Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-July 21, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday,

“For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesians with him in the city and supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.”

(Acts 21:29).

Assumptions are often wrong and can lead to many problems, as was the case with the Jews in Jerusalem. Just because Paul was seen in town with a Gentile, they assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple, defiling it.

The whole city was disturbed and they started beat Paul and would have killed him had the Commander of the Roman troops not stepped in and stopped it. They bound Paul to examine Paul and find out what was going on to cause such a violent riot.

The word assume is defined as, “suppose to be the case without proof.” Both the Jews and Romans made this mistake. It can have disastrous consequences. All the evidence must be weighed, analyzed, and examined.

There many wrong assumptions in the Bible. Issac assumed that the one who brought his favorite food was Esau not Jacob; the Medes assumed that Daniel would be crushed to death by lions; the Jews and the Romans assumed that Jesus could never rise from the dead; those who stoned Paul assumed that he was dead; the Syrians assumed that King Jehoshaphat was the king of Israel whom they were to only fight against because Ahab took off his royal robe and Jehoshaphat was still wearing his.

Gamblers assume they are going to win, sports fans assume their team will be victorious, and everyone assumes the car will start and get them to their destination safely and in time. This why we often take so many things for granted.

We as believers today need to be careful not to assume. It can hurt others and even ourselves. We should always hear both sides of a story before coming to a conclusion. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first one who pleads his cause seems right, until his neighbor examines him.”

Have a blessed day being aware of the danger of assumptions. Stay safe and healthy.

Assumptions lead to prejudices, and prejudices to wrong conclusions.

Dean

-July 20, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, ‘The will of the Lord be done.’”

(Acts 21:14).

The will of God settles everything; every question, every dispute, every circumstance. This was the case of the Apostle Paul planning to go to Jerusalem.

While in Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus came from Judea and took Paul’s belt and bound his own hands and feet, saying, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him to the Gentiles.” This did happen.

Paul was unmoved, unfazed, and undeterred in going to Jerusalem. The saints along with Luke plead with him not to go. They finally ceased their attempts to persuade him, saying in our verse, “the will of the Lord be done.”

Sometimes we look at decisions that other believers make, and they don’t make sense to us. When the Lord is leading, He will bring about His will. Someone once said, “God’s will, nothing more, nothing less nothing else.”

As long as we pray, read the Word, and seek godly counsel, the Lord will show us His will. He wants us to be assured. At times we may hear conflicting views on a decision between friends and family; and we want the Lord’s perfect will. There is peace in the will of God.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day. Stay safe and healthy.

Someone said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”

Dean

-July 18, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Saturday,

“But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’”

(Acts 23:11).

Paul was given an opportunity to speak on his own behalf to the Jews by the Roman authorities. His defense split two sides, and he was literally being torn in two by the Jews. They hated him and wanted to kill him for his witness of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection. One sect, the Sadducees, didn’t believe in angels or in the resurrection; the other sect, the Pharisees did. Paul was caught in right in the middle.

The Roman soldiers had to intervene to save Paul’s life. It was at this time that the Lord Jesus appeared to him and stood by him, saying, “Be of good cheer…”

This phrase, “be of good cheer,” is found eight times in the NT. Seven of the eight times it was spoken by Jesus and once by the disciples. It means to be happy, to be encouraged, to be positive, even when things don’t look like it.

Only the believer in Jesus Christ can be of good courage even when circumstances are at their worst. While in the upper room before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, He said to the disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We all need good cheer and then we can spread it to others who are going through hard times. Being of good cheer is more than being positive and keeping a stiff upper lip. It means to be encouraged that the Lord will work things out and we just need to trust Him.

Do you need a little good cheer today? Are your burdens weighing you down? Are your problems bringing you down? It’s time to rejoice in Him. Our joy comes from within because we belong to Christ, He is with us, and He will see us through the darkest night.

The Lord stands by us, speaks our name, and gives us words of hope, peace, assurance, and encouragement. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Turn your to eyes Jesus and watch Him work on your behalf and see you through.

Dean

-July 18, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

(Hebrews 4:15).

One thing to avoid saying to a person in deep distress is, “I know how you feel.” Nobody really knows what another going through, except our Great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Job’s three friends came to Job with good intentions, but they lacked the right compassion, attitude, and patience. They started off well just sitting with him for seven days, not saying a word. Then Job starting speaking and they began to accuse him of wrong doing and sin, even though knew what kind of man he was.

Jesus went through everything we go through, yet without sin; He is with us through it all. Jesus knew rejection, disappointment, sorrow, weakness, temptation, pain, sleepiness, tiredness, hunger, and thirst, and way more. Whatever you are going through He knows all about it. He feels with you (empathy) and for you (sympathy).

The three things we can we assured of are: He knows, He understands, and He cares. What a blessing, comfort, and encouragement it is to us.

One of my favorite hymns is “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.” The chorus says, “No one ever cared for me like Jesus, there’s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O how much He cared for me.”

Let us thank the Lord today that He knows, He understands, and He cares. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Though He knows—He wants us to tell Him about it. Though He understands—He wants us to draw near to Him. And even though He cares—He wants us to lay our burdens and cares down at His feet.

Dean

-July 17, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.”

(Psalm 37:5).

Today’s verse is a tremendous promise that we can claim. When we commit our way to the Lord and trust in Him, He shall bring it to pass.

There are many “its”in our lives. We can fill in the blanks. My “it” may be different from yours, but the same Lord loves us all and works His will in our lives.

There are two things we must do: commit our way to the Lord and trust also in Him. It involves prayerful commitment and surrender to the will of God and leaving it in the hands of the Lord. He works all things together for good in our lives.

God’s timing is totally different than ours. We want things to happen right away; God knows the best way and the best time.

Have a blessed day with the Lord. Stay safe and healthy.

When we relinquish control, the Lord makes things roll.

Dean