“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” Joshua 9:14
Who hasn’t received an e-mail or a phone call with an offer that sounded too good to be true, but was really just a scam. Many people have been deceived and have ended up losing a lot of money as a result.
God had just given Joshua and the Israelites great victories over Jericho and Ai. The men of Gibeon were filled with fear that they would be defeated as well, so they put their heads together and came up with a great idea. They came to Joshua, pretending to be from a great distance and desiring peace.
Joshua took their story at face value, and agreed to make peace with them. His big mistake was that he did not consult with the Lord first. Just think how he must have felt when he learned the truth and realized he had just been taken in by a scam.
As I read this story, I realized that many times we find ourselves in trouble, because we make decisions without praying about it first. Sometimes when we have had a time of victory and blessing, we may just coast along on that, and neglect to seek God about everything in our life. It is always important that we pray first, before making even minor decisions.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to always seek you first in every decision we make, because you know what is best for us.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” Psalm 34:5
Another translation of the Scriptures reads: “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
Have you ever watched someone receiving the Holy Spirit, their face just seems to glow with the presence of God? At that moment, they are completely shut in with the presence of God and are almost touching heaven. Their hearts are fully open to all that the Lord has for them, and their faces reflect His glory.
When we yield our all to Jesus, we have no reason to be ashamed. No matter what has transpired in our lives, what circumstances we have faced, when we repent and turn to Him, He forgives and He wipes it all away. We do not need to fear what others think about us. Our hearts have been cleansed by His precious blood, and He makes our face to shine with His glory.
Prayer: Lord may your glory be reflected on our faces, that others may desire to know You.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” Exodus 16:4
When the children of Israel were traveling through the wilderness, God sent them food from heaven. They were instructed to gather it every day, just enough for what their family needed. The only exception was that there would be none falling on the Sabbath, so they had to gather twice as much the day before. The Scripture speaks of some who didn’t listen to this and went out to gather on the Sabbath, and found nothing.
Just as we need natural food every day to be strong and healthy, so our spiritual lives need the daily communication with the Lord by reading His Word and spending time in prayer. My son teaches his church that they need a “slot and a spot”. It is very beneficial to have a place and time where we shut ourselves in with the Lord and communicate with Him. We need this to face the problems and circumstances of life. How much better our day goes, when we seek Jesus in the morning.
Prayer: Lord I thank you for the privilege of coming before you every day, to listen to your voice, to read your Word and bring my requests and praise to You.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.” Matthew 9:30-31
Jesus had healed two blind men and He instructed them not to tell anyone about it. Can you imagine how happy these men were to have their sight given to them. Their whole life was changed, they could see the beauty around them. The things they had only known by touch, suddenly became visible. They could see the face of their loved ones and friends.
How would it be possible for them to keep quiet? It would be obvious to everyone they met that a miracle had taken place. Everyone would be questioning them as to what had happened. So, it was understandable that they began to tell everyone about Jesus and what He had done for them.
Jesus has done great things for us. The salvation He gives us is a greater miracle than receiving natural sight. Like the blind men, we should be telling our story to others, so that they too might know the joy we have.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for giving us spiritual sight, help us to proclaim it to the world around us.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” Psalm 104:33-34
When the Lord created man in the beginning, He could have made us in such a way that we would be forced to do whatever He wanted. But instead He gave us a free will. He only gave Adam and Eve one rule to follow, and they broke that. How much different it would have been if they had made a choice to obey God rather than disobey Him.
Serving the Lord today is a choice we make. We decide to lay aside our own will and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in everything we do.
Worshipping and praising God is also a choice. In the different circumstances of our life, we decide—to grumble and complain about our lot, or to praise the Lord for His blessings and His guidance, knowing that He knows what is best for us. He will never allow anything to come our way, that He does not give us the strength to bear.
I choose to worship God, how about you?
Prayer: Jesus, you have met us so many times in the past, and we will praise and worship you, knowing that you will see us through every situation.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” I Thessalonians 2:19
Winning souls for the Lord is a joint effort. When someone prays for a person, the Lord may direct someone else to invite that person to church. A Sunday school teacher or a minister brings forth the Word of God in a way that convicts them of their need of a Saviour.
Someone from the congregation may speak a word of welcome and encouragement to let them know that Jesus loves them. Others say a special prayer for them. These things working together with the tug of the Spirit of God cause the person to commit their life to the Lord.
There is no greater reward than to see someone whom we have had even a small influence on, commit their life to the Lord. How thrilling it is when we come in contact with them years later and see they are still living and working for the Lord.
Prayer: Lord Jesus may I always be seeking a way that I may help some soul find You, and serve you fully.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” Psalm 108:1
Singing is very much a part of worshipping the Lord. I hate it when I have a cold or sore throat and cannot sing in church without coughing, it just seems like the service is not the same. Sure, we can worship the Lord from our hearts, even though we cannot use our voice, but there is a special feeling when we join our voices with the rest of the children of God.
But, like the Psalmist, we can sing from our heart, even though no sound comes from our mouths, because our heart is fixed on the Lord. He knows our every thought and hears praise coming from our hearts, even though others around us cannot.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the song you have put in our hearts, a song of praise for all that you are and all that you have done for us.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:12
As I read this verse, I think about all the trees, grass, and flowers that God created, and I realize that God loves colour. Just think of the variety of flowers He created, from pale white to deep purple violets, the deep yellow of the daffodils, the many shades of orchids, and we could go on and on.
I am writing this on the first day of spring. We have had a lot of snow, but it is gradually melting away. Right now everything looks drab, but soon the green grass will appear and then flowers will begin to poke their way through bringing colour to our world.
Today, my sister and I went shopping to find some bright touches for my apartment, just to make it more cheerful. Soon we will put away the darker coloured clothes of winter, and bring out the summer wear.
We need to keep some colour in our lives. Spring is a good time to take inventory, do some spring cleaning, get rid of thoughts and feelings that may be a bit drab, and let the Holy Spirit infuse our souls with a fresh anointing.
Prayer: Lord, search our hearts today, let the warmth of Your Holy Spirit make us over anew.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” Psalm 107:29
I recently heard a beautiful gospel song entitled “The God of the Storm.” I can’t remember all the words but some of them were, “troubled waters of danger set a stage for His feet, I’m peaceful in the midst of danger and harm, beneath the safe cover of the God of the storms.”
I was reading the story in Mark about Jesus telling His disciples that they were going to the other side of the lake. When the storm arose, He was asleep in the back of the ship, but the disciples were afraid and woke Him, asking Him if He did not care. He asked them why they did not have faith, and He stilled the storm. They should have realized that with Him in the boat they had nothing to fear.
Another line from that song says, “when the winds of confusion have gone on all night long, take shelter and rest with the God of the storm.
I am so thankful I know the God of the storm, and that He is always there.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you are the God of the storm, you are always in control, and when we call out to you, you bring peace.
Devotion by Anne Johnston