July 1

“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalms 12:1

When the qualities of godliness and faithfulness cease and fail among men, we are in dire straits and need help from the only One who can supply it! We can in our day, easily echo the cry of despair and concern, which the psalmist uttered, for we are seeing the fulfilment of scriptural prophecy regarding the perilous conditions, which would exist in the last days. Our distress is not something we can take to another human, for no peer of ours can help in this situation. Our pleas for assistance must be lifted to Yahwah, the Lord Almighty, in whose power we rely and trust. He and only He is able to alter the course of life’s condition, in the manner it befits His will, or provide us with the consolation and comfort of knowing that even if others won’t stand for righteousness, He will keep us and see us through! The ‘godly’ character of man referred to in the text, is translated from a word rendered in other scriptures as ‘holy’, the ‘set-aside’ or separated unto God, kind of man. This is what we find there is a serious dearth of in our world today, but more sadly the deficiency is clearly noticeable within the church. There is poverty and scarcity of any desire or pursuit of holiness, with the majority of professing Christians, wanting an easy, sacrifice-free church involvement, where they can be entertained and find a social outlet, more reminiscent of a club membership, than a place of true growth and worship unto the Holy God! Many who held to convictions of personal, practical holiness in the past, have ceased doing so, due to pressures from fellow-believers, seeing them as ‘old-fashioned’ or ‘bound’ in mere tradition and false doctrine, and from the world around them, which labels them as extreme, cultish or even abusive . Faithfulness to the strongest, most necessary and defining principles of scripture, is failing in our day at an alarming rate. The qualities of faithfulness and holiness, by which God most wants to be known, and wants His people to reflect, are the very areas where Christian testimony lacks, ceases and fails! Let us join those who faithfully are holding onto to the values of God, and cry out in prayer every day, for revival among God’s people, and renewal of all they should uphold for God and His glory!  

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion