Trust in the LORD, and do good, dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noon day. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:3-7
God is a Loving Heavenly Father. God is a Promise-keeper. God is All-knowing, which includes our lives from beginning to end. What God is Not, He is not a God of instant gratification, He knows what we need when we need it. God’s ultimate goal is to save our souls by sanctifying us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore He will not bless us with anything that interferes with His promise to give us eternal life.
“Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need.” —Hebrews 4:16
Pray in faith and wait on the Lord. Jesus has invited us to the Throne of Grace to receive His Divine help. God will never fail us. While waiting for our blessings, we should excitedly wait as children anticipating wonderful blessings from the Father above.
Lord, we thank You for Your loving care and faithfulness toward us. We ask for strength as we walk daily in this journey of life. We ask this prayer in your Holy Name, Amen.
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” —Genesis 2:1-3
Our Daily Walk with Christ – Sabbath Devotional – August 2, 2024
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” —Revelation 22:7
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” —Revelation 22:12-13
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ “—Revelation 22:20
Three times Jesus forewarns us that He is coming quickly. The scoffers, naysayers, and Christian believers who fail to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for Spiritual transformation of their minds, characters, and personalities are not preparing daily for Jesus’ Second Coming. What proof do we have that we are not preparing for eternal life? The failure to surrender is evidenced by a lifestyle of self-reliance that overrides our desire to faithfully obey God.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). In the Old Testament, Jesus is referred to by the title, Lord God. Jesus wrote the Bible, therefore, He says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18).
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” —Revelation 22:14
For most believers, their contention and inner battle involves the Creation Seventh-Day Sabbath which Jesus tells us, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). These words of the Savior remind us that the Sabbath day was meant to be a spiritual blessing rather than a burden to those who observe it.
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” —Revelation 14:12
Satan has introduced many false doctrines to prevent us from receiving our reward of eternal life. Not only has he attacked the Fourth Commandment [the Seventh Day Sabbath], but we struggle with trusting the written Word of God by embracing human interpretation of the Law of God. Jesus’ death replaced the Ceremonial Law of animal sacrifice.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus specifically gives us the characteristics of the righteous who will enter the gates of New Jerusalem: Patient, Obedient, Commandment-keepers, Faithful, and Courageous. To be told and accept that only Nine of the Ten Commandments are still valid is jeopardizing our reward of eternal life. Pray and fast, asking the Holy Spirit-The Spirit of Truth for spiritual clarity regarding the Fourth Commandment.
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” —Luke 6:12
My beautiful mother is 90. Recently we reminisced on the all-night prayer meetings conducted decades ago which she attended and I accompanied her as a young girl. Not only did the saints of God have steadfast faith, but when faced with tribulation, prayer was always their first response, and God showed up with Sovereign power that most of today’s believers can never imagine.
Every Christian’s Responsibility: “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” —Philippians 2:12-13
We have a lifetime responsibility regarding our salvation. Think about your current lifestyle, full of busyness and distractions without sufficient time to deeply commune with God. Christ who was divine and human in His earthly life focused on spending much time in prayer with God, the Father. Considering our spiritual struggle, we desperately need to maintain a heart-to-heart relationship with Christ reinforced by intentional prayer, fasting, and diligent study of the Bible under the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect on your status with God. If Jesus came today, would you receive eternal life? Matthew 25:1-13 is the parable that describes two types of believers, those who have enough “Oil” in their lamps which represents the Holy Spirit, and those who failed to have a steadfast relationship with Christ and ran out of oil. How is it possible to run out of oil?
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” —John 4:24
The use of our time either strengthens or weakens our relationship with Christ. With the gift of 24 hours per day, we reveal gratitude to God by spending time on activities that promote our spiritual growth and maturity bringing us closer to Christ, or we waste our precious gift by using our time to pursue frivolous things. To live a sanctified life requires obedience, perseverance, and continuous anointing and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
To abide in Christ requires time spent in solitude every day in prayer and spiritual quietness meditating on the love of God and the Holy Scriptures. When our hearts are consecrated and filled with love and loyalty to God, we seek the will of God with the desire to reverence and glorify Him through surrender and faithful obedience. With gratitude for Redemption, we dedicate our lives wholly to God.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” —Matthew 16:24-26
Eternal life is a reward. Faith produces spiritual works. God expects us to have a dual spiritual focus. Not only are we responsible for working out our salvation, but we must also witness God’s Truth to others. Recognition of our spiritual plight is the catalyst to abide in Christ through discipleship. We use our spiritual gifts to glorify God, spread the Good News of the Gospel, and help those in need.
“You are the branches. Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit. For without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Our journey is a personal one-to-one relationship with Jesus who promises to complete the Spiritual Process of Sanctification [Philippians 1:6] when we fully surrender ourselves and commit to serve Him with loyalty and obedience.
Every second of the day, we face Satan who is striving for our souls, but we must fight back in the strength of our Warrior King. To serve God is not for the weak-hearted, to give up our beliefs, desires, and free will requires courage and steadfast faith. Yes, brothers and sisters, it is a daily fight and a tough spiritual journey to live holy, but in the strength of the Almighty God and the heavenly angels who fight our unseen battles, we can live as victorious overcomers!
From our dedication to resisting the snare of today’s prevailing “form of godliness,” in the power of His Might, we march forward as soldiers in the Army of God. Yes, the righteous who struggle and suffer to live as Christ-focused, Commandment-keeping, obedient, disciples, one day soon, we will hear from our Lord and Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Prayer: Jesus, we love You and desire to live with You forever. We ask You to search our hearts and reveal our sins, habits, and behaviors that separate us from You. Lord, we pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit on living holy so we may receive our Crown of Life. In Jesus’ Holy and Righteous Name, Amen.
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 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 3:8-9
Our Daily Walk with Christ – Today’s Devotional – July 23, 2024
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” —Colossians 2:8
Many years ago, I became severely troubled regarding some of my religious beliefs. The life of Christ demonstrated a loving and compassionate Savior who alleviated the mental, emotional, and physical suffering of everyone who had the faith to believe. Not only was He faithfully dedicated to seeking and saving the lost, but Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to die for us on Calvary’s Cross.
I could not grasp how God, the Father who lovingly gave His only Son would allow the righteous to live a perfect life in the New Heaven and New Earth while at the same time, the wicked suffered in an eternal hell.
“You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.” —Psalm 139:2
I am so thankful that God knows what is hidden deep in our hearts. The Holy Spirit came to my rescue, and I listened to a sermon entitled “No Eternally Burning Hell.” Many Scriptures were given yet the primary focus was on Malachi chapter 4 and Revelation chapter 20.
The Great Day of God: “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” —Malachi 4:1
In Revelation chapter 20, Verses 1-3: Satan is Bound for 1,000 years; Verses 4-6: The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 years; and Verses 7-10: The Satanic Rebellion Crushed.
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” —Revelation 20:7-10
“Why did John emphasize the idea of eternal if he didn’t mean it to be taken literally? “…the word ‘eternal’ means that the judgment will be thorough rather than lasting forever.” Some things burn up quickly, but with the day and night description, it doesn’t appear the devil will have an instant death. Yet, he knows his demise and still wreaks havoc on the people of God attempting to take us with him. But, no, no, no, we refuse to travel on his path of destruction!
The book of Jude, verse 7, “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” In Genesis 19, verse 28, “and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.”
We know that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding plains were burned and nothing was left. The Bible explains itself. God has predetermined what we need to know to live righteously. Jesus also clarifies in Revelation chapter 21, there will be no eternally burning hell-fire.
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” —Revelation 21:8
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” —John 14:26
There are many theological debates among Bible scholars regarding the original language in which the Bible was written and its accurate interpretation. Yet, we must remember the Bible never requires updates. Any new human developed theologies should be excluded from our spiritual belief system. We have all the spiritual knowledge we need in the Bible for our calling and election to be steadfast through Christ.
Perilous times are separating many from God. Every day, we have daily distractions, voices, worldviews, temptations, and an internal battle against our carnal heart, but with unwavering faith, if we take God at His word, rely on the Holy Spirit to give us clarity and dispel any confusion regarding the Scriptures, we will receive the strength to fight the good fight of faith.
Reflection: What are your doctrinal beliefs? Can you validate your present beliefs using the Scriptures?
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” —2 Timothy 2:15
Many of us have not searched the Scriptures to check the credibility of our beliefs. Yes, the Bible contains symbolism, parables, similes, metaphors, analogies, juxtapositions, etc., but the Scriptures [if] studied under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, allows us to receive perfect spiritual wisdom and discernment of God’s Truth.
When the Holy Spirit is involved in studying the Bible, He imparts wisdom and discernment even to young children. Studies have proven that children who study the Scriptures have wisdom beyond their age and excel in their studies. It is their genuine faith and trust that acts as a catalyst to receive imparted knowledge and wisdom from the Holy Spirit that would confound a professor who holds a Ph.D.
” ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and [inaccessible] mighty things, which you do not know.’ ” —Jeremiah 33:3
We are forever Bible students. Believers never reach a summit of Scriptural knowledge. Before we open our Bible, with humility, we ask for and rely on the Divine Wisdom of the Holy Spirit to discern the Scriptures. If you have never asked the Holy Spirit to reveal any false doctrines that are in your belief systems then you should because they are stumbling blocks to knowing and practicing God’s Truth in your daily life.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…” —Proverbs 2:6
We cannot receive spiritual growth and transformation based on erroneous beliefs and doctrines. Pray for understanding! Once we know the Truth, then we must take another step, letting go of traditional or learned beliefs that are not in agreement with the Scriptures.
Be prepared, Truth always results in separation from others! No, they will not understand. Yet, our salvation and reward of eternal life require total acceptance of Biblical Truth and dependency on God. Every day pray and invite the Holy Spirit into your personal worship, you will receive deeper and deeper spiritual insight into the word of God that will produce spiritual growth and transformation.
As long as we remain a student of the Holy Spirit, we will know why we believe what we believe. Every day, we receive a greater measure of spiritual wisdom because we have faithfully called on the Lord and He has kept His promise by revealing to us great and mighty things. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, we ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to anoint us with the power, presence, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Reveal your precious Words of Truth and empower us to discard all other fallacies. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.
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