Keith Edwards May 12th Devotional

Read:

Matthew 14:14 - "Jesus...saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick"

Luke 7:13,14 - "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her...and he said...'Arise'"

John 4:35 - "Look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

If I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times - "Where's the power of God today". Believers all over the country are flocking to seminars and conferences on how to retrieve the old-time power back in our churches and ministries. Dozens of formulas have been presented that explain the loss of power as a lack of faith, a lack of prayer or maybe a lack of praise and worship. Then, upon getting these areas back on track, healing and delivering power are guaranteed to come back into your hands when you touch the sick.

However, according to the above Scriptures, the reason for the absence of power is not just a lack of faith or a lack of prayer but a LACK OF CARE! It was compassion that proceeded the above mentioned miracles - enough compassion, in fact, to MOVE the Lord! THE POWER IN HIS HANDS STARTED WITH THE BREAKING OF HIS HEART! I'm not so sure if many would come to a seminar for power today if they knew that they would have to "hurt" before they could "help"!

Sometimes, we have to use several extension cords to connect a power source to a power need. In these two accounts in Matthew and Luke, there were TWO cords from the One who had the power to the one who had the need...and this second cord of heart-moving compassion for many today in our fast-paced culture has come unplugged! We don't really mind praying for the sick - we just don't want to get so involved!

And the first cord before compassion is simply "LOOK"! I think that cord has not only been unplugged but wrapped up and hidden somewhere! Oh how quickly we change the TV channel when the hungry-children commercials come on! We dare not tarry and LOOK at someone troubled in a hospital waiting room, lest we become moved and get involved! But Jesus LOOKED! He opened His eyes and His heart to the full intensity of the need in front of Him.

In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us to look at something else...the harvest. He was actually talking about the Samaritan woman and her neighbors that were about to experience salvation (in an Old Covenant way), and He was calling them a "harvest". He looked beyond their ethnicity and viewed them spiritually, as God sees them - the harvest! We are to stop overlooking people (ignoring them as though we didn't know they were there) and we are certainly to stop "under looking" people or looking at them as something less than they are.

Exodus 2:11 - "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and LOOKED on their burdens..."

Yes, Moses was willing to look and willing to get involved...but only with his own view and his own feelings. His well-intentioned efforts ended up in murder and him running for his life. God then had to hide him away for 40 years in order to show him the bigger picture - how GOD saw things, how GOD felt about them and what GOD intended to do. God saw more than just one Hebrew being abused. He saw a nation that needed to answer their calling, as well as other nations (Egypt and the nations of Canaan) that needed to answer for their idolatry. Moses' passion was not deep enough or wide enough to cover these other parts of the whole. With God, it is always bigger than just the immediate need in the particular individual in front of us! As Moses took on God's will in his fresh "look" at the situation (Exodus 3), then and only then was Moses ready to have divine power!

So where's the power? Its all in the look!

Comment by Keith Edwards

I want to encourage you today to "look" at what is around you. Ministry is all around us, but so many times we turn the other way. This devotion from Joel Hawkins really compels me to pay attention to ministry that is around me. It may be baking a cake for someone who is sick, reaching out to the downcast, whatever it may be, there are hurting people all around us that need that compassion of Jesus stretched there way.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will forgive us for not looking at ministry in our day to day routine. We want to be used by you Lord, but we don't want to get our hands dirty at times. We don't' want to reach out the that homeless man that needs a touch, that mother that is trying to support her child, or that orphan that needs a hug. Help us to see ministry around us, Amen.

by Joel Hawkins and Keith Edwards

May 11th Devotional

Read:

Philippians 2:5

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Also Read:

1 Corinthians 11:1

1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ

We are living in a generation that has lost the importance and revelation of how God builds and the model of the cross that we should follow. The church has taken in paradigms that are not godly but rather humanistic and gnostic. We have lost the paradigm of the cross of Jesus Christ, and how we should follow Christ as He laid down His life. Like the Gnostic's, we have a revelation of Christ living within us, but it is more of a concept and teaching rather than knowing Him and the power of His resurrection. Within us is often a collection of teachings and our dedication to them, rather than to our risen Lord Who lives in us. The New Testament paradigm of the Cross and the risen Lord should be the focus of our devotion everyday. I find myself loving the idea of God at times, rather than keeping that pure devotion with Him, and then I have to repent and return to that first love with Him. The teachings that many minister's hold to and "defend" can be totally orthodox, but they lose the paradigm of love that Jesus portrayed, the sacrifice that He gave, and the ministry that He poured out to many. It seems to me that many minister's try and add to the gospel, and the paradigm for us to follow is so clear, yet we make it difficult. We can't build a paradigm upon a paradigm, and we can't change the gospel to make it fit our own agenda and what we think is right. Many churches have lowered the standard of what there church is to follow, and they make it an easy gospel. A paradigm is an example and model to follow, and the very foundation that was laid for us by the apostles, prophets, and Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone is the very foundation that we need to follow today. I have minister friends over seas that are powerful minister's of God, and I see a vast difference between some minister's here in the United States and those from overseas. I think that the biggest reason for this is that they haven't been tainted by other paradigms, but understood right off the bat that ministry is just following what Christ Jesus did. I think that one of the major errors we have gotten into, including me, is defending the gospel with the wrong approach. Sometimes we get so caught up with what we think is right, and we lose sight to what needs to be done to transform our nation, change our community, and make disciples. It is very important to defend the gospel and to flow in our gifts and callings. I'm just saying that we need to get our priorities in order as the church and understand that the new testament model for the church is to minister to our community and have outward ministry. It is extending our hands outside the four walls of the building and winning souls, feeding the poor, and making disciples, but yet done with love. It is following the paradigm of the cross. We've done all but make disciples. We have our programs, agenda's, and other things, but our focus needs to be on the Kingdom of God. I want us today to have a fresh insight as to what God has for us, and to ask God today to place us where we need to be as we play our part in following the cross.

Prayer:

Lord, we repent for any other paradigms that we have allowed in our lives, if any. Show us Lord if there is any way in us besides your way, and give us a fresh revelation of the only paradigm and foundation that we need to follow today, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

The Mercy Seat May 10th Devotional

Read:

Romans 3:25

25 Whom God put forward before the eyes of all as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.

The greatest thing that a Christian can learn in his or her walk with the Lord is having a deeper revelation everyday of Christ, and His death, burial, and resurrection. What we focus on through prayer and worship is very important how deep will can enter into the holy of holies. The bible says that because of Jesus shedding His blood upon the mercy seat of God, it appeased the wrath of God upon man. God now sees us as righteous by the blood of His son Jesus Christ. The Greek word for propitiation is hilastarion, and it means mercy seat for our sins. The secret for walking in the spirit is by first submitting to what God has already done for us. We need to walk in that which we have recieved. In the old testament the priest would take the blood of animals and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat upon the ark of the covenant. This would not take away the sins completely, but it would cover their sins temporarily. The priests would have to do this periodically for the sins of Israel. Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, and through our faith in this revelation will come a deeper revelation of how God really sees us through our worship and prayer. Christ' death and resurrection caused us to be a child of God now. I want us to focus on how much God really loves us today. He loved us so much that he allowed His very Son to die upon a cross for us. Christ' blood satisfied God, and now we are righteous by that ultimate sacrifice. Another thing that the propitiation of the blood upon the mercy seat did is cause the Holy spirit to come and indwell within us as believers, which Jesus told His disciples would come after He was crucified. When Jesus blood satisfied God it brought forth the anointing.

prayer:

Lord, we enter in your holy of holies by that precious blood. It's only by that blood Lord that we can enter, and your blood heals us, delivers us, and saves us. Thank you for that blood you shed Jesus, and as we offer up incense of worship to you today let your glory so fall upon us as your children and priests of your holy throne, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

Keith Edwards May 9th Devotional

Keith Edwards May 8th Devotional

Read:

Luke 22:20

20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The seven redemptive names of Jehovah reveal the fullness of the gospel blessing. All that the New Testament provides for the believer is found in these seven covenant names, and that blessing that is represented by each name has all been provided by the shedding of Jesus' blood. This is the revelation of the Blood Covenant. The Lord is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is present, Jehovah Raah, the Lord our Shepherd, Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our victory, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace, Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, Jehovah Tireh, the Lord our provider, and the Lord Rophe, the Lord our healer. Let us appropriate these blessings by faith, and they shall become ours in power. The seven redemptive names of Jehovah give us a special revelation of Almighty God, and they reveal the covenant. They describe for us the redemptive nature of God, and when we meditate on these facts, they will be our strength in time of need. The bible is Gods' revelation of Himself to the believer.

Comment by Keith Edwards:

Today I want us to focus on Gods' name in a deep and powerful way. The bible says that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and they are saved. The Hebrew word for name is Shem, and it means the nature and character of God. The Hebrew word for tower is Megdawl, and it means to elevate one to a high place. We are elevated to a high place in God's name, and His name is food for our soul, and it gives us that desire to walk in His Spirit.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will elevate us to a high place in your name today. We desire Lord to get a deep revelation of who you are in us by that blood covenant, Amen.

by Drew Kaylor and Keith Edwards

Carnal Christians May 7th Devotional

Read:

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

In our Christian walk we are going to face challenging times as a believer. None of us our exempt from trials and proper growth in the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 3 we see that Paul was talking to Christians who had strife and other things in the church. He exhorts them to repent and to be the temple of God. In the last part of the chapter He talks about the judgment seat of Christ and how God is going to judge us according to our motives and things we have done in our body while here on earth. The judgment seat of Christ is for believers, and the Great White Throne judgment is for unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ has nothing to do with heaven or hell like the Great White Throne judgment will be about, but it is about what we as Christians have built upon the foundation of Christ, and what we built that was not pure. We are all going to have bad and good motives judged. The Greek word for carnal here in verse one is adelphos, and the definition is a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection, an associate in employment or office; Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place. I have heard minister's teach that a carnal Christian is an unbeliever, but this is not scriptural. I'm not teaching in this devotion that you can sin and do anything you want to without any repentance, I'm just saying that we all have things we deal with, and if we don't let the Holy Spirit shine down upon that sin, we will not be fit for the Kingdom of God here on earth. It also says in verse one that carnal Christians are babes in Christ. I don't know how more relevant that can be to let us know that we can walk in the flesh and not be walking in the Spirit by His Grace. We will fall from God's grace when we start looking to the law to be made right. To fall from God's grace is to start looking to the law and our own self works to be made right with Christ, and when we fall from grace we will be a carnal Christian condemned and not free in His truth. It will make us feel unworthy and our joy will go down the tubes. This tells us that we can be a babe in Christ, but God wants us to grow in love towards fellow believers. God wants us to allow His Spirit to sanctify us and make His name attractive by walking in holiness. If we continue to have a mixture of carnality in our walk with the Lord, the Lord will discipline and chasten us to produce fruit, and those spankings from the Lord doesn't feel good at all. He has a way of dealing with us as His children. I want to encourage us as the temple of God to walk in the spirit and put aside our carnal ways. Lets grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and lets be a reflection of the one who saved us by His grace.

Prayer:

Lord, heal us today by your mercy and grace to put aside every weight and sin that so easily weighs us down, causing us to walk in carnality and not producing fruit as a true believer. We repent Lord for not walking in the Spirit as your disciples. Give us a fresh revelation that we are your temple, and that we need to shine the light for those in darkness, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

by Mel Montgomery and Keith Edwards May 6th Devotional

Read:

11 Corinthians 4:4

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

As the last days wind down, with the Unrighteous drawing closer to Satan and to the Anti-Christ in their thinking and affections, what little light they do have grows darker and darker. Every sort of wickedness, lewdness, and dishonesty that used to seem to them to be objectionable, now for some reason, no longer seem so bad. Darkness is becoming normal to them. While darkness is enveloping the Wicked, the exact opposite is occurring with the Righteous. For us also, the Last days are winding down to their ultimate conclusion. We too are going through a metamorphosis. We are cocooned in the person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit surrounds us and is fulfilling scripture by leading into all truth, teaching us all things, and bringing to our minds all that Christ commanded us (John 14:26) We are not being conformed to the image of this world, but are being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). We are going from glory to glory (11Cor. 3:18). Light is normal to us, and we welcome it. We love the one who is the Truth; so naturally, we want to know the truth in all situations. One day, we also shall emerge from our cocoons, but not to give ourselves over totally to evil and rebellion against God as shall the Wicked. When we hear the Last Trumpet, our bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies, and we shall rise to meet the Lord in the air, and ever shall we be with Him (1 Thess. 4:16). In the meantime, as we prepare to receive our King, the light, the truth, holiness, purity, righteousness and all of the other attributes of Christ become more precious and normal to us. There is a deep desire in our hearts to meet our Lord soon, and to be the Church without spot, or blemish, or any such thing, that He desires us to be (Eph. 5:27). He is holy; therefore, we desire to be holy.

Comment by Keith Edwards:

I want to encourage us today to realize that we are cocooned in the person of Christ Jesus. We are enveloped within Him and He within us, and we will one day be totally transformed into a glorious body in Heaven. We are living in a time where the enemy is trying to thwart the gospel and bring the gospel down lower and lower. The bar of Christianity is no longer set where it once was, and the very tactic the enemy uses in these last days is the weapon of doubt and lack of revelation of who we are in Christ. If he can steal that revelation of us being cocooned in His power, then he can stop the flow of hope that we cling on to in these wicked times.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will bring us back to the level we need to be at in You. Help us Lord to reflect Your nature. We desire to know you more as we seek you, Amen.

by Mel Montgomery and Keith Edwards

Our God Delights In Us May 5th Devotional by Sandy Groom

Read:

Psalm 18: 16-19

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Wow! Our God delights in us.

No matter how difficult the situation, Our Lord is here, ready to reach down and pull us out of the overwhelming pits of life. He takes hold of our hands and carries us to safety. He cares for us in love and kindness, because he delights in who we are. We find shame in this world in so many places. Messages that we are not okay, not worthy, don’t belong… These negative messages are often instilled in our minds from an early age. This is especially true in homes where abuse and addictions work to destroy the family. Our view of others, ourselves and the world, changes when we are hurt by others. We may view the world as a dangerous place, or we may see ourselves as incapable of handling difficult situations. Often times we begin thinking that God is angry and displeased with us; that he thinks of us as unworthy of his love. We may believe that God will be disappointed and turn his back on us for feeling low, depressed or anxious. Yet in those moments of great need, when we’re hurting and feeling desperate, our powerful, loving God gently holds and supports us. Even when others confront us with harsh words, telling us that we are wrong, or mistaken, or unworthy, our Lord adores us and is ready to rescue and protect us. He smiles on us with delight. During times of depression in my own life, I felt that God must be ashamed of me for feeling down, anxious and afraid. I saw depression and anxiety as terrible sins, and thought the Lord would punish me in hurtful ways. Learning that God feels my pain, loves and delights in me even when I am hurting, was a big part of my own healing. I wanted to draw close to the God who looks at me, feeling my pain, with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

comment by Keith Edwards

There are times in our Christian walk when we need to just open our heart to Father God and let Him wrap His loving arms around us. God knows our struggles and pains, and He knows exactly what we need to pull us through. Faith is not always on the mountain top. It can be in the valley, and in those valleys the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to get us through. Reach out today in whatever you are facing, and let God love us and guide us through it all.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for delighting in who I am. Thank you for being a kind, loving, heavenly father, who forgives me and rescues me when I call out to you. Lord, I call out to you now with my need, knowing that you hear my cry and take joy in helping me.

by Sandy Groom

May 4th Devotional

by Keith Edwards

May 3rd 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

Anguish Of My Soul May 2nd Devotional by Sandy Groom & Keith Edwards

Read:
Psalm 31: 9-10, 14-16
“Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak…. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.’”

Have you ever felt so much pain there were no words to describe how you felt? You may even be feeling this way right now. There are times when the distress and hurting seem too great to bear; when we grasp for words to describe the depth of our pain. David used the word “anguish” in Psalm 31 to describe the pain he was experiencing. He described his strength failing, his body and soul weakening, and anguish consuming his entire being.

David is considered a great pillar in the Bible, the “Greatest of the Kings of Israel,” and “A Man after God’s Own Heart.” Yet he experienced times of deep pain, distress and agony. David had many troubles throughout his life. King Saul sought to kill him; his daughter was raped by her brother, Ammon, who was later killed by another son, Absalom. Later, Absalom conspired to take over the kingdom, causing a brief yet deadly civil war, and another son died as a young infant. No wonder David described himself as broken pottery.

David describes emotional flooding when he states "My life is consumed with anguish." When our emotions flood with sadness, grief, anger, anxiety or fear, we become paralyzed, unable to think clearly, make decisions,or take positive steps to change difficult situations. But we can interrupt the flooding by holding on to the fact that our Lord knows our pain and hears our cries for help. David states, “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help” (31: 22). As David change his focus from his own pain, to the Lord’s love, protection and deliverance, he was able to remind others of God’s faithfulness. He states, "But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand...(31:14-15a). David cried out to the Lord for help, yet he also held on to the knowledge that the Lord "saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul" (31:7).

When we cannot find the words to describe our pain, the Lord knows exactly how we feel. When we do not know how to pray, the Lord prays for us. Romans 8:26 tells us that “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Our Lord knows exactly what we need, and prays for us, even when we cannot find the words.

comment by Keith Edwards

As Sandy mentioned here in today's devotional, when we cannot find the words to say, God in His infinite mercy and love can reach out to you today and fill you with strength. Sometimes we just need to not say anything at all. It's alright to just close our eyes and meditate on His character and power. It's alright to be honest with the Lord and tell Him, "I have no strength left in my soul Lord." Bring all of your needs to Him today for He is willing and able to help you.

Prayer:
Jesus,I cry out to you for help. I am hurting Lord, and sometimes my emotion floods my soul. Yet you are God and I choose to trust in you. You know my needs completely and take joy in delivering me. My times are in your hands Lord. Please lead and guide me. Thank you for your kindness and protection. I can rest in your unfailing love, knowing that you have heard my cry and delight to help me.

Jesus Knows Our Struggles May 1st Devotional by Sandy Groom and Keith

Read:

Isaiah 53:5

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus knows our struggles. “He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.” He knows exactly what we are going through today, what we experienced in the past, and everything we will experience in the future. He walks with us through the dark and miserable times as well as the beautiful times. Jesus holds us in his hands with love and empathy; but he does not stop there. He died an agonizing death to set us free from the horrible consequences of sin, to cleanse us, heal us, and make us whole. He bore all of our pain, distress and sin on the cross.

Why is it so important that we be clean and holy? Because we cannot have fellowship with him without being completely righteous. He is pure and holy, and we must be holy and pure to enjoy friendship with him. Our wrongdoings separate us from the Lord. Isaiah 59:2 explains that our sins have separated us from God. Yet Jesus is our righteousness if we believe and ask him into our lives. 2Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

It is amazing! Our Lord longed to have fellowship with us. He desired to pour his love and life into us and be with us forever. He wanted to have an intimate relationship with us so much, that he was tortured on the cross to set us free from sin. Isaiah 53 describes Jesus as being pierced, crushed, wounded, oppressed, afflicted, stricken, and a guilt offering for all mankind. He did all this so we can be in his presence. He took upon himself all of our infirmities and sorrows, so we can experience his amazing love and healing.

We can feel unworthy and undeserving during times of anxiety, depression, physical limitations and chronic pain. Traumatic experiences, such as child abuse and domestic violence, often cause us to feel dirty and ashamed. Yet God thought us worthwhile enough to give his life for us, and to live in us with all his righteousness and healing power.

Are you hurting today? Do you feel unworthy of love, or ashamed of who you are or have become? Let Jesus come inside, wash you white as snow, and heal you. Let him fill you with his love. Sometimes he heals us quickly, sometimes healing comes as a journey, and occasionally it comes through endurance and long perseverance. Yet no matter how the healing comes, Jesus walks with us and fills us with his strength and comfort each step of the way. He draws close to us, smiling upon us in love, yet always feeling our suffering.

Comment by Keith Edwards:

I want to encourage you today to take the words from Sandy seriously and remember, God loves you so much. I also want to encourage you today to let the Holy Spirit touch you and heal you completely. There is no problem to big God can not solve it. There is no mountain too tall God cannot move it. There is no storm cloud to rough God cannot calm it. There is no "heartache" too deep God cannot heal it. Friend, if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulder, I know that He can carry you today.

April 30th Devotional

Read:

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

April 29th Devotional

Read:

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

April 28th Devotional

Read:

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

I can see Peter's heart drop when Jesus spoke these words. One moment Jesus is telling Peter that he is a rock, the next moment he is rebuking him. Peter struggles time after time with his own flesh and the thoughts that the enemy comes at us with. It is all with good attentions of course. After all, Peter was just concerned with Jesus not dying a horrible death. We see Peter pulling Jesus aside and trying to persuade Him not to go the way of God. We do this. We may not do this in a church setting, but we do this at times in our walk with the Lord. We pull Jesus aside and say, "Lord, I can't die to this flesh." Lord, I don't think that I should go through this trial the way I am going through this trial." The greatest stumbling block is our self. It is our mind, and I want to encourage us today to keep our mind fixed upon Christ Jesus. Lets keep our mind on the things of God instead of the things of men. It's amazing to see how God would wrap His loving arms around Peter even though he knew that Peter would deny him, rebuke him, and do other things that would cause us to think, "Jesus would never forgive this thing." God sees potential in us, and we need to let Christ do that perfect work in us. Lets let God do things His way in our life today, and lets remember that we need to carry the cross of Jesus in our walk with Him.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you shed light upon our hearts concerning your work in us as Christians. Help us to have a healthy repentance in our day to day walk, and help us to lay down this flesh when it starts to rise up against your work in us. We need you Lord today, and we ask this in you name, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

April 27th Devotional

Read:

Ephesians 2:21

21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

So many in the church today doesn't understand what the church is really all about. They think it's going maybe a few times a year for certain functions. It seems like it's all about programs and shows in most churches today. The church was never supposed to be like an organization. It is a people who have been washed in the blood of Jesus and going forth to make disciples, be a temple that is built upon the foundation of Christ, and going forward outside the four walls of the church. The four no more! It's time that we get outside the four walls of the church and touch our community in a great way. It's time that we use what we have been taught in the church, and do the works of Jesus in this hour. The church is not a building or steeple. It is a people going forward to make new converts and grow in Him. Scripture teaches us that the minister's in the church equips the body of Christ to go out and do the very works of Jesus. Unfortunately, the pastor in some churches is doing everything and the sheep are just sitting in there little pew getting spiritually fat. Maybe you have been caught in a complacent spot today. You go to church, but you feel like you are not part of the body of Christ. I want to encourage you today to get connected like never before. Find that place in the body of Christ. If you haven't been born again you can today so that you can be a part of the body of Christ. It doesn't stop though with salvation. We should be a living epistle as a part of a local body going forward and advancing God's kingdom in a mighty way. It's surprising to me how many churches don't see outside there little church. They have there own agenda, and God is wanting His temple to shine outside those four walls. He wants us to extend our love for God to a hurting generation. The four no more.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you help us to see outside the four walls of the church. Help us Lord to be a true follower of you, and help us to see what you really called us to, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

A Night With God April 26th Devotional by Ravi Kapoor & comment by Keith Edwards

Read:

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I was on my way home on my Kinetic Honda after visiting my friend’s house late in the night. The air was cool; the road was narrow and stretching long. As usual my gearless scooter was puttering along the tar road. A while later I felt something wrong. I felt the scooter dragging. It felt like the tire was going flat and sure it was! My scooter tire was punctured. I got off my scooter and started pushing and I knew right there I had to push it all the way home in the dusty dark night. It was a lonely road. There were no houses around. The place wore a deserted look. I knew I was very far away from my house. I could not imagine I had to push my vehicle now all the way home. I managed pushing it some distance but pretty soon I was feeling very tired. My muscles were aching. My body was sweating. I could not push any further. I knew I could easily let frustration mess my mind at this point as I had no other way except to keep pushing. But something within me said, “God is with you”. I was at peace. I felt God was with me in the dark, lonely and tiring road. I felt an inward peace though externally I was tired. I thanked the Lord for whatever purpose he was allowing this for. It was not going to be easy as I was going to discover soon. Many times when we are alone, tired and suddenly find ourselves in a troubling situation we often tend to think it’s an attack from the evil one. We panic. We get scared. We start binding the evil in the name of Jesus. We easily give into the idea that every tough, hard situation is somehow orchestrated by the devil. But that is so far from the truth. God does allow situations in our life to prove his power on our behalf. We who are children of God are drawn in his palm. Over the years I have gone through so many experiences that overtime I have learnt to be at rest in Him. We can rest in the knowledge that God is our loving heavenly daddy! I have experienced His pattern of working in my life. Now, strengthened with my Lord’s presence I began to push my vehicle with greater confidence. It’s not easy pushing a vehicle when the tires are flat. It was exhausting as I kept pushing the scooter but I was thanking the Lord and kept talking to him. I was whispering to the Lord, “Lord, it’s ok, yes, I am tired, but it’s ok. You do what you want in this situation. Just give me some extra strength to keep moving” And on I went with my dialogue in my head with the Lord. After pushing for a while no one stopped to help me. When God has his way, he often does things in different ways which is beyond our knowledge. He has a greater plan to accomplish and the temporary inconveniences work for a greater good. My inner strength surged along with a deep assurance and for a while I forgot my tiredness. I was joyously breaking into a song as sweat drifted off my face. I sang, “No, never alone, no never alone, He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.” I finally pushed to a place where I saw a hotel apartment and my heart leaped in joy. I pushed my scooter towards the gate and asked the security guard if I could park for the night and pick it up next day. But he was rude and not cooperative. I kept calm. I did not react. I again requested him to see if I could speak to the manager. Hesitantly he agreed and got the manager out. The young looking manager came towards me. He saw me helpless, tired and worn out. The sweat had my shirt stick to my body. I asked him if I could park my punctured scooter for the night. He looked at me and said, “Ok, you can park your vehicle for the night but you have to pick it up next morning.” I felt God had prepared this manager to help me. I did not know why. I felt God was in this. I asked him his name and he said, Joseph. With tears in my eyes I said, “Joseph, I am a man of God and I just want to tell you that the Lord is so pleased by your kindness and help. He will surely bless you.” He smiled. After parking the scooter I started walking back home. I could not get any bus or any means of transportation and I kept walking. A few walks later, God intervened to stop a moving van and the driver offered to give me a ride home. I got home and I was so bone tired I wanted to hit the bed. Deep down my heard I felt a great rest. I felt calm and a delight surround my soul. In the midst of a hassled night and was rest assured God had worked his plan, dozing off to a peaceful sleep. The next morning, I went to the hotel and picked up my vehicle. Before heading home I left behind a New Year greeting card with a message for the kind manager Joseph. After the day’s ministry when I came back home I checked my emails and lo and behold I saw a mail pop up from Joseph, the manager who helped me park my vehicle. Joseph wrote: “Pastor, you thought your scooter got punctured by accident. No, God had a plan. He brought you to me and that’s why you had to go through that hard experience in the night. I have been in deep pain and agony. I was in tears. I had nobody to share. I have been weeping and asking God for help. I was at the end of the road and the Lord saw my tears and sent you to me. Your coming was an answer to my prayers.” Joseph went on express his problems and I prayed with him. The situation turned into a huge blessing for Joseph ministering to him through prayers. I was profoundly moved by this experience. It made me realize that my scooter incident was a huge plan in God’s mind. He had allowed it to minister to another child of his in problem. The Lord saw that Joseph was in tough situation and needed help. He sent me there. Oh, what a privilege it is to be in the plan of God and to be used by him. Had I had called my other friends for help on the night of my scooter getting punctured I would have missed ministering to a child of God in a desperate need. Sometimes we have to go through hard situations for the Lord to accomplish his plan in our lives. Being in the work of God is not an easy thing. There is a price to pay. It is the way of the cross. Without a cross there is no crown. We should always be available to God for his use, and His eyes are searching to and fro throughout the earth looking for people who are available for him to use. There are many people who are in tears, broken, hurting and wounded in body and soul. We need to be the hands of God to reach out and touch them with the love of God.

comment by Keith Edwards:

There are times in our life that we can't figure out why in the world is God allowing me to go through this mess in my life. I have found also in my life that sometimes God allows us to experience side roads to help others in need. Jesus was always doing this. He was always reaching out to the hurting and to the broken. I want to encourage us to let the Lord take us on this journey with Him, and to hear His guiding voice, even if it is on a dark night with God.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you use us in a great way by hearing your voice. Guide us and direct us by your spirit, and allow us to extend your love to the hurting and those in need, Amen.

by Ravi Kapoor

April 25th Devotional

Read:

Zechariah 4:6,7

6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. 7 "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!' "

Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you said, "I have no strength left to continue on." You've done great things for the Lord, and there has been unbelievable things happen in your life, but you feel you can't continue with what God has got for you. You are tired and exhausted by the hammer of life, and every swing of that hammer just brought you to your knees in complacency. Zerubbabel is feeling this here in the rebuilding of Jerusalem. They have laid the foundation, and there has been a fifteen year delay in the reconstruction and they are tired. Zechariah is a prophet of God that sees a vision and is awaken by the angel of the Lord. The angel of the Lord tells Zechariah to tell Zerubbabel that the work of the temple will go forth and will be completed. The mountain in verse seven was symbolic to Darius I who made a decree that the work on the temple should cease. Zechariah spoke to Zerubbabel that this mountain will become plain and that the chief capstone, which refers to the chief top stone or the crowning of the building, will be laid by the builders with shouting of grace. Is there a Darius in your life. I feel like the greatest Darius that is in our life is our own will and sin in our life. It is our flesh that screams out, No! It is our own desire to do things contrary to what God wants. If you have gotten to a place in your life where you don't feel like you can go on, I want you to shout grace in your mountain. I want you to scream to the Darius in your life, whatever that Darius or mountain in your life may be. Hear the words of Zechariah the prophet today in the growth of your temple corporately and individually, and realize that God is almighty and more powerful than any King, any situation, or any devestating decree. You may have had words decreed over you that has paralyzed you spiritually from walking in the Spirit and doing the things of God. The decree for you today as a Christian is, "Begin To build again!"

Prayer:

Lord, we ask that you will breathe a fresh breath of your spirit upon us to build and grow in you as your temple. We need your grace to speak grace Lord, and we need your power to speak to the Darius in our life. Let your power be with us as we put the capstone that is engraved with the words, "return to that first love." Amen.

by Keith Edwards

The Foggy Mirror

Read:

14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

One day I was driving down the road and looked into my side view mirror. It looked really foggy and for a moment I thought that my car was smoking, but realized as I looked closely at the mirror, it was just needing to be cleaned. How many times do we look at things that are not really there? We see things that maybe the enemy put before us, our own natural ways of thinking, or how even preachers in the pulpit portray our perspective of how we should see ourselves in Christ Jesus. God wants us to see ourselves in Him as righteous by the blood of Christ, above and not beneath, and having the power to overcome the flesh by walking with a revelation of who we are in Him. I want us to see things in a different light today. Let's see ourselves how God really sees us, and lets realize that we have the very mind of Christ to discern and know God's love for us. You may see alot of smoke in your side view mirror today. It could be alot of smoke from your past failures, or it could be how the enemy wants you to look at things. Remember, the past is the past and we need not look at the things that have been put under Christ' blood.

prayer:

Lord, we come to you in you mighty name and ask that you give us a fresh perspective of how you really see us. Let your spirit quicken us today to see how you see, and to have your eyes to help those in need, Amen.

by Keith Edwards

April 23rd Devotional

April 22nd Devotional

Read:

Galatians 5:1-6

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

How many times do we hold on to prison bars in our christian walk with the Lord. Imagine us holding on to some prison bars, yet no bars in the back of us or on either side of us, and then all of the sudden we hear God speak very sternly, "Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!" So many times we feel so condemned and feel like we can't live up to the expectations that maybe a preacher, friend, or the enemy himself puts before us. The question is, "do we live out our christian walk to stay out of hell?" or do we live out our born again experience because we "LOVE" God? I can remember getting born again and again and again and..we'll you get my point. I'm not going to debate on this devotional about whether I believe in eternal security or whether I don't. This belief that you can lose your salvation at a drop of a bucket can make a christian literally lose there mind. I can remember getting baptised so much I knew the fish by name lol. I think that both sides of theology can get crazy. They are so right in what they believe, and both sides can get nutty. I'm not saying that we are to live a lose lifestyle. Scripture tells us that we are to live a holy life so that the world can see the fruit, but you can't grow in the Lord if you are feeling condemned all of the time, or if you are holding on to some prison bars that God never attended for you to hold on to. There is a time for preaching hell to those that don't know God, but if we are preaching hell hell hell to the church that has truly repented then I promise that they are going to be feeling pretty bad by the time the next Sunday service comes there way.Can you imagine Jesus asking Peter, "Peter! do you love me. Then beat my sheep! No, Jesus never attended for preachers to flog the goats but to feed the sheep. Now there is a time for correction and exhortation from pastor's and those spankings can hurt, but it is done out of love. I've got alot of spankings from minister friends and from God Himself and man does it hurt, but God will do it in love. If we can submit to God with some rich devotion and prayer everyday, then we will begin to act out good works. We have to submit and let God work through us. God does deal with us as we walk with him, and that will cause us to feel some pain within our soul at times. We have to let God do a work in us so that we can grow with Him. For we are in Him and He is in us to work through us mighty things. Let's let go and let God.

Prayer:

Lord we ask that you reveal your love to us in a deep way. We want to walk in the spirit and we want to walk in holiness, but sometimes Lord we feel so condemned and we feel like we can't measure up to the things that only you can do through us. We love you Lord and we need you so much in our life. We submit to you now with all of our heart, mind, and soul in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

by Keith Edwards

April 21st Devotional by Heidi Edwards

Read:

April 19th Devotional

April 18th Devotional

Devotional Scripture:

Philippians 1:6

6 He who begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

It's cold and lonely and you get lost in a snow storm losing your way. It's been about two days, yet you don't know for sure how long it's been since you have wandered away from your car. Then after a long ordeal of discouragement you come across a trail that you recognize and look up and to your surprise you see your car sitting there about a hundred yards from where you are standing. How many times do we get off track from the destiny trail that god has got f0r us here on earth and we find ourselves wandering around in pain and misery. You have a dream and it seems like one door after another slams in your face time and time again. Sometimes we pave our own path and impatiently try to fulfill a dream or even our calling that God may have for us, and remember that just because you may be in a rough place at times on your way down the right path that God has got for you doesn't mean that God can't use you right where you are at. God does deal with us in that self-made path that we put yourself in from maybe some wrong choices or impatience, whether it is a job situation, ministry position, or any other place we don't want to be in. We can learn from Jonah to prove it. God's got a plan for all of us, and as long as we keep our eyes on Him we will get back on the right path and continue to walk with Him. As our daily devotion, worship, and prayer life increases so shall the destiny and gifts that God has got for us begin to unfold right before us, yet it is a choice everyday to walk in the spirit. If you have gotten off course it's not too late for you. You may stumble along a wrong path for a while and can't seem to find your way, but God is right there to help you. You have to fix your eyes upon the very thing that will get you back on track. Sometimes we get to a place where we want to give up completely and all of the sudden we look up! and there is Jesus standing there holding our hand, guiding us, directing us, and loving us right back down that path we need to walk down. Philippians 1:6 says that He who begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. We have to trust in the fact that God is able to open doors, step across boundaries in certain situations to fulfill our earthly destiny.

prayer
Lord we come to you today and ask that we will keep our eyes on the road that you have paved for us. Give us direction Lord to walk in the way that you desire for us. Forgive us if we have gone our own way as a child will do at times, and give us revelation of why we are here in the first place. We surrender our whole life to you in Jesus name we pray, amen.
by Keith Edwards


Please view this video after reading this devotional and think upon how you are God's chosen child as you walk down that road He has for you, and just remember that when you are at that crossroad in your life you can let God guide you back to that place in Him. He can calm the storm in you and you can call out to Him now.

April 17th Devotional

April 16th Devotional

by Keith Edwards

April 15th Devotional

by Keith Edwards

April 14th Devotional

by Keith Edwards

April 13th Devotional

April 12th Devotional

Read:

John 4:24

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Today I want us to focus on worship. The Lord wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The definition for truth here in John 4:24 is the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians. We need such a revelation through our worship and adoration to our Lord Jesus Christ. What we focus on through our revelation is the difference between hearing God's voice, and not hearing His voice clearly. In this type of worship will come a strength within us to understand His will for us here in our lifetime. I have found that as I worship the Lord and sit at His feet, there is such a fulfilling of what sometimes we seem to miss in our Christian walk with Him. What are you thinking about in your worship? Have you gotten to a place where you think about all of the things you have done and haven't done as you come to the table of worship? Have you gotten to a place where you think upon the things of God only, instead of seeking His face first and foremost in spirit and in truth. I know I need to get to this place in a deeper way, and it is such a crucial place to be in as we go through this life. Lets bring to the table of worship a revelation of the cross, the blood that was spilled upon the cross, and His resurrection. This attitude of worship will bring forth a mixture of character and integrity within us to produce pure fruit and make disciples.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask for such a revelation of who you are and how you see us today. Let our worship be pure Lord before you, and we desire to find that first love for you increase day by day as we walk this journey with you. We repent Lord for thinking upon the wrong things in our worship. Cleanse us by your blood, and touch our lips by your spirit to speak your truth to a corrupt generation.

by Keith Edwards

Keith Edwards April 11th Devotional