GOD IS LOOKING FOR A SAVED MAN…

02- 07- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Ezekiel 22:30)

GOD IS LOOKING FOR A SAVED MAN…

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”

“Christianity is not just Christ in you, but Christ living out His life through you.” Unknown

Christianity is more than just having Christ but suffering for Christ sake. In (Philippians 1:29) “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;.” This verse was used by the Lord to keep me in the ministry specifically in the pastorate. God is looking for a man… A SAVED MAN WHO IS WILLING TO FOLLOW HIM WHATEVER IT TAKES. Before the Lord will use an individual, He will first convict us of our sin and bring us to our knees for repentance and faith. He will first save us by His grace. God’s gift of salvation is not cheap because it was paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ by shedding His blood on the Cross of Calvary. He died for you and for me. God made it easy for all of us through His suffering and His Death, Burial and Resurrection. Here’s a simple way of knowing Christ as your Lord and Savior. I post this in our Sunday Worship Service bulletin.

How to get to heaven from where you are:

Accept: Accept that you are a sinner before God. (Romans. 3: 10; 23, 6: 23). Accept that He (Jesus) alone can forgive your sins and trespasses. And accept Him as your Savior and Lord of your life.

Believe: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Believe that Jesus Died for your sins on the cross and he was buried and after 3 days was rose from the dead. (Romans 10: 6- 13, John 1: 12).

Confess: Confess your sins before God. You ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse. (I John 1: 8- 10, Acts 3: 19, 8: 22, II Peter 3:9).

And if you decide to accept Christ and spent eternity with Jesus in heaven; please pray this prayer sincerely from your heart: “Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with your precious Blood. I accept you by faith as my Lord a Savior. I believe in you as the Son of the Living God, I believe in your death, burial and resurrection. Please come into my heart, in Jesus name! Amen!

PRAYER… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

02- 06- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35- 41)

PRAYER… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Link and Visitor:  Luther once said: “I am so busy now that I find if I did not spend two or three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day. If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.”

All Traced to Kneeling Figures! D.L.Moody declared, Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure!” Therefore, “Ye that make mention of the Lord, KEEP NOT SILENCE” (Isaiah 62:6)

God will hear from heaven as you plead. You plead to God for yourself, you plead to God for your home and you plead God for your Country. God will hear from heaven as you ask Him for your provision.

W.B.K. Give Him, What He Asks! It is related of Alexander the Great, that, on one occasion a courtier asked him for financial aid. That great leader told him to go to his treasurer and ask for whatever amount he wanted. A little later, the treasurer appeared and told Alexander the man had asked for an enormous sum, and that he hesitated to pay out so much. Give him what he asks for,” replied the great conqueror; “he has treated me like KING in his asking, and I shall be like a king in my giving!”

Greatly grieved must be our God because of the smallness of our requests of Him! “Thou art coming to a King, LARGE petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much!” God will hear from heaven as you please Him with songs and your service. God will hear from heaven. It’s not that God is limited in hearing our prayers, what it means is that He will take notice and respond according to His will and for our best. The disciples prayed but they prayed the wrong prayer, it was in a form of complain. We heard so many prayers in the church, in so many homes and even in the hospitals like that. Some people are praying in a wrong way, with a wrong attitude and in wrong manner and in a wrong person. (Psalm 50:23) “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.”

POWER… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

02- 05- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35- 41)

POWER… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

There are 2 “greats” mentioned in our text; the first one was the “great storm” and the second one was the “great calm”. We have the great storm and the great calm, because we have a great God and He is not only the great God, but He is the greatest in this world and no one else. We may have a great storm in this life, but Praise God we are serving a great God and He is greater than any storm in life. He actually created the storm and He is the Lord of our storm. People may think that this literal storm was the scientific results of the mixture of the hot and cold air while behind what was going on in our environment including the beauty and the worst of the wind, the rain, the flood and the storm is the hand of God. In (Isaiah 45:5- 8) 5- “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6- That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7- I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 8- Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.”

We know God has all the power in this world and in the world to come and that will not change, but we are sometimes not aware of it or fear and worries are the one that controls us and the enemy is the one who take advantage of our situation. The Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is powerful that He even the nature obey Him in verse 39- “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” In (Jeremiah 32:27; 17) 27- “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? 17- Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

ACCUSATION… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

02- 04- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35- 41)

ACCUSATION… IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM!

35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

In verse 38, the disciples accused the Lord of something that is not true and out of the Lord’s vocabulary. “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” What an irresponsible remarks from the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know and I don’t have any idea why they said that to the one who gave them life here on earth and in heaven above. It’s very unfortunate that some Christians in many parts of the world are doing the same thing as they look at their problems and sufferings and at the same time make a negative remark to our Lord and King. In (John 11:14; 20- 21) 14- “Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 20- Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21- Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” If you notice the words of Martha in verse 21- “if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Take note of the first 2 words of Martha in that verse- “if thou…” Those are the very common words of people who failed or were disappointed by the attitudes or promised of a friend or love ones. Others would say; “It’s because of you!!!” or “I wish you…” while to some, it would be “I hate what you did…” and to some their phrase in the midst of the storm could be; “It’s your fault and it’s because you don’t care enough…” Some Christians, including the unbelievers would sometimes use their failures and problems or storms to blame others for what has happened in their life. It is not right to accuse others when you’re in the midst of the storm. The disciples accused Jesus for not caring. Jesus died for our sins and we know and they know that He loves them, but then they accused Him that He don’t care that they perish. But in (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (I Peter 5:6- 7) 6- “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7- Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

FEAR IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM?

02- 03- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35- 41)

FEAR IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM?

35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

In (Revelation 1:9; 2:10)- “9- I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 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.” You may not be in an Island or in the middle of the ocean with the raging waves and toiling in the storm, but I believe that the Lord has all the reasons for you being where you are now. Because God is your companion, testimony and He has the same words for you… “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer…” If you will walk with the Lord, we will be with him in the last days; but that would not mean that we will not suffer with him. The promised of the Lord for us is that we shall triumph with him. When the Lord cried out “Peace, be still.” in the ship, immediately the storm ceased, the Lord did what He could do for the safety, salvation and deliverance of the disciples. When the Lord came in into our lives the day we asked Him to come into our hearts, He has given us that ‘peace which passeth all understanding’ already as according to Apostle Paul. (Psalm 148:8) “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:” He that has gathered the winds into his fists, and bound the waters in a garment was the same God who stilled the waters and calmed the stormy night when the disciples were rowing and toiling. In the Book of (Proverbs 30:4) “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?”

“LORD.I BELIEVE PLEASE HELP MY UNBELIEF"

02- 02- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Mark 4:35-41)
“LORD.I BELIEVE PLEASE HELP MY UNBELIEF"
35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36- And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
The disciples’ great fear (verse 40); they were afraid. Their faith and their courage were mixed with fear. Our prayer must be “Lord, I believe Please help my unbelief.” There’s nothing in this world that could overcome fear but perfect love, it will cast out fear.” We often fail in this area of our spiritual life as Christians. They failed to exercise their faith in the Lord when they saw the waves and feel the raged of the wind and the tempest waves of the great sea… and afterwards the Lord’s heart was heavy when He said, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Their weakness was their faith during those times. The cause of this fear was they saw the wind boisterous. When they saw that the storm was getting worse, they just focus their eyes on the storms and not on the Lord at the hinder part of the ship. When the winds and the sea obeyed Christ; they were amazed. We fear continually every day, because we forget the Lord our Maker, (Isaiah 51:12- 13) 12- “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; 13- And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” While their lacked of faith kept them down in their relationship with the Lord, the Lord kept them up above their fear. While Jesus was at the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow, He was actually on the process of working in them and through them. While they were toiling the Lord was busy working in them and through them by making them stronger and better Christians. (Psalm 20:5- 7) 5- “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. 6- Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7- Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

FAITH IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

02- 01- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION

FAITH IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

35- And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36-  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37- And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38- And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39- And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

(Psalm 9:10) “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

A little storm frightens us in some things that will not even touch us or destroy us in some sense. “When without are fightings, no marvel that within are fears.”  Most of our danger from outward troubles arises from the occasion they give for inward trouble. Matthew Henry

How these fears were silenced, Jesus rebuked the wind, the waves and the storm. When you think of your storms in life and all you see are those storms that scares you and disturb you and make you feel so troubled, but at the end Jesus would be there for you and will be there standing beside you and trying to rebuke the problems, your storms”

God wanted for them to know the Lord in a personal way. 40- And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41- And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” The Lord tried to encourage His disciples to be of good comfort in spite of the storms. The Lord enlightens the disciples so they could have a good Christian character in spite of the storms. The Lord tests the disciples so they could have a great Christian faith in spite of their storms in life.

He encouraged them against their fright and problems in life. In (Psalm 69:15- 17) 15- “Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 16- Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. 17- And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.”