Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Claiming God’s Promises In Difficult Times-

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

(Isaiah 41:10).

Today’s verse is one of the most encouraging and inspiring in the whole Bible. It gives us such hope. It is one of my favorite verses. There are five promises in this verse given by the Lord to us His people. The Lord has told us two vital things: “fear not,” and “be not dismayed.” Only the Lord can tell us this and we can have perfect confidence and assurance in Him.

The Lord not only assures us, but He gives five reasons why we should have peace in the midst of such hard times. These reasons are in the form of five promises backed by God. We find a plethora of promises throughout the Bible and we can claim each one of them. God always fulfills His promises.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:18-20, “But God is faithful, our word to you was not yes and no. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us — by me, Silvanus, and Timothy — was not yes and no, but in Him was yes. For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him are amen, to the glory of God through us.” For every problem, there is a promise, for every trouble, there is a promise, and for every need, there is a promise.

1- I am with you – What better reason not to fear and be dismayed, than having the Lord with us. He promises us in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

2- I am your God – The Lord Jesus Christ is our personal Lord and Savior. He indwells us through the Holy Spirit. He calls us by name and knows each one of us inside and out. He loves us so much and cares for us.

3- I will strengthen you – What confidence this brings us when we face incredible difficulties, sorrows, and losses. God strengthens us spirit, soul, and body. The Lord said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect through weakness.”

4- Yes I will help you – The Lord never turns away from our cries for help. He is never too busy to rescue us in difficult circumstances. When Peter was about to sink in the Sea of Galilee, he prayed a short, urgent prayer to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” The Lord reached out His hand and caught Him, and the wind ceased. We need the Lord’s help daily.

5- I will uphold you with My righteous right hand – There is nothing stronger than God’s right hand. The song is so encouraging, “He’s got you and me brother, in His hands, He’s got you and me sister, in His hands, He’s got you in me brother in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

May the Lord encourage us today that He is with us, He is our God, He strengthens us, helps us, and upholds us. We need not fear, when Jesus is near.

Have a blessed day trusting in the Lord no matter what you are going through. He is always there for us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Learning The Ways, Will, And Word Of The Lord-

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on you I wait all the day.”

(Psalm 25:4-5).

David, the writer of Psalm 25, was a student of the Lord. God Himself was his teacher; He learned the ways, paths, and truth of the Lord. He was humble and never stopped learning. He did not just know of the Lord or about the Lord, He knew the Lord in a close and personal way.

For us to grow in Christ, we must learn from Him through the Holy Spirit. We should always be like sponges soaking up the water of life, which is the Word of God. The world is our classroom, the Bible is our curriculum, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. It is a school we will never graduate from until we enter heaven.

There are three things we must learn to be successful and be good students: God’s ways, paths, and truth. God does not grade us on a curve, and allows us to learn at our own pace to ensure we are grasping it and practicing it. He tests us to make sure we have learned and are growing in our lives. These tests come in the form of trials.

• God’s ways – God is a consistent teacher who never changes, just as His Word never changes. God’s ways are how He works in our lives. His principles of faith, obedience, and trust are essential to our growth and development. He is not mysterious in revealing His ways to us. We just need to obey His commands, follow His principles, and claim His promises.

• God’s paths – This speaks of God’s will for our lives. When we pray we should ask that we may walk in His paths and be on God’s plan. We get into so much trouble when we do our own will. It is said that about 90% of God’s will for our lives is already revealed in His Word; the other 10% relates to our specific situations, just as what job to accept, who to marry, what church to attend, which ministries to be involved in, and other things He wants us to do. We need to seek God’s will and do it.

• God’s truth – God leads us in His truth; to be truthful and stand on His truth is so vital. Our word should be our bond; if we make a promise or commitment, we should do it. The truth never changes, lies always change. When we tell the truth, we do not have to cover ourselves with one lie after another and remember who we said what to.

Let us go then go forward today, learning God’s ways, paths, and truth. The Lord is our teacher, we are His disciples; He is our Lord and we are His followers. School is in session year round. Let us wait on the Lord all the day. How are you doing in class today?

Have a blessed day in God’s School, learning, following, and doing His will. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Gospel Is The Power Of God To Change Lives-

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

(Romans 1:16).

Everywhere Paul went he preached the gospel, the good news, to the Jews and to the Gentiles. The man who once severely persecuted Christians became the greatest preacher of the gospel. He wrote to the Romans, “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and unwise” Romans 1:14). His mission was the Great Commission.

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The Lord Jesus sent His followers into the world to spread the message of salvation to everyone. Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

The message of the gospel has never been popular among the masses, not because it does not work to change lives, but because people would rather continue in their sins, follow their own path in life, and believe that they can get to heaven by good work. One must see their need in order to be saved, repent of their sins, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

As a result of Paul’s preaching, he was imprisoned and then executed for his faith. Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He knew that the gospel was the power of God to salvation. The word power here in our text is Greek word dunamis, from which we get our English word dynamite. Only Christ can save a person and change their lives for now and for all eternity.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” For those of us who have been saved, we can attest to the great change He has made in our lives. We have experienced the new birth, to live a new life, and to have a new nature. Our sins are forgiven, we have eternal life, and will go to be with the Lord in heaven forever. The gospel is the cure for our sins. It is the spiritual vaccine that is 100% effective.

The gospel is still being preached today all over the world. Souls are still being saved and lives are still being changed. God uses us to share the message with those who are unsaved with a sense of urgency and a heart of love. The gospel is the best and most important news in the world. Let us proclaim it.

Have a blessed day sharing the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. God will do His work to save souls. Stay save and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-Readiness To Receive And Study The Word Of God For Ourselves-

“These were more fair-minded than those in in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the prominent women as well as men.”

(Acts 17:11-12).

Paul and Silas had to leave from Thessalonica due to persecution that arose there. It was a constant pattern through Paul’s ministry: the Jews who opposed Paul would stir up the people against him and his companions to hinder the work of God. In spite of the persecution many souls were saved there.

When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they found a better reception. The there. The Jews there had a strong desire to search the Scriptures for themselves, which they did daily to see if what Paul was saying was true. This led to many men and women getting saved. Unfortunately, those trouble making Jews came over from Thessalonica and stirred up the crowds also in Berea.

The attitude and actions of the Bereans was very impressive. It should inspire every believer to love the Word and be in it daily to learn it and apply in one’s life. It it not enough to merely attend church on Sunday and hear the pastor or others speak. The Bible and Bible study is for every believer, old and young, men and women, along with the children and young people.

• They were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica – To be fair-minded is to be noble-minded, or as we may say today, “open-minded.” They had a strong desire to read, study, understand, and know the Scriptures. As believers today we need an open heart and an open Bible. We have so much to learn.

• They received the word with all readiness – They had an eagerness and strong desire about them. They wanted to know it for themselves. It reminds me of the Samaritans to whom the woman at the well shared with. She gave her personal testimony of Jesus and what He told her and did for her. John 4:42 says, “Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him, for we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’”

• They searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so – They did their research, not with a spirit of doubt or skepticism, but of faith and desire. In John 6:39, Jesus told the Jews, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are those who testify of Me.” In every word of every chapter of every book of the Bible, we something of Christ. The OT pointed forward to Him, and the NT fulfilled everything about Him and for the future into eternity.

May the Lord help us to desire and love the Word, wanting to read and study it, know it, understand it, obey it, and apply it to our lives. When we do, we can say with the Queen of Sheba who saw and heard Solomon for herself, “Then she said to the king: ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard’” (1 Kings 10:6-7).

Have a blessed day searching the Scriptures for all the wonderful treasures. Read and study the Bible for yourself and you will say, “The half has not been told me.” Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-July 15, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Lay Aside Moral Impurity And Receive The Word Implanted-

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

(James 1:21).

The early Christians lived in a morally corrupt society in the Roman Empire. Many were saved as adults who had lived very sinful lives. They were growing in their faith. Our society today is much the same way, there is defilement from TV, movies, internet, books, magazines, music, and other forms of entertainment.

As believers we need to “lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness.” We must choose to reject the things of this world that defile our minds and bodies. All throughout Scripture, whenever God’s people give up something wrong or questionable, God replaces it with something better. Separation is to keep one away from sinful and worldly things around us. Sanctification is to be set apart for the Lord. Both are needed.

We notice that it takes action on our part in our choices. There are good TV shows which include Christian programs, as well as syndicated TV shows from years gone by. There are good movies rated G or PG. There are good things on the internet and good Christian music and videos. It does take dedication and parents can show the way by their example. James tells us “ to receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Parents want to protect their kids from moral corruption and that is a good thing. We as children of God must do the same. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The summer Olympics are coming up in a couple of weeks and we will see runners and other athletes competing at the highest levels. They have trained most of their lives for this stage. They have been disciplined to the highest degree and their clothing and shoes are as light as possible. Their goal is faster, stronger, higher.

We have a choice in how we live our lives. People who know we are Christians are watching how we live our lives, the words we use, and places we go and things we do. Just as the world-class athletes must sacrifice so much to represent their countries, so too, we must sacrifice much to represent the Lord Jesus Christ and heaven in the way we live our lives.

Have a blessed day laying aside anything defiling and living fully for Christ in this world. Being separated from the world and set apart for God is our daily choice and challenge. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean