Pastor Stephen Dedman

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In Great Distress

Encouragement

And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord , for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
II Samuel 24:14

What do you think was David’s greatest sin? The first that comes to mind may be when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. But what about murdering her husband, Uriah. Both were terrible sins but those may not be the greatest of his sins. 

When David chose to number the people of Israel great consequences followed. Seventy thousand people died. God allowed pain, sorrow, and death to make David hurt deeply. David confessed his sin and repented.

God, in His grace and mercy, forgave David of his sin. God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we deserve, in His grace He gives us what we don’t deserve. God’s grace is forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t cheap; it cost Jesus his life.

We must never doubt the promises of God, no matter how we feel when God disciplines us. There may be painful consequences to our sins, but these sorrows don’t mean we are not forgiven. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We must claim this truth in faith.

What sin is holding you captive? Confess it and receive God’s grace of forgiveness.

Pray

Lord, I confess my sin of… I need Your grace of forgiveness even though I don’t deserve it. Your mercies are great!

Dealing With Distractions

Encouragement

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.

Be On Your Guard

Encouragement

And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ 

Many people foolishly believe that what matters most in life is how much they own. It may be money or things that can be acquired. The misunderstanding comes from thinking that having more of what we desire will make us content. But according to the Bible, only God can satisfy our every need. 

It’s so easy for us to direct our attention toward earthly pursuits and lose our eternal perspective. Worldly ways produce greedy and covetous attitudes. But Jesus taught the things of this world will all pass away while the things of Heaven are eternal and more meaningful. 

Jesus made it very clear that His Kingdom is not based upon fleshly desires or the pursuit of pleasures. If we were to be honest, we all desire a life of luxury and ease. Even the people that Jesus ministered to had the same desires. 

We are encouraged to be on guard against covetousness and greed.  Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark‬ ‭8:36‬)

If we spend our life focused on the things of this world and coveting the things we don’t have, we are wasting our life. The life that we lose here will be rewarded with much gain in Heaven. Jesus said to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew‬ ‭6:20‬) 

Our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions but of the treasures that we have stored up in Heaven. 

Pray

Lord, keep me from selfish desires and envying what others may have. Help me to live for Christ today and produce fruit that proves I belong to You.