Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devtional

Time To Pray

Encouragement, Trust

“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”
‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1:4‬

When do you know it’s time to pray? Is it when things in your life are falling apart? Or when there is mass chaos all around? What has to happen for you to realize it’s time to pray?

Most of the time we wait till things get out of hand before we say, “I can’t do anything but pray that God does something.” If this is the case, we’ve waited too long.

Nehemiah received some news that deeply disturbed him. The Jews had gone back into their homeland to rebuild their city and temple, but the walls around Jerusalem were still in ruins. As you can tell in our Scripture verse today, Nehemiah was troubled in his heart.

His response to this terrible news was to turn to God with fasting and prayer. He knew he couldn’t do anything about it, but He knew God could.

Are there things in your life right now that are disturbing you? Are they out of your control? If so, it’s time to pray. When something lays heavy on your heart and you can’t get it off your mind, you need to turn to the Lord in prayer.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. The moment something troubles you, seek the Lord in prayer. Spending time in prayer with God will make a difference in your life. God will reveal special things to you and give you hope that something is about to happen.

Pray

Lord, I know You hear my prayers and You know my heart. I ask that You give me the solutions to my troubles. I seek You today for guidance and understanding.

What Does Your Heart Look Like?

Encouragement, Trust

“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:34‬

Have you ever said something and the moment it came out of your mouth you regretted saying it? Yes, we all have. It’s because our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

The truth behind Jesus’ teaching is not so much about watching what we say, but guarding and protecting the condition of our heart. Everything that comes out of our mouth springs forth from what is already in your heart.

A couple of chapters later, Jesus was answering criticism of the Pharisees about the Jewish custom of washing hands and He said, “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:17-20‬)

What you say is a reflection of the spiritual condition of your heart. When you speak kind words, it reveals a cheerful heart. On the contrary when you speak words that hurt others it’s because your heart is not in a good place.

The heart is a well and the mouth is the water pot that draws from that well. It’s not enough to simply “clean up” what you say. The mouth cannot draw up anything but what is already in the heart. That’s why we must guard and protect our heart.

Pray

Lord, protect my heart from evil. Help me to remain clean and pure. If I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing, please convict my soul.

Living In Hope

Faith, Trust

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1:3‬

Are you dwelling in the living hope of Jesus Christ? We have hope through Jesus’ death and resurrection because he defeated sin on the cross. Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” His final words give us a living hope only found in Him.

The hope that we have is based upon the fact that Jesus is coming back soon. When Jesus comes all things will be made new. This earth will be dissolved and a new earth will be created for our good. Until Jesus comes back we patiently wait for the glorious day to appear.

Some days we let the worries of the world get the best of us. We sit and sour over things that sometimes are meaningless. If we dwell in the living hope of Jesus our mindset will give us a positive outlook on life. Our hope in Jesus will give us courage to face opposition of the enemy. And our assurance of Jesus’ return will Make for a great anticipation of good things to come.

Until the day Jesus comes back we honor and praise His wondrous name. We live our life in a way that brings glory to God. We set ourselves apart from evil and resist the devil. We live every day like it is our last day here. We desire to hear Jesus say, “good and faithful servant.”

You may be faced with a dilemma today but rest assured in the blessed hope of Jesus. He will see you through to the end. It may not be the outcome you were expecting but God has a purpose and a plan just for you. Will you trust in His blessed hope today?

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving me hope and assurance. I praise you and honor you for who you are. As I go through this day, help me to see what you have in store for me.