Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Faith

Joy Is Near

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬

King David called for the nation to praise the Lord and gives them plenty of reasons to lift up their praise to Heaven. He describes God’s anger as brief when compared to His grace. His slowness to anger and His readiness to save makes it easy for anyone to praise Him.

David said there will be times of weeping, but by the mercies of God, we will experience joy. God allows us to go through seasons of sadness and sorrow, but only for a little while. There will be times when we are down but joy is right around the corner. Just as we can expect the sun to rise in the morning, we can hope that a time of joy is near.

A beautiful sunrise will give you a reminder of how God works. There may be times of darkness and gloom but God is at work. He knows what is happening in this world and He cares.

So when you finally see the break of dawn and the sun begins to give light, just know that joy has come. God is going to do a good work. A beautiful sunrise gives us hope of a new and fresh beginning.

Give God the glory for the grace and joy you are given.

Pray

Lord, You are worthy of praise. You deserve to be worshipped and adorned. Allow me to see how You are working things out for my good.

Jesus Forgives

Faith, Salvation, Trust

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:10‬

God does not grade on a curve. There are no divisions or levels of sin. Someone who told a little white lie is just as guilty as the person who committed murder.

The “godly” person who sinned only once yesterday is just as guilty as the “wicked”one who sinned a hundred times. All sin is ultimately the same in God’s eyes. However, we tend to categorize sin and expect God to treat us accordingly.

We all need God’s grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. There is no one who is too far from being saved. The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”‭‭(Romans‬ ‭3:23‬). Jesus died on the cross for everyone. Even the most evil person you can think of can be saved. No one is ever out of God’s reach.

God does not see people as liars or murderers. He sees people in need of grace. So that means everyone is eligible for His salvation.

Now let’s get a little personal. Are you carrying any shame or guilt from sins from the past? God did not set a limit on the size or quantity of sins He was willing to forgive. He sent Jesus to save us all.

Jesus will save anyone. He saves all people and He saves all sins. We all can turn to Him in faith today and be saved and forgiven of all our sins with no limits and no exceptions. Bring your sins to Jesus and trust the promises of His love.

Pray

Lord, forgive me of my sins. I confess that I have fallen short of the glory of God. Thank You for giving me salvation.

Peace In Times Of Difficulty

Faith, Trust

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬

In today’s verse we find a promise from God to those who trust in Him. There’s no doubt that we all need more peace in our lives today. Have you noticed when you’re nearest to God there is more peace and joy?

That is because your trust is in Him. But how can we keep that “perfect peace” when we are faced with difficulties of life?

We need to rid ourselves of the fear and doubt that intrudes our minds which ultimately affects the way we think and act.

Oswald Chambers once said, “Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be ‘bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…’ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together.”

If we place our minds on anything else we may experience temporary and imperfect peace, but God alone is the giver of perfect peace. God is the only One who can deliver on the promise of perfect peace.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus calls us to build our lives on Him and to obey His words. The rain will fall, the floods will come, the winds will blow, but those who build on the foundation of Christ are like a house built on a rock that can withstand these storms. But those who put their trust in anything else other than Christ are like houses built on sand that can’t hold up and are washed away. I pray you place your mind on Christ and trust God who will provide you with peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

Pray

Lord, remove all doubt that I have. Give me peace that surpasses all understanding. Let my faith in You be greater than all my fears.