All tagged faith

Princes, Principalities, and the Harbinger of Mercy

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Faith in the Rain

As Christians do we fret over the condition of our country and this world? Do we wring our hands and cry out, “Lord! Lord! look at what is being done and the harm that is occurring to your people!”? Well, if we do this, then we must stop! Ours is to trust in Him who created all things, and to leave princes and principalities to their vices because it was He who established and will deal with them. We are like the grass that covers the earth. We may brown with the drought, but we should have faith in the promised rain. The trees will wither and die, but the green grass of Christ returns with the renewing rain, and as for the dark clouds and lightning on the horizon? Why they are merely the harbingers of God’s coming promise and mercy.

Lent: Finding Treasure in the Wilderness with Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Refining Faith

Do we concern ourselves too much with the state of the world around us? Do we judge our faith, not on the righteousness that we come to know, but on the impact we perceive we are having on the society and church we live in? If we do that, then we are setting ourselves up for depression, and for viewing ourselves as being deficient... failures. So, what are we to do? How can we avoid this pitfall? We are to become like Jesus.

Ash Wednesday; Are We Living for or in Jesus Christ?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Abiding in Christ

Do we stand at the foot of the hill and listen to Jesus teach? Do we watch Him enter Jerusalem and celebrate the fact that we know Him? Are we in the upper room and marvel at His foot washing and His words surrounding the bread and the wine? Well, all of these things are amazing and wonderful but in each case we are a bystander, yet when we are filled with the Holy Spirit then suddenly the life of Jesus moves from before your eyes to a place deep within us. We cease being watchers, and perhaps marginally practicing Christians, and become one with Christ.

No Throne can Seat Two Kings: Pride and Humility

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prideful

Do we let our pride get in the way of our faith? Do we take pleasure in the praise of others when the glory for all we do is truly God’s? Or perhaps we value the praise of men over that of the Lord Himself. The simplest lack of humility is a sure sign of a prideful nature, and it is the primary ingredient in every major lack of faithfulness. Our pride is a tool of Satan and with it he  seeks to place who we are and what we do before God. Is this who we are? Are we proud men and women, or humble before the Lord our God?

Of Children, and the Perfection of Praise

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Seeing our Children

When we look at our children, what do we see, and how do we see it? We look at them with our eyes, and see their physical characteristics, we observe their actions and come to know their character by studying them with our minds. We go further and see their heart through the eyes of our own hearts and come to know their love as it mixes with ours and grows, but there is one other way we should look at our children... one that many of us neglect, we should see them spiritually.

Persistence, and Running the Race of Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Preparing for Faith

What is the state of your faith today? Is it strong, well trained, and ready to run a race; or does it become easily winded and lose stamina during the long marathon of life? Do you tell yourself that your faith is able to withstand anything, but lose hope at the least of life’s difficulties? If you find your faithfulness lacking, let’s talk about selecting a conditioning coach, and enrolling ourselves in his spiritual training program.

Faith and Will; the Tears and Purpose of Miracles

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Faith and Will

How is your faith? Are you strong in it, or is it lacking in some regard? Can you move a mountain, or do you think your faith is too small to move even a grain of sand? The disciples were chastised by Jesus on more than one occasion for their lack of faith, so do not lose heart, but ask Him why you can’t do a thing, or why you don’t receive the ability to perform a miracle. You may find that in some cases it has less to do with faith than you think.

Fountains of Life, and my Grandfather’s Farm

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Living Water and Life

Jesus is like a fountain, or a spring, out of which forgiveness flows. He is not like a spigot from which life is turned off and on when we need to wash the scent of death from ourselves or draw a drink. Do we only approach Him when we think we need cleansing or to receive refreshment for our spirit, and faith? Or is He the source of life that we have built our lives and families around… the well, spring, and fountain that our existence depends upon as we quinch our spiritual thirst, and for every cool compress that relieves the fever of our sin?

Come, Dine, and Remain with Me

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fading Faith

Listen... do you hear the voice of Jesus? Are you hearing Him calling you to “come” or is He asking for you to “come back!”? When Jesus first calls us He gives us incredible peace, rest, and spiritual lives, but over time we might feel that those things have subsided in us; why is that? Why do we lose the intensity of joy and faith that our initial answer to His call brought us?

Engaging our Spirit in Worship

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Spirit Truth and Us

Do we hear the Gospel of Jesus and worship God as we should? We might go to church and sing songs, even pray together, chant, and recite creeds, but these are all simply physical manifestations of faith that any unbeliever can imitate. What I am asking is this... Do we allow our bodies and spirits to join as one as we worship with the Holy Spirit by praising God and give Him all the glory and honor for the things we do in obedience to His will? Can we honestly say that we worship Him as scripture tells us to… by loving Him, entering into relationship with Him, and in spirit and truth?

Men and Women; are we Lost in our Natures Today?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Our Sexuality and Faith

I have never done this before, but my devotional message yesterday contained a gem that our society today seems to have lost. I received a nice email from Lou who is a wonderful friend, wife to Jack, mother of five daughters, woman that has worked a lifetime alongside her husband, and a saint who is now in her later years of life; I want to share her note with you, along with my reply to her. Here is what she wrote to me regarding my grandfather’s saying (A man is only as good as his word) that I shared briefly with you in yesterday’s devotional titled “The Revelation of Answered Prayer.”

Though We Hurt, Home Awaits the Children of God

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Restoration

Are we like children before God, or are we walking in your own independent self-righteousness? Do we say, “I believe” and yet act like we are in control of our own lives? Maybe we have trusted God with our life at some point, but have since taken those reins back from Him, and slowly, over time, found ourselves walking totally apart from Him. Do we know where we are? Are we uncertain how, and if, we can come home again? Well, through Christ we can.

Answering the Call of Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Living Faith

Are you struggling with whether you will give yourself to Jesus, and fully believe in God? Have you been reasoning and reading scripture without moving an inch closer to actually believing? If so, then quit listening to your own intellect, and still your mind... then open your ears to the still small voice of God that has been calling you to “Come” and which now asks you to determine what has brought you to this place. Hearing God isn’t a matter of intellectual reasoning on your part; it is being inexplicably drawn by His voice alone. So… what are you doing here, and will you come to Him?

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