The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
(John 4:49-50 - NIV)
In this passage we read about a man who requested Jesus healing power while in Galilee. He heard Jesus has just arrived and needed his son to be healed who was closed to death. At the request, Jesus told him to go because his son was healed. The official did not debate whether or not it actually happened, nor did he insist Jesus enter his home to see his son. He took Jesus at His word and the report came back the son was healed the moment Christ spoke.
How many things has God spoken into our lives that we just need to take His word for. Too many times we need to see mountains moved, or sky open up, or the sea part into two for us to acknowledge the workings of God. I have found that as soon as a question arises in our spirit, the answer is there as well. It is our journey to find the answer and apply it. Once we make our request, depart the throne and embrace the blessing He spoke over you.
Yes God can come down and intercede on every matter, but we must prove ourselves worthy through our faith. If we can not understand His working in the small, we will not appreciate His work on a larger scale. He has spoken healing over your life and the life of your loved ones. Take His word for it, trust His wisdom and lean on His own understanding and go back and live your life. Do not rest on the hurt, be motivated by the healing. God wishes to do extravagant wonders in your life, but you will never see them if you cannot learn to appreciate the small, simple everyday blessings. Be bold in asking for blessings and be bold in believing it has already came to pass.
RDB
Friday, 12 August 2016
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
Daily Devotional - August 10th, 2016
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
(John 4:23-24 - NIV)
In this passage, Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. He tells her of a water that will never have you thirsty again, one that will give you everlasting life. He then compares how the Samaritans worships and how the Jews worshipped. The Samaritans worshipped what they do not know, whereas the Jews worshipped what they do know. The Samaritans worshipped on the mountains of the forefathers, whereas the Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. The Samaritans searched for salvation, whereas the Jews believed it is theirs. However Christ came to tell us about the kind of worshipers The Father truly seeks, those who worship in spirit and truth.
What Christ is teaching us is simple, where you worship is no longer important, that traditions used for worship is no longer important, who you worship with is no longer important. The most important way to worship is with sincerity, spiritually, and love.
We must be sincere in what we say. No longer is it suffice to just recite a prayer, but we must pray and confess from our hearts. We must say what we mean and mean what we say. He knows the hearts of men, He knows what troubles us, He knows what drives us because He placed them all there. To not acknowledge that is to ignore The Hand of God moving in your life.
Also, we must worship in spirit, acknowledging that there is a spiritual warfare against us, and that we are unequipped to win that battle. We must call on the Spirit that rose the dead, healed the sick and feed the hungry to intercede on our behalf. When Jesus died He destroyed the "temple" and it was restored in three days. Whereas He was referring to His body, the shroud that separated the Holy of Holies was torn. This symbolized that the presence of God no longer only resided in Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant, but with all of us. That is why we each must take up this spiritual journey to find the purpose God has placed in all of us, harness it and display it for the world to see.
Lastly, worship must be done out of love. Far to often we worship out if obligation or tradition. But, if we look at the sacrifice Christ made, it was out of love of us, not obligation to us. He owed us nothing, yet He gave us everything. All He wants in return is love. For God is love and if we were made in the image of God that means were are love ourselves. Manifest your true self and put that on display everyday. Release fear, jealous and doubt as they are spirits of the world. Harness the love that is within you. Let you light shine, so that others will see and let their own lights shine.
Once we remember the true purpose of worship, to give honor and glory to God through love and spirituality, as well as remember God is a part of every person we see, we will understand how to truly worship. Worship is not limited to a few hours on a specific day, at a specific place. Worship is loving your neighbors, loving your enemies, helping those who cannot help themselves, guiding , mentoring teaching and most importantly loving. For God is love and we were made in His image, therefore let us greatest form of worship be the level of love we show ourselves, our fellow neighbor and ultimately our God.
RDB
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
(John 4:23-24 - NIV)
In this passage, Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. He tells her of a water that will never have you thirsty again, one that will give you everlasting life. He then compares how the Samaritans worships and how the Jews worshipped. The Samaritans worshipped what they do not know, whereas the Jews worshipped what they do know. The Samaritans worshipped on the mountains of the forefathers, whereas the Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. The Samaritans searched for salvation, whereas the Jews believed it is theirs. However Christ came to tell us about the kind of worshipers The Father truly seeks, those who worship in spirit and truth.
What Christ is teaching us is simple, where you worship is no longer important, that traditions used for worship is no longer important, who you worship with is no longer important. The most important way to worship is with sincerity, spiritually, and love.
We must be sincere in what we say. No longer is it suffice to just recite a prayer, but we must pray and confess from our hearts. We must say what we mean and mean what we say. He knows the hearts of men, He knows what troubles us, He knows what drives us because He placed them all there. To not acknowledge that is to ignore The Hand of God moving in your life.
Also, we must worship in spirit, acknowledging that there is a spiritual warfare against us, and that we are unequipped to win that battle. We must call on the Spirit that rose the dead, healed the sick and feed the hungry to intercede on our behalf. When Jesus died He destroyed the "temple" and it was restored in three days. Whereas He was referring to His body, the shroud that separated the Holy of Holies was torn. This symbolized that the presence of God no longer only resided in Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant, but with all of us. That is why we each must take up this spiritual journey to find the purpose God has placed in all of us, harness it and display it for the world to see.
Lastly, worship must be done out of love. Far to often we worship out if obligation or tradition. But, if we look at the sacrifice Christ made, it was out of love of us, not obligation to us. He owed us nothing, yet He gave us everything. All He wants in return is love. For God is love and if we were made in the image of God that means were are love ourselves. Manifest your true self and put that on display everyday. Release fear, jealous and doubt as they are spirits of the world. Harness the love that is within you. Let you light shine, so that others will see and let their own lights shine.
Once we remember the true purpose of worship, to give honor and glory to God through love and spirituality, as well as remember God is a part of every person we see, we will understand how to truly worship. Worship is not limited to a few hours on a specific day, at a specific place. Worship is loving your neighbors, loving your enemies, helping those who cannot help themselves, guiding , mentoring teaching and most importantly loving. For God is love and we were made in His image, therefore let us greatest form of worship be the level of love we show ourselves, our fellow neighbor and ultimately our God.
RDB
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Daily Devotional August 9th, 2016
But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'"
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."
(Judges 13:7-8 - NIV)
In this passage, we learn about the origin of Sampson, a man known for his strength and ability in battle. He was born to parents who were unable to have children for years, however an angel of God came and told them of the child they would bear. They also received strict guidelines on how to keep the child pure and dedicated to God. Manoah, Sampson's mother, prayed for guidance on how raise the child in the way instructed in order for him to reach his full potential. God sent the angel, he taught them, and the applied the lesson to their child and the rest became legend.
This story can be used to describe a pivotal part in our lives. You are Manoah and Sampson represents the talent you have inside of you. For years you worked unfulfilled, accepting the fact that you are barren and will not birth dreams, will not birth ideas, will not birth purpose and passion in the world. You accepted the fact that you were just meant to survive. But a man of God came and told you that you are meant to thrive and you are to expect a child. He told you that there is something working on the inside of you and it is meant to do great things. However there are stipulations. You must protect it against the vices of the world. You cannot allow it to be intertwined with the unclean. Lastly it must be dedicated to God. But once you do that, like Sampson, your purpose will bring great glory and honor to The Father through herculean feats that only can be attributed to God.
However, like Manoah, we must realize that we do not have all the answers. In our humility we must ask the Father for guidance on how best to complete this assignment. He will then send persons to help us along the way to keep us focused. They may not be in the form of angels, but they will be in the form of mentors, teachers, advisors, friends, family and confidants. He will strategically send persons to guide us through this journey. once we admit we cannot do it alone and ask. Therefore, are you going to believe the messenger when he tells you God has a higher purpose for your life? Are you going to follow the guidelines laid out? Are you going to admit that you cannot do it alone and need guidance? Are you ready for the magnificent work that is to be born, be great and bring honor to God in your life? If this is so, then begin to walk in your purpose and allow God to work through you.
Rodney D. Bain
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."
(Judges 13:7-8 - NIV)
In this passage, we learn about the origin of Sampson, a man known for his strength and ability in battle. He was born to parents who were unable to have children for years, however an angel of God came and told them of the child they would bear. They also received strict guidelines on how to keep the child pure and dedicated to God. Manoah, Sampson's mother, prayed for guidance on how raise the child in the way instructed in order for him to reach his full potential. God sent the angel, he taught them, and the applied the lesson to their child and the rest became legend.
This story can be used to describe a pivotal part in our lives. You are Manoah and Sampson represents the talent you have inside of you. For years you worked unfulfilled, accepting the fact that you are barren and will not birth dreams, will not birth ideas, will not birth purpose and passion in the world. You accepted the fact that you were just meant to survive. But a man of God came and told you that you are meant to thrive and you are to expect a child. He told you that there is something working on the inside of you and it is meant to do great things. However there are stipulations. You must protect it against the vices of the world. You cannot allow it to be intertwined with the unclean. Lastly it must be dedicated to God. But once you do that, like Sampson, your purpose will bring great glory and honor to The Father through herculean feats that only can be attributed to God.
However, like Manoah, we must realize that we do not have all the answers. In our humility we must ask the Father for guidance on how best to complete this assignment. He will then send persons to help us along the way to keep us focused. They may not be in the form of angels, but they will be in the form of mentors, teachers, advisors, friends, family and confidants. He will strategically send persons to guide us through this journey. once we admit we cannot do it alone and ask. Therefore, are you going to believe the messenger when he tells you God has a higher purpose for your life? Are you going to follow the guidelines laid out? Are you going to admit that you cannot do it alone and need guidance? Are you ready for the magnificent work that is to be born, be great and bring honor to God in your life? If this is so, then begin to walk in your purpose and allow God to work through you.
Rodney D. Bain
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