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November 4: Isaiah 42:10-13
Key Verse: Isaiah 42:10
Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.
Devotion:
How many times do you put something off because you are either afraid to step forward or you just cannot see how you can do what is being asked of you? I know I have put things off many times in my life and last year showed me how dangerous putting things off was when I was hospitalised for much of the year due when I may have been able to avoid things if I had gone to the doctor and had a diagnosis earlier!
But many of us also put off doing things for God because we just cannot see how we can be as good as any of the evangelical people we may see and hear about! God is probably not asking us to be high profile evangelical prophets, but He is asking every single one of us to spread the gospel to those who don’t yet know it!
I have missed not being able to sing out loud in church as we celebrate having a Saviour who is Jesus; but I fully understand how difficult it is to live within social and medical guidelines during this pandemic. So, going into a further country-wide lock-down does not sit well with me; but I understand. This is not going to stop me from being an example to others as well spreading the gospel through written word either!
We may not be able to meet up in church as a congregation, but we can continue to sing out our praises in any way we can. Sing out your joy in knowing Christ. Sing about what He has done in your life. Sing about the hope we have for our future with Him. Sing in your own, new way...
Points to Ponder:
Are you ready to tell others about Christ?
What new way will you think of to make the gospel known?
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November 3: Isaiah 43:16-21
Key Verse: Isaiah 43:18
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Devotion:
We have a God who has demonstrated beyond doubt how precious we are to Him through the example of leading His chosen people out of the hands of tyranny in Egypt. He did this through miraculous examples where the people were protected beyond belief – something many people nowadays forget and discard through worldly suggestions.
But God is also telling us far more things are going to be different as we move through our lives and through the lifetime of this world. God is the same today as He was and will be. He is the God of change when change is necessary! The more things get out of hand on earth, the more He has to change things in our present times!
He has told people over the ages to forget about the old ways of doing things and focus on the present and future ways in which He is guiding us. Much like the times we are going through with this pandemic. We have messed up, we broke rules, we relaxed and did not act in time. Yes, governments should have acted instead of waiting and re-acting, but we must bear responsibility as well.
Just as we must bear responsibility for our own sins and bring them to God, we must bear responsibility for things we have done wrong against medical advice and must move on in a new way of living. This does not mean turning our backs on God or His people but turning towards Him and them with a new way of doing things safely and earnestly. This is the will of God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know how much prayer can change lives?
Will you start an active prayer chain to lift up your country today?
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November 2: Isaiah 43:1-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 43:5
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
Devotion:
It is no secret Isaiah 43 holds special meaning to me, not just because it was the chapter from which we chose a verse to use as a tag-line for our youth organisation, but because people have pointed me back to this chapter on so many occasions – people who do not know what I have done with and without God.
This is a reminder to the Jews that God has chosen them to be the example of what His love can do in our lives. Even when they went astray and needed a kick in the pants to get back on track, God continued to be there and encourage them in all walks of life. Here is where God was reminding them they would be called to be a people together, worshipping God. Not as split communities competing against each other, but as one family working to live together with God!
God’s words of encouragement, delivered by Isaiah, are He is with us every step of our lives. When we feel overwhelmed with the world around us, He will make sure we can make it through. When we are drowning in the worldly things around us, He will keep our head above the water. He does not say we have to swim harder and out-live the troubles through our own strength... He says He will make sure we survive.
This may mean a few hard knocks in our lives after which we will feel like we have been battered; but because of His great and enduring love for us, He will ensure we survive. This could be other people popping up just at the right time to hold our hands, or something changing in our lives – but God is behind each and every step, helping us along the way!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you feel overwhelmed?
How many of those times have you given the situation to God?
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November 1: Ephesians 3:14-19
Key Verse: Ephesians 3:16
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being
Devotion:
One more month closer to Christmas. One more month deeper into this pandemic. One more month we feel like the world may be closing in on us... but Christ is bigger and stronger than this all! I ask each of you to stop what you are doing for a couple of minutes and pray for someone you know of who is in need at this time; physically, mentally or spiritually.
Stop and pray.
Right, now that you have lifted up your prayers to the One God who is always listening and answering prayers, rest in the knowledge He has been and always will be faithful to answer prayers. And as He answers prayers, meditate on the knowledge He has been able to do things beyond comprehension and will continue to do so as we pray.
Just like the author says here, I do pray each one of you is able to see and acknowledge the power of our God. I certainly would not be here if it were not for God; I don’t want any of you to have to go through things I have been through – but I know many of you have gone through so much in your lives too. But God has been able to keep us going – just because we asked Him to!
Think about it. This is the God who we prayed to in the hopes we would get some respite from our troubles. This is the same God who was able to allow us to get through things and come out a little bit stronger because of His amazing strength.
Points to Ponder:
I pray your prayers will be answered more than you can realise.
I pray that God will give you strength to help others now too.
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October 31: Isaiah 60:1-3
Key Verse: Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
Devotion:
As we creep into Halloween, pun intended, we often get carried away with all the horror and evil which this evening carries with it. Many people would celebrate this evening with a party and dressing up in weird and wacky outfits – not so this year! Much of the world is slumping into worsening Covid-19 conditions and running around from door to door is just not going to be acceptable behaviour for many.
Let us not forget we are Christians. We stand for the Light of the world. We stand for Christ. We shine for Jesus. We are examples other people look to. If we are going to act like the rest of the world, people will see no different and will not be encouraged to find God; instead, they will continue to follow the world and sink with it...
God has chosen us to be different for a reason. He has not chosen us to judge others by what they say or do, but to encourage others to say and do what Jesus would like us to say and do. That is a very big difference! We cannot judge because we have been as guilty ourselves as any other people. But we have now been chosen to celebrate God, His ways and His will, to be a helping light for others to follow!
Jesus is the Light of the world and we are guards and guides for people to follow so they can see Jesus. Think of yourself as a person with a torch who can show others the way by shining the light on the world and allowing them to make their way toward Jesus. Don’t switch off your light for any reason because people in the dark are relying on your light to shine for them to find hope!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you shine for Jesus?
Will you keep your Jesus light switched on tonight?
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October 30: Matthew 5:13-16
Key Verse: Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Devotion:
One of the things I struggle with during these lock-down periods is the hidden pressure it places on your spirit when you try to do what is righteous. We are all called to obey the law whether we are Christians or not, but as Christians we should be setting an example other people look up to for hope and encouragement. That in itself puts a burden on our shoulders!
Jesus was not just talking to the disciples when He said these words; He was talking to a crowd of people and was standing on a hillside to make sure more people could hear Him. To be heard, He would have had to project His voice, not like a quiet vicar speaking to a small, quiet congregation; this was more like the shouting of an evangelist to the crowd! Now, read the verses again. They take on a new meaning when you think about Jesus being evangelical in front of the crowd!
We are the salt, the flavour, the seasoning, the small part which makes a big difference to the whole! We are the light, not hidden in a cupboard or under the bed covers, but a bright light shining to allow others to see the truth all around them! Don’t hide your Christianity in the cupboard. Place it in a prominent place where others will stop and look, think and hopefully allow Jesus to work in their hearts!
Above all, give God the glory for everything in your life. Allow others to see how much God has done for you so they can have hope for their lives too. This is the light. Back it all up with words from your bible. This is the salt. Now you have set a table, a meal, properly seasoned, where others can come and enjoy the feast Christ has for them in their lives too!
Points to Ponder:
Are you quiet about your Christianity?
Will you stand up with your light on and season others people’s lives?
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October 29: Matthew 5:3-12
Key Verse: Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Devotion:
The Beatitude are used a lot to show how we are blessed in so many ways, but have you ever looked more closely at the wording used by the author. What does it mean to be poor in spirit, meek, hunger for righteousness, pure in heart or a peacemaker?
As we continue to have the Coronavirus spread through our lands and communities, we begin to be weary, not because of the virus itself but because we are pushed to the limits in our spirits. The more sickness and death surround us, the wearier we become trying to keep things going. The more we grow weary in our spirits, the worse our physical health becomes and, worse still, the worse our mental health becomes.
In these times we need to have hope on the horizon otherwise we fall deeper into a blackness which we feel smothered by. Christ has given us hope beyond what this world can supply; though the talk of a vaccine on the horizon will give us hope for the future!
God does not look at the sick just because they are sick, or the poor just because they are poor, God looks at them because of the deep dread they have within their spirits. God wants us to look up to the hope we have in Christ, but knows we face mental and spiritual battles which prevent us from looking up to God. His heart comes out to us and His faithfulness ensures He continues to bless us in many ways we don’t fully realise because of our downed spirits. Look up to the light which is Christ Jesus!
Points to Ponder:
How are you coping with life under coronavirus?
Have you had a frank talk with God about it?
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October 28: Mark 14:32-42
Key Verse: Mark 14:41
Returning the third time, he said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.’
Devotion:
How many times do you ask someone for help before you give up asking? I think most of us ask once and when we don’t get a positive response, we back off to try and find another way forward. This is not God’s way – not the way shown to us by Jesus!
I’m sure the disciples did get tired with all the walking and helping out wherever they went, but despite this all, Jesus, who was doing all the disciples were doing, continued to lift up His prayers to God through everything. The disciples gave in to their tiredness and fell asleep while they waited for Jesus; I don’t think they knew the gravity of the situation which was looming ahead.
Jesus knew exactly what was to happen and announced it here in these verses just before Judas had arrived to carry out his betrayal of Christ. His prayers to God were simple: “If there is any other way, please can we do that instead... but if this is your will, then let it be so.” Did Jesus doubt anything? Why did He ask three times? No, Jesus did not have any doubts, but He wanted to be sure nothing else could be done first.
No matter how difficult things get, or even how easy they are, we need to keep God in our lives and in our lifestyles. We also need to be sure we are doing what God is asking, because when we do get stressed or overly happy, we tend to get caught up in things of this world rather than listening to God! Stop and spend time in prayer – listening!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you ask for help?
When you ask, do you wait for an answer?
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October 27: 1 John 4:4-6
Key Verse: 1 John 4:5
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
Devotion:
After warning us not to believe every spirit, the writer wants us to believe the Holy Spirit because He comes from God! This opens up the suggestion there are other spirits in this world; but that is another message... We do have to be careful whom we listen to because not everyone or everything is in support of our God.
But as the writer confirms, we are from God. Once we invite Jesus into our lives, we are confirmed as being part of His kingdom and His children. From then on, we can listen to the Holy Sprit because He not only indwells us, but wants us to ignore the call from the world. The world is going to shout out to everyone and many people are going to listen to it because they do not know any better. But, as Christians, we are part of God’s extended family and must listen to Him rather than the world.
The evil one has his feet firmly placed on this world and will do many things to try and trick us into listening to him and following his ways. We need to step back from our impulses and try to listen to the quiet voice of the spirit instead of the shouting of the evil one. It may sound very hard when said like that, but we are given a very discerning spirit ourselves which can identify the voice of the Holy Spirit and allow us to listen to the truth...
But many will give in to listen to the loud shouts of the world rather than to separate those loud shouts from the quiet whisper the Lord gives us through the Holy Spirit. It will take a conscious effort on your part to stop and listen to God instead of going with the flow. Stop and listen.
Points to Ponder:
Do you give in to peer pressure?
Will you make a stand with the Holy Spirit?
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October 26: Hebrews 4:12-13
Key Verse: Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Devotion:
I wonder how much the people feared the power, might and savagery of the Romans Empire. Here we have words hinting at the might of the double-edged sword, common in Romand times; used for all manner of fighting and atrocities. This is not to say the sword was only used for bad, because it must have been used for good in so many ways as well – but it is the bad stuff we tend to remember because of the fear it instils in us.
Have you ever tried to work out what your spirit it and what you soul is? These are questions I have never wanted to delve into because of the doubt it spreads in my analytical mind. I rather cling to the hope I have through the faith I have in my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. What gives me this hope which is greater than the fear welling up inside me? God’s Word.
Without God’s Word I would not be able to separate what is righteous and what I simply want for myself. Without it I would not be able to separate God’s will and mans will. I still don’t get it right all the time because I am limited in my understanding of all things – but I hold tight to what I learn from God’s Word.
There is nothing hidden from God so knowing He has supplied us with everything we need to discern His will in our lives does wonders for my faith believing He is in control. Everything from pride to greed to lust are all uncovered by God’s Word as long as we are willing to learn from it. If we ignore it we are nothing more than from this world.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you read God’s Word?
When was the last time you sat and pondered over it?