Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-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

-February 17, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Monday, happy Presidents’ Day

“For kings and all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

(1 Timothy 2:2).

We declared our independence and freedom from the British in 1776. We fought a war against the most powerful country at the time, and no longer serve a king, but are under republic. We have so many freedoms, one of which is to choose our president every four years. Our government is the people and by for the people.

Today, we honor two great presidents: George Washington, our first president, and Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president. Both were great leaders, but even greater men. In 1968, there was a resolution passed to make the third Monday in February, Presidents’ Day, to honor of these two great men, and all presidents who served our country down to the present day.

Washington commanded the Continental Army to victory over the British, and was elected our first president and served two terms. He declined to run for a third term. He was a humble, God fearing man, of the highest character. He was a strong leader and a great examples for subsequent presidents to follow.

Abraham Lincoln came from a humble background to be elected president under tremendously difficult conditions. There was a division between the north and the south over slavery and over economic issues. Lincoln, like Washington before him, did what right, feared God, and fought a civil war to reunite the country. He suffered so much over a divided country and all the troops who died fighting for freedom. His life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet.

It used to be that character in a president counted for even more than performance; but that is not the case so much anymore. We don’t have leaders like Washington and Lincoln today. The job of being president of the United States is one of the most difficult and pressure filled jobs in America. I believe that the president is overworked and underpaid; scrutinized and criticized way too much, and not appreciated the way he should be.

Let us honor our presidents today and pray for our current president and all our government leaders. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

No matter who is in the White House, he deserves our respect and our prayers for his leadership and hard work.

Dean

-February 16, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Lord’s Day,

“He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

(Psalm 112:7).

This wonderful psalm speaks of a blessed man, a God fearing man, an upright man, a good man, and a steadfast man. Today, I want to focus on the steadfast man.

The word steadfast is such a great word to describe a believer in Jesus Christ. It is inspiring, encouraging, and challenging, especially in the times we live in.

The word steadfast is defined as, “Resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering; firmly fixed in place, not subject to change; firm in belief, determination, or adherence.” You notice that the dictionaries I drew from all speak of being firm.

I think all of us desire to be steadfast in our walk with Christ. It all starts with a steadfast heart then translates to a steadfast life. There is no room for compromise. We must stand firm on the Word of God. It is possible to be steadfast without be unloving or unkind.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brethren be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Our brother Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Watch, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”

May the Lord help us to be steadfast, in season and out of season. We can’t give in, give up, or quit. Have a blessed Lord’s Day. Stay safe and healthy.

We may hold a minority view, but let’s stand for Christ and be faithful and true.

Dean