Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

My Refuge

Encouragement, Faith

“I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalms 91:2

We live in a society today that can often make us feel restless. There is much panic and fear over things that are out of our control. But know for certain that God is in control. He knows what is happening in our world and He knows what is happening in your life, right now. He knows and He cares.

Psalm 91 gives us a promising word of encouragement and assurance of God’s protection. We will never find peace in our life if we don’t rely on God’s presence and one way is to meditate on His word. The Psalmist exercised his faith in God as he proclaimed, “He is my refuge, and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

God assures us of His divine protection despite the many dangers that surround us. We are encompassed with evil but rest assured that God has you in His hand. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that nothing is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Don’t think for a single minute that God is not able to protect you. Right now you are surrounded with guardian angels.

We will be restless until we find rest in Him. Take a few minutes today and reflect on how good God has been to you. Thank Him for providing His divine protection. God desires for you to live in peace and safety. But that doesn’t mean you’ll live a life exempt of danger or suffering. We all live in a world full of sin and in this fallen world life is difficult. God wants to reassure us that He is in control and is protecting your every step of the way.

It’s up to you to find rest and peace. The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy all your peace and faith in God. But in the name of Jesus, all demons must flee. Find your peace and security in God today by taking Him at His word and meditating on His promises.

Pray

Lord, surround me with Your presence and give me assurance through Your promises. I trust You and know You are in control. Bless me today with peace.

Prepare To Worship

Encouragement, Faith

‘Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.’
Psalms 95:2

Do you love to worship? Spiritual worship is much more than just showing up for a church service. Worship requires participation. When we meet together for public worship we need to make sure we are do our part.

Our hearts need to be prepared in order to worship effectively. It’s almost impossible to receive the most out of a worship experience just by showing up and going through the motions half heartily. We need to prepare our hearts for what God is going to do during our time of worship.  

Spending time in prayer before it’s time to worship makes a difference. Before we worship we should confess our sins and humble ourselves before the Lord. This will open the door for a wonderful opportunity for God to speak to our hearts.

Our attitude makes all the difference. If you worship with a negative attitude you should expect nothing in return. But if you expect great things to happen during worship, God will show up and bless you tremendously. You don’t want to miss out on a great blessing. The author of Hebrews says, “Don’t forsake or neglect the assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25).  There are wonderful blessings for those who desire to worship the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, as I prepare my heart for worship, I thank You for being a great and awesome God.  Let my mind and heart be in tune with Yours. Speak to me, Lord.

Tell Others About Jesus

Encouragement, Salvation

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
John 4:28-29

Have you ever received some information that surprised you so much that it made you forget what you were doing at the present time?

Or have you ever gone the grocery store to pick up something simple and returned home only to realize you didn’t even purchase what you originally went for?

Maybe there was something you thought you knew how to do but after listening to an expert you were convinced that you didn’t need to do it? A change of mind or a change of direction can turn out to be very interesting.

In John 4, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water and discovered the Messiah. Jesus used an analogy to to show her that as she came seeking water from the well, what she really needed was living water from Him.

Once she realized that she needed the living water which only He could provide, she went away to go tell others. And what is so fascinating is that John tells us in verse 28 that she left her waterpot at the well. This tells us that what she originally went searching for didn’t turn out to be so important after all.

After encountering Jesus, this woman’s life was changed. She went to the well at that certain time to avoid others but now she wants people to know that she was changed.

Isn’t it great to see people who are on fire for the Lord? You can tell when someone has the gift of God in their heart and wants to give it to someone else.

What a great example this woman set for us. We too need to be telling others about Jesus. We need to rekindle the excitement that we first had when we encountered Jesus and let everyone know about what Jesus can do for them.

You may think you are not the right person to tell someone about Jesus but you are. You may think you don’t have the right words to say but you do. Don’t be intimidated about telling others about the grace and love of Jesus that you have.

Pray

Lord, let my fire for You burn like never before. Help me to be bold and share Jesus with everyone I meet. Most of all, put someone in my path today that I can tell them about You.