adailydevotional

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I Will Pour Out My Spirit

5th June

“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people.’ Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on my servants – men and women alike – and they will prophesy.’”

Acts 2:17-18

Long ago, through the prophet Joel, a prophecy was foretold, that God’s very Spirit would be poured out on all mankind. Jesus alluded to this many times throughout His earthly life and ministry. He promised that when He ascended after His resurrection, that all the disciples and followers of Jesus would be ‘baptised with the Holy Spirit’. Yet what does this mean for us now?

Well, firstly, we must realise, that this promise was not exclusive to the disciples, but for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Notice that God said through Joel’s words that His Spirit would be poured out on all people; men, women, servants, kings, rulers and workers. It is not restricted or hindered by who you are. If you believe, He will freely give you the gift of His Spirit.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit, is not some strange mist flowing around us. The Holy Spirit is a person. He lives in us, to empower us to live for Jesus, He supernaturally reveals Jesus to us, He leads us, He guides us, He comforts us, He convicts us of our sins when we do wrong but also leads us to the grace and mercy found in Jesus’ love. He helps us pray. He gives us supernatural gifts to extend God’s Kingdom here on this earth. He produces Godly fruit in us, so that we might reflect Jesus in the world around us. He makes us brave and bold to share the Good news. He reveals God’s word to us, helping us understand the mysteries of God’s heart. This is who the Spirit is and He lives in us. Let us thank Him for the work He does, and for the wonderful day of Pentecost when He poured Himself out for ALL of humanity!

 

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Seek Him First

3rd & 4th June

Weekend Edition

“Seek the Kingdom of God above else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

Mathew 6:33

Jesus promised us, earlier in Matthew chapter 6, that if He clothed the lilies of the fields, that are here today and gone tomorrow, more beautifully than Solomon in all of his splendour, and if He cares so much about our needs, then we have no need to worry. Again, Jesus encouraged us to pray for His provision in the ‘Lord’s prayer’….. ‘Give us this day our daily bread!’ BUT, Jesus’ point was never that we should go after material things or that material things should be where are comfort and security are. Yes He is our ‘Provider’, yes he is our ‘Jehovah Jireh’ and yes He gives us all we need, but our hope is not in the ‘daily bread’ of life but in the One who gives it! Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, when tempted by the enemy, that ‘people do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God!’

It is in Jesus that we find the sustenance of life. It is in Jesus and in His words, that we find strength to keep going. It is in Him, that our hope is found. It is when we seek the Kingdom of God above all else, when we live righteously, that we can truly have life in all its fullness. ‘Bread’, ‘material things’, they will fade away, but it is the Good Word of God that will endure. Seek to feed your soul, not your belly! Seek to grow His Kingdom in and out of your heart, not seek to build your own empire. Of course, pray for His provision, but seek His Kingdom above all.

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God Is With Us

2nd June

“But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage! I am here!””

Mark 6:50b

When Jesus appeared to His disciples walking on water, their first reaction was of utter fear. They were terrified. Wouldn’t you be if you saw someone walking past you, in the middle of a great storm, walking on water?! Yet often it is when we are in a storm that Jesus walks alongside us, in the midst of the battle. Notice that Jesus not only calmed the storm, but climbed into the boat with the disciples to face the storm with them. Yet as soon as He climbed into the boat ‘the wind stopped’! Friends that is the power of our Jesus.

We may loose sight of Him, in the midst of our storms, overwhelmed by the sea raging around us and the waves that feel like they are going to capsize us, but know this; Jesus is walking right alongside us. We are not out of His sight. His watchful eye is always looking out for us and watching over us. Moreover, when we are powerless in our strength, He climbs into the boat with us and gives us the victory over the storm. ‘Take courage…HE is here’! Trust Him. He has power to calm our storms and to lead us safely to the shore!

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Don’t Settle For Anything Less Than God’s Best

1st June

“Pursue righteousness and a Godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.”

1 Timothy 6:12

Compromise is one of the biggest things corrupting the Christian faith throughout the world. Compromise on true Biblical doctrine, on solid teachings from the Word of God and in people’s own life style choices. Yet this problem is not just limited to today’s church but was a constant theme in the time of writing this letter to Timothy. False teaching was prime, with many trying to attract more followers by watering down their message, some even to the point of preaching heresy.

Yet, just as Timothy was encouraged to stand strong against such things, so are we also encouraged to keeping fighting the good fight for the true faith. Yes it costs. Yes we may not always be popular, as what the Bible teaches constantly goes against the grain of worldly living, but our role is to be God pleasers and not man pleasers. God has commissioned us all to hold true to His word, to not compromise on truth and to pursue righteousness. Stand strong and hold dear the true faith. Don’t compromise but rather be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pursue righteous living. Our time in this world is short and we may never know when it will come to an end. Stand strong. Fight the good fight. Don’t stray from the path you know is true! God is with you. His grace gives us the power to fight on.

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The Obedient Leader

21st August

“…He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Philippians 2:8

The cross in Bible times was a mark of shame. It was one of the worse ways to die and was reserved for the most wicked of criminals. The bible even calls it a curse to be hanged on a tree in the book of Deuteronomy. Some even say that because sin entered the world through a tree (the tree of knowledge where Adam took the apple from), that is why it was cursed. Make of that what you will, but what we do know for sure, is that on the tree that Christ was crucified on, all sin and curses were broken as Jesus became sin for us and broke the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us. He took our place.

Yet all this was in submission and obedience to the Father. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Lord, take this cup from me”, the anguish He was feeling was real. It was far from easy for Him to give His life, to take our sins and to be beaten to death. Yet He cried out the most powerful words, “Nevertheless, not My will but Yours!!”.

True obedience calls us to submit our own desires and align ourselves with the will of God; even if the cost is great and involves big sacrifices. Jesus our perfect example, showed us how to live an obedient and self-less life. The cross nows stands a blessing for humanity. Moreover, it is not so much the cross itself, but what happened on the cross that causes us to rejoice. Let us draw on the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to enable us to live lives submitted in obedience to God our Heavenly Father.

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The Chicken In The Oven

30th May

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”

1 Peter 5:7

When you are praying, are your thoughts distracted by the problems and worries that await you? Are you carrying burdens and weights that are pulling you down? If that is you, then know God is for you and cares about you so so much.

Sometimes, our worries and problems can cause such big distractions in our lives, that it affects our sleep, our relationships, and our walk with God if we allow it. It is like the picture of someone being in church, listening to God’s words, or joining in with worship, yet their heart is so distracted and consumed with thinking about the roast chicken in the oven, waiting for them when they get home. They are so distracted, that they miss out on what God is saying and doing. So it is with our lives, when we allow our cares and worries to blind us to the reality of the great God we serve.

Peter knew, all too well of these distractions and encouraged the believers to not let their cares and worries get in the way of their relationship with God. He knew the importance of letting go, of giving his worries and cares to God. Not only does God care about every small detail of our worries and cares, but He is more than able and capable to help us get through them. Your cares are in safe hands. Give them to God. Write them down if need be. But don’t hold on to them. They will weigh you down. They will become a distraction for you. Give them to Jesus and trust that He cares about YOU!

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The Healer’s Touch

29th May

“She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.”

Mark 5:27-29

So often we hear of countless stories, were people are desperate for healing in their bodies, and like the woman in today’s story, spend so much money and time, seeking doctor’s advice and seeking medical healing. So often, people get to the point of hopelessness after exhausting every medical possibility for healing, and then turn to Jesus for healing. Yet how much more would our faith grow if we turned to Jesus in the first place. This is not to say that seeking medical help is wrong. Far from it. God has given us the knowledge and skill to be able to give the correct diagnosis and perform medical treatments to heal our sicknesses. But who knows our body better than the One who made it?

It seems that the woman in today’s story, prior to her frequent doctor visits, didn’t know about Jesus either. It is more than likely, that after hearing about Jesus’ miraculous power, she then made a decision to go to Him for healing, or at least just be able to reach out to His garment; a decision that proved correct, because as soon as she touched Jesus’ robe, she was instantly healed. Her faith in Jesus’ power made her well.

Friends, let us too, seek Jesus for our healing. Let us reach out to Him, in assurance, in full confidence that just once touch of Him and from Him, can completely heal our bodies from physical and spiritual sickness. Let our priority be to seek the Creator. Let Him walk with us through every decision we make, whether that be for supernatural or medical healing. He can do all things. He is power. He is love. He is ours.

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I Long For You

27th – 28th May

Weekend Edition

“I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.”

Psalm 84:2

Isn’t it great when you desire something other than to satisfy yourself? Whether that be to help others, to see others do well or perhaps something different all together. Yet how great it is to desire to be in God’s presence more than anything. The Psalmist says exactly that in today’s key verse. He longed so much for God’s presence. There was nothing else He desired more. To sing and shout joyfully to the living God with his whole being.

Today, we too can be filled with that desire, to serve, seek after and have the presence of Almighty God within our hearts. Where else is there to go other than Him. Whom else do we have but Him. He alone can satisfy. We can enter His presence freely through the grace, love and forgiveness of Almighty God. Pray for more of Him and He will give it. Pray for more of His Spirit, His indwelling in your hearts. Enter His courts with joy. You are His beloved.

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Fear Not… I Am With You

25th May

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you with My victorious right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

God’s promises are always true. His word never lies. The great thing about the Bible is that we can put ourselves in the center of His promises as we apply these truths to our lives too. Today’s eternal promise to the nation of Israel, found here in Isaiah 41:10, is one such promise. God’s promise, through the prophet Isaiah, to its original audience, would have come as a great source of encouragement. God was reminding the nation who He was, who they were in Him and His plans for them, which started way back when Abraham was called out of the land of Chaldeans and into the land of Canaan. Throughout that time, Israel faced problem after problem, some of their own doing by turning their back on God, but God never left them. He was faithful to the promise He made them; even if they had to walk through hard times, He promised them He would never leave them because they were His, ‘You are My servant, For I have chosen you and will not throw you away’(9). God was not done with them. ‘The Lord, the First and the Last’ (4) was and is the One making these promises!

Friends, these same promises, are not just for Israel, but for us too. God is not going to leave you in the valley you may find yourself in. He will not ‘throw you way’ or leave you to disaster. He promised to be with you and He will hold true to that. You may not be able to see Him, but trust that He is holding you with His victorious right hand. God will never leave you. Don’t be discouraged but be strengthened. He is with YOU!

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The Rich Fool

25th May

“Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own”………“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””

Luke 12:15,21

What is your priority in life… Is it like modern day rappers…..’Get rich or die trying‘? Or is it as Jesus encourages, to have a ‘rich relationship with God‘? Jesus never condemns people for having earthly wealth. In fact it is a Godly principle to be a good steward of what God has given (not just financially but in the talents and gifts He has given us also!). However, what Jesus does address is the issue of greed and people’s love of money when it takes the place of God in their lives.

As Jesus was preaching to the crowds two men called out to Him and asked Jesus to help them settle a family dispute about an equal divide of their father’s estate. Jesus warned the two brothers to guard themselves from greed. He added that life is not measured by how much wealth you have or own. To highlight this message, Jesus shared a story about a very rich man who had so much wealth, that he had nowhere to store it. That night as he was pondering on building bigger storehouses for his investments, God said to him “You fool! You will die this very night..!” The issue Jesus was addressing, was not how the man could be a good steward of his wealth, but what he said after, “I’ll sit back and say to myself…you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry”, the love and greed for money and its place in his/our heart.

Life is truly not about what we earn or own. It is a huge blessing if we have been given wealth but our joy and happiness should never be dictated by material possession. True joy comes from having a ‘rich relationship with God’. Our investments here on earth should first be investing in the Kingdom of God, in our individual relationship with Him and in partnering with God’s work on this earth to extend His Kingdom. Let us reflect on our lives and analyse our Spiritual investments. Where is your priority?