Category: Devotions

Thursday 2^nd

Galatians 5:16-25

‘Believers walk with God by watching the work of the Spirit in their lives’

Being Pentecostal, we value and appreciate the person, work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was about to go to the cross he made a promise to the disciples that he would not leave them comfortless or alone, but that he would ask the Father to give them another Helper (Comforter KJV) to be with them forever, even the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16-17)

We discover in Scripture the many ministries or work of the Holy Spirit. For example, to help / comfort (John 14:16) to teach (John 14:26) to bear witness about Jesus (John 15:26) to convict (John 16:8) to guide into truth (John 16:13) to empower (Acts 1:8) to bring gifts and ministries (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Since we have come to faith we will have seen the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives in many of these ways, but in particular I want to consider the aspect of the working of the Holy Spirit in making us more Christ-like. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. Scripture refers to the work of sanctification which in a nutshell means to be set apart, to be made holy and as taking place in differing ways. Sanctified by the blood, by the Word (truth) and by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Peter 1:1-2 in his introduction to the epistle,  Peter talks of those receiving the letter as being elect according to the foreknowledge of God in the SANCTIFICATION of the Spirit as he goes through the letter it is among other things a call to holiness (see 1 Peter 1:13-16). In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul also refers to the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.

How do we see this sanctification taking place? We see it by responding positively to the commands in Scripture that encourage us who are ‘in Christ’ to put of the old sinful nature and to put on the new nature which is ours through new birth. For references to this we can go to Colossians 3:1-17 and to the book of Galatians. Paul talks in Galatians about our walking by the Spirit rather then gratifying the desires of the flesh (5:16). We are living in the world, but we are not meant to be living like the world! And without the daily help of the Holy Spirit we would all be struggling. If you are reading this and know that you are struggling with gratifying the desires of the flesh, then ask the Holy Spirit to help you, for as we saw earlier, Jesus said he would send the Spirit to be alongside us to help us. As we change and become more Christlike or more holy what is happening is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and it is a beautiful thing to watch.

When we lived in Hereford, we often had visits to the Church from the lads that had been through the Teen Challenge programme. It used to be exciting to hear and see the way that these lads who had been broken, addicts etc. and had been transformed by the power of God, ‘the evidence’* was there, you could see the work of the Spirit in their lives. We may not have been where they have been, but the work of the Spirit is of equal importance in our lives as well.

Notice what Paul says in Galatians 5, he lists the works of the flesh and the fact that Paul adds ‘and things like this’(v21) means this list is not an exhaustive list. But then he continues to show what a life is like that has and is still knowing the working of the Holy Spirit verses 11-23. We call this the fruit of the Spirit.

He then concludes the chapter with this, ‘and those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.’

As I have been doing these devotions based on the skeleton that Whitefield provided, I have often wondered what he would have said on each of these points. I guess if we could get hold of his sermon, although the points are the same he and I may differ in our approach or we may be similar, but, when it came to this point, I felt deeply impressed in my spirit to close with a very clear challenge. And it is this: as Believers, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, are we allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives? And in the area of sanctification, are we desiring to become more Christlike and as such, denying the flesh and desirous to be led by the Spirit and displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

Right from the beginning of preparing these devotions, Psalm 1 is continually being impressed on my mind and I feel today it fits in to share. It’s an Old Testament Book and Chapter but it has significance towards our walking in the Spirit. (turn to Psalm 1)

We have choices to make, we either walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners and sit in the seat of the scornful – this would be our gratifying the desires of the flesh. OR we can choose not to do these things but to delight ourselves in the law of the Lord and this would include the ways of the Lord, this would be denying the flesh and choosing to keep in step with the Spirit. Two choices, two outcomes. ‘For the Lord knows the way of the righteous (those who are saved, holy and sanctified, walking by the Spirit) but the way of the wicked (those who choose to live according to the flesh, the old nature) will perish. (v6)

May God help us to live and to walk by the Spirit so that as we see our own lives and watch each other in our Church family we will watch and see the work of the Holy Spirit.

* ‘The Evidence’ is the name of the Teen Challenge team who travel to share their story.

Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, alone,

Can turn our hearts from sin;

His power alone can sanctify

And keep us pure within.

O Spirit of faith and love!

Come in our midst, we pray,

And purify each waiting heart;

Baptise us with power today!

Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, alone

Can deeper love inspire;

His power alone within our souls

Can light the sacred fire.

Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, can bring

The gifts we seek in prayer;

His voice can words of comfort speak,

And still each wave of care.

Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, can give

The grace we need this hour;

And while we wait, O Spirit, come

In sanctifying power.

^{Fanny Crosby CCLI 788682}

WEDNESDAY 1^st

Read Psalm 139

‘Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.’

The thought we are exploring today, ‘The believer walks with God by observing his providential work in the circumstances of their lives.’

Being a child of God has many benefits and one of them is the assurance that we know as Paul puts it in Romans 8:28 that ‘we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.’ God is in control of our circumstances. This means that as we go through each day, and as each week passes into each month and then each month into each year, whatever happens, whatever circumstance we have gone through and will yet go through God knew about before it happened because even before we were born he had a volume or book with our days already set out.

God is never caught out unaware therefore we can rest in the knowledge that whatever comes our way, GOD IS IN CONTROL. His providential work is being outworked in the circumstances of our lives. This is the case whether we consider our circumstances to be good and pleasant or if we consider them to be hard and trying – God is in control.

In Genesis 50:20 Joseph makes a very telling statement, remember some of his circumstances, hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold as a slave into Egypt, accused wrongly of trying to seduce the Pharaoh’s wife, thrown into prison – not a happy set of circumstance but this is what he said, ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.’ God was in control, God was bringing about his plan and purpose not only for Joseph, but for his family and ultimately the Children of Israel which in turn led on to God’s future plan of eternal redemption for all who come to him by faith.

Job, who we know suffered immensely, was able to say at the end of his time of trial, (Job 42:20) ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.’  

I remember some of the older songs we used to sing that used to really boost my confidence and trust as a young believer in the fact that God is in control which in turn enabled me to see his hand in every situation.

One of them was, ‘I worship thee sweet will of God’, and one of the verses says,

Ill that He blesses is our good,

And unbless’d good is ill;

And all is right that seems most wrong,

If it be His sweet will

Another was ‘God holds the key of all unknown’ and I will use this as the hymn to end the devotion, but sufficient here to say that ‘God knows’ therefore we trust him.

I have often used an illustration regarding a piece of tapestry, on the back side it looks like a mess of knots, colours and pieces of cotton or wool but on the other side a beautiful piece of work. At the moment in life we are seeing the bits and pieces, but God sees the completed picture.

So at the end of this devotion, may we learn to trust, not only when we are on the mountain top, but also when we feel we are in a valley, when our human nature cannot see clearly our souls will rise to see that God is in control, and we will recognise if not immediately but later as we look back we will see God’s providential work in the circumstances of our lives.

There is so much more I could share but remember the true and living God whom we have come to know and to love also knows you and loves you and he is the All powerful God, the all knowing God and the God who is ever present and he knows no change.

Romans 8:31-39 ‘What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

God holds the key of all unknown,

And I am glad;

If other hands should hold the key,

Or if He trusted it to me,

I might be sad, I might be sad.

What if tomorrow’s cares were here

Without its rest!

I’d rather He unlocked the day;

And, as the hours swing open, say,

My will is best, My will is best.

The very dimness of my sight

Makes me secure;

For, groping in my misty way,

I feel His hand; I hear Him say,

My help is sure, My help is sure.

I cannot read His future plans;

But this I know;

I have the smiling of His face,

And all the refuge of His grace,

While here below, while here below.

Enough! this covers all my wants,

And so I rest!

For what I cannot, He can see,

And in His care I saved shall be,

Forever blest, forever blest.

^{John Parker CCLI 788682}

TUESDAY 31^st

The third point for this week’s theme is, ‘believers walk with God by meditation on the Word of God.’

On Sunday we considered the importance of reading God’s Word, todays point develops the thought a little further and that is upon reading the Word, the believer needs to spend time meditating upon it.

What is meditation? It means to muse, mull over something and with Biblical meditation it means to mutter.

Some forms of meditation can be extremely dangerous as it requires one to empty one’s mind of every thought and this leaves the mind open for the devil to fill. Biblical meditation has nothing to do with emptying the mind, but of reading the Word of God and filling your mind with Scripture and then spending time mulling it over, even muttering or repeating in such a way to enable us to remember it.

When it comes to Bible meditation, it is more than a mind exercise for it is linked to the heart as well as we see in Psalm 19:14 ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ The godly person should make meditation a daily practise. Psalm 1:2 ‘. . . but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.’ Psalm 119:97 ‘Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.’ In fact, when we go back in time to Joshua, when he was called to succeed Moses in leading the Children of Israel into the promise land, God gave him a promise that he would be with him, and that he (Joshua) was to be strong and courageous and that he was to be careful to keep all that the law commanded and that he should MEDITATE upon it day and night, so he may be careful to do according to all that was written in it. (Joshua 1:5-9)

Meditation should be part and parcel of our walk with God, for as we saw in Sundays devotion, reading the Word is essential to our spiritual well-being for it is our spiritual guide book, showing who we are in Christ and how we should be living as citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Often when we read something, we can forget in the next minute what we have just read, and the devil would love this to happen to us when we read God’s Word. Learning to meditate helps us to be able to memorize it and it is amazing how often Scripture memorised will come back to us when we need it. So, the best way of reading the Word is to not just read but to absorb or remember it as well so that we can recall it, and this requires healthy Biblical meditation.

It is during times like what we are going through today, when we cannot meet together that we can truly value the practise of Biblical meditation, for as we have time to spend in isolation, the Word meditated and memorised will keep coming to the forefront of our minds reminding us that God is in control, he knows the way we take, he know the end from the beginning. The Word we have loved and continue to love gives us continual hope.

You may have noticed I didn’t put a Scripture to read at the beginning, instead I want to place one here at the end. Take time to read it and to meditate upon it – remember God is in control. The Scripture is Matthew 6:25-34

Why should I be discouraged and why should the shadows fall?

Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion, my constant Friend is He,

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy;

I sing because I’m free;

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me.

Let not your heart be troubled; these tender words I hear;

And resting on his goodness I lose my doubts and fears;

For by the path He leadeth but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted; whenever clouds arise;

When songs give place to sighing; when hope within me dies;

I draw the closer to Him; from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

^{Lynda Randle CCLI 788682}

MONDAY  30^th

Matthew 6:6-18.

We continue the theme today of the believers walk with God and the second point, drawing from Whitefield is: ‘Believers walk with God by secret prayer.’

I know that we are aware of the importance of prayer. This includes corporate prayer when we come together as God’s family, and I trust we are missing that hour on a Monday evening when we gather together for prayer, but, there is also the important need for secret prayer, that is our personal prayer life.

Jesus expected that believers would pray for in Luke 11:1 Jesus used the words ‘WHEN you pray’ not ‘IF you pray.’ In another passage of Scripture Jesus talks about the secret place of prayer, Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’

When we pray together it joins us in unity of prayer and strengthens us as a body of people. When we pray in secret prayer, in our private prayer and devotion it strengthens us as individuals. It helps us to develop our personal walk with God and our personal intimacy with him.

In Matthew 6 and Luke 11 Jesus inviting us to the place of prayer allows us to call God our Father. ‘Pray then like this; ‘Our Father in heaven . . .’ (Matthew 6) or ‘When you pray say, ‘Father hallowed be your name.’’ (Luke 11)

Those of us who are fathers know that there are times when we speak with our children collectively but there are other times when we have a ‘one on one’ conversation with just one of the children, these moments are more intimate, and Our Heavenly Father loves it when we are together as his children talking with him, but he also loves those moments and so should we when we have what we would call ‘a one on one’ conversation with him.

Individual prayer is just as powerful as corporate prayer. We should never think that God is only going to listen or act when there are ‘two or three’ gathered in His name! He is as present with us in the secret place as he is when we are together.

There are many ways in which secret prayer can happen, it can be in the quietness of our study or bedroom or any other space we might set aside in the home, it may be a place where we can go to away from every other distraction, it may even be while we are walking, what matters is that we make time to develop our personal times of prayer with God. Talking to him as a friend would a friend, finding those moments to pour out those things that may be weighing us down, to speak with him about our concerns, longings or desires, interceding for others, standing in the gap for those who may be too weak to pray themselves and of course not forgetting to pray for the needs of family and friends. But walking with God in prayer is not about us doing all the talking – prayer is a two way conversation and we need to make time in our secret prayer to listen to God, hear what he wants to say, listen to those things that he also wants to share into our lives personally. Psalm 46:10 says ’Be still, and know that I am God’ we need to learn to ‘be still’ in our prayer life, again in Isaiah we are encouraged ‘to wait’ for the Lord and as we do, we will have our strength renewed, we shall mount up with wings and we will run and not be weary, walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Again it is so easy for what is meant to be a daily devotion to become a sermon as each of these points are worth exploring further, but I trust that what I have shared is suffice to encourage us in our prayer lives and maybe as a result we may grow deeper in our walk and relationship with God.

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,

uttered or unexpressed;

the motion of a hidden fire

that trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech

that infant lips can try,

prayer the sublimest strains that reach

the Majesty on high.

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,

the Christian’s native air,

his watchword at the gates of death:

he enters heaven with prayer.

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,

returning from his ways;

while angels in their songs rejoice,

and cry, ‘Behold, he prays!

The saints in prayer appear as one,

in word and deed and mind;

while with the Father and the Son

sweet fellowship they find.

Nor prayer is made on earth alone:

the Holy Spirit pleads,

and Jesus on the eternal throne

for sinners intercedes.

O Thou by whom we come to God,

the Life, the Truth, the Way,

the path of prayer thyself hast trod:

Lord, teach us how to pray!

^{Jas Montgomery CCLI 788682}

SUNDAY 29^th

Deuteronomy 10:12-13  ‘ And now, Israel, what does the Lord require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, TO WALK IN ALL HIS WAYS, to love him, to serve the Lord your God will all your heart and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?’

Around the beginning of September last year, I purchased a two-volume set of books, ‘A Legacy of Preaching’ which looks at the life, theology, and method of history’s great preachers. I commenced reading the first volume the week that I first came up to Gateshead to preach at the Church over the weekend in September. Those who were there may remember that I quoted from the book from Origen of Alexandria that ‘he compared his preaching to a small ship within the vast ocean of God’s revelation.’ Well, last week I finally finished volume one, not because I’m a slow reader but because it has been one of many books that I have been making my way through. But it was the final chapter that has prompted me to bring the Daily Devotions for this week.

The final chapter was on the preaching ministry of George Whitefield who lived 1714-1770 and who is considered as one of the greatest preachers of all time. He was a contemporary of John and Charles Wesley.

In this particular chapter it mentions one of the sermons he had practised preaching, it doesn’t give the sermon but the headings within it – I was immediately struck by the fact that it had seven headings, but then struck by what the headings were and thought this would be a good skeleton for which I can put flesh on during this week. So, I am not pinching his sermon, just borrowing his outline!

The theme was ‘How true salvation demonstrates itself in the life of a person who is “walking with God.”’

It’s a great subject and no matter how long we may have been on our Christian pilgrimage it is good for us to check out how our ‘walk with God’ is doing. And perhaps even more so at this time when we are not able to come together in fellowship.

So, this week I will venture to cover this vast subject in a small way.

Whitefield’s seven points were:

First, believers walk with God by reading his Word

Second, believers walk with God by secret prayer

Third, believers walk with God by meditation on the Word of God

Fourth, believers walk with God by observing his providential work in the circumstances of their lives

Fifth, believers walk with God by watching the work of the Spirit in their lives

Six, Believers walk with God through consistent worship

Seven, believers walk with God through consistent fellowship with other believers

At first we probably think looking at this list how obvious the points are but in actuality the living it out can sometimes be more difficult, My prayer this week will be that during this week our walk with God will become more real and intimate as we learn to keep in step with the Spirit.

For today and only briefly – Point 1: Believers walk with God by reading his word. This will be linked with Tuesday’s devotion to his third point of meditating on the Word of God.  The last sermon I preached before we had to temporarily close was based on Psalm 19 with the question, how much do we value the Word of God? (John Armstrong spoke to me afterward and said that I needed to type the sermon out and make it available to be read. So, I have done this and will add it on emmanuelpentecostalchurchgateshead.wordpress.com)

If we claim to be walking with God, then we should love, respect and value his Word. Just as we have a need to eat food for our physical bodies everyday to enable us to function, so we also have the need to have spiritual food for our souls every day to keep us spiritually strengthened and renewed. At first when we are saved it is the milk of God’s Word, but as we grow more spiritually, we need the stronger meat. (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, Hebrews 6:11-14, 1 Peter 2:2) The Psalmist reminds us time and time again of the importance of God’s word in our lives, the whole of Psalm 119 is full of references to it, for example see verses 1, 9, 17, 74, 89, 103, 105, 111, 129, 160, 162. In fact, it’s a good spiritual exercise to go through this Psalm and see all the different references and the way the Word is described. And David had so much less of God’s Word than we have today, but what he had was no less important then what the Word is to us today.

This has already turned into a lengthy devotion, its difficult to keep them short! But I pray that the challenge is there for each one of us to realise that in our daily walk with God we need to have a daily intake of his Word. It is our spiritual nourishment.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

^{J.H. Sammis CCLI 788682}

Psalm 19:7-11

How much do we value the Word of God?

How strongly do we agree with this statement?

‘The Bible is and must be our final authority in all matters concerning our lives and faith.’

Although the Bible is the best-selling book, it is possibly the most neglected. Most definitely among unbelievers but the challenge for us who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ is this; how neglected is the Bible in our lives? How often do we read it – REALLY read it and live according to it?

I guess the value we place on the Word of God is governed by how important we think it is and whether we agree and accept what the Bible says about itself.

Hebrews 4:12 ‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’

2 Timothy 3:14-17 ‘But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.’

If it is from God, then because amongst other things God is truth, true in who he is and in what he says then the Bible is also true. Jesus himself said in his High Priestly prayer, ‘Sanctify them in the truth; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.’ (John 17:17) So this book which we should value is a book of truth.

A problem today is that we are living in a post-modern, or even a pagan society. Within society there seems to be no room for absolutes – we can believe whatever we like and what I believe can be the opposite to what someone else believes and yet we can both be right. What you see is truth in your eyes, what I see is truth in my eyes. Actually when it comes to faith, the situation is serious, for we have seen in society a complete switch in what is believed to be right or wrong, some things that a very high percentage of the population would have seen as wrong 40 years ago are now considered right today, so much so that those of us who seek to cling to truth and say that what once was wrong cannot be right today and cannot ever be considered right are being marginalized. In other words, clinging to absolute truths and that which is right according to Gods Word as our standard, means we will face opposition. But we must stand firm, for truth and for right and for righteousness, for in such things wrong can never become right and right can never become wrong. Truth is unchangeable. Why is this happening?

One answer I suggest is that we seem to be living in an atheistic age – no one believes in God – BUT, maybe it is more likely that we are living in an age of IGNORANCE towards God. In the UK we have shifted from being a Christian nation to a secular nation. We have moved away from our Judeo-Christian heritage. We have in the last 100 years gone from ‘most would attend a Church or Chapel’ to just a minority now ‘attending a Church or a Chapel.’

Whether God exists or not doesn’t seem to matter, it’s a case of eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. It is as if the conclusion society today has come to is this; ‘So what, we are born, we live, we die and that is it.’

Where does this ignorance come from? I read a quote which I marked down from author Clark. H Pinnock which he said in 1984. ‘. . a rebelliousness in the modern period that seeks to edge God out of the world and leave humanity autonomous in it. . .’ This is exactly what has happened. Secularism, the pursuit of self, pleasure, leisure and other things we could identify have helped cause this to happen. We have plenty of things to fill up or lives and satisfy us, we don’t need God. But, one reason why this has happened is that the world’s best-selling book HAS become the most neglected. Society wants to do its own thing, ‘we don’t want God and we don’t want his book.’

God, his laws, his ways – holiness, righteousness, purity, morality etc. no longer suit mankind. WE WILL DO IT OUR WAY. We will do what we like, live how we want, say what we like, believe what we like, act how we like because at the end of the day there are no consequences. BUT HOW WRONG society is.

Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 say the same thing: ‘The FOOL says in his heart there is no God.’ But the Psalms also continue ‘They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds: there is none who does good, not even one.’ If the fool, (as the Bible puts it)that is  the unbelieving world says ‘there is no God’, and thinks this way does it matter? YES, YES, YES! Why? Because a denial of the existence of God doesn’t do away with his existence! HE IS STILL THERE, HE IS STILL GOD, therefore he will still do all that he has declared and decreed and sadly for those who have chosen to deny and reject him the consequences are awful, for not only is God real, so is Hell!

The problem that springs from modern society and its rejection of God and the Bible is this: It has led to a total breakdown in society because mankind no longer lives as God intended him to live.

Corrupt hearts without God leads to a corrupt society and the Bible and its authority becomes relevant to only a few – those who still fear God and seek to live by his Word. But, sadly even within Christendom, the Authority and Standards of Gods Word are being brushed aside. Just as Satan said to Eve, ‘Did God say.’ So called believers are also challenging what ‘God has said’ in Scripture. It is not only individuals, but whole denominations and Christian organisations are challenging  ‘what God has said’ in Scripture, therefore if in some areas of Christendom there is a low view of Scripture and its authority is it no wonder the world, society, unbelievers don’t care?

But I (and I trust we in Emmanuel Pentecostal Church) still hold Scripture in high regard as the infallible Word of God and as the ultimate authority for who we are, what we are and what we believe.

This Book (The Bible) must be our final authority in truth, doctrine, faith and practise – EVEN IF IT STANDS OPPOSED TO WHAT SOCITY SAYS!

It must be our final authority in ETHICS, MORALITY and on every matter to which it contains, there are two phrases used: Moral authority – What God commands I do and Veracious authority – What God says I believe.

Did God say? Yes, and what he has said has been miraculously recorded and preserved for us today in this book we call the Holy Bible 2 Peter 1:20-21’ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’ Interestingly the lack of trust and belief in the authority  of Scripture was already happening in Peters day for later in the same epistle he writes ‘. . . as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.’  (2 Peter 3:16) and then in verses 17-18: ‘You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.’ May we never distort Scripture to say what we want it to be saying, but always be faithful to that which God has said and is still saying and remind ourselves his Word is unchanging and eternal. 1 Peter 1:22-25 ‘Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”  And this word is the good news that was preached to you.’

When I was preparing these few thoughts, I turned to my on-line library and a message came up saying ‘ONE BOOK NEEDS UPDATING’ it happened to be an update for an on-line Bible to correct it for the digital platform. Can I say that this precious Book, the Word of God does not need updating it is as relevant today as when it was first inspired.

We need a spiritual revival to affect the Church and then society in many ways, we need a revival of the acceptance and belief in the authority of Scripture and we need a revival of practising what the Bible says!

SATURDAY 28^th

Reading Acts 3:1-10

This is the last in this first 7 days of our Daily Devotional series on the Power of God and I have chosen to focus today on Gods power to heal. No doubt we will still consider other areas of his power as it will come up in other devotional series.

I think it would be fair to say that after prayer for the salvation of souls we probably could say that prayer for healing would come a very close second.

Healing is needed in different ways, first there is healing of the soul through redemption, there is the need for healing from hurts and disappointments, the healing of a broken heart, the healing of marriages and relationships, the healing of a nation as in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and then of course the healing of physical ailments. It is this area I want us to consider today, healing for sickness and disease.

All the time we are hearing of sickness and disease, not one of us is exempt from it and we all have those in our close family and friends that we know who are suffering in one way or another. But we need to remind ourselves that our God is more powerful than any sickness or disease. The great news is that he has already conquered death therefore this should remind us that there is no situation outside of his possibility.

The mystery is this, that despite the fact we know God has the power to heal and we ask him to heal he doesn’t always do it. It is at those moments that we need to remind ourselves that God is Sovereign, and he has the right to heal or not to heal. Just because it may not happen doesn’t mean he can’t! It is during those moments when healing doesn’t seem to be happening that we draw strength from God to continue to trust him. In 2 Corinthians 12 we read of Paul asking the Lord to take something that is bugging him away, we don’t know what it was, he describes it as a thorn in the flesh so it is possible it was something physical. Paul says that three times he PLEADED with the Lord that it should leave him. But the reply he received was ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my POWER is made PERFECT in weakness’. In response to this Paul said, ‘Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the POWER of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ Paul readily accepted after hearing that the weakness or thorn would not be removed that instead, God would give him sufficient grace to bear it, and this would be a demonstration of the power of God being seen in his weakness and as a result he would be strong!

I wish that everyone I prayed for and which we all pray for would be healed immediately, but what is more important is that God’s will is done. But even if we don’t see all the healing(s) we are looking for it should never stop us from asking. Because God does have the power to heal. The good news is that even if we don’t receive the healing here on earth, the day is coming when all sickness will be done away with! It is going to happen! Revelation 21:3-4 ‘And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

It is difficult to draw a devotion like this to an end because it is such a vast subject, but, end I must but thank God is power doesn’t end so keep trusting, keep asking and keep believing. I am reminded of an old chorus that goes something like this or in various ways; ‘Expect a miracle every day, expect a miracle when you pray, if we believe it God will find a way, to perform a miracle for you each day.’

One of my favourite older choruses is

‘He touched me, He touched me,

And oh, the joy that floods my soul

Something happened and now I know,

He touched me and made me whole.

Let us keep believing that has we continue to seek God for healing we will see things happening in the name of Jesus.

Almighty Father, great must be

Your power from all eternity;

How great your love in Christ made known

To those by suffering weighed down.

Christ healed the sick, the deaf, the blind,

Brought reason to the splintered mind.

He gave the peace of heaven to men

And set them on their feet again.

Yet may these things for us be so,

With Galilee those years ago?

Is life and all its fullness still

For us the heavenly Father’s will?

 Indeed! the Christ who wrought such things

Is Lord of Lords and King of Kings:

Today as yesterday the same

To those who gather in his name.

Through laying on of hands and prayer

The sick may in Christ’s wholeness share,

And others, nursed to health again,

Renew their strength and lose their pain.

Almighty Father, let us see

In Christ man has the victory!

Help us to find, in life and death,

Your everlasting arms beneath.

^{© David Mowbray/Jubilate Hymns LM CCLI 788682}

FRIDAY 27^th

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

‘For the word of the cross is folly to them who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’ (v18)

‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.’ (Romans 1:16)

I use the ESV which uses ‘word’ in 1 Corinthians 1:18, the KJV uses ‘preaching’ the CSB & NIV ‘message’. Whichever translation you prefer what the text is saying is that what we declare about the cross is folly or foolishness to those who fail to or refuse to believe.

What do we declare about the cross? What is the message of the cross? Although we immediately may think of the symbol of the cross, what Paul is referring to here is the whole spectrum of that which Christ Jesus has done as a result of the cross. (what we call his redemptive work) So to talk of the cross covers his anguish in the garden, his suffering in the courtroom, his pain and torment while hanging on the cross, his bearing our sin, his being forsaken by his Father, his last breathe and his burial and the incredible resurrection on the third day. It must mean all of this and more which I’ve not listed, because it was all necessary to bring about eternal redemption. Therefore, the message we declare is this, that because of the cross, because of all that I have just mentioned there is hope for the sinner, hope for mankind and the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. But the unbelieving word thinks that this amazing message is folly or foolishness. Utter nonsense or rubbish. But (and thank God for the buts in the Bible) it continues to say that to us who are being saved as a result of our believing the message of the cross is the POWER OF GOD.

What humanity sees as just an act of cruel execution is the actual power of God at work!

On Sunday we considered Gods power in creating the heavens and the earth and his new creation at the end of time with a new heaven and earth. But the power of the message of the cross is that in believing we are recreated into new persons, born again by the Spirit of God and it can only come about by the power of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 is my favourite verse; ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.’

I want us to dwell on this today, the message of the cross means that you and I are new creations, it means that through believing, we are ‘In Christ’.  Remember what we were outside of Christ, sinners, hell bound, alienated from God, spiritually dead and without hope and heaps more and yet because of the incredible power of God at work in the cross through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ we have now been made anew, forgiven, reconciled to God, at peace with God, transformed, heaven bound and heaps more.

And in line with our second Scripture from Romans 1:16 may we never be ashamed of the gospel. May we be willing to always be looking for opportunity, ways and means to share the good news, for just as it has become the power of God unto salvation in our own lives in can also become the power of God to salvation to those whom we share it with.

I am a new creation,

no more in condemnation,

here in the grace of God I stand.

My heart is overflowing,

my love just keeps on growing,

here in the grace of God I stand.

And I will praise You, Lord,

yes I will praise You, Lord,

and I will sing of all that You have done.

A joy that knows no limit,

a lightness in my spirit

here in the grace of God I stand.

^{©1983  Kingsway’s Thankyou Music CCLI 788682}

THURSDAY 26^th

Acts 16:25 – 34

Our theme for power today is praise & worship. The power of praise. We are all familiar with this story in Acts when Paul and Silas have been arrested quite simply because the power of God had been demonstrated through their lives and ministry. They had delivered a slave girl who had a spirit of divination from the demonic powers that had held her in bondage. Those who owned her and who were making a living through her got angry – the result being that Paul and Silas were arrested and thrown into prison. ‘Oh well’ you can Imagine them thinking, ‘water and porridge for breakfast again.’ They were thrown into the inner prison and fastened in stocks and then spent the night moaning and sulking.

No, the Scripture says that at midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God AND they had an audience, the prisoners were listening to them. There is a lesson we can learn here. Imagine if Paul and Silas had been moaning and groaning, calling the authorities everything under the sun, criticizing the magistrates and maybe even making fun of the guards or the other prisoners. It wouldn’t have been a very good witness seeing that they were servants of God. The prisoners listening wouldn’t have heard or seen a very good Christian example. Instead Paul and Silas used the circumstances to bring glory to God. How are we when we are placed into difficult circumstances, maybe in the work place or even in the community where we live? What kind of signals do we give to those around us as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, as sons and daughters of the living God? For although we may not realise it, once they know we are Christians they will be watching us!

As it was, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. I like the way the Scripture continues ‘. . . AND SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake, . . .’

The day before they had released a slave girl from bondage, now at midnight God was delivering them from a different kind of bondage and as a result we find that the jailor comes to accept Jesus as his Saviour.

At this present time, we may begin to feel like prisoners in our own homes, not being able to go anywhere, how are we going to respond as God’s people. We could moan and groan and whinge or we can accept the circumstances and turn it into opportunity. Among other things we can learn to pray and sing praise like Paul and Silas because there is power in praise. And who knows, the more the people of God sing, praise and pray during this time we may have a ‘suddenly’ moment, God will hear the cry of his children and the praise from their lips and the Coronavirus will be dealt with!

In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul says, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, giving thanks IN ALL circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ (verses 16-18) Paul could say this because he had practised it, knowing that God will always come through as he did in the prison experience.

With a clean heart I’ll praise You

With a pure heart I’ll honour You

With a right spirit within me

I will magnify Your name

I will magnify Your name

I will magnify Your name

With a heart full of love for you I will magnify your name.

^{© Chris Bowater  CCLI 788682}

WEDNESDAY 25^th

Read Psalm 29

‘The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty’

I wonder how often we have heard someone preach or give a speech, or someone singing and commented ‘Wow, what a powerful voice’? What we mean is that they had the ability to project their voice loudly and clearly so that it impacted those who were listening.

When it comes to the voice of God being powerful it can mean that he projects it loudly and clearly – for what he has spoken is definite and sure but it means far more, it means that his voice has the power to do something. In our Sunday devotion we saw how he created, but how did he create? By speaking out. God said and it was. That’s power. In Genesis 12:1 we see that God spoke to Abram (we don’t know how he spoke) and told him to leave his homeland and family and to set out on a journey to a new land that God would show him. Now, there must have been power in the voice of God that convinced Abram of the need to obey. In the book of Exodus we read of God speaking to Moses in the midst of a bush that burned and was not consumed, as God spoke to Moses he spoke with authority and at the same time gave Moses authority to be his mouthpiece to speak to the wicked Pharaoh in Egypt and Gods voice through Moses had power.  We could look at many other examples, power in his voice to soothe, to restore, to heal and to deliver, this maybe a good subject for a sermon when things get back to normal! But for today our thought comes from 1 Samuel 3 where the voice of God spoke to the young child Samuel, it was in the stillness of the night, in fact we know from the record that Samuel mistook the voice at first as being that of Eli, but when he finally realized it was the voice of the Lord we see that even though the call to Samuel may have come through a soft gentle voice it was a voice of power because it commissioned Samuel into his ministry as a prophet and the promise of God was that as Samuel spoke as Gods mouthpiece it would cause the ears of those who heard it to tingle! (1 Samuel 3:11)   He was going to be the channel through which the powerful voice of God would speak.

How often do we hear the powerful voice of God? Or perhaps we should ask, how often do we listen to the powerful voice of God for often when God speaks to us it demands our obedience.

He can speak to us in many ways, but we know when it is his powerful voice that has spoken because the Holy Spirit gives us a deep inner conviction and witness.

It maybe when we are reading Gods Word, suddenly something we are reading hits us like a ton of bricks, and we know that God is speaking into our lives. It maybe when we are hearing the Word being preached and suddenly something is like a sharp arrow that hits us in the right spot. It may even be while we are praying or singing / listening to worship songs and suddenly the voice of God speaks into the depths of our souls. Many ways – but do we recognise his powerful voice and respond.

Finally, I believe that God wants to speak today, he wants his powerful voice to be heard today in the midst of the confusion, terror and fear that is filling our land. And God can speak his powerful voice through you and me, it needn’t be a loud thundering voice, it can be through quiet and almost silent ways as we allow him to use us to speak peace into fearful hearts, he can use us to speak his comfort into broken lives, he can speak by using us to ease others burdens, he can speak through us in so many different ways.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the ears and hearts of people were tingled today because we were willing to be the mouthpiece for Gods voice in our generation?

Pray for God opportunities to speak into the lives of those around you, whether family, friends, neighbours or colleagues.

I want to serve the purpose of God

In my generation

I want to serve the purpose of God

While I am alive

I want to give my life

For something that will last forever

Oh, l delight, I delight to do Your will

I want to build with silver and gold

In my generation

I want to build with silver and gold

While I am alive

I want to give my life

For something that will last forever

Oh, l delight, I delight to do Your will

What is on Your heart?

Tell me what to do

Let me know Your will

And I will follow You

I want to see the kingdom of God

In my generation

I want to see the kingdom of God

While I am alive

I want to live my life

For something that will last forever

Oh, I delight, I delight to do Your will

I want to see the Lord come again

In my generation

I want to see the Lord come again

While I am alive

I want to give my life

For something that will last forever

Oh l delight, I delight to do Your will

^{© 1982 People of Destiny International/Word Music CCLI 788682}

TUESDAY 24^th

Read Daniel 6

We are all familiar with this story of Daniel being thrown into the den of lions, likewise the earlier story in Daniel 3 when the three Hebrew lads were thrown in the fiery furnace.

What we see in these two Bible narratives is a King called Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3 and a King called Darius in Daniel 6 who sought to exalt themselves above what God intended them to be as Kings. Nebuchadnezzar had made himself a golden image and demanded that everyone should bow down and worship this image. The three Hebrew lads who would have known the commandment that we should have no other gods besides the true and living God defied the order to bow down before the golden image and were thrown into the fiery furnace. Darius had made a decree that no one was to petition any god or man for thirty days except himself, but Daniel another Hebrew lad refused to obey the decree and rather instead to continue his regular habit of praying to the true and living God. The result was his being thrown into the lion’s den.

But God came through in both instances, we see his power to protect and to deliver.

The true and living God did what the golden statue could never do because it was a dead inanimate object and did what Darius could never do and protected Daniel from any harm in the lion’s den. The lads in both accounts had remained faithful to the One who they knew was faithful himself.

In the fiery furnace account after discovering the lads were alive without even a hair singed or even the smell of fire upon them the king declared ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo . . .’ (Daniel 3:28) After Daniels account the king declared ‘. . . I make a decree that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever, his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who saved Daniel from the power of the lions.’ (Daniel 6:26-27)

Throughout Scripture we see so many times how God comes to deliver his people

I don’t know how many of those in positions of authority around the world would claim to be genuine Christians, Among the Kings, Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers and leaders of states, I guess just a small minority. As the nations of the world are going through the present crisis’ we have heard very little mention from these leaders in regard to a call to prayer. But among the citizens of the earthly kingdoms, we thank God that there are men and women who like the three Hebrew lads and Daniel are citizens of the kingdom of God. We may often feel we are in a minority, but with God we can become a majority. As we bow the knee to the One who is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords we can believe that we will see our faithful God come through in His mighty power to deliver the world from the dread and fear of the Coronavirus.

Thank God that whatever our nationality or citizenship is here on earth we belong to his kingdom because of his grace, a kingdom that is an everlasting kingdom. Paul also reminds us that because of his grace we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2:19) With this scripture in mind as we cannot meet together pray specifically for our family of believers in Emmanuel and maybe if you can, give one of them a phone call to say you are thinking of them and praying for them. Maybe they will share a present need with you for further prayer.

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood

A holy nation, belonging to God

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood

A holy nation, belonging to God

You have called us out of darkness

To declare Your praise

We exalt You and enthrone You

Glorify Your name

You have placed us into Zion

In the new Jerusalem

Thousand thousand are their voices

Singing to the Lamb

^{David Hadden © 1982 Restoration Music Ltd. CCLI788682}