Category: Devotionals

Sometimes things happen in our lives that we don’t understand. They can be good things or bad things. They can bring us happiness and joy or they can bring us sadness and despair. Often, especially in those times when things are happening that are bringing us into a valley in our lives, we may find ourselves crying out to God and asking, “Why is this happening?”

That is what happened to Job. When God allowed Satan to test Job, Job found himself in the deepest valley of his life. He lost his children, his livestock, and even his health. As a result, Job found himself wishing to die and he asked God what he had done wrong to deserve his plight (Job 13:20-23). Job couldn’t understand why those things had happened to him.

In my own life, there have been times when things were going on that I could not understand. Several years ago, my wife and I had decided to put money down to have a home built in Florida. We picked a lot that we really liked, then returned home to begin getting our current home ready to go on the market. At the time, we really needed to replace the retaining wall in our driveway and hired a mason to do the job. That’s when things went wrong. When we were left with a half-built wall and a torn up driveway for almost two years, we ended up having to cancel the Florida home and lost the money we had put down. I found myself asking God, “Why? Why is this happening?”

God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9) and we can’t fully comprehend them. But, His plan for us is always what is best for us (Jeremiah 29:11). When we are in those valleys, facing things that we don’t understand or that just don’t seem fair, we need to let go of our human understanding and trust in God with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5). He always knows what is best for us.

Job trusted in God and, while he never learned why he lost everything, God restored his losses and blessed him with more than he had to begin with (Job 42:12-13). Although I never got to build that house in Florida, God has blessed me right where I am and brought me to a deeper place in my walk with Him.

We may never know why certain things happen in our lives. But there is one thing that we can be sure of. We serve a great God, who is our heavenly Father, and He cares for us and wants only what is best for us. Our Father truly does know best.

We have all been created by God for a purpose. That purpose was created by God long before we were even born and it has always been God’s intention and desire that we fulfill that purpose (Ephesians 2:10). When He created us, God molded us into the vessel that was capable of fulfilling that purpose, much as a potter molds clay into a vessel that serves a particular purpose.

God is the Potter, and we are the clay, the workmanship of His hands (Isaiah 64:8). But God has also created us with free will. We have the ability to choose whether or not to walk with Him and follow the path He has set for us. So, what happens if we mess up? What happens when the mistakes that we make damage the vessel created by God to fulfill its God-given purpose?

The answer to these questions can be found in Jeremiah 18:4. This verse speaks of the ability of a potter to take a clay vessel that has been marred, one that can’t serve the purpose for which it was intended, and mold it into something completely new. That reshaped vessel is then able to serve the purpose that pleases the potter. When we stumble and leave the path that God has created for us to follow, when we are not able to fulfill our purpose, God can mold us into something new.

Look at David. David was called by God to be the king of Israel. He was the vessel created for that purpose. But David stumbled when he chose to sleep with Bathsheba. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David tried to cover up his sin by getting her husband, Uriah, to sleep with her. When that didn’t work, David arranged a way for Uriah to be killed in battle. David, who was God’s vessel, displeased God (2 Samuel 11). David repented and, although he had strayed from the path set before him by God, God still used him for a greater purpose. It was through the line of David that Jesus, the Messiah, would be born.

When we stumble and leave that path that God has set for us, we may feel that we are no longer able to serve the purpose that God created us for. But, God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). When we surrender our lives to Him, when we yield to the Potter’s hand, He can take us and mold us so that we are once again able to fulfill our purpose.

Scripture is very clear that God hears and answers our prayers. Scripture also tells us that we should never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are to pray continually, but why? Is it because God likes the sound of our voices? I am sure that He does, but that is not why we need to pray without ceasing. Is it so we can keep reminding God of our requests? Since God is omniscient, that is not the reason either. I believe that we are told to pray without ceasing for our own benefit. It’s good for our spiritual health.

For one thing, prayer brings us near to God. When we pray we enter the the throne room of God. We are in His presence when we cry out to Him in prayer, when we talk to Him about our concerns, our needs, and our desires. God’s Word tells us that, in His presence, we will find fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). God wants us to be filled with the joy that comes only through Him. When we spend time with Him in prayer, we can find that joy.

Prayer also has the ability to take our minds off our problems and our difficulties and place them on God instead. We are told in Philippians 4:8 to set our minds on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. When we set our minds on God through prayer, we are doing just that.

Finally, prayer can help us to guard our hearts and keep us from temptation. In the flesh, we are weak and open to temptation. But, when we pray, we are operating in the spirit and can avoid falling into temptation (Matthew 26:41). This is important because our enemy, the devil, is always looking for ways to devour us by causing us to fall (1 Peter 5:8). When we pray, God’s eyes are on us and His ear is inclined to us (Psalm 34:15). He is near us and, when God is near us, there is no room for the devil.

Pray continually. It’s good for your spiritual health.

There is a war going on around us every day of our lives. But this war is not against an enemy that we can see. It is not against flesh and blood. The war that we are fighting is against a spiritual enemy, both in this world and in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12).

In this war, the weapons that we must use are not the weapons of the world. We cannot fight this enemy with guns, with cannons, or with swords made by man. Fortunately for us, God has provided us with weapons that have divine power. These are spiritual weapons that can tear down the strongholds of our enemy (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). These weapons are prayer, praise, and the Word of God.

Prayer is a weapon that the Israelites used in 1 Chronicles 5:19-20. As they went to battle against the Hagrites and their allies, the Israelites cried out to God in prayer. Because they trusted in Him, God answered their prayers and delivered the enemy into their hands. When we are in a battle with our spiritual enemy and we cry out to God for help, He will answer and give us the victory we seek when we trust and believe (Matthew 21:22).

Praise is another powerful weapon against our enemy. When we lift our voices in praise to God, the sound of that praise is something that our enemy hates. If you are like me, the sound of someone dragging their fingernails along a blackboard is quite irritating. It hurts your ears and sets your teeth on edge. That’s what our praise is like to our enemy. Psalm 149:6-9 says that our praise has the ability to bind and shackle our enemy, especially when it is wielded along with the next weapon in our arsenal–the Word of God.

The Word of God is a double-edged sword (Ephesians 6:17). It is sharper than any man-made sword. It is alive and powerful. It can pierce through both soul and spirit and has the ability to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). That’s why the enemy is unable to stand against it. The Word of God is the truth. Our enemy, on the other hand, is a liar and the father of lies. Truth will always overcome lies.

When you face the enemy in battle, when you are fighting for yourself or your family, always put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) as protection. Then, wield the arsenal of weapons that God has given us–prayer, praise, and the Word of God. With them, God will give you victory.

God wants us to have peace in our lives. He wants us to experience peace no matter what may be going on around us. He wants us to feel peace no matter what storms we face may be causing the boat of our lives to be tossed and battered by the waves of fear, worry, and anxiety. He wants us to have peace that surpasses all understanding. We can find that peace when we have a relationship with Jesus. When Jesus is in our lives, no storm can possibly overcome us.

In Matthew 8:23-27, the disciples were in a boat when suddenly a great storm arose, causing the boat to be thrown about and covered by the waves. The disciples began to panic. But, what they had forgotten is that Jesus was in their boat. They had seen Him heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and feed a multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish, but still they panicked, despite the fact that He was right there with them. When they called on Him to save them, He spoke to the wind and the waves and immediately the storm was calmed.

When we are facing storms in our lives, there is no need to panic as the disciples did in that boat if we have Jesus in our lives. Instead, we need to follow the instructions that have been given to us in Philippians 4:6-7. We should not be anxious about anything. Although the storm may be raging, Jesus is in the boat with us and He can calm any storm.

Instead of worrying, instead of being anxious or afraid, we need to talk to God. We need to pray, with thanksgiving, letting God know what is troubling us, letting Him know what we need. When we do, we will receive that peace that goes far beyond what we can understand. That peace comes through Jesus. The storm may still be there, but Jesus will calm the wind and the waves in our hearts, allowing us to face the storm without fear, worry, or anxiety. We will face the storm with peace.

In Luke 18:8, when speaking of His second coming, Jesus wondered if He would find faith on earth on His return. Several times in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus rebuked His disciples for having little or no faith. In many of the accounts of His healing people, Jesus praised those healed for their faith and told them that it was their faith that brought about their healing. Clearly, it is Jesus’ desire that we have faith. But what exactly does it mean to have faith and what kind of faith should we have?

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is having confidence in the things that we hope for. It is having assurance about the things that we cannot see. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says that we walk by faith and not by sight. True faith, the kind of faith that Jesus wants us to have, is not having faith in what we can wrap our minds around, things that we can fully understand. It is not having faith in the things that we can clearly see. True faith is trusting God even when what we see in front of us seems impossible for us to understand or accomplish in the flesh. It is believing that God will fulfill His promises.

The Bible is full of examples of true faith. Take Moses. Having been told by God that he was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses obeyed. He led them in their flight from Egypt only to be pursued by Pharaoh and his men. Although they had a head start on the Egyptians, the people of Israel soon found themselves facing the Red Sea. With the sea in front of them and the pursuing Egyptian army behind them, they were trapped and began to complain to Moses. But Moses had faith in God. When God told him to lift up his rod, raise his hands, and part the Red Sea, Moses didn’t look at the sea and say, “Wait! I’m going to lift up this stick in my hands and the waters are going to part? No way!” Moses did what God told him to do. The Red Sea parted, the people of Israel crossed through it, and God drowned the Egyptian army behind them (Exodus 14).

When the people of Israel were in captivity in Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar reigned, a decree was made that everyone must worship a golden image of the king. Anyone who refused faced the penalty of being thrown into a fiery furnace. Three of the Jews who were among the captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, knew that worshipping Nebuchadnezzar would be in disobedience to God. They would worship God and Him only. Their refusal to bow down to the gold image of the Babylonian king resulted in their being thrown into the furnace. But they had faith in God. Despite the fact that they were facing the flames and the furnace was made even hotter than usual, they didn’t say, “Uh, maybe we were a bit hasty about not bowing to that golden image.” They believed that God would deliver them. They were thrown into the fire, but were not burned up. Their clothes were not singed and they didn’t even smell like smoke! Their trust in and obedience to God was rewarded (Daniel 3:14-27).

When we are facing obstacles in our lives that resemble the Red Sea, when our circumstances seem like that fiery furnace, or when we are being called by God to do something that we don’t feel capable of doing, we need true faith. We need to be like Moses and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. We need to be obedient to our God and have complete trust in Him, for He can do far more than we can wrap our minds around (Ephesians 3:20).

The accounts of 9/11/2001 are filled with stories of people who gave their own lives in order to save the lives of others. One story that stands out for me is that of the “man in the red bandana.”

That man was Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old man who worked at the World Trade Center as an equities trader. But that job didn’t define who he was. At the age of 16, Welles became a volunteer firefighter. Welles was a person who always carried spare change in his pocket to give to the homeless he would encounter on the streets of New York. He was a man who was planning to serve as a Big Brother to a young person who needed someone to look up to. This was clearly a man who loved other people.

On 9/11, Welles took that love for others to a whole new level. After terrorists flew two planes into the Twin Towers, Welles sprang into action. Wearing over his mouth and nose a red bandana that he had carried in his pocket since he was a child, Welles went through the building that he worked in, leading other people to safety. One woman recalled him carrying someone over his shoulder as he led a group of people to a stairwell. Welles handed the woman a fire extinguisher and instructed the group to stay together as they made their way down the stairs to safety. Welles then went back up the stairs so that he could continue helping others. Ultimately, Welles Crowther gave his own life that day as he perished in the collapsed building after saving the lives of others.

Jesus has commanded that we love one another. It is by our love for each other that people can see we are His disciples (John 13:35). God’s Word also tells us that love is defined for us by Jesus’ sacrifice in giving His life in order to save ours. Because He gave His life for us, we should be willing to give our lives for others (1 John 3:16). Now, this doesn’t mean that we must all be like Welles Crowther or the many other men and women who gave their lives saving others on 9/11. We should be willing to do that, but giving our lives for others also means reaching out to help a person in need, giving of our time and resources to help them. It means putting the needs of others ahead of our own needs. When we give of ourselves, of our time and our finances, sacrificially in order to help others, we are giving our lives for them, just as Jesus gave His life for us.

As children of God, we have an enemy. That enemy, of course, is the devil, the father of lies. His sole mission is to take us down by leading us away from God. Although he was defeated when Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the grave, the devil still prowls around like a roaring lion who would like nothing more than to devour us, to separate us from our heavenly Father. For that reason, we must always be on our guard (1 Peter 5:8).

James 4:7 tells us that, if we resist the devil, he will flee. That’s good news for us, but we must look at what it says just before that. We are told to submit to God first and then to resist the devil. This is important. We must be fully submitted to God with our hearts, our souls, and our very lives. When we submit to God and allow Him to work in and through us, we are then able to resist the devil. And when we resist him, he will turn and flee from us. He will flee because, when we are fully submitted to God, the devil sees God in us and knows he doesn’t stand a chance.

The verse that follows is equally important. James 4:8 tells us that we are to draw near to God. When we do, He will draw near to us. We need to spend time in God’s presence, to have Him right beside us. When God is near, the devil knows he is powerless against us and he flees. As I reflect on this, I am reminded of a cartoon in which a young boy is running to avoid being beaten up by a bully. Suddenly the boy stops and turns to face the bully. The bully grins. Just as he gets ready to deliver the beating, he looks up and his face gets pale. There, standing behind the boy is the boy’s dad. Of course, the bully turns and takes off with his tail between his legs.

When we submit our lives to our heavenly Father, He is in us. When we spend time with God, drawing near to Him, His presence is with us. With God in us and beside us, the devil has no choice but to flee.

When God calls us to serve Him in some way, He doesn’t promise that it will be easy. Sometimes, what He is calling us to do is something that takes us out of our comfort zone. Other times, it may be something that we don’t feel equipped or qualified to do. And there may even be times it is something that we’re not really willing to do.

Abram was called by God to be the father of a whole new nation of people. God called him out of his comfort zone. He told Abram to leave his country, his people, and even his family, and to travel to the land that God had promised him.. He was required to step out of what was familiar and comfortable and step into what was unknown and uncomfortable. Abram was given a promise of not just a new land, but a multitude of descendants. But to get there, he had to step out of his comfort zone and follow the path that God set before him (Genesis 12:1-4).

Moses was called by God to lead His people, the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt where they were enslaved. God told Moses that he would be the one to go to Pharaoh and set His people free. But Moses did not feel qualified to do this. He didn’t feel equipped to do what God was telling him to do (Exodus 3:10-12).

When God directs us to a ministry, a mission, or some other form of service, He doesn’t do so because we are fully equipped and qualified. He doesn’t do it because He knows it is something that we feel very comfortable doing. He does it because He wants us to exercise our faith, to trust Him and rely on His strength. When we submit our will to His and step into what He is calling us to do, He will guide us on the path set before us (Proverbs 3:5-6). As Abram stepped out of His comfort zone, he was blessed by God every step of the way. As Moses traveled to Egypt to lead God’s people out of slavery to Pharaoh, God gave him all that he needed to accomplish it.

God never promises that serving Him will be easy. All He asks of us is that we be strong, trust Him and rely on Him and not get discouraged. What He does promise is that He will be with us every step of the way (Joshua 1:9).

God has given us a formula for a successful marriage in His Word. It is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, a passage of Scripture that speaks of the attributes of love.

The first thing we read in these verses is that love is both patient and kind. Patience is a one of the fruit of the Spirit. When you demonstrate patience in your relationship with your spouse, when you work at persevering through tribulation, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you and in your marriage. Kindness is also a fruit of the Spirit and an attribute of God. When you show kindness to your spouse, whether or not it is deserved, it allows you to become more like Jesus. Love that is patient and kind can help to strengthen a marriage.

Love is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. These things are works of the flesh and war against the Spirit. They should have no place in marriage. They can only lead to destruction, tearing apart a marriage. By walking and living in the Spirit, by working at keeping Christ at the center of your marriage, you can be successful at avoiding these things.

Love is not irritable. Irritability can be hurtful and drive a wedge between you and your spouse. No one likes to be around a person who is irritable. Irritability is something that we should all strive to control. Love does not keep a record of wrongs. All of us at sometime in our lives may be hurt or wronged by our spouse. But real love, the kind of love that God shows us, is willing to forgive and forget. We are commanded to forgive. But forgiveness by itself is not enough. You must also forget. You must not keep a record of wrongs. When you are willing to forgive and forget, healing can take place in your relationship with your spouse.

Love never gives up. It never loses faith and is always hopeful. Jesus has told us that we will have trouble in this world. When trouble comes in your marriage, when things aren’t going the way you would like, it may be tempting and even the easy way out to just give up and walk away. But, love does not give up. When you love someone, you must always hold on to your faith in God and remain hopeful that He will help you through your tough times. When you do that, you allow your love to be the kind of love that endures through any circumstance, good or bad.

When you follow God’s formula, when you strive to have this kind of love, your relationship with your spouse will be what God intends it to be and God will bless your relationship now and for all the years of marriage that He blesses you with.