Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WENESDAY!

I'm looking forward to celebrating the end of the Lenten season, and the resurrection of Christ. Jesus Lives... Hallelujah! Our Teacher, Rabbi, Priest, Brother, Friend, and Savior was killed many years ago, but was resurrected three days later, and now sits on a throne in Heaven, at the right hand of God our Father. Hallelujah! Through this week we're supposed to be reliving the week before Jesus’ death. Can you imagine what was going through His head, the day before His “Last Supper” gathering with His closest friends? Take some time to think about that, and research the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which all records many details about this last week. I know how I’m feeling right now, waiting to have some of those things I’ve given up over the last forty days. To be so close to victory is harder than I imagined. Without Jesus we wouldn't have life, so it's worth it to find out who He was, and about His passion. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about God supplying our every need. Think of Who God is, because we sometimes lose sight of that. Most of us have routines we follow, when it comes to our faith walk, but it should go way beyond that. Are you the Christian who says the same prayer when you wake up, before you eat, or go to bed? Do you read your bible the same every night? Do you go to church every Sunday, greet your friends, listen to the message, and go home doing the same things you've done, before you went in? I think most of us get into these habits and/or rituals in life, because we feel like Christianity is something that’s required, so we do it. Take Facebook, or other social networking websites, for example, there are numerous people that have "Christian", as their religion on their personal profile page, but nothing about them speaks that they're a follower of Christ. People are just being Christian for the Sake of being Christian, but it's written: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matt 7:21) We must build a relationship with God so that we can reap the fruits of righteousness. Yes, when we accept Jesus as Savior, we’re automatically “saved” no matter what, but don’t you want more out of life? God promises, throughout the bible, that He’ll provide all needs, catch us when we fall, lift us up when we're down, and give us everything that we ask in Jesus’ Name. We read these scriptures everyday, yet we're still in bondage, why? It's because we don't have a personal relationship with God. We don't see God as our "Father" in Heaven, even when we say it. Some of us can't understand how much He truly loves us, so we distance ourselves from Him, because of a lack of Faith. Our lack of Faith is due to our ignorance of who He is, and what He's about. God's love is so simple, that we make it complicated. The truth is just as simple as Jesus explains it: “...Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23-24) As well as how John explains in: Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. (1 John 3:21-23) I can list so many verses of scripture that promise the same things, but if you don't believe them, then they won't do you any good. When Jesus asked His disciples "who do you say that I am?" that was a defining moment in their relationship, because He needed them to understand what they were doing. We follow certain rules and regulations, without knowing why we're following them. You may look at your life and wonder, "if God says He'll supply our every need, then why am I suffering, doesn't He know that I'm in need". God is a God of Love, and requires that same action in return. Every promise He's made to us is there for redemption, because He's given us a choice. He loves us enough to offer us guidance through life, but it's up to us to follow His lead. He offers us wisdom, but we have to ask and seek it. He offers us blessings of all kinds, but we have to acknowledge them, and be able to manage a little before He blesses us with a lot. Do you notice a pattern here? The fact that God will give us everything we need, exactly when we needed it, should give us the peace we've been searching for, all our life. The pursuit of happiness is the life story of every human being, and the key lives right in our heart. We're in His presence every single day, and He waits for us to speak to Him. He wants to hear us laugh, and see us smile; yet He allows the tears and the pain, just to be able to keep us near. God sees our heart, not our sin, flaws, education level, credit score, or wealth, but our heart. He sees each of us as if we're the one and only person in the entire world. He wants nothing but the best for us, and that's why He pushes us through the trials and tribulations of life, in hopes that we can see in ourselves, what He sees in us, through the blood of Jesus. This is the God we serve, so never hesitate to talk to Him whenever you want, speak about Him to all of who's willing to listen, and dream about the day you'll get to meet Him face to face. Take that warm feeling that you have in your heart whenever you think of Him, and allow that to dictate your actions, prayers, and lifestyle. If you claim to be a Christian, know what that means, and live it everyday. Do your part, which is to love without fail, and God will do the rest. The first step to establishing an eternity long relationship with God lies in your Salvation through Christ. Take Dr. Stanley's God Quiz, and see where you stand. My favorite verse today is: The Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will be withheld from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455287&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943547

I love you!

Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today's scriptures are about learning the secrets of God. Did you know that you couldn’t truly know God unless you're in the Spirit? We learn in the Old Testament of the Bible, God revealed Himself to certain people, who where chosen to complete great tasks. However, even then, when asked Who He was, His only answer was "I AM that I AM" (Exo. 3:14). Although every human being is a child of God, and He's never loved any of us any differently, that close bond to Him couldn't be made, because of sin. He walked with Moses when He freed the slaves, and He was right next to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they walked through the fiery furnace. He had a personal relationship with Job, Jeremiah, and Noah, and also led them through specific tasks that He needed them to complete. God offers that same closeness and one on one bonding to us. Because of Salvation through Jesus, we've been baptized in the Spirit of God. He's revealed Himself through His son Jesus Christ, and by Jesus we’re shown the compassion, love, and forgiveness of God. We can go to God and ask for His wisdom and expect for it to be given, because He will reveal Himself as we seek Him. With Jesus we can hear, see, and speak to our Father in Heaven, when we keep His commandments, which includes loving Him with all of our heart. Jesus said it best: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:14-17) Jesus made it so that we can have a "relationship" with God, and not just be here to serve Him. Of course we all have a greater job to do for the Kingdom, but we cannot adequately share the love of God with others, if we haven't truly experienced it for ourselves. God originally created Adam for fellowship, but along the way, when sin was introduced, the separation began. Jesus has since mended that, paying the penalty for sin, hence bringing us to this great and awesome revelation of Who God really is. There are so many questions about who God is, and I know for a fact that there isn't any believer who's never doubted God. Whenever we doubt that God will answer our prayers, or allow fear to run our lives, we've lost Faith in Him. The only way that happens is because we're not spending adequate time to get to know Him. He has always been gracious and kind, but we have allowed sin to hinder our relationship with Him. Even the Prophet Isaiah said: Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him. (Isaiah 30:18) Our Father in Heaven is the same God Isaiah and was referring Jesus. God is deeper than anything we could ever imagine, and your Daily Devotionals or Sunday morning Church service only scratches the surface, because you have to seek God for yourself. The Holy Spirit has a personal message for all of us. If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior, please go to God right now and ask for Salvation through Jesus Christ, once you've confessed your sins. If you ever need prayer please let me know. My favorite verse today is: God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (2 Corinthians 2:10)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455236&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943547

I love you!