Devotion: Jesus Never Fails

Most people, both believers and non-believers know the story of how Adam’s disobedience allowed sin to enter into the world and come upon the human race.  When sinned entered, death caught a ride and spread throughout the world causing everything to grow old and to die.

“For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin.  But this one man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s mercy.  Adam’s one sin brought the penalty of death to many, while Christ freely takes away many sins and gives glorious life instead.  The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all, but all who will take God’s gift of forgiveness and acquittal are kings of life (reign in life ) because of this one man, Jesus Christ.  Yes, Adam’s sin brought punishment to all, but Christ’s righteousness makes men right with God, so that they can live.  Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he obeyed” (Romans 5:15-19 TLB).

Devotion: Selfish Love

When was the last time you checked out your love life?  Is the kind of love that you have a self-centered, self-seeking, or self-interested kind of love?  Do you only love someone when there is something in it for you?  Is your love base on what you can get from someone?  Basically, do you have a selfish kind of love?

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (Timothy 3:1-5).

Devotion: You Are Not A Loser

There are a lot of so-called Christians walking around defeated.  By defeated, we mean that they have not yet fully experienced all that God has made available to them through the new covenant, “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).  By defeated, we mean that they have not yet experienced that “more abundant life” that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.  The really sad part is that they do not even realize that they are defeated, living a defeated life.  They claim the blood of Jesus over their lives but it is of no effect or at best, it has a partial effect on their lives.  The biggest culprit is not the devil or any other outside forces, but it is an internal force known as “self,” what we will refer to as “an image problem.”

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: …” (Proverbs 23:7).

Devotion: Great Things Happen When You Believe – Part II

In part one of our “Great Things Happen When You Believe” series, we talked about faith and the three elements of faith, which were:

• belief, which is accepting that something can be true or that something is real when it has not been seen,
• confidence or conviction, which is believing or trusting that something is, especially when there is no logical proof that it exists,
• and action, which is doing something in order to reach a goal, to obtain a result, or to get that thing which you hoped for.

We found that faith is confidently acting upon what you believe, what appears to be impossible and expecting results.  Scripture tells us that “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).  And while your faith plays a key role in causing those great things to happen, in making all things possible, there be a few other things we need to consider, things that are equally as important and equally as strong but can cause those great things not to happen.  The sad part is that most people are not aware of them.

Devotion: Great Things Happen When You Believe

Great things happen when you believe.  But for great things to happen, you need faith.  Faith is an interesting word, that has been defined in many ways.  Understanding faith is important to making it work for you.  So, what exactly is faith?

According to Hebrews 11:1,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (KJV).

Faith is the evidence of a thing hoped for, the evidence that the thing exists but it is not the thing itself.  Faith is the substance or tangibility of hope.  While hope cannot change circumstances, it can change attitudes about circumstances and how things are perceived or seen.  Hope is the goal setter and faith be the way to achieve the goal.  Faith is one of the most powerful things that God has given man, “as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).  When used to its full measure, faith can cause great things to happen.

Devotion: The Wages Of Sin

Recently we talked about how deadly sin was.  We found in scripture that, “…the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23).  In that discussion we mentioned that just as we expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working in any job, be it full-time or part-time, we should expect to receive “compensation or a wage” for working or living in sin, be it full-time or part-time.  Although the “compensation or wage” for employment is usually some type of monetary benefit, the compensation or wage for sin is “death.”  We noted that this passage was really telling us “the wages, the salary, the pay, the income, the take-home pay” of sin, no matter the amount of sin, is “death.”  Working in sin, playing in sin, living in sin, or just existing in sin pays a benefit, which according to scripture is death.

Devotion: Whatever You Allow

Are you one who believes that the things that happen in your life are ordained by God or that it is part of God’s will for your life?  If this is what you believe, then this message may be for you, provided you have an ear to hear.  Because the Church has redefined “the sovereignty of God” to mean, “God is in total control and that nothing happens but that which the will of God allows to happen,” many believers and non-believers as well, have been led to believe that God is somehow responsible for everything that happens in our lives.  But the truth of the matter is that “the sovereign God of the universe” is limited as to what he can and cannot do.  Now that we have your attention, let us explain exactly what we mean that God is limited.

Devotion: God Loves A Cheerful Giver

In the religious circles, when the subject of money comes up, it incites all kinds of emotions in people.  Though the passage, “the love of money is the root of all evil” (I Timothy 6:10) is guaranteed to be mentioned in the conversation, it is the misinterpretation and misapplication of this passage that creates the most controversy.  Many believers do not believe that man should prosper financially or have wealth because it goes against the teachings of Jesus.  Based on the story surrounding his statement, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24), many have interpreted this passage to mean that a person with riches cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  So, the belief is that God is against his children having money.  Those familiar with the story of the young rich man (Matthew 19:16-22), saw Jesus tell the man to “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21).  Most do not make the connection between when Jesus told the young rich man to give and when he tells us to give, especially when giving to the poor.

Devotion: Enjoy The Lord

With all that mankind has accused God of, which includes plenty mischaracterizations, many believe that it is not possible for anyone to “enjoy the Lord.”  Most of us are aware that God has never given us the punishment that our sins deserve nor rewarded us according to our wrongdoings, but instead has forgiven us.  Scripture tells us that God is merciful and gracious towards us.  The truth is, God’s mercy towards us, those who reverence, honor, and worship him, is as great as the heavens are above the earth.  He is full of kindness, love, and pity.  He is tender and sympathetic to us who respect, obey, and praise him.  He is slow to anger and does not hold a grudge because his anger does not last forever.  God is like a father who has pity on his children.  For the most part, we enjoy our earthy fathers or those we know to be and call father, but we do not share that same enjoyment with God.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.  …Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you” (James 4:7-8).  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).  “Trust in the Lord, and do good...  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  ...Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…” (Psalm 37:3-7).

Devotion: Deception

We have spoken several times about “an untruth, a deception, a lie” that has been going on for so long that the lines between them and “the truth” have become so blurred that one crosses between the two without the realization of either.  Without the knowledge as to the source of the problem, the deception continues.  We know that man continues to be played like puppets in a production for an audience of principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world, while the puppet master continues to lurk in the shadows, hidden from the world.  Because the devil is “the father of lies” (John 8:44), he has blinded many to “the truth” to the point that they believe just about anything that sounds “god-like.”  Throughout the scriptures, we are “warned not to be deceived, not to err, not to be misled, and even not to go astray” for there will come “false prophets” that will deceive many.

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).  “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (II Peter 2:1).  “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

Devotion: When You Hurt, You Are Not Alone

For one reason or another, most of the world is hurting.  There appears to be this never-ending story of one crisis after another after another after another happening throughout the world.  There does not appear to be an end to the suffering that we see in the world.  As we “wrestle daily against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12), there are times when it feels that we are fighting these battles alone.  Even though people are fighting many of the same battles, we feel that no one else can relate to the hurt, to the pain, to the suffering, or to the loneliness that we are going through in our battles.  There are times when we hurt and we feel that we hurt alone.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6; 8).

Devotion: You Are Born To Win

Did you know that you were born to win?  We guess the correct thing to ask would be “Did you know that you were born-again to win?”  In order to win, you first have to be born-again, what the scriptures refer to as “being in Christ.”  Therefore, if you be in Christ, then you are born to win.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

According to this passage, we are not just “conquers,” who are simply able to “overcome all these things.”  No, we are “more than conquers.”  We are “more than victors.”  We are “more than overcomers.”  Paul goes on to say that he is convinced, “fully persuaded” that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  There be neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities or rules, nor the things in this present time, nor the things to come in the future, nor the forces of nature, nor the things on high above the earth, nor the things under the earth, nor any other creatures that could separate us from the love of God, which now rest upon us because of what Christ Jesus our Lord did.