Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday, Happy Juneteenth,

-Deliverance From Satan’s Bondage-

“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And the he will plunder his house.”

(Matthew 12:29).

Today is Juneteenth, our newest federal holiday, passed by Congress and signed by President Biden. It is a Remembrance Day, when after the Civil War, Union troops informed the slaves in Texas that they were free. President Lincoln granted their freedom over two years before on January 1, 1863. Texas slave holders had kept the news from the slaves all that time. In fact, they didn’t even know the war was over!

Imagine being free and not knowing it. Then imagine the great joy of hearing it and breathing their first breaths of freedom. It certainly reminds us of how many people today are walking around enslaved by Satan, sin, and death. They don’t know that Jesus died to deliver them from the bondage Satan that he had over them.

In today’s verse, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees who said of Him, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 12:24). Jesus says that if Satan casts out Satan, his kingdom will not stand. Jesus came to die on the cross and defeat Satan, along with sin, the flesh, and death.

The promise of Satan’s demise occurs in Genesis 3:15, when God speaking to the serpent, the devil said, “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.” Jesus fulfilled this Scripture by dying in our place on the cross. He tasted death for each and every person. By putting our faith in Him and His finished work on the cross, we are saved, delivered, and set free.

Jesus entered Satan’s territory, his dominion, that is his house, bound Satan, and plundered his goods, that is delivering us from the bondage we were under. Oh, what a victory He wo for us on the cross! 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Have you been delivered? Have you been set free? It is an incredible victory! Juneteenth is a very meaningful day, an Independence Day for black people. I, like so many white Americans did not know about it until recently, but now we do. Every person was born a sinner and under Satan’s control because of sin. Those who know Jesus are no longer slaves of sin, we are slaves of righteousness. Jesus is our Lord and Master, who gives us the freedom to live holy and godly lives. Let us rejoice in our freedom!

Have a blessed day thanking God for our freedom. Tell people, “Happy Juneteenth.” We can share what it means for black people and what our spiritual emancipation means to all people. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 18, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-The Power And Joy In The Church-

“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

(Acts 2:46-47).

Luke, the beloved physician, wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. He was a good friend of Paul and spent a lot of time with him. He addressed both of these books to Theophilus, an unknown but likely prominent man in the church.

The birth of the church took place when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles in great power. Peter preached the first sermon, filled with the Holy Spirit. Three thousand souls were saved that day. These folks received the Word gladly and were baptized. They began to meet together for teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

The early believers had all things common, meaning they shared with each other as any had need. Our text tells us that they continued in the temple daily, sharing their meals together from house to house with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. They had a powerful testimony of how the Lord changed their lives. The Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved. After two days the number of those saved grew to 5,000.

It did not take long before the believers were persecuted. Peter and John were arrested, beaten, and threatened. But the more the church was persecuted, the more the church thrived and grew. The devil was not happy with those being saved and growing in their faith. The same is true in many countries in the world today. Where persecution is the most severe, the more souls are saved and the church is the strongest.

There is something so encouraging about Christian fellowship. I have seen it and experienced for many years. When we meet together, we encourage one another in love. I have found that I am closer with my brothers and sisters in Christ than my own natural family. It is a double blessing when a member of our natural family is also a believer in Christ. It has been so hard not seeing our church family during the pandemic.

Jesus is the Head of the church and the Savior of the body. He told His disciples, and Peter in particular, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The church is built on Christ the Rock and the apostles and prophets.

Let us rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ, worship with them, and serve with them in joy and the power of the Holy Spirit. We want to see more souls saved and believers taught and equipped for service for our Lord. We must all do our part.

Have a blessed day and weekend standing together and serving together in the church. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 17, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

-Sing Praises To God Who Rides On The Clouds And Cares For His Own-

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.”

(Psalm 68:4-5).

The Book of Psalms is the Bible’s hymn book. Like so many of the psalms, David wrote this one. He was not only a great king, general, and man of God, he was also a great musician who played the harp and sang praises to God. Like life itself some of his songs were happy and some were sad; he praised God for everything, at all times.

David praised God who rides on the clouds. God created clouds that serve several useful purposes, most notably carrying rain to water our land and provide water to drink. Clouds in Scripture are mentioned many times. It was significant that God spoke from a cloud on numerous occasions in both the OT and NT. When Jesus ascended back to heaven, a cloud received Him, and when He comes again we will be caught us up together in the clouds to be forever with the Lord. See Acts 1:9-11 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

Our Lord Christ rides on the clouds as easily as He walks on the water. All nature serves Him. David mentions God’s sacred name YAH, a shortened form of Yahweh. The Jews would not even say this name because it was so sacred and holy. David rejoiced in the Lord.

David knew of God’s greatness not only intellectually and theologically, but personally and practically. The God who rides on the clouds is also the God who is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. He always has a special love and care for widows and orphans. He also loves us and takes care of us. He counts the number of hairs on our heads and collects our tears in His bottle. He never leaves nor forsakes us.

May the Lord encourage us today with His presence and His power. He will uphold us and strengthen us for whatever comes our way. Let us praise the Lord for who He is as well as what He does.

Have a blessed day singing praises to God and living fully for Him. Stay safe and healthy.

In His Grace,

Dean

-June 16, 2021-

Good morning, happy Wednesday,

-Praying Specifically For God’s Answers-

“O Lord, I pray, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name; and let your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cup bearer.”

Nehemiah, like many other Jews was taken into captivity in Babylon. He rose to a prominent position there. He was the king’s cup bearer. Pharaoh in Egypt had a chief cup bearer, who along with the chief baker, and was thrown into prison where Joseph was being confined. If someone wanted to kill the king, the cup bearer or baker could certainly do it.

There were other Jews in the OT who occupied royal positions of great responsibility during this time: Mordecai, Esther, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abed-nego. Earlier there was Joseph also. God blessed and prospered them greatly.

Nehemiah was acutely aware that many Jews had returned to Israel after the seventy year captivity was completed. In accordance with the prophesy of Jeremiah, King Cyrus of Persia issued a proclamation ordering their return to rebuild the temple and occupy the land once again. God is always faithful in keeping His promises.

Nehemiah heard from a man named Hanani and others who had come from Judah who told him of the state of affairs there. Nehemiah 1:3 says,”And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and it’s gates are burned with fire.’” This greatly distressed and burdened Nehemiah’s heart. He began to weep, pray, and fast before the Lord. He knew he had to go there to help them, but he needed King Artaxerxes’ permission. Hence his specific prayer in today’s text. He asked God to be attentive to his prayer and the prayers of all those who fear the name of the Lord; and let him proper and have mercy in the eyes of the king. We see in Nehemiah chapter 2 how the king noticed how sad he was. He explained the situation to the king and requested a leave of absence to go to Israel, help out, and then return to the king and his position in an appointed time. God answered his prayer. The king not only granted his request but sent letters to the local officials and even ordered supplies for the work.

What a great answer to prayer. He prayed humbly and specifically; and God answered and did even more than he asked for. God hears and answers our prayers. The hymn writer Joseph M. Scriven wrote, “What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

God blessed Nehemiah‘s efforts to encourage the Jews, provide great leadership, and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He and Jews were faced with great opposition, but with God’s help, finished the work in 52 days. Nehemiah 6:16 says, “And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they perceived that this work was done by our God.” Let us pray until the answer comes and until the victory is won!

Have a blessed day praying specifically and trusting God for His answers. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean

-June 15, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Take Heed To Our Ministries To Fulfill Them-

“And say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.’”

(Colossians 4:17).

Everything that Paul said, did, and wrote had a purpose for the salvation of souls and the building up of the saints in the Lord. There were times he had to rebuke and reprove, exhort and encourage. Today’s verse is such a time. He mentions Archippus specifically. He exhorts him to “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

The word exhortation is defined as, “An address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.” This is exactly what Paul did in referring to Archippus. His goal was not to shame or embarrass him, but rather to help and encourage him.

Many biblical scholars believe that Archippus was the son of Philemon, one of Paul’s dear friends. Philemon was a leader in the church in Colosse, and he and his family hosted a church in their home. Paul wrote in Philemon 1:1-2, “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.” Apphia was likely Philemon’s wife and Archippus his son.

We do not know what happened to Archippus, but something did. He may have gotten discouraged, or suffered some malady. The Bible does not tell us. One thing we know is that he needed some encouragement to fulfill his ministry that the Lord called him to. Anytime we work with people it is not going to be easy. Paul loved Archippus and wanted him to take his responsibilities more seriously. Coming from Paul this carried a great weight.

Paul also exhorted two sisters in the church in Philippi, Euodia and Syntyche, who were not getting along. Philippians 4:2-3 says, “I implore Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.”

It is important for us to recognize that it is God that calls us to serve Him, equips us, and brings forth the results. He needs us to be faithful and take our ministries very seriously. As more churches reopen we will resume our ministries at church that we could not do during the pandemic. We also need to get back to attending church again. The devil will fight against us, as will the flesh and the world. We need to pray for each other.

Paul was like a spiritual coach. He knew his players and what motivated them. The NBA and NHL playoffs are going on right now, and MLB and other sports. The best coaches know which players need to be challenged and exhorted and which ones need encouragement.

May the Lord help us to take heed to our ministries and fulfill them faithfully in Jesus’ name and for His sake. All of us need to learn and grow so we can be the best we can be in the Lord’s service. Let us be committed to our spiritual commitments.

Have a blessed day serving the Lord. Time is short and there is much to do. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean