Early childhood memories find each of us standing on the starting line. We can still hear echoes of the physical education teacher’s voice carrying above the excitement of the students. “On your mark, get set,” then the shrill whistle mobilizes all and the young charges storm toward the finish line.…
“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37 I love reading scripture in different translations! This verse for example breaks it down so simple for us. Despite anything this world may throw at us, we have OVERWHELMING victory. What an incredible thought…
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19b I read this quote recently: “He who walks in prayer shields his soul from the enemy.” What does it mean to walk in prayer? I know people…
“For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lion and serpents under your feet!” Psalms 91:11-13 When…
Victorious. It is a word that we mutter under our breath as we face every sort of adversity and trial that comes our way. I will be victorious. It is almost as if we try to convince ourselves that we will overcome … that our children will serve the Lord…
“For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what you did unto the kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.” (Joshua 2:10…
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!” (Revelation 12:11-12a in the New King James Version of the Holy Bible). There…
“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” II Kings 16:17
This month we have had a lot of rain, rivers have overflowed their banks, and many people had to evacuate their homes. In some areas, a state of emergency was declared, and a request was made for the army to send troops and equipment. It is great to know that they are available for situations like this.
Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the Syrian army, ready to take their lives. Elisha told his servant not to fear because they had more on their side than the enemy did. He asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes, so that he could see the horses and the chariots of fire which surrounded them, greatly outnumbering the Syrian host.
The Commander of Heaven’s Armies has trained troops ready and waiting for a call for assistance from His people. Our God has not changed. Everything we need is ready and waiting for us to call. No matter what circumstances we face, all we have to do is ask, and the Lord will hear our cry, calm our fears, and give us the victory we need. All of Heaven’s great army is at our disposal.
Prayer: Lord, help us always to remember that you are ready to hear our call and send us the help we need.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“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