Tag: Dependent on Jesus

An Intimate Relationship With Jesus Keeps Satan at Bay

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: ^day, December ^, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Florida Hunting Adventures, Okeechobee, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Luke 22:2-5

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: The chief priests and other religious leaders were actively plotting Jesus’ murder, trying to find a way to kill him without starting a riot—a possibility they greatly feared.
Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went over to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guards to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were, of course, delighted to know that he was ready to help them and promised him a reward.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: As a child, I remember hearing adults comment ‘now you know that’s the devil’. especially when their attempts to do good seem to not go off as they intended. And a mischievous child may have been referred to as being ‘full of the devil’! We can all smile at these sayings, because we may feel like these are sayings from our past. However, in our Scripture today we can see where Satan was also involved in the people ministering with Jesus, and those that opposed His ministry. The ‘religious’ leaders were jealous of the effect that Jesus was having on their community through His ministry, and although God advises that we approach such individuals and seek to know them better, these leaders instead sought to find ways to eliminate Jesus. A sure act of Satan. Judas was a disciple of Jesus, having worked alongside Him, seen His miracles, and felt His love for His disciples and those they came across that may not even deserve the love of Jesus – at least from the perspective of His disciples. So how do you suppose that Judas went from a follower of Jesus, to one who offered himself up as a traitor? Something, or someone, got into Judas’ head and poured enough hatred and misery into him, that he chose to make a move quite contrary to the love taught by Jesus. So, do you suppose that this same behavior reveals itself today? I lived in a small, quiet, town where a young man walked into a bank office and deliberately shot each of the six staff members to death – execution style. Do you suppose that he had just finished reading his Bible that morning and reminded himself of the love and sacrifice of Jesus for his sin, and that a new place is being prepared for him in heaven? Friends, what comes out of our heart is simply a result of what we placed into our hearts. I know individuals who are impacted well into the following day, from a movie they watched the night before. It seems like every time we turn on the evening news, we are bombarded with the various acts of violence that individuals, who we may never suspect, has turned to violence and committed unreal, unforgettable, and astonishing crimes. We tend to cringe at such crimes, but surely, we must recognize that the criminals probably filled their heads with such things as the religious leaders and Judas did. They allowed Satan to take control of their lives, so they did things that no child of God would even consider. Some are opposed to Jesus – His teachings, standards and love for all mankind. But some who choose to totally ignore Jesus and freely welcome the evil one into their lives, will often say and do things that seem totally out of place, wrong and criminal to the One who loved us enough to sacrifice His life on Calvary for our eternal salvation. What do you permit to fill your mind, soul and being with each day? If it’s not Jesus, then it’s Satan and/or his demons who are out to destroy you eternally. To fill yourself with Jesus, means that With God’s help, you have forced all evil and hatred out of you, because Jesus will not co-exist with evil.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: There are many things that we are reminded of as we reflect on this Scripture today, oh. Lord. We are lost without You in our lives, and we stand to stumble and fall without You leading our lives in the way that only You can. This is not just for the new Christian as they might still be figuring out the ups and downs of Christianity, but we see where the religious leaders and an actual disciple of Christ, are the ones conniving in a way to irradiate Jesus. Lord, I believe this shows us that each and every Christian might struggle with these types of temptations if they wander away from You or dismiss Your leadership. We are helpless and useless when trying to do life alone, and especially without You as our Leader, Director, Advisor, Savior and Friend. Please Lord, help us to stay focused on You and help us to meet with You at least daily, so that we might fill our hearts with more of You, and fix our eyes on You alone. Our desire is to keep Satan away from us, but this can only be done with You at the helm of our lives, so we trust in You and surrender our lives to You afresh. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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 you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby 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!

With A Humble Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Holy Spirit, Hope, HumilityLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-06-23
WRITTEN AT: Big Cabin, OK

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 5:3
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT:  “Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need. God’s kingdom belongs to them.

APPLICATION: Poor in spirit – On face value, I tend to believe this means that one might be feeling sorry for themselves, or thinking poorly of themselves and the circumstances around them. Doesn’t this come to the surface at times in each of us? But Jesus said that God blesses these kind of folk when, in spite of how they’re feeling, yet they see the need for Him. Friends, I know that we need to stay positive and pretend like we are on cloud nine at all times, but reality sets in very frequently for us. At the beginning of every day: we need God to hold our hand; Give us wisdom; Encourage us to go on, in spite of all that we know might happen that day; Hold our hand as encouragement and strength for our day; and then remind us frequently throughout the day that He’s right there beside us. You see, for the disciples, Jesus told them that they are to go out and live like this. I believe that we must realize that we are nothing without Christ, but everything as His possession. We have power to do nothing without the power of God within us. We must love others like Jesus loved us, for God gave Him up so that we might have life eternally in heaven one day with He and the Father. We must live in total dependence on Him, for without Him life is totally void. And remember, just as we listened to the call of Jesus on our life, others we will come into contact with will also desire this Savior of ours. Jesus may have said: Brothers, you may be poor in spirit, but may this be the day that you realize that your only hope is in a life that is totally saturated by Jesus. I believe Jesus looked at them and assured them that the world may fail them, but God never will! Praise to the Lord – our Savior; our Redeemer; our Deliverer and our everlasting Hope.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God’s Kingdom belongs to those who are humble and weak in spirit, but sincerely loves Jesus and have surrendered their life to Him!

PRAYER: Wonderful Savior and Friend, thank You for placing us just where we are so that we may allow Your Holy Spirit to work through us and bless those that become a part of our circle of influence. May we always realize that life is all about You and the manner in which we give you control and leadership in our living. Oh that we may live with the full influence of the Master extending Himself mightily through us for His ultimate glory and praise. It is so hard to live in a world that promotes self everywhere we turn, and yet approach life with humility of spirit and fully dependent on You. Teach us daily dear Lord, that only You can save a sinner and heal the sick. We are worthless without You. Please teach us to depend on You for our every need, so that we may be Your instruments of blessing here on earth. Oh that many will reach far beyond the skies today as they reach out for a relationship with the One who created the stars and the heavens. 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 might 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 subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!