A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:62 The soul of those who are at peace with God will give thanks. The face of a peaceful sleep will glow with thoughts of You and the waking one will bless Your Holy Name! There is no force of nature to rock the boat, because all of the Judgments of the LORD are steadfast forever!

Good Morning

Have you ever tried to clean out the attic with your eyes open? Even if it is not your own attic, if you go up those stairs with a curious eye you may not get past the first box! “Oh! There is that old boxes of shoes that belonged to grams! Look there is that pair of shoes she wore at my wedding!” And so it goes from the shoes to other items that take you down memory lane. Before long you stumble over another box, there seems to be a chill about it, for some reason you feel like leaving it shut, then you remember! Every soul has a box or two like this one, inside are the articles of some abusive season of time. Even before you open the box you see the dried tears on the cardboard from your last peek inside. Anger floods your face, quilt delivers a strong punch to your gut and even before the top of the box gets fully open the tears begin to drip from your eyes. Be the victim or the perpetrator it matters not, both are fully aware that the box contains every grievous thing that causes us problems with the everyday issues of daily living with those we love. You know! Be it a real box, or a compartment in the attic of your mind, the items need to be dumped out, these unpleasant things need to be openly discussed with those we love and who love us. There is joy in the heart that is forgiven, Psalm 32:1-11 is a contemplation directed at the upward plea to God for forgiveness, but it also represents the face to face communication to a wife or husband, even to a child or close friend who will help us overcome the anger and guilt of past evils and sin. Psalm 32:9-10 sums up the response of those around us if we hide behind the face of pride, verse 10 continues to assign sorrow upon sorrow on those who keep secret their pain, but then a ray of hope for those who trust the Word of God, surrounded by mercy, encouraged by forgiveness, there will be a shout of joy that for the first time the heart is “upright!”

Acts 16

Acts 17:15-21 In our time during any given day we should be spiritually aware of our surroundings. The apostle Paul was always looking for opportunity to share Jesus and the resurrection with people who overhear what they consider babble. Whether you walk across the room or travel through the streets of an unknown city, God will make opportunity to share Jesus, it is to bad that most of us are not ready, because our spiritual condition like one who sleep walks.

Acts 17:22-23 Be prepared to give answers to the questions that come, understand that most people are religious over some god or idol and draw from this religious interest to direct them to the One whom they may be worshiping without really knowing it. Many religions talk about Jesus Christ, you know the drill; “He was a good man, one of the prophets, and we have a statue of Him in our church, etc; etc; etc. Yes they do worship Him, but they do not know Him.

Acts 17:24-34 Paul's quick testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ took two minutes to read here. Do you have a two minute testimony for those who need to hear about Jesus Christ? Try to develop one, it will be just as effective as the one Paul uses. Some will mock you, others will believe and some will become brothers and sister in Christ. Have a great and godly day, for what good is a great day if God is not in it.

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A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:61 “Aye!” The sailor said, “ye be bound to the mast till ye rot, twill be my pleasure to see ya die!” Cruel yes, but the sailor is the winds and seas of the world system. There is one law giver who has said to both the wind and sea, “Peace – Be still” and it was so! Mark 4:39-40

Good Morning

Just where is trust these days? Think of it this way. When is the last time you had the freedom to trust in the these words. “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.” Today, we would go to jail, lose custody of our children and be branded as a child abuser! The subject is so severe that we lose sight of who or what to trust. Well, I trust God, but I cannot trust His word here in Proverbs 23:13-14. So, I trust the laws of the land and watch my children grow up in disobedience. The laws of the land have no compassion for the child when he or she grows into an adult and now live perverted lifestyles of same sex marriage, crime and debauchery. The laws of the land will write another law to accommodate that conduct and make it legal. Ah! But the laws of the land are made by people who know whats best for the people of land, isn't that right? Well, truthfully – the One by whose power and permission that countries and governments exist and knows the times and seasons for these lands to exist says that the people of this land have turned their trust away from Him and His Word. Our allegiance is not well placed on the foundation of the Word of God. If it were, our children would be “Obedient” Romans 1:18-32.

Acts 17

Acts 17:1-4 How is it that so many people in these early days seem to get the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The context here reveals that many people followed the teaching and preaching of Paul and Silas. It seems odd to me that we can gather a large number of people together, people who claim to be set apart for the gospel of Jesus Christ, but as soon as most of us are out of Sunday morning church, we do not think about God's redemptive work until the next Sunday. Uncle Joe dies and we wonder if he was saved and make excuse that he may have had a death bed repentance. Oh! How this (sometimes) breaks the heart of God. 2 Peter 3:9

Acts 17:5-9 The religious sector of the world around us knows very well who the saints of God are and it is religion that will present the strongest battle against the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here in the book of Acts we have seen this re-occurring effort to down play the truth and it always starts with religious people stirring up the unbelieving people. We need to be bold and we are not!

Acts 17:10-15 The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is so awesome that the counterfeit force of religion and evil will follow us where ever we go. I remember once in the prisons of Connecticut when we were teaching there and going from prison to prison how some of the inmates would invite other religious activity to the prison, then try and confuse those who were sitting under the authority of scripture. Satan has his religious angels of misguided light spreading darkness in every corner of the world.

Now if you do not have your bible with you, the following is a link you can go to and find the verses of scripture I have referenced herein. Bible Gateway at: www.biblegateway.com/

 A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:60 The secular proverb of haste makes waste carries but a little weight; the quickest way to find joy in this life is to run at breakneck speed to the commandments of God where righteousness and justice dwell!

Good Morning

June 16, 1978 we were also operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the ship I was on was the USS Kamehameha (SSBN 617) we were ported out of Rota, Spain. Messages from the Tullibee were alarming and most of us on the Kamehameha thought the worst for the crew, but it is not want we think or the part we had in this that matters, it is what God does. Once the emergency packing is energized with air pressure the flooding in the engineroom was controlled and minimal safety restored. The submarine still needed to get to a port since there was a possibility of the rest of the shaft to come lose and slip out the hole penetration. The Tullibee had a normal crew of 50 enlisted and 6 officers. These men on that day experienced a severe causality. Each one reacted quickly, and God did the rest, He kept them and the ship safe to serve another day. The Tullibee was repaired and served the U.S. Navy for another ten years before retiring. Commissioned on November 9, 1960 and Decommissioned on June 18, 1988 she enjoyed nearly 28 years of faithful dedicated service. Someday soon, war machines will no longer be necessary. Micah 4:3-4.

Acts 16

Acts 16:35-36 In the course of a day much can happen to us, some of it good and some of it evil. When good happens everyone wants to get in on the reward, but when evil happens, most of us want to sweep it under the rug. These town officials are no different than the ones we deal with today. Ecclesiastes 5:8 and there is nothing new under the sun.

Acts 16:37-38 We might be saying to ourself, “Paul, whats the purpose here, are you not asking for more trouble?” No, Paul understands that the officials did what they did because of a hasty emotional reaction to the crowd. If Paul and Silas leave quietly, they are assumed by most as guilty. Paul uses this opportunity to correct the wrong doing and clearing the name of him and Silas, and too, the apostle is contemplating on Psalm 18:18-19 as victory is always that of the LORD,

Acts 16:39-40 Again the town gets a bit emotional, bringing Paul and Silas out of the jail and pleading with them to leave the city, and again Paul does not rush, we could almost do some secular thinking here on our own and say that Paul is taunting the town officials, but Lydia had just been saved and she has witnessed all of this. So it is right for Paul to employ spiritual etiquette (fellowship) and encourage her and the other brethren in her home. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Now if you do not have your bible with you, the following is a link you can go to and find the verses of scripture I have referenced herein. Bible Gateway at: www.biblegateway.com/

A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:59 If I think about my ways the path ahead is like a trench where every move forward is met with strong opposition, but the moment I turn to the LORD, I find that supernatural highway where the traffic of life is peaceful, pleasant and promising!

Good Morning

In 1947 Dr. Carle Zimmerman wrote a text called, family and Civilization. He identified eleven symptoms of national decay in his study of the Greek and Roman civilizations. We need to take a look at how many of these eleven symptoms characterized our society this very American DAY! (1) No fault divorce.; (2) “Birth Dearth”; increased disrespect for parenthood and parents. (3) Meaningless marriage rites/ceremonies. (4) Defamation of past national heroes. (5) Acceptance of alternative marriage forms. (6) Widespread attitudes of feminism, narcissism and hedonism. (7) Propagation of anti-family sentiment. (8) Acceptance of most forms of adultery. (9) Rebellious children. (10) Increased juvenile delinquency. (11) Common acceptance of all forms of sexual perversion. List like this are hard to read, I think that many of us would rather find fault with those who project such a blight on the American way, and to tell the truth, “I would rather be found in error of my convictions and fears.” But I believe that Dr. Zimmerman's list is a bit mild compared to what I see going on daily. Also, I believe that I am beginning to understand how many of these Old Testament prophets felt. Daily exhorting the nation Israel to repent, daily weeping over the conditions of the land. It is time to get off the tracks, the train is about to run us over.

Acts 16

Acts 16:29 In this moment of time the jailer is coming to grips with biblical grace and faith. Having just witnessed the earth moving under his feet and the possible escape of all his prisoners. He is now going to see that Paul, Silas and all the prisoners have not escaped. The emotion reaction within his body is so severe that he trembles and collapses at the feet of the apostle and Silas.

Acts 16:30-32 “What must I do to be saved?” I love that question because God loves to hear that question from all peoples. The jailer a gentile, the prisoners, Jews and the answer, “believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your household” People hunger and thirst for righteousness. Unrighteousness is plagued with emotional instability and the jailers household was characterized by this. With confession and repentance this family found the peace of God and received peace with God by believing in the gospel of peace. Paul and Silas had on shoes of peace. (Ephesians 6:15). When God gives us this opportunity, He also gives this pair of shoes to wear, we are equipped.

Acts 16:33-34 Physical healing for Paul and Silas, I wonder how many of us today would be willing to suffer under similar conditions in order to see some stranger and his family come to faith in Jesus Christ. Most of us may say that if they knew the outcome, that it would be worth it! This comment is a cop-out, since God will not allow you to go into any calling of His without us knowing the results first. (Daniel 3:13-18).

Now if you do not have your bible with you, the following is a link you can go to and find the verses of scripture I have referenced herein. Bible Gateway at: www.biblegateway.com/

A Devotional Study of the Living Word of God

Psalm 119:58 The promises of God are “yes” and “so be it!” The one who entreats the LORD with fullness of heart will find Him merciful and true to His Word.

Good Morning

Sometimes I think we are living in a tired nation. What I mean by this is that we continually focus on buying technology developed by other countries that will take the work out of work; out of sports and out of most everything that requires a bit of effort. Yesterday at my son-in-laws home, he and I played a game of golf on a WII, it was nearly as good as being on a real golf course. We also went bowling and that too was very real. When I bowl, I spot bowl and have a fairly good breaking ball that breaks just a few feet from the pins and that is exactly the way the WII played for me. Well, the point is that we have come a long way, to go no where! So where is the United States on this scale? The average life-span of all the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history is about two hundred years. During this span of time the nations progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to government dependence and from dependence back to bondage. (What in the World's going on? Author: Dr. David Jeremiah; pages 134/135).So where are we on this scale. I believe we are somewhere between, “apathy and government dependence.” We are becoming a nation of dozy dolts!

Acts 16

Acts 16:25 I am reminded again of Psalm 119:58, the fullness of heart displayed here by Paul and Silas is just what God likes to see from all of us. Do you have mountains to move in your life? Are there areas of bondage in your life that you wish to overcome? Many of us do! Just as these two men witnessed the power of God, so can we. The Holy Spirit is ready to guide you and God is ready to take action. Entreat the LORD with prayer and song, and be ready to go forth in liberty.

Acts 16:26 Why is it that we believe these things are not possible today? One look a church history will explain it. We have been swayed from “the faith” and have fallen away from the truth by the pressures of government, church denominations, the doctrines of men and a lapse in spiritual integrity. What amazes me is that God through all of this is still interested in saving those who have a desire to hear what the Spirit is saying in all of these churches. (Revelation 2:1-29 and Revelation 3:1-22).

Acts 16:27-28 In the context here we see that God does react to our needs, but that His plan far exceeds our immediate circumstance. The man in charge of the jail has become unstable, assuming the worst he is ready to give up and kill himself because he knows that he will die as a result of this failure to keep the prisoners contained. There are always souls to be physically delivered to freedom, just as there will always be souls to save from the bondages of sin. And God will use every means available to provide victory for both. We need to be prepared by prayer and worship to accomplish His Will, not ours!

Now if you do not have your bible with you, the following is a link you can go to and find the verses of scripture I have referenced herein. Bible Gateway at: www.biblegateway.com/