Deut. 25:17-19 God Keeps His Promises - Devotional Scripture

Trials in this life are not the exception; they are the norm. Judges 3:1 tells us that God purposely left enemies in the land in order to test Israel so they would learn how to fight battles. Sometimes the enemy doesn’t fight fair.  He seems to take pleasure in hitting us when we are down, when we’re weak, weary and have no strength. 

This happened to the Israelites as they came out of Egypt (Ex. 17).  Amalek attacked God’s people from behind.  They went after the stragglers in the group, the ones that were weak and exhausted.  Moses called on Joshua to lead the Israelites into battle while he stationed himself on top of a hill to pray. As Moses lifted his hands and prayed, the Israelites triumphed in the battle. In the end, God won the battle for His people.

After the battle was over God told Moses to write this account in a book as a permanent reminder that when we fight under God’s power and strength we will be victorious (Ex. 17:14).  He told the people in Deut. 25:17-19:

"Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt.  They attacked you when you were exhausted and weary, and they struck down those who were straggling behind. They had no fear of God.  Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the land he is giving you as a special possession, you must destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this! "

Four hundred years later, God kept His promise.  When the Israelites were at rest in the land that He had given them, God told King Saul to go and attack the Amalekites and utterly destroy them (1 Samuel 15:2-3).

God keeps His promises. God says, there will always be war and we shouldn’t be surprised by it. But, just like He enabled the Israelites to win the battle, He will give you His power and strength to win the battles of your life and to walk in victory. Therefore, look to the Lord and fight the good fight knowing you are not alone in the battlefield.

Isaiah 55:8-9, Admit God Can Do Whatever He Wants - Devotional Scripture

Job had been through an incredibly difficult time…We were told in the beginning that the reason for Job’s troubles was God’s choice to allow Job to be tested. The concept of God allowing a difficult time to come for any other reason than for judgment was simply beyond Job’s understanding of God. This made Job frustrated with God.

Finally, God steps in to clear things up.  God begins to ask Job a series of questions (Job 38-41) to show Job just how inadequate his understanding of God was.  Job had been upset because he had wanted God to start acting the way he thought God ought to act.  But God’s whole point was to show Job that He, God, was much bigger than Job’s limited concept of Him.

Job’s breakthrough came when he admitted something like, “Okay, You are God and You can do whatever you choose to do, and I submit to Your will,” (Job 42:2).  When you completely surrender to God, admitting He can do whatever He wants with you, then you begin to truly know Him.

Have you been feeling frustrated with God lately?  Could it be that you think God ought to be doing something a certain way?  When you realize He loves you as much as He does, there’s no need to be afraid of surrendering yourself to Him. – Steve Edmondson, Calvary Chapel of Fullerton.

Proverbs 3:13 Get Wisdom and be happy - Devotional Scripture

Everyone wants to be happy. God made us to be eternally happy.  He has established this world in such a way that doing good through faith in Christ will always lead to greater happiness.

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13

 

The key to lasting happiness is to gain wisdom. Wisdom is to know what to do and be able to apply that knowledge to the situations of life.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.   Psalm 111:10. 

The fear of the Lord means we are so in love with our Father that we don’t want to do anything that would grieve Him. It is when we understand just how much He loves us that wisdom truly begins.  Those who fear the Lord will want to spend time with Him.  They will have insight and wisdom in a way others won’t.  Their desire will be to please their Father and they will trust His ways over their own.  As we spend time in His Word and obey His commands we gain wisdom and understanding of what to do in situations and we use good judgment making decisions in our lives.

This weekend’s challenge is to begin to get wisdom. The first essential thing you must do to get wisdom is come to Jesus. You must believe the He is your Lord and Savior. That He died for your sins and rose three days later and is now seated in heaven with His Father.  Second, since wisdom is found in the Word of God, you must get into the Word and do what it says. The third thing we should do to get wisdom is pray. Wisdom is a gift of God, therefore, we should pray to God to give us wisdom.

Listen and Obey Jeremiah 35 - Devotional Scripture

In Jeremiah 35, we see a powerful illustration of obedience. While the rest of the people of Israel were breaking its covenant with God, the Rechabites were steadfast in their commitment they made to their ancestor hundreds of years ago who gave a command to the family. God uses them as an example of the type of obedience He desires from His people. In this chapter, Jeremiah offered wine to the Rechabites but they wouldn’t drink it.

But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever.’” Jeremiah 35:6

The Rechabites were obedient to a man, who was only their earthly father; but the Jews were disobedient to the eternal God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the one that holds their breath in His hands. God isn’t telling anybody else not to drink wine.  He’s just saying, "Here is a group of people listening and obeying their fathers. Here are people of their word that when tempted, they will not disobey because they are going to stand true to their promise.  And yet I have spoken to you over and over again to turn from you evil way and you won't listen to Me.” (Jeremiah 35:14-15)

The king of Judah didn’t want to listen to God, he didn’t want to obey God but he wanted Jeremiah to pray for them. (Jer. 37:3).  Do we simply want God there to get us what we need, to deliver us and care for us but we don’t want to obey Him? Than we don't know who God is.  He is God and there is no other. He is the one that judges in righteousness.   And He tells us we are to live by His every word.  If you want to live a life not where you are desperately crying for prayer but where you are walking in His peace and His joy, knowing and understanding your God and His will, than you’ve got to be in His Word and commit to follow it. This weekend’s challenge is to get into the Word of God, do whatever He says and live by His every word.

Jeremiah 32:27 Is Anything Too Difficult For Me - Devotional Scripture

 

At this time, Jeremiah is under arrest for prophesying to the people of Judah. He told the people they were about to be taken into captivity because they would not listen to God. The king of Judah didn’t want to hear this truth.  He wanted his ears to be tickled with false promises of peace.

Outside the walls of the city was the king of Babylon and he was about to destroy the city and take the people into captivity. At this time, God tells Jeremiah that the captivity will not last long.  The difficulty is going to pass. God will bring His people back to the land and they will again buy land and build houses. (See Jeremiah 32:7-15)

God has so overwhelmed Jeremiah with this information that he trembles in his faith. The situation looks impossible. Jeremiah couldn’t see how God was going to bring them back to their land and restore them. God tells Jeremiah,

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me? Jeremiah 32:27

 

This is what we need to remember in every difficulty.  When we are sitting in the shambles of life, when it seems like everything has absolutely fallen apart; in every trial, we need to stop and say, “God, You have said that nothing is too difficult for you.” Because the answer to the question “Is anything too difficult for Me?” is no, nothing is too difficult for God. We have a God who delights in impossibilities. It's His specialty.

So what do we do? Where do we go? How do we find relief? How do we find hope? The answer is found in Jeremiah 33:2-3,

Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

When we are overwhelmed, when we tremble in our faith, when all we see is impossibilities, we need to call on the Lord knowing that He will answer us and trust that He will show us mighty things we did not know.

 

Serving God Not Man, Eph. 6:7 - Weekend Challenge - Devotional Scripture

"In Ephesians 6, Paul talks to servants and masters. He reminds both groups that we serve one Master who is in heaven. So we need to do everything with sincerity of heart, integrity, and respect because we are serving and working for Christ Himself. . . . What a privilege to serve God in everything we do, whether answering a phone or driving a car or doing housework or running a business. Let us work with a smile today, remembering that no matter what we are doing, we are serving God." Our Daily Bread - June 23, 2016

This weekend’s challenge is to smile in everything you do, remembering that you are serving God not man.

Put Others First - Phil 2:3-4 - Devotional Scripture

"It is all too easy - whether in business, family, or church - to view others from the perspective of how they can benefit us. We value them for what we can get from them, rather than focusing on  how we can serve them in Jesus's name." - Our Daily Bread - June 9, 2016

This weekend's challenge is to purposefully and intentionally put others first.  Look for opportunities to be compassionate when you don't feel like being compassionate.  Show love to others and serve them when all you really want to do is serve yourself.  Give up your right to be right and let the discussion go.  Show grace to others realizing that you have no idea what they are going through.

It is easy to say I'm going to put others first but it's quite another thing to do it. We can't do it in our own strength.  It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that it can be practiced. This weekend, as opportunities arise to practice selflessness, ask God to help you put aside your own agenda and think of others first.