THE LORD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

01- 03- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Revelation 2:9- 10)
THE LORD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
9- “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10- Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11- He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 12- And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13- I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Will it be possible for a Holy God to make some promises to His enemies? And what kind of promise or promises would He make to His enemies? First, we must remember that we are serving a true, Holy, Righteous and Just God. Secondly, we have to know what kind of promised does God have in stored for His enemies. I believe that God has promised them death, judgment and eternal punishment in Hell.
Notice what happened to Ahab- (I Kings 21:17- 19) “And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18- Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. 19- And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
And compare (I Kings 22:34- 37) 34- “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 35- And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. 36-And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. 37-So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38- And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.”
To Satan- who will be judge and cast down into Hell and the bottomless pit. God promised us of the positive and good things in life but He promised His enemies of the bad, negative and the coming wrath. To those who were called the children of disobedient and also to the father of lies- Satan and his angels. (Revelation 12:7- 9; 11- 12) “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8- And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9- And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 11- And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.  12- Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO HIS CHILDREN

01- 02- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Romans 4:20- 21)
GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS PROMISES TO HIS CHILDREN
20- “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21- And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
What God has promised us, He is able to perform and He is faithful in His Words and His promised to His children in His Word- the Holy bible! Our duties and responsibilities are to trust, obey and claim it in Jesus’ name.
After the fall, the Lord promised mankind of the redeemer, a promised Messiah. (Genesis 3:15) “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
After hundreds of years, Apostle Paul talked of the fulfillment of the said promised in (Galatians 4:4- 5) “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5- To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
(Genesis 15:4; 18:14) 4- “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 14- Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Let us notice the command of God to Moses so the Lord could fulfill what He has promised him in behalf of the Israelites. (Exodus 3:21; 12: 35- 36) 21- “And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: Here in theses verses; we have God’s intervention and favour to Moses and the children of Israel. 35- And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36- And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.”
Joshua in these verses was probably so down, stressed out or so depressed, because of the death of his leader and mentor Moses, the servant of God. (Joshua 1:1- 5) 1- “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2- Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3- Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4- From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5- There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

“BUT THE LORD IS FAITHFUL”

01- 01- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (II Thessalonians 3:3)
“BUT THE LORD IS FAITHFUL”
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
Faithfulness- as according to Merriam- Webster Dictionary: obsolete : full of faith 2- steadfast in affection or allegiance : LOYAL 3- firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty : CONSCIENTIOUS 4- given with strong assurance : BINDING <a faithful promise> 5- true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original <a faithful
God is faithful and He is faithful all the time. It means even in His judgment, we can see the Lord’s faithfulness. When we say God is faithful all the time, it means even in our trials and suffering, in our pain and sorrow, in our joy and extremity and even in sickness and prosperity. When we say God is faithful, it means we refer to its entire creations and what He is doing with it. God cannot change His character as a loving and faithful God. God is faithful even in His Creations- the Natures. (Psalm 119:90) “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” God’s faithfulness is beyond our imaginations and comprehension. There’s no word to express His faithfulness to His creations. (Genesis 8:22) “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” So, what does it tells us Christians? It means that as long as this earth is revolving in its courses with His grace upon it; life will go on and His faithfulness is upon His creations. We can always look back in the past with our eyes focus on God’s faithfulness to us. We can always look back to what He has done in the past and give Him the glory for all the things that God has done for you and yours. It’s for Him and all because of Him anyways. Whatever God has done for us, He did it and continues to do it, because of His love for us and He wants to get the Glory in which our Holy Lord really deserves it. Notice what the great Apostle Paul says in his epistle in (Colossians 1:16- 19) 16- “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17- And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18- And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19- For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;”

OUR PRAYER IS IMPORTANT AT THE START OF THE NEW YEAR

12- 31- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Psalm 69: 13)

OUR PRAYER IS IMPORTANT AT THE START OF THE NEW YEAR

“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

How often, how long, how sincere, how earnest, how do you pray? Those are some of the questions people asked. Others are so conscious of their physical position when they pray or as they pray. God is more interested in our inside attitude than with our outside expressions in prayer.

Hannah went up to the house of the Lord… and she wept. It was when Hannah was praying for a son. (I Samuel 1:7; 10) 7- “And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 10- And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.”

Apostle Paul has a different way of praying, he has different desires and requests to God (Romans 1: 9- 10) 9 - “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10- Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.”

 King David has a different story when it comes to prayer. David prayed for his enemies and he prayed constantly as well. (Psalms 55:16-17) 16- “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. 17- Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

As for King Solomon, he has a different story. His desire and prayer requests were so different from other kings, prophets and servants of God including the rulers and soldiers of God. (II Chronicles 1: 7- 12) 7- “In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8- And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 9- Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10- Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? 11- And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12- Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”

FREE GIFTS- GOOD DEAL/GREAT DEAL

12- 30- 20 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Ephesians 2:8- 10)

FREE GIFTS- GOOD DEAL/GREAT DEAL

8- “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9- Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

A good friend of mine one day said to me: “Ely, the best thing in life is free.” It’s true especially when it comes to spiritual matters. We got something from the mail which offers us a free Cruise to the Bahamas for 4 to 7 days. Sometimes a free air fare for 2 to Orlando, Florida or Hawaii. And many other offers like free computer or lap top. But, we already know that you have to pay for it in some ways or there’s always a catch. But not with God and what the Holy Word promises to those who comes to God for FREE…

The free gift of salvation from God. We received eternal life as a free gift. (Romans 6: 23) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We will spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. (John 14: 1-3) 1- And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 2- In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3- And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (Titus 3: 4- 5) 4- “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5- Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

We have God’s gift of forgiveness for our sins and trespasses. (Ephesians 1: 6- 7) 6-“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7- In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Ephesians 4: 31-32) 30- “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31-  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32- And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” The Lord by His grace opened the door of forgiveness to everyone including the chief among sinners like the Apostle Paul. God forgave Moses who killed an Egyptian. God forgave King David when he committed adultery on Bathsheba and killed Uriah to cover up his sins. (II Samuel 11: 1- 27) If God forgave them, He can forgive you too. Be it a weakness, a moral issue/s or too big of a sin, God’s Blood can cleanse you of any sin or sins. (John 1:29) “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST SAKE BECAUSE WE TRUST GOD FOR EVERYTHING.

12- 28- 20 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Proverbs 3:5-6)
WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST SAKE BECAUSE WE TRUST GOD FOR EVERYTHING.
You trust God for what you don’t see and touch for your needs, problems and future. We trust God in every aspects of life, it means in everything.
Gideon as he faced the enemy.  Gideon was a man who has no self worth and self esteem. He was used by the Lord because in spite of his personal issues, he trusted the Lord as he obeyed God.
Moses when leads the Exodus of the Israelites.
Joshua when he took the responsibilities after the death of Moses.
Paul when he was in Prison.
Peter when everything was hopeless in prison.
Zacchaeus when gave everything back to God and follow Jesus on the Way.
Abraham when he offered Isaac his son as he Worship God in the Mountain.
Noah when he builds the Ark and no one responded to his altar call after he preaches to the people of his generation. And we can go on and on…
They were ridiculed, laugh at and called fools, but God’s hand and blessings was upon them. (Hebrews 11:1-11). 1- “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2- For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3- Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4- By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5- By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6- But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7- By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8- By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9- By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10- For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11- Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”

WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT WE WERE SEPARATED FROM THE WORLD UNTO GOD.

12- 28- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Romans 12:1-2)

WE ARE FOOL FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT WE WERE SEPARATED FROM THE WORLD UNTO GOD.

1- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

We are separated from the world’s system, style and its sinfulness.

(I Corinthians 3:18; Romans 1:22) 18- “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” 22- “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”

People will call you a fool or fanatic and other names and modern terminologies because you identify yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.

People will call you a fool because you put God first in your life and refuse to work on Sundays and double pay, because you have to be in church for Worship and other activities. (Matthew 6:33). “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

People will call you fool because you stand for what is right and the truth. And people will call you FOOL because you say NO to Sin, Satan and the Self gratification. (II Corinthians 6:14-15). 14- “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15- And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”

When the Bible said, “Be ye separate, it doesn’t mean we should be “Separatists” but, to live a Godly, Holy and Christ’s centered life.