Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

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.

Jesus Knows

Encouragement

‘But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” ‘
Luke 5:5

Have you ever failed at something that you were good at? Do you remember that feeling of failure and frustration?

No one knows how to help you in times of discouragement like Jesus does. He will not just encourage you to do better next time, instead, He gives you a recipe for victory.

Peter was cleaning up after an all night fishing failure. It wasn’t like he had just caught a few fish; he had nothing, and he was a profession. There was nothing to show for his effort. He was ready to throw in the towel and give up. Needless to say, what he needed was a victory.

Jesus could have said to Peter, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be in a different line of work soon.” Instead, Jesus instructed him to launch back out into the deep and let the nets down. That sounds crazy! A carpenter instructing a skilled professional fisherman where and how to catch fish! But even crazier was the fact that they caught so many fish that the nets were breaking and they had to call for help to carry in the weight of so many fish.

This is how Jesus works in our life. He will take us right back to where we were unsuccessful in order to build us back up. The problem may have been that you were relying on your own strength and understanding and He wanted you to rely and trust in Him. We must learn from our faults and failures so that next time we will experience victory in the supernatural, spiritual strength of God.

Pray

Lord, I know that I need Your help and Your strength. Comfort me with Your Holy Spirit and show me what to do next. Your ways and plans are much better than mine and I will follow Your lead.