Knowing that the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within you removes all excuses. Maybe you think you can’t share your faith because you don’t know enough verses or you lack boldness. Maybe you believe that you can’t live a victorious life over sin because you don’t have enough discipline. Whatever excuses you have are garbage in light of this verse. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and empowers you to overcome any excuse you may have. On your own you can do nothing, but God has not left you to yourself. He has put Himself in you through the Spirit and we are to walk in the power that the Spirit gives us. No more excuses, it is time to live out our faith.
For the King,
Daniel Batistelli
The typical greeting in Israel to this day is Shalom, peace. That is the word the psalmist uses here to declare that God’s blessing to His followers, to His people, is Shalom, peace. The word itself is translated many ways depending on the context: safety, happy, friendly, welfare, and rest. One wonderful fruit of a walk with God is peace in our lives, a rest and safety and sense of wellness that He alone provides. No matter what comes my way, the Lord is with me. Today, may our Lord bless you with His Shalom, a gift and provision from God.
Peace out!
Pastor Jack Abeelen
After being told to be strong in the strength of the Lord and put on the whole armor of God to fight the battle against our enemy, Paul goes on to share each part of the armor of God. The first piece of armor we are to put on to fight this fight is the belt of truth.
Technically speaking, the belt is not a piece of armor that protects but rather a device that prepared the soldier better for battle. A Roman soldier would wear a tunic underneath his protective armor. But the tunic needed to be tucked into the waist in order to have full mobility going into battle.
As Christians, we need to be prepared first by having knowledge of the truth. Without a good understanding of biblical truth, we are ill prepared to refute false teachers and worldly philosophies or other false gospels. Not only are we to know the truth but also we are to gird our minds with it, meaning to have an attitude of truthfulness. It is a mindset of readiness, a commitment to the truth that prepares us for the battle ahead. We won’t be hindered or encumbered by things that would distract us from the truth.
Did you put your belt on today?
Pastor Jason Witt
Here in Deuteronomy 32, Moses is essentially singing a song to the assembly of Israel. He says, “For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God.” He gives this perfect description of God in his praise to Him. He is a rock, solid and strong. Everything that God does is perfect, He has no flaws. He’s just and a God of truth and righteousness.
Sometimes when we sing praise and worship songs in church, I just can’t help thinking about who God is. I listen to the words and praise Him for who He is and I praise Him for the work that He does in my life. Join me in the praise and worship of our God.
Joshua Navarro
Joshua was facing his final days on the Earth, and he longed earnestly to impart wise counsel to God’s people. In the preceding years, the Lord had well provided for Israel. They were free, they were at peace, and they were blessed with God’s promises of more good things to come. But Joshua knew the danger of complacency.
Loving God is an ongoing choice to daily pursue the object of our affection. If approached carelessly, the intimate relationship that we enjoy with our Maker can easily be allowed to weaken over time, as we turn our attention to other pursuits. That’s why Joshua warns us to watch out. To pay attention. To choose wisely.
Let’s make an effort this day to take careful heed to ourselves and seek to be ever closer to the Lord our God. Heavenly Father, keep the fire of love burning in our souls, hotter and brighter, as we direct the devotion of our hearts to you.
Jeff Deal
Paul is telling us three things. He begins by saying, the Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit. In other words, the Spirit is telling us that we are children of God. And if we are children of God, then we also are joint heirs with Christ. Indeed, we suffer with Him. In other words, if we stick to the course and not drop out we can be glorified together with Christ.
You can’t compare what is coming ahead with what you may be going through now. You might be suffering and think “why God?” but Paul is telling us, hang in there, because when it’s over, there will be glory, sweet glory!
Joshua Navarro
A pastor I once knew told me of a time when he was given incorrect change at a restaurant; 25 cents too much to be exact. He didn’t realize the error until he was counting his change while walking to his car. He went back inside the restaurant and presented the cashier with a quarter, explaining the mistake. The cashier was happily surprised by the man’s honesty, and asked him, “Why did you bother coming back to give me this?” The pastor replied, “Because my integrity is worth more to me than 25 cents.”
The way we handle the details of our interactions with others may seem trivial to us at times, but it matters to the Lord. Making a conscious effort to maintain honest integrity actually brings delight to the God that we serve. Think about that for a moment.
Today, let’s refuse to justify the selfish secrets and “little white lies” that the world tells us are acceptable. By the power of His Spirit, may we have the courage to make integrity as important to us as it is to our Heavenly Father.
Jeff Deal
What are the things that your mind is set on? An easy way to tell is what you talk about most. People who live according to the flesh talk about the things of the flesh: intimate relations, alcohol, money, and all the fleshly desires of the world. Their minds are set on the things of this world. In contrast, those who live according to the Spirit talk about the things of the Lord. They have their minds set on spiritual things and dwell on the things that God has done in their lives. The things that we speak of give us insight to what are minds are set on. Remember this in your conversations throughout your day.
Blessings,
Daniel Batistelli
Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colossae brings into clear focus the power, love, and absolute sufficiency of Jesus. When each of us met Jesus, we grasped the truth of His sacrifice for our sins and understood that His resurrected life conquered death for those who believe. The Holy Spirit filled our hearts and God’s word came alive with revelation to our very souls. The realities of the Kingdom of the Most High became ours to hold!
How vital then that we take Paul’s warning seriously. You and I, like the Colossians, must guard our hearts and minds daily from those who distort the truth of the gospel and seek to have us accompany them on their dead-end trail. The “logic” of this world that we once believed will beckon us back to an error-filled mind if we don’t make the daily effort to walk with the Lord (Colossians 2:6). Today, let’s take advantage of the opportunities to pray, to seek His will, to read His word, and to hear His voice. Rather than thinking of these as a list of duties, let’s remember that they bring us closer to the heart of God, and that in turn will enrich every aspect of our lives, every single day.
Jeff Deal
Have you ever been on a walk with a friend or your spouse and over the course of conversation an argument breaks out? You won’t be walking together long will you? One or the other will inevitably turn and walk the other direction.
This rather obscure question that is posed here in Amos’ prophecy has a profound application for us. We talk a lot about walking with God but to really do that we need to agree with Him about our sinful state. When we do sin, we need to immediately confess and repent so that our “walks” with Him will not be interrupted. And be assured that when we do fall and confess, our Lord is right there to pick us up and put us back on that path as we walk together.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
