It’s time for a much-needed break. In the meantime, please take advantage of the various devotionals from the past. 👍😃 See you on March 1st.
Month: February 2024
Psa 119:39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
Good morning, Reader! When you read today’s verse, what comes to your mind? I believe that when we succumb to the devil’s temptations, we reap the repercussions of that sin. For example, indulging in drugs will result in an addiction that will be hard to break. It wears out the body and the addict quickly goes from a healthy body to an emaciated one. But there can be victory over this in Jesus Christ.
Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse summarizes it best:
When Satan has drawn a child of God into worldly compliances, he will reproach him with the falls into which he led him. Victory must come from the cross of Christ. When we enjoy the sweetness of God’s precepts, it will make us long for more acquaintance with them. And where God has wrought to will, he will work to do.
God’s judgments may not seem good or fair to you at the time but they are always good. His judgments are always for our benefit. Don’t think for a minute that your sin will be overlooked by God.
Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.
As born-again believers, we have an Advocate, a lawyer if you will. He goes before the Father defending us:
1 John 2:1-6 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (3) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. (6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
This is where “Christians” who continue in sin fail. They did not abide in Christ and are as the seed that fell upon the rock. But those Christians whose seed fell on good soil, we grow in the Lord and His love is perfected in our lives. (Matthew 13:3-9) So don’t be surprised when you are disciplined by the Lord when you succumb to the devil’s temptations. Acknowledge your sin before God and seek forgiveness. Ask the Lord to keep you from the hour of temptation so you are not so easily turned away. Each victory over sin brings a perfection of God’s love in us.
As we draw nearer to the Antichrist’s overtaking of the world, we can see the devil’s influence over the world. Can’t you see it? What used to be called evil is now accepted by the majority. Who would have thought that schools would have after school Satan clubs??? Parents who allow their young children to transition from their birth sex!
Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
I would not want to face God if I participated in this type of sin. What God has called good and holy will still be good and holy come Judgment Day!
Rev 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There is nothing on this earth that is worth spending eternity in a Lake of Fire. There will be no escape and no second chance!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psa 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
The word “testimony(ies) in this verse is very poignant. The Treasury of David has an interesting comment – I’ve added it below. David was the apple of God’s eye. One would think that he kept his heart focused on the Lord. But being human, I’m certain that he had tendencies to lean toward the opposite direction, as shown below.
“The only way to cure a wrong leaning is to have the soul bent in the opposite direction. Holiness of heart is the cure for covetousness.“
The Treasury of David
The only way to deal with sin is to be focused and centered on the Lord and His Word. Jesus quoted scripture to Satan when He was tempted by him in the desert. Jesus Christ took on human form and, therefore, could have succumbed to sin after 40 days of no eating. What human being wouldn’t? When the body is in pain and weak, it is harder to ward off the devil. Job is a good example of this. However, Jesus quoted His words from the Old Testament back at the devil. Is that what we do when we have fallen into temptation? Being tempted is not sin but giving into temptation is. The Lord promises to help us out of these situations.
James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
It is not until the temptation has been “conceived” in our heart that it brings forth sin. Therefore, do not let yourself get to that point. We have a choice as born-again believers! We do not have to sin. We can stay focused on God’s Word and quote it back to the devil when we are tempted. Be encouraged, Christian… it won’t be long now before the Rapture occurs. Our troubles here on earth will be gone and we will be forever with the Lord for all eternity! Oh joy! I love this hymn! It becomes sweeter to me as I see the day of Christ’s return to get His Bride in the Rapture of the Church! (1 Corinthians 15:50-55, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 2 Timothy 4:8, Titus 2:13, James 5:7-8, Revelation 3:10, Revelation 4:1) Be encouraged, believer!
WHAT A DAY THAT WILL BE
There’s coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky
No more tears to dim the eye
All is peace forever more
On that happy golden shore
What a day, glorious day that will beWhat a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face the one who saved my by His grace
When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will beThere will be no sorrows there
And no more burdens to bear
No more sickness and, no more pain
No more parting over there
And forever I will be with the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will beWhat a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face the one who saved my by His grace
When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will beWhat a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face the one who saved my by His grace
When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land
What a day, glorious day that will be
But for the one who is not authentically born again, it is not so. The unbeliever is not looking forward to the Rapture, if he even knows anything about it. The bottom line is salvation. This determines where a person will spend eternity: forever burning in the Lake of Fire or in Heaven with the Lord Jesus. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psa 119:33 HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Oh what a blessing today’s verse is!! I love how the Word of God (Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour John 1:1) has provided His words through the Scriptures! Through them, we learn about His saving power, grace and mercy! Through them, I came to know Him and was gloriously born again!
But His Word doesn’t stop there! Reading the Scriptures brings comfort in this Topsy Tervy world! What does one do when the world seems to be falling apart all around us? The Bible has all the answers. In fact, God doesn’t want you fretting and has given you everything you need to know to live life when everything around you is going crazy!
Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors.
(The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.)
Reasons to believe website
We can trust God’s promise to fulfill the remaining 500 or so because of His track record! He gave prophecies to prophets of old and approximately 2,000 have been fulfilled without error! Who can do that? God can! Therefore, we can count on the remaining prophecies to be fulfilled without error! You can take God’s Word to the bank, Reader! Don’t be afraid of what’s to come but be afraid if you don’t know where you will spend eternity! If you don’t know Christ as your Saviour, you will not be able to take part in the glorious rapture of the church! Those who remain on earth after the Rapture, will suffer God’s wrath during the Tribulation which will come upon all the earth.
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Don’t be one who will be left behind! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Psa 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
Do you see Jesus in this verse? He is the only truth that one must follow. We find that truth in His Word. (John 14:6) Not only is He the truth in all things, but He desires to have close fellowship with us. So much so, that He calls the church His Bride! (Revelation 21:2, 21:9, 22:17) The church has continued to build, from the time Jesus arose to Heaven to the day the Rapture takes place. After the Rapture, the church is not mentioned because the Bride has gone home to her Groom! He loves us so much that He gave His life for us!
Jesus took all our punishment upon Himself so that we could be free from sin. The penalty of sin has been paid on the cross over 2,000 years ago! What love!
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Jesus made it clear that if we follow Him, we are not only His Bride, but His friends! We are not servants but friends! Jesus is my Saviour! My eyes are fixed on Him as He leads me! We all need Him today more than ever! The world is upside down with sin running rampant in our streets. It is only through Him that we find truth, peace and comfort. (Matthew 11:28-30) Thank you, Lord!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!