Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

Watch And Pray

Encouragement, Trust

Watch And Pray

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41

 

The Spirit vs. The Flesh

Jesus warned Peter, James, and John to watch and pray as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray to the Father.  He had just celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and was about to be betrayed by Judas.  The guards were seeking to arrest Him and He knew He only had a couple of hours to prepare Himself for the worst suffering and torture known to man. Three times Jesus went away to pray and three times He returned and found the three men slumbering.

Jesus tried warning the three disciples but they let their guard down.  Little did they know that they were about to be tested and tempted more than ever before.  They didn’t think all of this would happen on that night because it was a time of Jewish celebration.  In verse 33 Peter exhaust himself and exclaimed that he would never deny Him even if he were to die.  Three times Peter denied Jesus before the rooster crowed.

We all fall into similar slumbering.  We think all is well and life couldn’t be any better.  That is when Satan prowls like a lion to devour.  We must never let our guard down.  We must always be alert to the temptations of sin.  Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  We all have high regards to what we strive to do for Christ but in the end we each fall into the same category as Peter.  Good intentions are not good enough.

We can all relate to Paul and his dilemma in Romans 7:15-20.  He sums it up in verse 19, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Prayer

Pray for the Lord to help you to stay alert keep you from the temptation of sin.

Come To Me

Trust

Come To Me

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

From Stressed To Blessed

According to the American Psychological Association, the top 3 things that Americans are stressed about are the future of our nation, money, and work. When asked what specific issues in our country cause them stress, Americans’ most common responses were health care and the economy.  On average women have reported higher stress levels than men.  Millennials have the highest reported stress levels.  It’s stressful just reading the statistics about stress.

The good news is Jesus doesn’t want you to be stressed about the future of our nation, money, or work.  There are so things in our lives that cause us to be weary and heavy burdened.  Everyones’ burdens differ in various ways.  The things that you are burdened about may not be a big deal to someone else.  Satan will try to attack you with anything and everything to distract you from serving the Lord with all your heart and with all of your mind.  Don’t allow your stress to keep you from being blessed by the Lord.  The Lord wants to give you rest and peace.  But first we must “come to Jesus” and lay our burdens at His feet.  Then we will be able to breath easier and rest.

What burdens are you carrying today that you need to let go of?  It doesn’t make sense to keep stressing over the things that you cannot change.  Trusting Jesus for rest and comfort sounds a whole lot better than suffering physical and emotional issues associated with stress.  It’s just not worth it.

Prayer

Lord, I trust that You know best.  I know You are active in my life and aware of what’s burdening me but I turn it over to You.  Help me to know you are in control.

Daily Devotional

The Lord Will Fight For You

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

The Lord Will Fight For You

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬

Daily Devotional

Crossing Over Dry Land

Moses was leading the Israelites out from Egyptian bondage. They were approaching the Red Sea and thought they were all going to die. Either Pharoah and his army would pursue them or they would drown in the Red Sea. They were at a point of no return and nowhere to go. It was at that point God provided a way as He instructed Moses to take his staff and touch the waters. Then the waters parted and they walked across on dry ground. After crossing over the Red Sea they looked back and watched their enemies be consumed by the waters.

The greatest part of this victory was that the people remained silent. They didn’t have to do anything but walk forward.  God provided a way and protected them through the flowing waters. God also defeated their enemies that would not leave them alone. The Red Sea experience gave them inspiration of the power of God.

There will be days in our life when we face a rock and a hard place. We will be wondering what to do and crying out to God for help. It is in those times that we remain silent and let the Lord fight our battles. We just need to be patient and trust God to show us a way. God will always lead and direct you in the way you should go. The key is to be quiet and listen to what the Lord has to say that us. Sometimes in the silence we hear the voice of God whisper to us.

Prayer

Lord, help me to be silent and trust entirely in your sovereignty and grace.

Daily Devotional