Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: devotional

You Can Conquer Sin And Satan

Salvation

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:7‬

The story of Cain and Abel is disturbingly tragic.  How could the first child born of Adam and Eve commit the sin of murder? It wasn’t like the world was so full of evil like it is today.  There were only 4 humans in existence.

The Bible says Cain and Abel both offered up offerings to God but only Abel’s was accepted.  Abel’s offering was considered to be the best of the best. Cain’s offering didn’t please God.  Jealousy and envy began to rage in the heart of Cain.

God said to Cain in verse 7, “If you do what is right you will be blessed.  But if you choose to rebel then you will be destroyed by the deadly effects of sin.”  God made it clear to Cain that sin was knocking at the door and he must master it.  However in verse 8, Cain went out and murdered Abel.

God’s warning to Cain is the same for us today. First, we must be aware that sin is present and near to every one of us.  No one is immune to it.

Second, sin is personal and seeking to devour you individually.  Satan’s plan is to rob you of joy and fellowship. Will you allow Satan to win?

And thirdly, sin is powerful and you must have control over it.  Any unconfessed sin will harbor hatred inside your heart.  We must be wise and alert or else our life will be consumed with evil like Cain’s.

Sin doesn’t have to reign in our life. Jesus gives us victory over sin and Satan. We must have faith in knowing that we are victorious only through Jesus and we conquer sin by abiding in Christ.

Pray

Lord, I repent of my sin and turn away from it quickly. Help me to receive the joy of Your great salvation. Keep me from evil and give me a heart of love.

Faith In Jesus

Salvation

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:22‬

The free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is offered for all who believe in Him. Jesus died on the cross for everyone. He died a sinner’s death in the place of sinners. There is forgiveness for sins for those who believe and trust in the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The most memorized verse, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)  There is a great promise to those who believe in Jesus that they will not perish.  This blessing is only given to those who believe.

There are many who know about Jesus but only those who trust in the person of Jesus will inherit eternal life.  The only way to trust Jesus is to know Him personally.  In order to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you must acknowledge that He is the Son of God, believe that He died on the cross, and arose from the dead three days later.  

Salvation is not earned but given by God to all who believe.  To know Jesus means to have a real, meaningful relationship with Him.  Jesus instructs all who believe in Him to follow Him and to keep His commandments.  This is the true test of real faith.  

The question may have been asked of you, “Do you know Jesus?” But you must answer this question as well, “Does Jesus know you?”

Pray

Lord, I believe in You and trust You as my Lord and Savior.  I repent of my sins and ask You to give me eternal life in Heaven.  Thank you for dying on the cross in my place.

God Gives Us What We Need

Encouragement, Salvation, Trust

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:32‬

Paul asked a question: “If God gave us His Son, then will He not give us everything else He promised us?”  How do we know if God’s goodness and love are going to be given to us?  

To answer that question we must understand that If God has given us His Son, then He will give us everything else we need.

In Genesis 22, in the Old Testament story of Abraham offering his son Isaac, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son. The Bible says Abraham did not spare his only son. Of course, God intervened at the last second and provided a ram for the sacrifice.  

That was a picture of what Jesus Christ would do one day on that same mountain range of Moriah when God would send His only Son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.  Paul was essentially saying, “If God was willing to do that for us, then why wouldn’t He do anything and everything else for us?”

God did not send His own Son into the world because we were good people.  Jesus came to die for us because of our sinfulness.   That’s what makes God’s gift of salvation that much more unbelievable.  

The Bible says that while we were sinners, God sent His Son to die for us.  If while we were sinners, God sent His best and most costly gift, and now that we are His children, don’t you think He will give us everything else?  If God gave you His greatest gift while you were His enemy, what is He going to withhold from you now?  Nothing!

Prayer

Lord, thank You for giving me the best gift I could ever receive. Your love and grace gives me peace and comfort.