Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: jesus

A Forgiving Heart

Faith, Trust

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬

Is there someone you are having a difficult time forgiving? We’ve all had people that did something against us to makes us bitter.

Maybe it was a false accusation or someone stole something from you. Maybe it’s your spouse, a family member, a co-worker, an ex-employer, or even yourself. We must come to the point of forgiving that person and that offense.

We should know what the Bible says about forgiveness. But do we do it? The Bible says to forgive others just as Jesus has forgiven you.

How many times have you asked for forgiveness and recommitted the very same sin? Over and over we sin against God but He is gracious to forgive us.

The reason we must forgive others is to show the love of Christ that is living inside our hearts. When we don’t forgive we are storing up bitterness and anger which will eventually pour out like water.

If you don’t forgive that certain person you will eventually become a miserable person. Just save yourself the time and energy and start practicing forgiveness.

Sometimes forgiveness can be a difficult task. There are some very cruel people in our world that do cruel things. But here’s the thing… we cannot let someone else’s action dictate who we are or who we become. We cannot let a bad situation control our lives and make us live in agony.

The power of forgiveness is beautiful. It releases the turmoil that has been living in your soul and gives you freedom to live in peace.

Pray

Lord, help me to understand true forgiveness and mercy. Help me to have a forgiving heart that shows others Your grace. Forgive me of my sins.

Trust God’s Timing

Faith, Trust

‘For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’
2 Corinthians 6:2

God is never in a hurry and He is never late. God’s timing is always perfect. His schedule and our schedule may not be the same but He’s always right on time.

Our faith is tested when we learn to trust His timing. Waiting on God is a difficult thing to do when we are impatient.

At times it may seem like God is not listening but He is. It may seem like He is not meeting our needs but He is. God hears our prayers and He hears our cries.

The day that You need Him, God will be there to help. Don’t lose faith and never lose hope. And don’t ever think that He doesn’t care. He does care and He knows your needs.

Sometimes it can be frustrating having to wait on the Lord, but His plan for our lives is good. When we place our trust in His timing we can have total peace and joy.

Joseph had to trust God’s timing. He waited many years for the fulfillment of his dreams to come to pass. God was with him every step of the way. There was some trying times in his life but God timing was always perfect.

Trust that the Lord’s timing is perfect for you too. God wants to show you what you need to know when it’s the right time and place. Be patient and wait on the Lord. Good things come to those who wait upon the Lord.

Pray

Lord, I know Your timing is perfect. Give me knowledge and wisdom to discern the difference between my timing and Yours. Help me to wait on You.

The Lord Is With Me

Encouragement, Trust

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4

When you read the first verse of Psalm 23 you will notice that David is talking about the Lord. He says, “The Lord is my Shepherd… He makes me to lie down… He leads me… He restores my soul.”

Then in verse 4 there is a change. He transitions and begins speaking to the Lord. He says, “You are with me… Your rod and staff comfort me.” David is getting personal with the Lord.

Sometimes it takes valleys of darkness to make us get personal with God. When everything seems to be going great we don’t get very personal with God. But the moment we enter into a dark, lonesome valley, we let the Lord know we mean business.

It’s in those times of being in the valley that we turn to Him for help and comfort. And He is always there for us! God wants to be close and personal to us.

How often do you get personal with God? In other words, when do you turn you situations over to the Lord and trust Him to carry you through? Most of the time it is late in the game when we are down and there is no way out.

Instead, we should be personal with God everyday and with everything. We shouldn’t wait until we are in a deep valley of despair to seek Him. We need to seek Him daily and openly.

We need to understand that God wants to be in every detail of our life. Not just the bad but the good as well. We praise Him when things are good and we praise Him when things are not so good. If we keep a personal walk with the Lord, we will know He is always with us.

Pray

Lord, forgive me of my sins. Bring joy into my heart today. Let me see your glory in every direction I go.