Tag: Deliverer

May I Introduce You To …

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Commitment, Faith, Obedience, Surrender, UnconditionalLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-12-01

Scripture

Bible Reference: Isaiah 42:1-4

Bible Text: “Take a good look at my servant. I’m backing him to the hilt. He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He’ll set everything right among the nations. He won’t call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant, but he’ll steadily and firmly set things right. He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped until he’s finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.”

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

Isaiah had dealt with so much in the area of worthless idols that devoured the attention of his people. However God revealed through this prophet that He had better plans ahead for His people, and here in the scripture He gave a glimpse of the Savior that would be born for the sole purpose of saving the people from their sins, and renewing their hope. He also promised that He would bring hope for even the poor and hurting, who was normally ignored and brushed aside by worldly kings of that time and era. Should you be wondering how on earth Isaiah could possibly have known what would come to pass hundreds of years later in time? May I take a moment to introduce you to my God! Friends, my God is not only in control of what takes place today, but He also has a plan for everything that’s yet to come. To help you better understand how this all aligned, I could refer you to Matthew 12:18-21 where, after Jesus was born, and during His earthly ministry, He emphasized to the people who He was ministering in much the same way that the prophet Isaiah prophesied. In fact, the apostle Matthew actually made reference to what Isaiah had prophesied because he recognized the similarity in the message. This was hundreds of years later, friends! Coincidence? No way, for if our God tells us something today, we can go to the bank with that, because it will be the same today, tomorrow and forever. But friends, I want you to stop and consider that in spite of us having benefited from the fact that Jesus came, and He ministered in ways that fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, yet many today have chosen to ignore that fact and continue to serve unrewarding idols. Now I bet by now, in your minds you are throwing rotten tomatoes at me, because you know of no worship of idols in our day. I tend to differ friend, for our idols today are much different to those back in Isaiah’s day. To help you better understand our current day idols, may I suggest that you think of, and write down those things that distract you from the worship of your Savior? May I clarify that your communion with God is not limited to the times that the church doors are opened, although I believe it is super important that you obey God’s Word in assembling ourselves together with other believers for the purpose of corporate worship. So perhaps we have personally decided that in order to keep our relationship with Jesus alive and strong, we will spend time with him at least twice each day. Are there ‘things’ that get in the way of that time with God? Are they things that you struggle to do without? Are they so important to you that they are often considered more important than the time you had allotted to be with God? What would you classify those things to be? Jesus came so that we might have life, and life more abundant and  free. Don’t allow those ‘idols’ to control you friend. There really is nothing more important than the time you have committed to spend with God!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You came to this earth in fulfilment of prophecy, so that we may have life eternally. Thank You sincerely for loving us so much, that You gave of Your life as a living sacrifice. Unfortunately there are still many idols that distract us from our time with You. Our weak and uncommitted relationship with You, has given room for Satan to walk right in and pound us with distractions; with worldly thoughts; with sinful ideas; and ruined witnesses to the lost. Often we become useless vessels that You can use to win the lost and encourage the weak. Please forgive us Lord. Please renew a right spirit within us – one that would cherish the sacrifice You made for us, and one that would be committed to faithfully serve You and one with a priority to worship and honor You with all our heart, soul and mind. Open the eyes of our heart Lord, so that we may be filled with Jesus in every way, every day, and for every purpose in life. 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!

Encourage One Another With These Words

On By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, Hope, Salvation, Surrender2 Comments

Wednesday, 2016-11-30

Scripture

Bible Reference: Isaiah 35:3-7

Bible Text:  3 With this news bring cheer to all discouraged ones. 4 Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, “Be strong, fear not, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and sing! Springs will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground will become a pool, with springs of water in the thirsty land. Where desert jackals lived, there will be reeds and rushes!

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

It seems like especially in the times that we live, people are so despondent that one might find it challenging as to what you might say or do to encourage them. I believe that Isaiah not only had insight from God as to what his people needed to hear at the time of his writing, because of all the unfair treatments they were receiving as a nation, BUT I also believe that God gave Isaiah foresight into the Savior that would be born and would handle unfair treatments and perform miracles such as restoring sight to the blind, and bringing hope to his people. I also believe that foresight extended to proclaim these words of encouragement for those still alive today. For it seems like there is more stress and discouragement in the lives of individuals today than ever before, whether it’s financial, health, family, work or friendship stresses. Our family and friends, or perhaps even my readers, may be facing very challenging times where there seems like little light at the end of the dark tunnel of circumstances they are now facing. Friends, I am encouraged by the words of Isaiah, and I want to share this with you so that you also might be encouraged. Our awesome God looks out for us today, through His Son Jesus, who came to save us from our sin, and He has a home already prepared for those who claim Him as Lord and Savior! May I be the first one to remind you today that there is a plan in place to not only protect us from the evil one here on this earth, but also a plan to unite us with our Savior on the other side! God tells us in His Word that there will be no crying there, no pain there, and I believe we can deduce that there will be no need for stress there, for our sole purpose will be to worship, praise and adore our wonderful Savior. I believe something that might help us comprehend what that may be like is, and may I encourage you to slow down your reading so that you can truly meditate on this thought, but: imagine that you are in the best worship service that you have ever experienced. For the sweet presence of the Holy Spirt is evident. There is no time to worry about work, family or any other issues, for your heart, soul and mind is fixed on worshiping the Savior of this world, who is obviously in your midst with an unbelievable presence. It’s a time that you don’t want to stop, because all of your external concerns and issues have faded away and you only have focus and time for Jesus – absolutely nothing else. Now imagine that precious time never ending – that’s a glimpse of what I believe it might be like in heaven. Is this something you might be willing to work towards even now? Believe it or not, that time could come much sooner than expected for some reading this devotional today. I pray that you have your heavenly affairs in order, because the alternative to what I described above is Hell itself with Satan as its leader. God has provided the means by which you might be assured today of what your destination might look like after you leave this world. Please read my Footnote and contact me if there are any unanswered questions.

Prayer

Father, thank You for creating such a wonderful world for Your children to live in! As with all sin, we have not only abused the beauty of everything that You have blessed us with, but we have burdened ourselves with a lot of worry about things that we really can’t change. Reading Your Word today has brought renewed hope and joy, as I am reminded that these things that my friends and I face today are only temporary, as You have a much brighter and happier future already prepared for those who have shown their interest in wanting to be with You eternally. Lord, may we learn to redirect our thoughts to the hope that lies ahead, instead of the circumstances we are burdened with today. May our eyes and our hearts be fixed on You, oh Lord, our hope for all eternity. Please help us to encourage one another, much like Isaiah did, on the fact that You are alive forevermore, and that You not only stand waiting to help us in our daily lives, but also awaiting our exit from this world, to welcome us home! With much love and adoration, we sincerely than You dear Father for that enormous love for us! 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!

Get Me Outt’a Here, PLEASE?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, Surrender2 Comments

Tuesday, 2016-11-29

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 7:24-25

Bible Text:  24 There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self? 25 God’s Law has power over my mind, but sin still has power over my sinful old self. I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Bible Translation:New Life Version (NLV)

My Take

Ever felt like you were at the stage of being overwhelmed and wish you could get off this runaway train called ‘life’? May I suggest that there is no need for a psychiatrist, because we all feel that way sometime! In fact, in our scripture today it appears like Paul was feeling in a similar way, for he recognized the pull that sin was having in his life, while in his mind he had dedicated his life to the Lord. He was in a dilemma, for in his mind he wanted to be loyal to Jesus Christ, yet his sinful nature kept him questioning his decisions, and pulling him back towards sinful actions. Friends, Paul demonstrated an awesome reminder for us, that while we may sometimes feel tugged at by the ‘dark side’, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we are feeling down and out, we must learn to look up, for our redemption comes from above! When we are feeling overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control, we must call on Jesus – the one who overcame all odds, including death itself, and now sits at the right hand of the Father praying for us. Friends, Jesus is our intercessor and longs to hear from us, so that He may speak with His Father on our behalf. Are you staying in touch? Very often we find ourselves in situations where we are in well over our heads, and outside of our capabilities. Please don’t forget that Jesus is there with outstretched arms waiting for you to ask and call on Him. He provides life! Life that is eternal, and free from all sin and temptation. Life that is totally out of this world! Won’t you trust Him today to give you freedom to live stress free here on earth, because of the assurance that He can handle all that we place at His feet in surrender to His will and His way? Having accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, and trusting Him with your challenges, brings peace in a very chaotic world here on this earth. If you don’t have that type of relationship with my Savior, may I encourage you to read my Footnote, so that you may seek to know Him? I would gladly introduce you to my Lord, if you contact me! It’s up to you friend!

Prayer

Father, please forgive us for often waiting to call on you only as a last resort. We were a priority in Your eyes, for you gave up your own life for us, even while we were yet sinners. I believe that as long as we reside here on planet earth, sin will penetrate and impede our walk for You. This frustrates us Lord, and we need power from on high to help us overcome and deal with our daily frustrations. Please open our eyes and constantly remind us of whose we are, so that we might always look to You, especially when we feel like sin is penetrating us and impeding our walk. We want to represent You well, but we can only do that with Your help, Your guidance and Your power. You are our Strength, our Protector, our Guide and our Deliverer from sin. We need You in every aspect of our life, and we surrender our will to Yours 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 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!

From the Stump of Jesse – Jesus!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Obedience, Righteousness, SurrenderLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-11-28

Scripture

Bible Reference: Isaiah 11:1-2

Bible Text:  1A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Bible Translation: The New International Version (NIV)

My Take

It is times like this that we see how the Bible fits together like a glove! I was reading earlier in Deuteronomy 18 where God said that He would send a prophet just like Moses, for He would be obedient to God and to every word that He commands Him to say. In that chapter, it was very evident that God was speaking of His Son Jesus, that would later be born of a virgin in Bethlehem. In this scripture today, it is evident that the same reference in Luke 1:27 where Luke said that Jesus would be born of  a virgin named Mary, who was engaged to a carpenter, Joseph, a descendant of David, is very much the same as referenced in today’s scripture, that Jesus is of the root of, or from the stump of Jesse! I also found it fascinating that the seven gifts mentioned in this chapter that Jesus would benefit from – rest; wisdom; understanding; counsel; might; knowledge; and fear (respect for God), make up, and references the same sevenfold Spirit spoken of in Revelation 1:4! Friends, if you are anything like me, you have probably been very hooked into the New Testament and only hit the Old Testament when you absolutely have to. In reading through the Bible, I have been blessed to see that our Bible is all-inclusive and not separated by Testaments to cause segregation of one from the other. I have a pastor who teaches that we can find Jesus in every page of the Old Testament! Examples such as the one illustrated herein will cause you to believe that pastor, and encourage you to search for more! God had a plan in mind from the very beginning, I am so glad that embedded in that plan was His precious Son, Jesus, who would be born through miraculous means, and His life would touch the lives of so many, to make a miraculous way for them to enter Heaven’s portals because of a single word ‘grace’. All of this was done because of you and I Brothers and Sisters! The only thing needed for you to be recognized on that day of reconciliation friend, is to personally decide that you want this Savior of mine so much that you are willing to surrender your will to His will. In making this commitment, invite Jesus into your heart, mind and soul and give Him control of your life. I’ve done this, and been living over 40 years as His child, and submissive to His will. You can do this friend! Please read my Footnote for help on how to proceed. I would love for you to contact me, if you don’t have a local Bible teaching pastor that you know. I would love to pray with you and give you guidance, if I could.

Prayer

Father, You are so awesome! Through a great series of events You presented to us Your very own Son, Jesus, as a babe born in Bethlehem. We have been celebrating His birth for centuries at Christmas, and I thank You sincerely for this gift! While recognizing the gift, and the birth of Your Son, I believe very deeply, based on Your Word, that Your greatest desire is that mankind would seek out Your Son and accept Him personally in their lives, so that they might one day be accepted into Your kingdom. Lord please teach us to be obedient to Your Word in all that we do. May You be glorified because of the decisions made today here in my small town and throughout the world. I believe that You are earnestly working on the final chapter, I pray that we all might be ready! 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!

Ask for anything in My name

On By Ed AlgreenIn In Christ, Integrity, Miracles, Prayer, SubmissionLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-11-19

Scripture

Bible Reference: John 14:12-14

Bible Text: 12 I tell you the truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father. 13 Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory from the Son. 14 Let Me say it again: if you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.

Bible Translation: The Voice Translation (Voice)

My Take

Ever noticed that your son may go and ask a friend of equal age to do something that both he and you feel is the best thing to do, but it may have little relevance to the friend, until he brings down the power by saying that my dad asked that we do this right away? Bringing the dad’s name into the equation always adds power to the instructions being given. Ever noticed also that as a son, you may tell your buddies to do something that sounds different to what they know your dad has always preached, and they will give you a funny look and wonder where are you coming from with those instructions? Jesus had just introduced the Comforter to His disciples as He (Jesus) prepared Himself to go and be with the Father. Jesus assured His disciples, as He still assures us today, that He will be sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us, and that He will receive glory from the Father as His children carries on His work here on earth with the help of the Comforter, or the Holy Spirit. Notice that great emphasis is directed to the fact that even though we stand to do things even greater than He (Jesus) did while here on earth, we must never lose sight of who we are representing, and whose power resides with us to enable the work. Remember that in Acts 19:13-16 there were some who went around trying to cast out demons in Jesus’ name, but even the demons recognized that they were not of Jesus and not speaking on His behalf. Friends, it is safe to say, based on the Word of God, that if any miraculous work is to be done, it will be the power, and the work of Jesus Christ portrayed through us to do the work, with the results being totally for His glory. I believe that there are two important things to remember about being blessed with the power of Jesus working through us: (1) That doing the work of the Lord, demonstrates our love for Him, and not what we might be able to brag on, or benefit from personally; and (2) Miracles are performed in order to bring people to a full knowledge of Jesus Christ. Not for any gain of ourselves, and not for the purpose of relieving our friends from some earthly burden, but that they might know Jesus as their Lord and personal Savior. Please note that there is nothing mentioned about the obedient servant who God uses to stand in His stead and allow His miracle to be transmitted through. But I can assure you that for those who will do this, we will be blessed beyond anything words can describe. To God be the glory for all the great things He can do through even us who believe in Him, and are willing to be used by Him!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I believe that we, Your children, in our meager faith tend go from one extreme to another way too often. For I believe we recognize our powerlessness and know that we can do nothing miraculous by ourselves. However, I also believe that there are times that our ego steps in at times and we want so badly to see our friends overcome obstacles that we tend to jump in there and pray peace and/or healing over them so they could return to a sense of normalcy. I was recently reminded by a pastor when He said that we could very easily step in the way of You actually disciplining someone, by trying to humanly help them correct or overcome their situation. This scripture has once again opened my eyes to the fact that we must be so driven by the Spirit of God that the things we say and the things we do, are very much aligned with His will and His purpose. I also believe that if the Holy Spirit leads us to a miraculous scenario with our friends that will demonstrate the love of God for them and bring them to a full knowledge of Jesus Christ, then we must, in obedience, seek your leadership and carry out Your work, particularly among the unsaved. Lord, I am concerned that there are so many in each of our circle of friends that don’t know You as their Lord and personal Savior. If it takes a miracle to convince them of Your love and power today, I pray that Your will may be done. Please speak clearly to Your children today so that we may in obedience do Your perfect will. 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!

Be Diligent in Prayer

On By Ed AlgreenIn Persistence, Prayer, TemptationLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-11-16

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 14:38

Bible Text:  38 Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak.”

Bible Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

My Take

Jesus had been around His disciples long enough that He knew their weaknesses, just like He knows yours and mine friend. However, He took a few of His closest disciples with Him to experience His agony; how He dealt with it (through desperate prayer before His Father); and how He wanted His disciples to be persistent in prayer at important times such as this particular time in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus also taught them to be very careful in saying things that they were not prepared to back up through their actions. This was particularly true with Simon Peter who vowed to stick it out with Jesus through good times and bad, yet when asked to keep watch and pray for just one hour, he failed. Friends, when we accept Jesus as Lord; when we are on a high because of a revival in our souls; and when we are around Christian friends, we sometimes feel like we could conquer the world for Jesus, and many times we promise Him to be a very consistent witness before the lost and needy. However, may I encourage you to examine yourself closely for the consistency in which you have lived up to your promises? In the presence of Jesus and the safety of like-minded friends it is easy to feel like, and promise to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but how often do we back down from that when faced with challenging individuals, or when we feel like we are on the’ battlefield’ of life all alone? Jesus coached His disciples, and I believe that His plea is just as sincere today for His followers like you and I, to be diligent in our prayer lives, because even though we may feel secure in our commitment to live noble lives before God and to be His witnesses everywhere we go and with whomever we meet, yet we live in this old sinful world that is ruled by the prince of darkness, Satan himself. Remember, our goal may be to stand firm in our faith, but Satan’s goal is to trip us up at every possible opportunity. So let’s trust God and obey Him when He pleads with us to pray diligently so that we may stand firm against the evil one. Satan is lurking around the corner to get at us, but only if we let him, for greater is He that is in us than he (Satan) that is in the world!

Prayer

Lord Jesus thank You for Your Word, and for Your encouragement and prompting to pray always. I’m sure that each of us face challenging times as we partake in this world in which we live, but as we were reminded in this scripture Lord, please help us to keep our eyes; our hearts and our very beings fixed on You. The source of our strength and the protection that we need from temptation is founded in You Lord. We need You daily to protect us and watch over us so that we may be living testimonies for You Lord. Please keep Your hand upon us today, so that as we go, our friends will witness the love of God in every way, and desire more and more to want to know You as their Savior. I ask these things in the name of the true and living Savior, Jesus 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 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!

Prayer – Faith, Believe, Receive

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, PrayerLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-11-15

Scripture

Bible Reference: Matthew 21:20–22

Bible Text: 20 The disciples were shocked when they saw how quickly the tree had dried up. 21 But Jesus said to them, “If you have faith and don’t doubt, I promise that you can do what I did to this tree. And you will be able to do even more. You can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will. 22 If you have faith when you pray, you will be given whatever you ask for.”

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I believe that when we can’t explain an action we call it ‘magic’. From this scripture, I believe many may call what Jesus did with the fig tree ‘magic’, but as we read this passage carefully we see where this action, and indeed what Jesus assures us we can do, boils down to the faith we have in the One who can do all things, and the fact that we must believe in Him wholeheartedly if we expect to receive from Him. Friends, here are a few things that jumped out off the page at me. I believe we must follow these things if we expect to receive from God:

  1. Faith – there is a passage of scripture where Jesus tell us that without ‘faith’ we can do nothing. As an example, we may admire a beautiful boat anchored on the lake, and because we have always been told that we could use a boat to cross the body of water over to the other side, then we tend to believe that. However unless we have faith enough to step into the boat and let it takes us across the lake, we will remain stay put and only wave at our friends who are safely on the other side. Likewise, having ‘faith’ in the One to whom we are praying, helps us to pray that His will and ours are in sync;
  2. Don’t Doubt – I believe you will find it extremely challenging to pray in faith, and totally believe in the One to whom you are praying, if you have doubt in His existence and His power. Please try to never approach God thinking that you are presenting an impossible situation to Him, because that gives clear evidence that you have doubts about Him being able to satisfy your prayer request about that need;
  3. Believe – Unless you believe in the awesome power of the One to whom you are praying, why bother to pray to Him? Our belief system is developed based on the facts we have already learned about the One to whom we are praying. So don’t be afraid to include an example of answered prayer along the lines of what you are praying about. For example, when praying about a blind person, be sure to reflect on the fact that Jesus actually gave sight to the blind, as it helps you pray in faith and confidence that Jesus is still very capable of answering your prayer concern about your blind friend;
  4. Purpose – We should always pray with the end in mind. I have studied under a wonderful teacher who helped me include a ‘so that’ in my prayers. Example, Father God, please give my blind friend the determination and boldness to fight the battles that Satan will throw his way about his blindness, so that my friend may succeed in life in spite of his disability. This is intended only to help us seek God’s will with purpose, and helps us think about the purpose behind our request. This becomes a lot more specific than just simply asking God to bless my blind friend. Try this with your prayer requests friends!
  5. Expectation – Those that pray, expecting God to respond, are praying with all of the above in mind. They are exercising their ‘faith’ ‘without doubting’, ‘believing’ that the God who created this whole universe could easily answer their prayer request, ‘so that’ their loved one may be restored

Friends, praying faithfully to our awesome God, knowing that He can do all things, if only we will trust Him, is what a believer in Jesus Christ does. How’s your prayer life friend?

Prayer

Father, I believe that You have built into each of us the warning signs of not attempting to do things that we are incapable of, in order to save ourselves from injury. I also believe that way too often we apply that principle to our prayer life without consciously recognizing that we are really praying to the God that CAN do ALL things. In our scripture verses today You have shown us five things that we must keep in mind as we pray. Thank You Lord for taking us to a whole new level, recognizing that with God all things are possible. This requires faith, determination and dependency on You oh Lord. Please grant us the boldness and faith needed to let go and let God. You are awesome oh Lord, and I just want to thank You for drawing me to Yourself. May I seek to serve You all the days of my life, and may You be honored and praised in every way, through every thing that I do or say. Please also meet the needs of my readers today. Draw them to You and remind them of Your awesome power. May You be glorified today in everything, because of our faith in You. 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!

Prayer – A Connection Between You and God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Giving, PrayerLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-11-14

Scripture

Bible Reference: Matthew 6:14–15

Bible Text: “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

I believe that most of us may have considered the idea of our conversation, or prayer, with God being a major connection point with God. However, Jesus reminds us in this passage today that it really makes no sense in us asking God for blessings that we are not willing ourselves to bless others with. The particular point mentioned in this scripture is ‘forgiveness’. We should not expect to receive God’s forgiveness, if we are unwilling to forgive others. Wow! Ever stopped to think about that before? After all, of what purpose would it serve for God to continue blessing, or forgiving us, if we bottle that up inside and never use that act of forgiveness, as humility and strength to help us forgive others? There is also similar scripture that reminds us about the act of giving. That scripture reminds us that our blessings received will be in proportion to our giving. In other words, don’t expect God to continue giving if you are stingy in what you give to His work and to His children in need. God is not a get-rich scheme,where all you have to do is ask, and He will pile it on for you. He blesses us so that we may, in turn, bless others. I believe that in verse 15, Jesus clearly reminds us that as we refuse to forgive others, or as we choose not to give of our earthly means to others, we create a division between God and ourselves. In other words, we cut ourselves off from the part that God would have blessed us with, if we were truly His hands and feet here on earth. May I encourage you to examine yourselves friends and see if there is something in your life that separates you from the love, and the gifts of our holy God? I’m sure that we all love to receive God’s richest blessings. To do so, we should be willing to shower those blessings, or pass them on to others!

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, You were such an example for us to follow, for You forgave the very ones that beat You, and crucified You. How much more than should we be forgiving to others in obedience to Your words to us? Lord, the words in our text this morning are quotes from what You instructed us to do. Important for us to realize today, is that the world knows what to expect from us as followers of Christ, a whole lot better than we ourselves would care to acknowledge. Holy Spirit, please open our hearts and our eyes to the things of God at every turn today. This short scripture is just one reminder of what it means to be a true warrior and imitator of Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock, our Redeemer and our soon coming King! 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!

Live Before God The Testimony You Portray Before Man

On By Ed AlgreenIn Honesty, Hypocritical, WitnessLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-11-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Isaiah 1:14–17

Bible Text: I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

In the days that Isaiah addressed his writings, there were sacrifices at the temple for just about every thing imaginable. However, based on my understanding of Isaiah’s message, I believe God became very agitated at all of the sacrifices while still seeing the same folk who brought the sacrifices live just like the rest of the world, trying to cover up their worldliness by bringing sacrifices and visiting the temple often. In The Message, I feel like Eugene Peterson did a great job in presenting this scripture in terms that really opens our minds to where, and how, we still live today. For I believe that way too often we sit back and read about Old Testament teachings and just can’t get over the awful things they did back then. Friends, unfortunately I believe that God had these words placed in His Book of Instruction (the Bible), because He knew that His people who are often called by His name today, would still try to pull off the same nonsense, assuming that their testimony to man is taken at surface level, because they just can’t see what goes on in the hearts and minds of so called ‘Christians’. I believe that God would have me remind us today that it is the testimony before God that really matters, for only He can match the words from our lips with the intent of our heart, our very thoughts, and our outward actions. I can give you a good example, I believe: I live in a small community where it appears like very few attend a regular church service – a normal indication of an inward decision they may have made to the Lord. My wife and I usually hear comments about how often we leave for a church meeting of one type or another. And not that we have attained perfection, by any stretch of our imagination, but we often hear remarks about our attitude, our commitment and our stand as a Christian. Imagine if those things were opposing to the first remark that I said we often hear, do you suppose we would ever be able to witness to our neighbor. However, as indicated already, God is able to deal with me in passages of scripture like this, because He knows my very thoughts, and He sees my actions in all aspects of life, so I feel like God is ministering to me in much the same way that I pray you would be impacted as you meditate on this devotional today. Friends, I am convinced that God wants us to reach for the perfection that He demonstrated for us, and stop using the excuses like “Well, I’m only human”, or “Oops, I shouldn’t have thought or said that, but God knows I’m not perfect”. I believe that God wants the church to be the church. In other words, I believe that He desires to see the world become confused when they deal with Christians and find them to be totally different to the rest of the world. In fact, it should make them feel like they just had an encounter with Jesus! Unfortunately we still find today that there are multiple opportunities for folk to attend church. I pray that as we exit the doors of our churches, we would carry with us the likeness of Jesus Christ. That we would unashamedly be His hands; His feet and His witness to a world that desperately need Him as Savior and Lord. May our actions, attitudes and thoughts enhance the picture that the world sees, and not be a stumbling block to those who need to know our Savior, because of the hypocrisy that they may witness in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You were so serious about Your love for us, that You allowed Your very own Son to die a cruel death for our salvation. Yet I believe that You probably have as much need as ever before to be upset at us for being so casual about our Christian life and walk here on earth. Please forgive us Lord, and renew within us a right spirit so that the words from our lips, the thoughts from our hearts and the desires of our very being, may always be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock; our Redeemer; our Savior and our 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 to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God: “I’ll Be There Ready For You”

On By Ed AlgreenIn Humbleness, Humility, Power of Prayer, Prayer, Seek God's FaceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-11-09

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 7:13–14

Bible Text: If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

I believe that these verses are probably some of the best known, and most quoted verses in the old testament, because we like to remind ourselves that God is always ready to hear our prayer, if only we will get off our high horses and allow Him to do that. I looked at the context of these verses in several different translations of the Bible to see if perhaps God is trying to catch my attention in some other way from these verses. Using Eugene Peterson’s ‘Message’ Bible, here’s what I believe God is saying to me today, and in sharing this with you, hopefully it may open your eyes also. Notice how God leads into this with Solomon. In the preceding verses God acknowledged the awesome temple that Solomon had built, and God assured Solomon that He would dwell there for the people. However, God then told Solomon that there still may be times that He may allow frustrations, trials and challenges for the people as He may have the need to draw them closer to Himself. Isn’t it interesting how we are so quick to run to the temple (our local churches) and really petition before God for all that is going on in our lives, or in the works of our cities/counties, or even in our country? I would imaging that in the USA, over recent months, there have probably been more prayers for the outcome of our elections than for any other reason that we may have prayed over recent years. However, notice that God didn’t tell Solomon to have the people pray for Him to restore their crops, or cleanse them from the plagues He threatened to send on them, but rather, God wanted the people to do these things:

  • Humble themselves – get off the subject of self and recognize who’s in charge;
  • Pray – Instead of bending the knee and pleading before God when we need our aches and pains relieved, pray instead for forgiveness of our sin, and a heart like that of Jesus – the one whom Christians should be seeking to imitate every day;
  • Seek God’s presence – So often we are so intent on praying for the need at hand, that we lose sight of the broken or fractured connection between God and ourselves. Friends, there is nothing more comforting or more powerful, than seeking God’s face and His awesome presence in our own lives. Further, in these verses God assured Solomon that as His people did this, they will be reassured of His presence, as “He will be there, ready for them”!
  • Turn from their sins – you might question what this has to do with what is going on at the time (lost crops, etc). Friends, I believe that God sends challenges our way, because many times it is the only way that He could get our personal attention. Renewing our relationship with God is far more important to God than restoring our crops.

God said that as His people did these things, they can be reassured that “He would be there for them”! However, notice the kicker, He didn’t say that He would then restore rainfall, or their crops; nor did He say that He would heal them of the effects from any plagues He sent on them. Instead God told Solomon that He would listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health! I believe that we can easily conclude from these verses that God is more interested in a right, personal relationship with His children, than anything else. Imagine what would happen if our people prayed as hard for revival, or renewal of a right relationship with God as we do for every other little thing, that really adds no value to our relationship with the Almighty. Restoring a right relationship with our God, so that we may be mold-able and usable by God WILL bring new life to our wretched, sinful world. It must begin with us – God’s people, as those without that connection will not have a clue what God is trying to achieve, nor would they ever think to look to God, who is totally unknown to them. If it’s to be, it’s up to you and I, fellow Christians!

Prayer

Father God, thank You for providing us with life itself. Lord Jesus, thank You for providing the means of salvation – forgiveness of our sin and oneness with You and the Father. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your powerful presence and work in our lives daily. As long as we live on this earth, we will be tempted by the ruler of this world with every effort to distract us in our Christian commitment to our Lord. In Psalm 1 and in Matthew 6:33 we are reminded that as we, Your holy children, humble ourselves and seek Your face that we also may receive righteousness that can only come for You dear Lord. Help us to be faithful in all we do so that Your name may be lifted high and maintain its elevated status for all to see, and subsequently believe on You. Please renew a right spirit within us Heavenly Father, so that others will see Jesus and believe. 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!