July 30

 “…the king… made a covenant before the LORD…” 2 Kings 23:3

King Josiah was responsible for a major revival in Israel. He meticulously removed the idolatrous places of worship, overthrew their temples and destroyed the priests of the heathen religions which had grown populous in the nation. His cleansing work included the removal of sodomite houses, and of those practicing occult arts. The Bible reports him as doing right in the sight of the Lord, walking in all the ways of His forefather David, and not being influenced by pressures around him, but staying on course spiritually. This is a sterling testimony and a rarity among the usually poor performances of kings who either did outright evil in rebellion against Yahwah, or walked righteously but only in part and without consistency throughout their lives. Josiah stands out from among the rest as being a righteous man and a godly king in Israel. He stood by the pillar - this was understood to be a special place in the temple set aside for the king, from where he would make his orations to the people and offer prayer and worship unto God. It was from this prominent and public place and in front of all the people that Josiah made a promise to God. His heartfelt pledge to God included that He and the people would walk close to God, keep His laws with all their heart and all their soul, and uphold the words of God’s covenant with them as written in the book of the law. Wonderfully all the people took a stand with him in total support and commitment to that promise. How precious it is to have leaders who are sensitive to the Spirit of God, in tune with His will and obeying His word wholeheartedly! God will perform good and great things through such men! The task of all believers is to be obedient and aligned with Jesus and His word. This is much easier to achieve when the individuals who lead us, give us a consistent example of loving God and honouring His word. When such men by their example and teaching remind us of all that is holy and righteous, we should take notice and with all our hearts make our stand with them! May God raise many leaders like Josiah among us, to help guide us in the path of righteousness and encourage us to a life of holiness before the Lord!  

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

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

May 19

“And when he had broken down the altars and the groves…” 2 Chronicles 34:7

Josiah was but a young boy eight years of age, when he began his reign as king over Israel. In spite of his youth, he did righteousness in the sight of God and walked according to the precepts of God’s law, in imitation of his forefather, the great king David. Josiah brought reform to Israel by thoroughly destroying all the places where idols were being worshipped. He journeyed throughout the land and wherever he found altars or groves dedicated to any heathen idol, he not only tore them down, but eradicated them, destroying them so completely that they could not be rebuilt again from the same materials! Revival broke out in Israel as a result of this ‘boy king’ and his actions of faithfulness to God. Josiah is a bright star shining in the dark sky of Israel’s history of backsliding. He reminds us to be faithful and to take a stand for God and His Word. We learn that when we stand for the Lord we must do so, totally and without compromise. God’s people must be faithful people and cannot stray from the truth of His ways. They cannot espouse means of worship and religion which are not acceptable to God. It is a mistake to think that we can imitate and adopt the ways of unconverted people around us, as suitable means or expressions for the worship of Yahwah, the true God. The message of Josiah’s life, is that there is no room for compromise in the life of the believer; that we must stand for God, His ways and His righteousness at all times and in all places; and that we must do so thoroughly and completely without giving place, not for a moment, to the enemy of our souls. Removing any contamination of the world from our lives, should be thorough. The systematic, methodical and comprehensive analysis of our minds, hearts and lives in the sight of God, and the removal of anything that may be offensive to God and contravening His Word, is a good practice for retaining a healthy spiritual life in Christ.

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

Mar 3

“Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it…” Jonah 3:2

Nineveh was a metropolis in its day and age. ‘That great city’, was indeed great in the number of people that lived there, its fortifications, its towers and its riches. Nineveh was also great in its sin! In fact the wickedness of the city was so great that God was passing judgment upon it! That is where Jonah was sent to preach. He was to be God’s herald, and cry against the sin of the city, taking to it God’s message of impending destruction. Some tasks, to which God calls us, are less than pleasant and may go totally against our preference or leaning. They may be considered difficult, a ‘ten’, on a scale of one to ten! Scriptural examples show that some tasks to which God calls us, may require the risk of our personal comforts, resources, security and even reputation. A servant of Yahwah, the Living God cannot afford the luxury of personal inclinations, when doing a work for God. Following God’s instructions and sensing after God’s Spirit, is all important in being faithful as ministers and servants of the Lord. We live in a time when it has become acceptable to make ministry merely another ‘job’, at best a professional occupation or business. This is not the intention and meaning of the word and the position of ministry, as described in scripture. The only correct motivation for entering the ministry must be a call of God on a man’s life, corresponding to his desire to serve the Lord, in His way and in all areas of life, at whatever personal cost. He must become willing without exception, to remain obedient to every directive the Lord gives and faithful in carrying out the tasks God has set – even the hardest ones! Jonah did not have an easy task ahead of him, but he did have the power of God behind him. This is the core thing to remember – that with each task God calls us to, if we trust Him, He supplies the ability and all that may be required to carry it out. The power of God behind us is always greater than the task before us. It follows that it is on Him we must place our eyes and not ourselves, and that from Him we must draw our strength, wisdom and capacity to meet the challenges, He directs us to address. Once Jonah aligned himself with the Lord’s will, and obediently carried out the mission God had sent him on, he was mightily used of God and a great revival resulted in Nineveh. We too can find great blessing and wonderful success in God, if in all our ways we acknowledge Him, and in each endeavour we go forth in His strength and wisdom, obediently, patiently and faithfully, loving and trusting Jesus.

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