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)