All tagged Rescue

Who do we wrestle in the dark, and are we afraid?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Spiritual Enemies

Hidden enemies terrify us. We are far less apt to stumble, or be frightened in the light of day than in the night, and yet half our lives are spent surrounded by darkness. This is also how we struggle spiritually. The spiritual snares placed to trap us are most effective when they are set in darkness, in those places we can’t see or readily understand. When we oppose someone, or something, it is far easier for us than when we wrestle against ideas, fears, spirits, and vaporous things; those are the enemies that scare us as they go bump in the night. 

COVID-19, Feeling out of sorts, and Finding Hope in Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Hope, Prayer

Are you feeling out of sorts in this time of COVID-19? You say that you aren’t depressed, and you aren’t anxious, yet you Still feel differently? You say that your energy is gone, you just can’t seem to get started in the morning, and even the good news you hear in life doesn’t seem to be enough? Well, I was listening to a good friend talk about feeling this way yesterday, and it dawned on me that what She was describing was quite simply hopelessness. She was feeling an ebb in her ability to hope, but remember; we serve the God of hope! So I ask that each of us consider this question… “When was the last time I prayed for hope?“

Finding Relationship in our Seclusion, Focus in our Fasting

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Hungering, Relationship

Do you ever separate yourself spiritually from your physical life and become immersed in your faith? Fasting is one of those denials of self that when used properly will heighten our spiritual concentration by placing our body under subjugation to God in a very real way. By causing ourselves to suffer in this way we feel a constant reminder to pray and worship... it focuses us heart, soul, mind, and strength, on our God. This is one of the few acts we perform that brings all of these to bear at once.

The Simplicity of our Salvation - Don’t believe the Lies

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Salvation

A man is watching as Christians sing and worship Jesus, then he listens as the pastor speaks of life that awaits us in Christ. All of this stirs something in his heart, and he feels an urge to come forward and be saved, but he doesn’t. It is the age old struggle between good and evil that is raging within him. He hears the good news of Jesus, but Satan continues telling him he is lost, and in that lie, salvation seem beyond his reach. Salvation isn’t complicated, and the call to the altar requires only one price... for us to believe.

Defeating Depression through Trust in God

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Trusting God, Rescue

Do we allow the everyday afflictions of the world to redirect our trust away from God? Do we find ourselves, like David sometimes did in Psalms, arguing within ourselves regarding what we know of God’s goodness, provision, and rescue, and the need for our own physical selves to step in and defeat the enemies and obstacles that challenge us?  In such times, David described what was happening to his spirit with words such as  “cast down”, or “in turmoil”, but today we use terms like depressed, anxious, and  lonely, when we face the world alone.

Stand Aside, and let God Rescue You

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Deliverance, Rescue

When we are facing evil, and ruthless, people, what does God require for us to do to secure or deliver ourselves from them? The answer comes back to us in the form of a single word... nothing. Our God is perfectly capable of dealing with those who come against us, and that is indeed His promise. Our task in all of this is to love Him, believe in Him, lean on Him, and praise Him in His victory.

Lost? Fear not the Wilderness, Forests, or Sinfulness that Surrounds You

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Lost, Abandoned, Rescue, God’s Faithfulness

Are you wandering in your faith, or worse than that are you lost in it? Do you want to go home, but not how to get there? Sometimes we become lost for no reason of our own, we think we know where we are until suddenly we realize that we are lost. At other times it is because we didn’t follow directions, but occasionally we are intentionally led away and left to our own devices. All of this can happen to us in our journey of faith, but Jesus, and our Holy Father come to find us.