Knowing God, Experiencing Jesus, and Receiving the Holy Spirit

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Hearing God

In talking with some believers they say that although they believe in God, He never seems to reveal Himself to them in the way that others claim to, that they don’t feel they are experiencing Jesus fully, or that as hard as they pray they just don’t feel like they have received the Holy Spirit. This frustrates them, and they ask… what am I doing wrong? How can I experience the fullness of Jesus? What must I do to hear God speaking to me, or to receive the Holy Spirit? My answer can be different depending on the person, but it always contains one observation… stop looking for God in the world, and start looking for the world in God.

Finding Quiet Places, and Peaceful Moments, to be Holy in this Chaotic World

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Quiet Places and Holiness

We lead incredibly hectic lives these days, so separating ourselves from the turmoil of today’s modern life to a place where we can spend personal time with God, and Jesus Christ, must be intentional, purposeful, and made to be routine. Are we in the habit of doing this? Do we have quiet times, and calm peaceful places, where we can sit praying, waiting, and listening in silence to hear the low still voice of God each day? God calls such places where we are separated unto Him Holy, and when we visit Him there we are asked to remove our shoes, and thus He makes us holy too.

Our Journey, Hidden Dangers, and God’s Protection

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Danger

Are we oblivious to the spiritual dangers that surround us each day? Are we like a tiny fly that at any moment might be ensnared by an unseen web and consumed by its stealthy owner? As the children of God we are protected from many dangers, but that doesn’t mean that they are not there, nor that Satan has ceased to roar as he prowls about the world; no, he still desires to devour our souls. The questions becomes these…Are we vigilant, and watchful? Do we lean into the Lord our God for His protection and deliverance, and is His Word our strength?

The Ruts we can encounter in our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Ruts of Faith

Are we stuck in a spiritual rut? Do we have blinders on like a work horse, and plod along through every day satisfied with not seeing anything more than a limited view of what faith and righteousness means? Why are we fixed in our ways and not searching to know anything more about Jesus Christ? Are we content with not experiencing anything new in God’s Word? Ruts are easy to fall into, and once we are there they can be very hard to get out of. So if God’s love is like a road that has no end, and his mercies are new every morning, why is it that we often find ourselves satisfied with a still photograph of who we saw Him to be, or what He once taught us as children?

Opening our eyes to see God, and Jesus, at work around us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Feeling Alone

Have you ever been in a crowded place when suddenly all the noise and people seemed to fade away? Well, for much of August Ann and I were on vacation, and as our plane was preparing to board passengers, Ann went down the concourse in search of some lifesavers, I was left sitting by myself watching people move up and down the crowded hallway, and wondered about who they were as they were heading to their gates, or making their way to the baggage claim area. Then suddenly my eye was caught by a man who looked a great deal like someone I knew; a chief operating officer for one of the largest companies in the United States.

Defeating Evil in the World; is it Our Battle to Fight?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Battles Against Evil

Do you say that you are a child of God, and yet you remain fully engaged in the world? Do you find yourself afraid, and so actively engrossed in politics, or social issues that bitterness and even hatred bubble up in you? Who is leading you? If this doesn’t describe you then most certainly you must be leading God’s Children away from the world and it’s frothing.

Stepping Away from our life, to meet our Lord Anew

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotional , Sabbaticals, Pilgrimages, and Wandering

I am leaving on a trip for a couple of weeks, a kind of sabbatical if you will, and during that time away, I will pray for refreshment, and a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit. I will not only relax bodily, but will seek God’s peace, and call for His Spirit to fill me anew with insight, and inspiration in His Word. When the Holy Spirit comes over us we are filled with incredible power, and in that state of divine expanse, and closeness with Jesus, our Heavenly Father will bless us with a newness of spirit. Do we desire to experience this?

One God, and a Magnificent Stairway to Heaven.

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Selling All We Have

What do we do when we are asked to give up the one thing in life that we value most? Do we find that we want it more than God, or Jesus? When we look at the story of the young rich man we realize that he followed the law, and that Jesus loved him, yet we also see that what this man wanted most from Jesus was actually just another possession… he wanted to possess eternal life.

The Truth in Scripture

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Scriptural Truth

Truth is always truth. I was reading a devotional message this morning on the subject of grace. The key verse it used was one that I thought I knew perfectly, and one that I had quoted many times, but as I read it anew this morning I suddenly realized that over the years I had stopped hearing it as a Word from God, and started saying it as though it was my statement of truth. I was claiming something for myself that belonged to God alone. I was boldly saying that God’s grace was sufficient for me, as if I controlled it, and I could make it so, when in fact this scripture is God telling us directly, and unequivocally, that it is so. Have you ever found yourself claiming that you own the truth in God’s Word? That by saying, or believing it, that you have somehow moved it from the realm of fiction, or literature, into one of fact and truth?

Praising the Lord for what will be done

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Praise and Thanksgiving

When we enter into our prayer closets do we do so with praise on our lips, or have we prepared a long list of needs and troubles that we can’t wait to lay tearfully before the throne? Are we glad to be coming before our Father, and are we excited to be able to talk to Him about our problems, or are our eyes filling more and more with tears as we take each step closer to our audience with Him? Although there are countless sorrows and troubles lifted up to the Lord in prayer each day, isn’t it remarkable that Heaven is filled with praise and worship… not wailing, tears of sorrow, or the sound of mourning. So, how should we begin our prayers? How should we enter into the presence of God?

Allowing God’s Will to be done through us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Will

Being humble and meek are not weaknesses, but requires a great deal of strength, and fortitude. Standing before our inquisitors, our own versions of Pontius Pilot, and remaining silent, takes much more courage than to rattle off a series of defenses out of panic and fear. As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, an Angel came, and He received increased strength to face what lay ahead. When we are facing our own hardships we should not pray that the trouble we will face as we do God’s will should be taken away, but that we be given the strength to complete the task and the courage to endure the trials that we will face in so doing. How are we praying today? Are we asking for smooth sailing, or the courage to step out of our boat, and the strength of faith needed to walk across the water to Jesus?

Traveling God’s Mountain Road

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Road

In the time of Isaiah, God promised to restore Israel, and through His Son Jesus Christ He has not only made a similar promise to us, but has fulfilled that promise to restore us; having redeemed us today. In Isaiah 49 God promises to do many things for Israel, but one in particular should stick out in our minds; He tells them that He will make His Mountains into a road. Has the Lord made His Mountains to be our personal road today? Do we travel across them, back and forth into His presence? Have we worn deep paths along their steep passages as we have journeyed onto His Holy Mountain to worship Him? To the unfaithful, mountains are obstacles, but to we who believe they are places of awe, and are holy beyond description. As we look at our lives, do we view the mountains before us as encumbrances, or do we see them as a divine road we follow… our highway to holiness, eternity, and God?

The Proper Application of Grace

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Grace

We are under grace, and this opens to us an unmerited access to life everlasting through Jesus Christ. Jesus allows for the forgiveness of sin in us, not because we warrant it, but because of God’s mercy, and amazing grace. The more we have sinned, the greater God’s grace grows, so that through it we are forgiven. But, we are a people who are inclined to take advantage of any opportunity to advance ourselves, even when that opportunity presents itself in greed and selfishness. In this way, if we are not careful, we will look at God’s gift of grace as an opportunity to sin without lasting consequence. Paul warns us against this in his letter to the Romans, but do we pay attention to his warning in our lives today?

Family Stories of Faith and Blessing

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Family witness

When it comes to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Word of God, we do a fairly good job as believers, but do we spend enough time with our children and grandchildren telling them about the glorious, wonderful, and occasionally miraculous ways that God has dealt with our families? Do we tell them about the amazing ways that Jesus has transformed us personally, or saved the souls of our relatives, and ancestors? We don’t serve, and believe in a distant God, but a very personal God who is with us, and engaged in our lives every day. Have we witnessed great moments of faith in our lives, or families… if so then we must share them with our children so that they can see how God, and Jesus just don’t just love and help others… they love and help our family too.

Trusting Jesus and Traveling the Unknown Road before Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Trusting the Journey

We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, fall to our knees as we ask Him to be the center of our life, and pledge to follow His commandments and instruction. On that first day when we said that we would faithfully follow Him, did we really know where that would take us, and where we were going? Reading scripture and commentaries is like packing our luggage with the necessities we would need for a journey to anywhere, but before we can select suitable clothing for the trip, we must know where it is that we believe we are going; so today let’s each begin by asking ourselves some questions… do I know where Jesus is taking me? Have I asked the Lord where our final destination is to be, and am I prepared to trust in Him enough to leave my luggage and clothing behind, and to simply shoulder my cross, and begin the journey that He is leading me on?

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