Finding God in the Early Hours of Day

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Predawn Prayers

Have you ever prayed and meditated on God’s Word before the sun has come up? There is something incredibly personal about sharing this quiet time with God. We find that the wee hours of the day are indeed the most quiet, and have the fewest distractions as we approach our Father. In the stillness of morning our hearts are filled with the presence of the Almighty. It is like the calm before a storm when the wind is settled, and we feel that something is certainly coming without having to see it… it is the height of our faith that thrives in the very sound of silence… it is our hope that rests on the very tip of day’s tongue.

Do We Know True Peace?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , True Peace of God

What is the peace we get from God? Sometimes we think it is a calm and uneventful day, or the absence of war and strife, but the peace we receive from the Lord is far deeper than this. The peace of God is to stand in the midst of the worst terrors and turmoil that the world can throw at us, and fear not… it is to trust in Christ, and know beyond all else, that even in death, especially in death, we have victory… and that His joy awaits us for all eternity.

Blessings and Miracles… in the Storms, and in the “I” Times

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Miracles and Blessings

What do we do when we find ourselves far from shore, being beaten by the waves of life, and we can’t make any headway towards safe harbor because the wind is blowing strong against us? We have all experienced times like this, so what did we do? Did we fall to the deck and consider ourselves lost? Did we pull our sails down, get out the oars, and try to row ourselves out of trouble, or did we look out across the churning sea of life for Jesus, as we cried out for spiritual help? If we find ourselves in this situation, and Jesus comes to us, do we recognize him, and if he calls us to come to him in the midst of the gale, will we go?

The Light in every Night

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Light and Life

How black is the deep darkness that surrounds us? Do we think we are lost because we see no light before us? The light of our Lord God is never extinguished, even in the darkest places in our lives it shines. In hopelessness He is like a dim light in the distance on a pitch black night. His light still surrounds us, and we know this because when we turn to face Him our eyes see Him clearly, and we realize that His light has been with us all along… bathing us in His presence, and glory. Had this not been true you would have seen nothing when you turned.

Who do we really trust with our lives?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Trusting in God

In whom do we trust our lives? We like to say that we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, that we listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and have placed our trust in God, but then we retreat to our prayer closets and try to dictate the path our life will take. Before we say that this doesn’t describe us I ask that we each do some soul searching. Let’s ask ourselves how often we pray for what we want to happen, and compare the frequency of those prayers with how often we pray “Father, your will, not mine, be done!” We all have things we want to have happen in our lives; new jobs, healing, provision, and every order of blessing, but do we trust in God to give us these things in the best possible way, or do we want Him to do exactly what we want, and to do these things precisely as we have envisioned that they should occur? Who are we really entrusting our lives to?

Stepping out Boldly in Our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Bold in Faith

The Lord tells us what He is going to do, and does it. The question becomes this… do we trust in Him enough to do our part. If the Lord says that the moment our feet touch the waters of the Jordan River it will part and we can cross on dry ground, will we step boldly out into the river? Will we look at the swift water, swollen by the spring rain, and step confidently into it? We all face such moments of faith in our lives, albeit they might not be flood waters, but they certainly could be to marry a person God tells us to, to take a job that we feel marginally qualified for, or to go on a journey to a dangerous place that makes us uncomfortable. We are all asked to step out in faith at some point in our lives, but will we be bold enough to obey?

Living Forevermore in God’s Glory

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Glory

What do you see in your mind’s eye when you envision Jesus? When at last you behold God’s glory will it be all that you have imagined, greater than you could have possibly guessed, or do you fear that His appearance will disappoint you in some way? Well, in this world we see with our eyes, but on that day when we behold Him face to face, our eyesight will yield to our other senses, and we will see Him more completely with our entire being, our heart, and our soul… it will overwhelm us like lightning. On that day all of creation will meet us in Him, and Him in us, for the first magnificent time.

Do not Fear, nor Despair

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Fear and Despair

Are we having a good day, or bad one today? I hope that this is an exceptionally good one for you, but life is also sprinkled throughout with days where we wake up wondering how we will make it, and praying for deliverance. On days such as this we need to stoke up the fire of our faith, and remember that no matter what happens during this day we are God’s children, and this is the day that He has made. It is alright to feel a sense of desperation, as a matter of fact every Bible account shows us that our Father demonstrates His greatest love, mercy, and provision, during desperate times, so if we trust, if we have faith, then He will lead us, and we will not succumb to despair, or find ourselves in the grasp of our faith’s greatest enemy… fear.

Growing in Spiritual Maturity

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Maturity

As men and women of God we do many things of faith while following Jesus with our crosses on our shoulders. We feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, comfort the dying, and so many other acts of mercy. We love God, love others, give hope to the hopeless, and open our hearts to those who walk through the world invisible to everyone around them, but as we are busily doing all of these things we should never neglect our own spiritual growth. Sometimes we are so busy doing the THINGS of faith that we forget to nurture, and grow our own faiths. In this way we live perpetually in a state of shallow spiritual immaturity.

Our Works are Dead without the Life that Jesus Gives Them

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Dead Works

When we go about trying to earn our own way into Heaven, or win eternal life for ourselves by doing good deeds, it might temporarily make us feel better about who we are, but such efforts have little to no effect on our salvation. These are called dead works, and although all good deeds have some intrinsic value, these deeds are a hollow attempt at creating our own version of redemption. Only through Jesus Christ can we come to God, and truly be cleansed of the sin and guilt that has plagued mankind since his fall in the Garden of Eden.

God’s Remembrance, and the Book of Life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , The Books of God

What do we want to be written about us, to be recorded in the book of remembrance? Will what is found there speak of our faith, Jesus Christ, our righteousness, and our fear of God? Will these words recall our obedience, and the spiritual events which have made us holy, and worthy of eternity? Will what is detailed there speak of how our name is also recorded in the Lamb’s book of life?

Can one Christian Man or Woman make a difference in the world?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Our Christian Impact

We see horrific events unfold around the world; today we watch the Ukraine, the bombings, destruction, deaths of women holding their children, mass graves, and see church services being held in underground hiding places. As we watch with great empathy and sorrow we should remember that just as our Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine, and elsewhere, are suffering in mass, there are many others who suffer alone, or in fewer numbers, every single day. God reminds us in the large hurricanes, and terrible wars, that somewhere in the world there are smaller, almost hidden storms which are destroying single houses and individual lives today… and that we are meant to suffer alongside them, and provide comfort to them as well, one heart comforting another.

A Tiny Bird, a Raging River, and finding God’s Joy in our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Faith and Joy

Christian’s, we are, by our faith, able to defy the trials of life, and find joy amidst the most terrible suffering that the world can throw at us. By focusing our attention and prayers on Jesus, who stands beside us in every storm, and beckons us to come with Him to higher ground, we are confident in our deliverance, peace, and joy. The unbeliever finds this incredulous, and beyond what any reasonable person might do given such circumstances. They ask themselves how a tortured soul could find even a smidgen of joy amidst such suffering… and yet in Christ we do; we rise up.

Knowing God, Knowing Jesus, and Understanding the Faith we profess

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Knowing Jesus

If we had two choices and each one would lead us to the same place, that being our resurrection from the dead, followed by joy, peace, love, and eternal life in the presence of God, which of these would we choose? Would we choose to live a life of happiness, and plenty, then to be lifted in song to Heaven, or would we choose to suffer through our days in pain interspersed with periods of happiness, and then gasp our last breath before ascending to Heaven? I dare say that we would all select the first option and want the life of happiness. However these are not our choices and we experience many trials as we are transformed into the image of Christ, learning what it means to be righteous, then holy, and finally perfected in His blood. Our choice is between eternal life or death… or in other words, between the hope of eternity in heavenly love and joy with God, or the present tangible earthly pleasures of the carnal. Knowing this, and the suffering that lies ahead if we choose to walk with Jesus… what will we choose, or what have we already chosen?

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