Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-March 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-God’s Blessing On Those Who Endure Trials And Temptations-

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

(James 1:12).

James, the writer of this blessed epistle is the half-brother of Jesus. Early on in Jesus’ earthly ministry, his brothers did not believe in Him, but later turned to Him in saving faith. James and Jude both became mighty men of God and wrote epistles in the NT. James was so practical and challenging in his epistle as was Jude in his.

In chapter one, James writes of trials and temptations which we all go through. James 1:2-3, says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” Only a believer can rejoice in the trials of life, knowing the good that comes from them. In today’s text, James refers to temptations but it applies to trials as well. God sends trials but never temptations. The devil uses our sinful flesh against us to try to get us to sin.

There is a special blessing for those who endure temptation. We cannot do this without the Lord’s help. This is exactly what Joseph went through. He experienced temptation in Potiphar’s house and endured it day after day. Potiphar’s wife was wicked and tried her utmost to seduce young Joseph to be with her. He did the wise thing and fled, but she brought a false accusation against him and he was thrown into prison. Later, he interpreted the dreams of the chief cup bearer and the chief baker, who had displeased Pharaoh and ended up in the same prison. Joseph went on to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and he put him in charge of all Egypt.

Joseph said “no” to temptation and God blessed him here on earth and in heaven as well. Joseph also experienced many difficult trials and endured them. James tells us that all of us as believers who endure temptation and love the Lord will receive the crown of life. Our commitment to Christ and obeying Him supersedes and overrides all our fleshly desires.

Jesus experienced temptation from the devil and rejected it using the Word of God. Jesus was God manifested in the flesh and was sinless and perfect. He showed us that we also can endure temptations through the Scriptures. We all want God’s approval and to be victorious over sin. Temptation is not sin, giving in to the temptation is. Jesus told His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” God does not want us to fall into sin so He provides the way out for us.

My friends, God wants us to refuse temptation, endure temptation, and flee temptation. He assures us there is the path to victory and we will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The same is true of enduring trials.

Have a blessed day enduring trials and temptations. Our Savior will be pleased. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 22, 2021-

Good morning, happy Monday,

-Our Spiritual Warfare-

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

(Ephesians 6:10-11).

From the moment we get saved until we get to heaven, we are engaged in spiritual warfare against the devil and all his demonic forces. By our identification with Jesus Christ, we are targets of all the attacks of the evil one. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil and wickedness in the heavenly places. We cannot see them but they are there. Not only that, but the angelic forces of God are in constant conflict with them.

The Apostle Paul reminds the Ephesians that our strength for the battle is completely in the Lord. He writes in verse 10, “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He defeated Satan and all the powers of evil and darkness. It was prophesied in Genesis 3:15 when the Lord told the serpent, “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.” The devil crucified Christ but Christ dealt him a mortal blow.

Though Satan is a defeated foe, he fights on until he is thrown into the lake of fire. He is angry, and uses everything in his arsenal to keep people from getting saved and to oppose the church and its work on earth. Jesus promised, “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 Apostle Paul also encouraged us in Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

It is so important to protect ourselves from the onslaught of the devil’s attacks. Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Another word for wiles is schemes. The devil knows each of us very well and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. All the pieces of the armor of God are defensive except the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

This passage in Ephesians 6:10-18, is the fullest account in the Bible of our spiritual warfare. In verse 18, we see how important prayer is, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” It is vital we pray for each other and for ourselves in this spiritual conflict. Prayer is both offensive and defensive alike.

Let us then fight the good fight of faith as soldiers of Christ, being strong in the Lord and putting on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the devil’s attacks. He takes no days off. We are on Christ’s side, the victorious side. We cannot take on the devil by ourselves, he is too crafty and too strong, but he is no match for our Lord Jesus Christ. We are strongest on our knees.

Have a blessed and victorious day by putting on the whole armor of God and being strong in the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean

-March 21, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Fruitfulness At All Times-

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor cease from yielding fruit.”

(Jeremiah 17:7-8).

In California we have been living through many droughts over the last few years. Water is life, it grows our crops and provides refreshment and drinking water for all. In biblical days, God used drought and other means to get the attention of His people. Spiritual drought for the Word of God is far worse than physical drought.

In our text today, the prophet Jeremiah is demonstrating how men and women of God who are trusting in the Lord and putting their hope in Him can survive and thrive in all circumstances. The righteous are described as trees planted by rivers of water, which spread out its roots by the river. Just as trees, especially fruit trees, need water to grow and flourish, we need the water of the Word in this dry, parched, and sinful world.

Christians are resilient, they don’t give up. They pray and keep on praying, crying out to the Lord for His help. Jeremiah mentions four important ways we can make it through spiritual droughts and harsh conditions. God wants us to be victorious and healthy under any and all conditions.

• They will not fear when heat comes – Heat is a symbol of trials in our lives. There is no need to fear, when Jesus is near. We have the Lord with us and His Word. We find refreshment and satisfaction in God, and He blesses if we stay planted where God has planted us in His will, in the local church he has put us in, and serving Him in the ministry He has called us to.

• But its leaf will be green – When tree branches and leafs are green it is a sign of health and vibrancy. Other trees may become brown and even die. We as believers look around and see the devastation Covid-19 has wrought on the world, the USA, and on everyone. It has affected every person in some way. This is why we must cling to the Lord and rely fully on Him. This health crisis will end and things will return to normal, or at least the new normal. Let us stay green, close to the Lord and in His Word and prayer daily.

• And will not be anxious in the year of drought – Anxiety only makes things worse for us and those around us. The Lord knows our needs and He provides for us in His time. If you are reading this you are still alive and God has been so merciful and gracious. We have been through a year of drought with this pandemic. We can see light at the end of the tunnel, we must continue to hang in there.

• Nor cease from yielding fruit – God’s will is for us to be fruitful always and in all ways, even in our old age. Psalm 92:13-14 says, “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.”

May the Lord help us to be fruitful in and through all circumstances. Let us be a blessing to those around us, showing them that the Lord is our hope and that we trust in Him. May we continue to bear fruit.

Have a blessed day trusting the Lord and serving Him fruitfully no matter our circumstances. Stay safe and healthy.

-March 20, 2021- First Day of Spring-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-The Pure Milk Of The Word-

“As new born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

(1 Peter 2:2-3).

We have all been around new born babies and how they desire for and thrive on their mother’s milk. It is an essential part of the growth process. The same is true in the spiritual life. Newly saved believers need the simple teachings of the Scriptures to growth in their faith in Christ. In fact, there is a series of short books entitled “12 Bottles of Milk.”

Young believers must learn to pray, read the Word, attend church, have fellowship with other believers, witness and testify to unbelievers, show the love of Christ, give tithes to the Lord’s work, discover their spiritual gifts, among others. God’s will is that they grow to maturity. Just as babies grow up physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, so too, young believers in Christ must grow up to feed in the meat of the Word.

In Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer rebuked his readers, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food (or meat). For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” It is time for baby Christians to grow into mature Christians, to move past the basics, to learn the doctrine, know what the Scriptures mean and mean to us, and to apply the Word to our daily lives.

The Apostle Paul dealt with the Corinthians who were allowing divisions in the church and being carnal and not spiritual. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, “And I, brethren could not speak to you as spiritual people but as to carnal (or worldly), as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not behaving like mere men? For one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and to another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?”

It is time to grow up, to mature, to take on ministries and and responsibilities in the church. When we have tasted that the Lord is gracious it should affect our lives. The psalmist wrote, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” As we grow, we depend on our Lord Jesus Christ and find Him to be our all sufficiency. A glass of milk is good as long as it is with solid food. Milk alone is not enough.

Have a blessed day growing and maturing in Christ, moving from milk to solid food. Stay safe and healthy.

-March 19, 2021-

Good morning, happy Friday,

-The Fruit Of The Spirit-

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23).

The key to victory in the Christian life is to walk in the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-17, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to on another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

We as believers in Christ have two natures: the old nature we are born with physically from Adam, and the new nature we are born again with spiritually from Christ. As we obey the Lord, surrender to His will, read the Word, and pray, we allow the Holy Spirit to manifest His power in our lives over our sinful nature. We are sinners saved by grace. The old nature pulls us toward sin and the world, the new nature pushes us toward Christ in order to please Him.

In Galatians 6:19, the Apostle Paul lists the works or sins of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…” It is very ugly. These sins defile, defame, and destroy.

Our verse begins with the word “but,” which contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. First, let us distinguish the term, it is the fruit not fruits of the Spirit. The Spirit produces all nine of these fruit as one not as separate from one another. They all grow together, as it were from the same tree.

The Apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Man cannot produce these fruit, they come from the Holy Spirit. Each of these traits help us to please the Lord and be victorious over the flesh. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:24, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We must crucify the flesh daily and walk in the Spirit. Those who are unsaved cannot overcome the works of the flesh and those who are saved cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit on their own either. The root determines the fruit! We must be rooted in Christ.

When we fall and sin against he Lord we must confess it to the Lord, repent, and forsake it. This restores our fellowship with the Lord so we can walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us when do wrong and produces the life of Christ in us.

May the Lord produce the fruit of the Spirit in us daily so that others will see Jesus in us. Let us do those things that give the Spirit control not the flesh. The Lord wants us to be fruitful in abundance.

Have a blessed day and weekend walking in the Spirit, yielding to Christ and being victorious. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean