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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-02-15 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 14:29–33 (AMP) |
|
Text: |
29 He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| Peter was known as the bold one, or the one to speak up first. This was evident the night that he saw, for the first time ever, someone defying nature itself and actually walking on water. Having been around Jesus and witnessed His other miracles, I believe that Peter and his fellow disciples knew that it could only be Jesus who could possibly be capable of such a feat. However, unlike the others, Peter knew that if Jesus could do such a miraculous thing, He could also extend that power to him to also walk on water. And as long as Peter believed on Jesus and followed His instruction, he was fine. However, as soon as Satan put doubt in Peter’s mind and he started looking around at all that could cause trouble for him, he started to sink. Faith is the substance of things hoped for but not seen. Jesus immediately knew that Peter’s faith was failing. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
I believe it would be good for us to consider the impact we have seen in our own lives when we stay focused on Jesus, vs the evil one:
Friends, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, the only One known to ever walk on water or command another to do the same, he started to sink into the water – the pit from which he came that was filled with failure and despair. I love that old hymn that includes the words “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”. May that be our prayer-song today. |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, may we keep our eyes fixed on You, the author and finisher of our faith. Thank You for providing the way for us to overcome the vile of Satan; the evil of this world, and the despair of having no hope for a brighter tomorrow. Lord Jesus, as we look full into Your wonderful face, may the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of Your wonderful face, Your glory, and Your grace. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Tag: PRAYER
You Can Avoid Separation
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-02-11 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 13:49-51 (Voice) |
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Text: |
49….. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. 50 The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 51 Do you understand? … |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus shared a story about how fishermen culled the undesired fish from the choice ones, and He likened that act of separation to the day that He will send His angels to collect His choice ones who prepared themselves for His return. It is obvious that some have ignored that readiness plan, so Jesus explained clearly what would happen to them. In His story there was no room for the undecided, for it was either that they would be taken out to join He and His Father in heaven, or be thrown into the fiery furnace with their worldly master, Satan. Let’s look at how we should deal with this today… | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I recently took part in what ranch workers call ‘working the cows’, meaning that they gather the whole herd, and they give medication to the cows that need it; spray them with bug repellant; and separate the young nursing cows that are ready to be on their own or sold at the auction house. For those that were separated, there was a lot of loud cries by mama cows and by the young ones who were now on their own. This sounds sad, and I hate to spoil your day with sad news, but friends, Jesus was very clear with the similar story that He shared in our Scripture today. He also made it clear that there will be a separation of humans, for sin is not allowed in heaven, nor are those who chose to ignore the call of Jesus on their lives here on earth. This brings me to a point of clarification about my subject, for I wanted every reader to know that seeing you are alive to read this blog, you also have the opportunity to accept the free gift of salvation that my precious Savior sacrificed His very life to provide for us, and therefore avoid the separation referred to by Jesus. This, my friend, IS THE ONLY MEANS of avoiding separation from loved ones, who have accepted the gift of salvation already. What’s really unique about this gift is that it unites you in a personal relationship with Jesus, the only One that you can trust wholeheartedly, and who will stick to you closer than any friend you have ever associated with. He offers perfect advice to you through teachings from His Holy Word, and He is available to communicate with you 24/7/365 through prayer. Friend, although He is God, Jesus is also the best friend you will ever have. He will never leave you alone, and He will protect you from the evil one. He desires an intimate relationship with you, and I believe He longs for the day when He calls you home to be with Him in glory. There is now no condemnation or separation for those who have accepted our Lord Jesus Christ. Know Him today and know the peace that comes from all that I have explained to you herein. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| What have I done to deserve God’s precious Son? What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Father, thank You for the enormous love You showed for our best interest, to sacrifice Your own Son on the cross at Calvary, to provide the means for our salvation from sin. Please tender the hearts of family members, friends and my precious readers today Lord. May their eyes and hearts be opened to the only means of preventing separation from their loved ones who have gone on to heaven already. May our home-going be a time of celebration because of our uniting with You, and reuniting with all who have surrendered to Your call already. Speak to the hearts of Your children today Lord Jesus, may we never know, or hear the words ‘I never knew you’. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
‘Good Seed’ or ‘Weeds’?
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-02-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 13:40-42 (GNT) |
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Text: |
40 Just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age: 41 the Son of Man will send out his angels to gather up out of his Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things, 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This is two days in a row now that I’ve read where Jesus was asked to explain a parable that He shared, and in both cases the explanation was very pointed, but yet very clear. In the story today Jesus had shared the parable of the weeds, that left the disciples scratching their heads, as to the point that Jesus was really aiming for them to grasp and apply to their lives. Not trying to hide anything, Jesus went on to explain the ‘good seed’ and the ‘weeds’ and the application. Let’s look at how this can be applied to our lives even today. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| It has always been clear that those who sin will never enter the kingdom of God, but some additional words popped off the page at me, when Jesus explained who all His angels will gather together and throw them into the pit of Hell. At least two Bible translations explained very vividly all who would be included in that group. Friends, we often remind ourselves that none are perfect, and that we all sin – children of God and non-believers. You might recall that in another scripture Jesus referred to the children, and He said that He would not tolerate anyone who causes one of these little ones to sin. I believe that statement and the one used in verse 41 above relays the same message. In other words, whether you sin (disobey God’s commands in mind or deed), or if you cause another to sin (in mind or deed), you will be weeded out – much like a gardener would remove weeds from their garden. Jesus said that ALL weeds would be thrown into the fiery furnace for Satan to punish and devour. May I suggest that we may cause others to sin way more often than we would care to accept responsibility for? Friends, let’s remember that although the world may see what would appear to be jest and perhaps even mockery, yet God knows the heart and mind of man, and He knows exactly the intent of the individual doing the act or saying the words. God also knows the impact that our ill-gotten intentions have on the individual to whom we are delivering our evil intentions. Imagine with me for a moment if you knew how badly words might hurt or discourage a person, would you really say them? Imagine how your actions or untimely or hurtful words might distract a person from sharing or possibly hearing the truth of God’s words, and question yourself as to whether you should have created the distraction for that friend. Friends, please join me in committing to always remember that if what we say or do in the presence of others, serves no purpose in drawing them closer to God, then we are probably doing just the opposite. God is our judge, and He knows our deepest intentions. Will He place us with the ‘Weeds‘, or are we truly ‘Good Seed’? I believe you know the answer to that question already. May I encourage you to seek God’s face and His helping hand to help place you on the right track before it is eternally too late? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, we sincerely need Your help today, especially after being reminded of how often we may place an obstacle in the way of others that may separate them from You. Please dear Lord, help us to never be a stumbling block for anyone else truly seeking Your face, or seeking to hear Your tender voice. Forgive us Lord for the times we discourage others, or place a roadblock in their path to a closer relationship with You, or even from accepting You as Lord in the first place. There was a tremendous forgiveness afforded to us when we bowed before You and asked for forgiveness of our sin. Please help us to stay directed towards being examples of Your forgiving spirit, and the kind of love that You expressed at Calvary for us. This will mean loving others right where they’re at, and not how we want them to be. May we be usable vessels in Your service and never a stumbling block for any of Your children, is my humble prayer. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
The Awe of Our Wonderful Lord
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-01-25 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 8:3, 4, 9 (CEV) |
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Text: |
3 I often think of the heavens
your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 4 Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” 9 Our LORD and Ruler,
your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that David had one of those moments where, in his mind, he stopped everything around him and, as he gazed into the heavens and marveled at the beauty of what God had provided, his heart was overwhelmed and he burst into a time of worship to the Master. David was reminded that yes, God placed mankind on earth to rule over, or lord over everything that He created, but he was also reminded that many of the other things made by the Master is nowhere as rebellious and unthankful as mankind is. I wonder how many ranchers will tell you about the cattle that protest against certain grasses fed to them, or the bitter cold or heat they endure from time to time. They just don’t protest and show their lack of gratitude to the Creator who placed them here on this earth. So David took time to give glory to the One responsible for not only creating the cattle and the skies and stars, but also for caring for comparable insignificant and ungrateful mankind. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I realize that we don’t all recognize God’s wonderment in the same way as David did, but if we were to stop and reflect on our typical day, I wonder which moment in our day lends itself to opening our eyes to God’s handiwork. If your mornings are as rushed as many that I hear about, then you probably don’t have time to eat, nor reflect on the goodness of God. My drive to work may be different to many, for I could see God’s handiwork in the skies and pastures, plus the birds and wild animals that sometimes cross my path. But for you city folk, that’s something you could only imagine! If your jobs are like mine, then we hardly have time to remember our spouse during the day, so reflecting on the awesome God that created us may be a stretch for many. Evenings are either filled with meetings for the involved and dedicated, or good TV shows for those who choose to just relax. So when do we find time to truly reflect on the goodness of our faithful Creator? As you can tell from the daily schedule that I painted for you, we can easily say that we just don’t have time, but let me offer to pay you $20 to drive 5 miles to the nearest coffee shop and bring me a cup of their best coffee and a sweet Danish each morning, and I bet that most of you will find time to do that, right? After all, that will pay your gas bill for a few days! So is it really a matter of time, or is it more a matter of priority? Time alone with God fits in that same predicament. You have to decide if your relationship with God is worth prioritizing time with Him every day, and we must always be mindful of the wonderful works of the Master – whether in nature, or each other, or in His provisions for our daily living. Let me assure you friend, our Savior loves us just as we are, and unconditionally. He showed that love in a way that has not been repeated by anyone – He willingly surrendered His life on a cruel cross so that we may have access to the Father because of His sacrifice. To stop and think on that alone, especially at times when we are mad at the world for the least little thing, is worth moments of praise to the Father! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Wonderful Savior, glorious Lord, to You we sing our song of praise for all that You are and all that You have done for us. Because of You, we have the hope of eternity with You our Heavenly Father in heaven. As David reminded us in scripture today, who are we that a Kind should live and die for? Father, please forgive us for our ungrateful spirit, for we prioritize every other aspect of our lives, except time with You. I ask for personal forgiveness, and I ask that You touch the hearts of my readers that we might be drawn back to the cross where You presented Yourself in obedience to Your Father, just for our salvation. May we be constantly reminded of this precious gift and never fail to worship and thank You for loving us so much. Thine be the glory, the honor and the praises, dear Jesus, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Who Has Top Priority In Your Life?
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Genesis 22:9-12 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. 11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Abraham had proven God in many ways already in his life, for we remember that he and Sarah were unable to have children, then God ‘opened his wife’s womb’ and blessed them with a son, to begin with. But in the scripture we see where God is now testing Abraham beyond anything we could ever imagine, for He asked Abraham to take his favorite son and sacrifice him at a mountain where He would lead he and Isaac to. I can’t help but think of the parallel between this testing of Abraham and the sacrifice made by God himself when He sacrificed His beloved Son, Jesus, on a cruel cross at Calvary. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, and so did Jesus in the case of carrying the wood for the cross He would be crucified on. Abraham was determined to be obedient, right down to sacrificing his dearly loved son, Isaac, if that’s what God instructed him to do, and to show his commitment and allegiance to Almighty God. Jesus was also willingly sacrificed by His Father to show God’s love for the world, and His desire to save mankind from their sin. This was God’s top priority. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When we consider what, or who, is the top priority in someone’s life, we tend to look at the area where they spend most of their time or money. I’ve always heard that looking at a man’s bank statement will tell you where his priorities are! Wouldn’t it be interesting to also ask a man to sacrifice one of these top priorities, even for a period of time? I am participating in a period of prayer and fasting that 8 local churches have committed to for 21 days. Individuals have sought God’s help to fast from the very item that tends to consume much of their time, energy or consumption, and during this 21 days, replace that with prayer and directly seeking God’s face. Friends, this is leading our county into a supernatural revival of our people, for we are finding out that there is only one thing that deserves our attention and priority in life, the very thing that has everlasting hope and eternal benefits. It is unfortunate, but when the things of this world become so prominent in our lives, the Lord Jesus becomes so dimly unimportant. We blame a lot of our non-commitment on the lack of time that we have to do the will, or work, of the Lord. You know, we have taken on so much of this world’s things and habits, that it takes most of our day to keep those things flourishing. Please allow me to share one tip that will help you deal with God on the lack of time that you spend with Him. For every prayer, worship or witness opportunity that you miss, or shorten, because you are challenged with time constraints, please consider kneeling before God at the end of the day, and as you review your day with Him, ask Him to forgive you for not making Him the priority in your life in those areas. You make time for those things that are a priority to you. Time and priority go hand-in-hand, just try using the word priority in place of time when you speak with God. Of top priority to Abraham was his obedience to God, even if it meant sacrificing His beloved son Isaac. What is your top priority, and what would you be willing to sacrifice, or fast, in order to consistently meet the priority of serving God? Is your commitment to God worth the sacrifice? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You Heavenly Father for finding time to love us, and for making it a priority to provide for our salvation, even at the expense of sacrificing Your very own Son. You found no excuses, and You made the necessary provisions for us in spite of every thing else. Please forgive us for the priorities we have allowed to step in the way of our commitment to You. Wow, what a way for us to return thanks to You. Oh how we need a Savior more today than ever before in the history of this earth. I’m sure that the world must listen to us, and look at us with wonder, and question why we think that we owe our lives to You. Because they notice how we tend to place so little emphasis on the reason that we sing, or worship, or serve, or love our Savior. Thank You Lord Jesus for giving and giving and giving to us. May we set top priorities to worship and praise You for the gift of life, and for eternal life that we will spend with You. From the depths of my heart I praise You Heavenly Father for loving me and providing this earth, and all that’s in it, plus an eternal home for me to be with You and the Father on day. Please speak to the hearts of those who will read this devotional today. Please minister to their needs and draw them closer to You in every way. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
The Suffiency of God’s Grace!
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-01-21 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (Voice) |
|
Text: |
7 To keep me grounded and stop me from becoming too high and mighty due to the extraordinary character of these revelations, I was given a thorn in the flesh—a nagging nuisance of Satan, a messenger to plague me! 8 I begged the Lord three times to liberate me from its anguish; 9 and finally He said to me, “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So ask me about my thorn, inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on—I would rather stake my claim in these and have the power of the Anointed One at home within me. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Paul shared that he could easily have become puffed up, because of all that God had blessed him with, however, we acknowledged the ‘speed bumps’ that God placed in his way so that pride didn’t develop in his life. No doubt many of us might often beat up on God because of ‘roadblocks’ that we feel are hindering our success, so let’s look at the application of this text. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| How easy is it for us to feel despondent and forgotten when it seems like we constantly face ‘roadblocks’, or ‘speed bumps’ in our lives. Friends, I believe it is times like that when we must stop and acknowledge that we are working God’s agenda, not Him working our scheduling. About a month ago I had great plans for a party I would lead for a Married Couples group that I teach. Guess what, my plans never materialized, because while I was in a hospital bed, the party was at one of the couple’s home! I believe that God made me realize that no matter how well we might plan, it is left entirely up to Him as to what will transpire, so that He might be glorified and allowed to work in the midst of it all. Now in no way am I advocating that it’s not important to plan ahead, but what I am saying is that it is God who will be victorious, and receive the glory for all that is done and all that is accomplished. The other application I can share with you is that I have had the honor of substitute teaching in a Sunday School class for a retired pastor of our church. I don’t know anything more humbling than to stand in front of a class who has been blessed with powerful teaching and the unimaginable knowledge of a great man of God. But folk, I quickly learned that it’s not about me, or about that retired pastor, for as this passage advocates, God’s strength and power becomes evident through the weakness of those who place their faith, trust and dependence in Him. I trust that we will daily surrender our all to Jesus every day, so that HE might rule and reign in all the circumstances that we may find ourselves in that day. Lord, may they see the face of Jesus as others look at us, for only His grace can fulfil their need! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, Paul shared with us how You were able to work, especially through his weaknesses. I am certain that today we will be tempted to allow our selfish pride and self-proclaimed strengths to stand in the way of our awesome God working out His will through us, so Father, I pray that You will work on us internally to worry not about our weaknesses or inadequacies, but to simply surrender our all to You, so that it might be obvious to everyone that we come into contact with who truly rules and reigns in our hearts and lives. Yes, Your grace is sufficient to meet our every need. Thank You Jesus for blessing us with Your grace. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Grounded Decisions
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-01-20 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 7:24-27 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
24 “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock.
26 “But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. 27 For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that Jesus saw men flagging in bad decisions in His day also, so He taught them about what causes those unwarranted decisions, and what they could do about turning that weakness around. This is a lesson for people of all ages to follow, so let’s look at how we might apply this to our lives. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
Jesus is very deliberate in what He instructed, and He used an example to clarify what He taught about making sound, or grounded decisions, and gave examples of what the results might look like. In the example of building a house on solid ground, this rings real close to home with me, because I come from a country where houses are generally built super strong and deeply grounded, because of the hurricanes that often pass over those islands, The Bahamas. However, Jesus was extremely clear in what he taught, so let’s not get too caught up in the examples that Jesus used, but rather concentrate on the simple truth of His Word. Based on this, I feel like I can safely teach you that your premise for making grounded, or safe decisions that are backed by God, are based on the condition used by Jesus when He said that we are to:
Now I believe that many times we will listen and obey God’s instructions and they may not apply to the circumstances at hand. Notice that Jesus didn’t say that we become wise by handling daily situations well. He said that we become wise as we listen and obey His instructions. Remember how important it is for us to teach a child about everyday situations? Even though they don’t need that education for situations they will handle that day, they become wise and able to handle those situations as they arise later in life. And so it is with God, friends! Let’s do what He says, knowing that one day we will act on what we learned. That’s how we make sound, grounded decisions, based on the teachings of our Lord! |
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| PRAYER: | |
| Every day we make decisions, some of which have long-lasting effects on the lives of people that we know, love, and want to see accept You as Lord. Unless we display the love and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, often we will lose their confidence and even sometimes cause them to create a lack of faith in us. Lord, it’s not about us. We want these individuals to clearly see the faith that we have in our all-wise, all-loving God and therefore create a desire in them to know You and accept You as Lord. To do this, please teach us to not only go in Your name, but to stay mindful of, and obedient to, Your teachings, so that our ways, and our thoughts, and our words or instructions, might better align with Yours. This requires that we empty ourselves of self and fill ourselves with You and Your teachings. Please give us the desire to do just that and embolden us to freely share Your love with others. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Don’t Miss ‘The Boat’!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-01-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 7:21–23 (MSG) |
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Text: |
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| This 7th chapter of Matthew records Jesus teaching a crowd that followed him even to the mountains. Addressing this crowd was probably much like one of our pastors who address our congregations each week. However, Jesus knew the hearts and intentions of each one gathered, so He was able to speak directly into their lives. In this particular instance Jesus addressed folk who may have used church, or used their act of following Him as an act to brag about. They knew what it took to be recognized as a follower, and they thought they knew what to say, although Jesus exposed that thought in His teaching here. Jesus pulled no punches! While I believe He was honored that so many wanted to be near Him and hear His teaching, He also knew that He had to correct their misunderstanding of what it takes to meet His Father face to face on that Day. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Much like the crowd that Jesus taught at the edge of the mountain, I believe that many churches are packed with folk each week that may still be under the misguided understanding that church attendance; giving to their local church; wearing a big cross as jewelry every day; or using church-like words interspersed in conversation throughout their day, would convince the world that they know Jesus in a very intimate way. The problem with that, is that the world sees through your pretense almost as much as God does. Friends, it’s not the world that we must impress, and this may come as a shock to you, but it’s not Jesus that you must impress! Jesus knows your heart, friend. Therefore He knows very well when our words are misaligned with our heart and our inner person. Jesus wants us to change from the inside out, and not vice versa. There is only one way to the throne of the Father, and that’s through accepting Jesus, the One whose blood was spilled at Calvary – the sacrifice that He made for the salvation of folk like you and me. You see, this is really simple. As we seek God’s face and His forgiveness, our lives will change from the inside out. His work in our lives, and our aim at living obedient lives to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, prepares us with honest words and actions where the world will know and believe on the only Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Living that type of life means that it’s not something we calculate, or conjure up, but rather, the love of the Savior that resides inside of us spills out in our words and actions so that the world will know who Jesus is. Are you on the right track friends? If not, I encourage you to go back to the foot of the cross and talk with Jesus about your salvation. Reaffirm your faith in Jesus, so that you can stop trying so hard. Let Him have His way in your life. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we are nothing without You, so of course our efforts without You and Your power will have no impact on unbelievers. Time is precious to all of us, and Lord we would never want to merely pretend to be Your followers to impress those around us, for we are very much like them when witnessing or evangelizing in our own strength. Furthermore, people are smart enough to see through our pretense, for only You can speak to the hearts of Your children. Lord, I commend myself to You again, asking that I do nothing in my own strength, but that I seek Your face daily and allow Your precious Holy Spirit to guide my lips, my actions and my whole self, so that others will see Jesus, not this humble, helpless man. Please tender the hearts of my readers so that they too may realign themselves with Your will for their lives. The world needs You, precious Lord, not us. Use us if needed, but please work in the lives of those that we will come into contact with today, for I ask this in the wonderful, matchless name of Jesus, AMEN. | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Persistent in Asking, Seeking and Knocking
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Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-01-18 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Matthew 7:7–8 (NLT) |
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Text: |
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that these verses must be looked at in light of all that Jesus covered in the earlier part of His sermon. In 6:33 Jesus taught that we are to seek the Kingdom of God above everything else, and live righteously, then God will give us what we need. So with that in mind, what do you suppose we would ask for, knowing our inadequacies and shortcomings? What will we seek after, knowing the wide expanse that separates us from the perfection of Christ, and why would we be knocking, but to enter into the presence of the Holy Son of God? | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We have just observed what God might be saying to us in this Scripture today, but how do we apply this to our everyday life? First of all, are we consistent in our asking? Do we even find time to pray, other than when we are in crisis mode? Our method of asking, or petitioning God is through ‘prayer’, yet most churches will tell you that it’s one of the worst attended services offered by churches. I much prefer hearing people ask me to pray with them, than for them. In one case I am assured that they have some ‘skin in the game’ and have merely asked me to join them in prayer. The other means that they don’t have time to pray, however they know they need prayer, and have asked me to pray for them. Jesus is telling us to ‘ask’, not to have someone ask for us. Jesus is also asking us to keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking. This tells me that we are to be persistent in doing these things. I once met a young person working at a prominent restaurant, and asked how they landed the job. Persistence was the word, for they showed restaurant management that they were so interested in the job that they would keep on visiting the establishment, keep on asking for a job, etc. Guess what? He landed the job and looked extremely happy in his job. Now in the teachings of Jesus I believe that we have no doubt as to what we are to ask for or seek after, for if we are to be a people who seeks after righteousness and have a deep desire to live like children of the King, then we will ask in line with those desires. When you keep on knocking, you are acknowledging to God that you are once again at His feet pleading His perfect will for your life, with a deep desire to serve Him in complete righteousness. Jesus said that when we do these things, that He will not only hear our prayers, but He will meet our needs. Friends, we have so much that we ask God for, let’s aim at making those requests known to Him for the single purpose of making us, or the person we are praying for, more righteous in God’s sight, and that they, or you, may be drawn closer to God and His kingdom. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, please continue to humble us to always and continuously seek Your face; ask for Your holy and generous hand of mercy and generosity upon our lives, so that we may be worked on and made right with You in every way. Lord, may we be consistent in knocking to ask for an audience with You on a frequent basis. May we be bold enough to join others in prayer so that we may encourage them and help them in their walk with You. Lord, please renew a great work in us today so that we may be more like You in every way, and may this attract the unsaved to desire intimacy with You. We must ask in full alignment with Your will dear Lord, because we acknowledge Your Lordship and Your sovereignty. Thank You precious Lord for accepting me as Your child. May I live like a child of the King! Amen! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Faith That God Accepts
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Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-16 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Genesis 15:4–6 (NCV) |
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Text: |
4 Then the LORD spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”
5 Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count.” 6 Abram believed the LORD. And the LORD accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In verses 1-3 it seems like Abram had somewhat of a pity party, feeling sorry for himself. God promised a reward to Abram, but he could see no further than having no one to pass the reward on to. However, God didn’t get impatient with Abram as He went on to promise him a son, even at his advanced age, to pass his blessings on to. Now, let’s be sure that we get the picture here, for Abram was already 85-86 years old at the time, having never had a child with his wife Sarai, yet God promised Abram that he would have a son! What would you have done? Now look at verse 6, for we see where Abram never discounted anything that God told him, not even the obvious questionable promise of him have a son at that age. And because of his faith, Abram was considered by God to be righteous, or right with God! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We often hear the saying by men “Oh ye of little faith”, when they see us falter or doubt the works of God. Friends, I believe that this story of Abram was uniquely placed in God’s Word for you and I. When we accept Jesus as Lord, and we take our daily concerns to Him, we should be reassured by this story that the action of surrendering our will to God’s will, and the act of asking for things in faith through Jesus, is a demonstration of our faith in the awesome power of the God of this universe. Yes, I realize that we often lay some pretty heavy stuff at the feet of Jesus and ask for His perfect will to be done, however, we often quickly retort to disappointment or rebellion when our prayers are not answered in exactly the same way that we demanded. Praise God that He answers in ways that are perfect and that fits within His design for our lives, and in ways that will bring glory to Himself. Please let’s try and remember that the reason we ask God is to seek His face and His perfect will. Simply demanding that God answer in the way that we ask will create extreme stress and hardship for us, for we are selfish and will only ask using the limitations we can see or expect or dream of. God is much bigger than that, for just as He made us, and the world around us, He also knows what comes next. Being His chosen people who have accepted the Lordship of His precious Son, makes us the ‘apple of His eye’, and as such, He wants for us far more than we could ever dream or imagine! So how’s your faith friend? Would God consider you ‘righteous’ because of the faith you demonstrate in His Son? Perhaps a matter of prayer and commitment today might be in asking God to open our eyes and our heart to trust Him in total faith. Please do me a favor, and consider doing that along with me today! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are so good and Your faithfulness endures forever and forever! We serve such an awesome God! Having created us and made every provision for our wellbeing and happiness, yet to see us falter, fail and seek You selfishly must hurt You beyond anything we could imagine. Lord, we are reminded in this story of Abram that You look for, expect and honor our faith. Abram’s faith resulted in You viewing him as ‘righteous’. Lord, please help us to put self aside and to place our faith and trust in You for ALL things. May our faith become so strong, that we never make decisions without feeling reassured that You are in control and directing us towards decision that will bring You glory and draw us closer to You. I ask these things in faith, and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 