He's Able To Keep You From Falling

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.

Jude 1:24-25

Notice how Jude starts off by saying, Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling; we just talked yesterday about how the Lord gave His angels command over you and today Jude reminds us that the Lord is the only one who can keep you from falling… You will not make it on your own, you will not overcome without the Lord and you will not reach higher heights without the wings of His angels… When I imagine the beauty of heaven, I cannot wait to see it; however, the key to the pearly gates is only found in the blood of the lamb… Not only is Jesus the one source to keep us from falling, but He also has the ability to make you a co-heir and justify your entry to Eternal Life… This is why Jude doesn’t stop at saying that He can keep you from falling, he goes on to say and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy… Christ finds joy in your commitment to God's will and plan… Christ knows the bumpy road you travel, He knows the scars that you have picked up along the way and this devotion today reminds us that as long as we continue to look to Him, He will continue to prepare that special place for us… As a child I often wondered why I heard this particular passage so often in church, I don’t know about you, but oftentimes I hear this scripture repeated at the close of worship service as part of the preacher’s Benediction… 

So as we close today, let us NOW LOOK UNTO HIM THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING!!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Angels Are Watching Over You

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." 

Psalm 91:11-12

David records in the 37^th Psalm, verses 23 and 24 that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and that the Lord will uphold Him… “The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” This same message is recorded in today’s focus verses taken from the 91^st psalm… I refer to the verses from the 37^th Psalm to remind us today that as children of God, we will stumble; however, we can take pride in knowing that we shall not fall or be utterly cast down… There are things in life that will trip you up, situations that will cause you to become uneasy and sometimes we may find ourselves wavering amidst the storms we face; wherever you are and whatever you are going through, the message of the day is that God has given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways… The writer of this Psalm is unknown; I say that to let you know that you can claim ownership of these powerful verses in your life… You can place your name as the writer to declare that God will protect you wherever you go and through whatever types of situations you face… I tell you to declare this today because we have to get out of the mindset that things will not happen to us… Notice what these verses say, God has given His angels charge over you to keep you, this does not mean to prevent or deter, but simply to keep you… There are things in your life that you have to endure and be exposed to and the angels of the Lord are here to keep you together when you face things that will tear you apart... Look at your life and take note of the things that should have destroyed you; it was because of God's angels (sometimes in human form) that you have been kept and allowed the opportunity to turn what was a stumbling block into a stepping stone.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Blessings Follow Obedience

In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 22:17-18

There is a blessing in obedience… The things that you do that God has commanded you to do have not gone unnoticed and you have to stand in faith knowing that a blessing is on the way… The Lord says that you will be blessed like Abraham because of the fact that thou hast obeyed my voice… God has been speaking to mankind since the very creation of man and it is up to us as to whether or not we hear and obey His voice… There are a lot of things in this life that clutter our ear gate to the point that we cannot hear the voice of God; however, Jesus Christ tells us in the 10^th chapter of John, verse 27 that “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” You may be at a point in your life where you are constantly praying to God for a blessing; you are laying before Him all your cares and have come to the conclusion that He may simply not be answering your prayers… 

This devotion today reminds us that we must obey the voice of God if we want to receive the blessings of God… Make no mistake about it, God indeed is hearing even the faintest of cries; however, the problem is not God hearing you, but you have the ability to hear Him… As you pray, God may be calling you to walk in obedience and you have not adhered to that call which is why the blessing or blessings that you anticipated have been delayed in coming… This passage taken from the book of Genesis is penned at the time in which Abraham has received his call from the Lord… Abraham was promised manifold blessing from the Lord… The Lord tells him in our two focus verses today that He will bless him, multiply his seed and allow him to possess the gate of his enemies… One can read these promises and say that Abraham must have been favored by the Lord and truly was “…a friend of God…” which he is called in a couple of scriptures recorded in the bible… The favor of God which resulted in this manifold blessing in the life of Abraham did not come without a measure of obedience and faith displayed in Abraham’s life… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Lord Is Good And Ready To Forgive

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalm 86:5

The Lord is ready to bless you, He is ready to open up doors on your behalf and give you a clean slate… The word of God tells us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” I have heard so many people talk about how they have prayed to God and are awaiting an answer as to how to handle this or that situation; however, we are reminded today that we are not waiting on the Lord, but that He is waiting on us… We all have missed the mark, we all have made mistakes, but the reality is that you are the one who delays the goals set before you… Even though you have gone the wrong way, David recalls to our attention the fact that the Lord is ready to forgive and that He is plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee… The Lord desires nothing but the best for you and when things go south in your life He is simply waiting for you to turn to Him rather than trying to find your own way out… There are so many of us who have allowed our past to dictate our future and this simply is not of God… The enemy has so many of us deceived, we feel like we are beyond saving, and like a pig we find ourselves wallowing in our mess… This passage tells us that you hold the very keys to your life; you can be all that you want to be and more in Christ, but you first must acknowledge your mistakes and look to Him in order to overcome them… Think about how much you have tried to conceal from your peers; think about how many choices which you have made that you have tried to hide or keep locked away… This is not the life that God designed you to live; everyday that you conceal is another day where you have fastened your eyes behind you and therefore continue to have accidents on the road which lies ahead of you… You cannot drive a car and make it safely to your destination if you are constantly looking in your review mirror… This same principle applies to life; you have to move past yesterday, you have to overcome your failures and even though some people in your life may want to hold them over your head, you must declare that the past is the past and Christ had died for my sins and the Father has forgiven me… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Christ Has Freed You

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1

Take time throughout the day to remind yourself that you are free in Christ… This is not to say that you should abandon your job or that you should speak freely to your co-workers; this is just to remind you that your past restrictions will not limit your future progress… Paul was a man who was opposed because of the years of his life when he was known as Saul; there were many who wanted to focus on his past and use that to negate his future… This same thing happens to us daily, there are people who want to hold us back based on yesterday, they want you to be defined by your past instead of affording you the opportunity to learn and grow. The word of God says that we need to “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert...” 

God took a man with a speech impediment and made him a leader (Moses), he took a shepherd and made him a king (David) and he took a young man fleeing from his twin brother and made him the father of the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob)… All these men had a past, all of them encountered obstacles and made mistakes along the way; however, the biggest point about these men is that they didn’t let their past determine their future, they believed in the liberty which is received by all who believe and were able to overcome their detractors… Moses lead the children of God to the cusp of the Promise Land, David was called a man after God’s own heart and Jacob was transformed into Israel after wrestling a man (God) all night long… These men were liberated from their mistakes and errors; this same liberation we also can obtain as Paul speaks to the fact that we have been liberated by Christ which has made us free… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

His Will Is That You Believe And Are Saved

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:40 

You are loved by God and He wants nothing but the best for you… These words are words for you to hang your hat on in the body of Christ… This doesn’t mean that you won’t experience your fair share of ups and downs; this passage just reminds you that the very will of God is that you know Him and that you are saved through His son Jesus Christ… The beginning of this verse says, “And this is the will of Him that sent me…” Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ declares in this verse the will of God before men in this very passage… He informs us that even in the midst of our perverse ways, even while we seek the pleasures of this world and turn our backs on the Lord; He desires for us to come to know Him and be saved. Understand today that death awaits us all, the question is where will you go from here…  Make no mistake about it, God wants you to be with Him in glory; however, He does not need you to be there (there is a big difference between the two)… God wants you to turn, He wants you to open your eyes, and trust that He can still bring you out... Understanding that Jesus came to do the will of God lets me know that God has a will and plan for me as well… The Bible teaches us that God desires all to be saved and come to know Him more intimately; this passage reminds us that even in the worse of situations or the worst of times we can still draw strength in knowing that God desires us…He wants you to be with Him for all eternity, but in order for that to happen, you must believe in His son and wait patiently for his soon return.

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

We Are Not Worthy Of His Mercy

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 8:3-4

Have you ever asked yourself why God cares so much about you…? This is the same God who made the heavens and earth, the same God who inhabits the praises of His people, and the same God who is surrounded by angels and hymns of praise… Even in the midst of all that, He turns His attention toward you and cares about you… Why is that? This is the question that is asked by the psalmist today… “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained…” Take time out of your day to think about all the things that God has created, think about the things He has spoken into existence, this mere reality makes me often wonder this same thing that is asked today, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” The truth of the matter is we don’t deserve His goodness, we don’t deserve His mercy, we don’t deserve His grace but yet and still He gives us new mercies every morning and provides enough grace to open up doors that we never thought could be opened… I am a living witness of God’s faithfulness, not just because I am here, but because I have been between a rock and a hard place and know that it was only by His grace and mercy that I was kept and able to overcome… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Offer Unto God Thanksgiving

Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Psalm 50:15

Despite the ups and downs that you may face or encounter; the words which come from your lips should be words of thanksgiving unto the Lord… The devotion calls for us to remember that things can always be worse; when facing storms in your life, you must get to the point where you are able to smile because of the ability that you have to feel the rain… There are so many people who would love to go through the things which you are going through; however, the path they are traveling calls for a different storm for them to face… I make this point because we all encounter storms, there is no life paved from the womb to the gates of heaven which will not subject you to storms during your travel… This is why you have to be thankful; you can thank God in the midst of your storms because you know that you will come out of them and the water which has fallen will simply provide the nutrients needed for the seed God planted in you to sprout… There is a purpose to the trials you face and this is why the writer goes on to say, pay thy vows unto the most High… Don’t hold back because of the things you face; as a matter of fact, give even more when the trials become that much more intense… There are people learning from your walk of faith and you too will be exalted because God will definitely show His faithfulness when you adhere to His calling despite the obstacles which are before you… Make no mistake about it, I will deliver thee; says the Lord… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!