Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

Living Extraordinary

Faith

‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’
II Timothy 1:7

Satan uses tools of fear and doubt to keep us from doing and witnessing extraordinary things.  Satan does not want us experiencing God’s power and love. Instead, he will try to paralyze our faith.

God gives us power, love and a sound mind to do things that glorify Him.  We are capable of doing powerful things through Jesus when we put our faith to the test. Without Him we are nothing.

In Matthew 17:14-21 a man came to Jesus and begged for his son to be healed from demonic convulsions associated with epilepsy. Previously the man brought his son before the disciples but they couldn’t heal him. Immediately Jesus cast the demon out and the boy was healed.

The disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out and He replied, “Because of your unbelief.”  He said if they had mustard seed-sized faith they could move mountains and nothing would be impossible for them. The problem wasn’t with their faith.  They had faith.  The problem was with their unbelief or doubt.  He gave them a solution: “this kind (of unbelief) does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” 

The devil plants seeds of doubt into our minds subconsciously and sometimes we’re not even aware of it.  We must protect our minds and be sure that what we are hearing and seeing is full of truth and not the lies of the devil. Jesus said to fast and pray.  Fasting and praying starves the flesh of self desires and feeds our souls with the Spirit of God.

Is there any unbelief that is keeping you from living an extraordinary life? Is your unbelief keeping you from witnessing God’s great things? Remove your unbelief.

Prayer

Lord, I pray in the Name of Jesus to have all fear, unbelief and doubt removed from my mind and replaced with God’s power, love and truth. Give me the knowledge of what I can do through Jesus.

Is God’s Word Revealed In Your Life?

Trust

‘Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!’
Psalms 119:5

Does this verse reflect your heart? Do your actions reflect God’s standards? As we mature in our walk with the Lord we should consistently reflect God’s will and ways in all our actions.

However, we are human and we fall short of the target of perfection. The psalmist goes on to give us some helpful insights to overcome our daily temptations. In verse 9 he says,”How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” There is supernatural power in the Word of God.

If we are to reflect God’s ways, we must know and keep God’s Word close to our heart. In verse 11 he says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” When we treasure God’s Word we hide it in our hearts and it provides for us a weapon against the temptation to sin. Thus the power of God’s Word!

If you desire to reflect God’s statues in your actions, you must know them and treasure them deep in your heart. The enemy wants to keep you in the dark but God brings all things to light. Verse 105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Again, it’s the power of God’s Word.

Can we live pure in an impure world? Absolutely. Can we overcome the temptation to sin? Of course. The power of God’s Word gives us victory!

Pray

Lord, I need to trust in Your Word and meditate on it day and night. Give me the desire to study it and the wisdom to understand it. Thank You for giving me Your Word.

Tell The Good News

Trust

‘Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ‘
John 20:21

One of the worst things is for Christians to remain silent. It is our duty and responsibility to share our faith just as Jesus sent the disciples to do. How are you sharing your faith with others?

There’s no better time than now to share the Good News of Jesus Christ! The world needs to hear it and see it. And we need to proclaim it and live it. We miss too many opportunities to share our testimony or share the love of Jesus with those we come into contact with.

God has chosen us to be His witnesses in this world. That doesn’t mean that we must stand on a street corner and condemn people of their sins. We share our faith with others because we are concerned with their eternal destiny. We have Good News to give and they want it; they just don’t know what to do with it, yet.

If you have a voice, speak about Jesus. If you can sing, sing aloud to Heaven so others will hear a joyful noise. Can you teach? Teach someone the truth of God’s word. Are you called to preach? Proclaim the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. Can you write? Use your skillset so others may know the love of Jesus Christ.

The Devil wants you silent. Jesus wants you to witness. Loving others is a good witnessing tool. People want to be loved and people need to be loved. Today is a good day to share your faith with someone who needs the love of Jesus.

Pray

Lord, give me boldness to speak my faith when I’m tempted to remain silent. Let me show love and kindness to someone who needs it today.