Divine Nature

Living in Confidence Because God is With Us Written by Dan Lee on 19/09/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Fear, Confidence, Faith Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 What’s the most common command in the Bible, appearing in one form or another, more than 300 times? “Don’t be afraid.” Why should we not be afraid? Because, as God told Joshua in Deuteronomy, if we are a follower of Christ, God is with us. In fact, one of Jesus’ titles is “Immannuel,” meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14) What or who do we often fear the most? People. But God’s word says we should fear God, not people. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” Here are some different kinds of fear, and how God’s word helps us combat them: People can insult us “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and ut...

How courageous are you? Written by Jesse Bradley on 11/06/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Fear, Strength, Courage This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8-9 How courageous are you? Are you winning the battle with fear? How do you respond when God leads you to a role that is beyond what you can do in your own strength? When God gives the vision, He also gives the provision. In the Bible, God has a track record of challenging men to fully rely on Him. Walking by faith means dropping our pride and finding supernatural resources. Joshua and Gideon are two men who learned how to accomplish great victories for...

Forced into foster care at age 7 because of a dysfunctional family, Tyrone Flowers lived out a next decade of hell. His homes over the next 10 years: three different foster homes, residential treatment facilities, eight different group homes, and juvenile reformatory school. At 17 he was dealt an even more cruel blow, leaving him handicapped and asking "why me?" Yet Tyrone's story did not end there. His self-pity turned into something else that was able to change those first 17 years into good, giving him purpose in life, and allowing him to impact the lives of others. He saw disaster changed into triumph, further reinforcing his faith and hope, and inspiring others in the process. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Notice Paul doesn't say that only good things will happen to those who love God. In fact, the Bible promises troubles wh...

The faithful man rejects despair and finds hope in the character of God Written by GodLife on 18/06/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Grief, Hope, Mercy, Sovereignty, Loss Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? 2 Samuel 12:18 God’s Word has comforted millions of Bible believers for thousands of years. However, it’s a mistake to think that a fitting Bible passage can completely absorb the pain of losing a loved one in death. Even Jesus, though He embodied all the promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20) and knew in advance that He would raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:11), wept with sorrow at the grave of His friend (John 11:35-36). The loss of a child is especially painful because we invest our most selfless love and brightest hope for the future in our children. Even those who usually show calm, quiet strength in stressful situations can be twisted into grief-stricken outbursts o...

Why should I forgive someone who hurt me badly? Written by Ruth on 04/06/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Forgiveness, Freedom, Reconciliation When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37:4 Joseph is badly treated Joseph’s brothers hated him because their father loved him best. “Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons…and he made him a robe of many colors.” (Genesis 37:3) Such a coat would have shouted this favoritism to everyone who saw Joseph wearing it. As a result, his brothers took an opportunity one day, when Joseph came to visit them in the fields where they were working, to get rid of him. They intended to kill him, but the oldest brother talked them out of that – so they sold Joseph to some passing traders as a slave. Forgiving does not always mean forgetting Often we think we must “forgive and forget.” While that is what God does (Isaiah 43:25 and Psalm...

Doing the very thing that makes you afraid can be God’s way of helping you overcome that fear. Written by Gary Fleetwood on 16/07/2018 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anxiety, Fear, Trust The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 I remember the first time that I went to Zimbabwe to evangelize out in the rural areas of the country. That first day was a little scary (to say the least). The person driving me around dropped me off in the middle of nowhere! I was with a young teenage boy who had been in the area before, but there was nothing familiar in sight. We could not see any villages, there were no roads except the one we were on, and we were very near the Zambezi River where all the wild animals go for water during the day. I would be lying if I said that I was not a little bit anxious and fearful. I didn't even know where I would be at the end of the day or who was coming to...

I learned a long time ago that it was perfectly okay to be afraid of certain things. Written by Gary Fleetwood on 09/07/2018 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anxiety, Fear, Peace Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 I learned a long time ago that it was perfectly okay to be afraid of certain things.  In fact, fear can be a great motivator to help someone stay away from things that may be very harmful to their life.  Fear can help a person be much more careful when in a very dangerous situation.  There is a particular beach fairly near where we live that has a very strong undertow. Unfortunately, each year people become careless when swimming at that beach and they get caught in the undertow and drown.  When we go to that beach with our grandchildren, we stay right there with them and do not leave their side for fear that they could e...

Life-Transforming Words Written by Gary Fleetwood on 08/08/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: God, Jesus, Peace But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 When someone mentions the word “peace” to you, what comes to your mind? Unfortunately, the absence of peace in our world is what may stand out to you. There is so much hatred, unrest, and so many unbelievable acts of evil against innocent people, that we wonder if it will ever end. It seems that the whole world is always talking about how to achieve peace, but the sad reality is that they never have any real peace no matter how much they talk about it. What the world fails to understand is that true peace can come only from God. So if we leave God out of our “peace equation,” then we can never attain it. Only God has the power to give peace to our lives. In fact, one of the great titles of Go...

Life-transforming words Written by Gary Fleetwood on 03/10/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Kindness, Jesus, Love, God But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 The people who had the greatest impact on my life were those who displayed the quality of kindness to me. When I think of kindness, I immediately think of my mother, the kindest person I have ever known. I don’t remember my mom ever saying one harsh thing to anyone — ever. She always found the best in people, and that quality became so contagious in her life. I remember a specific incident when I treated her very inconsiderately. To my surprise, she did not respond angrily as I deserved, but instead showered me with kindness — even though I had hurt her. Because of her kind response, I never treated her poorly again. What does it mean to be kind? Kindness means to be gentle with...

Life-transforming words Written by  Gary Fleetwood  on 27/03/2018 Series:  Weekly Devotional Tags:  Faith ,  Faithfulness ,  God ,  Faithful But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 I just love the word “faithfulness.” If there is any quality I want to always be developing in my life, it is being faithful to God. It is very difficult to be useful to God if we are unfaithful to Him. Faithfulness is the idea of someone being able to depend on us to do something for them. We all know how disappointing it is when someone tells us that they are going to do something for us, but then they fail to do it. If someone tells you that they will pick you up at 8 a.m., but they never show up, I doubt seriously that you would even ask them to come to get you again. Why? Because they were unfaithful in doing what ...

Life-transforming words Written by Gary Fleetwood on 10/04/2018 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: God, Self Control But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 Have you ever met a really physically strong person? Well, I have a son and a son-in-law who are both very, very strong. They lift weights and work out a lot to strengthen their body. So, when I have some really heavy things to move, you can just imagine who I call to help me. The word “self-control” comes from a word that means “strength” or “to be strong”. However, it is not a physical strength that is referred to here, but a spiritual strength. When someone is exercising “self-control” they are allowing their life to be controlled by the Spirit of God. There will always be things that happen in our lives that will make us angry, this will cause us to react in a way that is not pleasing to ...

Life transforming words. Written by Gary Fleetwood on 26/09/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Patience, God, Longsuffering But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 What should we do and how should we act when someone mistreats us or takes advantage of us? How should we respond when someone hurts us or says something ugly to us? Well, we can respond in one of two ways. First, we can just react and become just like the other person — ugly. We can match them ugly word for ugly word. Or, we can respond the way that God would want us to respond — with what He calls “patience” or “longsuffering”. What is “longsuffering” and how does it work in my life? Have you ever met someone who gets angry very easily? You never know when they might just say very ugly things to you. Well, this word “patience” or “longsuffering” represents th...

No matter how difficult a situation, you can remember that God wants us to forgive one another “just as God through Christ has forgiven you” Written by Hope on 07/07/2013 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Forgiveness, Hurt "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) When someone hurts you or you experience an injustice, God knows about it. In fact, of course, He knows every wrong that has ever occurred on earth, as well as the good things. "His understanding has no limit" (Psalm 147:5), and He knows that, as with all human action, "it has all been done before" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Earthly Injustice King Solomon wrote, “I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors ...

“Not my Joe,” I cried out over and over again. Although he was 19, he was still my baby, the youngest of my three sons. Written by Janet Perez Eckles on 28/05/2019 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Comfort, Forgiveness, Joy casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 That night at the emergency room, black sorrow filled the air when the doctor said, “We lost him.” Lord, how can that be possible? Joe was a leader in every way. He was the captain of his football team. He was the star player for his lacrosse team. Joe attended Bible study, encouraged anyone around him. His sense of humor and contagious smile lit a room. He’s gone? Sleepless nights kept me tossing, trying to find an answer. Trying to seek God’s comfort and reaching for something, someone to ease the pain. Is that what losing someone we cherish looks like? We long to fill the void, but cannot. We wish it were a nightmare and desperately hope to wake up and find all to be normal li...

Sin ruins your life – Who is powerful enough to forgive and renew you? Written by Hope on 11/10/2016 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Creation, Forgiveness, Power, Sin God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things... Romans 4:17b It’s no secret that we live in a fallen world of sin. From infidelity in relationships, to cheating, to lying, to stealing, sin is everywhere! This sin ruins our life and tears us down. However, though we live in a world of sin, God is powerful enough to forgive us! But why would he forgive us? And how does he do it? Here are the three pillars to understand about God’s forgiveness of your sins. God Is The Omnipotent Creator The Bible teaches us that with His wisdom and power He created the earth and spread out the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12). The prophets praised Him: God said “I am Powerful” (Psalm 62:11) and “Lord God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth. You can do anything” (Jeremiah 32:17). The Lord says ...

How is “confession good for the soul?” What is Biblical confession of sins? Written by GodLife on 06/06/2017 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Confession, Forgiveness, Sin, Salvation, Holiness If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 Sin separates you from having a fellowship with God. “Sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4) It includes giving in to temptation. (James 1:13-15) Refusing to do what is right. “…whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17) Even “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) And “sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15) If this is true, there aren’t just “seven deadly sins,” are there? All sin is “mortal!” Classifying sins only hides that fact. We’ve all done and thought things that would make us God’s enemy: “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:6) How can we get ...