Tag: Holy Spirit

Today’s Devotional—October 2, 2023

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. —Matthew 28:18-20

Throughout my life, I have heard countless sermons on God’s divine purpose for the Christian believer—to witness Christ’s love, the plan of salvation, and our duty to help those in need. As decades have passed, the content of sermons has changed from Christ-focused to being people-focused.

Fewer churches have community outreach programs and only the members who have dedicated themselves to Christ are actively using their free time to help others. No longer do most pastors preach of our duty found in Matthew 28, verses 18-20 to go and make disciples [followers of Christ]. And when have you heard a sermon on the story of the paralytic and his four friends who dug through the roof to lower their friend so Jesus could heal him?

Christ’s Divine Gifts to Every Believer

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. —Ephesians 4:11-12, NIV

Christ created us with spiritual gifts to be used for works of service. Every believer is considered a disciple—a follower of Christ. Witnessing is our primary spiritual task. It is our love for Christ and steadfast faith that propels us to “Go” and tell others there is a Savior who loves them and died to redeem their sins.

Today’s disciples should not only witness Christ, but also care for others by alleviating their suffering, whether it be spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical pain. We always offer to pray and verbalize one of God’s Scriptural promises that provide hope, healing, and encouragement. Then we ask, “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” —James 1:27

Although we cannot meet every individual’s financial needs, we assist them by finding out which local churches and social service agencies can provide help. Giving of ourselves to others is our primary service to God. How important is our God-given mission of helping others? “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

In Mark, chapter 2, the beautiful heartfelt story of the paralytic and his four friends represents our duty to God and humanity. “An unforgettable story about five men is recorded in the second chapter of Mark’s Gospel. One of them was hopelessly ill. The other four were his friends. These men had heard of Jesus, and they attempted to bring their friend to Him.” Walking Through the Bible Devotional

“And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” —Mark 2:4

Homes at that time did not have roofs like your house or mine. The roofs were made with branches that were laid across the ceiling beams. The branches were packed with mud that dried in the sun. They were sturdy enough to walk on but could be dug through. Often, there were outside staircases leading up to the rooftops. Bible.org

The background of the story includes a large crowd of people who prevented his friends from passing through the crowd carrying the man on his pallet bed. Yet, they persevered by taking their friend to the roof [in Palestinian houses, the roofs were flat] and they removed the dried clay and lowered their friend to see Jesus.

Jesus’ Response

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.'” (10) “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, (11) ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ (12) Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!'” —Mark 2:5, 10-12

Jesus’ priority was always spiritual. Throughout His earthly ministry, He reiterated the necessity to have faith in God. We cannot separate the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical components of our mind-body connection, therefore, without faith in God, we cannot connect to God.

With a loving heart, faith, and the commitment to put God first, we use our gifts to serve others. Helping the poor and spiritually oppressed removes the sinful character traits of selfishness and hardheartedness from our naturally carnal hearts, and exemplifies and honors Jesus as our Compassionate and Loving Savior.

Every Christian’s destiny relies on their willingness to obey God [not from a legalistic perspective of “I have to witness and help others”], no, we feel that it is a privilege and blessing to represent the love and compassion of Christ in our service to God and humanity.

Scripture: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” —1 Peter 4:10

Prayer: God, we pray for the body of believers who do not see the need to give of themselves in their service to You and those in need. We pray for the hardness of their hearts to melt and be transformed into the loving and compassionate likeness of Christ. We ask for the Holy Spirit to give strength to those who are tirelessly serving others and witnessing the love of Christ. In Jesus’ Loving Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries

Honor God by Waiting on His Timing Devotional September 26, 2023

“Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!” —Psalm 27:13-14

Waiting is one of the most difficult things in life. Yet, to be obedient, we must wait on God. Every day we choose to honor God through surrender and obedience. To live a strong life in Christ, we pray for God to reveal His will and plans. God’s ultimate goal is to give us eternal life. And none of us are ready to receive the reward, so in His loving mercy, God is waiting on us—He is waiting for us to embrace the spiritual journey of Sanctification—the transformation of our character into the likeness of Christ.

God’s Timing: “The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” —Isaiah 60:22

The last part of Isaiah 60:22, “At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” is trending on social media as God’s promise to fulfill our dreams and goals in His timing. But as I listened to the reel, something did not feel right. God never promised to give us the things we desire unless they are perfectly aligned with His will and plans for us. So, I researched to find out the spiritual meaning of this verse.

David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical. The following is an excerpt from his article, The Lord Will Hasten the Day (Isaiah 60:22). The link to his article is included in this post.

Now, that verse is only rightly understood when you realize all that’s come before it, and 21 verses before that, because basically, what God, through Isaiah, gives his people is prophecy, a picture of their restoration. After exile, after experiencing the consequences of sin, he’s saying, “I’m going to bring you back to your land. You’re going to dwell in peace,” but it’s a picture not just of what was going to happen in Old Testament history. radical.net

It broadens to a picture of what God is going to do in ultimate history when he brings his people to himself for among all the nations to worship, and there’s peace and righteousness that reigns on the Earth. This is talking, ultimately, about a new Heaven and a new Earth, where God will dwell with his people in perfect harmony. radical.net

“I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” —Luke 18:8

Reflection: Are spiritual transformation and eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth our priorities?

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” —2 Peter 3:9-11

“But God isn’t subject to time. Because he created time, he operates outside of time…He uses time to test your faith and to build your character. While you’re working on your goal, God is working on you. And God’s much more interested in you than in what you’re trying to accomplish because you’re not taking your accomplishments to heaven. You’re only taking your character.” pastor rick

Truthfully, we rarely focus on our spiritual status. We assume that we are in the right standing with God. But John Bradshaw, President of It Is Written stated, “The biggest deception among today’s Christians is that we think we are ready to receive eternal life.”

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11

Human effort is always required to receive God’s Divine Intervention and His blessings. Faith, humility, surrender, and obedience are the bundle of character traits that God requires for us to receive eternal life. We cannot change ourselves or possess these righteous traits without the Holy Spirit. We have a tough decision to make—pray and ask God to search our hearts and reveal all unrighteousness or continue to live according to our earthly agendas.

Honoring God requires the sacrifice of giving God our all. We pray daily for His will to be done. And we change our desires to align with His plan to change us into the likeness of Christ. Honor God by praying, obeying, and waiting on His timing.

Scripture: “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” —Zephaniah 3:17

Prayer: God, we confess that we are living to satisfy our desires. And for this sin against You, we ask for forgiveness. We ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Because we love You, we will honor You by living obediently, righteously, and according to Your timing. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries

Link: https://radical.net/podcasts/pray-the-word/the-lord-will-hasten-the-day-isaiah-6022