Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-October 14, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”

(Isaiah 30:21).

Life offers us a myriad of choices and we must make many decisions every day of our lives. As Christians we have the assurance of God’s clear guidance if we pray to Him. We want to go the right way and make the right decisions and choices that are God’s perfect will for us. He wants to show which way to go. He desires to make His will clear for us to follow.

In order to do God’s will we must know God’s will; and to know God’s will we must seek God’s will. The Lord gives us spiritual ears to hear His voice through the Word of God and prayer. The Lord said, “This is the way, walk in it.” Our prayer each morning should be, Lord, show me the way and what Your will is for me today.”

When God has made His will known to us, we shouldn’t be afraid to move forward. It may be buying or renting a new home, buying or leasing a new car, accepting a new job or a promotion in one’s current job, getting married, or retiring. This the way, walk in it. Two things will happen: things will go smoothly or there will be turbulence. Smooth paths don’t always indicate God’s will, neither go difficult times necessarily mean something isn’t His will. The devil tries his utmost to create doubts in our minds. He wants to confuse us and wreak havoc. We can’t let him.

We can easily turn off God’s path to the right or to the left. Neither is correct for us. God wants us to walk straight ahead. Proverbs 4:25-27 says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left; remove your foot from evil.” God loves us and wants the best for us.

Let us listen to God’s voice and make the right choice. This is the way, walk in it. Stay safe and healthy.

Walking In His will,

Dean

-October 13, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of this world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).

“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

Paul as a wise and loving spiritual father had to share some very difficult words with the Corinthians in his first epistle due to their response to a man who had sinned in their midst and other things that needed to be corrected. His goal for them and the man was restoration. There is always a way back to God. It starts with conviction, then godly sorrow over sin, then confession, and repentance. It is a process we must repeat when we sin, whether we consider the sin big or small.

David wrote, “He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” All sin is an abomination to God and cuts off our fellowship with the Lord and those lines of communication must be restored. The word restore is defined as, “to bring back (a previous right, practice, custom, or situation); reinstate; return (someone or something) to a former condition, place, or position.”

Someone once said, “In the Bible, restoration is always in abundance. When something is restored, it is always better than it was to begin with. God’s promise to us is a better life, a better future for ourselves and our loved ones.” Jonah was restored after he ran away from his calling and responsibility of preaching to the people of Nineveh; Peter was restored after denying the Lord three times; David was restored after sinning with Bathsheba and having her husband killed; and John Mark was restored after leaving the work of the Lord.

There is nothing better than being restored by God. We are His children and His servants. When we are restored we are brought closer to the Lord and are better than we were before. Thus, godly sorrow for our sins and failures leads to repentance and restoration. It is always better to avoid situations where we sin and need to be restored, but we are sinners saved by grace and we still have the old nature. We are weak and vulnerable. We are not sinless but we sin less.

Have a blessed day keeping short accounts with God by confessing our sins with godly sorrow and repentance. God will restore us. Stay safe and healthy.

In the blessing of repentance and restoration,

Dean

-October 12, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

(Romans 10:17).

Twice in today’s text Paul uses the word hearing. Hearing is one of our most wonderful senses. in context it means not just the audio through one’s ears but also involves the heart and mind. Paul in speaking about Israel, asked a series of questions in Romans 10:14-15a, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

The Word of God is powerful in and of itself; and the Holy Spirit uses it to convict people of their sins, show them their need of Christ, and melt their hearts by God’s love, grace, and mercy. That being said, God has chosen us His children to speak forth the gospel and teach the Word to those who need to hear it. He could have chosen angels or even just a select few people; instead He uses every believer from the least to the greatest. It is our highest privilege as well as our greatest responsibility.

Even though Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, he had a continual burden for the salvation of his fellow countrymen the Jews. He wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” Wherever he traveled he preached the gospel first to the Jews then to the Gentiles.” The lesson for us is to share the gospel first to our families then to others in the world.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The Scriptures are God’s written word and produce faith in those who hear it. Even after one is saved, our faith grows by the Word of God. Just as our bodies cannot survive without water and food, so too, our souls cannot survive without the Bible. We need to read it, study it, meditate on it, obey it, and apply it to our lives. We are so blessed to have it in written form from Genesis to Revelation. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

Peter concluded in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” The importance of the Word of cannot be overestimated. Paul told the Ephesians upon his departure from them, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). All faith and spiritual growth hinges on the Word of God. I have given myself to the study and preaching of God’s Word over the years.

If you haven’t ever read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation, I highly recommend it. It can be read in one year or you can take longer. It is such a blessing. I read it through every year. It takes diligence and consistency to accomplish it. So whether you read a few verses or a few chapters a day, you will be blessed. Your faith will grow. You will gain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Let us all hear the Word daily.

Have a blessed day in God’s Word today. Stay safe and healthy.

In feeding on His Word,

Dean

-October 11, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“My times are in Your hand; deliver me from my enemies, and from those who persecute me.”

(Psalm 31:15).

Everything that happens to us is directed and allowed by God. He works everything for the good and has a plan for our lives. Therefore, we should be content with what we have and thankful for all things and in all things. He doesn’t work against us, He works for us. Our times are in His hand.

None of us knows how the day will unfold, let alone about tomorrow. We must trust in Him and leave everything in His hand. None of us knows how long we will live on this earth, but we do know we will be the Lord in heaven for eternity. The older we get, the more we appreciate each day He has given us. It is so important to live as if today may be our last, yet prepare as if we will live a long life.

Speaking of man, Job said in Job 14:5, “Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.” The future is not our domain, only God dwells there. He places a sign, as it were in affect saying, “No Trespassing.” We can’t add nor subtract a day from our lifespan. When the hourglass of time runs out for us He will take us home to glory. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t live healthy lives in our eating, drinking, exercising, sleeping, and taking care of ourselves. We should be moderate in all things.

There is a hymn written by William F. Lloyd based on our text that says, “Our times are in Thy hand; Father, we wish them there! Our life, our souls, our all we leave entirely to Thy care. Our times are in Thy hand; whatever they may be; pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to Thee. Our times are in Thy hand; why should we doubt or fear? Our Father’s hand will never cause His child a needless tear. Our times are in Thy hand; Jesus the crucified! The hand our many sins have pierced is now our guard and guide. Our times are in Thy hand; O Lord, our Advocate! Nor is that hand outstretched in vain, for us to supplicate.”

May the Lord help us to trust Him and our times to Him. He knows what is best and works all things out for our good according to His will. Stay safe and healthy.

Under the direction of our Master Conductor,

Dean

-October 10, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday, happy Columbus Day,

“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.”

(Proverbs 19:20-21).

Everybody has an opinion on we should do, but the only one that really counts is the Lord’s counsel. When we pray and seek God’s will, He will show us what to do. We can’t rely on ourselves or others who are limited in their understanding. Only the Lord knows the future and what are the ramifications of our decisions. We see in a mirror dimly, our thoughts and understanding are finite, and thus we are prone to making bad decisions.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us, His Word to instruct us, and His promises to encourage us. He has also given us godly counselors such as our elders, pastors, and leaders. They have the knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and experience that aid us in our decisions.

God wants us to be wise in our latter days. He longs for the best for us. After all the talk between Job and his three friends and one another younger man, and God had the last word. His counsel stood firm and Job was humbled. Their counsel didn’t measure up, it, neither did Job’s own thoughts. His latter days were better than his former ones. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” This is an important command with a wonderful promise.

Think of Christopher Columbus for a moment. He was commissioned by the king of Spain to explore new places hundreds of miles from Europe. He faced many obstacles and hindrances but was eventually successful. His story in many ways mirrors our journey here on earth. The Christian life is not easy.

May the Lord direct our paths today and guide us in His ways. Stay safe and healthy.

Looking to Jesus and following Him,

Dean