jesus Archives - Page 137 of 157 - Pastor Stephen Dedman

A Personal Revival

June 17, 2020 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

“”Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:31-32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Are you in need of a personal revival? In today’s verse we witness a downward spiral in the life of Peter. If you know much about Peter, he was a man who was one of the first to follow Jesus as a disciple. He was one that was in the inner circle of Jesus with James and John. He spoke boldly for Christ and was zealous for the things of God. But what we see in Luke 22:31-35 is that Jesus was preparing Peter for what was about to take place.

In verse 33, “Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”” Then Jesus said, “Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”” ‭

As Jesus predicted, so it was. Through the night, before Jesus was to be crucified, Peter denied knowing Jesus thee times and just as the rooster crowed he realized he had failed. So what could have caused Peter’s faith to fail so fast?

Fear caused Peter to be sifted like wheat. Satan went full force against the one who boldly stated he would die for Jesus. But when Peter was faced with possibly going to prison or dying, he caved under the pressure. He was strong in self-confidence but weak in faith.

We must be strong in our faith. We can only be strong in faith when we are close to Jesus. When we put Jesus away or put him in the back seat we allow our faith to weaken. A personal revival increases our faith in Jesus. It sets our soul on fire for the things of Jesus. How long has it been since you’ve experienced a personal revival?

Lord, I need you to revive my soul and set me on fire. Help me to be a powerful witness for you.

The Worst Became Best

April 10, 2020 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Salvation, Trust

“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
Matthew 27:45-46,50

Jesus was executed and put to death. The Son of God was put to death on a cross for who He was. He came into the world and the religious leaders feared Him and hated Him. While at first it may seem that all is said and done, it was the plan of God from the beginning.

How encouraging it is to know that today is called Good Friday because death died when Jesus died on the cross. The worst day in history is really the best day because of Jesus. Just remember this when you are at your worst, Jesus is at His best. The worst possible thing that could happen was actually the best.

Can we be honest for a moment? Jesus said, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) There are times in our life when we are ready to throw in the towel. We are frustrated, confused, and irritated when things don’t turn out the way we want them to. But this is when we must rely on the strength and power of God to reveal to us that He is up to something bigger than we are. God has something in the works that may not seem important at the surface but deep down in the grasp of things, God is doing a mighty work.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t give into the temptations of the enemy. Satan tried everything he could to keep Jesus from dying on the cross but God did not allow it to happen. Why? Because He loves you more than you realize. He is more powerful than anyone can ever imagine.

Whatever you may be going through right now, God has a plan and it is going to work out for His glory.

“Then is shall be brought to pass as it is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:54-57)

Lord, thank you for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to die on the cross and save me from my sins. Help me to never lose hope in what You are trying to accomplish.

Do You Worship, part 2

January 30, 2020 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:25-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Have you ever worshipped and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit? Have you ever had “God” bumps go up your arm while worshipping. There is an amazing effect that worship has when we are focused on worshipping Him. True worshippers get God’s attention.

Paul and Silas were put in the inner prison with a guard watching to make sure they didn’t escape. They were imprisoned while they were traveling around preaching when they encountered a demon-possessed fortune-teller who was working as a slave. After commanding the demon out of her, the men who were profiting from her work knew their crooked business was over and sought to have Paul and Silas taken away. They were beaten and chained up.

While in prison, they didn’t cry and complain, they worshipped. They sang hymns to God. They were praising God while they were suffering. And suddenly it happened. The foundations began to shake and the doors were opened and the chains fell off. They worshipped and got God’s attention. God set them free. God fought their battle. They worshipped during a time that most people could not.

True worship has a lasting effect on the world. True worshippers make a difference. When we find ourselves in difficult and disastrous situations we need to turn our eyes to God and worship Him. God can change the whole situation and turn it around for His glory. God seeks to find people who are true worshippers.

Lord, make me a true worshipper. Give me a heart of praise and joy. Help me to know I can turn to You when I’m in trouble.