Daily Devotional November 4 - God Is Light.

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

In the sense of light and darkness, God represents light. In the sense of good and evil, God represents good. There is no darkness, no evil in God. How then did evil get started? Good question.

When God created all creation, God embedded into humans the right to choose to do good or to do evil, i. e., the right to deny God and/or the right to step outside of the God ordained parameters of absolute perfection, i. e., free will. With this power given to mankind, mankind has the inherent ability to stand with God or stand against God, stand with the natural parameters applied to each creation or stand against each parameter applied to each creation.

God cannot do evil, but God created an environment where evil can be performed, in the natural world, i. e., the seen world and in the spiritual world, i. e., the unseen world. God is not subject to the parameters of the natural or spiritual world. God is the creator, not the created. God is God and man is man. Man will never be God. Man does have attributes of the likeness of God from birth, and after salvation man has the image and likeness of the Spirit of God, and after this natural life has ended more attributes of God-likeness will be imputed to us. But we will never attain to be God, nor will we ever attain to fully know all that there is to know of God. God is more than we can know, now, after we have been born again, after we have left this mortal body behind, and even after we have been in heaven with God ten thousand years.

Some people don't like that. That's because they have an ignoble view of God. Many people, even Christians want a God they can figure out. They are discontented that God has reserved full disclosure of Himself. Most of the problems we have within legitimate organized (Christian) religion is that each group thinks they have some corner on the "I know more than you do about God market." When the truth is, that even at best, if all the religions put in together and included all they know, their deepest theology, their highest thought, together it would not be of little stature against the greatness of God.

What am I trying to say? God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Do you believe it?

Daily Devotional Novembewr 3 - All The Power Of God Is Found In The Gospel

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith." Romans 1:16-17

Paul is not ashamed and I am not ashamed either. The part about this verse that is often overlooked is that the gospel contains the power of God. The implications are that the power of God provides to the believer :

• power through prayer (healing, salvations, miracles)
• prophesy and interpretation of prophesy
• words of knowledge
• communication with God
• forgiveness of sins
• short term and long term blessings
• visions and dreams of things to come
• interventions by God into your daily affairs

Add some items to the list from your personal experience.

The point is that those who do not believe the gospel do not have access to any of these spiritual components. Some people think they do. There are people all over the world who call themselves spiritual without accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And from one perspective those who do not believe the gospel can dabble in spiritual things. Because every human was made in the image and likeness of God there is an inherent internal desire to know God and to operate in the spiritual realm. However, without the power of the gospel, there is no direct connect with God. There is however direct connect to the demon world.

That's really the big difference in the ability of believers to ward off evil influences. Believers have the power of God to use against the wiles of the wicked, non-believers do not have this power. That doesn't mean that there are not good people who do not believe the gospel. There are many good people who do not believe in or trust in Jesus. There are even good people who do not acknowledge the existence of God. But don't think for one minute that they enjoy the benefits of having personal relationship with God, nor do they inherit the benefits of the afterlife.

All the power of God is in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Daily Devotional November 2 - How Many Timeas a Day?

"Seven times a day do I praise Thee because of Thy righteous judgments." Psalm 119:164

David spoke of praising God on many occasions and for many reasons. If you were to praise God seven times a day for His judgments and seven times a day for His kindness, and seven times a day for His goodness and seven times a day for His provision and seven times a day for His mercy and seven times a day for His forgiveness and seven times a day for the many wonderful and perfect things that God does for you, you would not have time to stop praising God.

The point isn't how many times a day you praise God, it is that there are more reasons to praise God any times a day than there is time to do it. That's the thing about the salvation experience. You get closer to God and you see more of what God is doing. You see more of what God is doing and you want God to do more of it. As God provides more and more you recognize how God is working His will and you understand more about the economy of God and of course you want to praise Him more.

Praise is inner man recognition of what God is doing in your life.
Praise is an opportunity to communicate with God that you see His unicity and you not only approve, but you are clearly in agreement with what God is doing.
Praise is the personal or corporate outward expression of who God is in your life. The closer you get to God the more often and more perfected the praise.
Praise is your way of saying to God that you commit to following His leadership.
Praise is proof of your internal love for God for all the world to see.
Praise alters destinies.
Praise is recognition that God is in control even when things in your life are out of control.
Praise repairs situations because when you praise God something wonderful, healing and spiritual is given back to you, something unexplainable, invisible but tangible.

When you praise God you don't have to ask for anything. God is ahead of you. All is well. Provisions have already been set aside. What you seek if you were seeking has been dealt with by God who loves you more than you do. It's time to quit complaining and start following God's prescriptions for your finances, health, entertainment, conservation, love and respect for your spouse, children, parents, family and friends.

Think on praise and praise God seven times a day, one day or more than one day. You decide if it is worth your time.

Daily Devotional November 1 - Father Abraham By Faith

"Then said he (John the Baptist) to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, Oh generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring for therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Luke 3:7-8

It's not just Jews and Christians that look to Abraham as the father of their nation. It is many Muslims also. It goes all the way back to Genesis 12. Abraham is the father of nations in this way. Abraham was called to be the father of many nations. Abraham begat Isaac and Isaac begat Jacob and Esau. Esau sold his birthright and Jacob received the blessing. There is also the birth of Ishmael from Abraham and the Egyptian woman, handmaiden of Sarah. Ishmael represents one nation of people and Isaac represents another, Jacob and Esau also representing many people as well as the twelve tribes of Israel from the sons of Isaac.

All of the offspring of these men claim Abraham as their father. Many are Jews and many are Muslims. They claim sonship by birthright. And children of Abraham they are. But true children of Abraham are made children of Abraham by faith not blood. It is true that Jews and Muslims can call Abraham their father by blood, but it is by faith that they/we receive the promise of Abraham. Christians (Muslims and Jews) are adopted into the promise of Abraham by faith, not blood. "For the promise, that he (Abraham) should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Please read the entire chapter four of Romans for a deeper look at justification by faith.

I think it is a wonderful thing to be born from the bloodline of Abraham. Every person, whether Jew or Muslim or other should be proud of their heritage. There is so much history and tradition handed down through many generations. But salvation comes by faith in Jesus, not a birthright through Abraham. Yes Jesus overshadows father Abraham. John the Baptist was simply telling those who placed their faith in their bloodline that it would not carry them over into the heavenlies. There are still many people today who can claim father Abraham as their progenitor that have not placed their faith in Jesus, the Father of their progenitor.

Daily Devotional October 31 - The Spiritual Mind; The Carnaol Mind; What A Battle

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Carnal is referring to the mindset of (in this case) believers who have not matured. Why is it that so many people want to stay in the state of carnal minded? Is it possible that they are afraid that if they cave in to following the precepts of God that they will not be able to do some things? Maybe it is because they are afraid that they might become like the people they make fun of. Maybe it's because they have never really tasted of true Christianity. Whatever the reason, if you are reading this, it is time to make up your mind that you are going to step out in faith and try to experience a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

Becoming spiritual minded is a requirement for becoming a mature Christian. But this kind of spiritually minded is not the kind that your non-believing friends have made up in their minds that you would be like if you were spiritually minded. Even shallow Christians (carnal minded Christians) have a negative view of becoming spiritual, as if becoming spiritual made you forget what it is to be a man or a woman with needs and wants and desires. Nothing could be further from the truth. Becoming spiritual opens your eyes and your ears to higher thinking. Closer to God becomes your mantra and with closer comes wisdom. You will start to make wiser decisions and handle more issues with less effort than ever before. Becoming spiritual puts you in touch with your inner man, that part of your whole self that is the home of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Having access to the power of God is far more initeresting, adventuresome and exciting than sitting around watching TV, hoping that you will be enlightened by Hollywood's finest playwrites.
The only way to get free from the duldrums of apathy and following the continuous drain of the rudimentary lifestyle is to make up your mind that you are not going to just 'tolerate' life anymore. You have got to make up your mind that you are going to receive the best that God has to offer and then do something with it. God is liberal with His gifts, blessings, money, love, mercy and forgiveness. God will enhance your life in direct proportion to the measure you give it. If you give it little you will grow little. If you give it much you will get much. If you give it more, you will receive more than imaginable. If you give it your all you will receive God's all. God set it up this way so that you would learn to co-create with God.

The carnal mind is the enemy of God-thinking. The carnal mind will keep you trapped for years and provide the ammunition to continue blaming others for your own unwillingness to cooperate with the plan of God for your life. The carnal mind doesn't serve you, you serve it. Your passions and desires are not ever met while nuturing the carnal mind. That's why you have to go back again and again to get the same things over and over again without ever being fulfilled. The carnal mind promotes the art of repeating the same mistake over and over again. The carnal mind is the enemy of God.

Being spiritually minded is about participating in what God is doing in His kingdom, here, on this side of heaven, now, with what you have. Nothing more and nothing less.

Daily Devotional october 30 - Be Careful About Judgeing Others

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than His Maker?" Job 4:17

Mortal man is quite the complicated subject. Mortal man has been trying to take the place of God since the beginning. We should be incorporating God's invisible, spiritual component in our everyday decisions. We are not God, nor do we possess every attribute that God possesses, like: omniscience, omnipotence, immutability. Finding our true place is understanding what attributes we do have that we are in charge of and knowing our parameters/limitations and understanding what will require the hand of God to be completed.

We are not more just than God, but some discernment of justice is given to us to apportion.
We are not more pure than God, but purity of life/lifestyle is for us to seek and find, apprehend, acknowledge and implement.

Justice is only ours to divvy out according to our laws, but the reference here is about a different kind of justice. We do not know other peoples hearts and therefore we need to be careful when making accusations to or about people with whom we have no personal contact. Our justice is to be limited to known events. When we start making judgement on those whom we don't know or have ever met, we have crossed the bounds of our God given rights. This is God's area of expertise and we must refrain as Christians from making judgements beyond our understanding.

Sometimes we think we have the right to cut somebody down or act like we are better than they are, but again this should not be in our job duties. God knows how pure someone is and what their intent is/was and what to do about it. Let's stick to examining ourselves and following God's lead as to what to do about our own behavior.

Daily Devotional October 29 - Do You Believe iT?

"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on Thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:" Nehemiah 9:32-33

It is refreshing to hear from someone that gets it. Nehemiah understands that God is just. He understands that God is great and mighty. He understands that troubles quite often come from disobedience to the ways of God. He is not going before God making excuses. He is going before God in recognition of God's place. He is going to God with understanding. He is going to God knowing that it is the people that have wronged God, not God that has wronged the people. Nehemiah understands that troubles need to be dealt with and he asks God not to overlook his troubles, and the troubles of others, the troubles of those who have stepped out of the will of God.

Nehemiah understands that you reap what you sow, but he also knows to go to God as an imperfect believer and seek the will of God and get answers to his petitions, solutions for their dilemmas and provisions for their needs. I like that about Nehemiah.

It is the same for you and me. We are imperfect believers. I hope you go to God like Nehemiah and list your troubles, seek answers and look to God with expectation for your provisions. God has not changed. God made a way for you to come to Him and find Him and praise Him and Worship Him and ask Him and get from Him. I hope you are OK with this. The whole universe was created so that you could have your needs and desires met. Of course God is not going to honor silly, irresponsible desires that would keep you away from His presence, but the internal hopes and desires that you have that are in alignment with the purpose of creation and the will of God, are available.

Don't be afraid to go to God, like Nehemiah, and speak the raw truth about yourself and ask for God to intervene. God will intervene and you will get the answer, your needs will be met and you will receive provision. Do you believe it?