Month: October 2020

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke‬ ‭10:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬. This promise of Jesus has to do with our spiritual enemies. Serpents and scorpions are symbolic of the spiritual powers that come against God’s children. And whether we believe it or not, there are real principalities and powers that come against us in the spiritual realm! Every day, satan is seeking whom he may devour. But the important thing for us to focus on, is not the power of the enemy, but the almighty power of our God! Because His Word tells us that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!” But something for us to consider is, are we in a position to receive this power Christ wants to give to us? Are we walking daily in an abiding relationship with Him Who has all power in Heaven and earth? Are we communicating with Him through His Word and prayer? He has all power to give, but the question is, “Are we opening our hearts to receive?”

“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise…” Micah‬ ‭7:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The desire and goal of every true child of God is to not fall. We don’t want to fail or displease our Lord Who has been so good to us. And certainly failure is not to be the pattern of our lives. As we learn to yield ourselves to His power working in us, we can walk in victory. And yet, there are times when we don’t always get it right. We are still God’s children, and children sometimes stumble and fall. But how wonderful to know, that when we fall, we can get back up  and go on! There is mercy with the Lord! Our Heavenly Father is always ready to lift up the fallen and restore us. The wise man says in Prov.‬ ‭24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…!”‬‭ So we should know there is always hope with the Lord. But one thing we have to guard against is, that we don’t become discouraged and stay down. And then, may we never accept failure as how it will always be. Just like a child grows and learns to walk and run without stumbling, so should we as children of God. We should learn to walk so close to our Father, and lean upon Him so much, that we grow to the place the Apostle John wrote of, where “we abide in the light and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.” 1 John‬ ‭2:10‬.

“Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.” Luke‬ ‭8:39‬ ‭KJV‬‬. This was the man who had just been delivered from demonic possession. He was gloriously saved and set free by the power of God,  and now wanted to join with the disciples and go with Jesus. But Jesus tells him what we all should know. Which is, our first responsibility is to show to those closest to us, what Christ has done for us. It is not only to tell others, but to live a life that demonstrates the great change Jesus has brought into our lives. Many get excited about religion and want to go to foreign lands, or distant places. But Jesus says, our first mission field is right around us, to those closest to us. Because if we can’t live so as to convince those around us, what reason do we have to go to others far away? May we determine by God’s grace, to show not just a changed life, but a Godly life, a life of love. As we do, others will see the great things Christ has done for us.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. The Apostle John wrote these words as an old man. He was a spiritual father to many believers. It was his greatest joy to know that these souls were walking in truth, which means, to walk in an abiding relationship with Jesus, Who is THE TRUTH. Today, we have the opportunity to bring joy to our Heavenly Father as we walk in truth. But one of the great tragedies of our day is, that truth is being twisted and perverted to suit each individual. A common saying today is, “You have your truth, and I have mine”. But the reality is, truth is not subject to our interpretation. Truth is what God says! Jesus was the living incarnation of truth. Everything He was, did and said was truth! So if we would know the truth we must find out what God says and what Jesus did. We must reject the ideas of sinful men who try to tell others their ‘version’ of the truth. And if we would walk in truth, then we must have the One Who is the truth dwelling in our hearts and we must yield our lives completely to His control. Today, let us determine to bring joy to our Father’s heart.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High:” Psalms‬ ‭92:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬. We usually have the idea that giving thanks is only important to acknowledge the one who has done something to receive thanks. When someone blesses us, we thank them. When God showers us with His mercy and goodness, we thank Him. But what most people fail to realize is, that giving thanks is very important and beneficial for us, who are the ones doing it! It is spiritually and emotionally uplifting to give thanks to God! Truly giving thanks is a humble acknowledgment that we did not deserve this blessing. It is a reflection of our attitude both about ourselves and the One Who we are thanking. God’s Word speaks so strongly about this subject that it equates being unthankful with being unholy! Which tells us, that one of the most overlooked qualities of a holy life is, a heart full of thanksgiving to God. Let us determine, no matter what comes our way, we are going to be thankful to God. Let us have the attitude, that in every situation, we can find something for which to thank God. As we do, we will be greatly blessed.

“Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭KJV‬‬. One of the great and encouraging truths about our God is, that He is faithful. What He says, He will do. What He promises He will fulfill. Who He has been, He will always be. As scripture says, “There is no variableness nor shadow of turning with Him”. God is faithful to Himself. He is faithful to His Word and He is faithful to His people. This means that what God has called us to, He will perform. What He has promised to do for us and in us, He will do. If we really understood and believed that God is faithful, it would relieve us of so many needless worries. In this ever changing world where so few are faithful, may we have a deeper appreciation for the faithfulness of God. May our hearts rejoice with the songwriter, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me”. And may our voice join with the psalmist to make known God’s faithfulness, “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.” Psalms‬ ‭89:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And He led them on safely, so that they feared not…” Psalms‬ ‭78:52-53‬ ‭KJV‬‬. These words are describing Israel’s exodus out of Egyptian captivity. It is truly amazing how God did so many miraculous things to deliver them. But then, once delivered, their journey begins. Then they needed a guiding hand. Then they had to learn to follow the Lord. Because only in following Him could they be safe and secure. All of their experiences serve as spiritual examples to us. Too many today have the mistaken idea that once we are saved and delivered from our old life of sin, that is it. But that is only the beginning! We must learn to follow Christ. We must learn to humble ourselves to be led. Only as He leads us moment by moment can we make it safely through the wilderness of this world. But as we follow Christ, we are set free from fear! Let us be those obedient children the songwriter spoke of, “God leads His dear children along”.

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” Psalms‬ ‭73:26‬ ‭KJV‬‬. At some point in life, we all experience our own human weakness and failure. We finally realize that we are not sufficient. The strength of our body fails. The resolve of our mind fails. Our heart, morally and spiritually, fails to reach the high standards set before us. And how humbling it is to face our weakness and failure. But the good news, even in these times, is that through our weakness we finally turn our eyes to Jesus and discover His strength! In our failure we look to Him Who cannot fail! There is an old saying, “Failure isn’t final”. And how true that is when through our failure we look to God to be our strength. But how important it is, that young and old alike look to Jesus. Let us not wait until our bodies are wasted and we’re looking back upon a life of failure. Instead, let us look to Jesus today! Let us confess our weakness now and ask Him to be our strength all through life. As we do, He will strengthen us, and we can be spared the ultimate failure of a life without God.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬. One of the most tragic results of man’s fall, of sin coming into this world is, that we assume we know what is right for our own lives. We assume we know the way we should go. And how the enemy of our souls has used this ungodly world to present to us, so many ‘ways’ that seem to be right. We look around at things that appeal to our flesh, or our own mind, and that ‘way’ seems to be the right ‘way’ to bring us what we desire. But well should we remember these words of the wise man! The ‘way’ that seems right to us, only leads to spiritual death! And it’s because there is only one way that leads to life. That is God’s way. May God help us to realize, His way is always best! His way is the only right way. We don’t know how, in ourselves, to choose the right way. So let us humble ourselves and allow our loving Father to choose our way. As the songwriter says, “Who am I that I should choose my way? The Lord shall choose for me!”

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,” 2 Peter‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭KJV‬‬. These words remind us that God’s grace and peace reaching our lives can be increased, that we can have more. Too often people rest in the fact that they are saved by grace, and they have peace in regards to where they will spend eternity. But the reality is, we need an abundance of grace to live victoriously in this evil world. We need overcoming grace to carry us through every battle and over every temptation. We need peace that keeps our spirit steadfast in the midst of life’s storms. And here we learn how God’s grace and peace can be multiplied in our lives. It is as we draw closer to the One Who is the Source of all good. This word ‘knowledge’ doesn’t mean simply the gathering of mental concepts. It means that we actually experience Who God is through a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It means spending time with Him, depending on Him, and proving His promises true in the tests of life. Do you need more grace or peace? Draw close to Jesus.