christian devotions

The Sabbath, Egypt and God’s Deliverance (Deuteronomy 5)

Egypt Deliverance Sabbath

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

In the new covenant we often don’t give much place to sabbath and how it relates to us. We often associate the sabbath with the excesses of the Pharisees and their regime of rules that went with it.

But are there sabbath implications for the new covenant believer? Of course there is.

One of the purposes of the day of rest laid out in this passage is very relevant to us today. It is an opportunity to stop, remember and reflect on deliverance of the Lord that brought us out of Egypt.

Remember, each believer has been delivered from Egypt – spiritual Egypt where we were in bondage to sin in our old, pre-Christ life. Before Jesus, we lived under heavy bondage to sin, slaves to Pharaoh (satan) and on the path to destruction. But, “the Lord your God brought you out”!

Why do we need to stop, remember and reflect on this? There are many benefits for us to do this. Here’s three:

To Give God the Praise He is Due – we need to continue to marvel at the wonder of His amazing Grace
To Keep a Believing Heart Soft – Israel were condemned for their unbelief because they overlooked the deliverance of God
To Prepare us to the Promised Land – we all need regular “life” maintenance and readjustments to keep us on course for the purposes of God.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you and praise you for the gift of my salvation. My heart is moved and thankful for all you’ve done. I love you and worship you Lord. Amen.

The Temptation of Balaam (Numbers 22)

fame temptation

Numbers 22 verses 15-17 says:

Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. ¹⁶And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, ¹⁷for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’”

The scheme of Balak is the same scheme that the enemy uses today. The enemy is not a creator, he is a copier. Because of this we can learn to identify how the enemy works from the examples in the Word.

The scheme of Balak is to appeal to the flesh that desires esteem and honour in the sight of others. This scheme seeks to woo the flesh. It appeals seductively to the desire for “fame”.

All of us want to do well in life. It is a normal desire to want to achieve and this in itself is not a bad thing. But it must be tempered by other, more important values and priorities. These include a love for God and for others. A desire to walk by faith in obedience to God. Humility and service. Faithfulness to the full range of our responsibilities.

Where things can go astray for us is when we are seduced by the promise of popularity, acceptance and fame and so compromise our other convictions.

The scheme of Balak says “Do what I want and people will love you, you will be thought of more highly, it will be great for you – BUT you need to do what I say”. This same temptation is found all the way back in the garden of Eden and is ever present today.

Resist this temptation by submitting to God, holding fast to your convictions and believing the truth of God’s word over the lies of the enemy.

PRAYER: Father, I choose to submit myself to you today. You are my Lord and my saviour. Lead me into all truth. I choose your way over the lies and temptation of the enemy. Thank you for your grace in Jesus name, Amen.

Between the Living and the Dead (Numbers 16)

fire

Numbers 16 verse 48 says:

And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

The grumbling of the people of Israel had kindled the wrath of the Lord against them. As a result, a plague was sent against them.

But Moses acted as an intercessor for the people and told Aaron to take a censer full of the alter fire to the people to make atonement for their sin. As Aaron rushed to do this and avert the wrath of God, some were already dead as a result of this plague.

But then, the plague stopped.

Like Aaron, we carry the censer of the gospel that is able to stop of the plague of sin in the lives of people all around us. Like the people of Israel those all around us are oblivious to the seriousness of our predicament. People are under a curse of sin and, unless there is intervention, it will end in death.

But just like Moses intervened on behalf of the people, so too Jesus is our great deliverer.

Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection, breaks the plague of sin and, in fact stands between us and the wrath of God.

Like Aaron, we are carries of the remedy and the intervention of God to man’s problem. Where ever you go, you carry that solution by the Holy Spirit.

Who is God send you to rescue from sin? Who has God surrounded you with, in need of salvation?

PRAYER: Father, thank you for your precious son Jesus who has rescued me from sin. Help me to see the plague of sin and those you have sent me to rescue in Jesus name. I ask for boldness, faith and strength to do your work, in Jesus name, Amen.

The Open Hand of God (Psalm 145)

Psalm 145:16 & 18 says:

You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing…
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

Everything you need in life is found in the hand of God.

Stop, and read that again. You need to believe it!

There is nothing we need or desire that can’t be met from what we find in the open hand of God.

The Lord opens His hand to us. That means He is willing to give. He’s not reluctant. His hand is open to you.

But for us to receive from Him we also need to open our hands. If we hold too tightly to what we have in our lives right now, how can we receive anything further for the future? If we are clinging to what we think will fulfil our desires, how can we receive that which truly will fulfil them?

How do we attain this?

Verse 18 says “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him”. If you want what God has in His open hand, you need to call upon His name.

There is no good waiting for God to drop what you desire into your lap when He says He holds it out for you to grasp. What you need is right there! Just call upon Him, ask Him, enquire of Him, and see Him fulfil it.

What is it that you truly desire? And what is the deep need that is behind that desire? Let the light of God reveal it. Now, do you believe you can find that in God – or do you need to go hunt for it yourself?

God is not a scrooge reluctant to give you that which will satisfy you. Our problem is what we believe will satisfy us. We seek the wrong things when God promises all that we need and all that will satisfy is in His open hand.

PRAYER: Father, I renounce every lie that says you don’t have what I truly desire. I chose to believe your word and align my heart and soul under the leading of your Spirit. I ask you for everything I need to be truly and deeply satisfied. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Nature of God’s Power (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Power On Button

Ephesians 3:16-21 says:

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Many of us love the demonstrations of God’s power at work in our lives or in the lives of others in the church. But do we understand the nature of God’s power? Do you comprehend clearly the purpose and work of the power of God?

1. The Power of God is for strengthening the inner man (v16)
The power of God is always redemptive in nature, never is it demonstrated just for show. When a Christian is strong spiritually (inner man), then they are able to effect maximum redemptive benefit for the Kingdom.

2. The Power of God is so that Christ may dwell in our heart (v17)
The work of salvation was performed by Jesus. But we experience the living reality of salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is His power that works within us, transforming our hearts.

3. The Power of God enables us to comprehend the incomprehensible love of God (v18-19)
The love of God is not an idea to be understood it is a truth to be supernaturally known. Our minds can’t comprehend all that God has done for us. But by the power of His Word and Spirit we can KNOW the God who is love.

4. The Power of God enables me to go beyond me (v20)
When the power of God is at work within my life I have a power working in me that is greater than my own abilities and strength. God’s power enables me to exceed my earthly limits, beyond even what I can imagine!

5. The Power of God brings glory to God (v21)
The working of God’s supernatural power in my life elevates and amplifies the magnificence of God. It is not about making me look good or for my profit alone. It is about Him getting His glory through my life.

PRAYER: Father I ask you for a fresh infilling of your power in my life. I rely on you Lord for your strength to be made known in me. Thank you Lord I receive it by faith, in Jesus name, Amen.

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