Easter, the Holy Spirit, and our Testimony

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Testimony

Once the Holy Spirit begins to move on us we receive great power, but the often overlooked gift of the Spirit is our ability to give testimony to others. The apostles testified regarding the resurrection of Jesus, and although we can speak of that too, our most effective testimony comes when we not only speak of Jesus, but give witness to our own experiences, such as how we came to know Jesus as our savior, our own moments of amazing faith and grace, and how we now await anxiously for His return, and our own resurrection.

Transforming Our Hope to Faith, to Belief

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Belief and Believing

We believe in God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, but although we believe, is that enough? When the Lord tells us to step out beyond our belief, in faith alone, do we have it in full measure? Can we walk into the unknown by leaning on Him completely; abandoning the comfort we have grown accustomed to, and trusting enough to journey into unknown circumstances? To receive his inheritance Abraham had to go out as God commanded him to do, and to redeem the world Jesus had to take on our sin, and venture into death. To do these things it took more than hope… it took faith, and beyond that, a firm belief.

Good Friday, and our Journey from Faithful to Believer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Faith , Belief, Good Friday

Our faith in God grows in the lessons we learn during the trials and tribulations we face in our lives with the Lord, but the real foundation, and engine that drives it, and ultimately leads us to believe, is trusting in God’s Word. Unless we lean on God’s Word, and take it as truth, then we don’t actually believe, we have simply based our imagined religion on a golden calf we have constructed for ourselves… a fantasy.

Celebrating Easter, and Eternity, Now

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Easter and Eternity

We serve a living God, and His Son Jesus is alive too, He is no longer in the grave, but has risen!!! He has defeated death by His resurrection just as He defeated sin by His dying. Easter Morning is so near, and like that first glorious Easter His tomb remains empty! Hallelujah, shout Hallelujah!! This is the day of the Lamb; the Prince of Peace is alive, and He is preparing to come for our bodies, and to bring us, fully resurrected, before the Father! Are we celebrating His resurrected life every day? Do we know that He lives? Are we living our lives in daily anticipation as we await the trumpet’s sound, or are we blind to what has happened, what was promised, and find ourselves mourning, and perplexed, outside an empty tomb? No, God forbid, because “HE IS RISEN!”, and our Savior is coming again! “HALLELUJAH!! Will you say HALLELUJAH!!! with me? JESUS IS ALIVE!!!

Going forth with the Gospel, and manning the Walls

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Delivering the Gospel

The love of God should not only be upon us, but should flow from us. We are not just meant to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, but to deliver it to both the lost, and the righteous alike. The lost will be shown the way to salvation, and the righteous warned against sinning. If we are successful in doing this then we will have delivered our own souls. Are we actively speaking of God’s love, and the redemptive power of Christ? Are we saving the wandering souls, and shouting a warning to those who are found, but are being tempted towards sin? Do we stand on the wall, and call the masses to arms, and warn the strong men of danger?

Great in Faith, and mightily tempted

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Faith and Temptation

We talk about meeting God in the wilderness, and it is true that this is a holy place where our faith is polished, tested, adjusted, then polished again by the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, but it is also true that Satan woos us there, and does his best to tarnish what God has just made to shine. We must remain at our most vigilant, not when our faith has reached its lowest point, but when it is at its peak, and we have become most pleasing to God. This is where Moses struck the rock, it is where Jesus was tempted, and although not in the desert, it was at the height of his righteousness that Job was tested.

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?

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