Forbidden Fruit

An Angelic Devotional for Thu 21 Oct 2021

Topic: Forbidden Fruit

Highlights: 

If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:18

There have been prophecies about Jesus The Messiah. Everyone was happy by the time he was born. Not until after some time of His life He realized that He will have to die to save humanity... Jesus humbly accepted the task and obeyed God and today He is the Prince of Peace.

What is the difference? Adam was the first man. He was not asked to die but only that he would not eat from a forbidden tree in the garden. Adam could not obey this task and he was sent out of the garden to the ghetto and hustle life. He did not have peace after the disobedience.

On each of our way to obedience, there lies the forbidden fruit and the slippery serpent who is the marketer. If you escape the forbidden fruit, you must also strive to escape the serpent because all that the serpent does is for people to eat the forbidden fruit and lose out of the race. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

1 Corinthians 9:26‭-‬27 MSG

Prayer: Father Lord, please give me the power to win in line with obedience to your authority. Guide me to focus and remain fit in your paradise. Protect me from the slimy serpent in Jesus name. Amen

"I Will Make All Things New"

 

An Angelic Devotional for Mon 18th Oct, 2021

Topic: "I will make all things New

Highlights

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21

God is in the thoughts of His people However The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19; God's people will run on auto pilot through the Heavenly Kingdom Program. However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: “’Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Acts 7:48-49 (Smiles). In our lives we have personal challenges and God is telling us that sooner than later all our challenges will be over

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. Revelation 21

My piece of advise to you is to stay alive and stay safe no matter the challenges because there are better days ahead. God will make everything new - Problems will be over and we will be given from the Spring of water of life. As we are now, even some part of the promises are fulfilling in our very own eyes because we can call ourselves children of God by faith. Though we see those things like we are seeing things in a convergent lenses but very soon it will be clear that truly God is good and He does fulfill His promises to every one who believes and hold on to him

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 1 Corinthians 15:5

Prayer: God you have made all things New and I call you my father. God you have made all things New and I say "It is done, my God for life". Hallelujah!

Power of Power

 

An Angelic Devotional for Sat 16th Oct 2021

Topic: Power of Power

Highlights:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.... Act 1:8

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

One thing that surprise an angel is when a man is afraid after praying assuring God that he /she trusts God for his/ her safety. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8). Power is stability in every good thing. When a person who knows God does not trust that he is powerful enough through the grace of Jesus Christ, Such person is not powerful. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Hebrews 10:38

There is a power of power. There are two power of a believer, one is having faith in God and the second is believing that your faith and service to God is so powerful that it cannot fail. Opening the Bible alone to read it out to any situation alone is powerful. Singing praises alone is so powerful that it can cause earthquakes and open prison gate. 

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. Acts 16:25-26

There is a power and there is a power of power.  Keeping quiet in the midst of turbulence knowing that all will be well because of your trust in God is power of power And believing in your own commands against all odds after saying it, believing it will manifest just like Jesus did in Matthew 9:22 is power of power.

See power of power 

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

No wonder Jesus said: ...All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

(Matthew 28:18 KJV) and he said "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." John 14:12

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Act 3:6.

You have to discover yourself and know that all you are doing with God is not child's play. That you are a child of God means you have rank in this world and you have a command. Pray for power of power and exercise it often to make your Christian life more gracious. though challenges will come but you will become strong and victorious through the power of power in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Almighty Father please give me power of power in the Holy Ghost through the blood of Jesus Christ the King of Power in Jesus name. Amen.

Renewal

 

An Angelic Devotion for Fri Oct 15, 2021

Topic: Renewal 

Highlights: 

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5: 16

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7

Do not let the devil deceive you. Jesus told Satan - “Get out of here, Satan,”  “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Matthew 4:10

The picture of the morning and evening and another day coming again and again means that there is renewal in the Spiritual realm of man. Even the government learned about it that they made everyone license or road permit to be renewable every year or every four years. Renewal is very important to a Christian. God is talking to me and you : As the day and night renew itself before the Lord, how often do you renew your spirit.

David said "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me." Psalm 50:10-11

You must do a renewal of your loyalty to God each day, week, month and year. Renewal can be done by the blood of Jesus. In heaven the angel overcame a fierce battle with the blood of Jesus Christ the lamb of God. 

In this life, you do not need a teacher to tell you that sometimes you may go through hard times and you will feel down but you need to renew your energy through the blood of Jesus. I hope you get it now. Go into prayers and renew yourself by the blood.

Prayer: I renew my Spirit and Energy in the Holy Ghost by the blood of Jesus Christ the lamb of the most High God. Amen. 

Are we hanging out with the wrong bunch of people?

 

An Emoji devotional for Sat, Oct 9 , 2021

Topic: Are we hanging out with the wrong bunch of people?

Take your Bible and read Luke 15

    Highlights:
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)

·        In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:24)

·        “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him! My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ (Luke 15:28 – 32)

Now the tax collectors and sinners kept gathering around to hear Jesus. The Greek grammar makes clear that this was not just a single incident; it happened time and again. The tax collectors were despised people, because they were collaborating with the Herodian and the Roman Government and as sinner was everyone viewed, who did not strictly adhered to the Jewish Law. The text basically implies that the “bad” people of the Jewish society gathered to hear Jesus to the anger of the Jewish elite and the law abiding Jews. In their opinion something had to be wrong with Jesus. He directed his message of repentance and grace to the scum. Why, for heaven’s sake, could he not address the well behaved, hardworking people like the older son in the parable? They are not only upset, but rather outraged: Jesus fraternizes with the scum of society! The whole chapter gives an answer to the complaint of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and shows at the same time the immeasurable love of the Father to every lost human being. The first parable shows the Father as a shepherd of one hundred sheep from whom one got lost. He leaves the 99 back in safety and searches for the lost one, till he finds it and can care for it. The context makes clear, that the one, who got lost, repented, whereas the 99 were people like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who live with the conviction of being righteous. In the second parable the Father is like a woman, who lost one of her precious coins and she does everything possible to find it again. The coin may represent people who have somehow been brought into deplorable situations like abuse or lack of appropriate human support. Repentance of one such human being obviously initiates a joyful celebration in heaven. The parable of the younger and older son makes then everything clear. The younger one provokes the Father and requires, what does not yet belong to him. At the lowest point in his life he
decides to go back to his father and to admit his sin against heaven and against his father. That acknowledgment and the turning back to the Father is, what repentance means. “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:18 – 20) His faith in the goodness of the Father redeems him and he gets born again with a new life under the benevolent reign of the Father.

His older brother, however, is full of anger over the course of the father and he blames and accuses him. “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him! My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ (Luke 15:28 – 32)

Jesus liked to talk to the tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law rather wanted to talk to well-educated and good-mannered people, who wanted to earn their salvation through immaculate performance in keeping the law. They do not need salvation, repentance or grace. They just need a trainer for reaching a more powerful performance.

Jesus was around the people who needed him. Are we around the people, who crave for change and help? Are we hanging out with the wrong bunch of people?

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven help me to make your goodness and your grace known to the people, who are open to receive your salvation in Christ Jesus. I repent for wasting time with self-righteous people. Help me to make the right decision and to live only under your guidance. Amen.

God’s principles of conduct

 An Emoji Devotional for Fri 8th Oct, 2021

Topic: God’s principles of conduct

By H.U.Wenger

The Bible gives us quite a few instructions on how we are supposed to shape our lives in society. Today I would like to highlight only two general rules God has given to his people. 

Highlights: “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. (Leviticus 19, 2 compare Matthew 5, 48) 

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 compare Luke 6:31)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Ephesians 2:3 – 4)

The context of these verses in the Old and in the New Testament gives us a multitude of hints on how we should live among our neighbors. The culture in which most of us have been born teaches us exactly the opposite. Look out for yourself! I am number one, first me and then me again and then my friend and that’s me! It is not possible to change the selfish attitude without looking to the LORD, who went so far that he laid down his Lordship and became human and lived among us. He was tempted the same way we are tempted, he felt as we feel, but he remained holy and without any sin. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit loved us so much that they wanted to know firsthand, how life is for us. Although we only know for sure that God’s motivation to save the human beings, who got lost for eternity, was his love, I dare think that Jesus had the thought: What would I wish for, if I were in that dire situation? Could it be that such a thought has moved him to guarantee our salvation before the earth was even created? God wants us to put ourselves into the shoes of the people we are dealing with. What would I like to have done to me if I were in the situation my neighbor is now in? If I just blindly keep a commandment, I do not have compassion and love for another human being, I am only fulfilling a requirement. God expects more from us. The Apostle Paul exclaims in Colossians 3:12 – 14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”.

All of us have expectations about how we should be treated by others and all of us have experienced how often times our expectations have not at all be met. 

Our reactions are between disappointment, indignation and outright fury and often time our self-worth is diminished greatly by the negative experiences. No matter how much I have disappointed God, he loves me, he welcomes me in his arms and he wants to save me by giving me life eternal. On the other hand he expects me to totally distance myself from my selfish attitude and to reach out to my fellow human beings with his love and compassion. He wants me to do to others what I would like done to me and by doing so I am fulfilling the Law and the word of the prophets. 

Can you imagine how our world would look like, if all the people, who pretend to be Christians, would wholeheartedly live this out? Let us start today and so spread the love of God to our environment. 

Just by following the two basic rules, being wholly dependent on God and his holiness and doing to people what we would like to have done to us, we will be witnesses of God’s love and point to him as the Savior. 

Prayer: Dear God, you have loved me so much in Jesus that you lived and died for me, just to give me what I most urgently needed: Salvation from eternal death. Help to conduct myself in a way that will invite others to accept your salvation. Amen.

When the Wind Says It's Time

 

An Emoji Devotional for Thu 7th Oct, 2021

Topic: When the Wind says It's time

Highlights:

As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

When a wind of fortune blows on a person. Things suddenly changes for that man. The wind controls the signal part of life and universe. I believe that the wind comes from God. Everything in this life needs air. 

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

God is talking about the wind of change in the above verse. It is the wind that can make the mountains and hills to burst into songs and make the trees to clap their hands. Even a fire need the wind to burn. 

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:2 KJV

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5

The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” 

Prayer: Lord send your wind of grace and mercy to me and my family and let your winds of blessings blow on me today and always in Jesus. Amen.