Tag: Control

You Are Still God!

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

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-03-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Nehemiah 9:32
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 32     Our True God—You who are great, majestic, and awesome,
    You who always keep Your covenant of loyal love—
        do not overlook the trouble we are facing here today.
    This trouble confronts us all:
        our kings and our princes,
        our priests and our prophets, our ancestors and all of Your people—
    From the time of the Assyrian kings until today.

OBSERVATION: This chapter of Nehemiah is one that is very timely for us during the time that we are currently dealing with. The Israelites were led into times of reflection about the awesome work of the all-powerful God. This was in light of the awful time they faced with the fallen walls around Jerusalem. We too are facing very challenging and unprecedented times. It’s discouraging and very depressing, and the news media seems to make sure of that! However, let Christians meditate on the goodness of our God. Let us reflect on all that He did for us and our ancestors, and let that reassure us that He can do it again!

APPLICATION: I love this chapter of Nehemiah! Up in verse 3 we read about how Nehemiah, Ezra and the Israelites went to the temple and for the first 3 hours of each day, they spent their time listening to the Word of God being read. After hearing from God, they spent the next 3 hours confessing their sin and worshiping the Almighty God. Friends, I don’t know about you, but I had to stop and talk with God about my complaining when our church services extend beyond their normal one hour. I had to ask Him why others and myself look for excuses not to attend certain services – especially prayer services. As the chapter progresses, we are enlightened on how Nehemiah and Ezra led the people to reflect on the awesome God they were in the presence of. All that He had done for their ancestors, and all the ways He had blessed them, in spite of their sin and evil minds. I was forced into seeking forgiveness for my complaining about the rough times we are going though worldwide, because I often fail to recognize the goodness of God in making sure that I have food on the table; grocery stores available to help me replenish my pantry; doctor’s offices available to take care of my medical needs; medical experts who are sacrificing every day to help attend to the serious needs presented by Covid 19; a comfortable bed to lie in and a place to call home. Thank You Jesus that You are still the same all-powerful God who has control of every fiber of our being. You have carefully watched over and protected us in every circumstance of life, and I have no reason to believe that You will turn away from us now. You were powerful enough to take our ancestors across a river that instantly became dry for their path; You restored sight to the blind; Healed the sick and even brought the dead back to life again. We also are Your children, and we are in dire need today. Oh that You may do it again – restore Your people to good health and our land back to a sense of normal activity. Please give us the faith we need daily to trust in You and expect the miracles that only You can perform. As told boldly in the focal verse today, please precious Lord, don’t overlook the trouble we are in today.

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, when all things around us are crashing in and life seems to be failing at every point, we know that there is One who is in total control. So we turn to you, like our ancestors did, and we ask that You please don’t overlook the trouble we are in today. Every time we listen to updates on the television we hear about how out of control our world is, and how medical experts don’t know where to turn for the needed help in the challenges of today. I know that You are still God, and I know that You are able to see us through. Please give us the confidence we need to look only to You for all of our needs, and to rest in peace knowing that You can still do all things. Oh that we may glorify You for all that You have done, all that You can do, and for all that You will do as we seek Your face. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Who Controls Your Thinking?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Faithful, Genuine Faith, The Mind of ChristLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Romans 8:6-8 (ERV)

TEXT:  6 If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. 7 Why is this true? Because anyone whose thinking is controlled by their sinful self is against God. They refuse to obey God’s law. And really they are not able to obey it. 8 Those who are ruled by their sinful selves cannot please God.

OBSERVATION:   Paul taught the church how they could know who their minds are controlled by, and that the determination of that will help them understand what their eternity will look like. This is still true today, so I wanted us to look closely into this and be reminded what our consequences could be.

APPLICATION:   It seems like in today’s society, Paul might be labeled a psychologist, because of him evaluating what is going on in the mind! However, it is quite simple, for we were already told that God not only knows what we say and do, but also what we think. So with that in mind, let’s look at the two types of people we will come across, or that we will fit into:

  1. Minds ‘controlled by your sinful self’ – Paul warned the church, and he is warning us, that those who are stuck on doing everything that self desires and dictates, and who wants nothing to do with Christ, will wind up in spiritual death (eternity in Hell). However,
  2. Some are controlled by the Spirit – and we know this to be the case when we have surrendered our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, for He promised us that when we do, His Holy Spirit will come and reside inside of us. And for those whose minds are controlled by the Spirit, there is life (meaning life eternally in heaven with God) and peace (meaning peace with self and with God, because you belong to Him).

So each of us can determine who controls our minds, and each of us meditating on this devotional can evaluate what our destiny looks like. Are you pleased with yours? If not, and if you desire a prayer partner to help you deal with issues that might challenge you to change, please consult with your home church pastor, or drop me a note and I will be honored to pray with you.

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus, with a heart of thanksgiving, especially after being reminded this past weekend of all that You did for us on Calvary, we want to thank You for providing the means for us to live at peace here on earth, knowing that for those who’s mind is fixed on You, our day of celebration is just around the corner, as we see You face to face. Thank You Lord Jesus for being so good to us. May we be found faithful, is my humble plea! 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 Sebring, 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 Can!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Healing, Representation of the Master, SubmissionLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-05-12
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Mark 9:28-29 (ERV)

Text:

 28 Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why weren’t we able to force that evil spirit out?”

29 Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayer.
OBSERVATION:
On the first read of this passage of Scripture, one might assume that the disciples didn’t have enough faith, or perhaps they didn’t have the necessary power to command the evil spirit out of the boy brought to them by his father. But we will have a closer look at what Jesus told His disciples so that we might also know how to handle these situations today.
APPLICATION:
TV evangelists will tell you that you must bring the sick to them for healing. Some churches have healing services, while others barely bring the subject up. Jesus had performed many miracles in the presence of His disciples, and He even told them that they had power to do what they had seen Him do. However in this instance, Jesus told the disciples that this type of issue could only be handled through prayer. And prayer is directed to whom? Jesus is telling the disciples that only God could handle this type of a situation. In other words, be careful how you go about thinking that you can do anything. Notice in verse 18 the father told Jesus that he took the child to His followers and they couldn’t get rid of the evil spirit from his son. Friends, today we are no different. We are advocates of the Father, and we had best remember who is in charge. May we never assume that we could do anything in our own strength. Our job is to communicate (pray) to the Father. It is He who does the healing, if within His perfect will, He sees and understands that this would be the best thing for the individual, and that it might bring praise and honor to His Son, Jesus. The other thing that we must be careful of, is the manner in which we approach the throne of grace and speak with our Father. We are not His boss, so we don’t approach Him as such. Servants approach their Master in humility, thanksgiving and with petitions that He alone may choose to respond to. Notice in verse 29 Jesus said that the Father must be approached in prayer, meaning that we should plead our case/requests with Him, Remember, we do the asking, God does the healing. I don’t believe that God would be very happy at all with us if we try to reverse the rolls, for after all, He alone is God. As His workmanship, we are simply tools that He could use to accomplish His will and His work, if He so chooses.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, it is so easy for us to pick pieces of Scripture and hang our hats on those nuggets, as they may better fit the situation we are facing at the time. Lord, please get our attention to the fact that You are in control and that You alone are capable of the miraculous works of the Master. We are simple, humble servants and we must approach Your throne with that simplicity. Servants ask, not tell their Master what to do. May we never forget the authority You have over us, nor forget the absolute lack of authority we have over You. Thank You Lord for loving us anyway and for allowing us to represent You before a lost world. Thank You for Your discipline when its necessary to remind us who’s in control! With much love, appreciation and submissiveness I ask these things dear 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!

Who or What Are You Influenced By?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Doers of the Word, True to the Word, Your InfluenceLeave 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! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: James 1:25-27
Today’s Bible Text: … anyone keeps looking steadily into God’s law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much. The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: There are a few things in this scripture today that James felt was of great importance to share with his listeners. God permitted these things in His Word to us, because He knew that we would struggle with these things also. Let’s examine them for our edification today:

  • Be doers of the Word – Hopefully you are refreshing your soul daily in the Word of God, and also over the weekend as you attend church to fellowship with other believers. This should mean that you are being reminded of the truths of God’s Word on a regular basis. Imagine for a moment that you are soaking in all this encouragement; truth; direction; wisdom; and unselfish, sacrificial love, but it has not impacted your life enough to create a change in your behavior and/or relationship with others. Friends, you can study the Driver’s License test book for days, but if you don’t do what it says when you take your test, you won’t be granted your license. Doing what the Word of God says, is a strong indication that it has impacted your life more than the world has. The Word says that God will bless you in your efforts towards obedience of His Word;
  • Control your tongue – It is unfortunate, but the tongue will give away the deepest secrets of your heart every time. It won’t take too many words before one will quickly discern who is influencing your life. If you bathe yourself with the Word of God, and seek God’s face in desiring to live out the Word of God, then His principles will govern what you say;
  • Proof of your influencer – When influenced by the Word of God, you will voluntarily take care of the widows and orphans. Has there been enough evidence lately that you are being influenced by God and His Word?
  • True to the Word – Are you saturated in the Word of God to the extent that it is virtually impossible for you to be influenced by your old friends, or the evil of this old world? We may continue to reside in this world, but because we represent the kingdom of light, there should be clear evidence that we are not of this world.

What does the world see when they come into contact with you? Same old same old, or a true, honest reflection of Jesus Christ? 

Prayer: Lord, I believe that the world is tired of seeing fakes, or make-believes, for it reminds them way too much of what they witness in the world everyday. I pray that as we deal with this reminder today, that You will influence us to be agents of change that will truly reflect the life and character of the One in whom we believe. I pray that words will not be necessary to express our relationship with You, but that others will see evidence in and through everything we say or do. Please dear Lord, may we truly be representative of all that You are, so that our contacts will catch a glimpse of Jesus today and desire to know Him personally. This is my prayer in deepest humility dear 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

Clear the Contaminants, God Wants to…..

On By Ed AlgreenIn Boldness, Holy Spirit, PurityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New International Version (NIV) ~ 2 Corinthians 7:1 ~ Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

THOUGHTS: I believe that every believer in Jesus Christ would probably have as a primary objective in 2016 to surrender ourselves so fully to Christ that He might perfect in us His holiness. And there poses an awesome challenge for you and I friends, for we already know from the Word of God that He will not allow His Holy Spirit to reside in any earthen vessel where sin abides. Now before you piously think that you are clearing the mark, I want to open your eyes to one fact that might put you on a level playing field with myself, and others like me, who are also striving to be holy. In this subject verse, Paul declares that this refers to contamination of the body and the spirit. In the verses leading up to the one highlighted, we are told that God’s Holy Spirit resides inside of us. This is exciting, because we never have to worry about Him always being present to meet our needs. However, I want us to also remember that if you have sinned in your mind, you have contaminated the temple of God also. Friends, this is a major problem for us, because Satan does his very best to bother with our minds in order to distract us away from God. Remember those times that you’ve thought to yourself that it was good the other person couldn’t read your mind, otherwise they would know how corrupt you really are? As we consider what we might do to be more like Jesus in the upcoming year, may I suggest that you flood your mind with the Word of God? May I implore you to stay in touch with the Master on a very frequent basis so that as He floods your soul, only those things that He approves of, will spew out of your mouth and call you to action for the benefit of others? I believe that ‘purify’ means that we cleanse our minds of anything that would distract our minds (our spirit) away from truly Christ-like actions and/or words. Are you there yet? If not, please consider joining me in rededicating our lives, and especially our minds, to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Ships stay in the port when contaminants are found on board, and hospital rooms are closed until all contaminants are properly cleaned up. Let’s get some quality time alone with God so we can clear the contaminants of our lives before we enter a brand new year. Let’s strive to be the kind of Christian that will reflect Jesus in everything we say or do, because of His mighty presence inside of our purified bodies. Let’s allow Him to fill our spirit with Himself.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are more wonderful than anyone or anything we can describe, and we will say all day long that it’s You that we desire to imitate here on this earth. However, we are very easily distracted by all that appears to be better, or more joyful, or pleasing on ‘the other side’. Lord, we know that this is Satan’s desire for all of Your chosen people, yet we cave in and allow him control. Being reminded today that our weakness leads to us actually contaminating the temple of our precious Lord, makes us sad, and we are reminded of how important it is for us to purify ourselves and protect at all costs the temple in which you reside. Lord, I pray for Your forgiveness. I pray for your strength that can easily overpower our will, if we are willing to surrender ourselves to you. Only You can impact our minds and our soul so that we might rededicate ourselves fully to you. Please have Your will and Your way in our lives today, beginning with me. May we end this year with a re-enforced determination to protect Your temple and seek Your boldness daily so that we might stand firm in our faith and in sharing our faith with other. I ask these things in and through the name of Jesus, the Christ, 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!

Worthy of Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Holy, Worship2 Comments

The Holy Bible  (The Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 22:15): 15 My servant will make nations worthy to worship me; kings will be silent as they bow in wonder. They will see and think about things they have never seen or thought about before.

Thoughts: I believe that as a society we are facing a very challenging situation, with our churches almost going into extinction. Shocked? Well friend, I believe that you may need to move into reality and see how many churches are shutting down each week because of poor attendance or lack of necessary operating funds. So why do you suppose this may be the case? First let’s examine the makeup of the local church – it’s made up of folk just like you and I that attend, and give for the ongoing work of the Lord. So why do we attend? Perhaps some go out of tradition – meaning that it is the place to be on Saturday or Sunday morning. Others may go because they feel accountable to a family member. Still others attend out of pure devotion to God, and they look forward to not only worshiping Him for His blessings during the week, but they also want to learn more about what God has to say to us through His messenger. So why then are churches declining, and even shutting their doors? I believe that Isaiah made a very important point that we all must pay attention to. For I believe that in and of our own sinful selves, we have no desire to attend church, to be told about our sin, and stand corrected about our life styles and decisions. However, as in the day of the church that Isaiah envisioned, I am convinced that it is God who will call people to Himself and convince them of their need to worship Him. I believe that way too often our churches today come up with so many programs and tactics to attract people into their churches, that attendees remain uncommitted when their ‘program’ is weakened or discontinued. Friends, this is not a problem when we allow Jesus to remain in charge of His church. So I believe that as church leaders constantly seek Him, allow Him control, and plead for His interaction with His people, then He will have freedom to work on the worthiness of His people and the churches in which they worship. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would ‘make’ the people (nations) worthy. To do this will require getting to their hardened hearts and turning around some evil thoughts that have been permitted in. I believe that God still has the power to impact our towns, our country and our world for Himself today, friends! For those of you who know Him as Lord, may I encourage you to surrender fully to Him today, then pray for family, co-workers and friends who have not seen the need to attend church where they might join in corporate worship? If you are one of those who have not seen the need to attend worship services, may I suggest that God is already dealing in your heart friend! I say this based on the knowledge that it is only God that would have encouraged you to read all the way to this point in this devotional! So listen to the voice of God and follow through in what you feel He is prompting you to do. He has prepared a very bright future for all of us who know Him personally. I would love to see you be among the number who will see Him face to face in heaven! I am excited about the opportunity, and I pray that you will be also!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to us! Thank You for loving us enough to provide the means for us to one day join You in Heaven! I plead with You today heavenly Father, that the hearts of Your children will be humbled to fully understand the love laid upon Calvary’s cross so that we might be afforded the gift of eternal life with You in glory! I pray that each person meditating on this devotional today will not only place themselves on the altar of sacrifice and worship before You, but that we might begin in deep earnest to pray for our family, coworkers and friends, so that Your church here on earth might be reinvigorated and recommitted to true and sincere worship of You. Perhaps at that stage, unsaved loved ones will be open to uniting with sincere and loyal followers freed form hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Lord You are the only one worthy of our worship! May we commit ourselves to clean and holy lives so that our worship might be a sweet aroma in your ears. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, 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 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.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, Sebring, FL! 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!

Allow God Control of our Homes and Cities

On By Ed AlgreenIn SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

If the Lord doesn’t build the house,

the builders are working for nothing.

If the Lord doesn’t guard the city,

the guards are watching for nothing.

(New Century Version – Psalm 127:1)

Thoughts:

In this short verse we see the importance of always looking to God for providing our every need. Especially in the day that we find ourselves in, we must depend upon God for His blessing in the upbringing of our family, the challenges of our finances, our protection and giving us boldness to always stand for Christ in spite of all the distractions from the outside world. In the context of this verse we are reminded of several important things that are affected as we place our faith and trust in God:

  1. For raising our family. – For if God is not acknowledged, we have no reason to expect his blessing; and the best-laid plans fail, unless He crowns them with His blessing;
  2. For the safety of our family and/or our city. – For except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen (our law enforcement), though they may never sleep, they stay awake and on duty in vain; mischief could still break out in spite of all they might do to prevent it; and
  3. For enriching our family. – I firmly believe that God blesses those who depend on Him. I agree with verse 4 further down where Solomon reflects on what could happen when children leave our home, as we can no longer direct them. But friends, we are ordered to do our part in bringing them up while they are with us, then when they do go off on their own they will remember and practice what they were taught. No need for us to worry what might happen later, with ongoing prayer, God will continue to guide them for us.

So friends, the bottom line is that we must live the Godly lives that God expects of His children. When we live that life in our homes and in our jobs, God will bless us, protect us and provide for our cares and concerns. Can you trust Him with that day? If you do, He can be trusted to do His part, I assure you friend!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please give me strength/wisdom/power to surrender my home, my family and my city to Your powerful, awesome, protective and guiding hand. I am reminded daily that these things are way bigger than me, but in recognizing the great big awesome God that I serve, I surrender these things to Your care and direction. While still in this world, I need You in my life though, to help me be the man You designed and could be proud of. Please help me to depend heavily on You so that You may truly bless my home and bless my city. I also ask that You intervene in the lives of my friends who will meditate on this devotional today. For those who have never committed their lives totally and completely to You, please open their eyes to the truth of the gospel so that they may make that first, very important choice to accept You as Lord of their lives. For my fellow Christian friends, may they be filled with Your peace, Your comfort, Your strength and guidance to surrender themselves as guided in this scripture today, and allow Your mighty hand to guide them in every circumstance of life. I ask all this believing, but also knowing that only You can change our families and our cities, Therefore I ask all this in Your holy and precious 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 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.