Devotional for August 23

Be Confident of the Goodness of the Lord 

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm27:1-8, 13-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Is a year too long to work to do what God has placed on your heart to do? What about two years? What about ten? The longer I live, the more convinced I am that the question is not so much, “Is it possible?”–as much as it is– “Are you willing to do what it takes?” The sooner you get to stepping on that journey of 10,000 steps, the sooner you will get there. If there is no feeling of inadequacy on your part, you have most likely set your aim too low. God doesn’t call us to do what we can do in our own human strength, He has called us to do what we can only do through the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Cast down every evil thought and imagination that is contrary to the word of God that would spark unbelief in the heart. Such thoughts do not come from the Lord who has called you, but have their origin from lower sources such as our own fleshly desires, worldly persuasions, or suggestions from the wicked hurler of flaming darts. Be quick to cast down and acknowledge that now is the time to trust the Lord. Be strong and courageous is commanded by the Scriptures. God is forever faithful. What He has commanded, He will provide. Pray for strength when weary, rejoice even in tough times, and fight the good fight of the faith with all perseverance. 

Question

What is unbelief?

Answer

Belief is a continuum with utter unbelief on one extreme, complete belief on the other, and many degrees in between (Scripture). Utter unbelief is the total darkness of the atheist or agnostic (Scripture). The wishy-washy degrees in between the extremes are filled with the shifting sands of the doubleminded man (Scripture), and the deadly quicksand of the hypocrite (Scripture). Complete belief is the one rock on which we may stand by grace before the Almighty God (Scripture).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Almighty God, who has given your only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin and an example by his godly life: For the sake of your Son,  I most thankfully receive your forgiveness of all my offenses; and grant me the grace to serve you in newness of life to the glory of your Name; through the same your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.