Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-February 22, 2025-

Good morning dear ones, happy Saturday,

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”

(Isaiah 40:29).

Aren’t you glad the Bible is chock-full of promises? Today’s verse assures us of God’s power and strength when we are weak.

The reason this promise is so encouraging is that we often weak, exhausted, and feeing hopeless. The Lord knows our weaknesses and gives us His strength. I am sure most of us have experienced weaknesses in our lives, and how God has strengthened us to carry on.

It is only when we come to our Lord in our weakness and seek God’s power that we find Him to be our enough. We err when we rely on our own strength to get through our difficulties. It never works, nor will it ever work.

I know I get tired and I pray for the Lord to strengthen me and give me a second wind. He always does. God’s grace gets us through the toughest times. David wrote in Psalm 6:2, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”

There is a wonderful hymn entitled, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” I love this hymn. The first line says, “I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee.”

May we come to the Father in the name of Jesus. Let us acknowledge our weakness and inability; relying on His strength not our own. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

As Paul wrote, “…for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

-February 21, 2023-

Good morning beloved, happy Friday,

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He created us, He died for us, He redeemed us. These two titles are so beautiful and descriptive of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

• Jesus is the Author – Our Lord is both the Author of the Word of God as well as the Author of our salvation. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. The Greek word translated “author” can be rendered “originator.” He started everything in the world, and in the whole universe. This is the only use of the word author in the Bible.

• Jesus is the Finisher – Most of us are familiar with John 19:30, which says, “So when Jesus has received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit.” Jesus completed the work of our salvation by bearing our sins, shedding His blood, and paying the price of our sins in full. The Greek word for “finisher” can be rendered “perfecter.”

We now by faith can look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is our hope, our peace, our joy. He died for sins and was raised for our justification. We are complete in Him. One day, and hopefully soon, we will see Him face to face in heaven.

Have a blessed day learning from the Author and resting in the Finisher of our faith. Stay safe and healthy.

“Face to face I shall behold Him, far beyond the starry sky; Face to face in all His glory, I shall see Him by and by!” (Carrie E. Breck).

Dean

-February 20, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

(Deuteronomy 31:8).

The Lord has promised to be with us every step of the way, every day of the week, every place that we go. He goes before us and is with us. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “…lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Lord is present in our lives and we live in His presence. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can count on our faithful Lord. His love and power drive away fear.

Jesus is our Immanuel, meaning God is with us. He alone is our Guide. We follow Him; walking in His path. He is our Protector and Provider. He goes before us and goes with us. We have all His promises. Someone once said, ‘You can’t break God’s promises by leaning on them!”

Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

It is clear that Jesus is near; faith in Him drives out fear.

Dean

-February 19, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.”

(Matthew 28:16-17).

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead just as He said. The disciples were sad, but their sorrow was soon turned in joy.

Jesus gave specific instructions to the two Marys and Salome who were the first ones to hear from the angel that Jesus was alive. They were also given the instructions to meet Him in Galilee.

Matthew 28:9-10 says, “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.’”

The reaction of the women and the eleven was to worship Him. The reason we worship Jesus is because He is the Son of God, the risen Savior, the Lord of all. To worship Him is to extol and honor Him for who He is and what He has done for us. We must contemplate His worth.

In today’s verses. the Holy Spirit through Matthew says, “When they saw Him they worshiped Him; but some doubted.” We know that Thomas doubted, but here we see the phrase, “some doubted.” There must have been others who doubted along with Him. But when they saw Jesus, He dispelled their doubts by His presence, peace, and power.

Doubt is insidious and spreads like a virus with terrible results. Satan is the one who does his utmost to sow, and spread doubt among God’s people as well as to the lost.

May the Lord increase our faith and conquer our doubts. When we see who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we won’t doubt. Faith and doubt can’t coexist.

Have a blessed day in worship without doubting. Stay safe and healthy.

Worship stirs the soul; doubt poisons it.

Dean

-February 18, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Tuesday,

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

(Romans 8:37).

The Christian life is the victorious life. The victory is not our victory, but Christ’s who died for us and rose again. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We conquerors through and in Christ. The word conqueror is defined as, “a person who conquers a place or people.” Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have victory over sin, Satan, death, the world, and the flesh.

We are not just conquerors, Paul told us, “We are more than conquerors.” It is so encouraging to is. He is in us, with us, and for us. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love! We are His forever.

There is a hymn entitled, “We Are More Than Conquerors by Ralph Carmichael that is such a blessing. He wrote in the first verse, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us so. The Christ who dwells in us, is the greatest power we know. He will fight beside us, tho the enemy is great; who can stand against us, He’s the Captain of our fate.”

Let us then rejoice in our victory in Christ and keep on keeping on. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

When our Captain leads us in the fight, everything will be alright.

Dean