Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: pastor stephen dedman

God Loves You

Encouragement

‘The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”’
Zephaniah 3:17

We need people in our lives that love us regardless of our failures. We need people who will lift us up and encourage us when we feel like giving up. Do you have someone that can cheer you up when you are down?

You need to realize that God goes far and beyond what anyone else can do. God loves us no matter what we look like or what we have done in the past. God loves with an unconditional, eternal love that is just unfathomable.

Today’s verse makes us realize that God is always with us in all of our circumstances and is in the very middle of what is going on in our lives. It’s comforting to know that the One who loves us the most is right in the center of our lives. Even though we may think He is not actively involved, He is actually the One who is holding all things together in our lives.

It’s great to have people in our lives that will help us when we need help. But the One who we need the most is Jesus Christ. We need Christian people in our lives that will point us back to Jesus when we have turned away or have lost all faith.

Remember that the next time you witness someone who has given up faith and hope. Point them to the One who loves the regardless of what they have done. Direct them to the God who can bring them out of their circumstances and give them a new beginning.

Never forget how much God loves and cares for His children.

Pray

Lord, thank You for loving me and holding all things together when I feel like it is falling apart. Help me to point people to You so they can have the same kind of hope and peace that I have.

Are You Ready?

Encouragement, Salvation

‘Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.’
Revelation 1:7

One day soon Jesus is coming back. He will return in the clouds for his church. It will be a glorious day and everyone will see Him.

The rapture of the church is something we should be watching for. There should be something in the hearts of every Christian that longs to be united with Christ. To live with Him for eternity is our hope and goal as a Christian.

John was given a very unique revelation or vision as to what will happen in the last days. He was prompted to write it down for all of us to read and understand. Notably there is significance as to the holiness of the presence of Jesus. Jesus will be worshipped and honored as He should be.

We should never fear the coming of Jesus rather we should rejoice in the occasion. Jesus desires to be with His bride and we desire to be with our Master and Savior. It is encouraging to know that one day soon we all will be in glorified bodies.

The main question is, “Are you ready?” Are you ready for Jesus to return in the clouds and take up His church? The only way to be prepared is to believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead on the third day. Faith in Jesus gives us eternal life.

Are you ready for Jesus to come?

Pray

Lord, prepare my heart and soul for Your coming. Allow me to be a witness to others to prepare the way for You to come and get all who believe. Until You come, I will strive for holiness and righteousness.

Victory Over Sin

Salvation, Trust

‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.’
Psalms 32:1

God has the power to forgive and forget our sin. The Bible makes it clear that the first step in receiving forgiveness is repentance. Jesus’ first mandate in His earthly ministry was repentance. Repent and be baptized.

When we try to hide our sin or justify why we sin, we fall into a trap of the Devil. The enemy doesn’t want us in fellowship with God and free from sin. Instead he entangles us into being bound up by the consequences and shame of sin.

There is power in the life of the Believer who is forgiven and set free. As we see in today’s verse, “Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven.” This is true on the day of salvation when we repented of our sinful life and it is true every time we confess our faults to God.

Great blessings await those who confess and repent of their sin. Fellowship with God is restored and we experience the love of Jesus that was shown toward us when He died on the cross.

If you find yourself falling into sinful habits and not grieving over them or confessing them to God, this indicates that you are not abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship with Him, and you will experience the victory over your sin.

Pray

Lord, I confess and repent of my sins. Restore my relationship and fellowship with You. Renew the joy of thy salvation in my heart. Cleanse me and make me new.