Saturday, September 11, 2010

God In America September 11th Devotional

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As I was meditating on the powerful words from great leaders of our United States of America, I couldn't help to feel a great great pain within me. I began to shed tears from reading the words I believe was straight from the heart of our Father God. Today I want us to read about the leaders of our country who had some guts to stand up for America. I think we need the voice of Abraham Lincoln screaming out to our nation today, "Keep The National Day Of Prayer!" I don't know how long God is going to tolerate this nation under whatever it is under, but I don't believe that God wants us to give up just yet. Lets not put away our bible in hoplessness, and just look up to the heavens alone and wait on the Lord to return. We need to have a desire for Christ to come back for His church, but we still have a bit of work to do yet. I believe that God is wanting us to reflect today on great men who couldn't have spoken prophetically any clearer for what we need today. I feel the pain in me as I am writing this devotion. I beg you church to kneel with me right now in prayer for our nation, and after this prayer I'm about to write below this devotion, I want you to look and reflect on some great words our leaders have spoken for America. Let's pray.

Prayer:

Lord, we come to you in your precious name for America. Forgive us Lord. Forgive us Lord for not be concerned for our next generation. Forgive us Lord for being complacent in the church and not reaching out to the community as a whole. We repent Father God for where we have gotten to, and ask that if there is any glimmer of hope left for this nation to reach down with your mighty hand and touch this nation. Help us to have a backbone to speak truth in your mighty name. We do pray for our president of the United States, and we ask that you plot new Christian leaders in Congress to stand up for God in America. Amen

From George Washington's "Inaugural Speech to Both Houses of Congress," April 30, 1789:
"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes....No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. . . . We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps finally, staked on the experiment, not to mention Abraham Lincoln honoring the national day of prayer, Warren Harding speaking of his conviction that the fundamental trouble with the people of the United States is they have gotten too far AWAY FROM GOD. Dewight D. Eisenhower spoke that the purpose of the United people was set forth in the pages of the BIBLE, and the bible continues to inspire us.

by Keith Edwards

Friday, September 10, 2010

To Embrace September 10th Devotional

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3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.

There are times as Christians when we have to wait patiently for something to come to pass in our lives. Many believe that you can just snap your finger and boom! there it is. sometimes God does bring forth a miracle or answer right away, but sometimes it may take some time to materialize in the natural. Notice here in Habakkuk that God tells him that the vision will come at an appointed time. Habakkuk is really upset about what is going on, and he starts questioning God about why is this happening to your people? Where are you Lord? Why are the wicked prospering and we are just out there in the cold it feels like? I think that Habakkuk's' name says it all. His name means to embrace. Whatever we face in life we need to embrace Christ in the middle of the things that come our way. The greatest weapon the enemy throws our way is darts of thoughts and speculations in our thinking. I know that I have had these kind of thoughts come my way over the thirty years of knowing God. If God is really real then why does God allow evil in the world? If God really exists then why does He seem to ignore you? If God really exists then......and on and on it goes. There's nothing wrong with being real with God and asking Him questions that are in your heart, but we don't want to let the devil steal the word from our heart by speculations and questions that keeps us from embracing the cross each and every day. I want to encourage us to embrace Christ Jesus today in your devotion. Embrace the cross like never before in a world that is much like the world that Habakkuk was in the middle of. Embrace His love and His ways today, and remember, God will bring our visions and our dreams to pass at the appointed time.

Prayer:

Lord, help us today to be real with you. Help us to ask you questions from our heart, but not let the questions take over our devotion with you. Sometimes Lord we don't understand why you do the things you do the way you do them, but we worship you today with a whole heart. We wait patiently today for you to help us in every area, and we thank you for the mercy and grace in the middle of you perfecting that which concerns us, Amen.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Side Roads September 9th Devotional

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Proverbs 4:26

26 Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.

One day I was walking my two kids down some trails behind our house. We have a large amount of woods, and my kids love to take walks with the dog. We walked about twenty minutes, and when we got to the other side we ended up at a house just a few houses from our house. I told my kids to turn around and lets go back down the trail we came from because it was getting dark. On the way, my little boy tripped over some branches, lost his shoe, and got stuck with some thorns. My little girl was tripping over some branches as well. As we got down the trail a little ways, my little boy looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said, " I love you so much daddy!" My heart just melted, and in return I told him that I love him also very much. Immediately I began to think about how we as Christians take detours and it takes much longer to get to a certain place that God wants for us. It may be a character growth in our walk, placement in the body of Christ, or sin in our life that needs to be dealt with by the Holy Spirit. How many times does Daddy God have to take us by the hand and walk us down that same path time after time? Many times it is our own will wanting to take control, and our own will will cause thorns, unnecessary trips along the way, and heartaches. I want to encourage you today to walk down the road with God, and guard your heart as you walk with Him. There are trials of thorns, trips etc. that happens in our walk with Him, but the unnecessary pains can cause such a delay in the destination God has got for us here on earth. Many times we find ourselves getting tired and weary, and we find it got so dark down that long trail. We can't find our way back down that road God paved for us because we paved other roads on our own. The enemy wants to steal that word from our soul down those side roads. He wants us to walk down that same trail over and over again tripping over branches of life not bearing fruit for the Lord. I also want to encourage you today to realize that God still loves us even when we are on a detour. He loves us so much that He gave His life for us on the cross. Look up to Daddy God today and tell Him you love Him. I know you'll hear His voice speak back to you if you will just open your heart to Him.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will hold our hand in the middle of those detours that we might walk down. Help us to listen to your direction by crucifying our own will. We ask Lord that you will give us a revelation of who you really are

by Keith Edwards

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

It Is Finished September 8th Devotional

Read:

Matthew 27:51

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

Also Read:

Matthew 27:54

54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

There are many things that happened when Jesus took His last breath on the cross. Jesus hung there, and He took all of the sin for us upon that cross. The bible says that we have been crucified with Christ, baptized with Christ, and risen with Christ as new born again believers. How many times though, do we really repent of our sins, are washed in His blood, but somehow down that road of salvation start loosing that focus and revelation of what Christ really did for us on that cross. I know I do at times, and I have to get back in pure worship with Him completely or my joy will go down the tubes, my lack of hunger for God's word will not be pure, and the enemy will attack us with thought after thought. One day I was in my devotion with the Lord. I saw an image in my head of the veil. The veil that I saw in a vision was the Lord's body being torn spiritually upon the cross. Then I saw the actual veil in the temple of Jerusalem as well. I looked at the veil and it was only torn about seventy percent of the way down. I asked the Lord, "what is this?" I felt like the Lord was telling me that many who have truly repented don't have the full revelation of what I did for them, and neither do you son." I had to repent for not walking in the revelation that the veil of the temple was torn, I was buried with Him, and I was resurrected with Him. The torn veil gave us entrance now to enter into the most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus Christ. The bible tells us in Hebrews that we can enter boldly into this place by the blood. Thank God for the blood that was spilled for us, but we really need to thank God for the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can quicken unto us our position in Him. I want to encourage you today to see yourself complete in Him. See yourself today as God sees you in Christ Jesus. I want to yell a word to you right now by the spirit of God. IT IS FINISHED!

Prayer:


Lord, forgive us for not walking in the victory of what you already did for us. So many times Lord we try and put you back on that cross. Help us see us how you see us by your spirit, and help us realize today that It is finished, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Being Able To Discern September 7th Devotional

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12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

According to George Barna, 45 percent of all born-again Christians believe if people are good enough they can earn a place in heaven. This is a denial of the central issue of the Reformation, of which the born-again movement today is heir. Barna's research also shows that one-third of born-again Christians do not believe that Jesus was sinless or that He was bodily resurrected from the dead. That means that one-third of those who call themselves evangelicals deny the central belief of Christianity. Similarly, George Gallup reported in 1999 that 20 percent of self described born-again evangelicals believe in reincarnation, 26 percent in astrology, and 16 percent have visited fortuneteller. The Spiritual Marketplace, says that one-quarter of born-again baby boomers claim to communicate with the dead. I say we are living in some current dark ages, and God has been raising up some Martin Luther's in the church to bring forth a balance and repentance to the body of Christ. Another incident happened when a certain actor was on a christian television show, and this particular actor played in a Christian oriented show. But the fact noted on the Christian show that this particular actor is a new thought minister who believes, according to the Christian Research Institute (CRI), that every person is part of God(pantheism) and who rejects Christ's unique divinity and atoning sacrifice on the cross. According to the CRI report, She explained her spiritual beliefs while the host nodded approvingly and offered no objection or biblical perspective. The audience applauded and cheered as the false religion began to rise up more powerfully right in the middle of the church. Discernment? Where have we gone to church? It's time that we seek God's truth like never before, and it's time that we get back to the principals and elementary gospel so that we can righteously discern the mixture that has infiltrated the gospel.

Prayer:

Lord, forgive us. Forgive us for not being able to discern between good and evil. Let your spirit rise up within us, and let your word so fill our hearts that we will allow the Spirit of your Resurrection to reveal that which needs to be revealed and discerned, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

Monday, September 6, 2010

Road To Apostasy September 6th Devotional

Read:

Jude 1;3

3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

A writer said one time: "That the apostasy of the early church came as a result of a greater desire to see the spread of its power and rule than to see new natures given to its individual members. The moment we covet a large following and rejoice in the crowd that is attracted by our presentation that we considered truth, and have not a great desire to see the nature of individuals changed according to the divine plan, we start to travel the same road to apostasy that leads to Rome and her daughters." This is so true for how the church can fall from God's first love and how she can be more concerned with power rather than concern for lost souls. We see this in some of the prophetic and apostolic movement. They are more concerned with the gifts' of God versus the giver of those gifts. A minister said one time that, "You know that God is in the midst when miracles and great things happen." Although this can be true, the greatest way you can tell a true revival is the repentant hearts of the people concerning our next generation, our nation, and concern for God's heart. If we put this as first priority then the gifts and power of God will be pure. We need to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints and stay true as the bride of Christ. I want to encourage us today to keep Christ the center of our life in every area, and let Him bring forth the glory in His way and His timing.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will forgive us for loving the power more than loving you and what you are concerned with. Help us to keep our hearts fixed upon you in such a great way, and give us your heart for your temple, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

Sunday, September 5, 2010

He's Got The Keys September 5th Devotional

Read:

Matthew 27:52

52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

Also Read:


Revelation 1:18

18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

It's good to know what Jesus really did for us on that cross. What Adam and Lucifer did was beyond what we can even imagine. God allowed a trust to be there for Lucifer and Adam, because fellowship can't be true without a will and a trust that can be broken. God didn't set Adam and Lucifer up for a fall. He didn't create them and say, "Now I want you to sin Adam!" Go ahead Lucifer! Do your thing. God didn't want any of this to happen, but it did. Gods' heart was so broken when this happened. That trust was broken. God had a plan though, and He told Satan in Genesis 3:15 that He was going to bring forth a seed that would crush the power that he had. Thank God that Jesus has the keys of death and Hades. Hades was a place where the saints of old were until Jesus died on the cross. His death brought forth a power that shook not only the earth, but scared the devil to death. I believe that every demon in hell shook with terror when Jesus took His last breath on the cross, and Jesus holds the keys. I remember meditating on this subject about the cross and how the devil wanted Jesus to die on that cross and that would be the end all. I fell asleep, and in a dream there were these people who didn't believe in God. I was the only one in the room that believed in Christ. The people in the room were Satan worshipers, and they shouted, "God is dead!" God is dead!" I immediately shouted back to them and said, " God is not dead but He is alive!" He is alive!" Then one of them brought a book to me and showed me a picture. In this picture was Jesus on the cross with demons rejoicing and dancing around the cross. I stood up and preached to them that God is not dead but He is alive and He was resurrected. Then I felt a hand grab me and pull me out of this room. I believe it was an angel. This angel took me outside and said these words. "Son, they don't understand that Jesus really died and is alive. Satan wants everyone who will ever be born to believe this lie, and many do. I awoke to realize that Jesus is alive, He does have the keys, and He was resurrected. Thank God for the resurrection today. I want you to realize and have a revelation today that Christ Jesus does live and He can strengthen you today in whatever you are facing. You can have hope today that there is a living God not only in the heavens, but within us.

Prayer:


Lord, we ask that you will give us that revelation that you do live. You are alive and you live within us as believers. Help us to cling on to the resurrection like never before, and help us to draw strength from you today. Thank you Lord for what you did on that cross, Amen.

by Keith Edwards