Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

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.

Remain Positive

Encouragement, Trust

For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:24-25‬

We hear a lot of bad news on a regular basis. We expect the news sources to keep us informed with what’s happening around the world but most of the news is negative. After hearing so much bad news and negativity for so long we can start to grow numb to it.

The Bible teaches us there is a day soon approaching when Jesus will come for His bride, the Church. The dead in Christ will rise from their graves and all Christians still living will meet Jesus in the air before entering into Heaven. This future event is called the Rapture.  

We see events unfolding everyday that leads us to believe the Rapture could happen at any time.  Violence and crime will continue to get worse and persecution of Christians will soon be like it was in the first century.  But don’t worry, there is hope.

The good news is given to us through the Word of God. The nightly news may be doom and gloom but God’s Word brings peace and comfort to those who believe it.

It is important to saturate ourselves with the Good News of Jesus Christ.. This dark world needs the positivity of the church until we leave this world. The Church should be the light that brightens the world.

What can you do today to brighten someone’s day? Can you share a compliment, extend a helping hand, or pass a smile to someone who is down. Positivity starts with you. You can make a difference in someone’s life today.

Pray

Lord, thank You for growing your church throughout the world. Help us be a part of spreading your good news. Keep me positive and grounded in Your truth.