God is so faithful

God is so faithful Israel was rebellious after God brought them up out of Egypt. Still God took care of this disobedient people. He never failed to provide them with food, water and He even kept their clothes from wearing out. God's faithfulness is amazing. We don't deserve it but He keeps on providing. Praise the Lord for He is good.

Tired of quarrels and conflict with one another?

Tired of quarrels and conflict with one another? James 4:1-2 says the source of these things is our lusts. With that in mind, if each of us turns from our selfish desires and walks in love then we will experience peace and joy in our relationships. Want peace? Want Joy? Grow in love. View or comment on Bible Devotional's post »

Self talk - A key to being encouraged

Self talk - A key to being encouraged The more tools a handyman has in his toolbox results in him being better equipped to get the job done. The more spiritual tools that christians have in their spiritual toolboxes makes them better equipped to work through various problems in this life. One of these spiritual tools is self talk / self encouragement. God certainly works through our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us. But there are times when no one is available to lift us up. Here is one thing we need to do during those times. We need to strengthen ourselves through self talk. We need to make a conscious effort to remind ourselves of scripture and also of the help that God has given us in the past. We need to use these scriptures and experiences to revive, strengthen, comfort and encourage ourselves in the Lord. Here are several passages that refer to strengthening and comforting ourselves in the Lord. 1 Samuel 30:1-6, Psalm 42:5 and Psalm 119:49-52. Take special note of the Psalmist speaking to himself and encouraging himself in Psalm 42:5

Crying out to God but He is silent.

Times of crying out to God but He is being silent. Are you going through a time of desperately crying out to God but He is being silent? This devotion does not cover every reason that this may happen but here are a few things that can help. Don't allow your circumstances to distort your perception of God's character. Remind yourself that God is Holy. And that His love for you does not change. Resist the lie that God is not aware of your circumstances. He is so constant and familiar with everything in your life that He even knows the words that you are about to speak before they reach your tongue. Resist the lie that God has forsaken you. God promises to never forsake or leave those that are His own. Find encouragement from your brothers and sisters in Christ. But don't allow your only source of encouragement to come from others. Make sure that you do self talk and encourage yourself too. Remind yourself of scripture where God's people put their trust in Him and He delivered them. And it ended up that they were not disappointed in doing so. Additionally, remind yourself of how God has faithfully helped you in the past. Encourage yourself with these memories. Sin can also keep prayer from being answered ( Psalm 66:18). And not being in right relationship with your wife can hinder prayers too ( 1 Peter 3:7).

All of God's children have room to grow spiritually

All of God's children have room to grow spiritually. And as a result, we all experience the disciplining hand of God. When we are disciplined we need to have a balanced perspective. We should not take it too lightly because God is serious about sin. But we shouldn't be overwhelmed by it either. God disciplines us because He loves us. He is doing it for our benefit. He is treating us as children that He has received. If we respond properly, His discipline turns us away from sin and matures our character.

Adversaries gaining victory over you?

Sometimes we are defeated by an adversary due to sin in our lives (Joshua chapter 7). There are other times when we have trouble with an adversary while we are genuinely trying to put God first (Psalm 44).

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Evil behavior robs sleep

Those that make it their habit/practice to do wickedness can have their sleep robbed. They enter a viscous cycle that parallels that of a drug addict undergoing withdrawal symptoms. The drug addict in withdrawal seeks relief by returning to very drug that created the miserable state in the first place.  In a similar way the evil that the wicked practice creates an internal turmoil that hinders sleep. They seek relief from their inability to rest by doing wrong to their fellow man. Sadly they use doing evil, which actually created their internal turmoil, as a temporary means of relief. Read about this in Proverbs 4:14-17

¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked 
And do not proceed in the way of evil men. 
¹⁵ Avoid it, do not pass by it; 
Turn away from it and pass on. 
¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; 
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness 
And drink the wine of violence.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Meditating on God's Word - part 1

Meditating on God's Word will increase your insight - Psalm 119:99. Why not set aside some time right now and meditate on a verse or passage. Read it over and over and pay careful attention to each word. Also as you do this ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight. If you enjoy my devotions consider subscribing to my wall posts.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Thought # 2 on Psalm 101

Thought # 2 on Psalm 101. Read this Psalm and look at it from the perspective of being an effective ruler ( although there are more points that just that). An effective ruler must first rule over himself and walk uprightly. His staff under him must also have integrity. He must be willing to remove those who lack integrity. He must replace them with those of excellent character. He needs to have a balance between the exercising justice and showing lovingkindness


Psalm 101
101 I will sing of lovingkindness and justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)


Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Thought # 1 on Psalm 101 - We must choose to obey God

Read Psalm 101 below and notice how many times the Psalmist used the words "I will" in this short passage. He made a conscious choice as to how he would live. We must have a balance between dependence on God's help and exercising our will and choosing to obey. Obedience is a choice. We must choose to obey.

Suggestion 1 - count how many times the Psalmist used the words "I will"  and give your answer in a comment. 
Suggestion 2 - see if you can find other phrases / wordings that show the Psalmist making a choice. Share which ones you discovered. 

Psalm 101
101 I will sing of lovingkindness and justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Seeking praise from man - One source of personal misery and sin

When we want honor from man it can lead to an internal turmoil that can make us angry and unhappy. This inward turmoil can lead to sinful thoughts and sinful actions. King Saul was someone that wanted honor from man ( 1 Samuel 15:30 ). And when returning from battle the singers gave more honor to David in a song than King Saul (1 Samuel 18:6-8). The fact that he did not receive the highest honor made Saul upset and angry. And it caused him to look at David with suspicion from that point forward. It certainly played a role in King Saul wanting to put David to death.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Good deeds must have good motives

Good deeds must have good motives

In a previous post ( Developing a heart that rejoices - Part 2 ) we talked about doing good and then rejoicing in the good we have done. In this post we are going to fine tune that a little further. We need to make sure that each good action also has a good motive.

Philippians 1:15

15  Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will

In the scripture above a good thing is being done. Christ being preached is a good thing. But notice how the verse shows that a good thing can be done with pure motives or it can be done out of selfish motives. So this tells us that we must always attach a good motive to a good action.

We are warring against our sinful nature. As a result it can be very easy to start doing a good thing with pure motives and then drift over to selfish motives. I need to do something to help keep those selfish motives under control. My friend gave me a picture of Jesus smiling and I put it by the front door where I see it all the time. If I am going to show someone a kindness I try to wait before I go outside. I pause and look at that smile and say I will do this to please God and I will do this to show kindness to this person. It doesn't take long. Just take a moment to do some self talk and it will help you keep on the right track.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Weary? Come to God, learn from Him and find rest for your soul

Matthew 11:28-30

28"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Are you weary and heavy-laden? Do you want to find rest for your soul? The one who promises you this rest is Jesus. The starting point of that rest is accepting him into your heart as Lord and Savior. You need to accept Jesus into your heart as Lord meaning that with His help you will turn away from sin and learn to walk in obedience to the Bible. You need to accept Jesus into your heart as Savior so your sins can be forgiven.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and would like to do so now then please pray with me, " God I know that I am a sinner. And I know I can't enter Heaven unless my sins are forgiven by your son Jesus. Jesus I ask you into my heart as Savior and Lord. Forgive me all my sins and help me to turn away from sin and obey what your Bible teaches."

If you just prayed that prayer please contact me I would love to hear the good news.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Don't make any provision for the lusts of the flesh

Today we are going to talk about not setting ourselves up for sin. Lets get right to our Bible verse which is Romans 13:14.

 ¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Our sinful nature is like a dying campfire. Add a little wood and fan the embers and our fleshly desires can easily be ignited. With this in mind we should ask ourselves this question. Are we allowing anything in our lives that can set us up for sin? If we find something with that potential then we need to deal radically with it. We need to do whatever we can to remove it.

Not allowing provision for the flesh can apply to various sins. But for this devotion lets talk about sexual sin. Lets say a man is having trouble with viewing pornography online. As long as he has access to his internet service he is making a provision for the flesh. He needs to deal radically with his sin and do one of two things. Either cancel his internet service or have a household member password protect the internet so he is unable to access it.

Lets consider an example of a couple that is engaged to get married next summer. Here are some ways they could avoid making a provision for sexual sin. They could avoid alone time by planning group activities. They could avoid drinking alcohol which could lower their resistance to sin. They could make a plan to never stay overnight at each others house even if their intention is to stay in separate rooms. These are a couple of examples of how they could avoid making a provision for the flesh.

Remember this verse applies to various lusts of the flesh and not just sexual sin. So take a moment and ask God to reveal to you if you are making a provision for the flesh. If He reveals something to you then deal radically with it and eliminate it.

God bless

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Developing a heart that rejoices - Part 3

This Bible devotion is going to show another facet of what we already talked about in "Developing a heart that rejoices - Part 2." In that post from Genesis chapter 1 we talked about - doing good, looking upon that good and rejoicing in that good. But today we are going to talk about how that same process has a by-product of a healthy self-esteem.

The focus of our Christian walk is not our self-esteem but rather building godly character. However, a by-product of godly character is an improved self-esteem. When we see how our actions brought good to another then we can rejoice about the good we brought them. When we rejoice about our actions, as a by-product we feel good about ourselves. Our self-esteem is elevated by loving others.

I'll use an extreme example to get the point across. A firefighter saves a baby from a burning building and returns the child unharmed to a very happy mother. He meditates on his actions and is glad about the good he brought them. As a result of his deeds he feels good about himself. But we don't have to do a big thing to rejoice. It blesses someone, and God is also pleased, when we give a cup of cold water to someone in need.

In contrast when we do wrong we feel bad about our actions. And at that moment we have a lower esteem of ourselves. We all sin and fall short. And a troubled conscience can be a weight on how we feel about ourselves. So, after a fall, lets reverse that negative process as quickly as we can . Repent, confess, trust that God has forgiven you and then also forgive yourself. Forget the past and move forward doing what is good today, and then rejoice in that good. Doing good for others changes our whole perception of ourselves for the better. As always, walking in God's ways is good for us!

( Note: this post is not a substitute for Professional  counseling or Doctor directed medicines)

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Developing a heart that rejoices - Part 2

In part 2 we will look at a principal of rejoicing that God Himself practices. I'll sum up the principal in my own words and then we will find an example of it in the Bible. The principal is this:  Do what is good - Look upon those good actions - Rejoice in those good actions. Lets first look at a Bible verse in Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1:10

......10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good

We see this rejoicing  principle in the very first chapter of the Bible.  First God did something good. He created the dry ground and the seas.  Next He looks upon His actions and saw that it was good. So we see that God rejoiced in His good actions. This point is reinforced by it's repetition. It is stated six times in Genesis chapter 1 that God saw what He did was good. And one time He saw what He did was very good. 

Here is another scripture that makes practicing this principal a high priority. 

Ecclesiastes 2:24

24  There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.

Look at how much importance this verse places on telling ourselves that our labor is good. We are to do good actions and also engage in rejoicing-self-talk.We need to tell ourselves that what we have done is good. The verse tells us that this rejoicing-self-talk not only is a good thing but also that it is a high priority. 

Next it does not have to be prideful or sinful to do this. God does not sin. So if He practiced this principal then it is also good for us to practice it too. Also it should be noted that God did not wait till the work was all done to start rejoicing. He was rejoicing before creation was complete. We can be robbed of joy if we just won't be happy until we complete something. Enjoy the journey. Rejoice each day even when you haven't brought your work to completion yet. Then rejoice extra when you do bring the project to completion.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Developing a heart that rejoices - Part 1

In order to lay a good foundation for several different points about joy I must first undo a teaching that is just slightly off. Have you ever heard someone say "There is nothing you can do to please God" ?  What they really mean is there is no way you can ever earn Heaven. You can never be good enough to be worthy of Heaven. This part is true. You are not good enough and hands down salvation and entrance into Heaven is only through the Cross.  But the error is when a Christian, who is not relying on works but on the finished work of Jesus, is told there is nothing he can do to please God. This part not only is wrong but it robs  believers of a joyful motivator that is needed for long term endurance.

You can't earn Heaven but the believer can please God. Hebrews 13:16

16  And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

This verse clearly states that we can please our Heavenly Father by showing kindness to one another. Our actions of doing good and sharing pleases God. It does not save us but it makes God glad.

Did you ever give a present to someone and you just knew that when they opened it they would be glad? How did you feel when they responded with excitement? Weren't you glad when they were pleased? Or did you ever hold a baby and do all sorts of things to make the baby smile? And when you got that smile didn't it make you smile too?

In the above examples it was essential for you to know that the individual was pleased in order for your joy to flow. Likewise one essential of your joy flowing in your relationship with God is knowing that He is pleased with your good actions. When we know that we have made God glad then it gives us a reason to rejoice too.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Make God smile today

The purpose of this devotion is twofold. The first is to realize that God's children can please Him. And the second is developing a mindset where we consciously choose to make Him glad.

Before we start I want to make sure the words "please God" are not misunderstood. When I say "please God" I am not suggesting that you can earn Heaven. Because the only way to Heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. So for sake of confusion lets look at this devotion from the standpoint of someone who has already received Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The Bible tells us many wonderful things. One wonderful thing is the knowledge that we can please Him. Lets first read Hebrews 13:16.

¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

This verse talks about doing good and sharing. And there is no mistaking the last three words in this verse "God is pleased." But at what point in time do our actions please Him. If we look carefully at this verse we'll find we can please Him right now. The word "is" talks about the present time not some point in the future. "God is pleased" as He watches us show love. It is so encouraging to know that we can make God smile today. ( note: in Matthew 25:14-30  there is mention of our master being pleased with us at a future date as a result of faithful service )

And we should make pleasing God one of the motives of our actions. We can set one of our motives to be a blessing to people. And we can set another to please God. Whenever possible, I like to set my motives before I actually show kindness. Lets use an example of giving some cookies to my neighbors. I first set my motives as to why I am giving them. I make a conscious decision that I will express love. I do self-talk and determine in my mind, "I will do this to make God smile and I will do this to bring good to my neighbors."

Additionally, it is a good thing to set our motives to please God while doing routine tasks. Why? One reason is to build our love for Him. The more we act on love the more it becomes part of our character. Another reason is to maintain a joyful attitude. When we do a task as an expression of love to God we can rejoice in  that task . And when we rejoice in our work it can keep routine tasks from becoming monotonous or burdensome.

Finally, lets sum things up. Start with a conscious decision to make the motivations of your heart to bless others and to bless God. Then realize that your expression of love is bringing good to others and is pleasing God too. Then, rejoice over the good you are bringing to people and the gladness you are giving to God. As soon as you are done reading this devotion I encourage you to show love towards God. Bless Him, do something that is pleasing in His sight and make the Lord smile!


Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Feeling rejected, abandoned or unloved? Find help in God

Feelings of rejection, abandonment, being unloved and loneliness are awful. We want to be loved but sometimes others stop loving us. At times we have been hit hard when friends, family members or even a spouse doesn't care anymore or even rejects us. In those times God's  love is all the more precious. We see that there is only one who never stops loving us. Only one who never abandons us. Only one who takes us in when others cast us away. God is the only one. Put your hope in Him. God will never fail you.

When rejected by the closest relationships God desires to take you in. Psalm 27:10

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.

God loves you and wants to be a true father to you. And He has a plan for your loneliness Psalm 68: 5-6

5  A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,   Is God in His holy habitation.6  God makes a home for the lonely;   He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,  Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

To those who receive Him as Lord and Savior He will never abandon them Hebrews 13:5

5  Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

God's love sticks with us closer than even the best relationships Proverbs 18:24

24  A  man of too many friends comes to ruin,    But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

 Would you like to have this Father that takes you up when others forsake you? Would you like a love in your life that will never desert or forsake you? Then you need  to become His child today. God will become your Father as you accept His son Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Accepting Him as Lord means that with His help you will turn away from sinful ways and start obeying His ways. Accepting Jesus as Savior means acknowledging that you are a sinner and you need to receive the  forgiveness of your sins that comes only from Jesus dying on the cross.

If you would like to invite Jesus into your heart right now then pray this with me. "Jesus I know that I am a sinner and that I can't earn Heaven. I ask you to come into my heart right now as Lord and Savior. Give me power to change and obey you. Forgive me of my sins according to your death on the Cross."

If you just invited Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior please share the good news with us.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

More sources and cures for depression in the Bible

One source, but not the only source, of depression is anxiety. Proverbs 12:25

25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.

Anxiety weighs down / depresses you. Since anxiety is one source of depression then preventing anxiety is one way to prevent depression. Peace can prevent you from being weighed down and getting depressed. Lets look at just two ways to sustain peace.

1. Obeying God brings peace. Psalm 119:165

165 Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.

2. Prayer brings peace. Philippians 4:6-7

6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Please don't interpret anything I share as a substitute for Christian counseling and God given wisdom for medicines.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

Anger can lead to depression

Holding on to anger can lead to depression.

Genesis 4:55 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

One source, but not the only source, of depression is an anger that is of the flesh and not of God. Notice the relationship between Cain being very angry and sadness / depression. Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

Are you holding on to the wrong kind of anger today? It can be a difficult thing to lay aside. Go to God in weakness and ask for His help. Then after prayer be dilligent to put the anger to death. One example of anger that you need to get rid of may be a person you need to forgive. The bitterness you store towards them sours you and can depress you. Forgive them. Do it to please the Lord and also for your own mental health. It also models good behavior before your children.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)

A secret to comprehending God's love for you

Do you want to know the depths of God's love for you? We all do. And we all know that the Bible is key to gaining that understanding. And part of gaining that understanding if found by studying the Bible and meditating on it.  But the Bible reveals to us that there is another necessary key to increasing our comprehension of His character. There is a principal in scripture that shows a connection between the depth of our own godly character and our ability to comprehend the depth of God's character. I have a name for this principal. I call it "The takes one to know one principal."

Notice here in Psalm 18 that first the godly characteristic was developed in the believer. Then when that character trait was developed then God showed that facet of His Holiness to that person. See the pattern. First the person became kind and then God showed Himself as kind. First the person was blameless and then God showed Himself as blameless. First the person became pure and then God showed Himself as pure.

Psalm 18:25-26
²⁵ With the kind You show Yourself kind; 
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 
²⁶ With the pure You show Yourself pure, 
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute. 

We can see this principal elsewhere in scripture too. First David faithfully provided for the various needs of the sheep in his care. And after he developed a faithfulness in caring about their needs then the Holy Spirit opened up his eyes to see that the Lord is his shepherd. David then took that revelation and wrote Psalm 23. So first a character trait was developed in David then he was able to obtain insight into the character of God.

I'd like you to read the passage below first then I will make comments on it. It is Ephesians 3:14-19. We will really concentrate on verses 17-19.

Ephesians 3:14-19
¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.


Notice in verse 17 it says "...you being rooted and grounded in love,". In verse 18 it says " may be able to comprehend..." And in verse 19 it talks about knowing Christ's love which surpasses knowledge. Now at first glance this passage seems to contradict itself. How can you know something that surpasses knowledge. Well this is where the "Takes one to know one" principal comes into play. 

This knowledge of Christ's love can not be obtain through teaching / book knowledge alone. First your character must be "... rooted and grounded in love.." ( v.17). And this will give you the added ability to comprehend Christ's love (v.18). This comprehension is impossible unless your character increasingly mirrors His. So if you want to truly know the depths of God's love for you then you need to increase your comprehension by learning to love as He does.

Scripture quotations taken from the "NASB" (www.lockman.org)