FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

01- 09- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Hebrews 11:29- 31)

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

29- “By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. 30- By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 31- By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”

God gave us so many things and He gave things to people that cannot be numbered. Time and even our limited minds cannot fathom the goodness, the blessings and the things that He gave us as His children. God had given so many things to the children of Israel, even before they crossed over the Jordan River to enter the promise land. As believers, we must step forward towards God given goals and blessings in our lives, especially in our spiritual lives. We have to claim it for God and for ourselves and for His honor. (Joshua 1:3; 8-9) 3- “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 8- This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9- Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

In (Hebrews 11:29) “By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land…” This verse speaks of what faith can do in terms of the power of God. God can show us His power and salvation if we only have faith in Him.

In (Hebrews 11:30) “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down” This verse speaks of God’s protection against our enemies. He can protect us and God will prevail if we only have faith in Him.

In (Hebrews 11:31) “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not” In this verse, we can see the Lord’s provision in times of difficulties and He can even use the unexpected person or resources to provide what we needed and when we needed them.

(Philippians 4:6, 19) 4- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 19- But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

7 THINGS TO HELP YOU STEP UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL: (As you start the New Year)

01- 08- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Philippians 3: 13- 16)

7 THINGS TO HELP YOU STEP UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL: (As you start the New Year)

13- “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  15- Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16- Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

1- LEARN FROM THE PAST… “He who does not learn from history will repeat the same…” Verses 13 and 14- “13- “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” 

2- FORGET ABOUT YOUR PAST… failures, heartache, hurt, hopelessness. Don’t live on your past, look forward, stay focus and maintain your momentum. Verse 14- “14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

3- KNOW YOUR PRESENT STANDING OR CONDITION. Know your financial, spiritual, physical, emotional and your intellectual conditions.  Don’t live in denial and excuses. Verses 15 and 16- “15- Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16- Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.”

4- KNOW YOUR GOAL. What do you really want to accomplish this year and in the future. Do you have a short term and long term goals? (Verses 12- 14) 12- “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

5- BE DETERMINED TO ACCOMPLISH OR REACH THAT GOAL/S. It may not be easy but remember the sayings, “NO PAIN, NO GAIN”.  It’s true indeed, if you don’t have patience in anything you do, you will never gain, not a step higher to the next level. (Philippians 3: 12-14) 12- “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

6- LET GOD LEADS YOU. (Psalms 23: 1- 2) 1- “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2- He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

7- DON’T FORGET GOD AS YOU PROSPER OR SUCCEED. (Joshua 1: 8; 13) 8- “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 13- Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.”

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL IN ANSWERING EVERY PRAYERS

01- 07- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Psalm 143:1)

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL IN ANSWERING EVERY PRAYERS

“A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.”

This may sound like an exaggeration or this may sound impossible to many, but it is seriously true and that’s the truth of the Word of God. God answers every prayer of every believers all over the world. (John 15:7) “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” This is self explanatory, I mean by reading the verses; we can automatically catch the focus of the verse and what it is saying about prayer. And who can refute this promise from the Book of (Psalm 65:2) “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.”

(John 14:13- 14) 13- “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14- If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

God answers to our prayers will not depend and does not always go the way we want it. The timing is in His hand, the answer is according to His will and the way He wants to answer our prayer would be in His way and not man’s way or our own way. I’m always reminded of this from a long time ago in a Bible study as what we called the common answers to our prayer. God sometimes will answer “NO” or may be “YES” or “WAIT”. But sometimes it’s “yes” but it would be God’s means, or God’s way of giving us something in a different manner and in a different circumstances.

It’s not just about the power of prayer or the provision that we get from praying but the right perspective in praying. I’ve said this before and I also heard a lot of people say something like this; “No prayer, no power…” But we see a lot of people from different denominations praying like crazy, but the question is, “where is the power of their prayer? And what kind of power do they have and where did they get their power from…?” (Psalm 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” This verse makes the “No prayer, no power…” principle of no effect.

(Mark 11:22- 24) 22- “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23- For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24- Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS CHILDREN IN HIS HANDS

01- 06- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (II Peter 2:9)

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS CHILDREN IN HIS HANDS

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Here in Michigan, there’s a car insurance company that has an ads which says, “… you’re in good hands.” In my own observation, it speaks of security and their assurance to their consumer that if you’re with them or sign in to them, you will be safe and secured. But it’s just about your car insurance which is really just about money and coverage.

In the Bible, Paul was talking about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life that cannot be broken up by anybody and anything at anytime and anywhere and by any circumstances in life. (I Corinthians 1:8- 9) 8- “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9- God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Our whole being is in the hands of God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ in which I believe is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption, it means until that day when we see Him face to face. What a glory that will be. (I Thessalonians 5:23- 24) 23- “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24- Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

You have heard His voice when you responded to His call for you to come to Him and follow Him for your salvation. If you did that, you are therefore with no doubt the son of the living God. What comes along with that is the promised of eternal life in heaven that cannot be taken away from you by sin, Satan and the world system. (John 10:27- 29) 27- “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28- And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29- My Father, which

gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

God will remain faithful even if we will turn our back from Him. He will not take the salvation away from anyone who sins or was lacking in some ways. He is faithful to His promises; and the promised of eternal life in Heaven and it’s not based on our performance and attitude, but was based on the Cross of Calvary. He paid it all and can’t be taken back... It’s not like a mortgage where you have foreclosure and the bank could take your property or take control of your business if you don’t get to pay them...

(Romans 8:38- 39) 38- “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39- Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS CHILDREN IN HIS HANDS

Ely R. Sagansay

01- 06- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (II Peter 2:9)
GOD IS FAITHFUL IN KEEPING HIS CHILDREN IN HIS HANDS
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Here in Michigan, there’s a car insurance company that has an ads which says, “… you’re in good hands.” In my own observation, it speaks of security and their assurance to their consumer that if you’re with them or sign in to them, you will be safe and secured. But it’s just about your car insurance which is really just about money and coverage.
In the Bible, Paul was talking about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life that cannot be broken up by anybody and anything at anytime and anywhere and by any circumstances in life. (I Corinthians 1:8- 9) 8- “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9- God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Our whole being is in the hands of God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ in which I believe is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption, it means until that day when we see Him face to face. What a glory that will be. (I Thessalonians 5:23- 24) 23- “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24- Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
You have heard His voice when you responded to His call for you to come to Him and follow Him for your salvation. If you did that, you are therefore with no doubt the son of the living God. What comes along with that is the promised of eternal life in heaven that cannot be taken away from you by sin, Satan and the world system. (John 10:27- 29) 27- “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28- And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29- My Father, which
gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
God will remain faithful even if we will turn our back from Him. He will not take the salvation away from anyone who sins or was lacking in some ways. He is faithful to His promises; and the promised of eternal life in Heaven and it’s not based on our performance and attitude, but was based on the Cross of Calvary. He paid it all and can’t be taken back... It’s not like a mortgage where you have foreclosure and the bank could take your property or take control of your business if you don’t get to pay them...
(Romans 8:38- 39) 38- “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39- Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN IN HIS CHASTISEMENT TO US AND IN FORGIVING US OF OUR SINS

01- 05- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION (Psalm 119:75)

GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN IN HIS CHASTISEMENT TO US AND IN FORGIVING US OF OUR SINS

 “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”

God’s chastisement to the believers is not a bad sign; it’s actually a good sign. It’s not like you’re going into a cross fire with God when you’re being chastised by Him. He would not be called a just and Holy God if He will just close His eyes, even when we are going into the wrong direction. But, because God is faithful, He put His hands on us when we’re living in sin as the children of a Holy God. As for me, the opposite of “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord…” is “My son, treasure thou the chastening of the Lord…” We know that God loves us and He deals with us as sons. That first phrase in verse 7 is a treasure and Christians should put value on it. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;” Because the opposite of this is in verse 10 in which people especially those who are going through chastisement should be aware of and be sensitive to the Lord’s dealing.

(Hebrews 12:5- 8) “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6- For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7- If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8-But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. God is chastening us not because He is unfaithful to us, but because He is faithful and faithful even unto the end. He hurt us now for us to avoid the hurts of the future which could be worse than we think. God’s dealing may hurt us but it could be for the best and for our best.

I like this phrase from the Bible which says, “Your iniquity and your sins will I remember no more…”

And if ever we have committed sins and we have displeased the Lord, God will always be there for us and His hands and His heart is always open to receive us and to forgive us of our sins.

(I John 1:7- 10) 7- “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8- If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10- If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

IN TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS, WE CAN TRIUMP IN GOD’S MERCY AND HIS FAITHFULNESS

Ely R. Sagansay

01- 04- 10 MI DAILY DEVOTION (I Peter 4:13- 15)
IN TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS, WE CAN TRIUMP IN GOD’S MERCY AND HIS FAITHFULNESS
13- “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14- If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15- But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.”
We all went through temptations; and we will go through to a lot more while we’re living and as long as we are here on earth. It means that temptation is part of the cycle of the Christian life.
(I Corinthians 10:9- 13) 9- “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10- Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11- Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12- Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13-There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Paul warned us of not tempting the Lord Jesus Christ. So temptation could be from us to God. It means that we should not put God to the test, lest we suffer the consequences of our sins as the Israelites did when they cling upon their lusts. (Exodus chapter 32)
(II Peter 2:9) “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”
For Christians, the Lord promised us of deliverance according to Peter, but you have to live a godly life. He said, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…”
We need to be strong in the faith because Satan, our enemy is not taking a “time out” in his effort to deceive and destroy both Christians and his very own. Sometimes, Satan would start from a cookie in a cookie jar. He starts small to destroy big people, huge ministries and large amount of damages both in physical, financial, moral, emotional and spiritual life of a man or a woman. We know that prayer and the Word of God are our weapons against the wiles of the devil. We must use it to resist the enemy.
(I Peter 4:19) “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”