Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 23, 2015

Title: Are You Redeemed or Rejected?

Text:

Acts 13:38-39 (ESV) 

38  Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 

39  and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 

Observation:

What an amazing thing Jesus has done for lawbreakers; He has paid our sin debt. It is marked "Paid in Full". This has to be at the top of the list of things I am thankful for.

Romans 3:20 (ESV) 

20  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 

Jesus has done for the sinner what the Law of Moses could never do for you and me.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) 

21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

When you want to know how much God loves you consider what God the Father, and Jesus has done for all human flesh. It is all summed up in these verses.

John 3:16-18 (ESV) 

16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your most holy and righteous name. Father, as we have Thanksgiving Day on our mind this week I am reminded that every day is a day of thanksgiving when you have Jesus living on the inside of you.

Father, I pray that this verse will be our song every day. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Psalm 103:1 (ESV) 

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

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Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 20, 2015

Title: How Much Does God Care About You?

Text:

Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Observation:

Yesterday I was looking for a song in Google Search, and I came across a devotional I wrote on this text  two years ago.  It fit in so well with the topic I wrote about yesterday so I decided to use it today.

Yesterday I wrote about suffering. Isn't it wonderful to know that the Lord watches over His children; that He is with them all of the days of our life. God knows what we are going through, and He cares.

There is never a time that the Lord is not present; He is always leading His people wherever we go; in whatever circumstance we may be going through.

The Lord is a mighty good shepherd; in fact, He is a great shepherd. He will lead you, care for you, restore you, and walk daily with you; in life and in death. Even your enemies cannot harm you when the Lord is for you.

Do you know Him? Is the Lord your leader; your company keeper; is He your protector and provider? God is all right; He's amazing.

What about you? Are you a Christ follower; are you a child of God? If so, this is His gift to you; don't leave it unopened. Is there room in your heart for the Savior and Shepherd? If you are His, this is His promise to you.

Psalm 23:6 (ESV)
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You for being a God who loves and cares for Your children.

Father God, I am so glad that You belong to me, and that I belong to You. Lord, I am grateful that Jesus is my Savior and my Shepherd. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 19, 20915

Title: The Source of Hope and Help for God's People

Text:

Psalm 119:49-56 (ESV) 

49 Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. 

50  This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. 

51  The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. 

52  When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD. 

53  Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. 

54  Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. 

55  I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law. 

56  This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. 

Observation:

The word that leaped off the page and into my heart when I read today's focal passage was suffering.

When you take your focus off of yourself, and fix your eyes upon others, you see the pain and the suffering that they are going through. However, sometimes that suffering is buried behind a wall that has been put up to shield them from the fiery darts of insensitive people.

The psalmist offers hope for all who are dealing with pain and suffering. The people of God are never without hope.

In our pain we should not abandon our praise of God, and our gratefulness to Him for His deliverance, and His present help that is just a prayer away. Think about and meditate upon these verses.

Psalm 119:50 (ESV) 

50  This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. 

Psalm 119:54-55 (ESV) 

54  Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. 

55  I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law. 

Remembering to praise God in our pain and suffering will lift our spirits, and bring hope and healing into our life. It was when the Psalmist changed his focus from his problems, and looked to the Lord that he found hope and help.

Why not take the upward look today in the midst of your circumstances that are masquerading as mission impossible? Our problems are God's raw material for a miracle.

Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV) 

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 

2  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I pray that in the midst of our pain and suffering that we will remember that we can always look up, and give praise and thanksgiving to Your precious name. 

Father, I am so grateful that Your ears are always attentive to the cries of Your people. Father, give us grateful and thankful hearts. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 18, 2015

Title: Who Am I?

Text:

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) 

9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

Observation:

"I am resolved to follow the Savior,

Faithful and true each day;

Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,

He is the living way.

Chorus:

I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;

Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee."

Periodically I ask myself the question, "Who Am I?" The focal passage for today answers this question for you if you are a child of God. The Word of God says:  "You are … a royal priesthood".

What does it mean to be a royal priesthood? It means to have access to God; to offer to Him our praise and prayers. What a privilege to offer to God our spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

We also have the privilege as ambassadors for Christ of being serviceable in equipping and encouraging others because of the gifts and graces we receive from God.

However, none of this is possible without Jesus Christ. This thought is what brought into my spirit from the depths of my heart the song, "I Am Resolved".

Who Am I? I belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to me. With Him and by Him I can do anything; not in my strength, but in His strength. This is the promise to those who live in the presence of God, and obey Him, and who use their gifts and graces received from God in service to others.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV) 

13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I delight to unite my voice with the Saints of the ages in giving You the glory, and the praise that You alone deserve.

Psalm 145:1-3 (ESV) 

1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 

2  Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 

3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Father, because of Jesus, all of Your children can lift our hands in praise, and sing with a loud voice, "I am Redeemed". Father, accept our praise, and our prayers because we offer them up to You in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 17, 2015

Title: What Is My Purpose for Being Alive?

Text:

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV) 

9  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 

10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Observation:

Jesus had a special name; an exalted name, the name that is above every name. His name also revealed His purpose for coming into the world.

Matthew 1:21 (ESV) 

21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 

The word that is stuck in my head today is purpose. When I think about Jesus the next word that comes into my mind today is others. These words leap off the page, "He will save his people from their sins".

O, that Christ followers today would learn from His example of having compassion and concern for others. Think about what Jesus did for you; He had us always on His mind.

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV) 

5  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 

6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 

7  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 

8  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, we rejoice to exalt the name of Your darling son, Jesus.

Father, thank You for sending Him into the world so that we would not have to die for our own sins.

Father, help us to learn from His example, and be more others centered as we fulfill the purpose for which we are still alive today. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 16, 2015

Title: Do You Know the Living Word?

Text:

John 1:1-3 (HCSB) 

1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

2  He was with God in the beginning. 

3  All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 

John 1:14 (HCSB) 

14  The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

John 1:18 (HCSB) 

18  No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son— the One who is at the Father's side— He has revealed Him. 

Observation:

One of the books of the Bible that I recommend that every believer reads early in their Christian walk is the Gospel of John.  In fact, I recommend this book to the non-believer also. This is why I make that recommendation.

John 20:31 (HCSB) 

31  But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name. 

We need knowledge, and we can obtain that by reading the Word of God. However, more than knowledge, we need to know the Lord, and believe in Him.

Notice what else John said:

John 11:25-26 (ESV) 

25  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 

26  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 

John 3:36 (ESV) 

36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I thank You for the hope that we have because You provided, in Jesus, the way for those who believe in Jesus to live in Your presence forever. 

Father, I am so grateful that we are still living in the season of grace, and there is still time for needy souls to believe in Jesus, and receive eternal life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

1 John 5:12 (ESV) 

12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

 

Daily Word of God & Prayer_November 13, 2015

Title: Do You Know the Reason Why You Can't?

Text:

Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT) 

19  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 

20  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. 

Observation:

Where did we ever get the idea or notion that we could do the work of God in our own strength? If you have tried, you know by experience that it is not possible.

However, there is goodnews: we don't have to do the work of God in our strength alone. The answer to the source of our strength is found in the Apostle Paul's prayer that is our focal passage for today.

Here are some other scriptures that illustrate this truth.

Genesis 41:16 (ESV) 

16  Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." 

I remember hearing a preacher say words similar to this, "I can't but God can, He never said that I could. But, He always said that He would".  O, that we would learn to trust in the Lord with our whole heart, and serve the Lord relying upon the power of God.

2 Corinthians 3:5 (ESV) 

5  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 

Acts 3:12 (ESV) 

12  And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 

If God assigns you to it, He will give you the power to accomplish it if you will look to Him, and trust in Him to do it.

Philippians 1:6 (ESV) 

6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Let God's Word be true, and pray for the skeptics and the doubters to have their blinded eyes opened to the truth of God's Word.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) 

14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I pray that you would hasten the day when an increasing number of your people would know the power of God, and would rely upon Your strength to do the work of the Kingdom. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry