Arguments, Problems, and Things; Is This Our Life?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Unsettled Faith

Are there things in our lives that distract us from focusing on Jesus Christ? You know the ones... an unresolved argument that worries and distracts us during prayer, a problem with our home or automobile that nags at us when we sit to read and study scripture, or perhaps too many planned activities in our day that tempt us to place them before the important things of life… like worship. Do these symptoms of an overly busy life sound familiar? Well, this problem is quite common in most people’s everyday life but today let’s look at this phenomenon with our focus specifically on our spiritual lives.

Sadness and our Wealth of Poverty

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Wealth and Poverty

Are any of us sad today? I am referring to the sadness that occurs when we realize that Jesus is asking us to let go of something that we believe we are unable to abandon, something that seems impossible for us to live without. Perhaps it is our monetary wealth, but maybe it is a form of poverty that we are being asked to let go of. Wealth can be something different for each of us. Let’s look at this today.

Do We Recognize God and Jesus in our Lives?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Knowing The Voice of Divinity

Would you recognize the voice of Jesus if you heard it? If He called your name, would you know from the sound of His voice that it was Him who was calling you? Probably not, but if, in an instant He were to reveal every moment in which He had spoken to you and come to you in your life, perhaps then you would know His voice… don’t you think? Wouldn’t you? Maybe?

The Real Touch of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Knowing God Intimately

We all need to have a deep and personal relationship with God, not just a casual friendship with Him but to know Him intimately. Is our faith the product of going to church once a week and listening to stories about the amazing relationships that others have with the Lord and Jesus or do we have such a personal experience with them ourselves? Let’s pray and think about the depth of our relationship with the Lord today.

Are We in the Woodshed with God?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Chastised

Have you ever stopped to consider that not every misfortune that you face in life is put upon you by Satan? Some are just natural occurrences of living, through which we exercise the lessons of faith we have been taught, but others are the corrections of our Heavenly Father as he chastises us. In this modern era, we have been conditioned to believe that we should reason with our children and are never meant to discipline them beyond that, but is this biblical?

Marriage - Flaming Desire, or Ash?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Becoming One

Two individuals enter a wedding ceremony, but upon the marriage’s consummation only one flesh emerges to form a life together. This is a beautiful mystery, and over the years it is fraught with hardships and challenges. Are we ready for the flame that purifies a marriage? Are we prepared to endure the fire and become one ash in the palm of God? Are we determined to live out the years together?

Of Mentors and the Banks of the Jordan

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Mentors

Are we ready to step forward in our faith and enter into a new role of servitude? Our inclination as new Christians is to go only so far and then fall dutifully behind a spiritual mentor, allowing them to teach and lead us on from there. However, God would have use step through that spiritual season, move beyond being mentored, and cross into a larger life with Him. This is an inevitable event.

Serving, Suffering, and God’s Feast

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Properly Serving God

Are you suffering in or through something that God has called you to do? If so, how are you approaching your hardship? Does it cause you to question the Lord’s presence in what you are doing, or to experience personal pride in your suffering? Neither of these is a proper way to deal with our hardships and suffering because they make His call less about Him and more about ourselves. Only by leaning on Him and maintaining a humble trust in His will are we properly responding as we go about obeying our calling and walking in His will.

Am I Talking to Hear Myself Talk?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Power of the Word

Living our lives with Jesus is more than attaching a series of disjointed moments that are separated by periods of time in which He has been absent from us into something we would like  to call faith. God is never here and then gone but is with us always and in all things. Our Lord Jesus doesn't abandon us to our own devices only to return once we have royally screwed things up. God is with us always, and Jesus said that He would be with us until the end of the age. Are we with them too?

I’ll Have What He is Having!

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, What to Pray

When should we pray? Do we even know what to pray for? These sound like easy questions to answer and indeed one of them is... do you know which one? If I were to ask you to kneel with me right now, how would you begin? Would you begin to pray as you have always prayed before, or would you pray about something that was occurring in your life right now? Would you follow the same regiment or order of prayer that you always have, or let go of the old and familiar by beginning to pray as if God was a newfound friend or with an intensity and expectation that you hadn’t prayed with for a long time?

The Five Letter Answer to the Question - "Why Lord?"

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Questioning God

Is what God is doing, or not doing, in your life a frustrating mystery? Do you pray for a certain thing repeatedly, but it just doesn’t seem that you are being heard? How about the troubles in your life? Does God's plan for you regarding them stump or escape you? Well don't feel alone, because many have faced this challenge through the years. Many have asked Him “Why Lord” and “When Lord?” So, let's explore these puzzling spiritual questions today.

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