Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

The Triumphal Entry

Encouragement

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!”
‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭

Today begins Passion Week. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey that had never been ridden. This was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 which says, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.” (NLT)

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was greeted by a multitude of people who rejoiced at His presence. His entry was unexpected as He entered as a humble king. The people were expecting their king to come and conquer Rome and give them freedom and peace.

Sadly, these same people who were singing praise to the king were shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” on Friday. They wanted a Messiah to bless them with power and glory instantly. They didn’t realize that indeed He was the Christ.

When Jesus comes back in the Second Coming at the end of the seven-year Tribulation, He will be riding on a white horse symbolizing His kingship. He came as a humble servant the first time but when He returns in the Millennium Reign, He is the righteous Judge and King. He comes to conquer.

Humility is a sign of being like Jesus. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and set the example of humility to others. We must serve others like Jesus did. We must treat others like Jesus did. We must be the picture of Jesus that others see.

What can you do today for others to see that you serve Jesus? Surprisingly, when we humble ourselves we lift up others who need to be encouraged. Be a blessing to someone today.

Pray

Lord, help me to put others before myself. I sing praises to You as You are my Lord and Savior. Let my life be a blessing to others.

No Doubt

Encouragement

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
II Timothy 1:7

Satan uses tools of fear and doubt to keep us from doing and witnessing extraordinary things.  Satan does not want us experiencing God’s power and love. Instead, he will try to paralyze our faith.

God gives us power, love and a sound mind to do things that glorify Him.  We are capable of doing powerful things through Jesus when we put our faith to the test. Without Him we are nothing.

In Matthew 17:14-21 a man came to Jesus and begged for his son to be healed from demonic convulsions associated with epilepsy. Previously the man brought his son before the disciples but they couldn’t heal him. Immediately Jesus cast the demon out and the boy was healed. 

The disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out and He replied, “Because of your unbelief.”  He said if they had mustard seed-sized faith they could move mountains and nothing would be impossible for them. The problem wasn’t with their faith.  They had faith.  The problem was with their unbelief or doubt.  He gave them a solution: “this kind (of unbelief) does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” 

The devil plants seeds of doubt into our minds subconsciously and sometimes we’re not even aware of it.  We must protect our minds and be sure that what we are hearing and seeing is full of truth and not the lies of the devil. Jesus said to fast and pray.  Fasting and praying starves the flesh of self desires and feeds our souls with the Spirit of God.

Is there any unbelief that is keeping you from living an extraordinary life? Is your unbelief keeping you from witnessing God’s great things? Remove your unbelief.

Prayer

Lord, I pray in the Name of Jesus to have all fear, unbelief and doubt removed from my mind and replaced with God’s power, love and truth. Give me the knowledge of what I can do through Jesus.

It’s All For The Lord

Encouragement

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24

Mediocrity and laziness have no place in the life of a follower of Christ. We must always maintain integrity and reliability. Our work habits and labor reflect in our personal relationship with the Lord. God always wants us to do our best. 

We will always have people in our lives that will disappoint us, neglect us, mistreat us, and even betray us. Some will demand that we give to them while offering nothing in return. And that is why Paul instructs us to do everything enthusiastically as to the Lord and not to people.

There is a big difference between doing something for people and doing something for the Lord. Working for the Lord changes our perspective as we view our endeavors in light of what He has done for us. Our efforts are never overlooked when we know we are doing it all for the Lord.

You may have a boss that doesn’t appreciate you, a friend who isn’t loyal, or a spouse who doesn’t respect you, but that does not give you the right to cut corners, gossip or cheat in return. God demands that we love others the same way He does. We are to treat others according to the way God treats us.

Pay close attention as to why you do what you do. Are you doing things to please others or to please the Lord? God is worthy of our best effort.

Pray

Lord, increase my abilities to always give my best in everything I do. Give me wisdom to understand that I am working for You and You will reward my efforts. Thank You for giving me strength, knowledge and wisdom to do what I do.