Devotions
What would you do if you had a lion breathing down your neck? Think about it for moment and be honest. I know what I would do. It’s probably not the sensible thing to do, I would try to evade the lion. I would run from it, hide, or climb a tree. I would do something, anything, to ensure there was sufficient distance between me and the lion. This would be me in the flesh, trying to save my own skin.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries into a lockdown situation. Being in lockdown, means that everyone, except for essential services, must stay-at-home. While some may cherish this slow-down to life’s usual frantic pace, there are those who are finding this change of rhythm challenging. The internet is filled with cat-videos, and dog videos and exercise videos and distance learning videos and … you get the drift, as people try to pass the time “till things get back to normal”. I find myself wondering though, what does God expect of me at a time like this?
By now, we’ve all got the corona drill down pat: Wash your hands; Don’t touch your face; Stay at home; If you must go out, keep a safe distance from others; Cough away from people or into your elbow; If you have symptoms, wear a mask, quarantine yourself, then call your doctor. But how many of us are listening to what God is saying?
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 If you’ve ever gone camping or hiking in some remote wilderness, you will understand that there are unseen dangers in the wilderness. Depending on where you go, you could encounter grizzlies, snakes, lions, or a bad fall with no help nearby. The world as we know it today is an explorer’s paradise, with many tempting scenes just waiting for the lone adventurer.
Have you ever felt inadequate, less than, not enough? I think that many people feel this way at some point in their lives. I remember my own sense of inadequacy when the Lord called me to establish Esther’s Hope Ministries. I balked. The voice inside my head kept reminding me, that I was not enough. I was not experienced enough, educated enough or talented enough to establish and manage a ministry. After much struggle and resistance to the Lord’s bidding, the LORD revealed to me two distinct truths:
If there’s ever been a time when we needed to test the spirits, it is now. We live in an age when we can no longer be gullible and undiscerning. As the writer of this first letter of John points out, false prophets have already gone out into the world. These false prophets are exactly that, false. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), mimicking the real thing, if we are not careful, we too will be deceived (Matthew 24:24). These are the messengers who say one thing and yet do another, or they say one thing today and the exact opposite the next day. Do not trust them no matter how convincing they sound or no matter how large their following. The bible exhorts us to judge them, not by their “sweet syrupy words” but by their fruit (Matthew 7: 15-20). After all words are cheap.
s too little to feed such a huge crowd, but it’s all I have,” or he may have thought, “If anyone can multiply this food, Jesus can.” I guess we’ll never know what the young man was thinking that day. What we do know are the critical thoughts of the adults around him, “…, but how far will they go among so many?” That crowd was huge, five thousand strong, and the little boy’s offering painfully small. But God! This was the perfect setting for a miracle
From the creation of the world, everything has been in flux. Nothing remains the same. The environment changes, relationships change, societies change, we change, everything changes, except… the character of God. It’s only January and I have run into countless acquaintances and friends who are experiencing painful seasons in their lives. They were looking forward to 2020 with great hope, but circumstances changed swiftly and now despair beckons.
What’s causing you to be afraid today? With everything currently going on in our world, there is no shortage of reasons to be afraid. The devil is working overtime to make sure that there is a fear menu for each category of people under the sun. Fear can be both good and bad. Good fear keeps us from running headlong into danger, while bad fear paralyzes our faith and keeps us from obeying God. What kind of fear are you facing?
Welcome to 2020 with its promise of new beginnings. You have to admit that there is something almost magical about the beginning of a New Year. It’s a time to cast off the old and embrace the new. It’s a chance to wipe off our imaginary slates and start over. It’s an opportunity to reset one’s vision, goals and aspirations and so much more, but if we’re being totally honest, many of us have tried this and failed miserably. Yes, those New Year resolutions often last as long as an ice-cream cone on a hot summer day.
It’s that time of the year again, and the air is filled with excitement; Christmas is around the corner. Many of us are already dreaming of a white Christmas, extended time with family and friends, turkey and ham dinners, eggnog, cookies, Christmas stockings hanging above the fireplace, yule logs burning brightly and Christmas gifts are beginning to collect under the beautiful Christmas tree we put up this year. Aaaaah, such anticipation!
It’s Christmas time, and the air is filled with excitement; the promise of the holidays, snow covered trees, time with family and friends, turkey dinners, eggnog, cookies, Christmas stockings hanging above the fireplace, yule logs burning brightly and Christmas gifts beginning to collect under the beautiful Christmas tree. Aaaaah, such anticipation!
Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. It is a time to get together with family and friends and give thanks for the bounty that God has provided. Many homes will have an enviable all you can eat buffet of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing smothered in gravy, cranberry sauce, carrots and all the sides you can imagine.
Have you ever entertained the thought, “But why doesn’t it happen to me?” It seems that all around us, God Almighty is still doing amazing things among his people. Listen to the radio or watch Christian radio stations and you will hear of all the miracles that other believers are experiencing as they wait on the LORD.
A man received a promotion to the position of Vice President of the company he worked for. The promotion went to his head and for weeks he bragged to anyone and everyone that he was now VP. His bragging came to an abrupt halt when his wife, so embarrassed by his behavior, said, “Listen Bob, it’s not that big a deal. These days everyone’s a Vice President. Why, they even have a Vice President of Peas down at the supermarket!”
The children of Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years and they had lived 400 of those years as slaves under their cruel Egyptian masters. During these 400 years, the Egyptians imposed their cultures and their religions upon the children of Israel. One can assume that despite their best efforts to preserve their culture and faith, these foreign influences had polluted and diluted their worship of YAHWEH, the One and Only true God; the God of Isaac, Abraham and Jacob.
It is easy to talk about faith. It is much harder to walk by faith. Walking by faith means living in a counter cultural manner. It means saying, “No” to the flesh and trusting God completely, in everything. It means believing that everything God says is true, no matter how outrageous and unscientific it may sound.
Two brothers were talking one day, when one said to the other, "When I'm older, "I'll find me a hideout in the mountains and rob the rich guys." Before his shocked mother could respond, the other brother said, "Not me, I'm going to be a medical missionary somewhere in a needy continent like Africa." The next day the mother narrated the incident to her neighbor, finally exclaiming, "Can you imagine that? In the same home and with the same training!"
