All in Daily Devotion
What bubbles up from within you during prayer? Do you ever begin to pray and then hear yourself as if from some far away place; speaking in a language of groans and utterances that you can’t translate into words, but feel perfectly conversant in within your heart? Our spirit, and the Holy Spirit that resides within us , speak in a dialect known only in heaven.
Who will I come into contact with today? Is there some chance happening that isn’t quite as chance as it might seem, and that the Lord will orchestrate for His purposes? There are many intercessions that occur during what we think are less than significant meetings.
How deep is your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you believed all your life that Jesus is the Son of God, and yet never been intimate with Him? Have you walked down the aisle weeping and confessing He is the Lord of your life, and then continued along with the reins of life held tight in your hands? Maybe you spend a lot of time trying to make yourself righteous by doing those things Jesus taught, but do them without ever having met our living Savior. In faith, true faith, we allow Him to make us righteous, and holy.
When you talk with a friend about Jesus in a public place do you speak in hushed tones? When someone asks you about Jesus in a crowded room do you whisper in their ear, or just nod you head? If so, let me tell you a couple of stories, and give you some scripture, that might change your behavior.
How often do we sin, then confess and ask for forgiveness only to find purity before retreating once again into that selfsame sin? How many battles must we fight with an adversary before they are at last declared defeated? Do we ask God to heal the wounds of sin, but neglect to ask that He fight for us?
Do you have a plan for your life? Have you set everything before you and determined what pieces of the puzzle go where, and begun the process of fitting them perfectly together? If so, there is probably a nice spot for God, another for Jesus, and oh yes, let’s not forget the Holy Spirit, but is that really how our life is formed, and our faith is shaped?
Do you go about rationalizing your own actions while claiming to be a servant of God and follower of Jesus? Do you use the good nature of God as an excuse for disobedience? If so, then you need to re-evaluate your faith. God may not be forcing you to do His will, but that doesn’t diminish it in the least.
We have been purchased with the very blood of Jesus, and have come to know Him. We have been baptized in water, and then again in the Holy Spirit as it was poured over, and into, us... born on the sweet breath of Christ Himself. Yet still we can find the allure of sin to be too great. How can this possibly be?
Are You Facing trials in your life right now? Does it feel like God has abandoned you and let the world have its way with you? Well praise God for where you are right now because in your misery God is expanding the beam of our faith. It is in such times that our faith isn’t tested... it is stretched as we reach desperately for His hand.
Are you someone who prides themselves on common sense and morality? Do you believe it to be a substitute for faith in God? Throughout my life I have heard people say about someone, “they are a good person and do good things.” Is that enough to please God? Is that enough to earn you eternal life?
Do you think that Jesus gave His life for us out of sympathy for our plight? Do you think He saw our sin and set about to relieve us of it because of empathy or mercy? No, Jesus gave His life out of obedience to the Father, and He agreed to pay a price without knowing how much it was.
Are you in search of the “things” of your life; you know, the thrill of your life, the job of your life, the experience of your life, and if you are so fortunate, the love of your life? These are all examples of the “things” that we seek after. These are the “things” that we believe will make us happy, but be honest with yourself... we all do this to some degree, and are you ever truly happy when you think you’ve found them?
The hardest question that any missionary faces isn’t “can I go out and do this?”, but rather “is Jesus able to do this?” It all boils down to faith, and it begins with the faith of the missionaries themselves. Going out and reciting scripture can be done by anyone, but believing belongs to the disciple, and what is a missionary if not a disciple?
Do you identify yourself as a missionary? Is that what you do as a vocation, or is it a part of your everyday life as you go to and from work, and mix with all those you come into contact with each day? Being a missionary is not just an amazing calling, but should be the goal of every Christian. Spreading the gospel to one, or one hundred thousand makes no difference in what we are asked to do, and to what we are called. Whether you refer to yourself as an evangelist, a missionary, or just a Christian... spreading the gospel is what we are meant to do.
Have you found Jesus, and now you are attempting to reach out and bring others to Him? Well, are you certain you really know who He is? If you think you have sought and found Him, I wonder, because we don’t find Him through searching... God draws, or calls, us to Him. And, is there a great mystery in this? Let’s read these two passages.