Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

New Life In Jesus

Trust

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

John the Baptist tried to prepare people for the coming Messiah but many would not listen.  They held tight to their false religion. Sounds a lot like today’s world, doesn’t it?

Some of the Jews did not keep the Law of God as they were commanded to do. Some of the Jews repented but others, especially the religious leaders, were too prideful to repent.  They thought they were good people.

Jesus’ message was similar in nature but instead of trying to keep the law, He wanted people to turn to Him in a personal relationship.  He wanted people to trust Him for forgiveness.

Jesus preached a message of grace and peace that could only be found through Him. They needed to trust in Him as the Messiah. 

We too need to trust in His saving grace. It’s not until we have an experience with Jesus that we seek His righteousness. Zacchaeus is a wonderful example of a changed life after experiencing Jesus in a personal way.

Some people look at salvation as having to give up something they really like. However, our salvation through Jesus is something we’ve gained. We’ve gained eternal life, forgiveness of sin, peace, and hope. And it’s all a gift through faith.

Are you trying to hold on to something of your old life before Jesus?  

You will never enjoy all that God has in store for you until you give up and surrender everything to Jesus.  It will be obvious by the way you live if you’ve experienced a new life in Christ. 

Pray

Lord, I trust in You for forgiveness and eternal life. Replace my heart of stone with a new heart that loves and obeys You. Let my life prove that I’ve been saved and redeemed. 

My Light And Salvation

Faith, Trust

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:1‬

Have you ever been so afraid that you thought things wouldn’t work out?  Maybe it was a time of bad weather, a time of illness, or even in a time of war. Don’t think you’re alone. Many have feared for their life.

In this psalm, David was crying out to the Lord for help.  This could have been the time when David was running for his life from King Saul (1 Samuel 18:8).  David is talking to the Lord as he fears for his life.  

There are a couple of truths that can be learned as we face fears in our life.

We need to remember that the Lord is very near and personal to those who trust in Him.  Notice the personal relationship that David had with the Lord: “my light and my salvation”.  

Light represents God’s presence which breaks through every darkness.  Salvation is a word for God’s deliverance.  It is “yeshua” the Hebrew name for Jesus.  As David prayed, he had faith that the Lord was going to save him from harm.  His complete trust was in the Lord.

We also need to remember that our strength comes from the Lord.  David said, “the Lord is my stronghold.” He knew not to rely on his own strength but rather the strength of the Lord.  He trusted in the Lord to provide the strength necessary to get through the uncertain circumstances.

Even in the most dreadful and darkest hours, the Lord is present to lift us up and save us.

When you find yourself in troublesome times, trust in the Lord to give you strength and grace to carry on.

Do you trust God to see you through?

Pray

Lord, help me to remember to place my full trust in You. Strengthen me with Your Word and wisdom to endure the evil one. I rest in Your presence and power.

God Keeps His Word

Trust

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself,
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:13‬

The writer of the Book of Hebrews wanted us to know that we can fully trust God in every aspect of life.  We can trust Him for salvation, forgiveness, and grace.  Most of all we can trust what He says He will do.  He keeps His word.

When God made a promise to Abraham He followed through with His word.  The writer wants to remind us that just as God kept His promise with Abraham, He will keep His promises with us.  And most of all, we can trust Him because of that great truth.  

God swore by Himself because there was no one greater for Him to swear by.  We swear by and take oaths upon the Bible and to God because He is greater than all.  The downfall is that we sometimes don’t keep our word.

The next time you start to lack trust in God remember that He has kept every promise He has made.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  He will never turn His back on His children.  

He will never keep anything great from you because He loves you so much.  You may think God is not following through but in reality He is up to something great.  Trust in Him because of who He is.  He is the great “I AM”.

Pray

Lord, You have been faithful for all of eternity.  You will not fail me now nor anytime in the future and for that I will trust in You. Help me to keep my word and be an example to others.