Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

Ask And Receive

Encouragement

‘So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”’ 
Mark 10:51

Can you imagine Jesus walking up to you and asking, “What do you want Me to do for you?” What would you say? What would you ask Jesus to do for you?

It is hard to believe that the Lord would ask us what He could do for us, but sometimes that is exactly the question we must answer. Bartimaeus was blind, but he knew exactly what he wanted Jesus to do for him. He wanted Jesus to give him vision. 

He didn’t just receive physical vision, his eyes were opened to Jesus Christ. Jesus knew Bartimaeus’ heart was faithful and immediately he was miraculously healed, physically and spiritually.

When we pray according to God’s will, He will answer our requests. When we pray in faith, He will give what we ask. God delights in responding to our requests and supplications. If we ask according to His will, we, like Bartimaeus, will receive far more than we anticipated. 

Begin your day by asking Jesus what is on your heart that you desire. Pray that what you ask for is aligned with the will of God. 

Pray

Lord, help me to know Your will so I can ask and receive from You. Forgive me for not having faith that You are willing and ready to give what I ask. Let my requests be according to what You have in store for me.

It’s Time To Repent

Encouragement

Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.
II Kings 22:11

Does your heart ache when you sin against God? It is amazing how so many people believe that as long as they don’t feel that something is bad, then it must not be bad. As long as they feel okay about it, they will continue to do it. And as long as God does not deal with them immediately, it must be okay.

Josiah was very young (8 years old) when he became king over Judah. Peace, prosperity, and reform characterized his 31-year reign. At the age of 26, Josiah began the process to repair the temple after it had been desecrated by Manasseh, who built pagan altars and images inside it. 

During the renovation, a copy of the Book of Law (possibly the Book of Deuteronomy ) was found. The high priest informed Josiah of the discovery and read from it to him. In response, Josiah became distressed and tore his robe. He was troubled over hearing what God required of His people as he compared that with how far they had departed from His will.

Josiah feared the anger of the Lord and wanted the people of Judah to repent. Such a response was shocking to the people and reveals that they had not consulted the word of God for a very long time. They had fallen away from God and from His commands.

Those who do not fear God will not fear sin. There is a direct relationship between a high view of God and a high view of sin. A low view of God will bring a low view of sin. When there is no fear of God there is no fear of sin.

Pray

Lord, I survey my life and ask You to convict me of any sin that may be unconfessed. Reveal to me Your will and way so that I may know the path of righteousness.

Humility Matters

Encouragement

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Luke 14:11

Take every opportunity to promote yourself before and above others. Seize occasions for recognition and manipulate your way into the center of attention. According to the world, this is the way to attain high esteem. 

But according to God’s design, you must put others first. Humble yourself. It’s when God sees your humility that He will exalt you.

If we put our efforts into promoting ourselves, we will be brought down and humiliated. Jesus spoke of a man who tried to enhance his own image (Luke 14:7-11). While attending a dinner, he quickly claimed the seat of most honor. When the host saw this take place, he humiliated the man by asking him to move to another seat, the lowest seat in the room. 

Jesus said the wise thing to do is seek the lowest position and allow someone else to exalt you when they feel that you need to be recognized. 

When we strive to remain humble, we bring glory to God and not ourselves. If we honor God, He will honor us. When the world exalts you, you are the center of attention. But when God exalts you, others will praise Him for what He has done in your life.

Allow God to be the One who honors you in the way that pleases Him!

Pray

Lord, please keep me humble. I ask You to remove all pride from my heart. May Your Holy Spirit transform me and change me.