Nov 1

  "Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass." Isaiah 7:7

Man proposes to do and to act, but God disposes according to His own will and power! The mightiest preparation and most grandiose plans will come to naught if the Lord is against them. God reigns supreme and is above all the dictates and determinations of man. He can choose to intervene and overtake anytime and anywhere He pleases. The Lord stands against the enemies of His people to frustrate and impede their plans and purposes. He is sovereign over all, He provides and protects as He sees fit. He is the greatest ally and the most formidable foe, His word is final and there is no power above it. We do well to be on the Lord's side, in close relationship with Him and to be counted with His own.


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

Oct 31

"What advantage then hath the Jew?..." Romans 3:1

Paul argues that having received the oracles of God first, the Jews have had advantage over all other people in every way. As a nation and as individuals, they have been exposed to the truth of God, His blessing and terms of relationship with Him, for the longest time. Seniority in God should mean therefore greater responsibility and willingness to live as a humble and holy example to those who follow. Those who have trod the narrow path to eternal life for a longer time, should with great joy and gratitude serve God in exemplary lives - empty of complaint, pride or arrogance, and filled with genuine compassion and desire to assist and love those who are newer in walking the way and following after the Master!


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

Oct 30

"....into your hand are they delivered" Genesis 9:2

In the beginning God gave man dominion over all the animals, and with that authority came the responsibility which continues today.

After his fall into sin man was granted to include animals as his food and for his needs, and God placed fear of man on the animals, so that no longer would they naturally trust him. However through greed and mismanagement, man has become the animals' greatest foe and destroyer. The same fallen mind of sin in man has caused the uninhibited killing and devastation of animals, not always for need or food, and in many cases to the point of extinction. The original responsibility which came with the God-given authority, to manage and be a steward of God's rich creation, to the honour of the Creator, is something for which man remains accountable to God.

Oct 29

"Sound speech, that cannot be condemned..." Titus 2:8

The God-glorifying believer should be consistent in showing 'a pattern of good works' in all things of life, including the nature, quality and content of the things he says, or the conversations he participates in. Words are not cheap, and are in fact important in communicating truth. Sound speech must be healthy, appropriate, edifying and life-giving expression. Through his God-honouring life and conduct, those who listen to the believer and observe him, will be appropriately exposed to the truth, witness and conviction of God's Spirit.


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

Oct 28

 "...who is able to build him an house..." 2Chronicles 2:6

Solomon had determined to build a 'house' for the Lord but also realised that no building could possibly contain Him. Unlike the notions of the heathen, whose deities were but idols and placed in buildings to secure them and localise them, the Omnipresent One, Who is infinite and fills the universe many times over, could not be so accommodated. Solomon built a magnificent temple, not to contain God, but to be a place of worship dedicated to honour God, His glory and His majesty. We serve the God who is greatest not only in power but also in presence. God is Spirit and whilst He is 'big enough' to fill the entire universe, yet He is 'small enough' to live within our hearts. How amazing that when we are consecrated to Him, such an Almighty God chooses to live in us as temples of His Holy Spirit! 


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

Oct 27

 "....The dog is turned to his own vomit again;..." 2Pet 2:22

Here is biblical evidence of conditional salvation. Peter in the last few verses of this chapter makes it clear, that one who has been enlightened through Jesus, can in fact return to the spiritual pollution of the sins he was delivered from and become entangled with them and overcome by them all over again, thus negating the work of grace and salvation produced in his soul by God. In strong and highly depictive language, he portrays this return to the vile and revolting things of our past lives - before we knew Jesus, as a most unthinkable action for a human. The sin, carnality and iniquity we were delivered from, should be viewed as equivalent in value as the contents of our stomach which our body regurgitates and rejects when we are sick! Clearly we should keep our distance from those putrefying and discarded things, ways and practices of the past and never go back or desire them again. 


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

Oct 26

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Romans 4:8

Spiritual death is the punishment we are worthy of when we sin. A record as it were, is kept of all our sins and they are 'imputed' or charged against us - literally 'placed on our account', and nothing but the blood of Jesus can pay for and settle that awful debt! If we do not repent of our sins and allow God to remit them and wash them away, our eternal destiny is sealed against us and the charge, or 'wages' of sin, results in the eternal death of the soul. Jesus is the only answer for the sin-sick soul! The salvation He has provided, is the only way out of the bottomless hole of sin. 
The blessing of being forgiven and washed clean of our sins is beyond human language and expression. The love and means by which God has achieved salvation for humanity is truly amazing, awe-inspiring and..... well indescribable! We can try to define it by words, but ultimately all superlatives fail to adequately express it. Our understanding and imagination are totally challenged with the scope and magnitude of the love and grace by which God cleanses us and frees us from the tyranny of sin and its inevitable and eternal results. Indeed blessed is the man who through Jesus is saved and forgiven, and no longer imputed with the sin he has committed!


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