Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

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.

Are You Praying?

Faith, Trust

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭33:3‬

What are you praying to God today? Do you pray expecting God to answer in a mighty way? Sometimes we pray for something so big to happen but in the back of our minds we have so much doubt.

When we pray we have to realize first and foremost, who we are praying to. We pray through Jesus, who is our mediator. Jesus takes our requests to God.

That is why we end our prayers with, “in Jesus name,” or “in Christ name.” We pray to the Son of God who knows what we need before we ask. He can part waters, move the stars, heal, mend, forgive, and He can change any situation you’re facing.

Second, we must know what we are praying for. Sometimes we ask for things to happen for our good but essentially it’s not for God’s glory. When we pray we seek the Holy Spirit of God to put on our hearts what we need to pray. He will answer the prayers of the righteous because their hearts are in tune with God.

You may be praying for a different job, a person to marry, or even a change of circumstances, but is what you’re praying for going to bring glory to God? We pray for God’s will to be done, not ours.

Third, we must know why we are praying. We are praying because there is something on our heart that we want to see happen.

We want to see the sick be healed, we want to see the poor and needy have what they need, we want to see peace in our lives, we want to live worry-free. We pray because we desire the things of God to happen on earth as it is in Heaven. The real reason we pray is because we know God answers prayers.

Pray

Lord, I seek you with my whole heart. Cleanse me and forgive me. Reveal to me what I need to know today.