Apr 7

“…This day is a day of trouble…” Isaiah 37:3

Hezekiah along with Israel faced severe times. Enemies will try to drive us away from God, but in their efforts, if we remain faithful, they will actually drive us closer to Him. Though Israel had wrongly held onto the Lord in a loose and careless manner, and Hezekiah had somewhat trusted in Egypt, when faced with the blasphemies of the emissary of the Assyrian king, he and all the people found refuge by going to God. Much of what the enemy will try to do is to inject fear and promote intimidation, so that weakened and discouraged, we might let go of our faith and trust in God. Satan continues to use his old tricks against unsuspecting Christians, and one of his main weapons is fear, in many facets - fear of the threats of unbelievers, fear of being ridiculed, fear of the unknown, fear of the future and fear of failure.  The cure for all unhealthy and devil-driven fear is a close, intimate and trusting relationship with Jesus! Hezekiah was being weakened by the calumny and derision of the enemy, but Isaiah, the prophet of God, strengthened him with reminders that God is in control, even of those who have no regard for Him. There may be times of sorrow, rebuke and persecution which we may have to face also. It is good for us to be reminded not to allow anything the enemy throws at us, to terrorise us. We must remember that Jesus is ultimately in control, and He will perform His will and fulfil His purpose. Dark times may come, but the Lord will bring light. We must not be cajoled into believing the lies that the enemy of our souls pushes and promotes, but rather be fully persuaded of the truth and encouragement that comes from the Lord God Almighty!  

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

Apr 6

“…David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD…” 1 Chronicles 16:7

God had blessed Israel, and David was not going to let any opportunity pass, without giving thanks to the Lord his God! The occasion was the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and it was met with great rejoicing by king David and the people. The celebration included all the people receiving food and drink from the king, and the instigation of a worship service, in which talented musicians would play the instruments, and singers would sing praises to Yahwah. To be sung for the first time at this special event, David wrote and handed to Asaph the chief musician, a psalm of praise and thanks to the Lord. How good it is to be thankful to God! We do not find it difficult to call and cry to God, in our distressing times and times of sorrow and trial. It is just as necessary for us to find the motivation and heart to give thanks to God, for all the manifold blessings He endows us with. On special occasions, we might more easily remember what He does, Who He is and what He means to us, and may even express some special praise, and voice a heartfelt prayer. I am sure the occasion before us was not the only time David’s psalm was sung! Every day and in so many ways, God does wonderful things in our lives, and it is appropriate and desirable to be ready with praise and appreciation from a thankful heart. Looking for daily opportunities to be grateful to the Lord, is a good an wholesome practice, for it helps us to see the Divine blessing in the usual daily things of life, which we may be tempted to take for granted! Someone said it is easy to appreciate something when you don’t have it anymore! If we stop for a moment and think how frustrating when the ‘usual’ doesn’t happen or work as it usually does! It is then we become aware of it, and realise what place it fills in our daily life. Being thankful to the Lord, is a strength for the child of God, and a godly testimony to those who, lacking of relationship with the Lord, are discontent and find it difficult to be grateful for anything much at all in life!

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

Apr 5

“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD…” 1 Chronicles 10:13

The Bible directs us to live our lives for God in His strength. Without His Spirit, our own efforts will result in weakness and failure. Saul ceased early to lean on God. His pride played on his emotions, and he became churlish towards life, foolish in his behaviour and careless in his obedience to God. We may not place a great deal of importance on our transgressions, and dismiss or trivialise our sins against God, but if they remain un-repented of, they will cause the demise of our moral being, and eventually result in spiritual and eternal death. The scripture is clear, Saul died for his transgression against Yahwah. Saul was guilty of a number of gross sins, for which the Bible does not tell us, he ever repented. He usurped the command of God, in the matter of the battle against the Amalekites; unjustly pursued David, an innocent man, determined to kill him; commanded the senseless slaughter of an innocent priest of God, and sought help from a woman practicing the occult to find direction in life! He flew in God’s face with his transgression, and remained at variance with God. Even if at times he was emotionally stirred, it was but a temporary reprieve to his habit of disregarding God’s law. All sin is worthy of death, and there is in essence, no sin greater than another when it comes to its final result, but it is sin for which we remain un-repented that will cause us to die the second death. Saul’s departure from this world, was a dishonourable death, not such as was worthy of a king and a man belonging to the people of God! While death is not of itself anything to be necessarily wanted or desired, it can nevertheless take place with honour, when it is the result of selfless sacrifice or service to the King of Kings! Unless the Lord returns beforehand, we will all die physically at some stage, but what will be the unwritten epitaph describing the real reason for our decease? Let us live for God in such a way, that when we die, even in death we may bring glory to the Lord and be a memory of the sweet savour of His grace and of godly faithful service unto Jesus.

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

Apr 4

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake…” Matthew 5:10

Having warned His disciples that they too, like their Master, would be persecuted in this world, Jesus here teaches the blessing of such persecution. It is not in our natural spectrum of understanding, to see or feel blessing when persecution is waged against our name, reputation, property, person, or our loved ones. Yet it is a truth of scripture, the reality of which is imparted to us, by the teaching and example of Jesus, and the power of His Holy Spirit. The word persecuted here implies, being pressed upon, pursued after, and hunted as prey! There is no blessing in such ill-treatment, if we as believers find ourselves at the receiving end of it, because we have acted unwisely, whether in pride or in foolishness, spoken out of line with God’s word or betrayed the values we claim to live by! When in the course of living a godly life, and in humility upholding the values of God, however, we find ourselves at the butt of the attacks of those who in hatred towards God, hate us also and revile the uprightness we stand for, then we can align ourselves with the teaching of Jesus regarding the blessing found in God as a result of such harassment by man. God has sent us into this world as ‘sheep among wolves’, an analogy which speaks of itself of the necessity for us to lean heavily of Jesus! There are those who are favourable towards godly men and women, admiring their stand in God, even if they do not desire to participate in faith toward God personally. Others instead remain quite unaffected, neutral and even dismissive, of the godly behaviour they may see in believers. Then there are those who become inflamed, enraged and take personal offence, at the mere suggestion of righteousness, whenever they spot it in the virtuous manner or speech of a Christian. Some of these do not hesitate to turn on the believer, with ridicule, accusations, and attempts to victimise and belittle him, particularly when they are in company with those who know them, and may ‘look up’ to them. We are instructed that whatever the persecution, and regardless how severe, we are not to retaliate or give back in kind, but rather show the love of God, and conquer our enemies the way Jesus did, by standing, living and if necessary dying for righteousness’ sake. Great blessings are laid in store for those who follow the Master’s way and obey His principles. May God grant each believer the conviction, peace, strength and anointing to stand for God, God’s way!

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

Apr 3

 “…If thou wilt go with me, then I will go…” Judges 4:8

The Israelites had again turned from God and committed evil against Yahwah. Their punishment from God came in the form of a take-over by the Canaanites, who oppressed them for twenty years. The people cried to God for deliverance this was during the time of Deborah the judge. Directed by the Lord, Deborah called on Barak, a mighty warrior, to lead the people of Israel against Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite host. An army of ten thousand was raised to fight the enemy, but the odds were greatly against them, since the Canaanites had 900 chariots of iron in their armed force. These were swift and conventional hand weapons virtually ineffective against them, not unlike the armoured tanks of today’s warfare. God however, had promised to go before Barak and grant Him victory.  Such situations have existed in the lives of many of the great men whom God called to do battle in His name. Often the human odds and resources are against the people of God, but the Lord is more than sufficient to supply the victory His people need. Barak believed Deborah, but hesitated in carrying out the directive of the Lord, without her presence at the battle site. It should not be necessary for us, to have anyone at our side but the Lord, in any endeavour we undertake for Him; yet it is true of our human nature, that many times we are encouraged to step out in faith, when someone else, who is likeminded, a person we feel we can trust, is there with us. It is also true to say that if our primary focus is seeing the work of God performed at the best possible level, then we will want to involve the best possible people, without concern as for who gets the acclaim.  The goal and reward is the success of the outcome and the knowledge we have served God aright! Barak is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11, among those who displayed faith, trusted God and went on to win a victory for His glory. It appears he was not consumed with self-importance, or anxious about personal honour. He was content to be a tool in God’s hand, to bring about a great victory for the Lord and Israel, without caring much about the credit or the reputation associated with it. He is therefore a reminder to us, to be people of faith, willing to obey God even when we may be reluctant, and rejoicing to see the work of God done, not for personal approbation, but for the glory of God.

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

Apr 2

“The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” Deuteronomy 5:2

Moses reminds the people of Israel of the covenant which bound them to Yahwah. It was established in Horeb, which is understood to be Sinai, and therefore was based on the commandments God imparted the people there. It was a national covenant. God had previously made covenants with individuals, the forefathers of the faith, which would affect them and the lives of their descendants, but this was a national covenant, applicable to entire nation of Israel collectively. It determined the existence and well-being of the people as a nation, provided they abided by it. It was a lawful covenant. It stated the commandments and law of God, by which the people were to conduct themselves. Faithfulness to it would be rewarded and disregard of it, would be punished. As all the law of God, it is absolute in nature, it clearly informs us of our responsibilities and related benefits or judgments, but leaves the choice of obedience to the individual or society. It was a preparative covenant. It was intended to prepare the hearts of men with the knowledge of the holiness of God, the realization and of their sinfulness and the evidence of their inability to remain consistent in faithfulness and performance of the commands. It prepared them to see their communal obligation, along with their personal responsibility. It was preparing man to accept the New Testament Covenant, which would follow, and is based on the righteousness of Jesus, not man’s works for justification. It was a holy covenant. It presented man with the holiness of God, in real and inescapable terms. It revealed the holiness of God’s commands, will and purposes for mankind. It demanded the condition of the heart and soul of man, to reflect the holiness of God. This is also a necessary New Testament condition and scriptural command, which endures to this day – “Be ye holy for I am holy” 1Peter 1:15,16. God’s covenants with man have always reflected His perfection, love and good desire toward us. As a caring Father, He has provided, not only the guidelines for us to follow and not err, but the strength of His Spirit to help us maintain a true faithfulness toward Him until the end, and not stray from the narrow path He has set. Let us desire to remain true to our God, by yielding ourselves to the influence and direction of His Holy Spirit!

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

Apr 1

“Therefore judge nothing before the time…” 1 Corinthians 4:5

There are different words used in the Greek and translated in English to ‘judge’. In some scriptures we are actually encouraged to ‘judge’, in the context of testing, proving, trying, evaluating, discerning or reckoning. We are clearly able to align a matter with scripture, and determine what can be seen as a ‘work of the flesh’, as being sin, incorrect and against God. Such ‘judging’ is within our scope and even necessary in order to maintain a right walk with God, and discern truth from error. There are however hidden things, which are not only hard to judge, but upon which we should avoid passing any personal appraisal or criticism. In matters of motivation, inner thought and what may be in the ‘heart’, it is not really possible for a human to pass unerring judgment on another. Such things are hidden to us, and without a clear vision and knowledge of the real facts of the heart, judgment there is outside our reach. Ultimate judgement therefore belongs to God alone. It is to Him that we are all finally accountable.  As fallible humans, limited and unable to see and know everything, it becomes important that we are slow to judge any matter. Even when we can rightly evaluate, making certain that all the facts are known and factored in, is a quality of wisdom and careful behaviour, desirable in all human beings and particularly in believers. Our text is clear that judging matters pertaining to anyone’s eternal destiny, belongs to the Lord, and only He can bring to light the things of the heart of man, good and bad, and one day He will! It will then be open and obvious, what our motives have been. We must ensure to purify our hearts and minds before God on a daily basis, and be ready for that day of God’s revealing judgment.

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