A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:69 To forge a lie someone must first have the material, after a few alterations the rearranged truth will even be believable by the lier. Only by having the precepts of God anchored in the heart can one stay stable in such a perverted world as the one we like to call home.

Good Morning

For the next two Saturdays I will be out of touch, this will cause me to send out the emails on Friday evening. I seldom ask for prayer, but if you think of it I will be re-certifying both weekends for my EMT license and you could pray for this to go smoothly and that I would pass all of the tests and practical events. Thanks. Many of us these days have concluded that we are sinners first, rather than saved and have a new nature. We say things like; “well I am not perfect and I sin” or “I am a saved sinner” These statements often open the door to more sin, I mean after all! I started out a sinner, but I am going to die a saved sinner. You know sort of like having a license to sin. I am reminded of Romans 6:1-14. I especially like verse 11 where we are to consider ourself dead to sin and alive to God. Now how many of us wake up in the morning with that thought. “I am dead to sin, but I am alive to God, through Jesus Christ our LORD. I would guess that many of us do not even know this portion of scripture, much less have it at the forefront of our thinking. Another passage that come to mind is; Galatians 6:6-10 What ever you sow to the flesh will harvest corruption, God is not mocked. What I am saying here is that we have a responsibility before God that is called “obedience” when we are disobedient and then say things like; “oh, the devil made me do it” or believe that a simple confession to God will clear the slate is not only a slap in the face to God it is also an injustice to ourselves since we have allowed ourselves to be deceived. 1 John 5:10

 Acts 20

Acts 20:24-25 As the apostle exhorts the elders at Ephesus he reminds them of the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit and how in every city those who are filled with the Spirit of God have warned him of the dangers that lie ahead as he prepares to go to Jerusalem. Notice that what is on his mind is only to be found completing the race before him with Joy. And then in ! Timothy 6:11-16 to fight the good fight of faith and in the last epistle that Paul wrote; in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 we read Paul's Valedictory.

 Acts 20:26-29 The apostle Paul was a student and teacher of the Word of God. His study of the Old testament books and the power of the Holy Spirit enabled him to write much of the New Testament epistles, therefore he was well equipped to teach the whole counsel of God. I wonder; if you are being called to study the word in order that God might prepare you to teach the “whole counsel of God.”

Acts 20:30-38 These warnings are found throughout his epistles; false teachers, prophets and speakers of perversion are all around. The apostle states that he has done all he can to keep his friends, brother and sisters safe and out of the harm that false doctrines can do. So he commends to God and His grace and that really is the bottom line. It is more blessed to give that receive, but sometimes I think we have got it all backwards. We seem to want to take from others and give very little back. For this missionary trip, all that was received by Paul from the hand of God is given back to God for protection and grace, we need to be of the same mind. All that we have belongs to God.