Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-January 6, 2025-

Good morning dear friends, happy Monday,

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”

(Genesis 15:1).

God made a covenant with Abram, known as the Abrahamic Covenant. He is called the father of many nations and God richly blessed him. Abram had just won a great victory and defeated mighty kings and their armies, delivering Lot and his family who had been taken captive from Sodom.

There are four notable covenants in the Scriptures made with individuals: the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. We are under the New Covenant. There are so many lessons we can learn from all of them.

God appeared to Abram and encouraged him after his great victory over the enemy forces. The devil always attacks us after we have had a great victory. The same thing happened after Elijah had a great victory at Mount Camel over the prophets of Baal. Satan stirred up wicked Queen Jezebel, who threatened to kill him and he fled from her. God sought him out and strengthened and encouraged him.

God exhorted Abram not to be afraid and tells him why: “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” Over and over in Scripture God says, “Fear not” or “Do not fear.” Why does it appear so many times? It is because we have so much fear.

We often fear the future because it is uncertain. The Lord knows our hearts and He knows what the future holds. God never changes and He promises to be with us moment by moment.

God is our shield – The soldier’s best protection is a strong shield. God is our strong shield; nothing can penetrate it. Paul wrote about the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18. He spoke of the shield of faith. It extinguishes the flaming missiles of the devil, who wants to discourage and terrify us.

God is our exceedingly great reward – He not only protects us but He rewards us. He wants us to be victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil. There will be bumps, bruises, wounds, mistakes, failures, and pain; but God promises to use them all for our good and to make us like Christ.

One of the greatest promises in Scripture is Romans 8:28, “Paul wrote, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” There will be giants to face this year, but the Lord also promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Our Lord doesn’t always the calm the storm, but calms our hearts in the storm and brings us through the storm. He doesn’t always remove the obstacle, but helps us overcome it. He doesn’t take away the thorn, but gives us His sufficient grace to endure it.

Let us look to God and forward and as we go through this year with a stronger faith, a greater commitment, and a more willing heart. Have a blessed day walking with Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.

When the day is drear, we should never fear; for the Lord is with us and is always near.

Dean

-January 5, 2025-

Good morning brothers and sisters, happy Lord’s Day,

“And he [Abram] moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”

(Genesis 12:8).

Abram had just obeyed the Lord and followed Him fully. He lived in a tent with his wife, and Lot, his nephew was with them. He did two significant things: he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

He was a man of faith. Building an altar was indicative of his heart of devotion and worship. Like Abram, we need to spend time with the Lord, listen to His Word, and follow Him on the journey. He was right in the middle between Bethel and Ai; right in the center of God’s will. We later read in Genesis 13 that he built the altar in Bethel.

Just after, he did slip up and went outside the Lord’s will by going down to Egypt, which is a symbol of the world. Because there was a famine in Canaan, he went there instead of trusting the Lord to provide for him and his family. He should have stayed in Bethel, meaning “the house of God.” Later, Jacob, his grandson also had to return to Bethel where he should stayed.

In life we shouldn’t move or act without clear guidance from the Lord. He built an altar but left it behind. He called on the name of the Lord.

Calling on the Lord is important, obeying His voice and doing His will is even more important. When we call, God will answer and direct our steps. After Abram’s bad experience in Egypt and getting rebuked by Pharaoh for saying Sarai was his sister, and causing major problems for Pharaoh and his people, he returned to Bethel where he had been at the beginning, the place he had built the altar.

The devil often attacks and distracts us, often after we have a victory in our lives. He appeals to our pride. Let us stay close to the Lord, seeking His face and His will. There are many detours we must watch out for. One mistake can have great repercussions in our lives.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day worshiping the Lord and learning lessons from the Word of God. Stay safe and healthy.

Staying where God wants us to be, and doing what He wants us to do, will keep us in His will, so that to Him we can be true.

Dean

-January 4, 2024-

Good morning brothers and sisters, happy Saturday,

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”

(Psalm 96:3).

As believers in Christ, we have a front row seat in seeing the glory of the Lord. Our God is a great God who does great things for us.

Our privilege and responsibility is to declare His glory and His wonders to all people. Declaring God’s glory may be in speaking or in singing, or in praising Him when we spend time with Him.

Even the heavens declare the glory of the Lord. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” God was glorified long before we before He created mankind. The angels gave Him glory, the sun, moon, stars, yes all the universe.

God doesn’t need man’s praise, but He is honored and pleased by it. The greatest glory goes to the Lord for saving wretched sinners like us and making us His adopted children.

Every day we should declare the glory of God for who He is and what He has done for us. When the Pharisees complained to Jesus that His disciples were praising Him as He entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, He told them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Have a blessed day declaring God’s glory. Stay safe and healthy.

As the psalmist said, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

Dean

-January 3, 2024-

Good morning brothers and sisters, happy Thursday,

“This the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

(Genesis 6:9)

Noah did a great work for God by building a huge ark for the salvation of his household and the countless animals and other creatures. It took 120 years to construct such a craft. Kids learn about the story of Noah and the ark in Sunday School.

As great as that was, and it was great, his character before God and men was even greater. Because of his faith, he appears in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. He obeyed God in every detail. Genesis 6:22 tells, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him.”

The Bible describes him as a just man, that is, he was righteous before God; he was perfect in his generation, meaning that he was blameless and a man of integrity; and he walked with God. What a great goal to follow his example. Conduct is what we do; character is who we are.

He had a wife and three sons who helped in building the ark. He took on a great responsibility and did his job with great results. The Lord knew he could count on him to finish on time with exactly the result He intended.

What has God called you to do this year? God is always less concerned with our ability and more concerned with our availability. The TV series, “Mission Impossible,” and movies that followed began with Jim hearing a recording of what his mission was. The tape always self-destructed in 15 seconds. It was always a mission impossible. Noah took on the impossible by faith and the rest is history.

May you be blessed in your life and service of the Lord. We can all be like Noah. Stay safe and healthy.

As the hymn writer wrote, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way; to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

Dean

-January 2, 2025-

Good morning brothers and sisters, happy Thursday,

“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).

It didn’t take long into 2025 for terrorists to strike our country in New Orleans and Las Vegas. I have heard that the cases may be related. Bad things can happen to anyone at any time. For us as believers, we have peace in Christ not in this world.

We are living in this sinful, broken world; nothing will ever be perfect because people are not perfect. We can’t expect perfection from ourselves, others, or from our circumstances. Only the Lord is perfect and unchangeable.

Jesus said we have tribulation in this world. No one is immune. There are trials, tribulations, troubles, afflictions, difficulties, challenges, obstacles, opposition, sickness, injuries, and persecution. The Lord uses them to grow and strengthen our faith and cause us to trust in Him not in ourselves.

Instead of looking around us, let us look up to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Him we have abundant joy, peace, comfort, and hope. People may disappoint us or let us down; circumstances may go against us; and we ourselves may fail—but Jesus never fails.

Arthur A. Luther wrote, “Earthly friends may prove untrue, doubts and fears assail; One still loves and cares for you, One who will not fail. Though the sky be dark and drear, fierce and strong the gale, just remember He is near, and He will not fail. In life’s dark and bitter hour love will still prevail; trust His everlasting power—Jesus will not fail.” The chorus says, “Jesus never fails, Jesus never fails, Heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus never fails.”

Let us trust the Lord and live for Him and serve Him each day this year. Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.

Seek perfection and peace only in Christ; He is our hope in a hopeless world.

Dean