Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

Is God Woking Through You?

Salvation, Trust

‘The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.’
Romans 8:16-17

How do you know that you are born again and saved by the blood of Jesus? What gives us assurance that when we die we know that we are going to heaven?

We are blessed that the Holy Spirit confirms and testifies that we belong to the family of God, that God is our Father and we have been born again. Paul says it’s “the Spirit Himself” that bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God.

We should be able to look at our lives and see how God is working in and through us to make us more like Jesus. The Spirit brings a profound awareness of how God is at work in our hearts. It’s this awareness that gives us assurance and confidence of salvation.

It would be very difficult to live the Christian life if we didn’t have the assurance of salvation. You must be confident that you are born again. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that you have repented of your sins.

We don’t have to wonder if we are really Christians or not. God’s children know who they are.

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit that gives us confidence that we belong to You. Allow me to see how You are working in my life today. Take my life and use it as You desire.

Who Is On Your Mnd?

Encouragement

‘Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ‘
I Timothy 2:1

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night or from a deep sleep and had someone on your mind? That person was put on your mind for a good reason.

God places people on our hearts and minds so we can help them and bless them. We need to take time to pray for those who come to our attention and pray without hesitation.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to address some of the issues that were happening in the church at Ephesus. One of the issues facing the church was prayer.

The church was divided between the Jews and Gentiles who had complete different attitudes concerning spiritual matters such as salvation. So Paul instructs Timothy to make sure the church, the people of God, prayed for one another.

It’s our responsibility and privilege to pray for one another. Everyone needs prayer. You need someone praying for you everyday. That is why it is important to surround yourself with faithful praying people. James 5:16 says, “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Be that righteous person who prays for others.

There is nothing more wonderful and amazing than to witness prayers being answered. It’s important to pay attention to what others around you are going through so that you can pray for them specifically.

Pray

Lord, put someone on my heart and mind and let me pray for them today. Put me on someone else’s heart as well. Thank You, Lord, for answering prayers.

Every Detail Matters

Faith, Trust

“How great are your works, O Lord ! Your thoughts are very deep!”
Psalms 92:5

It doesn’t take much for someone to see that God’s works are wonderful. Wonderful doesn’t even begin to describe how great His works are. They are multitudinous. God made no mistakes from the time of creation nor has He held back any glorious design.

Think about the human body for a moment. How wonderful it is that the human body can heal itself. The earth is spinning in space at the exact speed and distance from the sun to sustain life. The stars in the heavens are so numerous they cannot all be identified. Consider the human brain. The storage capacity is an amount over 74 Terabytes (just in the cerebral cortex alone). That’s huge!

When we struggle with our faith or wonder if God cares we need to consider this verse as a reference that God knows and cares. He made us with much more detail than anything else. He loves us and cares for each and everyone of us. So when we consider His works and thoughts we may never comprehend the extent to His greatness. Maybe one day it will all be revealed to us when we get to Heaven.

If you are struggling today with the thought that you are not worthy or that God may not care about what you are going through, stop and consider what He has done for you. He sent His Son to die for you and to give you eternal life. He has prepared a way for you to spend eternity in His presence. That alone says enough.

Pray

Lord, help me to know that You care. As I face my struggles, give me comfort and peace that you are in control. I know you will work it all out.