The Lord is Good – Sabbath Devotional – January 27, 2024
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good…” 1 Peter 2:2-3
Imagine that you have enrolled in a Bible class and your first assignment is to write a personal statement explaining that the Lord is good. Would you research the internet to look up Scriptures or inspirational articles? Would His goodness be limited to the blessings of tangible assets? Or would you have to edit the rough draft because your written assignment is too wordy? Your answer depends on your relationship with Christ.
To know that the Lord is good requires knowledge of His character. The Four Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John] give us the amazing biography of Jesus’ earthly life by four of His disciples. Although Dr. Luke was not of the original 12, he wrote the books of Luke and Acts. Unless we study the life of Christ, we cannot speak about the goodness of His Loving and Righteous Character.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20
Faith is the key to opening the door to learning the Lord’s goodness. We accept Jesus as our Savior because the Holy Spirit works on human hearts [this is a mystery] to accept Christ. Then we pray and study the Scriptures daily because Christ desires that we know who He is.
Faith plus Biblical knowledge allows the Holy Spirit to teach us the attributes of Christ’s goodness, faithfulness, and love for the human beings He created. Jesus’ death on Calvary completed the plan of Salvation which redeems us from our sins. This is the primary reason for the Lord’s goodness.
Prayer: Lord, we are thankful for Your abundant love, grace, and mercies. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
The Lord is Good is part 1 of 2 Devotionals. Part 2 is entitled, “The Lord’s Goodness” and is also published today.
“LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” —Jeremiah 10:23, NIV
We were created with free will to choose an earthly life which may or may not include our choice for an eternal one. If we desire to live in the perfect New Heaven and New Earth then preparation begins now. From the Scriptures, we learn that God expects us to live a life pleasing to Him. Have you ever wondered how to show your love for God? One way to prove your love is by putting Him first in your life.
Because we honor God as the Sovereign Ruler we choose to seek and obey His will. From the moment we awaken to the gift of a new day, we make decisions that either strengthen our relationship with Christ or satisfy our heart’s desires. Our love for God is tested every day. It’s not easy, but making an effort to prioritize God above everything else is the only way to strengthen your relationship with Him.
We can proclaim love for God, attend church every week, and not engage in worldly activities, but fail to daily surrender our will to God. There can be no pretense of our love and loyalty to God. Not only does He know our innermost thoughts, but we are betrayed by our lifestyles which reflect the true status of our hearts. Comparing our morals and values to the Bible may reveal shocking answers. How did this happen?
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” —Jeremiah 17:9-10
Every believer is impacted by the sinful world we live in. We know this because our belief systems often include worldviews. Selfishness is the greatest sin among today’s Christians. Many believers do not feel it is their responsibility to witness and help those in need, they simply live for self-gratification. Our hearts are carnal and drive us to satisfy ourselves. Still, we cannot do things our way when we commit to a worshiper’s life of surrender and obedience.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” —John 14:15
Obedience is the distinguishing characteristic of Christ’s true followers. Faithful obedience to God reflects our choice to live righteously. Yet, we face a spiritual dilemma—continuous internal and [covert] external spiritual warfare. In our daily walk with Christ, we must choose to stand down our innate desires and say no to Satan’s temptations. We cannot rely on our knowledge, skills, courage, or strength, to choose not to sin is something we cannot accomplish alone.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” —John 14:16-17
As long as we have breath, we will face many temptations that appeal to our driven desires every day. Yet we choose to pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom to discern the deceptive temptations and empower us with the strength to choose not to sin. Relying on Spiritual guidance instead of our understanding results in victory over sin.
There is no middle ground. Our prayers reveal if we are for God or against God. If we desire to abide in Christ then we follow Christ’s example by praying a daily covenant of surrender to God’s will. Jesus gave His life so we could live as overcomers. We can live an earthly life filled with love, courage, and victory over sin when we follow Christ who is our Lord, Savior, and King.
From receiving the mercies of a new day, we express our gratitude through surrender. The prayer of surrender easily flows from loving hearts because, like Christ, we seek God’s will and plans for our lives. Each new day, we whisper a prayer for the Holy Spirit to empower us. And we cooperate with Divinity by using our free will to proclaim “No! I will not choose to sin by following my heart’s desires.”
Prayer: God, we thank You for the Holy Spirit who makes it possible for us to live victoriously when we choose to say no to sin. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
The Excellence and Majesty of Christ – Devotional- January 22, 2024
“O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your Name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” Psalm 8:1
How we perceive Christ is reflected in our daily activities. Our goals, pursuits, thoughts, and spoken words either validate that He is the Sovereign and Majestic Lord of our hearts or if we only say His name occasionally. In the Inner Struggle, Jesus says we cannot serve two masters. Acquiescing to God is to use our free will to serve Christ our King with reverence, loyalty, and obedience.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” —Romans 11:36
Daily surrender to God reflects a heart filled with humility, love, and honor for King Jesus and invites the Holy Spirit to impart a deeper level of understanding of the majesty of Christ. We decide every day whether or not we will cooperate with Divinity by seeking God’s will. Studying the Scriptures reveals Christ’s Divine Authority as God, the Son [Hebrews chapter one].
The human effort of honoring Christ invites the Holy Spirit to empower us with spiritual insight—we receive abundant wisdom and knowledge of Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and King.
Only the proud heart refuses to pray for the wisdom to understand Christ’s Divinity. Even when we choose to revere Christ as our King of kings, we cannot remain loyal to Christ without the Holy Spirit. The Divine intervention of the Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above our innate desires of self-seeking pursuits that blind our eyes to Christ’s dominion and power.
“All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ ” —Revelation 7:11-12
Worshiping God in spirit and truth requires dedication and reverence from hearts full of unwavering love, loyalty, and admiration for Christ. Reverence is a continuous posture and mindset of acknowledging and honoring our Invisible Heavenly King. If Christ is perceived as Excellent then we intentionally forsake our desires by praying for Divine power and obeying God’s will and plans.
From denying self, our lifestyle reflects one of continuous worship as revealed by our faith, obedience, and gratitude. Yes, we embrace Christ’s Divine Authority by abiding in Him through much prayer, and diligent study and meditation of the Scriptures. Day by day our minds, characters, and personalities are transformed into the likeness of Christ’s Character by the Holy Spirit because we choose Christ as our King.
When our hearts are connected to the Source of Life, we give our King the highest praise because we have experiential knowledge that He is Excellent, Majestic, and Worthy!
O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! —Psalm 8:1
Can We Identify the Truth? – Devotional – January 15, 2024
Years ago, I served as a juror on a murder trial involving war between two gangs. As jurors, we were heavily guarded by New York State Troopers and escorted through an underground tunnel. The trial was long. We heard many testimonies, pre-meditated perjury, and a Defense Attorney who skillfully defended his client for 4-6 hours, giving us 2 hours to deliberate. At the end of the trial, we could not distinguish the truth from the perjured testimonies due to overwhelming discrepancies.
Spiritually, Can We Recognize God’s Truth versus Deception?
Plan A: Satan develops customized distractions to prevent us from thinking clearly and to wear us down. Adding distractions to our crammed schedules leaves us searching for quick remedies. The busyness that we succumb to has decreased our ability to recognize that something is not right. As a result of the rapid pace, we are too exhausted to focus on God and worship Him in spirit and truth. There is no free time for meaningful personal worship. We know that prayer and studying the Bible provide knowledge and give us spiritual renewal, so we tell ourselves hopefully, we will have time tomorrow.
Satan’s Plan B: The quick fix of social media has become the pastor and church for many who proclaim Christ as their Savior. Watching a 1 to 3-minute reel is easier than taking the time to pray and study the Bible. We scroll to gain Biblical principles from people who appear to be credible. Yes, it sounds as if they are speaking the Truth. Once we establish social media as our main resource for Scriptural knowledge, the Deceiver has lured many into the web of accepting convoluted or false beliefs. If we decide to let social media content feed our souls then we will be deceived.
Test the Spirits—”Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 4:1
Companies use celebrities and sports figures to endorse their products. They are fully aware the person’s name and reputation will increase their profit margins. Satan uses believers whose hearts are filled with pride to deceive others. Social media attention can become addictive. The majority of comments posted are giving praise to the presenter. Presenting the Scriptures as suggestions instead of requisites makes it easier to increase followers and likes, but undermines God’s Righteous standards.
We live in an unprecedented era of hearing spoken words from never-ending voices. Satan is aware that it takes minimal effort to deceive the spiritually unlearned. Without the Holy Spirit, and self-study of the Bible, we cannot discern the difference between the truth of the Holy Scriptures and false doctrines blended with a little truth designed to entice and deceive.
Not everyone in the media is intentionally mismanaging the Word of God. Still, we have become too comfortable with trusting human knowledge and interpretation of the Scriptures. How can one tell if they are hearing God’s Truth if they do not possess Biblical knowledge and receive discernment given by the Holy Spirit?
Obvious Red Flags: Giving opinions without Scripture, Deviating several times from the main point, choosing one Scripture to justify the presenting “truth,” never mentioning the name of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, and the once saved always saved concepts. The lack of Bible study has many Christians asking the same question as unbelievers, “What is Truth?”
We should study the Bible every day. Always pray, search the Scriptures, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s Truth so you will have knowledge of God’s expectations for the righteous. If a spoken message does not coincide with the Scriptures then you know that it is not God’s Truth. Thankfully, we have God’s Righteous Standard—the Holy Scriptures for comparison. Be certain that your beliefs are Biblical truth.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” —John 14:16-18
From our desire to grow closer to God, we can receive the same spiritual power as those in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. As believers who are living in Perilous Times, we desperately need the Divine empowerment of the Holy Spirit to live righteously. Not only are we facing an escalation of worldly temptations, but the warfare of false doctrines has invaded the Christian community.
“Your word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path.” —Psalm 119:105
Studying the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is spiritually refreshing and uplifting. We receive God’s Truth which sustains our minds, bodies, and souls. Studying the Bible every day is the human effort required to receive spiritual transformation and have a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ. Daily we commit ourselves as a living sacrifice to God through personal worship. Allow uninterrupted time for prayer, Bible study, and reflection on the Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead who gives us the deeper meaning of God’s Truth and teaches us how to apply the Scriptures to our lives. God has provided all that we need to abide in Christ, to live righteously, overcome temptation, and recognize false teachings. Through His Spirit of Truth, we receive the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, discernment, and the spiritual ability to recognize God’s Truth.
Prayer: God, we pray for wisdom and discernment as we study Your Holy Scriptures. We ask You to guard us from the many deceptions designed to make us fall. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
“I will never leave you or forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5
In the harsh, bitter, and lonely times Trust God with Your Life His Love and Mercies are Forever Pray for Guidance and Be Still Stop Striving and Worrying Put your Faith and Trust in God! God is Faithful and Never Changes
The Spirit of Humility – Devotional – January 11, 2024
Our prayers reflect our true character. With humility, we surrender daily to God and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s will for the given day.
Faithful obedience is the decision to honor and reverence God above our desires and plans. Humility proclaims “The LORD is My God and He is the LORD of my life,” therefore, I willingly place my life in His hands.
Prayer: Lord God, we pray for a spirit of humility as You possessed in Your earthly life by always seeking the will of Your Father. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Every thought, decision, and action reveals the destiny we choose for ourselves. God is doing all He can to save us. Yet, we are the masters of our destiny.
The Chosen Path
For our spiritual growth and transformation, God has chosen for us the path of suffering. Yet, most complain or feel that God is unjust and punishing us. Even Christ who was perfect suffered in His earthly life. Our trials, sorrows, and hardships prepare us to live, think, and choose righteousness over the sinful desires of our carnal hearts. God’s goal is to lead us from this earthly journey to our forever home in the New Heaven and New Earth.
The Nature of the Holy Spirit – A Mystery Today’s Devotional – January 3, 2024
“And I will pray the father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever—the Spirit of Truth.” —John 14:16-17
“But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.” —John 14:26
“What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” —1 Corinthians 6:19
The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Triune Godhead who guides us into all Truth, transforms our minds, characters, and personalities, comforts us with Christ’s peace, gives us godly wisdom, and spiritual discernment, convicts our consciences of sin, and takes our prayers to Christ.
“And, ‘If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’ ” —1 Peter 4:18
God knows we are impacted by our earthly [evil] environment and the countless voices promoting worldviews filled with compromise. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot fight the satanic power of spiritual warfare including daily temptations presented by Satan who uses masterful deceptions.
The Holy Spirit gives us the wisdom and discernment to understand God’s love, righteousness, grace, mercy, and the deeper meaning of the Scriptures. We require Spiritual guidance and strength to stay on the Path of Righteousness and to live every day as overcomers. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like the unbelievers who rely on their thoughts, live without a spiritual purpose, and seek peace in all the wrong places.
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:7-8).” Where do we stand as disciples of Christ who are living in these last days? Revelation prophecies are soon to be fulfilled. We are living in times comparable to the abject sinfulness of Noah’s times.
Christ’s Disciples: The disciples were face-to-face and walked with Jesus, the Son of God for three years. Because of their hidden agenda of always wondering who would be the greatest their faith and spiritual understanding remained weak for most of Christ’s earthly ministry. Except for John, the other disciples fearfully abandoned Jesus when He was crucified.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —Acts 1:8
When Christ ascended, His disciples finally realized their desire to be great in an earthly kingdom would not happen. Yet, on the Day of Pentecost, all of Christ’s love, patience, and teachings given to His disciples, the Holy Spirit brought to fruition. Do we have a hidden agenda? Christ’s command to live holy and to be witnesses not only applied to His eleven disciples but we are also given the same spiritual responsibilities.
Yes, we desperately need the advocacy and power of the Holy Spirit! Most believers are familiar only with the name of the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons we suffer needlessly and become discouraged is that we attempt to use our strength to change and to live righteously. In the Scriptures, Jesus explained who the Holy Spirit is—the Spirit of Truth and His definitive purpose.
Because we do not enjoy studying the Bible, we seek human-derived explanations of the mysterious nature of the Holy Spirit which leads many to believe that He is optional in the believer’s life. Thankfully, God decided to only disclose certain aspects of His great power. We have enough on our plates without seeking human explanations regarding the mystery of the Spirit of Truth.
Reflection: Describe yourself from a spiritual perspective. It’s okay to be unsure. Everyone has weaknesses based on the desires of their hearts. What are your weaknesses? Since we cannot judge ourselves, the Spirit of Truth always reveals our sins.
Once we acknowledge, confess, and repent of our sinful traits, learned behaviors, and unrighteous desires, we receive God’s forgiveness and Divine intervention. Although we receive the supernatural strength to discard all unrighteous behaviors and habits, we must also practice self-control.
“Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.” —Psalm 37:24
Do not become discouraged when you fall! Confess, repent, and start over that same day. Spiritual transformation into the likeness of Christ’s character takes a lifetime of the Holy Spirit’s power and human cooperation.
“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Our only strength is a heart filled with overwhelming love for God. Our love and loyalty produce the fruits of humility, faith, trust, and obedience [all of these characteristics are a result of using our free will of choice]. We choose to surrender to God’s will and plans. When we have a love relationship with Christ then we receive spiritual attributes given to us by the Holy Spirit.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” —Romans 8:26
Do we need the Holy Spirit? He is the One who takes our feeble prayers and presents them to King Jesus, our Heavenly Intercessor who hears and answers our prayers. God, the Holy Spirit delivers our prayers to God, Jesus the Son. “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:4).
Prayer: God, we thank You for Your overwhelming love and dedication to humanity. We ask for the anointing, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thank You for interceding on our behalf. Thank You Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to lead us from our earthly journey to our heavenly home. In Jesus’ Loving Name, we pray. Amen.
Our lives would reach levels that we could never anticipate if we kept our focus on God. God’s thoughts, ways, and plans include Eternal blessings. Pray for the spiritual insight and the wisdom to reach for the hand of God who will lead you from this earthly existence to Revelation chapters 21-22.
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