This is, why we should never doubt

 

An Emoji Devotions for Sat, 18th December 2021

Topic: This is, why we should never doubt

By H.U. Wenger

Highlights: “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2. King 6:16)

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one.

Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31b – 35; 37 – 39)

The Kingdom of Aram was at war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Time and again the King of Aram held counsel with his Generals, but every attack they planned, was known in advance to the king of Israel. The king of Aram asked his staff, who the traitor would be. “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” (2. Könige 6:12 – 13) At night the king sent a strong force of men with horses and chariots to surround Dothan. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.  “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (Verses 15 – 17) Elisha then gave a brilliant example what it means to love the enemies. Those, who came to take him captive, were lead to the headquarters for a big banquet and to be released home after the fest.

Gehasi was the long term servant of Elisha. He had seen many wonders the Lord has done, but as soon as he thinks his life in jeopardy, he doubts the might and power of God. He needs sight. I am afraid that so many of us are like Gehasi. As soon as we face a perceived impossibility, we are losing faith.

Do I still believe in the love of God? I am still aware that he gave his only son for my salvation? Do I still cling to the truth that Christ has paid for all my sins on the cross and that I am now his beloved child, who shall inherit his kingdom and to be taken into his glory? Why do I harbor doubts that I might not be good enough for him? Why do my thoughts leave his love and allow fear to enter my heart? Of course I am not enough for him! That is why he saved me, because he wanted me and he is 100 percent for me! Listen to the apostle Paul and you will lose any reason for doubt. It will open your spiritual sight and enable you to live in his love, like Elisha. Seize the authority that has been bestowed unto you!

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus. I am tempted to see my circumstances greater than your might and power. Please forgive me. Thank you that those, who are with me are always more than are with them. Thank you that your love will never leave nor fail me. Thank you, that you will always stand with me and please let me always stand with you. Amen

WAIT

 

An Emoji devotions for This December 16, 2021

Topic: WAIT - God can say yes and he can also say No

By Mrs Hackett

The Third way God answers is Wait. First is Yes and Second is No, while the third is WAIT.

Waiting rooms are tough. God has a waiting rooms for critical situations. When God says wait. He puts you in a waiting room. he puts you there (in the waiting room) for a reason. Good things are worth waiting for. 

Isaiah 40:31, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. God makes us stronger as we wait on him. 

When God says something twice it's important. in Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Habakkuk 2:3; Wait for the vision, keep waiting. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Psalms 37:7 - Concentrate and wait patiently

what acronym does WAIT stands for. 

W - WISDOM (some people think they know everything.) Wait on God for wisdom, Solomon chose to ask God for wisdom. Proverbs has 31 days , and there are 31 days in a month. Many problems are wisdom Problem. James 1:5

ASK GOD TO HELP YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. Maybe you've lost something and you looked everywhere. God's wisdom can find it. God can get problem solved through wisdom. Answers to prayers can come through wisdom

A - ANOINTING, Helps your words to be powerful. Anointing can help you to pray for healing. We need God's anointing. Luke 4:18 - Teach your children to wait for God's anointing

I - INSTRUCTION - We need to be taught by God. God wants to instruct you. You will grow in the knowledge of the things of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 

T - TIMING - God's time will always be the right time. You may give God a deadline. His time will always be the right time. The younger you are, you see time passes slowly and the older you get, you see the time passes quickly. You can move the hands of the clock but don't forget that God has his own wrist watch. You cannot change the time. We need to put God's time as our right time. Galatians 6:9

Help me Lord to wait for the right time. Don't stop doing what's right. God has millions of ways to answer prayer. Wait for God's timing. 

God is working, He makes all things work together for our good. Do the right thing and God will answer in a big way.

Prayer: God give me wisdom, give me anointing, give me instructions to follow and help me for good to wait for the right time in Jesus name.

Magical Enemies

An Emoji Devotions for Tue 23 February, 2021

Topic: Magical Enemy

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback,

    while princes go on foot like slaves.

Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;

    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;

    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.  If the ax is dull

    and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success. Ecclesiastes 7: 5-10

From the Bible reading above. It is very clear that humans create errors with their imaginations and these imaginations lands them into the pit or to the venomous spits of snakes. The pit did not force you to come but you dug a pit and yet fell into it. Also the snake was lying gently on its own but you went to break into its home and found that a snake spitting at you. All these things started from imagination.

Consider why wise people are lying waste in the city while the unlearned are ruling in the government. 1Cor 10:23 CEV says "Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful." Fools are placed in many positions and slaves riding on horseback but the rich occupy low ones and princes go on foot like slaves.

1 Samuel 13 Amon was so in love with his half-sister Tamar , a virgin who happend to be Absalom's sister. Amon was advised by his friend called Jonadab to act like he was sick and ask the king to send his half-sister Tamar to nurse him. He raped Tamar and he lost his life to the same course. In verse 32 it was same Jonadab his friend that announced to his father about his death. You see that Amon was just a short-sighted wise man who lost his life to self conceited wisdom of getting what he wants by all means because they look good in his eyes. He believes in short term achievements and refused to recognise that he is digging pits for venomous snakes in his imagination. When he imagined the whole thing, he really wished he could have his wish come through. What a spoilt brat! His friend helped him more into early grave with wrong advise.

Your magical enemy is hidden in your imaginations and they will bring you to bad advise and decisions. Whenever these imaginations come to you, you must sight the pit and snakes immediately and use your skill to drop the dull ax with unsharpened edge. Afterall our Lord Jesus Christ said "whoever wants to become great among you must be * servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be * slave— which means beware of the traps lying as magical enemies in your imaginations to be great. In this way you will be able to map out your way into breakthrough.

Prayer: God, please be good to me. Help me fix my mind on eternal blessings and fruitfulness in Jesus name, protect me from magical Enemies. Amen.

Let us glorify our creator, savior and redeemer, the Lord God Almighty

 An Emoji Devotions for Tue 14th December, 2021

Topic: Let us glorify our creator, savior and redeemer, the Lord God Almighty

By Pastor Hans Ulrich Wenger

Highlights:

• I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7)

• Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

 Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you [your name] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. (John 17:24-26)

I was raised in a modern world with no place for an Almighty God. The belief in him was not only considered outdated and a relic from the dark middle Ages, it was considered a denial of science and obstruction of progress. God got openly ridiculed and so were the people who still bowed down to him and tried to hold his laws and rules upright. With the philosophy of the Frankfurter school, there was no place anymore for an absolute truth. Everything became relative. The only absolute that remained was their belief in the relativity of all things. Truth got totally individualized. It is my truth, your truth, his or her truth, but a generally accepted truth ceased to exist. What had been known as “good” for centuries got now questioned and challenged and turned more and more to notions like “obsolete, life denying, boring and bad and an obstacle to development”. Society got invited to a permanent discourse to redefine the common values, but nobody could participate, who had already a premeditated set of values. Although there were many warnings from watchful Christians, who saw that Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter,” got fulfilled before their eyes the new philosophy made its way even into the church. It is therefore high time we turned around to the Lord God, who is the way, the truth and the live. Whoever denies him has truly no future. 

In our first highlight the prophet Ezekiel talks from a war that is about to come over the people of Israel. It is a war that will show how feeble all the armies of this world are before the really existing God. He himself will win the war and the people of Israel and all the nations will see where the true truth comes from. No longer will his holy name be profaned. The church, that means you and I need to repent and to return to his laws and then to boldly proclaim his name, his gospel and all of his unchangeable truth even before the Ezekiel war is going to break loose. 

Our second highlight reminds us that we are to make known Jesus wherever we go and wherever we are. In him, in his love we have seen the father and therefore we know his love, his absolute truth and his absolute goodness. In John 14:9 Jesus tells us: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” What a treasure is given unto us in the relationship with Jesus. What is still in our way to tell the world that our own hope is in Jesus alone and that whoever does not turn to him will be lost in eternity? We have slept too long and while we were sleeping Lucifer’s demons have infiltrated mankind more and more. We are living in an evil time (Ephesians 5:16) and the evil powers want to make us afraid. It is crucial that we do not look to them, but only to Jesus, who already has the victory over all powers. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15) Let us get rid of all the deception that has come into the church through the philosophy of evil people and boldly confess Christ’s love and salvation. In him alone is salvation. 

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, let me be strong in you and in your mighty power. Help me to boldly glorify your name among the people around me. Make me a tool in your hand that your name will be hallowed around me. Give me the strength to intervene wherever your name is profaned in my presence. Thank you for your salvation. Help me that I praise your holy name not only in my prayers, but publicly without the fear of being shamed. Thank you, that you are with me. Amen 

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength

 

An Emoji Devotions for Sun 12th December, 2021

Topic: The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength 

By Pastor Hans Ulrich Wenger

Highlights:

• Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. (Psalm 33:8-10)

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’ (Psalm 2:1- 6)

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:7 -10).

For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1Corinthians 1:20) For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (intelligence). (1 Corinthians 1:25)

In my life time I have experienced that more and more conservative values have been turned into the opposite. I have been taught to revere old people, to offer them my sitting place in public transportation and to help them whenever they are in need. Couples with years of marriage were praised and honored and so on. The house of my parents was located on a steep hill and often times people with loaded carts tediously labored up the hill. Whenever we kids did not immediately run and helped them to overcome the hill, our parents punished us. My father, who was the black smith in the village, interrupted quite often his work just to help somebody. Today the situation has changed.

Old people are rarely offered a sitting place anymore. Rather they are blamed for using public transportation in times the working people need it. Their long years of marriage are viewed as boring and as a lack of dynamic change and on the steep hill people are not helped anymore. It is their fault that they did not arrange for proper transportation.

 God and his law are not totally forgotten, but the whole concept is outdated. What has been good and got praised, is now a wrong way to look at things. Everybody should look after him- or herself and not count on the help of other people. Now, the same principle is at work among the Nations. God told Abraham that his people will be blessed. Whoever blesses his offspring will get blessed and whoever curses them, will be cursed. Since the destruction of Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago, the Nations have collected a lot of guilt by carelessly treating the Jewish population. Even right now, many of them do not want to accept Israel’s right of existence.

The UN plots against the Jewish state, be it that they deny the Jewish history of Jerusalem, be it that they never gave them all the land they were promised, be it that they should give back the Golan Heights. Many “wise” experts stand up and talk against what God has told long ago. Israel will prevail, though they will go through many troubles. Where ever wise people and the Kings of the earth talk against what God has ordained from the beginning, they became fools and will be put to shame. 

In our walk with the Lord, we have to be careful that we always put his wisdom first. He does not change. I cannot serve him and be fight the end he has make known from the beginning. Jerusalem will be the center of wisdom and guidance in the future, and the Prince of Peace will be the king of all the Nations. He became an “adventus”, one, who has arrived, in his coming to our earth as a baby and ever since then he is also an “adventurus”, one, who will arrive as the King over all kings. No human plotting, no conspiracy, no weapon and no power can change something on the Lords plans. He thwarts the purposes of the people. 

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus. Let me take refuge in you. Fill me with your wisdom even if I may appear as a fool to the leaders of the Nations. Help me and help all my fellow Christians that we serve you with fear and celebrate your rule with trembling. Thank you that you will return soon and bring your wonderful kingdom with you. Keep me in your grace and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Are you on the right Track?

 An Emoji Devotions for Sat Dec 11, 2021

Topic: Are you on the right track?

Highlights: 

• For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name for ever. For great is your love towards me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. (Psalm 86:10-13)

• ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’ (John 14:6- 7)

In Psalm 86 King David lives through great affliction. He trusts the Lord for help, but obviously he has not yet seen the light. Therefore he reminds God that he experience himself as poor and needy, but he expects help from God only and he is sure that the Lord will answer him. “Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. (Psalm 86:8) Nothing and nobody compares to the Almighty God and to his deeds. Therefore David searches for guidance from him – he wants to know his way and to wholeheartedly live in his truth. His prayer in verse 11 reveals that he is, however, aware that the human heart can be divided. Yes, I want you God and I want to do your will, but right now, there is something I actually want a little tiny bit more. I want to serve you and I want to glorify your name, but please take me immediately out of this horrible affliction … The wish is very understandable, even Jesus himself has been tempted with it on his way to the cross. David therefore prays for the undivided heart. I am willing to remain under the affliction if it honors your will. Your way shall prevail, your will shall be done. No matter what is going to happen, he will praise the Lord, he will glorify his name with all he has, because he knows that everything flows out of the loving heart of God towards him. (Read verses 11 – 13)

Many years later the Lord himself lives in the shape of a human being among us. He is astounding and he does marvelous deeds. By preparing his departure from the disciples he tells them that they should not let their hearts be troubled, but to trust in the Father God and in him. In the house of his father are many rooms and he goes to prepare everything so that they eventually will be where he and his father live. “You know the way to the place where I am going”, he said. (John 14:4) The disciple Thomas did not agree. He denied knowing the destination and the way. Jesus then replied with our second highlight today. He is the way, the truth and the life and nobody will reach the heavenly destination except through him. That means through his redemption, love and mercy. Could anyone who has shown us such love that he died for us and redeemed us with his Father possibly not be good for us? He never promised us an easy life on this earth, but he promised us an eternity in his glory and splendor. For this earth he told us that we will be like sheep among wolves. 

With David we are on the right track whenever we accept that the only way to heaven is to accept Jesus as our Lord and to follow his ways. The same way he has shown the Father to us, we are now to show our neighbors the character of Jesus. Our hearts should never be divided. We are not to search for a pleasant life free of affliction. We are to put our own will and wishes under the obedience to Christ Jesus. So and only in this way, we can glorify the Father and the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth. 

Prayer:  Dear Lord Jesus, let me be like David and like you. Give me the strength to do your 

will, even though I may be afflicted and tempted to take a cowardly way out. Let me be as faithful to you as you are to your word. Thank you for loving me so much! Amen

The evidence of God in plain sight, but do I believe?

An Emoji devotions for Thu, 9th December, 2021

Topic: The evidence of God in plain sight, but do I believe?

By Pastor Hans Ulrich Wenger

Highlights: But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. (Jeremiah 10:12) 

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20) 

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20)

In Jeremiah 10 God slams the idols and the idols makers about their nothingness. “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge, every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud, they have no breath in them. They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.” (Jeremiah 10:14-15)

 He then makes the comparison with the God of Israel and writes: “He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance – the LORD Almighty is his name.” (Jeremiah 10:16) The Old Testament is full with references like this. In Isaiah 46 God slams the Idols of Babylon and declares that he is the only God who makes known the end from the beginning and from ancient times, what is still to come. 

Today we can look back on a long history how God has already done what he has announced long ago; the coming of Christ as redeemer and fulfillment of the law, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit and, perhaps most dominantly, the bringing back of the people of Israel into their homeland of old right before our eyes. Many more events could be mentioned, but what is said is enough to know, that everybody who does not believe what the Holy Scripture says is a fool in his heart. 

The only really reliable information about our time, we can gather only from the Scriptures. We are living in the latter days and have never yet been closer to the return of Jesus Christ to reign with righteousness for one thousand years on the earth. What we call science today is a mixture of known facts and the satanic deception to make it without belief and trust in the true God of creation and salvation. Be it the climate change problem, be it the Covid 19 problem, be it a lot of other questions, we get only confusing and often contradicting answers from science. For people who are awaiting the coming of the King of all Kings it is the trust in the Father and the Son that makes them uplift their heads in joyous expectation. Their visible salvation is nigh. 

Prayer: Dear Lord God, strengthen my trust in you and let me not be entangled in the confusion and deception of this world. Thank you that you bring about what you have promised. Let me stand with you and before you and fill me with your Holy Spirit that I will be able to interpret the signs of the time. I praise you and thank you for my present and for my future visible salvation. You are faithful beyond doubt and you will do it. I glorify your holy name. Amen.