now go and get busy for me”. We just celebrated the beginning of a New Year. It started much like the old year ended, without much ado. It sure would have been nice to, and probably is not too late to, recommit ourselves to God as His children looking to restart our respective ministries and seek God’s direction for what He would have us do this year with all that He has blessed us with. I believe that if each of us reflect on the blessings that God has showered on us over the past year, then plant a marker to remind us of those blessings, then in all earnest seek to be involved in God’s direction for more successes in 2011, our churches would not be able to contain the overflow of His blessings. I feel like we need to set aside our personal agendas and ‘business as usual’ attitudes, and be willing to let God work mightily through us. We know the awesome spiritual needs of our community, and we believe that we know the God who holds all the answers to all of life’s problems and shortcomings. This is the same God that we, as Christians, have accepted as our King. Let’s let go of our selfish desires and let God perform miracles in and through us, so that His work can be accomplished in our community.   

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

Praise be to God for His mighty hand and for all that He does for me each and every day. In being reminded of how You worked in the past dear God, I pray that You will again work in and through me and my church, and the churches of my community. There is no reason for us to have lost people in this community, or sinful acts a part of our neighborhood, for You are more powerful than anything or anyone else that we know. You are bigger than all these problems and challenges that we see, and You hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that You will find me faithful. I pray that You will find all those that worship You each week around Avon Park, Florida, willing and ready to bow before You, recognize Your Lordship and Your Kingship and that we will get off our personal thrones and allow You to be God, while we, as Your humble servants, stand ready to let You use us to do greater things for the Kingdom than we ever thought possible. May this be a year that we will look on as a ‘marker’ that future generations will come back to spiritually when they want to be reminded of Your power and move on a people and a community. Begin a renewed work in me, dear Lord, is my humble prayer.

The ‘Right Words’ – From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Disciple, Faith, Follow Jesus, God our Provider, God Reigns, God’s Word, Humility, Listen to the Word of God, Righteousness, Share God’s Word, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 10 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

….don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  Matt 10:19-20 (NLT)

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

I believe that one of the greatest fears that we have as Christians, is wondering if we will have the right words to say when we witness to someone about Jesus. In these verses Jesus told His disciples, who He was readying to send into the world as His witnesses, “don’t worry about that, because it won’t be you doing the speaking, but the Spirit of the heavenly father”. This is the peace that we need to have when we approach others. First of all. I believe that our personal ‘witness’ would have already been evident to them, because they would have looked at our actions long before thinking about listening to us. Secondly, when we represent Jesus, He will, like He did with His first disciples, allow His Holy Spirit to speak through us. So really, all we need to do is to be obedient and share His love with others around us and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Let’s not mess it up by adding our two cents. Jesus knows the heart, mind and condition of the individuals we approach, so it is extra fitting that we allow Him to take control and speak the right words through us. This should take all the stress out of witnessing!

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

Father I believe that You know all that goes on around us, and You know the stress that we place on ourselves when we try to do the work that You have told us to leave up to You. Please help me to surrender this stress to You and allow You to speak the words through me in those opportunities that I have to share Your love and salvation. I know that it’s no different today than it was with Your first disciples, so please get my attention when I try to blurt out the wrong words (those of self) so that I may stop and give You the controls where the right words will flow and the effectiveness of Your Holy Spirit will be very evident to the one with whom I am trying to witness to. You alone are God! Thank You!

Our Sword in Spiritual Combat!

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Faith, Follow Jesus, God’s Word, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE Studied: Matthew 4

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matt 4:3-4 (NLT)

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

If I was a carpenter, it would be important that I know carpentry so that I could use that knowledge to perform the best work possible for my clients. Being a banker would require that you know all the many banking regulations so that you stay within the guidelines of the law. Being the Son of God, it was important that Jesus not only knew the Scripture but also practiced, and obeyed it. As followers of Christ, it is important that we also know the Scripture and obey it. In fact, Ephesians 6:17 says that God’s Word is a sword to use in spiritual combat. Anytime we are challenged in our faith, tempted to do something we are not comfortable with because we know that it doesn’t line up with our spiritual upbringing or understanding, then we are in spiritual combat. I would dare say that for most Christians, especially those who are out in the working world, that we face spiritual combat each and every day. Here we are taught how to defend ourselves! Most of us will probably attest to the fact that we are poor at memorizing Scripture. I believe that as we do our part and stay in the Word daily, much like the carpenter or banker would have to do to stay on op of their regulations/trades, then we will gain the confidence and familiarity with our textbook to protect us in spiritual combat. Jesus did it, and as His follower I must also do it, God being my helper!

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

Lord Jesus, You have shown us in Your Word that Your Word is very powerful, not only as a guide for our everyday journey, but also a sword that we can and should use in our everyday challenges that we face in this world against Satan and his foes. Please help me to stay connected with Your Word in such meaningful ways that It will be effective and useful in all circumstances of my life. Please protect me from the evil one and guide me in Your path every day so that I may follow in Your footsteps and do Your will.