All Christians are on a journey with the Lord. Sometimes we walk away from Him, sometimes we stumble and bumble our way, and sometimes we stay on the path that He has set before us. The important thing about our walk is not that we have made mistakes or have seemingly failed at times, but that we can always get back on the right path. The pages of this devotional come from just such a journey.
Tag Archives: help
Book Review for “Dragon Slayer: Beginning” -Christian Fantasy
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I was given a copy of “Dragon Slayer: Beginnings” by the author, Carey Green, in exchange for an honest review. Wow, loved it! Another great Christian author. Now I can’t wait for the next one! A wonderful story of heartbreak, sorrow, hope! Good writing, good character development and an inspirational story. Good for audiences of Jr High age and up. I give it a solid 5 stars. Well done.
Book Review for “Prophetic Guide to the End Times” – Christian Non Fiction
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I love Derek Prince to begin with and have read several of his books. I had to read this one for a college class and I can’t begin to say how grateful I am that I read it. We can all agree that things are looking shaky these days, and this book gives us hope for facing the future. God has a plan and as always His plan for His children in an expected (good) end. I recommend for all Christians. I give it 5 stars.
Which King?
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There are only two kings, two rulers, two masters.
Both of them want your surrender.
One came in with deceit, stealth, and craftiness. You thought he was an ally. He tricked you into thinking your life would be better. It all seemed to be going well until he began the hostile takeover. He raped, pillaged and plundered. He took your stuff, your dreams and your children. He shed blood and broke hearts, destroying relationships. It became obvious that he only came to steal, kill, and destroy. He fights against you. Now you are his slave, your burdens too heavy, the shackles and chains too strong. His kingdom is darkness, without love and affection, without any of your true needs being met. You are without hope. Or if you aren’t there yet, you soon will be. The day will come that you will despise your king and the life he has coerced you into.
But, there is another King. He comes in with Truth. You thought He only wanted to control you- but He came to set you free. He doesn’t come in by force, except the force of His great love for you. The only blood shed was His. He mends and heals the broken heart, the broken bodies, and the broken lives. His greatest desire is to give you a life full of blessings, abundance, and joy. He not only wants to meet your every need, he also wants to give you your heart’s desire. He has come to give you eternal life with Him, the one who loves you more than any other ever could or would. His burden is light. He will break every chain that binds you. His Kingdom is Light, Love and Peace. His is our Hope! You will never regret the day you surrender your heart and life to Him!
There are only two kings, two kingdoms. You will serve one.
Which one will you serve?
Psalm 24:7-10 (NIV) “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory”
Move With God
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Numbers 9:15-23 (NASB) “Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. At the command of the LORD the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the LORD’S charge and not set out. If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then according to the command of the LORD they set out. If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD’S charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses.”
As the chosen ones of God traveled through the wilderness they only moved when God moved. They only camped when God stopped moving. They did this not for days, weeks, or months, but years. God was trying to teach them a valuable lesson.
What lesson?
God knows where and when we need to go. His way is always best.
They could have made that journey in eleven days. Eleven days! Forty years later, they were still following the cloud by day and the fire by night. You’d think after forty years of this they would have gone into the Promised Land and continued to be “followers of God.” Read the Old Testament and it becomes clear that they didn’t. They followed their own deceitful hearts, the people who they were warned about, false gods and pretty much everything but God. Thank God there were always some faithful few who stuck to the course, who learned the lesson.
What about us? Has God brought you through some wilderness times, only for you to stop following Him? Have you allowed the lies of the enemy, or the lust of your own flesh to lure you away? Has the world in all its momentary pleasures got you caught in its web?
Psalm 37:23 (ESV) says, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.”
So maybe you got off the path. It’s only ever one step back to the Lord. Then you may stumble from time to time, maybe even fall. But fear not, God will uphold you.
I Corinthians 9:24 (NASB) “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”
It really isn’t important how fast you run, just that you finish, with honor. It is not something you can cheat at. You can’t pretend. You are either in the race or you aren’t. What is the prize?
Just the saving of our souls.
Eternal life.
So what about it? Will you move when He moves? Will you stop when He stops? Will you allow Him to show you the way?
His word is a light unto our paths and a lamp unto our feet. (Psalm 119:105). He knows the way. He made the path. Your steps are ordained. He even gave us the Holy Spirit to lead us along the way. Fix your eyes on the prize and run! When you are too tired to run, walk. When walking gets hard, crawl. Do whatever you have to do to move forward…towards Him.
For Our Sake
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Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV) says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Did you know that you are supposed to change the environment around you? It is so important that we understand this, especially in the day we live in. We aren’t supposed to let what is going on around us dictate how we behave or think, but just the opposite. Let’s take a look at some familiar situations in the bible. We can go as far back as Genesis to find some good examples.
Jacob had wanted to leave Laban and go back to the home of his father. In Genesis 30:27 (KJV) we see Laban’s answer, “And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.” This man who had tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters, had changed his wages over and over, and had tried to cheat him, was blessed just because Jacob was there. That is pretty exciting. So to make sure we understand this wasn’t a one-time-deal, let’s dig a little deeper.
Next we will take a look at Joseph. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and ends up in Egypt. Genesis 39:2-6 (KJV) says, “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.” Farther along in verse 23 we see that even the prison, where Joseph was taken after being falsely accused prospered because he was there. Joseph went from a high position as s slave in Potiphar’s house, to a basically ruling the prison, to being second in command to Pharaoh. This is favor. Notice the same wording “For thy sake” and “For Joseph’s sake.”
There are plenty of other instances. Check out Daniel, Ruth, Esther, David and Paul. Wherever they went people were blessed. What about you and me?
The bible calls us “the salt of the earth. “Matthew 15:13 (ESV) “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” What does salt do? It seasons, it preserves and it can be used to help heal. As salt we should go into the world, our jobs, neighborhoods and even our families and make things better. On our jobs we should be setting the example of honest, hard work. Don’t worry about what the people around you are doing. Don’t complain about the boss. Work hard, represent Jesus and be salt. What better job security can you get than the business prosper “for your sake?” Is your family crazy and dysfunctional? Be salt. Is your community full of sin and crime? Be salt.
The world may be full of darkness and it keeps getting darker, but God’s people will shine! Why? So they can come to His light. Jesus was the Light when He walked this earth. Now He tells us we are. So that means we have to shine. We reflect Him to this lost and dying world. There is coming a time where there will be hardship and need. Who will help the people, who will God send?
Yep, that’s right.
Us.