Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

Turn To The Lord

Encouragement

“And he (John the baptist) will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Luke 1:16-17

What will it take to turn this world upside down for Jesus? That is a question that many spiritual leaders have been pondering for a while. We desperately need to see a change in our nation today but what will it take? Who or what can bring about such a change?

God will not do a mighty work in our land until the hearts of His people are changed. We must stop pointing the finger at other people and start pointing the finger at ourselves. Sad to say, but the mess that we are living in is due to the condition of the hearts of God’s people. 

The reason why the world is in such chaos is because the hearts of God’s people are in chaos. God desires that we, believers and Christians, get our heart right with Him.

We should never expect a lost and dying world to all of a sudden wake up and realize that they are wrong. What must take place is the saved people of God get their lives turned around and start living righteously and holy for our Righteous and Holy God.

John was sent as the forerunner for Jesus to prepare the way of Jesus’ coming. God used him to bring people to repentance by preaching and proclaiming the word of God. John was a man of God who lived a holy life set apart for God’s work. He did his job as God desired him to do. We too must prepare the hearts of others to receive Jesus. 

Our lives must represent the life of Jesus. We can not expect the world to change until the people of God change first. We must take our sin to heart and confess it and repent of it. Then God will hear His people and heal their land. But nothing will change if we continue to live like we are right now. Don’t point the finger at other people and criticize their actions and not judge yourself. That is a hypocrite! 

We must seek holiness and righteousness in our daily lives. We must be seeking after Jesus with our whole heart. We need to love like Jesus loves and forgive like Jesus forgives. Who among us will stand like John and proclaim the name of Jesus with courage and boldness? Who will prepare the way of Jesus’ coming soon? 

Pray

Lord, mend my heart. Break my heart for the thing that breaks Yours. Help me to live holy and righteous before You. Let my life prepare others for Jesus.

Say The Blessing

Encouragement

Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
Matthew 14:19

Praying before a meal is a beautiful testimony of our faith and thankfulness. Jesus gave the perfect example as He prayed over the bread and fish just before it was distributed among 5,000 men. It was a blessing indeed as some would say. 

Do you say grace before you eat? Do you ask the blessing at mealtime? Or do you return thanks before you dig in?

Praying over a meal is called many things and can be expressed in many ways. It is a sign of gratitude from the heart. The most important thing is that we are thankful for the blessings of God.

We are given another example of Jesus praying and blessing the bread before He broke it and ate with the disciples the night before He died on the cross.

It should never become a mindless habit nor should it be an inconvenience. Praying and thanking God for our food should be a pleasure and an expression of our heart’s gratitude. We should teach our children to bless the food and show them the importance of giving thanks for God’s provision. 

Those that do say grace on a regular basis might be tempted to repeat the same phrases or chants from memory. Maybe it’s time to find a fresh way to thank God for our blessings. Think outside the box and identify a couple of things to thank God for. 

Mealtime prayers should not be the only prayers offered up to God. Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing. Let your prayer time be meaningful. And if you are uncomfortable praying with people who don’t pray, let it be your testimony. Don’t ever be ashamed to pray!

Pray

Lord, I am so thankful for all the many things You have given to me. Let my heart be overflowing with gratitude and let my example of saying the blessing be a testimony to others.

A Great Multitude

Encouragement

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:9‬

Can you imagine a crowd of people so large that couldn’t be numbered? When Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000 men there may have been a larger crowd of about 20,000 people including the women and children. The Scripture says they sat in groups of 50. 

The multitude that John saw in his vision around the throne of God was not able to be counted by man. However don’t forget that God knows how many stars are in the sky and the hair on our heads are numbered. 

What makes today’s verse so special is the correlation of Gods promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”‭‭ 

And later when Abraham was seeking God for a son the Bible says, “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.“” Genesis‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

That great promise of God is fulfilled in Revelation 7:9. John sees the great multitude of saints around the throne of God. What a great sight to behold!

It should excite us to know that one day soon we will be standing around the throne of God. We will be clothed in white robes and singing praises to Jesus. Read verses 9-12 and try to imagine what a glorious day that will be when Jesus we shall see. God is faithful and true to keep His promises.

Pray

Lord, we thank you for promising us an eternity in Heaven with You. Give us the vision and mindset of Heaven so we can take our eyes off this world.