faith

Devotional for August 23

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

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.

faith

Devotional for August 22

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

God Is Our Fortress 

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalm 46 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Spiritual reality is formed by the Word of God and not by what we feel, see, or think is the truth. One of the chief balance points of the Scriptures is that God is absolutely sovereign and that we are free to choose. Freedom of choice makes us responsible for choosing what is good and accountable to God after choosing. It is sometimes difficult for us to know we are sleeping until after we have woken up. The same can be said when living in bondage to sin. We have been called to be awake and sober. By faith do we come to know that the God of hope is love, faithful, trustworthy, holy, and true. Be still and remember God. Rest in the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no glory in seeking glory for self. May all we do glorify Him.

Question

What are feelings?

Answer

Just as the body senses heat and cold, so feelings are the senses of the soul (Scripture). While being hot or cold is almost always easy to regulate physically, feelings are totally unreliable as they can come and go in a blink of the eye or with a single change of thought (Scripture). Feelings are like a broken reed that pierces the hand that leans on them (Scripture). To sometimes feel good and to sometimes feel bad is completely normal (Scripture). Be willing to suffer the temptations of ill feelings and still stand firm in faith (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.

faith

Devotional for August 21

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

My Safety and Honor is in God 

5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 62:5-8 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Look to the end and let the desire for all temporary things contrary to eternal life fade away. Nobody wants to have a butt big enough to require a whole zip code, yet the average person can’t stop over-dosing on sugar and bingeing on entertainment like an overstuffed coach potato. Wanting to go north, yet in effect continually choosing to travel south. Wanting the good in life, yet continually lusting for evil things. Who can know true happiness when living with such a divided heart? A good life requires a singleness of heart and purpose. We cannot partake of both the table of the Lord and the table of the enemies of our soul. Happy is the one who is totally devoted to the Lord. Wait on the Lord and He will establish your heart. Blessed are all those who love the Lord with all their heart.

Question

How do we walk in the Spirit?

Answer

One step at a time (Scripture). The preparatory step is to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (Scripture). The first step is to be born again (Scripture). The second step is to crave the pure spiritual milk of the word so that by it you may grow up pass the dirty diaper stage caused by the former way of life (Scripture). The third step is identified by the experiential learning of how to place your right hand in the hand of Jesus Christ (Scripture). 

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

Grant to me, Lord. I pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that I, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Daily Writing Prompt

Gratitude

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
View all responses

Gratitude functions as the master gland of the soul from which all other positive emotions flow. Consider how hard it is to be grateful and sad, or grateful and angry, or grateful and worried at the same time. When the cares of this world start to press me down, I have found praise and thanksgiving are the best cures. This is why gratitude is the positive emotion I cultivate most often. Would you like me to show you how I do it?

I am thankful that I was able to get out of bed early this morning with only a little stiffness. I’m thankful this cup of black coffee. I’m thankful that I arrived last night safe and sound after unexpectedly having to spend nearly the whole day at the airport, and I’m thankful for another day to be able to draw a little closer to the Lord. (Psalm 118:24, 100:4; 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18; Isaiah 26:3)

faith

Devotional for August 20

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

I Will Walk with Sincerity of Heart 

1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. Psalm 101 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

God is the one and only fixed point that provides true meaning in life. It takes a while to learn that a good life has nothing to do with how much fun you have, how beautiful you are, how many trophies you win, or how much money you have. Go ask any poor little rich kid with his or her face plastered all over the supermarket tabloids and they will likely tell you the same. The one needful thing in this life is to know God. To just know about God is not enough. Knowledge of God must be mixed with faith. We must believe before we can know God, and the bridge between believing and knowing is built by faith.

Question

Should we try to clean ourselves up before we seek God?

Answer

God bids us to come as we are (Scripture), because if we could clean ourselves up we wouldn’t need a savior (Scripture). It is so difficult for a person who is already clean in their own eyes to seek the Lord (Scripture). The answer provided by money, when it is exalted above all, is a love that perverts what is genuinely good (Scripture). Count the cost, come as you are, and rejoice that you aren’t doomed to stay that way (Scripture). 

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

Grant to me, Lord. I pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that I, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

faith

Devotional for August 19

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Bring Me to Your Holy Mountain

3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43:3-5 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Labor not for the meat that perishes. Hold tight to the faith that you are among the elect, called by God, as if your very life depends on it. Any persuasion that causes you to doubt your election is from the devil and is to be resisted in faith. This temptation to doubt only happens to the elect, as the non-elect are never troubled in this way. Realize we must first believe Jesus Christ, only then can we come to know Him. The order is important, because faith must first be mixed with the word of God before we can come to know the Lord. Then the believer will be prepared for the sweetest of victories snatched from the jaws of defeat, which is the salvation of the soul. Not that we are sufficient in our own strength to do any of this, it is precisely because we recognize our dependence on the living God that we are made more than conquerors. 

Question

Who are the elect of God?

Answer

All are called, but few are chosen (Scripture). Election is just one of the true mysteries of God (Scripture), unnecessary to be solved on this side of eternity, it is enough to know that while all are called only the elect are drawn by the Father to Jesus Christ (Scripture). The way is clear (Scripture) and God is just (Scripture). The only thing that separates the elect from the lost is a willingness to be reconciled to God (Scripture).

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

Grant to me, Lord. I pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that I, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

faith

Devotional for August 18

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

The Lord Reigns For Ever

146 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 146 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The one who knows only success is weaker than the one who knows both success and failure. If all you have ever done ends in success, it becomes too easy to trust in your own strength. The bigger that bubble gets, the bigger the mess it will leave when it blows up in your face. Nothing fertilizes the evil root of pride better than an unbroken string of successes. Guard your heart against all forms of pride. Not only against the common forms like arrogance, vainglory, and conceit, but also against the opposite forms like timidity, envy, and pretense. Any pride allowed in the heart gives the enemy a foothold. Pride is the dominant spirit controlling those who are in the flesh. The Bible tells us that all who are of a carnal mind, and sow to the flesh, will reap from the flesh disease, suffering, pain, and death.  Be diligent and repent! Be sober, set your mind on the things above, and be watchful against the deceitfulness of your own heart. Only God is worthy to sit on the throne of the human heart. 

Question

How can we know God?

Answer

A couple of thousand years in the making, the Holy Bible is the golden record for all who want to know the living God (Scripture). All who love the word of God, love God (Scripture). All who have the word of God abiding in their heart, have God abiding in their heart (Scripture). With the word of God and life experience comes wisdom (Scripture). Without meditating on the word day and night we are easy prey for the loud, constantly in the face, tempting voices of folly all around us (Scripture). Be ye doers of the word and you will come to know the Lord through personal experience (Scripture). 

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

Grant to me, Lord. I pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that I, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

faith

Devotional for August 17

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Bless His Holy Name

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul. Psalm 103:1-5, 19-23 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Prayer is the privilege of every child of the living God from who all blessings flow. Prayer is the respiration of the soul, and the vitalizer of the spirit. Prayer is like weight training for the inner man. To gain membership in the big guns club, or the six pack abs fraternity, requires you to pay your dues. You can’t use credit for the payment, and cash on delivery isn’t accepted. You pay with hard work in advance and get your membership card by regular snail mail. Let prayer be your first priority of work, as the only the scoundrel considers prayer when all else has failed. Before asking for physical blessings, ask for that which is more essential: To have your conscience cleansed so as to know right from wrong; to have your affections transformed so that you desire what is good and abhor what is sinful; and to have your will purified so that you do what is pleasing to the Lord and turn from all that is not. If we ask for such things, we can be confident that God will grant them. These blessings are promised in the holy Scriptures and are at the heart of the life to which we are called to in Christ Jesus. Pray therefore, be lavish with your praise and hearty with your thanksgiving. Worthy is our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!

Question

Why does faith require action?

Answer

Faith is like a bobsled race (Scripture). We’re not the driver (Scripture), our job is to get the sled moving, jump in, sit still and hold on to the end (Scripture). Faith requires prayer with corresponding action just as the bobsled requires pushing with coordinated running to get it moving (Scripture). Only a moving bobsled can be steered to victory (Scripture).

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

Grant to me, Lord. I pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that I, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.