All in Christian

Temptation... A Sweet Smell, but with a Bitter Taste, and a lasting Stain

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Temptation, Cleansing

Are you dealing with temptation in your life right now? Is there a fragrance that wafts around you like a vapor and whose scent lures you towards something sinful? Perhaps it is an attraction to someone other than your spouse, or to a person who is already married. Maybe you are hungry, and are being drawn to steal a meal, or thirsty and want to grab another’s flask. Whatever it is, and temptations abound, do you linger in these thoughts, or do you pray for freedom and release from them? Do you ask God for an escape?

Of Spring Rain, Drought, the Coronavirus, and Tempting God

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Temptation, God

In this time of Coronavirus , complete with its “Safer at Home”, and “Social Distancing”, mandates, Pastors and churches have for the most part complied with these ordinances, but with tithes dwindling, and bills to pay, there is a temptation to go ahead with normal church activities by convincing ourselves, and our members, that as believers, and people of faith, God will miraculously protect us, and treat us differently than others.  Satan tried to convince Jesus to behave in this same manner during his third temptation when he tried to convince Christ to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus resisted by refusing to “tempt the Lord”. Are we prepared to face the consequences of tempting God by our actions today? Actions that don’t mirror those of Jesus?

We are not alone in our trials; praying together as one

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Intercession, Joint Prayer

Last night a message popped up on my phone, and the husband of a couple that Ann and I hold very dear was asking for prayer. He had just taken his wife to the hospital with the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. I read the text message aloud to Ann, and then we began to pray together for her, and them. Have you ever been tested by such events in your life, and how did you react to them? Did your trial cause you to dig deep into your faith, or was your faith and prayer just a side note, or perhaps an afterthought?

Are we Denying, and Sleeping, or being Transformed into Rocks?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Second Coming

Are we watching and praying to protect ourselves against temptation, and bolster our faith in these times of great sickness and death in the world? As Easter quickly approaches we are reminded, like the disciples were, of what lies ahead for Jesus, and our relationship with Him.  He told His apostles that when the shepherd goes away the sheep will scatter, and Peter quickly said that he would never fall away. Jesus responded by telling him that he would deny him not once, but three times. Today, He tells us just as directly that His return is close at hand, and what the signs of its arrival will be, but are we any more prepared to live out our faith in Him now than Peter was then?

Jesus, our perfect Inoculation against Sin

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Separation From Sin

We concentrate on the fact that we have all sinned, and are sinners, but in order to be transformed we need to redirect our focus. Jesus died to sin once and for all, and as we strive to be like Him we must also die that same death, and consider ourselves dead to sin. Jesus didn’t die just to give us a topical treatment for sin, that we apply every time we sin, no, he died to provide us with a lasting cure. Are you using the Cross as a Band-Aid that you apply to each wound of sin, or as a vaccination against sin in your life?

Praying for the privileged even as ourselves, the poor in spirit

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Love Your Neighbor

We look around us in life and it seems that there are those who always have it easy as compared to us. These people have money, power, prestige, all the nice things in life, and even in church they give the most, and often have the greatest say as a result. Life just seems to flow smoothly for this elite few, while most of us are struggling along, calling out to Jesus at every turn. Jesus spoke about what should really matter to us as we travel through our lives... our salvation, relationship with God, and entering the kingdom of heaven. He said that the wealthy, and privileged can become entrenched in what the world provides, whereas those who are poor, downtrodden, or struggling, cling to God for their survival, and look towards heaven for their ultimate joy, and relief. 

Adam Attempted to Hide Himself from God... Will We?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Perfection, Sin, Commitment

Do we hold back our commitment to faith, and belief in the Lord because we are yet sinners? Do we back away from faith because we have stumbled? Well there is something amazing about how God deals with our failures, and that is that His grace grows all the more to cover them. We are never too stained that the blood of Jesus can’t wash us clean. What God values most is our love for Him, our obedience, and our contrite heart that mourns every sin, bringing us to tears as we confess them and ask for His forgiveness. 

Coronavirus - Praying, Listening, and then Praying again, and again, and again

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Healing Prayer, Miracles

Has your life been impacted in some way by the Coronavirus epidemic, or the attempts being made by governments to combat it? Perhaps you are watching as it is making life hard for someone you love, know, or are aquatinted with. Regardless of whether it strikes close to home, or is far away, we can’t escape the feeling it leaves us with. When we are in trouble, hurting, afflicted, or watching the suffering in someone dear to us, we are tempted to separate ourselves, and then, as the silence of God continues, a sense of helplessness, and loneliness sets in. As Christians we are never alone; nor without help, even when our prayers are met with silence God is with us always... this is our promise, and our firm belief.

God’s Will, God’s Glory, and our Humility

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Will, God’s Glory

Did you preach a wonderful sermon this week, or do something amazing for your church? Have you been given accolades for your teaching ability, or praised for a miracle that God performed following your intercession in prayer? Perhaps you were recognized for years of service to your congregation, and puffed out your chest in satisfaction. Well, If we claim the glory for any of these things publicly, or even privately in the depths of our heart, then whose will were we serving if not our own? Our service to God should be performed by humbly Seeking and doing God’s will, then stepping back and yielding all glory to Him.

Praying for the Glory of God in the face of Calamity

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Glory

All that we do every day should be done for the glory of God. When we are set upon by our enemies, and we call upon God for help, it shouldn’t be to satisfy our own selfish reasons but to free us so that we might better do His will. We should summon His aid so that He can demonstrate His might, and His love for us before all the world. Our testimony regarding deliverance, provision, and His love, should always be given to glorify our Heavenly Father alone. 

Hiking in Faith through the wilderness of our earthly lives

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Provision, Trusting God

Do we profess faithfulness, and yet are dissatisfied with our life? Is our faith easily shouldered on Sunday, but burdened down by life the remainder of the week? We are meant to be satisfied in every aspect of our lives by our faith alone, and yet we often find ourselves wanting the things of the world, and asking in prayer for the worldly. Contentment in those things that God provides through His Word, and that Jesus teaches us, should be enough to meet our every need... and yet the comforts of the world continue to tempt us, and we wander lost so much of the time.

What is Social Distancing, and is it the best thing for us to do?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Separation, Togetherness, Worship

Social distancing versus physical distancing, can we be separated from each other without being absent from one another, and maintain our church relationships in the face of a Pandemic that forces us to remain physically apart for a long period of time? These are things that we as Christians need to realize are not new to us, or that we aspire to, but are part of our faith, and as a matter of fact are core to it. John tells us that we have never seen God, but He Abides in us, and that Jesus is in Heaven, but will return.

In the Midst of Plague Hold Fast to what is Good!

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, God’s Will, Miracles

Did you ever think that you would live through a biblical scale plague? In your wildest dreams could you forsee the world experiencing something that we have read about happening during bible times? Did you wonder to yourself how those ancient figures could experience such catastrophe and not see that it was brought upon them by the hand of God, and that He was greater than they were? Well to understand those stories, and the seemingly unbelievable reluctance of those people to hear God, all we need do is look around us today. 

The Ever Present Love, Redemption, and Quickening of God

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Love, Redemption, Life

We go to our knees, and accept Jesus Christ as our savior, and in so doing we acknowledge God as our Father, and thus we have taken the single greatest step in our lives. We immediately feel the exhilaration, and the joy, as we lift our arms towards heaven, and feeling the Holy Spirit as He surrounds us we think “it is done”, when in fact it has just begun. Now that we are standing atop the mountain we find that we must struggle mightily to remain there. We must keep ourselves in the love of God despite the efforts of Satan, and the sin that desires to blow us from the summit of Mt. Zion.

Conscience, and the Holy Spirit, our Bridge Between Body and Soul

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Conscience, Holy Spirit

What strives to keep us from sinning when we are tempted to our very limits? What haunts us day and night, and pursues us relentlessly to repent, and seek forgiveness for even the smallest of sins? It is the Holy Spirit, coupled with our conscience, and together they serve as the causeway that joins our spiritual selves with our physical selves; together they work to reconcile them. Do you have a nagging sin that causes you to toss and turn at night, or a guilt from long ago that convicts you when your mind tries to find peace? This is the burden that comes from a handshake between our faith, and our conscience which resides within our mind, and leads us to contrition. 

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