Category: Strength for Today

2 Chronicles 11:4
“Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.”

There is nothing more annoying than calling a business and a receptionist answers and quickly says, “Please hold.” While expecting to be quickly connected to someone, they forget you and your hold time goes from just a few minutes to several minutes. This is annoying because you really don’t want to be held up by being on hold.

Rehoboam must have felt that his life was on hold. After making a tragic mistake of not listening to the right counselors, he decided that he would take back the cities that he lost by force. Before he made this tragic move, God commanded him not to “go up, nor fight against your brethren.” Instead, God wanted him to go back to his house and rule the kingdom he had. God was essentially putting his life on hold.

There will be times when God puts your life on hold. When life is on hold, it can become frustrating because you don’t know what God is trying to do through your life. I find that Rehoboam made some wise moves while his life was on hold that made him and his kingdom stronger. Those moves will also help you when your life is on hold. Let me show you what moves he made that strengthened him.

First, he built his defense. Instead of letting his time on hold become wasted time, he used that time to build the defense of the kingdom. Though your life may be on hold, that does not mean that you can’t build. God always wants to build your life. One of the things you can do while on hold is build your defense against sin. Find out your weaknesses and use your time on hold to overcome them. Maybe God put you on hold because you needed to overcome some weaknesses before He could use you in a greater way.

Second, he fortified his strengths. He realized that he may have been strong in some areas, but there was nothing wrong with making sure his strengths were not being weakened. We can get so busy trying to strengthen our weaknesses that we forget to fortify our strengths. If you stop working on the areas of your life where you are strong, then you will become weak in those areas. Don’t forsake working on your strengths just because you are strong in those areas.

Third, he restored the walk with God. One of the best things you can do when your life is on hold is to spend more time with God and allow Him to teach you through His Word and prayer. If the hold time is simply for you to spend more time walking with God, then that alone is worth being on hold.

You will find at times when God will put your life on hold. Use those holding times to make yourself a better Christian. Don’t let the hold time be wasted, but allow it to grow you into a better person so God can use you in a greater way when life is no longer on hold.

2 Chronicles 6:13
“For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,”

After the building of the magnificent temple, Solomon wanted to take some time to dedicate this building to God. It says in the verse above that Solomon built a scaffold in the midst of the court so that he could kneel on it in front of the people and pray to God. This was no doubt a wonderful time for Solomon and the people of Israel. The prayer he prayed was truly a great prayer. It is certainly a prayer that we can model in our own prayer life.

What bothers me about this scene is that he is praying on the scaffold, but in the closet there doesn’t seem to be much prayer. Instead, it says about Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1, “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;” His prayer on the scaffold certainly portrayed that he had a great private life, but the verse above shows us that his private life didn’t match his public life. If he would have treated his private life the same way he built a scaffold for his public life, then you would have seen a difference in 1 Kings 11:1.

Christians are very good about building a scaffold and putting their Christian life on display in front of everyone, but their private lives oftentimes don’t match what they are portraying to everyone else. This double life always leads to heartache. This double life always leads to children learning to be deceptive with their Christianity. There is nothing wrong with building a scaffold in your life and putting your Christian life on display in front of the world, but don’t come down from the scaffold and live differently in the closet.

God demands that we spend more effort on making sure the closet is right than we do on putting up a display on the scaffold. Matthew 6:6 says, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” It is what you do in the closet that truly reveals to God what you are like.

Let me ask you, what is in your closet? If we were to go into your spiritual closet and display on the scaffold what we found, would it mirror what you have been doing on the scaffold? Your closet life will eventually catch up to what you do on the scaffold. You may be able to hide lust, hatred, revenge, covetousness, bitterness and others sins in your closet for a short time, but eventually what is in your closet will affect what you do on the scaffold.

Certainly, what you do on the scaffold is important. Yes, you should do right on the scaffold as you put your Christian life on display, but be sure that your closet life mirrors what you are putting on display. The closer your closet life resembles the life on display, the more influence your Christian life will have on others. Let this devotional be your motivation to make your closet life what it ought to be.

1 Chronicles 22:8
“But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.”

David deeply desired to build a house for the LORD but could not because he was a man of war. God told David that because he had “shed blood abundantly” and had fought many wars his son would be the one to build a house for the LORD.

It is interesting that when God talked about Solomon He said he would be “a man of rest.” Solomon would not have to fight the battles that David fought. Instead, he would enjoy the fruits of a generation who fought battles. The peace Solomon had in his day was not achieved because someone was a man of peace, but it was achieved because David fought the wars for the next generation.

We live in days when people loathe the idea of war. We live in times when people want to avoid wars at all cost. I’m referring to those in Christianity who despise the generation of men who fought many battles. These men fought battles against liberalism, compromise and lack of holiness. Yet, today there are so many Christians who want nothing to do with the type of Christianity that fights battles. They want everyone to just get along and be men of peace. There are several thoughts that we need to consider about being a man of war versus a man of peace.

First, the men of war gave us what we have today. You can criticize those men who fought battles in Christianity, but those men allowed us today to have the opportunity to have our nicer buildings and greater influence. You must be careful about demonizing a generation of men who sacrificed everything they had to give us a Christianity that has gained influence in this world.

Second, peace is never attained without war. Solomon enjoyed peace because David fought the wars. Yet, because Solomon never fought wars, his son had to fight wars. A generation who is not willing to take a stand against compromise is guaranteeing that the next generation will never enjoy the peace they presently enjoy. Go ahead and avoid the battles, but your children will never enjoy the Christianity you have. What you have today was fought for by men who were willing to be hated by present day men of peace. It’s time that Christians realize that peace is a result of battles.

Third, when you avoid battles today you are guaranteeing an absence of freedoms tomorrow. The problem with men of peace is that they never see that their inaction today carries grave consequences tomorrow. Certainly, nobody enjoys battles, but they must be fought if we are going to continue to enjoy freedom for generations to come.

Let’s be careful about criticizing the generation of men who were men of war. You enjoy what you have today because of them. Instead, take time to thank God for people who were willing to give their all to give you the Christianity you have today, then determine you will fight the battles needed so the next generation can continue to enjoy the peace that you’ve enjoyed.

1 Chronicles 13:1
“And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.”

We often hear the statement, “Behind every great leader are a great people.” This statement sounds good, but it is not true. I believe that beside every great leader is a great people. No leader can be successful alone. He must have people who work beside him in the work in order to be successful. Many times, those people who are beside the great leader are those whom he goes to for opinions on how to do something. That is why he either hired them or asked them to be on his team.

In the verse above, David had a team of men whom he consulted about what to do. This team of people whom David consulted made the same mistake that many other team members make when the leader asks for their opinions. David asked these men if they should move the ark of God to the city where he lived and they agreed with that which was not bad advice. The bad advice came when they didn’t disagree with the method that David came up with to move the ark. They knew that the ark was not to be moved upon a new cart, but nobody raised their voice of concern to David to tell him that is not how it should be done. This lack of inaction by his team weakened David and caused a man to lose his life.

Many leaders are weakened because their team members will tell them what they want to hear instead of telling them what is right or wrong. Great leadership is not intimidated with someone disagreeing with them during a time of consultation. The reason a leader put someone on their team is because they had confidence in their ability to do certain things. Strong leaders are not afraid to put people on their team who know more than they do in certain areas; however, strong leaders can be weakened by team members who won’t voice their opinions during times of consultations about things that could negatively impact their cause of what they are trying to do.

The greatest way you can weaken your leader is to never tell your leader an opinion that might differ from theirs during times of consultation. When the leader asks for your opinion on something, that is the time to tell them in a respectful manner what you think, even if it contrasts what they want to do. Once the leader makes up their mind that they are going to do something a certain way, and that way may be against what you advised, then you must follow the leader’s decision as long as it doesn’t go against the Word of God.

I’m sure you love your leader, but don’t make the mistake of not telling them what you truly think when they ask your opinion. These men whom David consulted should have told him that the ark needed to be carried the way God prescribed in the Pentateuch. I truly believe that David had such a tender heart that he would have heeded their advice and it would have saved someone their life. Your leader most likely has a tender enough heart and is strong enough to hear if you differ on how something should be done. So, if they ask you your opinion, tell it to them. Don’t weaken them by simply agreeing with them all the time. However, when they make the decision on how they are going to do something, then follow them with a good attitude even if your advice was not followed.

2 Kings 22:8
“And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.”

Josiah had a life changing experience that everyone could have everyday if they would only follow what caused his life changing experience. We often hear of life changing experiences, but nothing is as life changing as what happened in Josiah’s life. His life changing experience not only changed his life, but it revived his nation. There were four definite things that caused this life changing experience.

First, he found the Book. As they were cleaning out the house of the LORD, they came across the Book that can change every life and nation, and that Book is the Word of God. Everyday people need to find the Book if they want God to change their lives. Drunks become sober because of the Book. Drug addicts become clean because of the Book. Lustful minds become pure because of the Book. Wrecked lives are mended because of the Book. Broken marriages are salvaged because of the Book. It is the Book that causes the change in anyone’s life. Prisons don’t reform people, but the Book does. Addiction programs don’t clean people, but the Book does. Counseling doesn’t heal people, but the Book does. The answer to any problem in your life is finding the Book.

Second, he read the Book. Just finding the Book is not good enough, but you better read the words of the Book. Josiah read the words of the Book, and it changed his life. Inside of the covers of the Book are the words of life that can change anyone’s life. It matters not what your situation may be, the words of the Book will change your life. You must read those words daily if you want the Book to change your life. Don’t just let the Book collect dust on your shelves, but open the Book and read it.

Third, he heard the Book. Not only did Josiah read the Book, but he listened as others read It to Him. Yes, you need to read the Book daily, but you also need to hear it read to you. I’m not against good music, but hearing the words of the Book will do more for you than anything else you can listen to. Turn off the daily talk shows, and hear the words of the Book. It is the hearing of the Book that will cause It’s words to go into your soul and change you.

Fourth, he obeyed the Book. Finding the Book and reading and hearing It are not enough, but the ultimate thing that will change your life is obeying what It tells you to do. Many people find the Book every morning, but they don’t obey it. Many people read the words of the Book every day, but never heed to what It tells them to do. Many people listen to the Book on a weekly basis, but they walk out and never adhere to It’s wise counsel. If you want the Book to change your life, then you must obey what It tells you to do.

I’m glad that you are taking the time to read this devotional, but have you found the Book and read It, heard It and obey It today? The answer for every problem you will face in life is found in the Book. That Book is the Word of God!

2 Kings 10:15
“And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.”

Associations are very powerful. Whether its in business, religious, work or in your personal life, an association can truly destroy or validate who you are. Associations ultimately define who you are and where you are going. This is why it is vitally important to be careful with whom or with what we associate in every aspect of our lives.

As Jehu was destroying the house of Ahab, he came upon Jehonadab and asked him if his heart was congruent with his. Jehonadab said it was, so Jehu said to him, “If it be, give me thine hand.” When Jehonadab joined hands with Jehu and stepped into his chariot, he was forever linked to the rest of Jehu’s acts in destroying the house of Ahab. The power of giving his hand to Jehu ultimately defined Jehonadab.

You must be very careful about your associations. People often make the mistake of giving their hand to someone in a task and never realize that associations may be good for the present, but it will forever mar the rest of their life. You must be very careful with whom or with what you choose to associate. There are some things you must let guide you in your associations.

First, never be quick to give your hand in association. Just because associating with a person or organization may temporarily help, you must realize that you will forever be linked to them. Give yourself time before linking up with a person or an organization so that you can determine if you want yourself forever tied to them.

Second, never sacrifice your values and beliefs to associate with someone for the greater good. Many people have sacrificed their core values and beliefs for the greater good of having more influence. What good will greater influence do for you if you have sacrificed your beliefs and values? Never sacrifice your soul for the greater good.

Third, don’t give your hand in association for a temporary direction. So, you find yourself temporarily agreeing with someone who previously was going a different direction, you still should not join hands in association because their temporary direction doesn’t mean they have permanently changed their direction. Always remember that temporary directional changes by someone does not mean they have permanently plotted to go in that direction. Give it time to see if they are walking the same path.

Fourth, never be afraid to pull your hand away from a longtime associate. When someone has changed their direction, you need to pull yourself away from them. Oftentimes we justify an association because we have heart strings that want us to stay close to a person, but if they have changed you must withdraw your hand from them. If a red light keeps flashing about their poor associations, then quietly withdraw your hand from them.

Finally, don’t seek associations. Just do right and you will find those with whom you should join hands. When you seek associations you will find the wrong ones, but in doing right you will be sure to discover the right associations.

2 Kings 4:1
“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.”

One of the greatest miracles that God performed through Elisha is found when a widow woman who was in debt came to him for help. When Elisha asked her what she had, her reply showed that she had nothing. Yet, though she didn’t have anything she still had God. Nothing in the hand of God is the catalyst for great miracles if a person will simply yield to Him. I find in this story that there are six things that it took for God to multiply nothing.

First, it takes the realization that you have nothing. This dear woman knew that she really didn’t have anything to offer, but she still knew that God could do something. God can’t do anything through you as long as you rely upon yourself. You must realize that what you have to offer God is truly nothing. Stop thinking in yourself that you are something and realize that it is God Who takes your nothing and makes it something.

Second, it takes humility. Something very interesting about this story is that Elisha told the woman to go borrow vessels from her neighbors. Do you know how humiliating that is? Yet, God needed humility to multiply nothing. If you are not willing to be humbled, then God cannot multiply your nothing.

Third, it takes faith. This lady going out to borrow vessels from her neighbors was a pure act of faith. She hadn’t seen and didn’t know what was going to happen, but she had the faith to believe something was going to happen. God always blesses faith, and you will never see God do anything through you without acting and living by faith.

Fourth, it takes personal time with God. After collecting the vessels, this lady went into her house and shut the door. This is symbolic of getting alone with God. God wants to do something through you, but you must get alone with Him and spend time in prayer and studying the Scriptures if He is going to multiply your nothing. There is power in the Scriptures and prayer, and without them you will never see your nothing multiplied.

Fifth, it takes Holy Spirit power. She took the oil she had and poured it out, and that is when God gave her more. God’s power comes upon those who are acting upon their faith. God’s power will never fall upon a person who is doing nothing. Stop sitting and waiting for God’s power to fall upon you, and by faith go and do what God has told you to do. It is only when you act that God’s power will fall.

Sixth, it takes work. After she poured the oil, she had to go sell it. Friend, you need to take the nothing you have and by faith go out and give it to the lost and dying world. It will take hard work, but God will bless it if you will go. God doesn’t bless laziness, but He will multiply your nothing through hard work.

You may think that your nothing is not going to be useful to God, but He can multiply your nothing. Let these six steps help you to see your nothing multiplied. It is when your nothing is multiplied that God receives the glory.

1 Kings 19:4
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

Elijah had just experienced one of the greatest victories of his life. He stood alone against the four hundred Prophets of Baal and won. He had won and they were slain, and the only thing left of an altar that was consumed by the fire of God was the simmering smoke.

You would think that Elijah would have gone home that night and rejoiced about everything the LORD did through him; instead, we find him fleeing from Jezebel into the wilderness and taking up residence under a juniper tree. It was under the juniper tree that he requested of the LORD to take his life. What? You prayed fire down from Heaven and you’re sitting under a juniper tree feeling sorry for yourself and thinking you are the only one who is taking a stand for God? Instead of sitting under the juniper tree feeling sorry for himself, he should have cut the juniper tree down and allowed God to continue to use him to turn Israel back to God.

Many Christians are just like Elijah in that they have set up residence under a juniper tree feeling sorry for themselves. No, you can’t see the juniper tree, but they have the juniper tree mentality. There are preachers who think they are the only ones who are truly standing for the LORD. There are Christians who have adopted a martyr syndrome and feel like they are the only ones in their church who want to do right. There are individuals who are living under their juniper tree at work or home feeling as if they are the only one who really wants to do right.

The only reason a person will live under a juniper tree is because they have placed their eyes upon themselves. Elijah took his eyes off God and forgot the great work that God used him to do. Because he lived under the juniper tree, he couldn’t see that there were seven thousand people who never bowed their knee to Baal. When you live under the juniper tree you will only feel sorry for yourself and never see the great works that God is doing.

It’s time you cut down your juniper tree and see that God is still alive. When you cut down your juniper tree, you will find that there are others out there who are standing for the LORD. When you cut down your juniper tree, you will find there is an Elisha whom you can train to help you in the ministry. When you cut down your juniper tree, you can rejoice in the great works that God is doing in your church and life.

Are you living under a juniper tree? Don’t let the juniper tree ruin your potential. Don’t let the juniper tree keep you from seeing God’s great works. Don’t let the juniper tree keep you from seeing how God is using many people today to do great works. Cut down the juniper tree, and get your eyes back upon God, and you will then begin to see there are many great works that God is still doing.

1 Kings 15:14
“But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.”

“But they were sincere.” This is the statement you often hear as someone tries to defend another’s actions. Sincerity is often the guidelines many people use to determine if someone is right or wrong, but sincerity isn’t everything. Just because someone is sincere doesn’t mean that they are doing right.

King Asa was a very sincere king. God said that his “heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.” In other words, God was showing us that Asa was sincere in everything he did. When you study his life, you find that he did a lot of good things, and he did them sincerely; however, he still was not completely obedient to what God wanted him to do because he would not remove the high places. Though his sincerity was admirable, his obedience was not complete. There are several things you can learn about sincerity from Asa’s life.

First, God enjoys sincerity. God would not have pointed out the sincerity of Asa if He didn’t enjoy it. God enjoys it when He sees a Christian put their whole heart into what they are doing. One of the problems we fight in Christianity today is that there are people who are simply doing what they are doing as a penance they feel they must pay and there is no sincerity. Sincerity can be read by all, and God enjoys seeing His children’s sincerity.

Second, sincerity isn’t always right. Asa was sincere in all that he did, but he still wasn’t right because he hadn’t removed the high places. Just because a person is sincere doesn’t make what they’re doing right. There are many people who are sincerely wrong. I have talked with many Christians who are caught up into wrong doctrine who are sincere about what they do, but that doesn’t make their actions right. Your sincerity doesn’t justify your wrong actions.

Third, God desires obedience over sincerity. God would not have pointed out Asa’s disobedience if He wanted sincerity over obedience. God’s greatest desire for the Christian is for them to obey Him. It would be better to obey God and not be sincere than to disobey God and be sincere. God would rather you go soul winning and not be sincere as you go than for you to be sincere in all you do and sit at home and never tell anyone about Jesus Christ. This could apply to anything God commands us to do. God’s first requirement is for us to obey.

Fourth, God’s ultimate desire is for the Christian to have obedience and sincerity together. In verse 5, God shows us that David was a king who not only obeyed Him, but was sincere in all he did. Obedience is important, but when it is done without sincerity it will never do the work God intended for it to do. Why not strive to be obedient and sincere together?

You will always find that the greatest Christians are the ones who are obedient and sincere about what they do. Let this devotional challenge you to be obedient, but also to put your heart into what you are doing for God and be sincere with it. Both obedience and sincerity together will help you to make the greatest impact on the lives of those you are trying to help.