Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 6, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

(1 Corinthians 10:12).

In our modern world especially, it is easy to rely on our own strength, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom. It is a huge mistake, and plays right into the hands of the devil. He can easily drag us down into the mire of discouragement, frustration, helplessness and hopelessness. The end result is falling into sin. No matter how long we have been saved, or how well we know the Bible, we are still vulnerable.

Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:31-34, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’ But he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.’ Then He said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.’”

Peter spoke in the flesh and in his own strength, and just as Jesus said, he denied our Lord three times. Good intentions are just that, but apart from the help of the Lord, we can’t do it on our own. The Lord Jesus forgave him, restored him, and used him in mighty way. Peter was always the disciple who spoke up, and at times said or did the wrong thing. Later though when the day of Pentecost came, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel, and three thousand souls were saved. He became a great preacher, teacher, elder, missionary, and servant of Christ.

Paul used the Israelites as an example of those who fell. They lusted after evil things, immorality, idolatry, and complaining. He said in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Someone said, “A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others.” Of course, the best thing is to learn from both our own mistakes and those of others. It will save us so much pain.

It is God’s will that we not fall. The only way to do that is is stay close to the Lord, be in His Word daily, and to pray for His continual help. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John reclined on Jesus’ bosom and Mary of Bethany sat at Jesus’ feet listening to His Word. They loved the Lord so much.

Let us then rely fully on the Lord, ask for His help and guidance in matters large and small, and not depend ourselves or own resources. Victory, success, and prosperity depend on it. We can only walk in the light when we are plugged into God’s power! As His sheep, we are prone to wander. We must stay close to our Shepherd. Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We must be on guard continually.

Have a blessed day staying close to Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-June 5, 2022-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.”

(Isaiah 49:15-16).

From the beginning of time, and in fact from eternity past, God has loved us. God’s plan of salvation was in place even before the fall. God said to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). Jesus defeated the devil at the cross and crushed him.

God sent the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, to die for us on the cross. When He died, He bore our sins, knew our names, and sacrificed His life to save us. Though today’s text was spoken to Israel, it applies to all believers in Christ as well. A mother’s love is the greatest love on earth, yet even a nursing mother may forget her nursing child, but God will never forget us. He has compassion on us in our frailty, vulnerability, and helplessness. He paid our sin debt when we could not pay it, and loved us so much. We sometimes forget Him, but He will never forget us.

Just think, our names are inscribed on the palms of His hands; that is how much He loves us and cares for us. There are millions of believers, but only one you. You are unique. He counts the number of hairs on your head and collects your tears in His bottle. Jeremiah 31:3 says, “The Lord has appeared of old saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’” We are all precious to our Lord. We are not only inscribed on the palms of His hands, but our names are written in His Book of Life. Let us freely worship and praise Him today and forever.

Have a blessed Lord’s day basking in the sunshine of His love. Stay safe and healthy.

In His eternal love,

Dean

-June 4, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

(Psalm 37:4).

There are some Scriptures that even Christians misinterpret. To gain the proper understanding, we must read the whole verse in its context. If you just take the last part of this verse by itself it would mean God will give us whatever our hearts desire. The Bible doesn’t teach that. In this case, we must delight ourselves in the Lord, then He will give us the desires of our heart.

The question is: how do we delight ourselves in the Lord? From the Bible it is clear: to delight in the Lord is to put Him first, to seek and do His will, and to please, honor, and obey Him fully. Psalm 40:7,8 speaks prophetically of Christ, “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.’” Jesus said in John 4:34, “…My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” We can thus see the devotion, dedication, and commitment it takes to delight ourselves in the Lord. Jesus is our greatest example.

When we delight ourselves in the Lord, God will give us the desires of our heart. Then His desires become our desires, His will our will, and His purposes our purposes. Thus He gives us the desires of our heart. When we surrender fully to His will, He gives us what is best for us, whether in school, career, marriage, family, ministry, retirement, or in anything else. God gives His best to those who want His best and wait for His best. Just remember delights and desires: delighting in Him and getting the desires of our hearts. God knows all things and wants the very best for us.

Have a blessed day delighting in the Lord and you will see what great things God provides. Stay safe and healthy.

In the Father’s will,

Dean

-June 3, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret —it only causes harm.”

(Psalm 37:8).

David wrote this beautiful 37th Psalm, and three times he uses the expression, “Do not fret.” The word fret is defined as, “a state of anxiety or worry; be constantly or visibly worried or anxious.” We face unprecedented crime, violence, lawlessness, unrest, and divisions. For us it is easy to fret and to have frustration, fear, and sadness. David saw many of the same issues in his day: the wicked prospering, the righteous being put down, and the foundations being destroyed. Verse 1 says,”Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” Verse 7 tells us, “…do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who beings wicked schemes to pass.”

David’s answer for us is not to fret but trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness, commit your way to the Lord, to rest in the Lord and wait patiently on the Lord. It is the best alternative to getting agitated, troubled, or stressed out at what is happening in the world or especially in our country. There are so many mass shootings and so many innocent people have been killed. This world is not our home. In these last days, we must expect things to get worse. We must cling to the Lord and keep praying. He will see us through and protect us. Instead of harming ourselves by fretting, let us share the good news of Jesus and His love with those who are unsaved.

The things that are happening are signs of what will take place in the end times. Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” There is so much lawlessness, wickedness, and evil all around us. We must be strong and look to the Lord in these times. Let us look up, for our redemption draws near. Our Savior is coming soon. We feel like Lot living in Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter wrote of him, “and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:7-9). Do not fret dear ones, the Lord is with us to the end.

Have a blessed day living for Christ in this sinful world and pointing people to Jesus who our only hope. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-June 2, 2022-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the Lord God of Israel.”

(Joshua 14:13-14).

Because of Caleb and Joshua’s faithfulness to the Lord, they were the only ones who left Egypt to go into the Promised Land. All the others because their lack of faith perished in the wilderness during their 40 year journey. These two men were among the twelve spies that Moses sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. The other ten brought back a bad report and discouraged the people from going into the land that God was giving them. Caleb and Joshua had faith and trust in God believing that God would give them the victory over the mighty people and giants in the land.

The Lord through Moses promised Caleb and Joshua a good inheritance in Canaan. Caleb reminds Joshua of God’s personal promise to him. He is now 85 years old, and he said in Joshua 14:11, “As yet I am as strong this day as in 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.” How could this be? The answer is not in his diet, exercise regimen, or any other formula. He honored God, and God honored him. Moses wrote, “So your sandals shall be iron and bronze, as your days, so shall your strength be.” Though not addressed to Caleb, it was very appropriate for his life and situation.

God delights to fulfill His promises. We just need to claim them by faith, and obey and honor God fully. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him are amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Let us rejoice in all God’s promises in His Word, claim them, and live by them. Caleb waited on God and received his inheritance, as did Joshua later on. God honors those who honor him. God’s promises are always worth the wait.

Have a blessed day standing on the promises of God. Stay safe and healthy.

In God’s wonderful promises,

Dean