Beside Me There Is No God

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:6

Despite the way things appear to be; the message on today is to serve notice to all mankind that God is still in control… There may be things in your life that may be challenging, situations that may be uncomfortable; however, the same God who spoke this world into existence is the same God that governs your everyday affairs… I make this point today to inform you that the things you are going through will accomplish the goal which God has designed them for… Notice that this verse starts off by saying thus saith the Lord the King of Israel… God is still the head, even though you might go through trials and tribulations, don’t lose sight of the fact that He is still over all things… The challenge that you are faced with today is to remember God and the position He holds when you face times of suffering and sorrow… The word of God doesn’t say that your days will be peaceful and uneventful, it doesn’t say that you will have green pastures and be free or toils and snares… You must take this thought into captivity today because this is only way to keep sanity amidst insane times… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Speak The Word Anyhow

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

In reading this passage I cannot help but begin to think about the tragedy that to place in Connecticut a few years back… 20 children stripped of life along with 6 adults. As I think about this, I quickly come to the conclusion that we reside in a period of time where God must be sought and His will made clear… There are different ways to handle trial and adversity; people will question God while we must take the stance of standing with Him… We don’t know why these things took place; however, what we do know is that God can do all things but fail, what we do know is that He has a plan and that everything that happens today will benefit us tomorrow… The task at hand for every Christian is to stay the course and abide in the will of God; I state this today as part of this devotional because there are so many distractions and measures of peer pressure which lead people astray… The message recorded in today’s focus verses deals with the unwavering faith that a child of God must have knowing that not everyone will openly receive God’s word and even some will challenge you based on their desires to please their itching ears… Understand today that not everyone who you share Christ with will receive and accept; you will have people in your life that will serve as stumbling blocks along your Christian journey and Paul challenges us today to know that you will not stumble, but rather that you will ascend despite the choices that others make… 

Paul teaches Timothy and us today of the times that we will indeed face and are facing… One of the biggest problems we find in the church today is a misguided message and a misguided church body… Paul charges Timothy as well as us today to not cave into the pressures of the world… Timothy was a young man called to lead the house of God; facing the fleshly desires of some which were in the congregation, Timothy struggles with advancing the kingdom of God and Paul writes this message to him… Know that some of the biggest obstacles you will face will come in the church body that you are apart of… Timothy was ready to walk away, ready to throw in the towel it Paul reminds him of the time which he is living in… Don’t lose sight of the times of today, the more corruption that is inching closer and closer to our doors, the more people try to scientifically dissolve the word of God and begin to erect other religions without a foundation in Christ… The word of God speaks of these times and the message for you today is to stay immersed in His word and don’t lose sight of His will; no matter the people who you offend or the relationships that you may lose, you have to speak the word of God boldly knowing that it will not come back void, but will accomplish all that it was sent out to do… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Lord Makes Us Worthy

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?  He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Psalm 15:1

There are so many things in life that we actually believe we deserve when the truth of the matter is that we don’t deserve the very life that we have… The message of today’s devotion focuses on the holiness and sovereignty that defines our God… David poses a question today which should promote humility in the lives of all Christs children as he starts this verse by saying Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle…? You are alive because of God’s mercy and the compassion which He poured out on all mankind through the offering of His son… I say this because there are so many of us that have our relationship with God twisted and act as if we are doing God a favor by living for Him… The bible tells us that “…narrow is the path that leads to salvation and few there be that find it…” There is only one way to rich heaven’s gates and the characteristics that must be within a individual are outlined in today’s study verse… As a people we are not worthy to abide in God’s tabernacle; however, through the righteousness of the son we have the ability to walk uprightly and speak truth within and out of our hearts… When we look at the two questions posed at the beginning of this verse, it is very easy for one to read and disqualify themselves from answering in the affirmative… David writes this psalm in the midst of the muck and mire of his very one life... He knows that God looks at the heart of man; however, he also recognizes that even being called a man after God’s on heart, he was not worthy to dwell in the midst of the Lord… Today, remind yourself of the privilege that God extends through His grace and mercy which allows us to dwell in His presence… 

All For His Glory!

His Righteousness Is Everlasting

Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Psalm 119:142 

The righteousness of God is displayed in and through the life that His son lived on this earth… To be righteous means to be upright, honorable, moral, virtuous and to walk in decency; if we really breakdown the meaning of this word than we know that there aren’t any people on this earth who are righteous… I make this point to also bring to light the grace and mercy that we all have received from the Lord; the fact that we are alive and are able to see another day declares the truthfulness of the opening statement in today's focus verse which says Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness...  God has spared you day after day and if it weren't for His perfection, than you and I would be utterly cast down for all eternity... To enter this world as sinners already disqualifies us from obtaining the righteousness that is spoken of throughout the word of God and in this particular verse… Understanding that I am not righteous brings me to a place of complete admiration and love for God… I love Him because of His righteous; the fact that He was upright toward me when I was down in out, the fact that He was just and honorable when I was unjust and shameful, the fact that He has paved a way for me to be clothed in His righteousness is alone enough for me to be thankful… However, my praise is taken to another level knowing that “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness…” God continues to be just toward me, He continues to be honorable in spite of my flaws and failures and even though I have fallen short, I take courage in knowing that everyday I see upon this earth is another day for me to move forward in my walk with Him… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Focus On Him Instead of Your Problems

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3

Despite the way that situation appears to be, no matter how daunting the task at hand may in fact be, Hosea reminds us that we must acknowledge the Lord… This acknowledgment must take place before His presences is even felt… The real conflict that arises in the lives of the believers is acknowledging the power and authority of God in and over situations before His faithfulness is displayed and you are delivered…  The message for today is pressing to give God praise, honor and reverence as the storm approaches, being able to give God the highest respect and admiration while the storm looms over head instead of waiting until the rainbow is completely visible and recognized…  Too often we conceal our love for God until His love and compassion is shown and today we are challenged to do the opposite… You must acknowledge the Lord instead of acknowledging your current predicament, hardship or obstacle… In walking by faith you tell the storm how big your God is while knowing that as surely as the sun rises, He will appear; he will come to us like winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth… God sill show up and show out, He will complete the work that He has begun in you and you will see and feel His power in and through your life… Give Him praise for the outcome and stop focusing on your present condition… If you focus on the things that are happening around you and all the chaos in this world, you soon realize how difficult it is to acknowledge the Lord… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

We Owe It All To God

"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

Romans 11:36

You live for Him because of the life that you have through Him. All of this is even possible because of His death on the cross, which simple means that you owe everything to Him… This is the crux of Paul’s message in our focus verse today… Everything that you do, everything that you accomplish and every goal you reach is because of Jesus Christ… It is only by the grace and mercy of God that you and I are here today… Make no mistake about it; don’t even think for a moment that you had anything to do with you getting up today nor the alarm clock that sounded this morning… It is for God’s glory (For Him) and exaltation that you saw another day; its through(through Him) His divine power and authority that you are here and because of this your days should be lived according to His precious promises knowing that you owe it all (to Him)… Everything you do in life should be prompted by your willingness to live so that God may be exalted… Because of all that He has already done and the doors that He has already opened; He indeed is due all honor and praise… Today let us look at the priorities that we have in life… Paul writes to the Church of Rome reminding them of who it is that comes first in all that we do… Every action that we partake in should be “of Him”, every blessing we receive is “through Him” and every praise and thanksgiving we render should be “to Him…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God's Got You Covered

The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:12 

The Lord will provide the shelter and safety that your life desires; however, it is your choice as to whether you dwell in it or not… The last book of the law reminds us that when we align ourselves with the will of God we don’t have to fear the circumstances or situations that we face as we know that we have safety in the arms of Christ… Those who walk in the will of God are promised safety… This is not to be confused with peace all the days of your life, but to say that when the enemy comes you will be able to win… You will see storms rage, wars take place, but you are to take comfort in knowing that these things will not overtake you and though you see them, they will not stand too long… We must come to accept and realize that everyday of our lives a battle is being fought, some days we take a step forward and some days we take a step back… Whatever the case, we are taught that the beloved (those who are dear to the heart of God) shall dwell in safety… When you choose the will of God you are then covered under the blood of Jesus… This is the same blood that paid your penalty, the same blood that made the death angel pass over the houses of God’s children and the same blood that Jesus sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane… Isaiah 26:3 says that “thou will keep you in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee!” We have a comforting assurance today through God’s word! He has promised that if we are the sheep of His pasture and the children of His blood we shall be protected and kept through the struggles of life! 

You are covered by His blood; you are protected by His sacrifice, so live according to His will and fight the good fight!!!!!!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!