Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Trust

Anger Lodges In The Heart

Encouragement, Trust

Anger Lodges In The Heart

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:9‬

Slow To Anger

Frustration can lead to bitterness. Bitterness leads to anger. If anger resides long enough it can get the best of you. The key to overcoming anger is not just a forgiveness issue, it’s a heart issue. If you are bitter and angry for too long you will suffer physical and spiritual problems.

It is sad that people like to watch and listen to disagreements. Reality TV shows are a booming business because of this. Some people feed off of drama. They are thrilled when someone gets what they deserve and anticipation grows when they don’t. In the real world it’s the same. It’s very sad but it’s true to say that some people like to watch others suffer.

As Christians we are to be different from the rest of the world. However, if we fill our minds with the filth and garbage of reality TV, gossip, and drama, we tend to engage upon it.  There comes a point in time when the Holy Spirit urges us to stop feeding on the negativity and start feeding on positive thoughts and actions. It can be difficult sometimes but it is best to abstain from the filthy lust of the flesh. Evil surrounds us and is easily enticed when we allow it. But on the opposite spectrum, when we fill our hearts and minds with encouraging and uplifting spiritual things we produce righteousness. Feeding our bodies with the correct nutrients is comparable to feeding our souls with the necessary nutrients. If you want to produce good fruit you will need to feed your soul biblical truth. The more you mature in the Word of God the more distance can come between you and sin. Thrive on the blessings that only come from God and reap the joy of doing so.

Prayer

Lord, take my focus off the negative things of this world and allow me to see the great things You are doing in my life.

Daily Devotional

Murder

Faith, Trust

Murder

“You shall not murder.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20:13‬ 

Are You A Murderer?

You are probably reading this and wondering why in the world would this be the scripture for today.  Most, all, people know that the intentional killing of a person is a sin.  You don’t even have to be a Christian but you know that murder is morally wrong.  You would think that no one in their right mind would ever intentionally kill someone else.  However in today’s world we need to biblically teach that murder is a sin and the Sixth Commandment.

Cain killed his brother Abel.  Moses killed an Egyptian.  David killed Goliath and had Uriah killed.  Paul had Stephen stoned to death and was responsible for persecuting and killing Christians.  As you can see there were many key people in the Bible who committed murder or were part of the act of murder.  There are many occasions in the Bible that hundreds and thousands were killed because of one person.  We need to teach, “You shall not murder.”

Jesus intensified it and took murder to another level.  You may be thinking right now that you have never murdered or killed anyone so you are good.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:22 anyone who is angry with his brother is guilty of the same judgment of murder.  That is serious.  Because we have anger in our hearts toward another person we too can be just as guilty as someone who has committed murder.  Paul says if your enemy is hungry you must feed him, not kill him.  Murder stems from a condition of the heart.  Jesus says because you have hatred or anger toward someone you are a murderer.  If you have hatred or anger toward someone it is time to get things right with them.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t want to be a murderer.  Help me to love instead of hate.  help me to forgive just as I am forgiven.

The Prayer Of Faith

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

The Prayer Of Faith

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
James 5:15

The Cure For Spiritual Weakness

There are times in our life when we can become spiritually sick.  Just as our physical bodies get sick with a virus or an infection our faith can also become weak and feeble.  We can take an antibiotic for our bodies to help fight infections but what do we do when we are spiritually sick?  Is there a prescription for spiritual weakness?

We must understand that there are seasons in life when we are faithful and strong and then there are times when our faith is weak.  It’s during these times of weak faith when we are most vulnerable.  This is when we quit reading and studying our Bible and we don’t pray as much as we did before.  This is what James is referring to in James 5:13-18.  He is writing to Believers who have been persecuted and are at their point of giving up and giving in.  It takes a lot of strength to stay spiritually strong in our walk with the Lord.  Jesus never promised us that it would be easy. However, James gives great advice for us to get spiritually healed.

The first step of spiritual healing is to recognize that you are sick and weak.  Until you recognize your spiritual condition, nothing will change.  The second step is to surround yourself with strong, spiritual people.  These are the ones whose faith is so strong that it rubs off on others. Everyone needs a strong faithful person in their life.  Third, you need to rely on the Holy Spirit to nourish your mind and soul through the Word of God.  God wants to restore you to be the person He has called you to be.  Stay strong and be encouraged.

Prayer

If you are spiritually weak pray for God to send you someone who can lift you up in faith and encouragement.  If you are spiritually strong, pray for God to help you find someone who is weak and help them get back to where they need to be.