Rejoice in His victory

​S-‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.”

O - These are Jesus' words to his disciples just before he would be given up to be crucified.  He knew this would challenge and cause great pain and sorrow in His disciples, but he wanted to leave them with the hope that we have in Him rising from the dead and having paid for our sin and defeated death he would go before us to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to his disciples.  Their sorrow would be turned to joy as the redemption of His life for our sins would once and forever restore God's relationship with His children.

A - The application for me is to on this Easter weekend rejoice in the redemptive work that Jesus did on the cross.   I am to rejoice for Jesus has died for my sins and restored me to the Father.  I have been gifted the Holy Spirit to revive in me a hunger and passion for my lord and savior.  I am to walk in the victory that Jesus has won over sin and death. 

P -  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for todays devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you help me to walk in your spirit and truth and believe all that you have done for me.  I pray this in Jesus name,  Amen.

Son of man in heaven

​S-Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy.”

‭‭‬‬O - Jesus here is proclaiming the truth of his place in Heaven at the right hand of the Father.  He says this so all would know who he truly is, but the high priest chose to view this as blasphemy vice the voice of God come to earth through Jesus.  

A- The application for me is to remember Jesus is the voice of truth who came to sacrifice himself for the sins of mankind.  It is through him that I experience God's grace and mercy and now have an advocate in heaven for me.   I need to ensure I daily put my faith in him and not in me.

P- Dear heavenly Father , thank you for today's lesson may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray that you help me to live my life one with you and your ways.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Jesus yoke

​S-Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

O- Jesus is preaching to those who would listen that they have been carrying a heavy burden.  The burden of their sins and shortcomings.  They may try to make up for their sins with good works and strict religious behavior but the burden is just to much for anyone to carry.  God knows this and because he loves us and doesn't want us to be stuck in our sin sent his Son to take away our burdens and give us a much lighter yoke to bear.  Rest is needed by us all who toil in our sin, but thanks be to God he has washed us clean of our sins and now only wants our hearts to stay focused on him and to carry on the load he has set aside for us.

A - The application for me is to not pick up burdens that Jesus has already taken away.  I am to seek the Lord's yoke and not the yoke of the world.  I am to focus on the relationships and responsibilities that God has ordained for my life and pour out His love in these relationships, specifically with my wife and two girls.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would help me to lay down at your feat all of the burdens I am carrying that are not from you.  Help me to have the wisdom and discernment to wear your yoke and lift the burdens you have for me.   I pray this all in Jesus Christ name, Amen

God our source of Hope

​S-‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

O-  Trusting in the Lord is our source of hope and all it takes to receive this hope is to place our trust in Him.  With hope comes being filled with joy and peace and then we will overflow with confident hope through the Holy Spirits' presence in us.  

A - The application for me is to pray to God my source of hope that he would fill me with His Holy Spirit.  I desire the joy and peace that comes from knowing God and receiving His Spirit in me.

P- Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart .   I pray Lord for your confident hope to be filled up in me and that the Holy Spirit would guide me in your everlasting way.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Be not hypocritical

​S-Luke 6:37-38 NIV

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

O-Jesus is showing his disciples how not to be hypocrites in their ministry.  The keepers of the law like the phariseed and the saducces had become a judgemental and hypocritical bunch.   Jesus wanted his disciples to be different and not to judge or condemn people but to simply deliver the message of the gospel wherever they went.  They were to forgive  and give not judge and condemn.

A - The application for me is to be sure I am not being hypocritical to in my own life.  I have fallen short and shown grace and mercy by God and others, so I should do the same.  I am to freely forgive  and give freely.  I am not to compare myself with others or compare them with a standard I cannot live up to.  I should leave all judgement and comparison to God who is just and merciful.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray lord you help me to forgive and give willingly and to not judge and condemn people.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen. 

Glorified in Him

 S - John 17 : 1-5 NIV

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

O - Jesus came to give eternal life to those who follow Him.  Eternal life is knowing the one true God, and his son Jesus Christ.  He did the complete work of atoning for our sins and then was glorified as he rose from the dead and was seen and known by his disciples, then elevated to his heavenly throne at the right hand of God the Father.

A - The application for me is to receive the blessing Christ has given, to know him and our heavenly Father.   May I do the work he has given to me,  raising my children, loving my wife, and serving those around me. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you help me glorify you name above all names, and am known for my love and faith in you.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

The way, the truth and the life

​S-John 14:6-7 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truthand the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

O-  Jesus shows us here that he is answer to our problem.   He is the way, the path we are to follow, the truth, God's true and straight way, and the life, the everlasting life that comes with being reconciled with the eternal father.  No one can come to the father except through him, which is why he is the way.   Jesus is one with the Father, therefore if we know Jesus we know God as well.  

A - The application for me is to to follow Jesus as my way to salvation and restoration.   I am to here the truth from Jesus and plant it deep in my heart and I am to begin living an eternal life in which things from heaven carry more weight than things of the world. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you show me your way, your truth and your life, so I might walk in the fullness of this life. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. 

God's correction

​s-Heb 12:5-6 NIV

My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

O- Paul here is speaking to the church in Jerusalem and gives them wise advice to not make light of the Lord's discipline and not to lose heart when it occurs because we have a God who loves us unconditionally and a savior who died for our sins to be reconcilled.   We don't have to get down when we are facing discipline because God means it for our good and not our punishment.  He corrects those he loves so they don't stay mired in their circumstances.

A - The application for me is to not get down or saddened by the corrections that the Lord is doing in me.  He does it because he loves me and wants me to live a better life.  I must remember I am accepted in God's eyes and his discipline is for my good.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for your discipline and correction so I may live a better life.  I pray Lord you help me to pay attention to your corrections and embrace them for what they are, a chance at a better life.  I pray all this in Jesus name, amen.

The yoke of Christ

​S-Matt 11:28-30 NIV

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

O- What an invitation Jesus gives us here.  To be able to come to him when we are weary and burdened and find rest in Him.   Take off any yoke you have put on yourself and put on his yoke because he will lead us gently and with a humble heart.  While under the yoke of Jesus we will find rest for our souls.

A - The application for me is to lay down my life to the Lord and take up his yoke.   This is not easily done and must be done frequently because I know my nature to take the yoke of the world on my shoulders and feel that burden.  Even if I lay it down before the Lord each day I will need to exam my heart and intent to live under the yoke of the Lord.  

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  Lord I give you my worldly yoke in exchange for your yoke.  Help me to walk in that new freedom of being yoked to you and not the world.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen

Freedom in the spirit of the Lord

​S-2Cor 3:16-17 NIV

6 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

O- Paul here is speaking to the Corinthians about the power that comes from the spirit of God.  When we turn to Jesus and accept him as Lord and savior the veil is taken away so that we might experience His glory.   So those who are known by Christ the Spirit of the Lord is with them and where the spirit of the Lord is , there is freedom.  No longer bound by the law but free to walk in the spirit.

A - The application for me is to recognize that because Jesus Christ is my lord and savior the spirit is with me.  I have the freedom to walk in Christ and am no longer condemned by the law but show grace by Christ sacrifice for me.  

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord you help me walk in the freedom of the spirit,  so I might witness to others the power of Christ in my life.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Our help is in God

​S-psalm 146:5-6 NIV

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God. 

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.

O -  The psalm speaks about where our help comes from as Christians.  Our hope is in the Lord our God.  God is our help in all situations for we are a part of his creation from heaven to the earth and to the sea and everything in them.  We must give praise and honor to the Lord our creator who is and is to come.

A- The application for me is to lay down my past thoughts that I am the creator of things in my life.  Instead I am to acknowledge the God of all creation.  I am to put my hope in him who gives me help in times of need and time of prosperity.  He is the same from the begin of creation to today, and he is trustworthy to put my faith in Him. 

P-Dear heavenly father , thank you for today's lesson may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord for help in my current circumstances that you would make a way for me to heal from my addiction and recover relationship with my wife.  I pray you show me the way for my financial provision and help discerning about going back to work.  I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.

Do not worry

​s-Luke 12:22-26 NIV

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]?26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

O- Jesus addresses his disciples to put their minds at ease.   Worry about provision of food and clothing and other needs comes natural to us but Jesus wants to show us a way to live free of these worries.  He explains that are lifes are more than just the food we eat or clothes we were. God has a plan for provision for the Ravens who worry about where their provision is coming from.  They neither plant seed or sow a harvest of their own making but the Lord still feeds them. Since the Lord provides for the ravens, how much more will He provide for us.   Worrying about these things does not lead to adding an hour to our lives and since we can add to our life by worrying about littel things we should not worry about the rest.

A - The application for me is to place my trust in God and His provision.  I have so many individual worries that at times it can overwhelm me but God has me in his palm looking over me and providing for my every need.  I need to commit to surrender my worries to the Lord and allow Him to be my good shepherd and show me His ways and His provision.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's message may it be sealed to my heart.  Lord I pray for you abundant provision in my life. I surrender all my cares and worries to you.  Show me you ways and provision so I may walk in a manner that exemplifies my trust in you.  I pray this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

God's promises fullfilled

​S -Luke 2: 16-20 NIV

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising Godfor all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

O - The shepherds in Bethlehem received word from an angel of the Lord that the messiah was born in Bethlehem and they heard the crowd of heavenly host giving praise for the baby Jesus was born.  They followed the prompting of the angel and went to find the baby that was born to be the messiah and they found him in a manager just as the angel had told them.   They were overjoyed and spread the word concerning what the angel had told them and what they had seen with their own eyes.  Mary treasured all that was happening, likely because she had spent most of her pregnancy under some scrutiny because she had given birth before actually marrying Joseph.  She knew the truth of her conception by the Holy Spirit but up until this moment only her and Joseph knew what God had told them of Jesus birth and now these shepherds were proclaiming the truth of the messiah being born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph.

A -  The application for me is to remember that God has promised an abundant life for me and my family.  He has proclaimed it long before it has actually happened.  In this season of recovery it feels as if there is no end in sight but I know the Lord's promises and true and like Mary and Joseph we only need to hold on to the promises God has proclaimed in His word and His spirit's testimony to us. 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord for the faith and strength to hold onto to your promises during this valley season in my life.  I pray you show me your ways so I would not rely on my understanding but would lean on you and my source of strength and hope.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Triumph over satan

S - Rev 12:10-12 NIV    

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
    and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
    because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

O -  This revelation speaks to the battle in heaven between God's angels and Satan. The victory in heaven occurs by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.  But woe to those on earth because the the devil had been hurled down from heaven and he was filled with fury and knows his time is short.  

A - The application for me is to recognize that God's testimony is true and salvation is here by the blood of Christ.   Victory over the devil is made possible by the testimony of Christ in heaven.  I am to receive this gift of salvation by my testimony of who God is in my life. 

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for you this gift of salvation and deliverance from evil.  I pray that you help me to remember where my salvation comes from and guard me and my heart from the attacks of satan.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name,  Amen. 

Revelation of God's mystery

​S-Rev 10:5-7 NIV

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mysteryof God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

O-John here continues to prophesy what is revealed to him about the coming times.  Here the seventh angel who appears in end times speaks across the land and sea or all of the earth and has his right hand raised to heaven.   The angel makes this proclamation in the name of God who is the creator of heaven and earth.  In the futue prophesy there will be a revealing of the mystery of God, things which we do not know now because God has not revealed it. 

A - The application for me is to believe in God and his promises for the future.  There are many things I don't know that God can and will reveal in its right time.   There is much I can still learn just by studying and contemplating His word.  I need to be comfortable for receiving his revelation for the already accounted for truth's in the bible and even more comfortable that much more of the mystery of God will be revealed in end times.  

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.   I pray Lord for your revelations to things in my life that I need to know.  Give me patience to wait on you and your timing and give me courage to what in the mystery of knowledge of you.   I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

A new heart and spirit in me

 S - Ezekial 11:18-21 NIV
18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

O - Ezekiel's prophesy to the people of Israel stood as a warning and a dividing line.   The line was those who repented and turned from worship of vile images and detestable idols and those who did not.  For those that turn and repent god would give them and undivided heart and new spirit;  removing the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh.  This changed heart will allow the people to follow God and His laws.  For those who don't have a changed heart they will receive the consequence of separation from God for worshiping vile images and detestable idols.

A - The application for me is to repent and turn away from the idols in my life.  Idols like finances, occupation, t.v.  I must strive to turn from these idols and turn towards God seeking him in all ways I am to go.  I must give him my undivided heart and turn my hardened heart to a soften one of flesh.   I desire to have a renewed heart and mind and to follow all that God has shown me in his word and through his spirit in me.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for your lesson today may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord you help me rid myself of the idols I have in my heart.  I pray for strength and wisdom to follow the laws you have written in my heart.   I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen

Free to not sin

 S- 1 John 5:18-20 NIV

18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

O - John here speaks to all the ways Jesus is the truth and life.   Those who place Jesus Christ as their savior do not continue to sin and are kept safe from the evil one.  We know the evil one exists in the world as a liar and thief but with Christ we are delivered from Satans traps.    We also know that Jesus came and gave us  understanding so we can know His truth that God is the one true God and we are in Him as we are in Christ.

A -  The application for me is to affirm that I am Christ follower and He is in me, therefore I have been freed from sin.  I am no longer bound in my flesh by my past sins, they have been washed away by the blood of Jesus.   I know now the devil is real and out to get me to abandon my belief in Christ,  but I know the knowledge of Christ is made possible by God and that the truth that He is our one true God and we are in Him.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  Lord I pray that you continue to help me be free from the bondage of sin.  Give me the heart and mind to choose thosee thing that honors you and reject those things that seperates me from you.  I pray this all in Jesus Christ name,  Amen,

God's good plans for us

 S - Jer 29:10-13 NIV

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

O - Verse 11 is a well known verse that is commonly recited but verse 11 provides context while verse 12-13 provides guidance on how to walk in the truth.  The context of the promise of good plans, plans for a future and a hope was the people had been exiled to Bablyon for 70 years and the Lord was getting ready to restore them back to the promised land.  The Lord had the plans already set and he offers up these promises in verse 12, 13 that when the people call on Him, He will listen to them and secondly if they will seek the Lord with all their heart they will find Him.  

A - The application for me is to recognize that God has a plan for me and my family.  That though we are walking through a valley season,  God has good plans for us, plans for a future and a hope. I must follow the example here and call on the name of the Lord and pray to Him and He will listen.  I am to seek the Lord out with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord for wisdom and guidance on how to proceed in the troubled area's of my life : work, finances, and my own beliefs of condemnation versus grace.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen

Trust with all my heart

S - Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

O - This proverb like all of them are simple and true but can be at times hard to walk in.  The first step in this proverb is to trust in the Lord with ALL my heart.  I know God is worthy of my trust but having placed most of my trust in myself it is a hard habit to break, that is why the second part is so neccessary that I would not lean on my own understanding when making plans or decisions.  The Lord knows when I act by myself I am fallible to making mistakes in judgement.  These mistakes have led me into the circumstances I now find myself, and the way out is not by my own understanding but through trust in the Lord and His directions for me.  I am to submit to him all things and decisions I will now make in order that He will make my paths straight.

A -  The application for me is shift my mode of operation from self centered to God centered.  I must face the daily decisions with God first.  I must renew my committment to trust the Lord with all my heart and then to suspend my actions based on only my understanding.  I am to use my devotional and quiet prayer time to submit to the Lord all my ways and listen for his judgement on the correct path for me to take. 

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray you would help me trust you with all my heart and stop leaning on my own understanding.  Help me to pause and submit my plans to you and wait for your word and guidance on which ways to go.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Blessed are those that fear the Lord

​S-psalm 112:1-4 NIV

Praise the Lord.[b]

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
    who find great delight in his commands.

2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
    and their righteousness enduresforever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

O-  This psalm highlights the character of those God blesses.  He blesses those that have a reverant fear of Him and who find great joy in following His commands.  The psalm goes on to highlight the fruit of those who are blessed: their children will be blessed and walk in His ways.  They will live abundant lives, even in dark times they will find light in the Lord and will be gracious, compassionate and righteous in their walks with the Lord.  

A-The application for me is to take note of whom the Lord blesses and fear the Lord reverently for He is a mighty God, full of love and grace for those that delight in His commands.  I am to steward the gifts and provision that God provides, his good and ample provision.  I am to raise my children up in the way they should go and help them be successful and blessed in this land that we live.  In dark times I am to seek to be gracious in my dealings with other people, compassionate for those around me who are struggling and righeous in my actions.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's devotion may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you help me to live a life of reverent fear of you and obey your commands with joy. Help me to be gracious, compassionate and righteous in all that I do.  I pray these all in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

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