Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 21, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“And to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

(Genesis 32:27-28).

In a wrestling match of unparalleled importance and results, the Lord wrested with Jacob. It lasted all night and Jacob wouldn’t give up until God blessed him. God touched the socket of his hip, causing his hip to be out of joint and for him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life. The next day he would meet his brother Esau for the first time in over 14 years. He feared that Esau would kill him, his wives, and all his children.

God dealt with Jacob, who was a supplanter and had taken Esau’s birthright and his blessing. God had clearly loved and favored Jacob by His grace. Jacob loved God and followed Him even though he made mistakes, failed, and used deception with Esau and with his father-in-law Laban.

God changed Jacob as well as his name. Before God can use anyone, the person must be saved, sanctified, and broken before the Lord. God changed his name from Jacob, meaning, “to follow, be behind; it can also mean to supplant, overreach, or be derived from the Hebrew word for heel.” In fact, when he was born, he was holding onto Esau’s heel. God changed his name to Israel, meaning, “Prince with God.” God exalted Jacob and gave him twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. He also had one daughter Dinah.

There are three others in the Bible whose names were changed by God: Abram to Abraham (Genesis 17:5-6); Sarai to Sarah (Genesis 17:15-16); and Peter to Cephas (John 1:42). Also, Paul changed his own name from Saul to Paul; and Naomi wanted to change her name to Mara. When God does anything, including change one’s name, He always has a purpose. If God were to change your name, what might He change it to? He might choose friend, child, servant, or witness.

The blessed privilege we will have in the future when we get to heaven is that God will give each of us a new name. The Lord Jesus says in Revelation 2:17, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” That is going to be wonderful!

Through Christ we are overcomers. We have overcome sin, Satan, and the world—all through the blood of Jesus Christ. We must live up to our names as children and sons of God, and as servants of the Most High God. Our earthly parents gave us a name that seemed best to them, but when God gives us a name it will last for eternity and be perfectly suited for us.

Have a blessed day living for the Lord and serving Him until He takes us to heaven. Stay safe and healthy.

Living in and for the name of Jesus,

Dean

-July 20, 2022-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

(Proverbs 17:22).

The Book of Proverbs, written by King Solomon, is a collection of wise sayings to live by. Wisdom is putting knowledge and understanding into action. Today’s text is the secret to a happy and healthy life. Normally when we think of medicine, we think of pills or ointments taken either internally or externally to make one feel better. For example, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics for ten days. But here Solomon says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine.”

Doctors have in recent years seen the benefit of a good and positive attitude, being optimistic, and praying. These are like medicine that heal the soul as well as the body. Laughter also is viewed as highly beneficial to spirit, soul, and body. For us as believers knowing and walking with God helps us face whatever comes our way.

The word merry is not used very often today, except at Christmas time when we express our good wishes to others. In fact, even then, most people just say, “Happy Holidays.” Merry is an old word but blessed word, meaning, “Cheerful and lively; full of gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit.” The word merry is found 22 times in the NKJV version. A merry heart is a happy, joyful heart.

Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” When we are happy, joyful, and optimistic life is just better, richer, and fuller. It is really better medicine than all the others combined. I am in favor of taking medicine when it is needed and seeing the doctor, but I also believe faith, hope, and joy are among the best preventive medications.

The opposite is also true: “A broken spirit dries up the bones.” Negative, sad or discouraging feelings work against us and make us feel worse. Someone said, “Pain is inevitable, misery is optional. As believers we must choose to rejoice in the Lord, and trust Him daily. Are you experiencing some suffering or pain today? Let us thank God for what He has done for us and given to us. When we starting counting our blessings, we find it turns our whole day around. Medicines can cost a lot of money, but a merry heart is absolutely free.

Have a blessed day rejoicing and giving thanks to the Lord. Try a merry heart, a little laughter—it is good medicine. Stay safe and healthy.

In a happy outlook and up look,

Dean

-July 19, 2022-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.”

(Nehemiah 6:15-16).

When the Jews returned to their land after the seventy year Babylonian captivity, they had two major undertakings: rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. They accomplished the temple, called Zerubbabel’s temple first. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king of Medes and Persians. He was so burdened and saddened by the situation of the broken walls that he told the king. The king gave a leave of absence to go to Jerusalem. He served as governor and led the people in rebuilding the walls.

Nehemiah and the people of Judah faced much hardship and opposition from their enemies who fought them each step of the way. Their main enemies were: Tobiah, Sanballat, the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the false prophets. Nehemiah did not let them intimidate him from the task at hand. He knew that he was doing a great work for God. All the people worked together, laboring day and night, until at last the work was completed. The people worked on the of wall closest to their homes. Because of the threats of their enemies, they held a hammer in one hand and a weapon in the other.

The work was finished in an amazing fifty-two days. How did they do it? It was with the help of their God. They knew it and so did their enemies. They weren’t skilled craftsmen, but ordinary men that God used in His service. Every believer in Jesus Christ is a builder in the kingdom of God. God calls us, equips us, trains us, and uses us to further His cause on earth. Like the Jews who worked together in harmony and love, we need to do the same. Our mission will not be finished until the Lord calls us home to heaven.

Our enemies today are spiritual: the devil and his demons, the world, and our own sinful flesh. They will never give up fighting against us. So we must fight the good fight of faith to the end. People who observe our faith and commitment to Jesus recognize His power through us. We can’t take any credit for ourselves. Without the Lord, we can do nothing; with Him, we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.

We must ask ourselves, how am I building my section of the wall? Am I distracted by the things of this world or am I serving faithfully day in and day out? We must be finishers. There is so much to do for Christ and so little time to do it. The hymn writer James M. Black wrote, “Let us labor for the Master from the dawn to setting sun, let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”

Have a blessed day building the church and building up the saints. God will help us and use us for His glory. Stay safe and healthy.

Building together as one in Christ,

Dean

-July 18, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”’

(2 Kings 19:19).

King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of Judah, along with David and Josiah. He made many reforms and led the people back to God. King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his representative the Rabshakeh to threaten them, besieging the city of Jerusalem. He had already taken Israel into captivity and captured the fortified cities of Judah. They were in dire straights.

Many other kings before him hired strong foreign armies to protect them. Not Hezekiah, he called on the Lord for help and deliverance, not on man. He not only sought the counsel of the prophet Isaiah, who gave him God’s assurance of their victory, but he prayed earnestly and fervently himself. This portion in 2 Kings 19:15-19 is Hezekiah’s prayer. He recognized the blasphemy that the Assyrians had made against the Lord by comparing the one and only true God with all the gods of other nations who could not deliver their people from the powerful hands of Assyria.

God takes these kinds of taunts and threats very seriously. He will prove Himself mighty on our behalf. 1 Kings 19:22 gives the Lord’s response, saying, “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.” God fights for His people and no one can defeat Him.

No matter how many may be against us, they will not succeed. God promised in Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” ‘says the Lord.’” Paul wrote, “What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).

The Assyrians amassed some 185,000 troops against Hezekiah and Jerusalem. 2 Kings 19:35 says, “And it came to pass on a certain night that the Angel of the Lord went out, and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose in the morning, there were all the corpses—all dead.” The people of Judah didn’t need to fight. God fought for them. God fights for us also. The battle is not our’s but His. All glory goes to the Lord. God answered Hezekiah’s prayer that, “all the kingdom’s of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You Alone.” We should always give all glory to Him for every answer to prayer, every victory, every miracle.

Let us pray for God’s help and deliverance and not seek man’s wisdom or strength. He will fight for us. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

In God’s mighty power,

Dean

-July 17, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still” (Psalm 4:4).

“‘Be angry, and do not sin.’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).

One of God’s attributes is righteous anger. Time and time again, God was angry with Israel’s sin, especially of their repeated idolatry. The only anger that is justified is this type of anger. In both of today’s verses it says, “Be angry and do not sin.” How do we take the sin out our anger? The only way is to take self out of our anger. Righteous anger gets angry against sin, the devil, evil, wickedness, corruption, and injustice. Righteous anger is getting angry at what makes God angry.

Unrighteous anger is when we are wronged; righteous anger is when God and His cause and kingdom are wronged. Moses got angry on God’s behalf when the Israelites made and worshipped the golden calf. Jesus got angry in the temple twice when the money changers sold their wares and the house of the Lord was turned into a house of merchandise. Righteous anger should cause us to pray for the offenders not seek vengeance or revenge upon them for ourselves.

In our country today, we should be angry when we hear of shootings and mass shootings, injustice in any form, taking prayer out of schools, hearing the Lord’s name taken in vain, evil, wickedness, and corruption. We can’t be complacent and accept things as, “just the way things are.” We need to pray more for our country and those in authority, Both Ezra and Nehemiah were both angry with the Jews who married foreign women, some even had children with them. They had just come out of a seventy year captivity. Because sin affects the church, it affects all of us.

May the Lord help us to only have righteous anger not unrighteous anger. Stay safe and healthy.

Standing for God’s kingdom and righteousness,

Dean