Tag: faith

Our God Can Do Anything!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – Ephesians 3:20-21)

Thoughts:

This is generally a time of the year that we reflect back at all of the challenges we have faced. Obviously we have conquered the circumstances because we are here to tell the story, however in spite of the awesome pressure and anxiety in dealing with the challenges, we can now use this time to glorify God for His awesome hand upon us! In reading this passage from Ephesians, we are reminded that our God is capable of doing far more than we could ever imagine! In fact, in order to make sure that we have all His power available to us, He sent His Holy Spirit to live and reign within us. So friend, I hope that we will be careful how we whine, for when we do, we are really questioning the ability of the Holy Spirit to see us through our circumstances. Let’s learn to place our faith and trust in Him, lean on Him, depend on Him and allow Him free reign in our lives, knowing that all things work together for good, to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus. We have seen evidence that He can do all things and that He will work in our favor, after all, we are His beloved children. Let’s stop stressing friend, and ask God to give His Holy Spirit free reign in our lives this Christmas season and throughout 2015! There’s no better resolution we can make than this!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are so good to us, yet we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Please teach us to release this stressful life to You so that Your Holy Spirit might have free reign in our lives. Please help us to consult with You, take instructions from You and obediently carryout Your will for our lives. We need You in our lives and we need to depend on You daily. Lord, may we be Your humble servants and do exactly this as we continue on in this tough, rugged and stressful life. Thine be the Glory Lord, for You are so good to me! I’m praising You and asking all this in Your 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. 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!

No Substitute For Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Grace, WorksLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Galatians 5:4-6)

Thoughts:

Paul found a real challenge among his people where, although the people/his churches accepted his preaching, understood it and followed in accepting Jesus as Lord, yet it was challenging for them to accept this gift of grace without the need and/or support of their old religious practices, such as circumcision. Do we find that happening today in our churches? The challenge I see today friends, is that way too often we become so ‘religious’ or ‘church attendance’ minded, that we lose sight of what God truly did for us at Calvary. In fact, we have so many programs going on at our churches that folk could come in and join us in worship services, then follow into any number of other studies or groups, and before you know it they will be considered ‘one of us’. I’m afraid that folk can easily convince themselves that they are a Christian, because they follow so much of the traditional church programs and practices. In fact, I believe that our very own kids – growing up in a Christian home, attending regular and frequent church services and/or activities, could very well feel like they too are a Christian, without ever encountering Christ through a personal decision and an ongoing relationship with Him. Paul emphasized that anytime we take our eyes off Jesus, and/or co-dependent on anything additional, then essentially our faith in God becomes suspect. Unless we leave this study less than encouraged, I must quickly tell you that I am a strong advocate of the local church. However, if you attend church all of your life and never surrender your life to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Your Lord and Savior, then your lifetime of church attendance is in vain, because you are destined for eternal damnation in Hell. God has relayed this through His Word very clearly. There is only one way that leads to eternity with Christ. If you are not clear on the time period and place where you made this commitment, then I would encourage you to follow the direction offered in my footnote. I am praying for someone to make this decision today – before it is eternally too late.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for saving my soul back in 1976. As folk meditate on this devotional today, I pray that they will be prompted by Your Holy Spirit to make any necessary decisions to insure that their lives are in order, should You call them home today. Thank You for making the way available to us! Now my prayer is that no one will ignore the prompting of Your Holy Spirit as You minister to them today. May all the angels in heaven have reason to rejoice today over the one that might make a commitment to follow You, is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Jesus, my 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 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!

Confidence in Troubled Times

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Relationship, TrustLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

(Bible Translation and Location: Holman Christian Standard Bible – Psalm 3:4-5)

 Thoughts:

So often we share stories about things that have occurred in others’ lives, but have you ever noticed the difference when someone is telling you an experience from their own life? There’s a whole lot more passion, intimacy and convincing truth about what they are telling you from first-hand experience. Psalm 3 is one of these cases, for David was running from the onslaught of his son Absalom who had many warriors chasing his father to murder him. However, instead of the panic that most of us would find ourselves in, David finds peace and rest in the Creator of this universe, the One that David had proven as his God, even though everyone around him was telling him quite the different (see verse 2). Friends, it is virtually impossible to gain confidence in a stranger – someone you are meeting or addressing for the first time. So my first advice to you is to have a personal relationship with the one in whom you run to in times of trouble and despair. If you don’t know Jesus intimately, I would suggest that you follow the guidelines in my footnote. Secondly, you will quickly forget a person you’ve met if you don’t keep open communication with that person. Communication with God is through His Son, Jesus, and is possible through prayer, Bible study, praise and worship, fellowship with other saints, and acknowledging His presence and character in all things created. Through regular communion with God, You will quickly recognize His answers to your prayer requests, and you will learn to acknowledge His works rather than luck, chance or nature itself. In building this type of confidence, you too will be able to rest in God’s presence, know that He is God, and that He will work all things out for good, to those who place their faith and trust in Him.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You alone are God, why then should we fear? I believe that for your saints, You have our very best interest at heart. Therefore may I ask that You humble me each day into accepting this truth and Your ultimate love for me. Help me to remember that my ways are not Your ways, so there will be times that You will direct my path in ways that I may never have even thought of, or asked for. Please help me to be more like David and to rest in the peace that You are God and I am not. That You will work things out for good and in ways that would bless me and not harm me. Life seems so challenging even to Christians who have a Father to rest their faith in. I struggle to imagine the enormous stress of my friends that try to do life all by themselves and without the advantage of having You, oh God, to lead them, protect them, comfort them and love them unconditionally. Please humble my family members that don’t yet know You so that they may refocus their lives towards You. Please speak gently to my friends who can’t see beyond their struggles to see a God who loves them beyond all measure. Having the confidence in the King of all kings, and the Master of this universe is more than we deserve, but all that we need oh God. Thank You for being my God! I praise You and ask all of these things in the wonderful and matchless name of Your Son, 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 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!

Your Defense Against Satan

On By Ed AlgreenIn FaithLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.

(Bible Translation and Location: Good News Translation – Ephesians 6:16)

Thoughts:

I believe that our country is well prepared in defending us from the evil that others may want to inflict upon us because of hatred for one reason or another. However, as individuals, how prepared are we in defending ourselves against the evil, temptations and trials that come our way each day? Normally we would think of ‘burning arrows’ as something an enemy might shoot into the camp of an opposing group, and we could apply this verse, if taken out of context and on its own. However, the ‘faith’ being referenced in this verse is part of the armor of God that Paul is teaching us to put on each day so that we may remain protected and strong against the enemy, Satan. If taken literally, you might say that you’ve never been hit by an arrow! Therefore let me suggest to you what some of these ‘arrows’ might be that would cause Paul to suggest how we might defend ourselves:

  • Depression – I believe that there are probably more folk depressed today than ever before in history. Whether it’s due to their concern about their health, family, job, finances or any number of things;
  • Discouragement – It is so discouraging for us to work our buns off for 8-16 hours per day, and still wind up broke at the end of the pay-week, or feel unappreciated by our supervisor, or not to receive a raise for our hard work;
  • Disappointment – You didn’t win the award or the promotion that you worked so hard to achieve. You are not pleased with the spouse your child found to spend their lives with. You can’t retire as early as you had hoped to.

There are numerous other ‘arrows’ that Satan may send our way to distract us from the path to righteousness and faith in our Lord and Savior. However, as children of God, refreshed by the Word daily, we know that God is in control of our lives and the circumstances that might impact it. The ability to take hold of these promises and know that God will be, and do, all that He said He would, is accomplished through our faith in our Creator. This ‘faith’ is possible through our first-hand knowledge and trust in the God of this universe, please read ‘To Know God‘, and our daily walk, or relationship, with Jesus. With this ‘faith’ we can move mountains, per scripture, and we can put Satan at bay knowing that he is not in control of our lives, but instead Jesus, the Son of the living and all-powerful God is! Praise His holy name forever!!

Prayer:

Jesus, Savior, Lord, Son of God, we are often overwhelmed by the fiery arrows of Satan. Please help us to stay focused and know that our Deflector of those arrows, and our Defender is so much stronger, loving, caring and very capable of handling our defense against Satan. Please soften the hearts of those who might feel like their decision to accept You as Lord is one that is made and forgotten. Please encourage them into a daily, relational, personal interaction with You, and give them knowledge to know that it is only in, and through You, Your grace and Your power that we could ever expect to defend ourselves against the evil one. Lord, may this be a day that Your children will seek You, know You and worship You in all spirit and truth. May we renew our relationship with You and maintain a sweet daily communion with You so that our faith may be energized and reinvigorated to overcome Satan in his daily attacks on us. You are God alone, and in You I place my trust oh Lord! I ask all this in Your precious and most worthy 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 I can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. I would also recommend the following resource to you: “To Know 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 my church home, Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

Depend on God

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

Who fills the sky with clouds,

    preparing rain for the earth,

    Then turning the mountains green with grass,

    feeding both cattle and crows.

    He’s not impressed with horsepower;

    the size of our muscles means little to him.

    Those who fear God get God’s attention;

    they can depend on his strength.

(The Message – Psalm 147:8-11)

Thoughts:

When we depend on God, several things occur:

  • We gain faith in Him: Imagine as a child you not would invite a friend over nor take something out of the refrigerator without first asking your parent(s). So it is with God. If we would learn to depend on God for His provision, and for His direction, and for His wisdom, can you imagine the faith that we would truly develop in Him? The truth is, God provides everything for us already, we just need to stop and recognize His goodness and His provision.
  • We learn to depend on Him: I have heard stories of missionaries who went overseas to teach folk how to farm, because they learned that as long as their church/group continued sending food, the people would sit and wait for the food to arrive. However when they taught them to farm, they actually taught them to depend on God for rain, mentioned in the first part of this passage, and to wait on God instead for His provision. Imagine if we would learn to depend on God for the simple things in life? I’m not advocating that we not try to help ourselves, but we should always acknowledge the role that God plays in our everyday necessities (the very air that we breathe, the good health to rise and care for our families, the precious love of Jesus when we feel so alone, etc).
  • We learn to fear God: Fear is another word for respect, or stand in awe of God. What if a farmer stopped being blessed with rain from above? What if we stopped being blessed with the daily provisions of God? When we depend on Him and recognize that we can do nothing without His powerful, strong hand upon us, then we grow to honor Him, stand in awe of His majesty, stand amazed in His love for even us, and respect Him for His very nature, for He is a loving and caring God to such an unloving world. I am overwhelmed by His love for me!

Friends, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, my Lord. His ways are not my ways, but always the best way! I honor Him, respect and fear Him and I have developed a great faith in Him. Please allow Him to work in your life, to love you, care for you and always provide for you. He truly deserves our praise!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You breathed life into mankind and each and every day provide the very things that we need to survive. Thank You for being such a loving and caring God. There is so much that I can praise You for each day. So much that can really serve to open my eyes to Your awesome presence and willingness to care for me. Lord, I pray that should one of Your children read this devotional today, who has not recognized the truth of Your goodness because they really don’t know You personally, that You will work in their hearts and make them curious enough that they might follow my tips in the footnote as they personally seek You and come to know You in a very personal way. I love You Lord! You are so good to me! I praise You and ask these favors in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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 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!

Trust In The Lord!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 118:6–9

6               The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid;

what can anyone do to me?

7               It is the Lord who helps me,

and I will see my enemies defeated.

8               It is better to trust in the Lord

than to depend on human beings.

9               It is better to trust in the Lord

than to depend on human leaders.

Thoughts:

In marriage life we build trust in our spouses by: keeping each other’s secrets confidential; by being there for each other when it seems like no one else is available to us; understanding and caring for each other through the good times and the bad; listening to each other when we dream of our future, but would rather keep those thoughts very private for the time being; loving each other in spite of the bad things we know about each other. I realize the list is not all inclusive, however I am mindful of the love of God and how He cares for me. Additionally, I also know that in addition to the above, He also knows my very inmost thoughts. Now, when I share things with my spouse, she can only feel sorry for me, show that she cares, and she may wish me well. With God, He not only works with me to become my very best for His service, but also goes beyond anything I can think or imagine as His child! I believe that the Psalmist was feeling a little of this as he shared this Psalm. For he had seen proof that God came through for him when no one else would, or could. He saw that God was greater than any other human being, and also beyond anything his leaders could every do for him. Friends, nothing has changed about God! He still loves and cares for His own, and He still provides for our every care and/or concern. Just this past week I was praying for a need in my life, only to see God respond in a miraculous way, that far exceeded the specific need that I presented, but that would totally resolve and satisfy my need. I can truly say with the Psalmist that God is greater than any other human being that I could possibly place my faith and trust in, and also way beyond any human leader I may feel confident in. Whom then shall I fear when Jesus is my Savior, my friend, my all powerful, all gracious and all loving King? Friend, please allow me to introduce you to Him, if you don’t already know Him. If you do know him already as you wonderful Lord, please be encourage by this reminder today. There is no god like our God! I encourage you to accept Him today, trust Him and allow Him full control of your life today!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times that I doubted Your ability to come through for me, and for the times that I selfishly asked for things to satisfy my personal desires instead of staying focused on the things that will bring glory to You. The Psalmist has reminded me that You are very caring, full of wisdom and especially understanding of my weaknesses, and I have no reason to doubt, but every reason to place my total faith and trust in You. Please continue to bless me with the faith to remain strong in my commitment to You, and to allow You full control of my life. Lord, I believe that many friends who might meditate on this devotional today may be battling with similar trust issues. Please reveal Your deep compassion towards them and work in their hearts for total surrender of self, and to the awesome God that You are. Thank You for Your awesome love and caring about my life, and my future here on this earth. Please continue to work on me, in me and through me as Your humble servant. I ask this in the precious and awesome name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Recognizing God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Discerning, Faith, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Righteousness, Thank You JesusLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 40-41; Matthew 12

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” Matt 12:22-23 (NLT)

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

Sometimes we read these familiar stories in God’s Word and God will just speak to us afresh through something contained in that passage. In this story Jesus had performed several miracles, and finally the crowd stepped back in wonderment and questioned among themselves ‘Could this possibly be the Messiah?”. In the world we live in today God is still very active, and although we tend to really hone in on the negative, there are times that our spiritual minds are awakened and we say to ourselves “that must be a Jesus thing”. That certain thing could only have occurred if Jesus made it happen. Friends, I believe that we must be praying with such expectation that we will notice every little act of God and response to our prayers by God. He is very much alive today and active in our lives. It is time for Christians to wake up and give Him credit for all that He does. It is in this type of act that we help to make believers out of those that doubt and question. They must see our faith, if we ever expect to be a Christian influence on them! We serve a mighty God, but don’t wait for the ‘big’ miracles to occur, recognize and praise Him daily for all that He does in your life. Good health – especially when we see so many in hospitals or at home sick; safety – especially when we pass a wreck on the road where some innocent person got hurt or even killed; answer to prayer – especially when we see so many that doubt or questions the work of God, or try to give credit to chance or horoscopes or palm readers. Friends we serve, and we should recognize the mighty God of all, the King of all kings, the creator of our universe – including mankind. Do we have reason to doubt? I believe that we actually have more reasons not to doubt the mighty works of God in our world today.

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

Praise be to God for accepting me as a humble child in great need of a Savior. Praise be to God for all the miracles performed in my life, in the life of our church and in the lives of my family and friends. May I be very alert to Your mighty hand at work in my life and all around me. May others see Jesus reflected in my life and in their own lives, so that together we can truly be a thankful people praising You for all Your mighty works and wondrous love. Thank You Jesus for caring so much for me. Please continue to work on me and mold me into something that  You can use to accomplish Your work. May I recognize Your mighty works each and every day!

Reach Out and Touch Him In Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, Healing, Hope, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 9

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe,21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.  Matt 9:19-22 (NLT)

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

Like the woman with the issue of blood who followed Jesus and knew that if she could only touch Him she would be healed, today we too reach out to Jesus with all we have in us, knowing that He can heal us or mend our brokenness. Jesus looked at the lady in this story and told her that because of her faith, she was healed. Friends, this is the same Jesus that we serve today, and He is still looking for our faith and sincerity so that He can say the same thing to us. We know that many of our problems are well beyond our abilities. We know that all things are possible with, and through Jesus. Let us then place our faith and trust in the one with all the answers, with all the power to bring about the miracles that we need in our lives. Let’s let go and let God have His way with us. Let’s surrender to His power so that His miracle hand can begin a great work in us! Like the woman reached out to touch Jesus for her healing, let’s reach out and touch Him today.

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

Father thank You for this reminder today, that I must reach out to the one with all the answers, the only One with all the power to heal and/or change things in and around me. You are in control and can be counted on to heal me as I reach out in faith to You. Please help me daily to walk in faith, help me to keep my eyes so focused on You that I will always surrender my concerns to You and allow Your power to work miracles in my life and in all walks of life that affect me. Speak the word today dear God and heal my concerns, may my walk with You become richer today as a result of my faith. Thank You for loving me so much to hear my prayer and work in and through me.

May the God of Peace be evident in Us!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Discerning, Faith, Faith, Forgiveness, Fruit of the Spirit, Getting Along, Healing, Honesty, Hope, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Love your Neighbor, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Peace, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 26 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

26 One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.27 “Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously hate me, since you kicked me off your land.”28 They replied, “We can plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant.29 Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have never troubled you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the Lord has blessed you!”30 So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the treaty, and they ate and drank together.31 Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath not to interfere with each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace. Gen 26:26-31 (NLT)

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

I’m sure that sometimes God must look at us in dismay and say, why are you being such a brat and acting this way, refusing to accept this person in love through faith in Me? After all didn’t I give you what you have to use for my glory, and isn’t this person approaching you with a peaceful intention? So often I’m afraid that we tend to feel like we are especially blessed by God and since our little feelings were hurt, why should we then share our blessings with the same person that forced us into a challenging corner in the first place. This lesson from Isaac shows me that even the same king that kicked him off his property and out of his town, which I’m sure must have created quite a stir for Isaac’s camp, yet Isaac accepted the king with open arms and in peace, agreeing to a treaty proposed by the king. What a lesson to learn here! Hopefully we will be called into a situation where we could make the difference between peace and separation; showing God’s love through our actions, rather than allowing Satan to take credit for the way that we respond to such peace offerings. May this be a year filled with God’s love expressed through us in ways that will shock Satan and his cohorts. May God win the battles though His people and may He receive glory for all that is accomplished in His name!

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

Lord Jesus, there are situations and scenarios in our lives that require Your power in our lives to help us make right and peaceful decisions. I believe that You are the same God today that You were when You helped Isaac overcome the challenging decisions he had to make when approached by the king. I believe that You can, and will honor our call for peaceful resolutions and treaties so that You may be honored and receive glory for the miraculous decisions that we make. Please help me to always think primarily like You would and then depend wholeheartedly on You for power to overcome the forces of this world and Satan. May the victories and/or peaceful resolutions that occur this year through my life, and those for which I may influence through my church, bring You glory and be a visible display of Your power to a lost world.

I Serve the master of the storms

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Disciple, Faith, God Cares For Us, Obedience, Righteousness, Surrender, Thank You Jesus, Victorious Life, Worry no moreLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 8 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm.27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Matt 8:23-27 (NLT)

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

With the advent of another year and all the challenges that we could possibly face, I thought that this was a good reminder that for those who know the Lord, we have a connection with the One that can not only calm the forces of nature, but also has the power to handle every little circumstance of our lives. I pray that we will have the audacity to go first to the Master of the winds and waves, the Master of every thing that affects us as individuals, and seek His guidance and ask Him to save us, like the disciples did in the above story. There is no one else that we can turn to with that kind of power, like He does; no one who will understand our needs, like He does; no one who will love us unconditionally, like He does, because sometimes we bring the storms of life on ourselves. As we stand at the beginning of 2011 with many unknowns ahead of us, I want to be constantly reminded of the awesome God that I serve, and I want to always be open to His leading and His direction for my life.

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

What an awesome God that I serve, and oh how appreciative I am of the fact that He watches out for me and has all power, that I may surrender in confidence all my concerns and challenges! I pray that I will reach beyond what my eyes can see and what my mind can fathom, but through the power of God accomplish all that He may have in store for me in 2011. How comforting to know that I serve the Master of the winds and waves, the Creator of all mankind and the One that has shown so love towards me that He sacrificed His one and only Son for my good!