Receiving, and sharing, all of God’s revealed Truths

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional ,

As Christians we should be busily seeking a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ, and through Him, enjoying more intimate talks with God. In this way God will whisper to us, call us into His service, and reveal mysteries about Himself to us. We will have uplifting morning walks with Him, but often we will hear His voice in the dark of night, or while wandering in various wildernesses. There is no substitute for spending time in these challenging, quiet, solitary, and often painful, places with Him. Once we have been there, and He has confided in us, spoken of His will, or has otherwise blessed us with some revelation, it is our duty to shout it from the rooftops. Are we doing this, or are we hoarding what God has spoken to us in the hard times, quiet times, or the the times of trial and suffering? Are we quick to share the joys, but tight lipped about the more serious conversations we have? Our faith is not all about dancing and singing; we are meant to have the hard, difficult, and serious conversations as well.

Sin, and our Lifelong Struggle against It

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sin

Are there days in which we are able to make it from sunrise to sunset without a sinful thought, or uttering a single word that would be displeasing to God? Are we sure? While driving to work, or along any busy highway, don’t we find it almost impossible to resist becoming irritated with someone, or muttering something we wouldn’t say out loud but are willing to mumble under our breath? How about a thought that pops into our mind, and embarrasses us? Do you ever find ourselves thinking “I am glad I didn’t say that out loud”? We might be able to stop ourselves from verbalizing the thoughts that boil up from within our hearts, but although we haven’t said them, and they might not hurt someone else, they still poison us, and God knows our hearts.

Friends, and Friendship

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Friends

Chuck Savage is a brother in Christ that I have loved dearly for many years, and he sent me a card yesterday. There was nothing unusual about that because he sends me one every single week like clockwork. You see he lives in a distant city, and yet our friendship survives the miles. Each week I receive a brief handwritten card from him in which he tells me a bit about his family, his life, and something he found uplifting about one of my devotional messages… which he reads religiously. He is without a doubt one of the finest, and most godly men I know, and he is my friend. Even though most would say that we are unlikely friends, and have very little in common, our friendship, and brotherly love for one another, survives.

Thanking God for the Storms that lead to Blessings

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Blessings and Storms

4/08/2022

We thank God often for our many blessings but do we thank Him sufficiently for the hardships and suffering that led us to them? It seems that we are more inclined to view our faith and interaction with the Lord through rose colored glasses, and quickly set aside the memories of suffering to make room for the wonderful blessings that came as a result. Could God have led the Israelites out of captivity if they hadn’t first been placed in bondage? Would the blessing of the manna have come if they hadn’t been starving in the wilderness? Today let’s look at the great moments of faith and blessing in our lives, and thank God, and Jesus for what led us to them in the first place… the storms.

Are Our Plans God’s Plans?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Plan

Are we living out a carefully devised plan for our lives? Have we considered all the world’s circumstances, and done our utmost to determine the best course of action for ourselves, and our family? Well, let me ask one small question… is it God’s plan? Did you go to Him, and ask Him to reveal His will to you? Fallen men create sinful plans… not necessarily because that is their desire, but because each of them is imperfect, and thus the raw materials they use to form their plans is tainted by sin.

Watch Expectantly, Jesus is coming!

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Expectant Faith

We often say “come quickly Lord Jesus”, but do we watch intently for Him to actually come after we have said this? It is common for people to go through the motions of their religion without really living out its faithful expectation. We pray and then work our fingers to the bone trying to make that prayer come true of our own accord; never looking once for God to answer us. Many of us stand in awe before a majestic mountain range, but do we see God in it… even as an afterthought? In fact we should live our lives as watchmen; ever vigilant, straining to see the Lord coming, and cupping our hands to our ears to hear His voice.

Are We in the Wilderness? Does it Frighten Us?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Wilderness, Holy Ground

We look out across the wilderness and think to ourselves that this is a desolate place of danger, where people face hard challenges, and meet death face to face, but for the believer this is not the case. The wilderness is a place that only the hand of God has groomed; an untamed place that man has not cultivated, or brought under his control. Like Jacob, this is where we meet God in solitude, to be nourished by Him, and to whisper with Him in prayer.

Lord Open Our Eyes to Heaven Around Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Seeing Heaven

Oh that our eyes would be opened to what God has surrounded us with. We walk through our days and think that we are alone, or listen to the silence on a quiet walk when we are sad or contemplating some problem, when all about us there are amazing spiritual things occurring. We should pray each day that our eyes be opened to the wonders that swirl about us. Then perhaps in those moments when we are longing to speak with Jesus, or calling for the Holy Spirit to come, we will realize that all we must do is speak, and that the Holy Spirit is all about us.

All Glory to God in Our Lives, and Fires

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Glory

When we go through trials, and are suffering terribly, do we only give the Lord the glory once we have emerged from them? Do we look back on what has happened and glorify the Lord for having rescued us? As we approach Easter it is a good time to look not only on the risen Christ, but on the glory He brought His Father in every moment of His suffering. His obedience, dedication to the will of God, and unwavering faith in the midst of horrific suffering. The pentacle of His Glorification of God was most certainly in the completion of God’s will, but He also glorified Him by suffering on the cross, or as Isaiah wrote… “in the fires” themselves. How do we personally endure our fires? Do we glorify God in them, or only after they have been extinguished?

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?

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