Clear the Contaminants, God Wants to…..

On 2015-12-282015-12-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Boldness, Holy Spirit, PurityLeave a comment

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

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

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

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Who’s Holding Your Hand?

On 2015-12-242015-12-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Guidance, Love, SecurityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE ~ The Good News Translation (GNT) ~ Psalm 37:23-24 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

THOUGHTS: I heard an interview at one time that asked adult females why they were so attached to their fathers. The answers somewhat surprised me, because they were not geared towards the financial welfare or wisdom of their father, but rather around the comfort brought by just holding their hand in circumstances where they would have otherwise felt insecure. Notice that this scenario revolved around a relationship between father and daughter, but have you ever thought of God in that type of relationship with you? Have you ever thought about the comfort you receive when you are reminded that our great, big, wonderful God is in charge of this universe and yet He is intimately concerned about our well-being and our security? Friends, there is just one catch to this. God will not push Himself on anyone who has chosen to do this thing we call ‘life’ alone. For this verse, and many others, make it clear that God will take extra good care of those who have chosen to open their hearts to Him. But may I quickly caution you that this does not mean that you can just conveniently open your heart to Him when you are in trouble, for He desires to know you, and subsequently care for, and about you in all walks of life. Although it is clear in the Word that He will protect His own, I believe this also means that He will not barge in, or interfere with you, if you have personally chosen to reject Him or live your life without Him. BUT, for those of us who have chosen Jesus as our Master and Lord, the Psalmist is assuring us that ‘greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world’, for He delights in us and assures us that even if we stumble, we will never fail or fall, for the great God of this universe holds our hand! Friends, it is very obvious throughout the Word of God, that His children are the ‘apple of His eye’ and that He loves us, cares for us and will protect His own very carefully until the day we see Him face to face! That’s exciting and comforting for the Christian! This could be exciting and comforting for the non-Christian who humbles yourself and follow the suggestions in my ‘Footnote’ – but please make that decision TODAY, for there is no promise of life for tomorrow.

PRAYER: Father, we are such a blessed people. When we consider this huge universe, the sun, the moon, the planets, the whole concept of land, sea, skies and the air, who are we that a King would send His very own Son as a child to a mere human female, to be born in a stable, to perform endless miracles as proof of His power and relationship to God, then to die a cruel death on a cross – who are we that You would do all this in the name of love for Your children. Wow! Wow! Wow! This song of praise by David (in this Psalm) reminds us of how special we are in Your eyes, of Your love, of your protection and of Your concern for even us. Thank You Lord Jesus for still leaving the option open for those who are still uncommitted to You. Tomorrow we will celebrate Your birthday, I pray that our gift in return to You will be a total surrender of our lives to You, even if this may be a first time surrender for some. In deepest appreciation for all that You do for me and for who You are to me, Lord Jesus, I ask these things in honest humility and deepest gratitude, 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!

Christmas Love

On 2015-12-222015-12-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Love2 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE – New International Version (NIV) ~ Psalm 36:5-7 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

THOUGHTS: I have a nephew who told my wife that he loved her “to the moon”! The Psalmist also resorted to sharing his love for God in similar measures. This is really amazing when you consider that most people will describe their love in terms of an arm’s length, or similar. I believe there are many times that we are so overwhelmed with God’s love that it may be challenging to describe the extent of our love. Challenging because we live in a world where children become fed up with the arguing and lack of love at home, so they leave with every intent never to return. Think about the broken marriages where one or both of the parties may have felt like the measurement of love for each other had dwindled past zero and gone into a negative measurement. A desperate feeling of hopelessness in consideration of love for each other. Now to the contrary, ponder with me about the love of God. The One who made everything, including you and I, yet when He saw that we were drifting away from Him (in sin), He decided to create the scene that we try to duplicate every year at Christmastime. Through the purity of a virgin girl, God caused His Son Jesus to be born for the purpose of being the ultimate sacrifice that would clear the veil that separates sin from purity; righteousness; faithfulness; justice and unfailing love – God Himself. In fact, this is what our Christmas celebration should be all about! Celebrating the greatest gift ever given for the greatest sacrifice ever imagined. Love beyond any possible measurement or description. Love for the undeserving – you and me. Wouldn’t it be great for us to say in our Christmas card this year that: following in the example of Jesus Christ, we are sending our sacrificial love so that the recipient might enjoy life to the fullest at Christmas time and throughout the New year? I trust that this year we might be able to step back and ponder, like David, how immeasurable the love, faithfulness, righteousness and justice of Jesus has really been to us, and in doing so, look for new ways to appreciate the love of our awesome God that created the Christ of Christmas!

PRAYER: To the God of immeasurable love, we say thank You, for Your love reaches way into the heavens. Lord, may we catch a glimpse of the baby in the manger this Christmas way more than the gifts around the Christmas tree. Gifts come and go, but the baby born to Mary was sent out of love for each of us. I pray that we may not only concentrate on the core reason for our celebration, but that we may express our thanksgiving from the depths of our heart. Lord, I pray that each home celebrating this Christmas will also find ways to return their love to God in appreciations for all that His Son went through for our benefit. Thank You for Your incredible love for us Lord Jesus. May we love and appreciate You in return, is my humble prayer this Christmas, that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

If…, Then…, Else…

On 2015-12-212015-12-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Conditional, Love, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Deuteronomy 11:13-17 ^“If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat. “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods. If you do, the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the Lord is giving you.

THOUGHTS: In programming and even in the simplest spreadsheet programs there is something called a ‘conditional’ formula, when you can have a cell where the content will be the result is based on the condition and content of one or more other cells or constants. Please don’t give up and wander away from this devotional based on my chatter about my work, but this formula popped off the pages to me in this passage of scripture relaying what Moses told the Israelites centuries ago. Notice I changed the color of the font on ‘If‘, ‘Then‘ and ‘If you do/Else‘, so that you can see where my ‘techie’ mind went when I read this. Friends, I believe that it is very important that we keep similar thoughts in mind as we read the scripture, because we read a lot about how good God is and how good He will be, if we do certain things. I would encourage you to always look for the ‘Else’ in every instance, or the ‘what if’ I don’t do what God is insisting throughout the scripture. Often the impact will be greater for us when we understand the ‘what if I don’t’ repercussions, than anything else. Moses warned his people that as they entered their Promised Land given to them by God, that:

If they carefully obeyed and served God alone with all their heart, soul and mind,
Then God’s blessings would be showered on them through bumper crops, lush pastureland and great food to eat,
Else God’s anger will burn against them, the rain will stop, the harvest will stop and they would quickly die.

Friends, I saw this as a warning to us, for I believe that God is getting our attention to understand that yes, He is a loving and all powerful God who will do everything for us, but:

If we fail to be the children He designed us to be and continue in disobedience, and follow the ways of man instead of the commands of God,
Then we should realize that we have chosen our own path in life that can only lead to eternal damnation,
Else we must continue to seek God’s face, stay closely in tuned with His Word, obey His commands and enjoy His immense blessings that He has in store for us, and prepare for the eternal home that He has prepared for us in Heaven!

Find yourself in this If, Then, Else formula friend, and be prepared to talk with God about helping you attain a close and intimate walk with Him so that He might fulfil all that He has in store for you, His beloved child.

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for showing us in Your Word where You came through time and time again for Your children. Thank You for the assurance that You will come through for us, if only we would be obedient to Your instructions given for our benefit. I believe that You have so much in store for us that our minds could never comprehend the awesome love that You are waiting to pour out on us. The formula for us to receive Your blessing is all outlined in Your Word. Lord may we be found obedient and pleasing in Your sight, is my simple prayer today, and I ask this in the precious name of Jesus my loving Lord, AMEN!

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

On 2015-12-182015-12-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Obedient, Servants of God, ServeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Deuteronomy 7:^5-6 You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

THOUGHTS: I believe that we have gotten into such a feeling of ‘trying to fit in’, that we would do almost anything to please our friends. Some say, “we don’t want to be a stick in the mud”, while others say, “I just don’t want to call attention to myself by being different”. Friends, God brought the Israelites through a wilderness over a period of 40 years, and during this time they depended on God for their next drop of water, and their next morsel of food, in order to survive. Do you suppose that they learned how to depend on God? Do you suppose this changed the hearts of these people to trust in God for everything? Do you suppose they learned very quickly what actions pleased God and which ones really upset Him? Do you think that in this world that we now live in where everything is placed at our fingertips, that we could identify with the Israelites? These chosen verses made me think of a current day scenario where a parent is about to release their adult child ‘into the wild’. In other words, from their family home, into a world where they would make their own home and own decisions. For then a parent feels like no matter how thoroughly they may have raised the child in a godly home, they just want to make sure that the child will continue to live as they were taught, as they now ‘fly the coop’! It’s nerve wrecking because we worry that we may not have done enough! In this scripture today, the Israelites were reminded how important it would be for them to stay away from the traps of Satan, and to stay true to the teachings and practices of God, and to not tolerate the things of Satan that may be attractive to them. Friends, this opened my eyes to consider the same challenges that we face each day. There are things that we know we should do that would please God. We know there are practices, places and/or people that we will come into contact with that will distract us from our walk with the Lord. I believe that God is telling us today that ‘we are to choose ye this day whom you will serve’. We may not face pagan altars and Asherah poles, but we will face worldly practices that Satan will use to distract us away from the Holy One, God Almighty. What will you do with Jesus? He gave His life so that we might live eternally with Him in heaven. What will you do today in appreciation for that?

PRAYER: Dear God, Your servants have become so comfortable with the things of this world, that it must be challenging for the world to clearly discern to whom we belong. I am convinced that ‘children of God’ who act like ‘children of the world’ will never impact the world for You, because nothing different is noted. May I be bold enough to ask You today dear God, to please touch Your children – those who have surrendered their lives to You for the sole purpose of being used by You, and renew a right spirit within us; draw us closer to You; direct us to be more like You; so that the world might be reminded of the love; patience; determination; dedication and strength of our Master. You are different to anything we see in this wicked world. May Your children strive to be the same, God being our strength, our helper and our guide. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus, so that we may impact the world for You, AMEN!

In Awe of Our God

On 2015-12-172015-12-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Awe, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Psalm 33: ^6-9The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

THOUGHTS: I believe that if the news channels announced that a certain man was coming to our town who could do miraculous things, we would probably all head out to the largest stadium in the area to see him, witness his miracles, and even take our sick and disabled to receive a touch from him, with hopes that they would be healed. In fact, we would probably even go as far as kneeling before him as we plead for his touch, and I know we would brag about him all over town as we see his works performed. I also believe we would pay good money to get into the stadium to see this man. But wait a minute, the last time I went to church I was told about a man who did the same thing as already described, and the audience (congregation) didn’t seem anywhere as excited as if they would have attended the stadium that I mentioned above. In fact, their lips seemed sealed when they left the sanctuary also. What’s with that? Friends, the Psalmist is reminding us again today that our God made everything that exists today, right down to the very air that we breathe, the sunshine that we enjoy and depend on for certain vitamins, the rain that blesses our crops, the cold that ripens our citrus, the family that we often hang around and the boss that created job opportunities for us. In fact, nothing would exist had it not been for God. But take note of this as you celebrate Christmas this year – our God is so awesome that He miraculously impregnated a virgin girl with a baby boy – His Son, we know as ‘Jesus’ – the One who ultimately gave His life so that lost sinners like you and I could have the means of getting into heaven to live eternally with He and the Father (God). The Psalmist suggests that as we recognize the awesome power, love and protection of our God, then perhaps we would stand in awe of Him, worship Him with thankful hearts, have a yearning to know more about His teachings, and praise Him for all that He provides for us every day. Collectively, these very actions constitute ‘church’ friend. It’s not a big secret place set aside for only a select group, for this God that I described, and that the Psalmist described, is supreme to all inhabitants of this earth. One God, for us all. So please be encouraged to visit a church this weekend as we stand in awe of our God and celebrate the many blessings that is ours, because of who He is and for all that He does for us!

PRAYER: Father God, so often we lose sight of the awesome God that You are, especially at those times when everything around us appears to be so huge and insurmountable. Yet, the Psalmist has reminded us that You created everything from nothing at all, just using the awesome power of the only true God of this universe. What a privilege it is to call You Father, for who are we that such an awesome God should consider sending His only Son as our redemption from sin? Obviously You loved us more that we can humanly imagine. Thank You Father! Thank You Lord Jesus! May we always be found in an attitude of worship, and may we always seek opportunities for corporate praise, worship and a message from Your Word. In humble thanksgiving and awe, I praise You Heavenly Father, and ask these requests today, AMEN!

Pass It On

On 2015-12-162015-12-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Love, Pass It OnLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Deuteronomy 4 ~ _{Contemporary English Version (CEV)} ~ ⁹You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well.

THOUGHTS: Moses was preparing to see his people, whom he faithfully trusted in God to lead out of Egypt over the past 40 years, now he was about to witness them drift off into the land promised to them by God, but without him (Moses)! An exciting moment, but think about how cautious you were when your young adult was about to leave the nest and move out into this big world on their own. Think about the cautions and precautions you tried to cram in at the last minute to make sure that your young adult stayed on track and continued the legacy that you had taught them for the past two decades. Friends, this is a normal part of the cycle of life, for we all reach a time in our life where something had a major impact on our lives, and we have to decide how, or whether we will allow that thing to impact our lives for good. When God created us, He gave us the option of personal choice. Like in the case of our children, God expects that we would take our encounter with Him and allow it to positively impact our lives to the extent that our lives would be changed forever. Fortunately, this is true for many, but for some, unfortunately they brush off the powerful hand of God and decide to do life on their own. For those of us who accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we were/are faced with the same challenge as the Israelites faced when they were about to leave the guidance, protection, encouragement and direction of their leader. We must decide what we will do to stay confident in our faith, and we must decide whether we keep this miracle to ourselves. Friends, how will others know, if we don’t tell them? What will help us keep the faith during challenging times, if we don’t keep reminding ourselves of the God who impacted our lives, or look for encouragement of another like person who is going through tremendously good times of answered prayer at that very moment? Unless we do this, Satan will quickly find a very vulnerable opportunity to batter and bombard us with disappointment and disillusionment. This is exactly the reason why it is so important for us to share the experiences of our walk with the Lord. It could very easily make all the difference in the world in the life of one who is down and out. It could make all the difference in the world to one is has only known or witnessed the very negative aspects of life. Your child(ren) will grow up facing the challenges of life using the principles of life that you have taught them – good or bad. Are you currently passing on the good news of the Savior who rescued you from sin and giving you daily strength and encouragement to face every day? Please don’t leave it for the ‘other person’ to do this for you. God has placed us individually where He wants us. We know all too well that He still has a lot to do in this old wicked world. Be reminded that we are His servants with grave responsibilities to ‘Pass it On’ – the wonderful and blessed good news of the One that help us through each and every day.

PRAYER: Just as it only takes a spark to get a fire going, so it could be in the life of one who is lost, if we open our mouths and share the love of our Savior with that lost person. Father, I believe that we need to do this under the inspiration and help of Your Sweet Holy Spirit though, as we want the weaker ones to be inspired by You and not any pretense of our own. Lead us and guide us dear Lord, so that we may pass on the legacy of all the miracles You have performed in our lives, especially the miracle of new birth. Lord, may You therefore impact lives for Yourself through our lives. Thank You Father for loving even me. Please help me to pass Your precious love along to others. For I ask this in and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

God Keeps Us Focused on Himself

On 2015-12-152015-12-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Focused Christian, Transparent, UncompromisedLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – The Message (MSG) ~ 2 Corinthians 1 ~ ¹²Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that we’ve come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised.

THOUGHTS: As I meditated on these verses today, I actually thought of additional words by Paul in 2 Timothy 4 where, right at the end of his life, he said: ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. This combination of verses made me realize that, like Paul, we also can remain faithful, and stay focused on the Lord, if we would keep our minds fixed on Him, our minds made up to serve Him faithfully, our determination to remain obedient, and our constant prayer of faith in the only One who can direct our path and keep our eyes fixed on Him. Paul’s words right at the end of our focused verse convinces me that we must live such a determined and consistent life that our friends will recognize it, and the Good Lord will know it, that we have kept the faith, uncompromised, and dedicated our lives fully to our Savior and the truth of His Word. Friends, it is this type of life that will touch the hearts and lives of our unsaved friends, for we are a lot more transparent to our unsaved friends that what we may care to think. They know when we are sincere and uncompromised, and they can discern when we are faithful and true. I believe that God will only use us when we are prepared to allow Him to be portrayed in and through our lives – our actions and our words. Where are you at today friends? What do you suppose that God would say, if you stood before Him today? And don’t be fooled friend, that face-to-face meeting could actually take place today. We have no assurance of tomorrow. Get things straightened out today, won’t you friend?

PRAYER: At this time of the year we concentrate on the greatest gift ever given to mankind, the gift of God’s only Son, Jesus. While we love to celebrate at Christmas, Lord, we must acknowledge that we feel so awesomely blessed each and every day by the works of Your hand in our lives through the many blessings that You bestow on us. We can hardly imagine that such an awesome God, would use the vehicle of mankind (my readers and I included) to spread Your Word, to witness to the unsaved, and to actually participate in convincing them of their need for salvation. Thank You Lord Jesus, thank You Father God! May You receive our uncompromised walk and talk today, is my humble request, and I ask these things in the wonderful, blessed name of Jesus, AMEN!

Hope For Our Greatest Fears!

On 2015-12-142015-12-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Fear, Hope, Reflection, RememberLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – ^29–33I tried to relieve your fears: “Don’t be terrified of them. God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here. But now that you’re here, you won’t trust God, your God—this same God who goes ahead of you in your travels to scout out a place to pitch camp, a fire by night and a cloud by day to show you the way to go.” ~ Deuteronomy 1:29-33 ~ _{The Message (MSG)}

THOUGHTS: I believe that we can all easily identify with the fears of the Israelites, and that we all need a ‘Moses’ word every now and then to reassure us and get us back on track! As I meditated on the Word today, and saw the fears that Moses had to deal with, God reminded me that we are still very much like the Israelites, as we worry a lot about everything that God has not answered yet, at least in the way that we have instructed Him to. Think about it friends, God has been so merciful, kind and supernatural to, and for us. In fact, if we stop to consider the ways, we will quickly ascend to the clouds in awe and thanksgiving. However, for those things that really concern us, and for those things that God has yet to answer in the way we have asked Him to, we unfortunately fall into depression, thinking that God turned a deaf ear to our requests. I believe we need to quickly remind ourselves who is really in charge here. Whose timing is best? Why would God place a ‘pot of gold’ in our hands today when He knows so well how we will gloat in our accomplishments? In His time He will make everything beautiful. We belong to Him friend. Our lives are His, our family is His, our church is His, our country is His, including our government leaders, and truly our future is His. Will He really send us down the wrong path? Do we think for a moment that He has lost His power and can no longer handle everything that goes on in this old world, in our lives and every other concern that we might have? Moses reminded the Israelites, and I believe God is reassuring us today through the words He gave to Moses, that we are to reassure ourselves, based on His accomplishments this year, that we can anticipate even greater works in 2016, yes even in spite of how dismal things may appear to the carnal man right now. Let me remind you friend, that Our God Reigns, we just need to align our thoughts and our ways with His, and allow Him to reign in full power and majesty. Let’s prepare ourselves to meet Him and receive His blessing for having trusted Him fully each and every day. Let our times of reflection on all that He has already done, be our comfort for tomorrow, God being our helper!

PRAYER: Father God, You are so awesome, and You shower us with Your love each and every day, even in spite of our tendency to doubt and fear. Thank You Lord for being our awesome, Great BIG wonderful God! We’ve seen time and time again that it was not just the Israelites that You parted the waters for, and provided water for them from a solid rock, but Lord You are still God, and You have worked miracle after miracle among us also! Unfortunately, we have allowed the clouds of doubt and worry to overshadow the mighty works that You have performed in our lives, our families, our churches, our communities, and even in our country. May I humbly ask Your continued patience with us while we adjust our mindset to the awesome power of our wonderful God? Satan has no place in our lives, please give us strength and fortitude to stay so focused on You Father, that the doors to temptation, discouragement, lying, cheating and sin as a whole will find no footing in our lives. Lord, You are Good, and Your mercies endures forever! Praise be to the wonderful name of Jesus, in whose name I ask all this, AMEN!

Guidance For Any Kind Of Day

On 2015-12-122015-12-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Guidance, The WordLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – ¹³Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. ¹⁴ And do everything with love. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ~ _{New Living Translation (NLT)}

⁴ Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. ⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. ~ Psalm 30:4-5 ~_{New Living Translation (NLT)}

THOUGHTS: Nearing the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he continued to speak to them as a father would to his children, especially in light of everything they were facing at the time as a church under persecution. In light of everything that we face in our world today, I was extremely encouraged by Paul’s blessing, because here’s what I got from the first two verses above. Paul admonished the church to:

Be on guard, or be alert – Don’t you feel some days like it may have been better if you had just stayed in bed? It is so obvious that Satan is out to tear us down at every possible opportunity. Paul, in telling the Corinthian church, is also telling us, to be strong in our relationship with the Lord, so that we will be armed with God’s love and His power and His strength, to face any and all circumstances that Satan may fire our way. Imagine leaving home with an armed guard by your side, and one who knows all things, sees all things, made all things and who happens to be the one who loved you enough to have given His very life for you. Wouldn’t that be an ultimate way to guard your way and keep you alert to the attacks of Satan that are just lurching around the corner?
Stand firm in the faith – Friends, it’s impossible to do this if you don’t have faith. Likewise, if you don’t maintain, and grow in your faith, do you really have something that you can trust when under pressure? I would encourage you to get connected to God in Bible Study and Prayer, and further strengthen your faith by getting with folk of like faith as often as you can. ‘Iron sharpens iron’ is a phrase used in the Bible. I would suggest to you today that not only do you need the strength and encouragement of other believers, but they need you also. As your faith is sharpened and strengthened, you become better equipped to not cave in to the things of this world – Satan’s tools that he has placed to trap you;
Be courageous – I believe that we must be willing to stand up for what we believe, and often this will involve a courageous spirit, especially to one who is generally timid in life;
Be strong – This is especially important, because folk are judging whose inside of your heart based on your actions, your attitude and your words. When we consider all that God has done, all that He is doing and all that He has prepared for our future in heaven, and then to imagine that He is the one controlling us, protecting us and guiding us, whom then shall we fear?
Do everything in love – It’s so easy to do loving things for those who show love towards us, but we know all too well how challenging our job is when folk are unkind to us. Perhaps we should take our eyes off others and stay focused on God, then perhaps we will more easily ‘do everything in love’ knowing that God will be pleased with us? Imagine the smile on His face when He recognizes that we have depended on Him and done amazing things for others, knowing that we are aiming to please Him, regardless of how others may react to our actions?

I realize that I have gone a bit long today, but friends would you take note of these two verses and my commentary, then read the two verses I included from Psalm. Don’t you see that we serve a most awesome God, and that joy will come in the morning, regardless of what the night has revealed? My earthly energies are geared towards honoring, worshipping, pleasing and adoring the God that I plan to spend eternity with. Where do you spend your energies each day? The above information gives you guidance on how God expects you to spend your day!

PRAYER: Father, You are awesome, and I thank You for conveying Your principals, Your character, Your will and Your encouragement to us through your Holy Word. May it be a light to our feet and a constant guide to our path each and every day, so that others may see and believe on You. I ask these things in the name of the One who gave it all for me, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: God