Only God Can

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2021-09-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 16:19-20
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.
20 Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!
When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him.

APPLICATION: It seems more and more prevalent for doctors to let us make our own choices on certain treatments available to us. They present the facts, and leave the decision up to us. God has always shown us that same freedom. He has a glorious eternity in mind for us, and He presents through His Word all the reasons why it would be beneficial for us to accept His Son, Jesus, but He leaves the actual decision up to us. God also had a very special life in store for Samson, as a judge over Israel. He gave him physical strength that any earthly man would be envious of, but God also gave Samson the freedom to make his own choices. There was a certain ‘weakness’ that Samson displayed towards the opposit sex, for he loved women, and they were attracted to him because of his physique. Unfortunately, we are a lot like Samson, in that we are generally warned about certain dangers, and we agree with those dangers, but we tend to think that everything will be alright, because we know how to protect ourselves against the evil plans of others. But as the Scripture tells us, Samson was not as independently strong as he felt he was, and he was therefore lulled into a game that threatened his very life. My friends, I believe God is still warning us today of the power and strength of the Evil One. I realize that many of you are very similar to me, and would quickly say ‘we’ve got this’, but let me remind you that just as we are no match for the Almighty God, neither are we any match for God’s greatest oponent, Satan. Remember, God loves us so much that He showed us at Calvary how deep that love ran, but if we insist on doing life ‘our way’, He is gentleman enough to let us. You will be warned over and over about the dangers and extreme risks, but if we keep shoving God away and grabbing the reigns for ourself, God will do for us what He did for Samson, He will let us face the battle all alone, and that will lead to complete failure. Fortunately for us, the opposite is still very true today. If we call on God, He is faithful and just, and He will forgive us of our sin, and He will stand by us to the very end of time here on earth. Receive your free gift today precious friend. Allow God to be God of your life and in all circumstances of life. God never fails!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Submission to God results in His love, protection and deliverance through all of earths pain, trials and temptations. Seek Him today, while He may be found, and let Him lead you in every circumstance of life.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You made us with great big egos, and way too often we feel like we could handle every challenge and difficulty presented to us here on earth. But Lord, You alone is the answer to all of life’s challenges, and we are reminded daily that we can’t do life without You. Please help us to learn from Samson and not become caught up in feeling like we could handle the Evil One, for only You can keep Satan at bay. Forgive us Lord when we try to assume Your position in our lives, we need You every moment of every day. Please reign us back in immediately when You see us wandering off to try and handle things on our own. We need You precious Father. Please work out Your will and way in our lives and impact others as You see the need evident in them. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

How To See Jesus

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-09-26
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 19:5-7
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: When Jesus got to that place, he looked up into the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry on down, for I must stay at your house today!”
So he scurried down the tree and found himself face-to-face with Jesus.
As Jesus left to go with Zacchaeus, many in the crowd complained, “Look at this! Of all the people to have dinner with, he’s going to eat in the house of a crook.”

APPLICATION: Some may go to a church service at a very large church, and they will sit far in the back in, what they feel is, a very inconspicuous place, so that no one will identify them. They’re just curious about who Jesus is, and what this church attendance thing is all about. But here’s a thought for you to consider: in and of our own sinful selves, we want nothing to do with God or His places of worship; however when God is tugging at our sinful heart, we suddenly become interested in Him, His servants and His places. So let me remind you that when you show up to church, or when Zacchaeus climbed up that tree, God is already busy at work in your heart. yes, God may have used your parents to ‘bug’ you once again about going to church, but I encourage you to listen to what God is saying to you. Notice that Jesus needed no lookouts to point out those hiding in trees, nor did He need an introduction to the chiefest of sinners in their midst. Jesus simply looked up, confirmed His suspicions about a man being in a tree who needed Him, and He called Zacchaeus down, by name. Knowing his sinful condition, and knowing how he was frowned upon by his people, yet Jesus zoomed in on Zacchaeus and wanted to actually spend time with him. I love how this translation says that Zacchaeus came face-to-face with Jesus, because there was a day when I surrendered my heart to Jesus, and I came face-to-face with Him as He helped me make a total 180-degree turn from the sinful path I was on. I believe there are some who will read, or listen to, this devotional today and feel like Jesus is just looking over your head at the sinner behind you, because you are too far gone, and beyond the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Please allow me to remind you that Jesus is not surprised about any sin you might need to confess to Him. He also knows you by name, and He is willing to visit with you today, so that He might change your life into a usable vessel for His glory. You may feel like you have hidden real good from God and, perhaps, all of His messengers. Notice that Jesus found Zacchaeus, spent time with him, changed his life, and he and his whole household were saved. I believe that you may not be capable of imagining what all God might have in store for you! My friend, you are no less that the greatest preacher ever lived, you too could be a child of the King – the King of all kings, if only you will search for Jesus in all sincerity, and accept His call on your life. Please let this be the day you will always celebrate as your ‘new birth in Jesus Christ’! I want to see you in glory as we worship at the throne of the Almighty, but that will only happen if you surrender your life to Jesus, for He is the only way to heaven. Zacchaeus was bold enough to make this decision in spite of the riches he accrued from his crooked job, surely you can give up what you feel is important to you here on earth so that you might also accept Jesus and welcome Him into your house and family, God being your helper and guide.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The current condition of Zacchaeus’ life had no impact on how Jesus looked at his need for salvation. He knew him by name and He knew all about his sin. Praise God, salvation is available to all!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I praise You for accepting us, even in our sinful condition, and You miraculously recondition us for the glorious meeting with the Father in Heaven some day! Thank You Jesus for identifying and saving our friend, Zacchaeus. Now Lord, I believe that there will be some who will read, or listen to, this devotional and they will realize that they are in a similar condition to that of Zacchaeus. Please soften their hearts, give them boldness and humility to seek Your presence and acknowledge You as Lord. May this be the day of salvation for many, I pray. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Show Mercy

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2021-09-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 18:38-39; 43
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 38 The blind beggar shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity and show me mercy!”
39 Those in the front of the crowd scolded him and warned him to be quiet, but the blind beggar screamed out even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!”
43 Instantly he could see again. His eyes popped open, and he saw Jesus standing in front of him! He shouted loud praises to God and he followed Jesus. And when the crowd saw what happened, they too erupted with shouts of praise to God.

APPLICATION: Laws have been enacted to make sure that our disabled persons find somewhere handy to park near a business. Ramps have been built to facilitate wheelchair access, and many times brail is posted next to important signs. But how often do we see able persons taking the referenced parking spots for quick accessibility, and being discourteous in other ways that would disappoint and hurt our friends that are truly disabled? In our Scripture today, we have a picture of a blind man who found his way to the edge of the road along which Jesus was traveling. He could hear from the noise and excitability of the people that someone important was coming, so upon learning it was Jesus, he started to shout for the His attention. The abled-bodied people around him demanded silence, perhaps because they didn’t want Jesus to turn away from such a rowdy bunch. But why didn’t the people see the predicament of the blind man and instead be his spokesperson to draw Jesus over to him? Wouldn’t we have done that? Perhaps some would help, but in all practicality many would not. For those of my readers who have used a wheelchair before, for one reason or another, perhaps on a temporary basis, you may have noticed that people avoid eye contact with you. I’m sure its because they are just at a loss to what they would say to you, but we all must remember that for the person in that wheelchair, they are the same person that may ordinarily pass by and smile at you or ask to help you, if they were otherwise enabled to do so. Friends, I believe that this story is perfectly placed in the Word so that we could be reminded to have mercy on those who may not be as perfect as we are in every physical way, and not to look down on them as being less than us. Most importantly, we must always remember that we all need Jesus! It may not be for physical healing, but perhaps for our internal grievances towards pride, greed, envy and selfish desires. I believe the change of heart from shutting the communication of the blind beggar down, to vs 43 where the same folk rejoiced with the blind man over being healed of his sight, is an awesome contrast to how we feel when we’ve been blessed to see God’s hand at work on a daily basis. Let me encourage all my readers and listeners to have an eye out for the needy and be willing to chip in and do what you can to help them get to Jesus. The angels in heaven will rejoice with you when one soul is won to Jesus. Having a part in that process will also help you rejoice more!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Although the people rejoiced when the blind beggar was healed, I believe that all of heaven rejoiced as Jesus also gave the man ‘new life’ – something that we all need if we want to ‘see’ Jesus in heaven!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for not only restoring sight to the blind man, but for also giving him new life in Jesus! I pray that every reader and listener will be reminded of the need for salvation by all, not just those who are like them, or look like them, or act like them. We ALL need Jesus! Send us out again today to be Your instruments so that all those that we are exposed to will be drawn to You and receive You into their lives. May we also carry the torch of Jesus to the broken world that we are a part of. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Expect the Unexpected From God, and Respond Quickly To Him!

DATE POSTED Friday, 2021-09-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 13:3-4; 13-14
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3-5 …. an angel from the Lord appeared to her and said: You have never been able to have any children, but very soon you will be pregnant and have a son. He will belong to God from the day he is born, so ….
13 “Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her,” the Lord’s angel answered. 14 “She must not eat or drink anything made from grapes. She must not drink wine or beer or eat anything forbidden by God’s laws. I told her exactly what to do.”

APPLICATION: There are times that we are given instructions that really surprise us, and we may ask for the instructions to be repeated so we could make sure we heard right. I actually smiled as I read this story today, because I identified with it in the lives of my wife and I! Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, was married and had not been blessed with children. In preparation for a future king for Israel, God had one of His angels appear to Manoah’s wife and give her the good news of a baby that she will give birth to – a very special baby. Of course this came as a shock to Manoah, and despite being told of all the special conditions given to his wife, Manoah needed to ask some questions of his own, and hear the instructions first hand, just in case his wife may have misunderstood anything. God agreed to this, and allowed the angel to reappear to Manoah and his dear wife. I’m of the opinion that the angel told Manoah that the instructions are precisely as he told his wife! This made me think of how I question my dear wife when she relays an encounter, or instructions, with me. Poor lady, right?? But I bet that many of my readers/listeners are very similar. When we find it challenging to believe something, we tend to question the message, and/or the messenger, and/or the originator! During my employment, it became comical when someone would come with interpretation of a new regulation, because we often found that we could get almost any answer we want, if we ask the question in the right way! But it didn’t seem like this may have been Manoah’s expectation, as the angel just confirmed exactly what was told to his wife. I believe the point of caution in this Scripture is that accepting the word, much like Mary did when she heard from the angel, and not doubting it’s origination or its intention, like Zachariah did when he was told that he and Elizabeth would bear a child in their old age, might actually help is to show God that we believe in His awesome power, no matter how impossible His end result seems to us. For you see dear friends, I believe that if God tells us to do something, only He has the power to help us accomplish that, and we would do best to not stand in the way. I believe that part of building our faith in the instructions given by God, is to know Him in such a powerful manner that we are ready to jump when He tells us to. When we doubt Him, we are actually saying ‘well I’m not so sure about that, could that really be God ordering me to do this, or that?’ Have faith in God my friends, for His power is unlimited, and His ways are way different to our ways. Expect the unexpected, but be ready to respond to His calling, no matter what His orders consist of.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Miracles will always seem impossible to us, because they are not our ideas nor performed under our power. Trust God, and do what He says!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, we often ask for things that only You can do, yet we tend to question Your response and Your awesome power to do miraculous things through us and for us. Please forgive us when we doubt, and help us to stay focused on Your great love for us, as You will always do what’s best for us, and for the things that will enrich Your Kingdom. Thank You for working miraculously in the lives of Manoah and his wife to produce a son named Samuel, that we study so much about even today. Lord, I know that You are still our mircale-worker today, and that You still have great things in store for Your people even today. Please help us to be open to Your call and to Your miracles that You may do through us. May we always be available for Your miraculous work. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Our Incentive Not Needed

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2021-09-23
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Joshua 11:29-31; 34
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 29 Then the Lord’s Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where 30 he promised the Lord, “If you will let me defeat the Ammonites 31 and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first.”
34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.

APPLICATION: Often when we are given the right incentive, we will gain the confidence needed to accomplish much more than normal. But God is much greater than anything we could dream or imagine. It is not necessary for us to promise Him something in return for His favor, nor is it necessary for us to reassure Him of our good intentions, for He knows us by name and He also knows our very thoughts, word and actions. He will therefore give to us that which He knows is best for us and for those His blessings will touch. We cannot incentivize God to honor our request. I had a pastor who, while in the heat of battle overseas, made a promise as he petitioned God in desperation for his safe return to his homeland. Fortunately that pastor served out his promise to God and is still faithful to this very day. In today’s Scripture, Jephthah was very anxious about leading his people in war against the ammonites, because their king had mocked the idea of Jephthah ever facing such an army as his. So I would imagine that Jephthah was not just asking for victory, but also wanting to retain his pride before such a powerful king. But regardless of the reason, Jephthah made a very wild and potentially dangerous promise in the heat of the moment, for only those very near and dear to his heart would exit his house to greet him home after a tough battle. Regardless of the reason he did this, Jephthah was determined to live up to his promise. His beloved daughter, who was the first to exit his home, encouraged him to live up to his promise, and neither of them tried to wiggle their way out of the promise. Some may wonder, why didn’t God intervene and excuse Jephthah from his promise? Notice that God played no part in the promise. God didn’t condition His response on the promise, nor was He approached when Jephthah found himself in the dilemma of having to sacrifice his own daughter. I believe that our lesson here is to avoid the practice of, or the need for, swearing on anything to guarantee our word, or the need to promise something unrelated, to reinforce our request for something. God created us, and He loves us very much. He wants nothing but His very best for those who have accepted His lordship and honors Him in all that we do and say. Simply ask, and wait to see His response – the answer that is best for our good!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God heard the cry of Jephthah and honored his request to win the battle against the ammonites. It is so unfortunate that Jephthah saw the need to try and incentivize God.

PRAYER: Here I am Lord. Just me, with no hidden agendas or pride to mend. Please control my anxious fears and my pride to win in order to better my selfish gain. Many reading this devotional may be like Jephthah, and tempted to offer anything in order to win a battle they are fighting, or a job promotion they are wishing for, or a family situation they want desperately to see resolved. Lord, I believe that You know our hearts and You therefore know whether our intentions or our request is genuine, and You will respond lovingly without any further incentive thrown in by us. Forgive us Lord when we try to use our tactics to win Your approval and Your action. You know us way too intimately to need any more than our word in its simplest form. Thank You that Jephthah kept his promise, regardless of the outcome. I pray that You will help us to learn from his experience and just trust You with our requests. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Benefits/Consequences For Decisions

Post Date:

Thursday, 2017-07-27
SCRIPTURE

From:

Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 15 (MSG)

Text:

 1-2 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God:

15 Here’s what will happen if you don’t obediently listen to the Voice of God, your God, and diligently keep all the commandments and guidelines that I’m commanding you today. All these curses will come down hard on you:

OBSERVATION:
Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, but he was given last minute instructions for the Israelites that would help them understand how God would react to their decisions and actions once they receive their freedom to live in their new and exciting country. Benefits and/or consequences is generally something we look at in hindsight, but with God instructing Moses, he could tell them in advance what to expect. We’ve been given that same advantage through the Bible, let’s look at that!
APPLICATION:
As parents, we will generally give our children choices, and we may even add what the benefits and/or consequences are if they obey, or if they disobey what we told them. As I read this chapter, I believe that God pointed out to me the parallel between the instructions that He gave to the Israelites through His servant Moses, and the equivalent of what He gave to us through His Word regarding our destiny, based on our level of obedience today. This is all declared in the New Testament with the birth, death and resurrection of His precious Son, Jesus. You see, when God introduced His new covenant offered through the shed blood of Jesus, He assured us that the benefit for those of us who accept that free gift of salvation, would be that we could look forward to eternity in heaven with our Savior; our Father – God; and the Holy Spirit. In chapter 28 today, there were 14 verses of benefit descriptions for the Israelites that obeyed the commands of God. For the person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, I would dare say that the benefits are endless, and they are greater than our wildest imagination. Imagine being face to face with Jesus, who performed miracle after miracle; who also showed His love for us with outstretched arms on a cruel cross; but praise be to God, He arose from the dead three days later and reigns with His Father forevermore! However, for the unconcerned or disobedient, the Bible also gives us the equivalent for what people today can expect, just as God did in the case of the Israelites, beginning in verse 15 above. For those who decline the offer of salvation, and continue to live contrary to the instructions given by God in His Word, they could expect to spend eternity in the pit of Hell with Satan and his demons, being tormented for all eternity. So friends, just like the Israelites who knew the game rules as they entered the Promised Land, we have the game Book available to us. If we obey, I reminded you of the benefits. If we disobey, I reminded you of the consequences. May I encourage you to know Jesus and know peace and hope regarding your eternity? No Jesus will result in no peace my friend. The choice is yours alone, please insure your peace and security in my Savior, Jesus Christ, today! See my Footnote below for help with this.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, Your Word is very clear for us today, just as Your word through Moses was clear for the Israelites. We claim to be a very smart generation, so please touch our hardened hearts so that we may make wise decisions and follow in obedience to all that You have taught us through Your Word. Thank You for the promise of eternity in heaven with You one day! Please help us to encourage as many as possible while here on earth until that day You call us home to glory, 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!

God Ordained Road Signs

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Psalm 119:9–12
Today’s Bible Text: How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word. I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted. I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. Be blessed, GOD; train me in your ways of wise living.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: While I can appreciate the wisdom in wanting to share the advice in this scripture with a young person, I want to really highlight it today for each of us. In fact, I want to encourage you to substitute the words “a young person” with your own name and then print out the verses to pin in a prominent place as a constant reminder to pray this request on a regular basis, for there is so much packed into these verses friends. Let me highlight a few:

  • Road Map – With the popularity of smartphones and GPS navigational apps, many of my readers may not remember paper road maps as easily anymore! However, for those that do, or for those who still follow one, you might recall that in most cases you would get the map out and study your course before you leave on your trip. If not, you might leave your current location with several options on how to get to point ‘B’ and therefore become divided on the best route to take. To be undivided in your pursuit of God and His way for your life, it is vitally important to pull out His ‘road map’ (the Bible) every day and search for His directions. You will not only find directional instructions, but you will also find the road signs to be careful of;
  • Road Signs – There seems to be thousands of different Road Signs that we must watch out for on our roads. I find them most useful when it is totally dark or obscured (fog, etc.) as they warn me about the dangers ahead that I cannot see. The Road Signs are there for our safety and for the safety of others on the road. When we obey disobey them, we stand a chance of getting our hand spanked by the law, as they try to protect others traveling the same roads as we are. Throughout God’s Word (His Roadmap) we are given many ‘Road Signs’ intended to help us stay focused on Him; love our neighbor; be a good witness for Him; and stay out of the reach of the Evil One. Our obedience to the Road Signs is closely linked to our faithfulness to God!
  • Treasury of Promises – As we study these Road Signs and gain the assurance of their value to our walk and our single-minded pursuit, or purpose, we should flood our souls with these things so that we can pull from that treasury of promises during those times when life seems so helpless to us. Those things can serve as our reserves, or our reminders that the same God who protected us from the Evil One in the past is the same One who could do again, if only we would follow His predefined Road Signs.

Wouldn’t life be a whole lot less stressful for you if you know the path that you will take today, and that there will be road signs along to way to guide you and direct you? Even more, imagine the peace in knowing that you won’t have to worry about being in charge today. Because you have surrendered your life to Him, it is God who will take His role in your path to whatever life holds in store for you today. Take His lead and watch for the signs friend!

Prayer: Like the Psalmist in this scripture today, Lord I humbly ask that You train me in Your ways of wise living. I pray that You would open the eyes of those that read this devotional today so that our paths would no longer be distracted, or lured into the wrong path that is plagued with the attacks for Satan, but that we would have our minds so focused on You and Your will for our lives that there will be no room for error or misguidance. We need You blessed Lord. Please be our ever-living, wise Guide today, is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

Jesus Will Never Give Up On You!

THE HOLY BIBLE – 7–9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 ~ The Message (MSG)

THOUGHTS: I am excited in being reminded of how special I am in God’s eyes! Wow!! But I am not alone in this, for this scripture refers to the special provisions for all those who have accepted Jesus as Savior. That’s you Brother, and yes, you Sister! Now because I believe it is just like God to provoke someone to read this devotional today who is incapable of understanding the same joy in this passage that I find, I would ask that you kindly allow me to highly recommend that you contact me, or any other Bible believing Christian, so we could introduce you to the author of the book from which I extracted these verses. He’s the One referred to throughout these verses as the provider of all good and perfect gifts in store for those who have called on Jesus and surrendered their lives to His care. Friends, I could never expect to benefit from the estate of a very rich unknown person, because I am not a son. In other words, I’m a stranger. However, for those of us that have accepted Jesus as Savior, we are sons and daughters of the King. So these are some of the exciting promises found in just this small clip from His Word:

  • We are in need of nothing!
  • God has provided for our every need until He returns to take us home to glory with him!
  • We have reason to be excited about our future, in spite of how dismal things may appear here on planet earth, for our Lord will come back for us to take us out of this evil world, to join Him in the glories of heaven, in just the right time!
  • Our Savior will NEVER GIVE UP ON US!!!!

To my friends who can’t expect to benefit from this wonderful promise because you are a stranger, and not a part of the family of God, may I remind you that as long as you have breath – and know that you have absolutely no promise of your next breath, but while you can, please consider reaching out to Jesus, asking for His forgiveness of your sin, and ask to become a part of His intimate well-loved family. Jesus has a soft heart for sinners who want to sincerely make a change in their lives. He sacrificed His life so that all who asks may become children of God, so of course that includes you! He has not given up on you friend! This can be the most exciting Thanksgiving for you and your family! Please consider becoming part of the family of God.

PRAYER: Father, what an awesome privilege to call You ‘Father’! Thank You for accepting me as an integral part of Your family! Thank You for all of the promises wrapped up in these verses! Who is mere man that You should be so loving and kind to us? We’ll never know, but thank You for loving us anyway Jesus! Lord, I believe that there are many that will quickly read over this devotional whose ‘love tank’ is probably sucking air, because they don’t feel at all loved by You, or anyone. I pray that You would use the words of Your servant above to trigger a change in the heart of a reader today, or of a family member because of the prayers of Your children. Thank You for being my Father, my Savior and my Redeemer. To God be all the glory, honor and power in my life today, 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!