Devotional Thoughts

Ephesians 6:11    "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  Ephesians 6:14-17    "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  (15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  (16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Let me start by saying that if we do not put on the full armour, we will find ourselves falling down or constantly running away. Satan is constantly "... as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Therefore we must be on guard and aware of our surroundings. We hear much today about strengthening the core of our body, or the middle part of our body. Most of our strength originates from that area...

Matthew 8:1-4    " When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."   It struck me this morning as I read these scriptures that it always seems easy to follow Jesus when we are coming from a “mountain top” experience. When we have been lifted up by the Holy Spirit to hear and understand the words of our Lord, it is a time of great rejoicing and encouragement in our lives. We find ourselves feeling revived and energized to declare like Peter did, “Lord, we will lay down our lives for you (John 13:37)!” As they came down from the mountain on that o...

Mat 7:28-29    "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:  For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Throughout the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew, Jesus taught His followers about what it meant to be disciples. He taught that we are blessed when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. He taught that our thoughts and attitudes carried the weight of God’s judgement just as much as our actions. He taught that seeking God and His kingdom first was the answer to want. The phrase “it came to pass” means that it was “caused to be.” Jesus, by revealing a deeper look into the things of the Father, caused the people to be astonished at His teaching. When the Holy Spirit reveals in us the truth of who God is and what He has done, we are still struck with amazement today. After many years of knowing that Jesus is our Saviour, it still has the power to strike me with astonis...

Matthew 7:24-27    " Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."  It is good to set aside some time every day to read and study the sayings of Jesus. The goal, however, is not to simply read His word. We can memorize the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and still not be wise. Wisdom comes from the application of what we have read. We are easily discouraged from looking deeply into the sayings of Jesus. The words may seem mysterious to us. Examp...

Ephesians 6:10-13    "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  (11)  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (12)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  (13)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." I cringe when I hear someone talking as if they have the power within themselves to defeat the devil. The Word of God teaches us that all our strength and power comes "in the Lord." When David went against Goliath, he did not rely upon his own ability with the sling. He certainly did not rely upon the armour of King Saul. He had not proven them to be reliable for him. But David went against Goliath in the name of the Lord. "Thou co...