No lesson is learned without facing the problem

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Lessons of Faith

We face the greatest lessons of Christ, and our Heavenly Father in the hard, and tempting moments of our lives. We learn the commandments and how to obey them when we come face to face with the temptation to disobey them. A man in the desert alone is not tempted to commit adultery, just as a child who is given his fill of candy isn’t prone to steal it. It is only when David stood on his roof and saw Bathsheba that he was made to face his desire to commit adultery, and it is when a child stands penniless before the candy counter that the thought of stealing crosses his mind. What were, or are, the circumstances that have led each one of us to learn such hard lessons regarding one of God’s commandments?

Unseen Spiritual Suffering and Pain

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Pain

Quite often we miss seeing the inward pain that people are enduring in their lives. There are those who suffer excruciating physical, mental, emotional, and yes, spiritual pain, from sources that we can’t possibly see by simply looking at them. Haven’t we met an old friend on the street, and in the exuberant joy of seeing them again taken their hand or hugged them, only to have them wince in pain and tell us they hurt somewhere, or perhaps we asked how their family was doing and witnessed tears and sadness in their eyes as they told us of a lost loved one? It is the same with spiritual pain. So how do we recognize it, and how should we react to it? We are directed to those who suffer by the merciful hand of God who sees their hearts.

Do our Prayers Change Us?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Changing Prayer

We say that we pray every day, and that might be true, but is our prayer a momentary request, or is it a fervent plea? Do we step into, and out of, our prayer closets unchanged by the experience of having knelt or laid prostrate before God? Are our prayers from the depths of our hearts and being drawn as if by a pump from the deepest wells of our souls? Once again, do we walk from our place of prayer a changed person, or simply pleased that we can mark this item from our list of tasks?

Using the Gifts We are given

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Gifts

What gifts do we have that do not come from God? We like to think that our skills, abilities, characters, and even our faiths in Jesus, are from us, but they are not, however, the way in which we use them is of us. We can choose to use them well, or for dark and self-serving purposes. So, how have we each decided to use the gifts that we have been given in our lives? Have we convinced ourselves that our abilities come from our own efforts, and are manifest by in hard work and self-developed talents? Do we believe that our faith comes from within us, or from God whose Spirit abides in us all?

Sharing our Bodies physically, and spiritually, as we should

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional ,

Let’s consider our bodies today, and ask ourselves if we protect and honor them in the ways we share them. First of all let’s ask ourselves who, or what, we should share our bodies with, and ask ourselves if by doing so we remain holy in the process. There is scriptural mention of seven specific ways that one can share their bodies… physically with their spouse, with someone whom they are not married to, someone of the same sex, an animal, and then three spiritual ways… with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who come to abide within us. Three of these ways are sinful, and four are sanctioned by God. So let’s ask ourselves who we allow ourselves to become one with? With whom, or what, do we share our bodies, which we know are the temples of God?

Loving Most Those Who Would Harm Us The Most

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Love Your Enemies

Who are the various enemies that we face today? Is our enemy a person who threatens or taunts us, a situation in life that we are struggling to overcome, or perhaps a spiritual enemy, Satan, as he or one of his minions, tempts us, and that temptation begins to distract our attention away from God? Is one or more of these detractors our enemy today, and how strong are they actually? Are they able to overcome us without our first bowing down to the one power each of them attempts to wield against us… doubt? Do we allow their assaults to distract our attention from Jesus Christ, or turn us away from God our Father? Nothing else can destroy us; so if we use the threats of men to bring us closer to God, a dire circumstance in life to strengthen us in our prayer closets, or those things that tempt us as a means of reaffirming us in our faith, then what power do our enemies have, and aren’t we able to turn their hatred into our love for them in spite of their harmful intentions towards us?

God, our Merciful Healer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God our Healer

God is our defender and provider, but He is also a healer of people and nations. Whether it be from pandemic, invasion, or our own sinfulness, He can save us, restore our wealth, and rebuild those things we have lost. Our God is merciful and good in his provision, and true to His Word in delivering on His promises. In every age He has healed, and now in this unfaithful age we are living in, we need His healing touch once more.

Obediently receiving the Word “No!” when we want to hear “Go!”

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God Says Stop

There were times when Paul was prepared to go into a place, and the Holy Spirit stopped him, and directed him elsewhere. There was a need for him where he wanted to go, but it was not God’s will. Has there ever been a time when a similar opportunity presented itself in your life, and yet the Spirit stopped you? Within the will of God there are many roads, but all of them are not ours to travel. How ready are we to change our plans, and go in a different direction, when the Spirit speaks to us? Are we argumentative when our will to act is overruled by God’s will for us to stand down?

The Message of Life, the Rock, and the Living Water of Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Springs of Living Water

Have we built a dam across our heart to hold back the flow of the Holy Spirit? Is our intention that the Spirit be made full in us by stopping its flow, and making it a deep lake of living water within us? Regardless of our intentions, this gift, this wonderful river, is meant to gush forth and water the world. Do we allow it to flow from us? Do we share this spiritual water with others so that it will bring them life… an eternal life that quenches their spiritual thirsts, and satisfies us as the cool water of our faith runs freely from within us to cleanse the world, and glorify God?

The Power of Faith that Grows from Christ’s Prayers for the Sifted

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayers and Sifting

How does Jesus pray for us? Does He pray for us in the same way that He did for Simon Peter; that although he would be sifted, that his faith would not fail? I dare say that this is exactly how he prays for us. But, if given our druthers, how would we prefer that He would pray for us? Would we want to be sifted and have our faith strengthened, or for Jesus to pray that we not be sifted at all?

Can there be Heartbreak without Love?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God and our Suffering

We serve and love God and Jesus Christ, but something bad still happens to us. We find that for all our faith and good works, trouble still besets us. I hear people ask an age old question in moments such as this; they ask “How could a good and loving God let this happen?” or, “If Jesus loves me then why does He allow me, or my loved ones, to suffer like this?” These questions are nothing new, and they come in response to Satan’s prodding as he challenges us with these same questions. Martha asked herself the same things when her brother Lazarus died, and even confronted Jesus by saying…

How Severe is the Pruning we will endure?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Pruning

Are we bearing fruit for the Lord in His spiritual garden, and if we are, is it the healthy and robust fruit He expects of us? It is easy to begin our spiritual service to the Lord with an amazingly prolific harvest, but then, as the years pass by, to become complacent in our efforts. Some of us, by justifying our limited efforts, will produce just enough to get by while others will adorn themselves with beautiful greenery but yield no fruit at all. The first will be pruned back in an effort to increase the clusters of grapes they produce, while the barren green vines will be removed altogether. Where are we in our season? Do we produce in abundance? Do we give the Lord just enough to meet what we think He expects, or are we covering ourselves in fine rich greenery but adding nothing to the heavenly storehouses?

Simple Family Conversations with Mom and God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Family Faith

I have traveled far, and returned to my parent’s home. My father died many years ago, but now my mother lies struggling in the final days of her life. Last night I slept in her quiet house as she lay fitful in a hospital room across town while my sisters tended to her. I went into her kitchen, prepared a cup of coffee, and sat down in my familiar chair where I had spoken so many times with her about life and faith, but as I turned to set my cup down there was a tiny little book sitting in the saucer. It was simply constructed; a white cover with a big smiley face, the word SMILE printed boldly above it, and the words “Jesus Loves You” below. It was a simple book containing four verses of scripture that would lead a person to Christ. It begins with a series of questions concerning one’s life and then a statement regarding our sinful nature. Understanding who we are is not hard, nor is it a mystery…

Delivering God’s Word Precisely as He gives it

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Messengers

When we receive a Word from the Lord, and it is not a pleasant thing that will come to pass, or what He tells us to say is stern, do we still reveal it exactly as it was told to us, or do we temper it, and make it less harsh for the sensitive ears of those who He meant to hear it? In today’s world we are taught that if we don’t have something nice to say then we shouldn’t say anything at all, and this is a good rule of thumb, but if we receive a Word from God, and we are absolutely certain it is from Him, then we are to be true to it. If we are told to deliver a message, then for us to leave out a single part, or word of it, would be disobedient and sinful. We are not the one saying these things, but simply the messenger. As we look at our lives, have we ever tempered the Word of God so as not to offend someone, nor make them bitter towards us?

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