But Lord, That’s Too Hard

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Obeying God’s Commandments

Can we actually obey all of God's commandments? Man has been struggling to answer this question since Adam and Eve were first told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And although they failed at keeping that one command God did not abandon them, but clothed them instead, and continued to love and teach them. Later, Moses came down from the mountain with even more commandments… And we all know what happened then; man continued to fail. So are we doomed to lives of failure? Is it any different today than it was then? Not really, but God has made provision for us. Are we ready to receive it?

Loving Obedience

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Obedience in Love

Jesus talks about keeping (being obedient to) His commandments in the book of John. He isn't talking about an obedience based on fear, but an obedience founded in love and a desire to follow Him. When we obey the biblical commandments out of love and not duty, Jesus will manifest Himself in us, and we will experience the love of God; a love like none other.

The World Turned Upside-Down

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Impact of Faith

I read a devotional message titled "The World Turned Upside-Down" and it spoke of those in the faith whose walk with God allowed them to change the world in a mighty way. Of course when I read those words I immediately thought of Jesus who changed the Jewish faith, and all of mankind forever through his fulfillment of prophesy and the law. He removed the stain and hopelessness of sin once and for all, conquered death, and provided an avenue by which all mankind could come before God... sin free, righteous and holy.

The Lost Art of Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Lost Prayer

The lost art of prayer was the subject of my devotional reading this morning. This has been a matter that has troubled me deeply, and one that I hope we have addressed in some detail over our nearly yearlong journey with Pastor E.M. Bounds each morning. No relationship survives without communication and that is true of ours with God as well. Paul wrote these words to the church of the Thessalonians:

Spending Quality Time in Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Quality Time

Do we pray in little bits and fragments, or do we carve out the best hours of our day for prayer, and then immerse ourselves in it and the presence of God? When we don’t give our entire selves, and undivided attention, to the Lord in prayer, then what does that say about the value we place on our relationship with Him? Jesus sets a high bar for us when it comes to dedicating ourselves to prayer. To him it is not an afterthought, nor something to be done in passing, no, it is something holy that is to be sweated over, bled over, and that will often take all night to accomplish. Shouldn’t we at least give our Father the best of what we have by dedicating quality time to our prayers?

Shared Thoughts on Yesterday’s Devotional

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Obedience and Shared Faith

Do we share our thoughts on faith and prayer with others? I have a very dear friend (Chuck Savage) who, years ago, received the very first devotional message I ever wrote. As a matter of fact he was the inspiration for them as we read “The Power of Prayer” by E. M. Bounds together. We were friends, and had been communicating regularly and praying together long before that, but in 2016 I found myself writing a devotional message to him that he shared with his family and friends. Since then I have written years of daily devotionals and the Lord has shared them openly with the world, but as you know, this year I have been rewriting that first year’s messages, and sharing them with this now wider audience of readers. It is important that we share our journey of faith with one another, because it is tantamount to sharing the gospel as it lives itself out in our own modern day lives.

Holiness in Our Secret Places

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Secret Places and Prayers

God hears our secret prayers, he answers us in the quiet of the moment when our souls are bared to Him alone. When we pray in solitude our faith rises in purity with no need for guarded oration or flowery speech... We speak to God more freely than we would with our closest friends; all pretenses having been dropped. Although we pray the Lord's Prayer most often in public settings, it is interesting that the verses in Matthew 6 which lead up to Jesus teaching us this prayer tell us quite a different story. Listen as He is instructs His disciples to go into a private place and close the door....

Holiness Inside and Out

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Complete Holiness

This morning we are contemplating a holiness of heart and life. Isn't this one of the core aims in our quest of faith? Pastor E.M. Bound speaks to how we should go about achieving such a life, and heart, in these words... "To cultivate this kind of life and heart, one must be watchful, one must pray and be forgiving toward others. A true Christian seeks holiness of heart, he is not satisfied without it. For this very purpose he consecrates himself to God. He gives himself entirely over to God in order to be holy in heart and in life." How are each of us doing in this pursuit?

Does Our Faith Ring True?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Pure Faith

Living right every day; this is our thought for today. Do we live consistently righteously in our everyday life? Are those things we read in scripture and pray about in our prayers true, and evident in our daily lives? The world we live in is full of temptation and wickedness, and it can lure us into situations that can challenge our faith as we try to make our way through life. We can find ourselves living a double life.

Our Exceptional Call to Service

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Serving In Consecration

What kind of service is the consecrated Christian called to perform? Most find that it is much more than routine. Zacharias became a prophet the moment he named his son John (the Baptist) and his lips were unsealed. He was then called to do more than burn incense in the temple... He was called to a life of such magnitude that only scripture speaks of lives like his. These are his words from the Benedictus (Luke 1:57-79)...

The Prayer of an Addict

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Trusting in Prayer

Do you pray and not receive? Have you blamed or doubted God for His silence towards your prayers? Well, sometimes He is answering and we are not listening or we simply don’t wanting to hear the answer. Sometimes our timing and His are out of synch, but often we are completely outside the will of God in our requests. The book of James speaks to our asking "wrongly" and that is what I am contemplating this morning; praying outside the will of God and how I can know and avoid this.

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