Category: Strength for Today

Acts 27:31
“Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”

Paul was a prisoner headed for Rome. The only way to get to Rome was to take the prisoners by ship. Before they started the journey, Paul warned the centurion that the journey would have “hurt and much damage.” Yet, because the shipmaster said it would be fine, they centurion forged forward in the journey.

It was not long after the warning that they found themselves in a great storm. The winds were so strong that they could not control the ship, so they let the winds of the storm drive them to wherever they led. The storm was bad and they found themselves approaching land, and for fear of the ship hitting rocks they considered jumping ship. When Paul perceived that they considered killing the prisoners and try swimming to land, he said, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” His warning was that the ship was their protection, and if they jumped ship they would encounter greater damage.

Oftentimes in the journey of the Christian life, we encounter great storms that seem to shake our faith in what we are doing. It is during these times that we must determine to stay in the boat of faith and endure the storms. Stephen encountered the storm of persecution, but he stayed in the boat and never forsook the faith. Peter faced the storm of persecution, but he stayed in the boat and never forsook the faith. Paul certainly faced the storms of accusations, beatings, imprisonment and eventual death, but he never forsook the faith.

Let me remind you that the faith was right before you encountered your storm, and it is still right while you go through the storm. Storms don’t change the faith, they simply reveal the strength of our faith. If the smaller storms of life cause you to jump ship, then you will never be able to stay in the boat when the greater storms of life come your way. You must always remember that when the seas of life were peaceful you didn’t question your faith, so why would your faith change just because you are in the midst of storms? Your faith was right before the storm, and it is still right now that you have encountered your storm.

Furthermore, you have come too far to turn around. When I was learning to fly planes, my instructor told me to never turn around in the storm because turning around may cause you to go through it a second time. When you consider how long you have been in the storm, you will realize you have been in it too long to turn around. People don’t question their faith at the beginning of the storm, but they question their faith when the storms never seem to cease. Paul and his shipmates had been in the storm for fourteen days, and that was why they were considering jumping ship. The boat of faith has not failed you for the length of time you have been in the storm, so it’s safer to stay in the boat of faith than to jump ship for the world.

Christian, I don’t know what you are facing today, but you must determine not to jump ship no matter how severe your storm may be. Let me encourage you to stay in the boat. Your faith has brought you this far, and it will take you to your desired destination. Don’t let the storms of life shake your faith; rather, let them strengthen your faith by staying in the boat and trusting God to bring you through.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

God has a secret agenda in all that He does. Yes, your suspicions are true. God has an agenda with all that He does. He has a reason as to why He wrote His Word. He has a scheme as to why He expects you to live a certain way. You will find this secret agenda is revealed in the verse above. God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” His agenda is for you to live a peaceful life and to have an expected end.

This verse was not given in a time of peace; rather, it was given when Israel was in bondage in Babylon. The Israelites had to be wondering why God would take them from their homeland and make them live in a place where they were not familiar with all the customs. Though their sins had led them to this condition, God’s ultimate agenda was to give Israel an expected end and to allow His people to live in peace.

The same can be said about the Christian. God has an agenda for you. God’s agenda is for you to have an expected end. In other words, God’s ways are predictable. God’s way of life gives an expected end. The way of sin may give temporary pleasure, but it does not give an expected end. The way of the sinner leads to a hard ending. On the other hand, God’s way always leads the Christian to a happy ending. God wants you to follow His prescribed way of living found in the Word of God because it gives an end that you will like.

Moreover, God’s agenda is for you to live a peaceful life. Notice that God’s thoughts towards you are “thoughts of peace.” Yes, God’s ulterior motive is for your life to be void of drama. God’s Word will take the drama out of your life and give you a life of peace. God’s lifestyle may not give you the immediate pleasure that sin brings, but it fills your heart with peace. There are so many people whose lives are filled with anxiety, and the whole reason is because they have not chosen to live the Christian life. When you live the Christian life, you will find that anxiety and drama will have no part of your life. Peace is the result of living the Christian life.

Let me encourage you to look no further than the Word of God to find how to live and what to do. God reveals His secret agenda in the verse above. He gave you His Word so that you can have a life filled with peace. He gave you His Word so that you will not have to wonder how your life will end. God’s way of living gives an expected end, and the ending is a peaceful life.

Finally, one of the most encouraging thoughts you can take away from this verse is that God thinks about you. God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…” Friend, you are thought about by the God of Heaven. He has taken time to think about you today. Everyone else may have completely forgotten about you, but not God. As you go throughout your day, you can take comfort in the fact that God is thinking about you at that moment, and His thoughts towards you are peaceful. His thoughts towards you are to bring you to an expected end if you will only follow the way in which He commands for you to live.

Acts 22:21
“And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”

One of the fears Paul had after he got saved was his past. He knew that he would have a hard time serving the LORD since he gave his life before salvation to kill those who were Christians. When Paul got saved, he went to Jerusalem. While there, he was praying in the temple when God told him to quickly get out of Jerusalem because his past would hinder him from witnessing to the Jews. God said, “Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” God was not done with Paul. God reminded Paul that he lived in a big world, and though the Jews would not hear, the Gentiles would.

This verse should be an encouragement to everyone who has a dark past that might hinder you from serving God where you are. Maybe before you got saved you lived such a wicked life that staying where you are and being a witness just isn’t possible. Maybe you are a Christian who has fallen in sin and staying in the church where you are would not be possible because of the gravity of your sin. Whatever your situation may be, the verse above has several lessons that should be an encouragement to you.

First, God always has a place for you to serve. You may think that God could never use you because of your dark past, but as long as you are alive there is a place where you can serve. Mankind may throw you out and try to dictate that you have no place where you can serve the LORD, but God always has a place for everyone to serve. You live in a big world, and there is some place in this world where you can serve.

Second, there is no need to talk about your past. One of the reasons God sent Paul away was so that his past would not hinder him. If you have done wrong and gotten right with God, then there is no need for you to continually bring it up. God has forgiven you, so move on and stop talking about it.

Third, the naysayers are going to talk no matter what you do. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what you do, you will never be able to please some of the Pharisees. The Pharisees will continually talk about your past and try to destroy you, but you must keep serving the LORD no matter what they do. Always remember that you are not serving them, you are serving God. He is ultimately the One Who will defend you. Certainly, if you could undo your past you would, but you can’t. So, let the naysayers talk, but you need to keep serving the LORD and show to the world that the grace of God can use you even after sin has stained your life.

Fourth, find your place and serve God. God had a place for Paul, and He has a place for you. Instead of waiting for the naysayers to stop talking and criticizing, jump in where you are and start serving. God will eventually reward the naysayers for their attitude. Until then, let the criticism of the naysayers remind you of the grace of God and warn you not to fall back into whatever caused the stain in your life. You live in a big world, and there is some place in this world where you can serve God. Find that place and use the remainder of your life serving the LORD and helping others turn from the stained life of sin to a life filled with hope and future provided by the grace and forgiveness of God.

Psalm 122:1
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

My family has gone to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night since the day I was born.  When I was a child, my parents knew the importance of church and made sure I was in church every time there was a service. When I became an adult and had my own family, my wife and I have continued this because of the importance of church in ones life.

The Psalmist says he was glad when people said to him, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Church was a glad place for the psalmist. It was a place he looked forward to going. My emotion is the same as that of the psalmist, I look forward to going to church. I’m glad that I get to go to church for many reasons.

First, I’m glad to go to church because it is a place where God dwells. It is called, “…the house of the LORD.” Though the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every believer, church is that place where we look to hear from God in a special way. Church is that place where God’s presence can be found. It is found for the sinner who wants to get right. It is found for the lost needing a Saviour, and His presence is found for the saint of God who needs encouragement. This is what makes church a glad place.

Second, I’m glad to go to church because it is a place of prayer. Jesus called church, “…the house of prayer.” (Matthew 21:13) Church is a place where Christians lift their voices in prayer for needs. On Wednesday nights, I love the time when the church stops to pray. This time of prayer is what makes church a glad place.

Third, I’m glad to go to church because it is a place where wrongs are made right. He says that there “are set thrones of judgment.” This is simply reminding the Christian that you can make your wrongs right in church. That is what I love about altar calls because it is a time when I can get my wrongs righted after the preaching of God’s Word. If there is any place where you can get right, it should be in church.

Fourth, I’m glad to go to church because it is a place where drama is made peaceful. The psalmist says, “Peace be within thy walls…” After living in a drama-filled world, you can go to church where the drama of life is made peaceful. Families who are struggling have a time of reprieve from the drama that fills their house. Christians whose lives are filled with drama have a place where the drama is not present. Church is that place where you can find peace from a drama-filled world.

Fifth, I’m glad to go to church because it is a place where the Christian family enjoys each other. The psalmist said that he was invited by others. In other words, he was glad to get to spend time with God’s people. Enjoying the presence of other Christians is what helps make church a glad place.

Let me ask you, are you glad when you get to go to church? Don’t let church become something you have to do. A backslidden heart will make going to church something you must endure. If you have a heart that is right with God, you will be glad when it is time for church.

Acts 14:15
“And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”

As was prophesied in the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit used men like Paul and Barnabas in a mighty way. While in Lystra, there was a man who was crippled from birth. He had never walked to the store, never played in a ballgame with his friends or taken an early morning walk with his pet. The only way this man could get around was if someone carried him from place to place. There is no doubt this is a truly sad story.

One day this man heard about some preachers in town, and he asked someone to carry him to hear them. After hearing Paul speak, the Scriptures teach that this man had faith that he could be healed. Paul perceiving this, told the man to “Stand upright on thy feet,” to which at this command God immediately healed him. The men of the city saw what happened and they thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods. Paul immediately corrected their thinking by reminding them, “Sirs…We also are men of like passions with you…” In other words, they were worshipping the subject and not the source of the subjects power. Paul was simply reminding them to worship God, and not those who are subjects to Him.

It is very easy to become enamored with what God is doing through someone’s life. It is easy to get focused upon the men whom God has used or is using in a great way, but we must always remember that these men are men of like passions. In other words, these men are subject to the same problems we face, but they yielded themselves to Him which enabled them to do the mighty works. You must be remember that these men were simply subject to the power of God. Without God’s power, they are just men. Better yet, with God’s power they are just men, but God saw fit to use men of like passions.

Moreover, when we take our focus off God and place it upon the men who are subject to Him, then He will remove them for He will not share His glory. Christian, as much as you may admire a man whom God has used or is using, be very careful not to take glory away from God. God will not share His glory with men of like passions.

Furthermore, the God Who used other men of like passions can use you as well. Friend, you are not so inferior that God couldn’t use you. The people whom God has used are subject to the same problems you face, but they simply yielded themselves to God for His use. If you, by faith, will yield yourself to God, you will find that He can also perform great works through you.

Never allow yourself to worship men who are subject to the same passions you are. Always remember there is only One Who deserves your worship: God. Don’t take the glory God deserves and bestow it upon men of like passions. Always be careful to give God the glory for everything, and let the mighty works He performs through others remind you that He can do the same through you if you will simply yield to Him.

Jeremiah 16:12
“And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:”

An alarming command was given to Jeremiah to show him Isreal’s future. God told Jeremiah in verse 2, “Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.” God gave this command because He knew that impending judgment was near. God’s love for His prophet is evident because He didn’t want Jeremiah to marry and his wife and children have to go through the judgment or die in it.

What was it that caused this impending judgment? It was that each generation continued to do worse than the previous one. God said that the fathers forsook Him to walk after other gods, and the next generation did worse than their fathers. God was not allowing the next generation to use their fathers as an excuse for their sin because they knew better. They had seen what sin did to their fathers, yet they continued to do worse than the previous generation.

We often make much about being a first or second generation Christian. We almost excuse a first generation Christian for their lack of Christianity, but we also excuse the second generation because they continue in the sin of their fathers. God’s warning to Jeremiah carries some lessons and warnings that each family needs to heed.

First, every parent needs to realize that they are influencing their children’s future. A parent can tell their child, “Don’t do as I do, but do what I say to do,” but a parent’s actions will influence their child. Instead of telling your children not to follow your sinful ways, the best thing you can do is to forsake your sinful ways. Your actions are influencing your children, and that should alarm you to be careful about what you do in public and private.

Second, just because your parents do something doesn’t make it right. You can use the age-old excuse that you are the way you are because of your parents, but God holds you personally responsible for your actions. You don’t inherit the sins of your parents, you choose the sins of your parents. Stop using your parents as a crutch to commit sin. You are ultimately responsible for your own actions.

Third, each generation should do more for God. Instead of committing more sin than the previous generation, you should endeavor to do more for God. You have learned the experiences from previous generations, so take what you do for God to a higher level. Don’t let sin be the only thing we take to a new level. There needs to be a generation that turns the table and does more for God and not more sin.

Whether you are an adult or a child, what you do right now is influencing another generation. What are you influencing them to do? Let this devotional be a warning to carefully choose your actions, but let it also be a challenge to take what the previous generation did for God to a higher level. Don’t let excuses be your downfall.

Acts 7:55
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,”

The early church came to a point in their growth where the apostles needed help with the administration of the church. They decided that they would seek out seven men who were “full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” (Acts 6:3) One of those men who was appointed a deacon in the church was Stephen. It is quite interesting that Stephen was not just a man with a title, but it was very evident that he was full of the Holy Ghost. The result of being full of the Holy Ghost was that Saul could not get away from this good man’s testimony and his life was eventually change. When you study Stephen’s life, you see there were four definite evidences of being full of the Holy Ghost.

First, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him boldness to preach God’s Word. When he was faced with a raucous crowd, he did not shy away from preaching the truth to them. One of the reasons many Christians shy away from speaking God’s Word boldly is because they are not filled with the Holy Ghost. Being full of the Holy Ghost will help you to face any person from any walk of life and be able to tell them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you lack boldness in your witness, then you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost.

Second, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the ability to look beyond adverse circumstances. When the crowd began to gnash upon him with their teeth and stone him, he had the ability to look up “stedfastly into heaven.” Are you able to find a little bit of Heaven through any circumstance? The only reason we never see good through any circumstance is because we are not full of the Holy Ghost. When you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost, you will lack the ability to find good in every circumstance.

Third, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the perception to see God in anything. While he was being stoned, he “saw the glory of God.” He could have easily focused on those who were hurting him; instead, he stayed focused on God which kept his ability to influence the lost untainted. Do you see God in everything you go through? When you lack fulness of the Holy Ghost, you will only be able to see man and the circumstances you are going through. Fullness of the Holy Ghost enables you to see God working through every circumstance.

Fourth, being full of the Holy Ghost gave him the strength to forgive those who hurt him. One of the most powerful statements that came from Stephen’s mouth were the last words he said before he passed into Heaven. He said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” This will only happen when you are full of the Holy Ghost. You will never be able to forgive those who hurt you deeply until you are full of the Holy Ghost. If you lack the strength to forgive those who have hurt you, then you lack fullness of the Holy Ghost.

Christian, are these evidences of the fullness of the Holy Ghost in your life? If not, then why? The need to be full of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest needs you have in your Christian life. Yield to Him daily and ask Him to fill you. When you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you will not struggle in these four areas.

Jeremiah 2:21
“Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?”

God asked Israel, “…how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” God could not understand how Israel could turn from becoming a nation that had everything going for her into a nation that allowed iniquity to abound. Israel was the nation that God salvaged from the nation of Egypt. Israel was a nation that God guided and protected through the wilderness. She was a nation who had seen God work in miraculous ways. She was the only nation to which He personally appeared at Mount Sinai. Yet, she had become a degenerate nation.

The word “degenerate” means, “having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline.” In other words, she was a nation that once produced righteousness and now she degraded into a nation that did evil and worshipped other gods. What a sad commentary on a nation that had such great potential!

This same commentary could be said about many Christians. There are many Christians whom God blessed, but they have degenerated into people who work iniquity. How could people who once used to be spiritually productive turn into degenerate plants? God answers in Jeremiah 4 when He shows how Israel became a degenerate nation.

First, you become degenerate by sowing among the thorns. Jeremiah 4:3 says, “…Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among the thorns.” You can’t live your life among the thorns and not expect them to influence your life. You can’t sow among liberal teachers and not expect their teachings to influence you. You can’t sow among liberal lifestyles and not expect their children to influence your children. When you live among the thorns of the world, you are going to have thorns sprout in your own life. If you don’t want to have a thorny future, then don’t live among the thorns.

Second, you become degenerate by learning more about sin than you do about righteousness. Jeremiah 4:22 says, “For my people is foolish…they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” Sadly, many Christians know more about the world than they do about the Word of God. Friend, when you know the ins and outs of sin and nothing about righteousness, then you are going to become a degenerate plant. When you know more about the world’s language than you do about building a Sunday school class or soul winning, then you are going to turn into a degenerate plant. When you know more about Hollywood movies than you do about the contents of the Word of God, then you are going to turn into a degenerate plant.

You have so much potential as God’s child. Be careful where you live your life. Don’t sow your life among the thorns. Don’t become more knowledgeable about worldly affairs than you do about serving God. If you want to avoid becoming a degenerate plant, then you need to become simple concerning the world and wise concerning God.

Acts 2:17
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:”

God promised the Christian that in the last days He would pour His Spirit upon “all flesh.” It was after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that this would happen. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, His pouring of the Spirit was only for a select few, but after He ascended to Heaven, He made the pouring of the Spirit available for every believer.

The first evidence of God pouring out His Spirit upon man was at the day of Pentecost. When God poured His Spirit upon the disciples, He enabled them to be able to speak in the language of everyone present. This was an amazing thing. Yet, these people couldn’t understand what was happening in their presence. Peter took this opportunity to remind these people that this was simply a fulfilling of the Scriptures. God promised that He would pour out His Spirit upon man, and the result would be people preaching the Word and God doing wonders and miracles through them.

There is a key that is missed for God to pour out His Spirit upon man. You will notice that the purpose of pouring out the Spirit is so that man can prophesy. In other words, they needed to be serving the LORD before He poured His Spirit upon them. If the disciples stayed at home, then there was no need for God to pour His Spirit upon them. It was their responsibility to prophesy. God then continued by saying, “And I will shew wonders…” Notice, man was to prophesy, but God was to pour out His Spirit and do wonders. The key to God pouring out His Spirit was for them to prophesy. God poured His Spirit and did wonders according to the degree that they prophesied.

Herein is the problem we face today. God’s wonders are proportionate to how much man prophecies or does the work of God. I’m afraid God doesn’t need to pour out His Spirit upon most Christians because most Christians are not doing enough to need the pouring out of His Spirit. There are drops of God’s Spirit upon our lives because of the little amount of work we do for Him. God’s pouring out of His Spirit comes when we jump all in and go beyond ourselves to need God to come through and do for us what we cannot do. It is then that we will see God’s wonders through our lives.

Friend, you will only see the wonders of God through your life when you get busy in the work of the LORD. There is no reason for us not to see God’s wonders today. The only reason we don’t see them is because we are not doing anything for God to pour His Spirit upon us. Are you prophesying of the salvation of Jesus Christ to the lost? In other words, are you a soul winner?

The results of God pouring out His Spirit are wonders, and the results of wonders are souls getting saved. If you want God to show mighty works through your life, then you need to get busy in His work so that He will pour out His Spirit upon you. Don’t settle for a drop here and there of God doing something; instead, determine to get busy serving the LORD and begging for His help so that He will pour His Spirit upon you and you can see the wonders of many souls getting saved through your life.