Celebrating the Ever-New Presence of God!

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, God in our Lives

As you move through your day do you feel God’s presence there with you? And, as you work to obey and perfect the character of Christ in your life can you sense Him abiding inside you as well? If you listen carefully you will find that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you of this closeness. Is your fear relieved at the very thought that all three of these are there with you right now? These questions should guide you, and the mere thought of the divine closeness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, should change how you live your life today, and cause you to refocus your priorities, and restructure your life, from this moment on.

Casting a Shadow on God the Father

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, God’s Glory

04/28/2026 

Giving God the glory for those things He does through us can be a difficult thing to accomplish, and has been the undoing of many... including pastors. It seems the more gifts we have been given, and especially the more our natural gifts are, the harder it becomes for us to reflect the fullness of light back to its rightful star. You see, no matter how brightly a planet shines in the night sky, it is never truly the origin of the light... and likewise, no matter how great God’s will is manifest in us... we too are just His reflection.

Wonderful and Certain is our wait for the Lord

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Waiting on God

The conflicts and troubles in which we are most uncertain will all be won by our Lord because He is great beyond measure. How patient and faithful are we in His victory? Are we waiting in total confidence for Him to act? When those around us are challenging our patience in God we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands, and to abandon our assurance in His promise. However, in such times I look to scripture and hold tight to it… you should too.

Our Faithful Journey to Damascus, and beyond, with Paul

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Faith

We begin our journey with Jesus by believing in God because if we have no faith in the Father then how could we possibly believe He has a Son? Then, as our faith in God increases, and we believe the scripture is His Word regarding our existence with Him, we see the prophecy of the coming Messiah and find the promise of Jesus Christ. Every Jew in the day of Jesus had made it this far, but it is here that they were separated; some believing that the scriptures were alive, and some that they were at best stagnant, and that they would remain in eternal expectation of a Messiah who, although prophesied, might never be accepted by them to have come. In what state is our faith? How far has our belief come? Where is it going from here?

Listen now, Is God’s Voice Calling?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, God’s Voice

Do you pray as you should, and when you Listen now, Is God’s Voice Calling?do pray, does God meet you there? When He does, people have a great deal to ask of Him and begin to do so immediately, but the most important aspect of our time of prayer is not what we say to Him, but what God says to us. The most powerful moment in most biblical accounts begins when the Lord speaks, but do we hear Him when He speaks to us personally? Are we even listening? Then, if we listen, how do we answer Him? Do we acknowledge Him at all, or just sit dumb in silence? So, if we do hear, how is it that  we respond? Do we say, “Yes Lord!”, or “Here am I Lord.”?

One Head, One Body, but Two Hands, and Many Fingers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional

As Christians, do we love one another, or do we divide ourselves so completely in our perceived love for Jesus, that we distance ourselves from each other? I look around Christendom and see one head and many bodies. I see one cup, one bread, and one table, being bitterly contested over and claimed by each body to the point of refusing to serve another family member at the one table that Jesus set and provided for. Is this the way He meant for us to behave?

Abiding in our Conversation with God, and Our Call to Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Lives of Prayer

It is one thing to know what a life of prayer is, but something altogether different to live that life. Being called to prayer and answering that call are two entirely different things too. Every Christian receives God’s call to prayer, but so many will cripple themselves by either refusing to answer that call, or by not knowing how to fully engage in it. Are we participating in a dedicated life of prayer today, or are we limping along, hobbled, and without understanding what praying without ceasing means, or involves?

Trusting and Praying within God’s Will... and in the Name of Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Prayer

God hears our prayers; He gives each of them audience and provides us with all those things we have prayed for within His will. The question that we who pray should ask is this... “Do I have confidence that God hears me as I pray and that He will answer me?” Confidence in the Word of God is of the utmost importance to those who pray. Put more simply, we must trust in the fact that God will do what His Word says He will do. But, do you we know what that is?

Surrender; Truth, or empty Promises?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Surrender

Have we surrendered completely to God? Do we consider everything we are, and everything we have, to be His? So often we say these words, but when it comes time to turn all we have over to Him we renege, or have second thoughts. We promise the Lord that He is first in our lives and that everything we have is His; yet at the first sign of true sacrifice, or at His first request of us we falter. In truth, our Father doesn’t need our possessions... He just desires that we not need them more than we need Him.

The Mighty Wind, the Gentle Whisper, Our Protection in the Storm

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Faith

How often do we view the strife and tumult of our daily lives as an encumbrance to our abiding in Jesus Christ and God when we should not view it this way at all? In the vineyard the wind blows, the leaves rustle loud, and the sound of the storm grows intense, but at the root, the vine never moves, even as the rain continues on unabated. Every storm provides rain that is drawn into us as strength from the wet ground, and what, on the surface, might appear to be a raging flood becomes the watering can of our faith.

Interpreting Scripture... “Well Hush My Mouth!”

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional

There are times in our lives when we are self-assured and as we study the scripture we say to ourselves “Ah Ha! This is the absolute truth, and I will base my faith on it!” but who are we to be so arrogant? Who are we to interpret scripture without the direction of He whose hand guided the pen? Yet, this is what we are inclined to do as we go about building our castles of faith out of sand; gathering it in buckets from shores that are strewn with stone... and we silence the Holy Spirit, into whose hand God has placed the truth about stones, thus covering our ears to the Lord’s voice with our own hands.

Giving Good Gifts - A Parable

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion

How do we behave at home? I am not talking simply about our physical home on earth, but our spiritual home in heaven. We concentrate a great deal on what a good Father God is, but what kind of daughter or son are we? Do we love Him with all our hearts? Do we serve Him and do His will? Do we honor Him, or do we expect Him to honor our prayers and requests without reciprocation? Do we feel that He is obligated to provide all our desires while we do nothing? We know that He is a good father but are we simply like spoiled children?

God’s Church, and the Holy Spirit within Us

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Holy Spirit

One of the questions that I hear asked quite frequently is about the Holy Spirit. Every day Christian believers ask about him because they desire to know who He is, and what he should mean to them and their faith; while many Pastors ask about him to determine what side of the fence we are on. Much like Jesus He fascinates and enthralls us; he brings us to a place where we feel the coolness of the inhale, and the warmth of the exhale as God breathes, and yes, the Holy Ghost frightens many of us, and that fear often serves to separate us from one another.

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