Suffering Is Temporary

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:10-11

In reading this passage taken from the first epistle of Peter, understand today that you will suffer… There are things in life that you must endure, challenges that you must face and trials that you will have to encounter; the message today is that you must find peace amidst the storm knowing and trusting in our Lord knowing that He is the God of all grace… This opening statement declares the very authority and compassion of our God; He will never see you go through more than you can bear and His grace will give you all that you need to endure and overcome… As a child of God the biggest mistake we can make is thinking that we shouldn’t have to face adversity; the best way to grow is through experiences and this is the very purpose of your current situation or circumstance… God is working behind the scenes, taking you to another level in Him and you must keep this in mind while you face the daunting task ahead… Know today that God will give you grace which is His favor over every situation; in other words, He will give you the resources that you need to withstand and triumph; I point this out today to make the point that God will give you resources so that you will know that God is giving you the ability to fight not to flee… This is the problem that disrupts so many Christians in their faith walk, you have been praying to God about something and He has given you the ability to persevere while you are looking for a detour…This is the true meaning of Grace; God knows that you can’t do it on your own and so He deposits His abilities in your life so that you can have the strength and the power to endure and obtain the victory in and through Him… We must go through so that we understand who brought us through… We must face trials and tribulations so that we know who has fought our every battle and fulfilled our every need! Through trials we recognize Christ’s power, through deliverance from those trials we see that He is full of ALL GRACE!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Your Breakthrough Is Coming

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

Malachi 4:2

I know that it’s very difficult to comprehend; at times it may feel as though you will not be able to make it or overcome, the verse taken from the book of Malachi teaches us today that God will show up and show out… You may feel like your life is fruitless and without accolades; however, we are reminded today to keep our faith and trust in the Lord for a breakthrough is coming your way… When people appear to be moving faster than your faith, keep revering His name… When you feel dejected and ready to throw in the towel, just know that “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…” Jesus was persecuted and appeared to lose; however the death on the cross produced His greatest ministry… Today, know that you will be persecuted, but in your most troubling days your ministry will be that much more intense and exalted…  God knows that walking under His guidelines subject you to many obstacles and hardships that are thrust upon you or in your path by the ways of this world… The Lord realizes that every time you choose to follow Him you run the risk of losing friends and having sleepless nights; however He wants us to find encouragement in today’s study verse knowing that we will run free in victory and overcome the storms we face… This verse starts by saying, “But for you who revere my name…” We must stay the course and revere (honor, respect and admire) the name of the Lord… Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” No matter what you face or what opposition comes before you, stand upon the promises of God and trust Him knowing that when you revere His name He will protect and keep you… 

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Christ Is All You Need

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Isaiah 55:1

This verse written by the prophet Isaiah speaks to the fact that God doesn’t desire your monetary riches but you and your humility; through the prophet Isaiah the Lord says he that hath no money; come ye… God has open the door to your transformation, He has given you a chance to overcome the mistakes of yesterday to inherit a bright future without condemnation, pain or suffering… This is not to say that you will not go through tough times; however, this simply lets you know that your later will outweigh your former and the suffering you endure will not compare to the richest you receive in and through Him…Understand today that the debt we enter under once born into this world can never be paid by our own riches and abilities… The sin that fills our hearts from our youth can never be purged by our own hands and eternal death awaits all mankind… Isaiah writes this passage today informing us of the greatest gift that has ever been and will ever be offered to us...Salvation… There is nothing we can do on this earth that will save us, nothing that we can obtain as far as material possessions or financial wealth that will open the door to eternal life and the sooner we realize the sooner we can really begin to live in the form that God created us too… Your life has significance, you are unique, you are beautiful and you have a path that was paved just for you… I say that because many of us have begun to think less of ourselves, we have allowed the enemy to tell us that we are worthless, that nothing good can come from us and that our fate is sealed; however, Isaiah wants you to know that if you thirst you can drink, if your hungry you can be feed and all this is possible through the offering that Christ made on Calvary… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Lord Delivers

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

Psalm 34:19

Make no mistake about it, as a child of the Most High God you are guaranteed afflictions along this Christian journey…  When you are walking upright, in honesty and blameless throughout this world (which are all characteristics of righteousness) you are assured to be persecuted and afflicted… There are none on this earth who are righteous; however, through the bloodshed of Jesus we can be clothed in righteousness and therefore walk in victory as oppose to darkness… I state this about righteousness because it is important to understand that when you face trials because of your desire to walk in righteousness you must remember that the attack isn’t’ against you but against the one you are clothed in… This is why the psalmist states that even though we are afflicted, “…the Lord delivereth him out of them all…” This battle is about the God you serve; remember this in the midst of your storm because it will help you to know that you are not alone and not fighting this battle within your own abilities… This Christian walk isn’t green pastures, it isn’t fields of orchards or streams of rivers and despite what you may want to believe, you must understand this so that you don’t find yourself susceptible to the attacks within your mind by the enemy… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

He Desires You To Return Home

Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

Jeremiah 3:12

The greatest sin we commit is not the times when we fall but when we stay down and give up… Today’s focus verse reminds us that God already knows that we will make mistakes and the request that He puts forth through the mouth of Jeremiah is the same request which He has made since our birth; return to Him… You are not beyond the saving power that is our Lord Jesus Christ, understand today that every time Jesus cried out from the cross He was referring to all mankind and at this appointed time even a thief realized in his final hours that God can still open the doors to paradise no matter the magnitude of your shortcomings or mistakes… It’s not too late for you to be saved, it’s not too late for you to extend the plan of Salvation to a neighbor, acquaintance or wayward child; the Lord says I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you… You may feel like you are beyond redemption, you may feel like the skeletons in your closet are too much to overcome; however, the message for you is that God will not allow these things to overtake you and cause your utter demise if you return to Him… The anger of God can end your very life; however, He is ready to pardon you and give you a clean slate… This is why He says that He won’t let His anger fall upon you; He knows that you messed up, but He also knows the good you can achieve if you are aligned in His will and on the prosperous path that He has outlined for your life… Know that you have made mistakes, acknowledge that you have given into temptations; however, come to the realization today that you can overcome and be victorious through the saving power of Jesus Christ... The bible says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock…” The father’s arms are open, He wants you to let Him and allow Him to transform your life… Just like we read in multiple passages, Jesus is waiting with open arms saying, “WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM COME”.

The question is, is He speaking to you?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You Were Created By And For Him

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Colossians 1:16-17

There is nothing in this life which does not exist without the direct involvement of the hand of God; I state this simply to remind you today that the day which you have been allowed to see is a day which has been afforded to you by the mercy and desires of God… When you grab hold of the notion that God is over all, then you will soon realize why you must submit to Him and adhere to His will and plan for your life… You were created with a purpose which is outlined in this passage by the words for Him… God designed you to bring pleasure and honor to His Holy name, He designed you to bring others to Him and open up the door for others to receive knowledge of Him from you… Make no mistake about it today, there are things in life which we do not understand nor do we comprehend; however, you can put full confidence in the fact that God created you and everything around you to be used by Him for His glory… The life you lead is not about the things which you obtain or the happiness which you posses, but rather the joy you bring and the reverence that you have for the one who created you… When I read this passage I am just overjoyed to know that God has a plan, this plan may not be the plan that I desire or even the one which I feel (without seeing the whole picture) is best; however, as we see the tragic events that take place in our societies and communities we must turn from the thoughts and concepts of the world and cling to the unknown designed outcome of God… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Only Christ Can Do That

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Philippians 3:21

This answer to the question posed in today’s focus verse is an answer that we must learn to recite and believe which simply states that God is able…  Ephesians 3:20 says, “He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think”; we bring this scripture into today’s devotion to highlight the point that God is able to transform, mend and reconcile even the most daunting of all challenges… The message today is to have Faith in God regardless of the situation or circumstance… There are so many who have given up, so many who have gone astray and so many that have turned from their divine destiny; know today that God can change your vile body… No matter the flaws, scars or open words, He is able to fashion you like unto his glorious body… Despite the amount of people who have written you off, no matter the amount of missteps you have taken or how far you have indulged in your sin; know that God can take everything into captivity, He can make the worst situation work in your favor and bring you to a place of prominence which you never thought possible… The key to this verse is your belief and trust in God, you must declare today that it’s not too late, you must open your mouth and serve notice to the enemy and your situation that things can and will get better as you turn and focus on the Lord and not the weight of your past decisions… God has not disqualified you; however, you disqualify yourself when you pay attention to people and past failures instead of Him and His plan for your future… It’s not about what you did yesterday, but what you do with what you learned yesterday to make it through today…  Sure, we all have made mistakes, we all have messed up, but when you learn from your mistakes and turn to Christ you allow the scriptures to be fulfilled in your very life; you can quote from the bible in and over your life and serve notice to those around you that your stumbling block is really a stepping stone… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!