Devotionals

1 John 1:9, NIV
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

We’ve been doing some work recently on our house. In order to relocate the tank where our heating oil is stored, it became necessary to cut down some trees along the edge of our garden. That was fine until we realised that the trees had been screening an area of white metal sheeting that now looked completely out of place in the garden.

The solution was obvious and simple – or so I thought! I went to our local builder’s merchant and came back with a tin of dark green paint. I happily applied the paint to the white metal and was delighted with the immediate outcome – the colour was just right. But shortly afterwards it began to rain heavily and then I got quite a shock. For the paint that looked so good initially was now peeling off in strips and clearly had not been able to stick to the white metal sheeting. It was obviously completely unsuitable for covering this particular surface.

As I looked at the sorry sight, God began to speak to me about the deceptive heart of man and of how we can so easily try to cover our own sin in different and completely unsuitable ways. For example, we can try justifying our ungodly behaviour – first to ourselves and then to others. Then, people can deny what they’ve done and tell lies to try and divert people’s attention away from the truth. Or, even worse, they can sin even more grievously in order to try and cover up what they’ve done –as King David did when he committed murder to try and prevent his adultery from being exposed (2 Samuel 11). There are many ways in which we can try and cover our sin so that others don’t know what we’ve done.

The green covering I put on the white metal did not work because it was the wrong sort of paint for that particular surface. Our attempts to cover our own sin are a bit like the green paint – totally wrong for the job in hand! There is only one way that sin can truly be dealt with and that’s God’s way – through honest and humble confession. And that means first coming into agreement with what God thinks about our sin and then humbly and honestly owning the reality of what we have done and asking Him for forgiveness.

In our Scripture for today God promises not just to cover our sin, but to cleanse and purify us. This means that, amazingly, there is nothing left to cover! We have then, as Scripture says, been washed clean. When Jesus died and his blood was shed, he was paying the price for our sin. When we are truly in Christ and our sins have been forgiven, there is nothing left to cover up. This is the heart of the Gospel – the glorious good news that sets the captives free.

Prayer: Please forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have tried to cover up my sin in my way. And help me, Lord, to come humbly before You and deal with my sin in Your way – so that I may be cleansed from ALL unrighteousness and be freed from the enemy’s controls on my life. I am so grateful, Jesus, for what You did for me on the cross. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Deuteronomy 1:21, NIV
“See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

After suffering immensely during their captivity in Egypt, the Israelites were liberated by God in the most astounding way. There was the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, which allowed the Israelites to pass on dry land, but flooded back and drowned the pursuing Egyptian army. In the wilderness He provided manna for them to eat, and water from a rock for them to drink. He gave them victory over their enemies, the Amalekites, and met with them at Mt Sinai, renewing His Covenant with them. God had not forgotten His people and He was leading them to the Promised Land, just as He had committed to do.

As they came up towards the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies out to explore and report back. They found that the land was fruitful and abundant – just as the Lord had promised – but it was already inhabited by various people groups. The spies responded to what they saw in different ways.

Caleb trusted that God would be faithful to His promise in giving over this land and declared to Moses and all of the people “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30-31). However, the rest shrunk back in fear and pronounced “We can’t attack these people; they are stronger than we are”. Two men (Joshua and Caleb) believed in God’s promise and spoke out their faith accordingly. Ten men didn’t believe God’s promise and thus declared themselves unable.

By the power of their own words every one of these men sealed their own fates, for life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). And we read that Jesus said, ‘By your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned’ (Matthew 12:37).

The men who said ‘we are not able’ weren’t able, and died, falling short of the promise, and not entering into the promised rest. Instead of focussing on God, His promise and His power, they focussed on themselves and were negative. They looked at the giants and the walled cities and said “we are not able”.

The men who said ‘we are able’ were able, and lived to enter into the Promised Land and into the rest of God. They identified with the promise of God and fixed their eyes on God and His promise, rather than on their circumstances and the presenting obstacles.

God still gives a promise of entering into His rest. ‘Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed’ (Hebrews 4:1-2). So when you face challenges and obstacles in life, do you really choose to stand on His promises and believe in His almighty power? Or do you look at the challenging circumstances and say ‘I’m not able’.

When we face a mountain that looks impossible, let’s be reminded to look back on all the miracles that have happened thus far. Remember the faithfulness of God – how He’s been faithful to His people, and how He’s been faithful to you personally – and choose to place your faith and trust in Him. He is faithful. He is able. In Him we are more than conquerors, today.

Prayer: dear heavenly Father, thank You that You are a promise keeping God, and that the promise of entering into Your rest still stands for me today. Please forgive me where I’ve doubted You and not believed. Today I declare that I believe in You and I believe in Your promises. Please continue to lead me into the plans and purposes that You have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Ecclesiastes 8:8, NIV
“No man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.”

Paul made it very clear in his letter to the Ephesians that there is a war being fought between believers and the powers of darkness. This is a war that will go on until Jesus comes again, and it is vital that believers are aware of the spiritual armour that God has provided for us in our Christian pilgrimage.

The writer of Ecclesiastes makes an important point when he says that no-one is discharged in time of war, which means that we are never exempt from the reality of Satan attempting to take us off course through temptation and sin. Just as believers are not exempt from being involved in this war, we have to face the reality that in this warfare, if we choose to practice wickedness we are putting ourselves under Satan’s control. Satan will never willingly release us from the bondage that our sinful choices cause.

Many are the times when people have poured out their hearts about how they have become trapped by the enemy and wickedness has held them in its grip without there being any apparent way of escape. There is only one way of escape from the grip of the enemy and that is through the work Jesus did for us on the cross. His shed blood made it possible for us to be forgiven and if we ask Him, His Holy Spirit will give us the strength to say ‘No’ when fresh temptation comes.

Wickedness will not let us go willingly, but when our sin is forgiven, then Satan has to let us go. We then have to do our part and choose to say ‘No’ to the practice of wickedness, so that we can truly escape from the grip of the enemy. The writer of the Hebrews (2:3) graphically expressed this wonderful truth when he asked, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” For, in truth, there is no other way!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the amazing salvation that was provided for me at the cross. Please forgive me for the times when I have given wickedness control over my life through my own ungodly choices. I choose, today, to rest in the forgiveness that was made possible for me through the cross, to say ‘No’ to the enemy’s temptations and to come out from under his control. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

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Proverbs 28:9-10, NIV
“If anyone turn s a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. He who leads the upright along an evil path, will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.”

When someone is said to turn a deaf ear to something, it doesn’t mean that they are deaf and can’t hear! It simply means they are choosing to ignore what’s being said. God’s Word very clearly expresses both God’s heart of love for mankind and in His law He shows us how He wants us to live. The ten commandments are referred to in Deuteronomy 4:13 as God’s covenant. God’s covenant is an expression of His loving provision for His people. There can be no confusion over what His Word says – especially in the fundamental areas of morality.

But when faced with temptation people have to make choices in many areas of their lives. They know that choosing to walk in God’s ways is the way to enjoy His blessings for, as the second part of our Scripture says, ‘the blameless will receive a good inheritance’. Most believers also know that sin has its consequences as well. But few people realise that in addition to the direct consequences of sin, which is rebellion against God, there is a serious secondary consequence of deliberately turning a deaf ear to God’s Word in order to commit sin – our prayers are no longer acceptable to God.

This truth was spoken out by the prophet Isaiah, at a time when God’s people were in serious rebellion against Him. ”When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers I will not listen.” (Isaiah 1:15). So when we turn a deaf ear towards God’s Word and deliberately choose to flaunt His laws, then God responds in like manner – He no longer listens to our prayers. This is a principle that applies to individuals, organisations, congregations and, even, nations, as the people of Israel found out to their cost on numerous occasions.

Often people ask, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” While there may be many different answers to this question, the one answer we don’t want to hear could be that God is turning a deaf ear towards us because of our deliberate sin! When our behaviour tells God that we don’t really care about Him, then it is not surprising that our prayers become an offence to Him. It’s not that God doesn’t love us and is not interested in our prayers, it’s simply that our actions towards Him are speaking louder than the words we might say to Him.

If we want to regain a place of authority in prayer so that we will know about and experience the power of prayer at work in our lives, then let’s determine that the actions of our lives and the words of our lips are truly in harmony with each other. When they are God has no problem in hearing and answering our prayers! But when our actions are speaking a different language from our lips, then we are in great danger.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for showing me that there can be a relationship between what I do and whether or not You hear and answer my prayers. Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have deliberately chosen to sin at the same time as thinking you should be answering my prayers. Help me, Lord, to live my whole life in harmony with Your Word so that I can be a person of spiritual integrity and know the blessing of answered prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Click Here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

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Romans 5:17, NIV
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God`s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we confidently look forward to the day when Jesus will come again in glory. On this day we will receive our resurrection bodies and will be raised up to reign with Him, forever. Although the full realisation of this promise awaits us in glory, we are able to reign in life now because of the finished work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. As Romans 5:19 explains, through one man (Adam) sin entered many.

Every single one of us was born into the world in the spiritual position of Adam, ensnared by sin and separated from God. Whilst in the spiritual position of Adam, sin reigned in us and therefore death. However, we also have the promise and hope that through one man (Jesus Christ) many are made righteous. That is, through the cross Jesus has made a new spiritual position available to us and that is the spiritual position of being righteous.

For those of us in the spiritual position of Jesus Christ, righteousness reigns and therefore life abounds. When we believe in Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection, we enter into a divine exchange. Jesus completely takes our sin and all its consequences upon Himself and in return He gives us the fullness of His righteousness, His eternal life and His inheritance as a son of God. We know that this exchange which takes place is complete and absolute, because we know that His death and resurrection is a finished and complete work.

For as Jesus surrendered His life on the cross, He uttered three last words – “It is finished”. Our reconciliation with God is whole and complete; we have been completely transferred out of the Kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of light. We are no longer in Adam – we are now in Christ. The righteousness that we receive in Christ is a free gift from God and is not something that we can earn or add to through good works.

Our only responsibility is to surrender ourselves in order to fully enter into this divine exchange. For when we fully surrender and make Jesus Lord of every area of our life, our hands are emptied and we are opened up to receive the gift of abundant life that He so freely gives to us. The Apostle Paul encourages us to surrender ourselves to God as living sacrifices, in response to the mercy that God has shown to us (Romans 12:1).

By definition, any exchange that takes place must be a two way process – we surrender ourselves and our lives to God and in exchange Jesus gives us His life and all that is in Him. As surrendered disciples, we have been delivered from sins power we have been born of God. Jesus has declared us righteous and we can now say with confidence “I reign in life through freedom from the law and the gift of righteousness”.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your finished work on the cross for me. Today I freshly surrender all that I am and all that I have to you. Help me to fully appropriate the divine exchange in my life and to reign in life, today, in your mighty name, Amen.

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Proverbs 11:4-5, NIV
“Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.”

Wealth and riches can be used to bring enormous blessing to many people, if they are used wisely and generously in the Lord’s service. We may spend all our lives trying to accumulate large amounts of money – but the fact is, we can only use our physical resources while we are here on earth! Nothing of what we physically own on our earthly pilgrimage will carry any weight or give us any influence when we finally have to face God. We cannot take any of it with us. All our money and human resources will count for nothing on the day which Solomon described here as being ‘the day of wrath’.

The power and influence that wealth can exercise on earth is reduced to nothing when we stand before God. Earthly gold, silver and treasure is not the currency of heaven. The currency of heaven is the ‘righteousness of the blameless’. Jesus told a parable to help people understand how important it is to be ready, having a good supply of the sort of currency that does carry weight in eternity.

In the parable (see Matthew 25), there were ten girls waiting for the Bridegroom to come. Five had a good supply of oil for their lamps, the others had none. When it became clear that the Bridegroom was coming, panic set in among the five without oil with which to light their lamps, so they went off to try and find some – but it was too late. The Bridegroom came and they missed their opportunity. Only those who already had oil in their lamps could go with Him.

Jesus is, of course, the Bridegroom and the Body of Christ is the Bride. Only those who have truly humbled themselves at the foot of the cross and received Jesus as their Saviour and Lord are capable of being made righteous and are able to be part of the Bride. And when the fruit of our lives is assessed it is only that which has been done in obedient response to His love that will carry weight when the books are finally opened at the end of time (Revelation 20:11-12). This is the righteousness that “delivers from death” and which makes a straight way ahead of us in the journey of life. It is so vitally important that our trust for daily living is not in whatever resources we may, or may not, have, but in the God who loved us so much that He sent that which was most precious to Him, His Son, to express His love towards us.

When we trust in Him and follow Him in joyful obedience we are storing up for ourselves eternal wealth which can only be measured in the currency of Heaven. While God can use money to facilitate His Kingdom purposes here on Earth, let’s not fall into the trap of trusting in what we have on Earth, thinking that this will give us credibility in Heaven. It won’t!

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the blessings I can bestow on others, through using whatever resources You have given me, to play my share in building the Kingdom of God. I ask that you will forgive me, Lord, for ever thinking that any earthly wealth I may have accumulated on earth will give me status before You. Help me to be wise with the resources you have given me and to keep my eyes focused on accumulating the currency of Heaven – not the riches of Earth! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Click Here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

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Proverbs 4:3-4, NIV
“When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.””

Fathering a child is not the same thing as making someone pregnant. Pregnancy can be achieved in a moment of time, but fathering is a process that requires commitment, dedication, knowledge, understanding, wisdom and time – and lots of it!. Imparting wisdom to the next generation is a prime responsibility of both fathers and mothers as they seek to train up their children in a way that will provide them with a safe and secure set of boundaries within which to adventure into life’s many opportunities. It is intended by God to be a continuous process.

There are many places in Scripture where this vital message about training the next generation is repeated. Teaching one’s children is such an enormous privilege – for in training them in the ways of God, you are giving them the opportunity to reach maturity as men and women of God. Even when we have been well taught, we still have to responsibly lay hold of the truths we have absorbed and to keep the commands of God. But what wonderfully rich promises there are in God’s Word for those who don’t forget the lessons.

Even when we have not personally had the blessing of a human father who imparted to us God’s wisdom when we were young, our heavenly Father has ensured that we can still benefit from the blessing of allowing His wisdom to lead and direct our lives, through the written word of God. The world may not respect the precious truths the Bible contains, but we don’t have to follow the ways of the world. God has given us freewill and when we use it to make godly choices and not swerve off the Royal Highway laid out for us by the King of Kings, then we can be sure that the promises of God will be as true for us as if we had been taught truth from an early age.

Our Scripture for today is a great encouragement to all parents to spend time with their children and let them learn the precious truths in God’s Word by hearing them from our lips and seeing our lives being lived in harmony with the commands of God.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for those who have taught us precious truths when we were young. Help us to remember to use every opportunity to encourage and teach the next generation to lay hold of the Word of God. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Matthew 20:32, NIV
“Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.”

Today’s devotional is about the value of listening to ourselves. Imagine if we were to consistently ignore, dismiss or negate another person. We all know that wouldn’t be a very nice thing to do. Yet sometimes we can adopt this attitude to the one person we always have with us (so to speak): ourselves. Surely this is not the kind of attitude that’s in line with God’s heart or will for us. He’s so much kinder than that!

Living God’s way means having balance in our lives. The enemy seeks to bring us into the extremes. Of course it’s right for us to prefer others above ourselves, and to yield to the desires of God’s Spirit rather than to our own sinful desires, but this doesn’t mean we should completely ignore the things we truly long for.

When the Lord made us, He created us all with many in-built desires. For example: the longing for fulfilling relationships, the desire to express ourselves, the compelling urge to grow, develop, mature, and indeed to live a full and fulfilling life. All these things (and more) have been put into our hearts by the Lord Himself.

Many Christians have come to believe that the most spiritual thing to do is to ignore these God-given desires and to devote oneself to ‘more spiritual’ things. Yet when we go this way, we’re in danger of shutting down elements of our God-given humanity, and we’ll struggle to rece It doesn’t matter which country you are in, or which people group they are from, when you look at their faces you can so often see that they have been on a journey through life. Some of the battle scars they have picked up along the way are evident! It is sometimes clear that, for various reasons, they haven’t been walking about in freedom.

The whole of Psalm 119 is about the laws and the precepts of God – about how precious they are, about how when we follow them, they give us wisdom beyond the intellect of man. In these remarkable verses from this, the longest Psalm, the psalmist expresses a core truth which lies at the heart of much of the healing that people receive when they come in humility and submit their lives to the scrutiny of the Spirit of God, letting His Word and His truth be the arbiter of what has been right or wrong in their lives.

Pride would want us to adjust the implications of Scripture to make it look as though we are never wrong. Humility recognises that in our heart there is a constant vulnerability to temptation and that when we succumb to it then we sin – the fact is, sin has consequences. We cannot walk about in freedom when we have been bound by the consequences of our own ungodly choices – choices which are contrary to the laws and precepts of God.

No wonder the Psalmist came to the conclusion that there is nothing more sensible than to delight in obeying God’s law. When we live within the limits of these provisions of God’s mercy, then the enemy has no rights or grounds to enslave us in bondage – we are free! To walk about in such freedom is a totally liberating experience which brings a smile to our faces, a spring to our step and a rejoicing heart. Nothing gives me more joy than to see the changes in people’s faces when they begin to walk about in the freedom that confession, forgiveness, deliverance and healing always brings. No wonder Isaiah prophesied that the Sovereign Lord was coming to set the captives free! (Isaiah 61:1)

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that in Your Word You have given us the keys of salvation and that when I choose to walk in Your ways, then I will always know the freedom that only You can give. Help me, Lord, to remember Your laws and rejoice to walk in them forever and ever! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Psalm 119:44-47, NIV
“I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before Kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them.”

For the past twenty seven years I have watched as people have come through the doors of Ellel Centres around the world on their way to Healing Retreats, Training Courses or Conferences. It doesn’t matter which country you are in, or which people group they are from, when you look at their faces you can so often see that they have been on a journey through life. Some of the battle scars they have picked up along the way are evident! It is sometimes clear that, for various reasons, they haven’t been walking about in freedom.

The whole of Psalm 119 is about the laws and the precepts of God – about how precious they are, about how when we follow them, they give us wisdom beyond the intellect of man. In these remarkable verses from this, the longest Psalm, the psalmist expresses a core truth which lies at the heart of much of the healing that people receive when they come in humility and submit their lives to the scrutiny of the Spirit of God, letting His Word and His truth be the arbiter of what has been right or wrong in their lives.

Pride would want us to adjust the implications of Scripture to make it look as though we are never wrong. Humility recognises that in our heart there is a constant vulnerability to temptation and that when we succumb to it then we sin – the fact is, sin has consequences. We cannot walk about in freedom when we have been bound by the consequences of our own ungodly choices – choices which are contrary to the laws and precepts of God.

No wonder the Psalmist came to the conclusion that there is nothing more sensible than to delight in obeying God’s law. When we live within the limits of these provisions of God’s mercy, then the enemy has no rights or grounds to enslave us in bondage – we are free! To walk about in such freedom is a totally liberating experience which brings a smile to our faces, a spring to our step and a rejoicing heart. Nothing gives me more joy than to see the changes in people’s faces when they begin to walk about in the freedom that confession, forgiveness, deliverance and healing always brings. No wonder Isaiah prophesied that the Sovereign Lord was coming to set the captives free! (Isaiah 61:1)

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that in Your Word You have given us the keys of salvation and that when I choose to walk in Your ways, then I will always know the freedom that only You can give. Help me, Lord, to remember Your laws and rejoice to walk in them forever and ever! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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“He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the dimly burning flame. He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been wronged. He won’t be satisfied until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth, nor until even the distant lands beyond the seas have put their trust in him.”

I was trying to light the fire one night and decided that it had gone out, but then I heard a tiny crackling sound. It looked dead and there was no light. Suddenly I saw a spark, then another, then nothing. I was tempted to give up. I knelt down and gently blew at the heart of the pile of sticks and paper, and then waited. After a while there was a curl of smoke and I could still hear a slight crackle, then there was a red glow. The red ember ignited into a flame and it soon became a roaring fire.

Jesus doesn’t quench a dimly burning flame of response. It doesn’t matter how small it is. He notices and cares, and his Holy Spirit will encourage even the faintest heart cry.

When we are trying to spread the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, even though there may seem no life in someone, we should not give up but ask the Holy Spirit, who knows their heart, to reveal any spark of response or whisper from that one that may be on the brink of coming to life.

Paul tells us to ‘stir up the gift that is within us’, that was given to us by the laying on of hands, by meditating, teaching and encouraging one another (1 Timothy 4:14).

There must be more than this, Oh breath of God come breathe within.

Lord let your Glory fall; Lord let your Glory fall.

Consuming Fire by Tim Hughes

Prayer: O Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit who yearns over us. Stir us deep within, that our love may be a burning fire for You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Ellel 365 – Online Training School

Shepherd Love Series – by Pam Smith