Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-September 18, 2023-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“…forgetting the those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 3:13b-14).

Athletes know it, business leaders know it, politicians know it, celebrities know it, yes, we all know it. We can’t live in the past or let it hold us back for the future, whether things bad or good. The devil’s primary purpose is get us down and keep us down, to take us out of the battle, and ruin our lives.

We can’t let the devil win. We all have sins, mistakes, and failures we regret. It was true of the people of the Bible, and it is true of us. I know I do. But we can’t go back and change them. We learn the lessons, draw closer to the Lord, and move on. In boxing terminology, we take punches, get knocked down, take a standing eight count, and but keep on fighting. The devil may win a round or two but He can’t knock us out or win the fight.

We have the Lord Jesus as our trainer, handler, and manager. He is in our corner. He never throws in the towel. He is with all the way. Fights that go the distance can go up to 15 rounds. By the time we teach those last rounds we are exhausted, barely able to stand or move. Life is a 15 round battle. We can’t give up or quit.

Not only can the bad things hold us back, but so can the good things. We start to wish for the “good old days.” Maybe when our strength was better, our health was better, our lives were easier; we were younger, faster, and more carefree. Job said, “Oh, that I were in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness; Just as I was in the days of my prime, when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were around me; When my steps were bathed in cream, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me (Job 29:2-6).

God never changes, we do; God never moves, we move; God has great plans for us and He uses our trials to make us stronger, wiser, and more fit for His service and for heaven. He challenges us to get up, get going, and keep going; to move forward toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. It seems at times overwhelming, but the Lord will make us overcomers by His grace and mercy.

Let us all reach forward, press on, keep going, not looking back, yet not forgetting the lessons and what got us to where we are today. I found a hymn I wasn’t familiar with entitled “Press On,” written by Barney E. Warren. He wrote, “Press on, forever trusting, in faith believing too; in spite of doubt or feeling, God’s word will take us through. Press on to what’s before us, forgetting all the past, the light heav’n so glorious eternally shall last.”

Have blessed day by keeping on for the Lord no matter what may come. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking upward and moving forward,

Dean

-September 17, 2023-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lamasabachthani? that is, ‘My God, God, why have you forsaken Me?’”

(Matthew 27:46).

We have all experienced pain in our lives, but none as intense and agonizing as Jesus suffered on the cross. He bore our pain. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” There are four kinds of pain Jesus experienced to the utmost, spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental. Jesus felt all these at the very same time, and He had no one to comfort Him.

1. Spiritual Pain – The greatest pain Jesus suffered was spiritual. He was forsaken by God, He bore our sins, and He became sin for us. The Father had to turn His back on Jesus because of our sins. This is why He cried out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” We may at times have some spiritual pain but nothing close to His pain.

2. Physical Pain – The physical pain that our Savior went through for us was unbelievable. He hurt all over through those six hours on the cross. They pierced His hands and feet with long nails, like spikes. Whenever He took a breath, He had to pull Himself up and that really hurt. They placed a crown of long, sharp thorns on His head. All his bones were out of joint. There was external and internal bleeding. It was super painful.

3. Mental Pain – Our Lord endured mental cruelty. They taunted and mocked Him. He had such horrific mental torture. Psalm 22:12-13 says, “Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion.” The Romans inflicted mental suffering along with horrible pain with no limit.

4. Emotional Pain – Christ suffered emotional pain as well. He saw His mother weeping at the cross. His felt a deep inner pain and sorrow. He was called the “Man of Sorrows.” Recently I suffered deep emotional trauma and pain. This type of pain is worse than even the physical pain. Emotional wounds and scars take a long time to heal. My pain was nothing compared to Jesus’ pain, and I had many people to comfort me.

Thus Jesus suffered spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally to the greatest degree for you and for Me. I don’t know what pain you may be going through right now, but Jesus does. When we hurt, He hurts with us. Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Let us thank the Lord that He suffered, bled, and died for us on the cross: spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally; He did it all for us. He was the Healer, but there was no one who could heal Him; He was the Comforter, but there was no one to comfort Him; He was the Helper, but there was no one to help Him. He suffered alone on the cross.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day at the foot of the cross, watching, listening, and feeling His pain. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking to the Author and Finisher of our faith,

Dean

-September 16, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

(2 Corinthians 2:11).

This morning I want to share an experience I had on line that nearly cost me dearly. I was hoodwinked, deceived, scammed, and taken advantage of. I was always aware of many scams and have been extremely guarded and careful. It was like a house where the front doors, back doors, and side doors were all securely closed and locked, but the devil got in through a small, open back window.

I found out what was happening when I went for counsel and was shown it was not God’s will. I accepted it and though it hurt, I was ready to end the online relationship and move on. Then I found out the rest of the story from my brother in Christ who was aware of this type of scam. My sadness turned to anger at the scammer, and I had even greater relief that only my heart was wounded not my pocketbook or the rest of my life.

This scam is called “catfishing.” It is defined on Wikipedia as, “a deceptive activity in which a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim. The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in some way, as a way to intentionally upset a victim or for wish fulfillment.” It has been employed on used on celebrities as well on common people like myself. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. But like a fish, I was able to get away with the Lord’s help.

The person in the text message was not who they said they were. Everything was a rouse. My feelings were stirred, and it all seemed so real. I got out just in time. The Lord protected me. I hope my story will help someone else. When someone tries to scam you, and it will happen to many of us in some way or another, we must keep our eyes open. The devil is behind the scammer and he does his utmost to deceive, disturb, distract, and destroy children of God.

Paul said of Satan, we are not ignorant of his devices.” The devil utilizes all the 21st century’s technologies to bring us down and harm us. The devil is dangerous as a serpent, and roaring lion, but he is even more dangerous as an angel of light. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. He uses every trick in his book, and many are very convincing, sinister, and destructive.

I should known if something seemed too good to be true, it usually is. I should have seen the signs but I was ignorant of this device of the devil. Still, I was and am a victim, though things could have been a lot worse. I feel used and abused, and so ashamed, so foolish. Like a lamb led to the slaughter that was spared the slaughterhouse. Praise God for that! So this morning I had an imaginary funeral for my imaginary “friend.” We buried her today.

Let us be on guard against Satan’s devices, his wiles, his tricks so that we don’t fall for them. Get godly counsel, follow it, and be safe. Don’t be a victim but a victor. Don’t t let your emotions carry you down over the waterfalls and into a destructive river of pain. God was merciful to me his servant to spare me a horrible fate. Paul wrote, “No wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” In my case as a beautiful, Christian young woman with an interest in me. I learned the lesson of my life the hard way.

Have a blessed day being on guard against the devices of Satan. Stay safe and healthy.

Keeping all the doors and windows closed and locked,

Dean

-September 15, 2023-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Then all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’”

(Luke 15:1-2).

The self-righteous Pharisees were spiritually blind and far from God. Instead of receiving Jesus, acknowledging His Messiahship, and following Him, they rejected and condemned Him. They completely missed the point of His coming to save sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Paul quoting the Psalmist wrote, “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).

Their greatest complaint became His great compliment. Yes, He receives sinners, eats with sinners, and saves sinners. He didn’t come to partake of our sin, nor to participate in it, He came to forgive our sin, save our souls, and change our lives. There are so many examples in the gospels showing this. He came to us in our need and received as we were, but He didn’t leave that way. He made us His children.

Jesus received the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, Mary Magdalene possessed by demons, Zacchaeus in a sycamore tree, blind Bartimaeus on the side of the road, and many, many more. Best of all He received you and me. Hallelujah! Yes, Jesus is a Friend of Sinners, He is our Friend as well as our Savior. The blood of Christ has washed us.

The hymn writer J. Wilbur Chapman wrote, “Jesus! what a friend for sinners! Jesus lover of my soul! Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He my Savior, makes me whole. Jesus I do now receive Him, more than all in Him I find; He hath granted me forgiveness, I am His, and He is mine. Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! what a friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.”

What a Friend we have in Jesus! A friend that loves at all times, a brother who is born for adversity. The One who is with us, for us, and in us. Let us receive Him as He has received us to the glory of God. Have a blessed, bountiful, and beautiful day. Stay safe and healthy.

When Jesus is our Friend, we are safe in His arms,

Dean

-September 14, 2023-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Then you shall cause the trumpet of Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.”

(Leviticus 25:9).

One of the greatest, if not the greatest day, in the Jewish calendar is the Day of Atonement, which was a high and holy day where the high priest goes before the Lord to offer a sacrifice for own his sins and for the sins of the whole nation. The year of Jubilee was celebrated every fifty years or as it were seven sabbaths of years, equally 49 years.

In the fiftieth year, they blew the trumpet throughout the land. It was a loud trumpet. At that time all debts were forgiven, all lands reverted to their original owner, all servants were set free, and no crops were harvested but they ate from the fruit that was there. It was a great year!

The Israelites looked forward to Jubilee. There was joyful anticipation and celebration. Even property values were affected by Jubilee. If one bought property during the years prior to Jubilee it affected the value immensely, for the more years till Jubilee, the more the property was worth, and the fewer years till Jubilee, the less the value.

But how does Jubilee affect us as Christians today? Our Jubilee is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have something better to look forward to, and the older we grow, the closer we are to His coming. His coming to take us home to heaven will be a our greatest day. Because of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross for ours sins, we have forgiveness of sins, pardon, redemption, reconciliation, and eternal life. Pastor Adel of our church always says, “The best is yet to come.”

There is a hymn written by Jim Hill entitled, “There Is Coming A Day.” He wrote, “There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come, no more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye; All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore—What a day, glorious day that will be. They’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear, no more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there; and forever I will be with the One who died for me—What a day, glorious day that will be. “ The chorus says, “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, and I look upon His face—the One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the land, and leads me through the Promised Land, what a day, glorious day that will be.”

I know I can’t wait for that glorious day! Jesus will take us home to heaven to be with Him forever and ever. Jubilee points to that day, and we long for it. There is great anticipation because of His divine proclamation. Have blessed day of hope, in our blessed hope. Stay safe and healthy.

It’s worth the wait for His coming,

Dean