Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Faith

Shine The Light Of Jesus

Encouragement, Faith

‘Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.’
Isaiah 60:1-2

There is a thick cloud of darkness that is covering the world. You can feel the darkness around you. There is the darkness of disease, the darkness of poverty, the darkness of loneliness, etc… Millions are facing hopelessness and despair at extreme levels.

In reality no political party or world leader has the answer to the deepest darkness of the soul. But God has given His people the light of His glory to shine through the darkness to give hope and comfort to those who are living in darkness.

How can we shine in the midst of such darkness? The answer is found in today’s verses. The first word, arise, is a call to action. We must be intentional and arise to the challenge. Once we take a stand in this dark world, the light of Jesus will be reflected in our lives. Light will overcome the darkness!

Jesus told His followers, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.’ Matthew 5:16 Look around and see how God wants you to shine. Is it an act of kindness? Could it be an act of service that demonstrates love? It doesn’t take much but it does take an effort.

This world needs to see the Light of Jesus through the Saints. The only hope this world has is through the love of Christ. Let’s be the Light!

Pray

Lord, I want to be Your servant. Use me today to shine the Light of Jesus in this dark world. Enlighten me of how I can arise and shine.

The Power To Overcome

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:14‬

Paul uses the threefold title, “Lord Jesus Christ,” to emphasize the Lordship of Christ. He did so to prove a point that making Him Lord over our lives helps us overcome the temptation to sin. When we “put on” Christ temptation loses much of its power. This doesn’t mean that we avoid temptation, but it does mean we have the power to overcome it.

Temptation is an issue for everyone who draws a breath. Even Jesus was tempted just like we are. Satan tries to use temptation to make us stumble in our walk with God. When we submit to temptation and commit sin a sinful act, we break fellowship with God. Hence the importance of forgiveness of sin. We need to be forgiven so we can have a good relationship with our Lord.

The only way to fight against fleshly desires is to seek Jesus daily. When we put Jesus first we can fight the battle of temptation much easier. Everyone’s temptation is different. But know that the devil knows what you’re tempted with and will do whatever it takes to make you slip and fall and give in to sin. So beware of the devil, because he prowls like a lion seeking to destroy you. But have confidence that as a Believer you have the power of God to fight against the flesh and say no to sin.

It’s a daily battle and that is why Paul says to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and don’t allow your fleshly desires to have a part of making decisions. When we seek Jesus with all of our heart, mind and soul, we become a fierce battle for the devil. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ today and make Satan wish he never messed with one of God’s children.

Pray

Lord, I seek you today to be my first desire. Give me power to say no to temptations that I will face today. Thank you for giving me the power to overcome sin.

What’s Weighing You Down?

Encouragement, Faith

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1

Do you have any distractions in your life? Who doesn’t, right? The devil desires to keep us distracted so that we aren’t aligned with the will of God.

When we allow distractions to overcome us we allow our minds and hearts to stray from God’s plan and purpose. To stay on course means we must guard ourselves from becoming distracted. Most of the time we aren’t even aware that it is happening.

The New Living Translation says, “let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1b) This terminology helps us to see that anything that weighs us down, especially sin, will keep us from achieving the perfect will of God.

We need to “strip off” whatever is distracting us. What distraction is keeping you from being one with God?

Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ should be the most important relationship in our life. Jesus said the most important commandment is to love God with all of our hearts, soul, and mind and then we are to love others.

When our hearts are focussed on God and the things of God we will do what God expects. Is Your heart in the right place?

It’s easy to get distracted when we are weighted down with sin. When we focus on holiness, we stray from sin and other distractions.

Pray

Lord, forgive me and keep me from sin. I confess my sin to You. Give me strength to stay the course and keep myself holy and pure.