Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 26, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”

(Joshua 14:14).

Caleb was a man of God who followed the Lord fully through the forty years of trudging through the wilderness and entered the Promised Land. He and Joshua were the only two had made it. All the others who left Egypt died in the wilderness because of their unbelief and rebellion.

Caleb and Joshua were the two spies whom Moses sent out to spy the land with ten others. The other eight brought back a bad report, but Caleb and Joshua trusted the Lord and by faith confessed that God would give them the land and that they should go and take possession of it.

Now Israel had won the victory and it was time to divide the land. God through Moses promised Caleb his portion, Hebron. It was a good land in the mountains where giants, the Anakim, lived in fortified cities. Caleb had to defeat them and drive them out.

By this time he was eighty-five years old, yet he testified of himself, “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day as on the day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in” (Joshua 14:10-11).

Caleb was a loyal, faithful, godly man. He was a good warrior. God gave him his reward, just as He will reward our faithful service for Him. He finished strong to the end, following the Lord fully to the finish line.

May the Lord help us to be loyal, faithful servants. We need more Calebs today. The song writer wrote, “Men full of compassion, who laugh and love and love and cry; men who face eternity and aren’t afraid to die. Men who fight for freedom and honor once again, He just needs a few good men.”

Have a blessed day for the Lord. Be a Caleb. Stay safe and healthy.

Serving loyally and faithfully every day, wherever we go in every way,

Dean

-March 25, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

(Colossians 3:2).

Today’s verse is both critical and practical in our spiritual lives. The devil attacks our minds seeking to scare us, harass us, tempt us, discourage us, and defeat us.

Paul tells us, “Set your mind on the things above, not on things on the earth.” This indicates there are things we can do to protect our minds from the defilement of the world and live with eternity’s values in view.

The Scriptures give us key directives on how to set our minds on the things above, the things of heaven, spiritual things. God wants us to be spiritually minded. The word mindset is defined as, “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” To have the mindset of God we need to read the Bible daily and obey it, applying it to our lives.

Every day we need to recommit our lives to Christ and fill our minds with God’s truth before we go out into the world to face our day. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

We are constantly bombarded by the messages of the world that we need to look a certain way, live a particular lifestyle, win at all costs, and make as much money for ourselves to spend on ourselves. Attitudes lead to values, values lead to actions, and actions lead to habits.

To behave as a Christian means we must have the mind of Christ and focus on Him, not ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

There are some great b’s that help us to set our minds on the things above:

Be thankful, be joyful, be content, be patient, be happy, be positive, be obedient, be committed, be helpful, be faithful, be wise, be generous, be loving. The list goes on and on. You can probably come up with many more of your own from the Scriptures.

When our minds are set on Christ and His Word we will overcome the values and attitudes of this world. Have a blessed day seeking the Lord, His ways, and His will. Stay safe and healthy.

You’ll never regret your heavenly mindset,

Dean

-March 24, 2024-

Good Lord’s Day morning, happy Palm Sunday,

“And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest.”

Jesus made a grand but humble entry into Jerusalem. He fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Everyone in the crowd was excited. They recognized that He was the Messiah, the Son of David. The people threw their clothes and palm branches on the ground before Him. They praised Him in the highest! Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the OT concerning the Messiah.

If this happened today, there would news media, cameras, and live coverage over the internet. Millions would watch. Foreign dignitaries would arrive from the four corners of the world. There would be press conferences at the scene.

Sadly in a matters of a couple of days, the multitudes would be saying, “Let Him be crucified!” How fickle are the hearts and minds of men! But all this happened in order that our Savior would bear our sins on the cross and die in our place. Jesus is still rejected by many today. Some may attend church on Easter but they do not know the Lord. How sad! How tragic!

Let us who know the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior praise Him with our voices. He is so worthy! He did not just enterJerusalem, He came into our hearts! One day our King is coming to take us home to heaven. One day He will come back with us to earth to set up His kingdom.

Palm Sunday is wonderful and always falls on the Sunday before Easter. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Have a blessed Lord’s Day praising our King. Stay safe and healthy.

Praise the Lord with heart and voice, let us exalt Him and rejoice,

Dean

-March 23, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

(Proverbs 28:13).

We are sinners saved by grace. As believers we are not sinless, but we sin less. All our sins, past, present, and future are forgiven, they are under the blood. Praise be to God.

Yesterday we spoke of the victory we have in Christ. The only thing that can defeat us is unconfessed sin. God sees and knows everything we say and do. Trying to hide anything from Him is impossible. Sin interferes with our fellowship with the Lord. It defeats, devastates, and devastates us.

It all started with Adam and Eve sewing fig leaves to cover their nakedness, and hiding themselves from the presence of God among the trees. Sin brings guilt and shame, sorrow, regret, and blame.

Achan of the tribe of Judah sinned by taking those things that were under the ban. Israel won a great victory over the city of Jericho. Joshua had warned them not to take any of the spoils for themselves. Achan disobeyed and took some and hid them under his tent. Because of his sin, Israel was defeated at the first battle of Ai. There was sin in the camp.

He admitted in Joshua 7:21, “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.” The words of Moses spoken days before certainly apply here, “Be sure your sins will find you out” (Numbers 32:23b).

David found that out the hard way when he committed adultery and murder and did not confess it. Nathan the prophet exposed it. David suffered spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally until He confessed his sin and got right with the Lord. Please see Psalm 32 and 51.

David wrote in Psalm 32:3-5, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”

May we confess our sins to the Lord as soon as we are aware and He will forgive us. He will restore us to a close relationship with Him once again. John wrote in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Have a blessed day walking close with the Lord, and when we sin, confess it, forsake it, and repent of it. May we keep short accounts with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

When we get into a mess, no sin is too little or too big to confess,

Dean

-March 22, 2024-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who who are with us are more than those are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.”

(2 Kings 6:16-17).

My dear friends, in Christ you and I are assured of the victory. We can always count on God. The word assured is defined as, confident; protected against discontinuance of change; certain, sure, guaranteed.”

Our victory is based on Christ’s death on the cross and glorious resurrection; on the promises of Word of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now these things make us more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

I. Victory Through The Cross – Jesus died to save us from sin and death. He conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil. The devil thought he won when he bruised Jesus’ heal, but Jesus crushed his head. We are on the wining side; we are aware of how it will all end—we know the final score.

II. Victory Through The Word Of God – God promised us the victory in our daily lives. We just need to claim the victory. Paul wrote, “But thanks be to God who gives the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). We have all the promises of God, which are yes and amen. Elisha could see by faith all the angelic hosts surrounding him, though the Syrian army was so numerous and powerful. He prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant to see heaven’s armies also. We like the servant can see the power of God in all situations, even when things appear hopeless.

III. Victory Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit – We can must trust in God’s power not our own. In and of ourselves we are no match against the devil. John wrote in 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” The hymn writer wrote, “Faith is the victory, faith is the victory, O glorious victory that over comes the world.”

May the Lord give the victory: daily and eternally in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us have open hearts, open eyes, and open arms to claim and receive our victories. Have a blessed and victorious day. Stay safe and healthy.

Remember our victory is sure when we endure,

Dean