Category: Strength for Today

Ezekiel 8:12
“Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.”

Everyone has had someone say to them at some time, “It’s all in your head.” In other words, they are saying that what you say is going to happen is only something that you imagined. They want you to think that you are letting your imagination run wild. Most of the time this is true, but it is never true when it comes to sin.

One of the biggest battles you will fight in your Christian life is in your head. Most sins, if not all, start in the imagination. That’s why God says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations…” Your mind can contrive some very elaborate sins, which you could squelch if you learned to control your mind.

God asked Ezekiel in the verse above, “…hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery?…” These people thought that God couldn’t see what was going on in their imagery. They thought they could commit sin in the privacy of their imagery and get away with it, but God makes it clear that He can see what is going on even in the portals of the mind.

Let me ask you, what do you see in your imagery? We often talk about living a pure and holy life, but is your mind as pure as your body? Men, what do you allow yourself to imagine in your mind? Ladies, what kind of pictures run through the portals of your mind? It is not good enough to just live pure and holy physically; God expects the mind to be just as pure. If God were to expose what kind of pictures you imagine, what would we find out?

Moreover, what do you think about doing in your imagery? Do you think about doing wrong things in your mind? You may not have said what you wanted to say, but you thought about it. You may have withheld yourself from physically committing some sin, but you thought about doing it. God sees what you act out in your imagery as much as He sees what you do physically.

Furthermore, who do you serve in your imagery? You may go to church faithfully and be active in your church ministries, but has something taken preeminence over God in your mind? Do you think that God doesn’t know that there are idols in your mind? Do you think that God doesn’t care that you are more concerned with the things of this world in your mind more than you are with what He cares about? It is as important to put away the physical idols as much as it is the idols in your imagery.

Christian, it is time that you go through your imagery and clean it up. I’m all for the Christian living physically pure and holy, but there needs to be a revival of God’s people getting right in their imagery. You may not have committed something in the physical, but eventually what goes on in your imagery will come out. You had better get right with God about your thought life if you don’t want to be guilty of what goes on in your imagery. All sin starts in the mind. The best way to keep from committing any sin is to be sure that you never allow it to start in your mind.

Lamentations 1:6
“And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.”

Have you ever had a car that you keep repairing because you don’t want to have to make those monthly payments on a new car? I’m the type of person that holds on to a car as long as I can because I hate having to make monthly payments on a newer car. There have been a couple of cars I have owned that I kept too long. When I started looking at the expense of the repairs I was consistently paying out, I realized these cars just kept on taking and were not saving me any money.

Sin is just like an older car that keeps on taking. When you look at the verse above, sin took from Zion until the city had nothing left. Many people have held onto sin because they just couldn’t let go of what they thought they were enjoying, not realizing that sin kept taking from them and was leaving them spiritually and physically bankrupt. The verse above shows us three things that sin takes from any person.

First, sin takes your beauty. The verse above says about Zion, “…all her beauty is departed…” In other words, sin has a way of taking your youthfulness away. How often have you come across a person and thought they were old, only to find out that they were younger than you? After spending time with that individual, you discover that they lived a life of sin, and it took their beauty from them. Sin may give you a few years of fun, but those “friends” who live that life with you will leave you when you have nothing to offer. Righteous living is that fountain of youth that keeps you from aging. Sin takes your youthfulness and leaves you broken and scarred wondering what could have been.

Second, sin takes your glory. It is sad that the princes “found no pasture.” In other words, sin caused them to lose their position. Sin always takes the glory of your innocency and position from you. There is something refreshing being around someone who is ignorant of sin’s vernacular and lifestyle. Once you go down sin’s road, you will never again reclaim the glory of innocency; instead, you will have to live with and try to overcome the images and memories sin has engraved into your memory banks.

Moreover, I’ve never found a time when sin hasn’t taken position from someone. If you enjoy what you have accomplished in life, you had better stay away from sin. Sin has taken position from many and left them living in regret. You may get away with sin for awhile, but it eventually takes the glory of your position from you.

Third, sin takes your confidence. It says in the verse above, “…they are gone without strength before the pursuer.” If you’ve ever been around someone who has tried to recover from sin, you will always notice that their confidence is gone. Righteous living gives you the confidence to do God’s work without the worry of what someone can throw in your face. Certainly, nobody is without sin, but you can’t live in sin and keep the confidence you need to see great victories.

My friend, sin is a taker. Sin is like the old worn out car that keeps taking and taking, and never gives anything in return. Let this devotional be a warning never to accept sin’s offer. Sin is a taker, but righteous living gives more rewards than you could ever imagine.

Jeremiah 38:19
“And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”

Zedekiah found himself in a precarious situation. The people whom he led were encouraging him to fight the King of Babylon; whereas the word of the LORD commanded him to surrender to the Babylonian king. If he surrendered and obeyed God, it would seem as if he had no loyalty to his country and countrymen. If he listened to those who advised him and the will of the people, which would seem to be much easier for the present, he would be disobeying God and chancing His judgment on his life and country.

Nobody ever said that obeying God’s Word would be easy. Zedekiah’s problem with obedience was the same problem that causes many to disobey. Though Zedekiah’s situation was a precarious one, the answer should not have been that difficult because God had spoken. Three enemies of obedience are found in this story. These three enemies show up every time God tells you to do something.

The first enemy of obedience is self-preservation. Zedekiah was concerned that the people who already surrendered to the Chaldeans would “deliver” him “into their hands.” One of the hardest enemies you will have to fight when God commands you to do something is self-preservation. The power of surviving is a powerful motivator. Many times we begin to wonder what will happen to us if we obey God. Satan always has his way of telling you that you will not survive if you obey God’s Word. You must trust that God will take care of you if you obey Him.

The second enemy of obedience is the opinion of others. Zedekiah was concerned with others mocking him if he surrendered to the King of Babylon. The Devil will always whisper in your ear when God commands you to do something, “What will others think of you if you do this?” Obedience will only be accomplished when you stop worrying about other’s opinions. You will never obey God all the time if you are always concerned with the acceptance and opinions of others. You had better stop worrying about what others think of you and start being concerned with what God thinks about you. Disobedience is the result of horizontal perception; whereas, obedience is the result of vertical focus. Obedience all comes down to which way you are looking.

The third enemy of obedience is fear. Zedekiah set the premise of his quandary by saying, “I am afraid…” Fear is the natural response of the flesh when God speaks. The only reason you are afraid is because you lack the faith to trust God. Fear is a lie. Fear is worrying about something that has never happened. If you let faith make your decisions instead of fear, you will find that obedience is an easy response.

All of these enemies can be defeated if you will simply trust God. God has never led you astray in the past, and He won’t lead you astray today. The only reason these enemies have a voice in your life is because you are looking at yourself instead of God. If you keep your eyes on the LORD, you won’t have a problem with obedience. It is only when you keep looking at yourself that God’s command becomes difficult to obey. Don’t let self cause you to disobey. Keep your eyes on the LORD, and obedience will become your immediate reaction to the command of God’s voice.

Jeremiah 26:6
“Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.”

Throughout the years of my travels as an evangelist, I have had the privilege of going to towns that used to be thriving communities. It is not an uncommon thing for the pastor to drive me through a town and tell me the story as to how the city used to be a center of business. Sadly, while I’m being driven through the city, buildings are vacant and run down; buildings that have great stories of usefulness in history have become tales because the city is a ghost town.

God said that He was going to make Judah “like Shiloh.” Shiloh was the city where the Ark of God rested for many years. It was the center of worship for God’s people. The ungodly conduct of Eli occasioned the ark of God to be taken and the city destroyed; it became a ghost town in Israel. A place that once knew the presence and power of God had become a story of history and a preacher’s illustration. A city where people once came to meet with God and have their lives changed became a place of disregard, a place of ruins. Shiloh became a ghost city all because of the ungodly conduct of the sons of Eli.

What caused this city to become a ghost town? They stopped listening to the prophets of God. Instead of responding to the preaching of the prophets, they hardened their neck and refused to get right. This city became a ghost town because they refused to walk according to God’s law. Their choice to live their own life and not listen to the prophets led to their city becoming a ghost town.

Sadly, many churches that once used to be hotbeds of lives being changed and souls being saved have become ghost towns. The reason: many of these churches chose to stop using the altar. Many of these churches used to be a place where the preaching was hot and the hearts of God’s people were tender towards the LORD. Unfortunately, they stopped soul winning and loosened their holiness standards to look more like the world. Now you can go to these same churches and the only thing you hear about these churches is what God used to do in them.

Moreover, there are many Christians whose lives are a ghost town. The best days of these Christians are in the past. All the stories of God working through their life are in the past. There are many former Bible college students sit in pews living in ghost town Christianity. Their best days of serving the LORD were when they were in Bible college. All they have to talk about is what God used to do through them. Ghost town Christianity has become the dwelling of many Christians.

My friend, when you choose to stop responding to preaching, you are choosing to make your life a spiritual ghost town. When you choose to stop obeying the Word of God and live like the world, you are choosing to take God’s blessings from your life. You can give your excuses and blame the hardness of a man’s leadership style, but it all comes down to your choice to sit in a pew and do nothing, and never respond to the LORD’s voice through the preaching.

Ghost town Christianity is not where you want to live. Your greatest fear should be to talk about what the LORD used to do through your life instead of talking about what He is presently doing through your life. The way to avoid this is to respond when God speaks and live according to His Word.

Jeremiah 20:9
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”

Anybody who has ever done anything for the LORD has gone through a season like Jeremiah when they entertained the thought of quitting. When you look throughout the Scriptures, some of the greatest Christians thought about quitting or even quit for a short season. Elijah quit after the great victory of praying fire down from Heaven. Peter quit at Jesus’ trial. John Mark quit and went back home for a season. Jeremiah, in the verse above, quit on the LORD, but it was only for a short time.

Serving the LORD is a battle with the flesh and Satan. At times it can become wearisome, especially when your flesh is tired or weak. It is during these times when you must have something that keeps you going. When you study Jeremiah during his time of retreat, five things helped him work through the desire to quit. Let me show you what you must do if you want to keep from quitting.

First, you must study the Scriptures regularly. The verse above says, “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones…” Jeremiah would have quit had he not spent time in the Scriptures. Reading the Scriptures daily pays off in those times when you want to quit. The Scriptures have a way of lighting a fire in your heart to keep you going when you want to quit. You will surely quit if you don’t spend time daily studying the Scriptures.

Second, you must keep going when you want to quit. When Jeremiah was “weary with forbearing,” he “could not stay.” There are times when you are just going to have to determine to put one foot in front of the other. It is the determination to continue that at times will be the only thing that keeps you from quitting.

Third, look at how quitting will validate what your enemies have said about you. Jeremiah knew that if he quit, his enemies would say that they had prevailed against him. Don’t allow your enemies the privilege of winning. The thought of your enemies having their victory party should light a fire in your heart to keep going. Your enemies have waited for years for you to quit; don’t give them the satisfaction that they have prevailed.

Fourth, looking at Who’s with you will keep you from quitting. Jeremiah said in verse 11, “But the LORD is with me…” When you see that the LORD is walking by your side, you will find the strength to continue. My friend, you are not in this battle alone. The LORD is fighting alongside you; don’t despair and let the weight of the battle cause you to quit.

Fifth, seeing the end through faith will keep you from quitting. When Jeremiah looked to the end through faith, he saw that his enemies would not prevail. The enemy may seem to be enjoying a victory lap for a short period, but when you read the last Book in the Scriptures, you will see that we win the war. If you look at life through faith, you will find the encouragement to continue.

My friend, there is nothing wrong with wanting to quit, but it is wrong to quit. If these five things are a regular part of your life, you will find the fire burning in your heart to continue to go even when you want to quit.

Jeremiah 5:5
“I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.”

The verse above may be one of the most misused verses in the Scriptures. We often hear because of the verse above how the Scriptures teach that we should go to the “great men.” The problem with this statement is that the rest of the verse has been completely ignored. Certainly, this statement may sound great, but the verse above simply isn’t teaching us to run to the great men.

The word “great” carries several definitions. It means those who are elder, have position and power, or someone who has had great success in an area. Just because they men were great didn’t mean we should run to them for what we should do. When you look at what these great men did, you see that they had perverted the “judgment of their God,” and they left the ways that the Scriptures taught them to live. They were certainly not people who should have been looked to as role models for advice.

The result of running to the “great men” is that these men believed they were above the law. Man will begin to live a sinful life anytime he believes he has the power to do what he wants to do. Just because someone has built something or has accomplished something great doesn’t mean we should blindly follow them. Certainly, men should be honored for what they have done for the LORD, but they should never take the place of God. Running to men instead of God is nothing more than idolatry, and it always leads that leader to be tempted with doing whatever he wants to do.

Furthermore, when we run to the “great men,” it often results in followers setting up gods and living immoral lives. Man is sinful at best, and to set man up as a standard leads people to do what they want to do. Verse 7 shows how these people swore themselves unto gods and lived immoral lives. This was all caused because they ran to the wrong place for their answers.

What is the answer? The answer is simple; run to the Scriptures for your answers in life. My friend, you will never fail when you use the Scriptures as your model for where you should stand, what you should do, and how you should do it. We are to serve the LORD and not man. Just because great men have known the way of the LORD doesn’t always mean they are right with everything they do. Just because great men have known the way of the LORD doesn’t mean they will teach His way all the time. This is why the Scriptures must be your final authority.

Christian, let me encourage you to get yourself to the Scriptures instead of the “great men.” Please don’t take this as an attack against those whom God has used in a great way, for it is not meant for that. Certainly, people whom God has used greatly in the past can be looked to for examples, but they must never take the place of Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 11:1 puts it best when it says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” If you keep the mindset of getting to the LORD through the Scriptures and prayer, you will never fail to find what you should do. Remember, the Scriptures have the answer for every situation in life.

Proverbs 29:17
“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”

Every parent would love to have a failsafe plan on training their children to turn out right. The problem is that children have their own will, and the parent cannot control it. However, a parent can instill certain training methods that will give them the best chance for their children to turn out right for the LORD. In Proverbs 29:15-18, God gives the parent five things they must do to help raise children who “give delight” unto their soul.

First, there must be consequences for wrong actions. Verse 15 says, “The rod and reproof give wisdom…” A parent who never punishes their child for wrong is a parent headed for heartache. There are consequences in life, and a child must learn that inside the home. A child will learn there are consequences the hard way if a parent doesn’t punish them for wrong. It is not mean or hateful to punish a child for wrong, but it is loving them and preserving them from greater consequences that affect them for the rest of their lives.

Second, accountability must be present with every child. Verse 15 continues by saying, “…a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” Children need to be accountable as to where they are at all times. Children should be accountable as to the places they go and the people they are with at all times. Always ask your child who will be present when they want to go somewhere. Furthermore, show up unexpectedly at the places your children are supposed to be so they know that you are making sure they are going to do right all the time.

Third, know your child’s companions. Very 16 says, “When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth…” If I asked you who your children spend time with, would you know all their friends? You should! Part of parenting is teaching your child what type of friends to have. One way to do that is to be personally involved by knowing their friends, and also at times telling them they cannot be friends with someone who would be a wrong influence.

Fourth, every parent needs to correct wrong actions. Correction is not the same as consequences. Correction is showing a child where they did something wrong, and teaching them how to do it better. When you are personally involved with your children, you will at times have to correct them and let them know they shouldn’t do things a certain way. Correction is more verbal than consequential. You are preparing that child for life, and there are times when you must show them how to do things better. You will find that you can win their heart by correcting them so they can do better. Children will appreciate the correction when they experience the success that results from it.

Fifth, every parent needs a vision for their child. Verse 18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” If you have no vision for your child, you are bound to lead them nowhere. You should have a vision for your child to serve the LORD with their lives. Your children belong to God, and it is your responsibility to raise them to live in His purpose and not for your dreams.

Nobody can guarantee your children will do right, but if these things are practiced, you have the best chance for them to turn out right for the LORD.

Isaiah 53:1
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”

Have you ever felt like no one ever listens to you? That must have been how our LORD felt. He says in the verse above, “Who hath believed our report?” After everything the LORD has done for us through creation, history, and our own lives, He still doesn’t get the respect He deserves. It doesn’t matter that He wrote a Book to give us instructions on how to live, and that Book has never failed one time. It doesn’t matter that He has been there for us for time and time again when others have forsaken us. The LORD has revealed His mighty arm to us over and over again, and yet He is ignored and disrespected. The response of the Saviour to being ignored and disrespected is the response you should have when others ignore and totally disrespect you.

First, keep growing in the LORD when you are ignored and disrespected. Verse 2 says, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant…” Jesus never stopped becoming Who He was supposed to become in spite of being disrespected and ignored. You must not allow the disrespect of others to keep you from growing in the LORD. Your continued growth is what will validate your works one day even when you are being disrespected and ignored. Don’t allow the actions of others to be your excuse to quit.

Second, don’t use excuses when you are ignored and disrespected. Verse 2 continues to say, “…as a root out of a dry ground…” Excuses are the precursor to mediocrity and wasted talent. Times may be tough, but you must never allow the “dry ground” of life to keep you from continuing to do what the LORD wants you to do. The people around you may be the heat of the desert who are trying to dry up your spirit, but you must not allow their criticism, disrespect or disregard to become your crutch to give up and waste God’s blessings on your life.

Third, don’t retaliate when you are ignored and disrespected. Though Jesus was oppressed, afflicted and attacked, He never opened His mouth against them. Trying to get revenge is the worse thing you can do when others disrespect you. Retaliating will never give you the respect you desire. The only thing that happens when you retaliate is that you lose your testimony for Christ and become irrelevant. Don’t react to the actions of others; rather, keep responding by principle as this is the only thing that keeps your testimony intact.

Fourth, keep helping others when you are ignored and disrespected. In verse 11, when Jesus was disrespected and ignored He continued to “bear” the “iniquities” of others. In verse 4, Jesus carried the griefs and sorrows of others though He was disrespected. Friend, the only thing that will help you to get through the times of disrespect is to continue helping others. The reason this will get you through is because it is a selfless act that forces you to keep your eyes off others.

You will notice that all four of these actions force you to take your eyes off yourself. If you will keep your eyes on the LORD, it won’t matter what others say and think about you. It is only when you dwell on yourself that you will feel ignored and disrespected. Keep your eyes on the LORD, and what others think of you will not matter to you.

Isaiah 47:6
“I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.”

I have had the privilege of traveling abroad to preach in foreign countries. One of the main things that stands out in my mind about some of the countries is the poor quality of air. Many of these countries have smog that has polluted the air. In some of these countries, it is not safe to drink the water because of the pollutants that have contaminated their drinking water. It is sad that these people live have to this way.

In the verse above, God said that His people were polluted. These people allowed their lives to be contaminated with something that caused themselves and others harm. Four things caused these people to be polluted.

First, they were filled with self. They said in verse 7, “I shall be a lady for ever…” These people were so filled with who they were that they thought nothing would ever happen to them. Christian, you must be careful that you don’t get self-absorbed. Life does not revolve around you. Many people have allowed their successes to bring them to a point where they thought nothing would ever happen to them. It doesn’t matter what you have accomplished in life; you are still fallible, and God is capable of taking you down. Don’t forget that!

Second, they were given to pleasures. These people were all about doing what felt good. Pleasures do come to an end. If you live for pleasure, you will eventually live a broken life. There is nothing wrong with pleasures, but they must not be your goal in living. Those who live for pleasures will one day find the will of God loathsome, resulting in their departure from His will.

Third, they were careless with living. One of the main causes of our failures in the Christian life is our inattentiveness of how our actions affect others. Everything you do affects someone. You should be attentive in all that you do. Careless living leads to a second-rate effort. On the other hand, attentiveness causes you to think about how your actions affect others. Attentiveness causes you to live for excellence. Attentiveness causes you not to allow the little details of Scriptures to go unheeded. I’m not saying you should live a life of worry, but you shouldn’t be careless with your living. Don’t let carelessness pollute your Christian life.

Fourth, they never considered tomorrow’s consequences. These people said in verse 8, “…I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children…” They thought they could live any way they wanted without suffering the consequences. There are consequences to every decision you make and every action you perform. You may enjoy what you are doing today, but you will live with the consequences tomorrow. Living for today without consideration for tomorrow pollutes your life with sin.

Has your life been polluted with these contaminates? Don’t allow your life to be polluted. Live a holy life, and every time you find yourself contaminated with these pollutants, quickly confess your sin to God so that He can cleanse you from them.