Praying for others at the Height of our Calamity

Richard Forbes
Intercession, Christian, Prayer, Daily Devotion

In the midst of our own troubles do we think to pray for others? When we are suffering, or the enemy is knocking at our door, do we ask God for help, and then include our neighbors in that prayer as well? It is hard to think beyond our own circumstances when the situation is dire, because our true nature is a selfish one. Can you overcome the “ME” in your prayers long enough to lift up a stranger as you ask for personal deliverance? While you are waiting on God, try spending some of that time in prayer for others who are facing trials and hardship of their own... maybe while you are waiting on God He is waiting on your intercessory words for another.

Answers, and our Stifled Prayers

Richard Forbes
God’s Will, God’s Word, Christian, Answered Prayer, Daily Devotion

What is it about prayer that we value the most? Is it the time spent with God? The comfort it brings us? Knowing that we are heard? Realizing that we are never alone? Finding joy in praying for others? The list goes on and on doesn’t it... but the one thing that stifles our spiritual lives more than any other is making the answer to our prayers paramount in gauging the success of our prayer lives; and not just answers, but those we have dictated, or in other words, when we want OUR will to direct God’s answer to our prayers.

Faith and the Pebble of Belief

Richard Forbes
Christian, Faith, Daily Devotion, Silence, Miracle, Belief

Do you fear for your children? Does their strength of faith as opposed to all the sin and evil in this world terrify you? No matter who you are, the love of your children brings you terror for them. Given this, if one of your children had just died and Jesus had miraculously healed them what would be your immediate inclination? Wouldn’t it be to fall at His feet, and then to tell everyone about what He had just done? To make believers of them! Wouldn’t it be to shout to the world that this man Jesus Christ was a miracle worker, and exactly who He said He was? Well what if He told you to keep that amazing miracle silent?

Victory; the Outcome of Waiting on God Amidst the Battle

Richard Forbes
Faith, Conflict, Christian, Good, Evil, Daily Devotion

How strong is your faith? Is it strong enough that you can face the hatred of those around you? Is your faith firm enough to withstand the trials and persecution that nonbelievers will put you through? Is it like steel when Satan comes against you because of it? Is it invincible even when those who you love, and that you thought loved you, turn against you for it? When your faith has grown, and becomes like an adornment of shiny armor, that is when the evil one will test you with all the weapons at his disposal. It is then that you must trust wholeheartedly in the Lord because at that moment your very soul lies in the balance.

In the Kitchen with God, and the Recipe of Relationship

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Relationship, Commandments, Christian, Prayer, God

Before we come to that point in our faith in which we understand that our relationship with God and Jesus Christ is what is of paramount importance, we seek the ancillary things pertaining to the promises in God’s Word. We search for such mysterious ingredients as knowledge, wisdom, eternal life, power, joy, and peace, but in doing so we are like any child who prefers eating the icing over the cake. We see those things that are the fruits of an intimate relationship and mistake them for its purpose.

God’s Calling, and Kicking the Boots of our Fear

Richard Forbes
Help, Daily Devotion, Reassurance, God’s Calling, Christian, Fear, Doubt

Has God asked you to do something hard? Did you answer “Yes Father”, and now you find yourself at that place where He has called? You are close now, and are facing the reality, and terror of it. This is the moment of fear, and this is the time when we must pray as though we were in Gethsemane. When God reveals the fullness of what He has asked of us, and suddenly we find that the nobleness of saying “Yeah” has worn off, we must ultimately face our fear and doubt. It is in this moment that we realize we cannot face this alone, but that even so, it must be done.

Family, and our Holy Purpose

Richard Forbes
Christian, Family, Daily Devotion

As a believer we are set apart for God’s use, but what about our spouse, and our children? Does God have a plan for them, and does it involve us? Well, whenever something is made holy, God has a purpose and a plan for it. This is true of us as well, and especially includes our role as it pertains to an unbelieving spouse... and our children. The holiness with which we are painted, paints our families with the same color so that we will all be covered by it, and thus we bring the hope of our faith into the household. Salvation enters boldly with us through the front door.

The Attack of Evil, and being Held Safe in the Truth

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Maintaining Faith, Holy Spirit, Understanding

How do we maintain our faith once we have it? How do we hold firm in the face of false prophets, or the antichrist? Do we have to return to school like a nurse, or some other licensed professional, and receive so many additional hours of training each year? The answer is no because within us we already have the knowledge we need, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to apply God’s Word, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to everything in our lives.

Jesus the Transformer, and Seeing the Face of God

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotion, Healing, Christian

Have you ever realized that Jesus provides the life force that powers your soul, that he takes the current that flows from God, and transforms it into just the right wattage, and amperage for the spiritual motor that drives us? Certainly there have been those people that God has interacted with directly, but His current far exceeds our limited mortal capability. Jesus on the other hand provides for us all day long, everyday, without overpowering our spiritual senses. He is the transformer that adjusts the power of God to supply our spiritual engines... our daily lives

Our imperfect lives, and God’s perfect plan for us

Richard Forbes
God’s Plan, Will, Children, Daily Devotion, Christian

We get married, and if we are so blessed, then we have children. From the moment we decide to bring each of these new lives into the world we begin to make plans for them; we want the best for them. It is the same with God, and He has a plan for each of our lives; a plan made long before we were born... or even conceived. These plans, both ours and God’s, can only be accomplished if the child gives all their effort as they strive to know and do their parent’s will. Are you a fully engaged participant in God’s plan for you?

The Holy Spirit; He’s not a Reward

Richard Forbes
Comforter, Daily Devotion, Helper, Christian, Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit comes to us in two installments, the first is the one that leads us to God, and Jesus, and the second comes at some point after our conversion. There is no mandatory waiting period so you might have received both almost simultaneously. Do you have both inoculations, the initial injection, and then the booster? Did you even know of the Holy Spirit, or was it just a yearning for the Lord God that you felt, but couldn’t fully describe? Prayer is the way to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and He is not a reward for righteousness, but rather a helpmate for our spirituality... especially in times of its greatest need.

Faith in God; Finding Answers to the Unfathomable

Richard Forbes
Leaning on God, Christian, Wisdom, Daily Devotion, Understanding

Do you really know what tomorrow will bring you? Oh you think that you can surmise it based on the events of today, but in fact we can not. Life is fluid and ever changing, and many things are understood only by God Himself. So how does not knowing tomorrow make you feel, less human or more human? Does not being able to fully understand the world or something in it turn you towards God, or cause you to feel alone and insignificant?

Following Jesus... Does the Throne of your Life smell like Fish?

Richard Forbes
Worship, Putting God First, Daily Devotion, Christian

Is there something in your life that keeps getting in the way of your faith in God? Is there something that distracts you during your day when you are trying to pray without ceasing, or which keeps you from studying God’s Word? Does your love for money stop you from donating to a food pantry, or perhaps occupies all of your time and prohibits you from burying the dead, or visiting the sick? Jesus asks us to identify these distractions that are coming before God, and remove them, just as he did with the wealthy ruler.

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