Pastor Stephen Dedman

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Make Him A King

Encouragement, Trust

‘Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.’
John 6:15

After Jesus fed the 5,000 men, the Jews sought to make Him king. The Jews had often suffered famine in those times allowing their surrounding nations and enemies to prevail against them. Once they saw the power that Jesus had to multiply a few loaves of bread they instantly thought He was the one who could also provide protection against their evil enemies.

Their plan would get rid of king Herod, who allowed the Romans to be in power, and force Jesus to bring control back for the Jews. Jesus perceived this notion either by divine revelation or by watching circumstances unfold. So before the Jews could team together and form a new government, Jesus departed to the mountain to be alone and to pray to the Father.

If Jesus would have become king on earth, He would have never went to the cross where He essentially conquered the entire world. Jesus was fully aware of what was happening and knew the hearts of men. It is also possible that the disciples themselves were going along with making Him king because it would give them a seat of power in Jesus’ kingdom.

Sometimes we get the wrong idea about what God is doing in our life. We must be careful to make sure that we are submitting to His will and not trying to accomplish our agenda. We know the power of God and we want to see great things happen but it’s not always the plan of God to do so. We must be patient and wait upon the Lord.

Pray

Lord, You know all things and I don’t. I submit myself to your authority and I will wait for You to instruct me. Help me to know Your will and Your way.

Are You Struggling?

Faith, Trust

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬

Where do you find your security? Maybe it’s in your marriage, a career, good health, or even a comfortable lifestyle.

But what would happen if your “security blanket” disappeared overnight?  What if you lost your job?  What if your spouse walked out on you?  Or a health issue surfaced or you’re diagnosed with a terrible disease?  Let’s pray these never happen!

There will be times in our life when we’re jolted out of our false security. This is usually when panic sets in because we realize how vulnerable we really are. God has a way of showing us that we need Him and His Word instead of trusting in ourselves, others, or something else.

Our response to our troubles may sound like, “God, why have you forsaken me?”  “How am I going to make it?”  “How much longer, God?”  

Have you been there before?  Maybe your there right now.

Here is the truth: Everything on this earth is temporary, but the things of God stand forever.

We watch the grass turn green and the flowers bloom. These are the seasons when everything is going smooth and we start to believe that we don’t need God. But then the grass dries up and petals fall off leaving a gloomy landscape.

The promise that God gives us is that His Word stands forever. The things of God are permanent and they will last forever.

Do you have any areas of your life where you are struggling? Those are the areas where God wants to show you His love and grace He wants you to trust in Him

Pray

Lord, show me where I’m trying to be in control and not allowing You to guide me. Help me to not trust in false hope. God, I allow you to come into every area of my life.

Victory Over Sin

Salvation, Trust

‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.’
Psalms 32:1

God has the power to forgive and forget our sin. The Bible makes it clear that the first step in receiving forgiveness is repentance. Jesus’ first mandate in His earthly ministry was repentance. Repent and be baptized.

When we try to hide our sin or justify why we sin, we fall into a trap of the Devil. The enemy doesn’t want us in fellowship with God and free from sin. Instead he entangles us into being bound up by the consequences and shame of sin.

There is power in the life of the Believer who is forgiven and set free. As we see in today’s verse, “Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven.” This is true on the day of salvation when we repented of our sinful life and it is true every time we confess our faults to God.

Great blessings await those who confess and repent of their sin. Fellowship with God is restored and we experience the love of Jesus that was shown toward us when He died on the cross.

If you find yourself falling into sinful habits and not grieving over them or confessing them to God, this indicates that you are not abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship with Him, and you will experience the victory over your sin.

Pray

Lord, I confess and repent of my sins. Restore my relationship and fellowship with You. Renew the joy of thy salvation in my heart. Cleanse me and make me new.