Are we Royalty or Paupers as we Walk the Streets of Heaven?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Heaven

Have you ever been to heaven? Perhaps you don’t feel that you have walked its streets, but have you ever stood atop a mountain or hill and looked out over the surroundings below? Could you hear the wind and the sounds of life there? Right now, many of you are probably thinking that I have lost my mind, but others are envisioning this scene as they hear the sounds of life, and see the heavenly scene surrounding them. Can you step into heaven and capture this moment of realized faith and glory? The problem with most of us is that we don’t stop living our busy lives long enough to look around, hear the singing, smell the fragrance, and understand where we are… friends, we are in the presence of God and that is heaven!

Unanswered Prayer can it lead us to Question our Faith?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Praying in God’s Will

Jesus said that whatever we ask for in His name He will do, so why is it that we can find ourselves praying and Him not immediately responding to what we are asking? This is a common question asked about prayer, and one that causes many pastors to begin making excuses for the inaction of Jesus or silence of God. The inability to understand prayer and the fulness of the Lord’s promise based on one verse of scripture, which we often take out of context, leads to the spiritual downfall of many.

Communion; It’s more than just a taste of Wine

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Communion

There is great mystery in the blood of Jesus, a newness that isn’t seen anywhere else in the Bible. The symbolism in the blood of communion is beyond rich, and gives us more than purification and forgiveness... it changes our lives completely, and cuts us off from the old life we were once living. The blood of Jesus requires that we make a choice to continue on as we have been, or to drink of it and be called out of the worldly life we have been living... made new in Him.

Is Our Faith locked behind closed Doors?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Hidden Faith

We say we love the Lord, but do we really love Him, or do we simply love studying and reading about Him? Do we really love Him or do we love talking to others about our biblical knowledge of Him? Do we really love Him, or do we just want to believe that He performs miracles in case of an emergency? Does any of this sound familiar, if so then maybe our relationship with Him might be dysfunctional in some other way. Knowing who God is isn’t faith; reciting a children’s prayer we learned a lifetime ago isn’t the prayer He expects from us. Let’s open the door of our heart to Him and love as He does.

Taking Pride in Humility... are we the Greatest of the Least?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Humility

When we look at Jesus we see a humble man, and yet at the Last Supper His disciples argued over which of them would be considered the best, or the greatest. This is an oxymoron... how can they want to be the greatest follower of a man of absolute humility? Do they desire to be the first and foremost of the least? It is human nature to want to be the best at what we do... even if it is being humble. Is humility something you struggle with? Is placing your pride and conceit under subjugation impossible? Then let’s turn again to Jesus for help.

The Call, The Table, and our Wandering Minds

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Focusing on God

Sometimes, when we have been serving the LORD for a while, we find ourselves going about the things He has called us to do without keeping in mind that this is the will of the LORD. When we fall victim to this snare of familiarity, it will bring discipline upon us. Going through the motions of our calling without honoring God, and seeing the blessings He intends to bestow on us as we do His will, is placing our desires before His.

One spirit, Church, and flesh; are we really One in covenant with God?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, One Church

How many churches are there within your congregation? How many groups with different mindsets, and various agendas are milling about one another, and often find themselves at loggerheads? This is what happens when we lose focus on maintaining ourselves in the image of Jesus Christ. This is what occurs when a marriage ceases to be of one flesh and reverts to two individuals.

Knowing the Fullness of God beyond the Classroom of Theology

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Knowing God Intimately

What do we know about Jesus, God, and our faith? Have we read the Bible cover to cover, and memorized key scriptures? Have we taught Sunday school lessons, or preached God’s Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the pulpit? Perhaps we have studied theology, spoken on the subject of Church history, or become conversant in all the councils and creeds... but does our intellectual pursuit of God bring us an inch closer to knowing Him? My real question this morning is this... “Do we know God, or do we simply know of Him?”

We are simple Earthen Vessels, not the Wine we hold

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Wine

Do we boast of our accomplishments in faith? Do we think ourselves to be better than another because we quote more scripture, appear more saintly, or are of greater righteousness than they are? Well, if we are any of these things it is not of our doing, and if we feel boastful it is to our detriment because these things are in us as a result of our God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ alone… by our own nature we are fallen creatures.

Answering the Call; the Glory in Loving God

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, God’s Call

Do you feel called to serve the Lord, but just can’t seem to satisfy yourself in the answer to His calling? Do you answer, “Here am I!”, and yet doubt the significance of what you are giving towards the effort? Well, forget the grand desires you may have, and concentrate on giving all of yourself to Him, not to bring Him glory in the earthly sense, but in every little thing He asks of you. Do His will as He would have you do it.

The Name, the Faith, and the Courage to Heal

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Healing

Have you ever healed someone by praying over them? Perhaps not, but if you are a believer then someone certainly prayed with you as the confession and contrition for your sins were lifted up, and you were spiritually healed by the acceptance of your faith... healed of the wretched sin-filled soul you once harbored, and joined with Jesus as a joint heir of God our Father. Sickness comes in all forms, and so does healing.

Prayer, and dealing with the Daily Checklist of Life

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Daily Prayer

Before we begin each new day do we seek the presence of God? Before we do anything else, do we immerse ourselves in the Holy Spirit, and seek God in fervent, and reinvigorating, prayer? As we lay out our tasks for the day are we praying that God will show us His will for us and all He has planned for us? And, if we aren’t doing these things in prayer every day, perhaps that could explain the trouble we experience in life. So... let’s pray today, and each morning, before we begin the worldly things we are chomping at the bit to rush into alone.

Rebirth, and a Second Breath of Life

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional, Reborn

Have we allowed God to live with us? Is His Holy Spirit within us now, and does it repair and revive our brokenness? When we first believed, we were inclined to wear our faith like a new suit of clothes; we felt good in them, and wanted to wear them all the time, but was it anything more than just a garment... did it ever go any deeper than our skin? Well, I can promise you that when the Holy Spirit truly falls upon us, and we breathe Him deep into ourselves, that something remarkable is going to happen... our faith will suddenly well up from deep within us like a fresh spring, and the external faith that we once put on, and took off with ease, will become who we are and not simply our clothing.

Load More