Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: stephen dedman

Justifying Evil

Encouragement

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20

Have you ever been tempted with the idea that telling a lie would actually accomplish more good? I think we all have! 

Do you ever mention someone in a prayer request but end up gossiping instead of praying? Or have you ever pushed your agenda ahead of others for personal gain? 

We all face the temptation to justify something good that God has declared wicked. We’ve also been tempted to call evil that which God has declared good. God says it is good to love our enemies, yet we often make it our job to hold them responsible for their actions. It happens so quickly.

Satan tries to convince people that what God has called good is actually evil and what God declares evil, is in fact, good. In the beginning Satan persuaded Adam and Eve that disobedience towards God would guarantee a better life. The believed him and immediately began to suffer the consequences of sin.

We need good discernment when Satan tries to deceive us into doubting what God has clearly stated as truth. Allow God’s word to hold you accountable. Stop searching for exceptions to His commands and start obeying whole heartily. 

Pray

Lord, help me to overcome the temptations of the devil. Give me courage and wisdom to notice when I am convinced that doing wrong is better than doing good. Let Your truth outweigh the lies of Satan.

Be Encouraged

Encouragement

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. “
II Corinthians 1:3-4

Do you put a smile on other people’s faces? Better yet, do you know someone that needs to be comforted today? 

We all need to be encouraged. The entire world needs to be comforted. But who is going to do it?

In today’s Scripture, Paul says that just as we are comforted we should also comfort others. So let me encourage you to be an encourager. 

That was Paul’s point that he was getting across to the church at Corinth. The world needs to see that Christians are people who are encouraged by God and through His word and through His Spirit.

The best way to encourage others is to be positive and uplifting. We love being around people who uplift us and make us feel great. We love to surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us. 

So let’s be that person that we love to be around. We need to be the person who instills positive beliefs into other people. The only way to do that is to be encouraged yourself.

Here is the thing… when we are encouraged, we can encourage others. When we are positive we can instill positive motivation into others. We have to feed ourselves first and then we can give what we have to others. This is why it is important for us to stay in the Word of God and meditate on it. 

Today, there is going to be someone close to you that needs to be encouraged. God is entrusting you to be the one to share a positive influence of Christian belief. 

Take God’s promises to heart and live them out through your words and actions. Motivate others to focus on what is true from God. His promises will endure forever and His words lead to life everlasting.

Pray

Lord, instill into me the courage and joy that I need today. Out of the abundance that You have given me, I will give to others. Let others see You in me.

Be Sure To Rest

Encouragement

And He (Jesus) said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
Mark 6:31a

Life can get very busy, very quickly. We must take time to breathe and catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation. If not it will lead to an overload of stress.

God rested. He rested on the seventh day of creation week. He set an example of how we should take a break from our busy schedule and take a look back at what has been accomplished. God rested because He knew we needed rest. 

Without a break every once in a while, you can become overwhelmed and burned out. The demands on our time come at us from every direction. We must always remember to take time for our family and relationships that get pushed to the side when we are too busy.

Today might be a good day to be still and listen to God. Even in ministry work, we can become so busy that we push God to the side in order to deal with the activities of serving others. God wants us to take a break and spend some time with Him. 

When our priorities are in order we live a more peaceful life. Spending time with God needs to be our top priority and then we can focus on our relationships with others. 

Pray

Lord, give me a day of rest and relaxation. Help me to prioritize my time with You and increasing my knowledge of You. Bless my time that I can spend with people who matter most to me.