Tag: holy-spirit

faith

Devotional for July 12

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Quote by Bruce Coleman: "We need development of each part of our triune nature to be whole."

Divine Protection

91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. Psalm 91:1-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

True fitness makes us whole. Good health is the foundation for the physical part of fitness and being born again is the foundation for the spiritual part.  Together good health and the new birth become the foundation for fitness of the soul. If we live as only physical, we perish like the beasts. If all spiritual, we limit our usefulness in this world. We need development of each part of our triune nature to be whole. (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 32:8-9; Proverbs 3:6-8; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 10:4; Luke 12:16-21; Psalm 49:20; Matthew 6:33; Isaiah 50:10-11; 2 Corinthians 11:2-3; John 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Luke 19:31; Galatians 5:1; 1 Proverbs 12:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 3 John 1:2; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28)

faith

Devotional for July 11

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Quote by Bruce Coleman: "Faith the size of a mustard seed is a small thing, and yet by it mountains can be cast into the sea."

Live in prosperity

12 Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.
13 They will live in prosperity,
    and their children will inherit the land.
14 The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
    He teaches them his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies. Psalm 25:11-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

One of the surest roads to unhappiness for a Christian is to want to live for Christ and still allow self to take pleasure in sin. Having been cleansed from past sins by the precious blood of Christ, never allow yourself to look back with fondness at any of the sins in your former way of life. To do so allows the adversary of our soul to gain a foothold. To entertain a single wrong thought in the mind seems like a little thing, but great wild fires often start with a single spark. Faith the size of a mustard seed is a small thing, and yet by it mountains can be cast into the sea. This is why Scriptures instruct us to be diligent about guarding our hearts. Guard the heart by using conformity to the Word of God as the standard to determine the rightness or wrongness of every thought. Let faith in God be our rule. Rather than listening to the fiery darts from the wicked, make Satan listen to your high sounding praises to God. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Accept what is good, cast away what is not. Prosperity is sure to follow. (3 John 1:2; Luke 4:16-21; Matthew 16:13-26; Luke 9:59-62; Matthew 28:18, 17:1-21; Ephesians 6:16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:15-21; Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:8-12; Romans 4:16-25; 1 Timothy 6:12-15; Psalm 145:3-5, 138:2, 103:1; Ephesians 3:20-21)

faith

Devotional for July 10

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Quote by Bruce Coleman: "Training narrows the gap between the pro and the average Joe."

Walk in His ways and be blessed

1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. Psalm 128 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

It has been said that training is everything and everything is training. Training narrows the gap between the pro and the average Joe. Train the way you will fight, because you will fight the way you have trained. Training for the conditioning of the soul requires three things: denying self, picking up your cross, and following Jesus Christ. (Proverbs 22:6, 15, 3:11-12; Psalm 119:9-11; Proverbs 9:1-12; Deuteronomy 28:1-13; Psalm 32:8-10; Hebrews 3:7-4:2; 1 Timothy 6:12; Psalm 144:1; Psalm 19:14; James 1:21-25; Psalm 19:15; Galatians 5:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6; 2 Timothy 2:15-26; 1 Peter 4:7-11)

faith

Devotional for July 9

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Quote by Bruce Coleman: "Know that Christ in you, and His word dwelling in you, are one and the same."

God Is My Strength and My Portion Forever

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:25-28 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

To have strength equal to the number of our days, is the single most important reason to exercise. Workout like you will live forever, and walk in the light that this world is going to come to an end in an instant. The Word has been brought close to you. Know that Christ in you, and His word dwelling in you, are one and the same. These are the last days and Jesus Christ is coming again soon. It is not for us to know exactly when the end will come. It is more important to be ready than it is to know when the Lord will return. Don’t get so caught up chasing what you want in this world that you forget to live in light of what the holy Scriptures tell us is sure to come. (Isaiah 26:4; John 1:14; Hebrews 13:8; John 15:1-8; Matthew 24; Revelation 3:7-13; Revelation 22:12-21)

faith

Devotional for July 8

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment
Quote by Bruce Coleman:"The things of the Spirit don’t come by what we feel or see."

Let All Creation Praise the Name of the Lord

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord. Psalm 148:7-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Choose to think of God as often as you can. It would be extremely rude to eagerly invite someone to move in with you, and then ignore them once they were in your home. No one would think of doing this to any of their friends, yet this is exactly what we do when we pray for the Holy Spirit and then ignore His presence. Some will say, “I asked for the Holy Spirit, but I don’t feel any different.” And you may not, at least at first. “I know I asked, but I don’t see any evidence in my life,” they might say. And they may not, at least at first. It may be we receive the Holy Spirit accompanied with feelings and signs, and it may be with no feelings nor signs. The present or absence of feelings and signs doesn’t change divine facts. Ask and you shall receive. From being born again, to receiving the Holy Spirit, to spiritual maturity, from beginning to end and everything in between, it’s all by faith. The things of the Spirit don’t come by what we feel or see. (Hebrews 11:1-6; Exodus 17:7; Hebrews 3:19; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Psalm 100:4; Romans 1:17; John 14:23-24; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:6; Revelation 3:20; Joshua 1:8-9; Psalm 10:4; Romans 1:21; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; Ephesians 5:18-20; Romans 8:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 84:10-12; Philippians 4:4-9; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

faith

Devotional for April 29

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

The Lord Almighty Is With Us

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. Psalm 46:1-7 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There are two sides to the faith and fitness coin: things to do and things to stop doing. Both are generally well known having been written about, taught, and preached in churches and gyms for many years now. Having come to Christ and turned from our former sinful ways, the call is to go on to Christian perfection. The ministry of the Holy Spirit has one ultimate purpose for every believer, and that is to make us like Jesus. This requires our wholehearted corporation. To bear the fruit of the Spirit we must get rid of the small foxes that ruin the grapes. These small foxes are the little things that impede our progress toward the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus. Listen to any professional athlete and you will hear and see the importance of tending to the little things that must be done as well as those little things that should not done. Our heavenly prize certainly deserves more dedication than any earthly award that is here today and gone tomorrow. (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10; Mark 4:19; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Proverbs 23:1-3; Psalm 69:22; Song of Solomon 2:15; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Galatians 4:9; Philippians 3:7-15; Hebrews 5:11-14; Hebrews 6:1-3; 1 Peter 5:6-11)

Today’s Bible Reading

Numbers 6; Psalms 40-41

Song of Solomon 4; Hebrews 4

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

I thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered me from the dominion of sin and death and brought me into the kingdom of your Son; and I pray that, as by his death he has recalled me to life, so by his love he may raise me to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for February 29

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Blessed Ones

1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. Psalm 112:1-8 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Leap year is a great reminder of the mutability of time. When undergoing a surgery, the anesthesiologist can transport a patient hours into the future without the patient ever having a sense of the passage of even a single minute. This is a common everyday thing for mere mortals in our present day. How much easier do you suppose it to be for Almighty God, in whom time began and will end, to take us in an instant from the moment of our death to kneeing in front of the judgment seat of Christ? Just as in the day that God secured Noah in the ark, whichever comes first our death or the second coming of Christ, both represent the closing of the door of salvation. The Holy Bible urges us to flee from the wrath of God to come. 

The Word of the Lord is like pure gold refined in the fire. Consider the greatness of the promise of fellowship with the Maker of all creation! By faith we hear His voice and open the door. We would think it rude to invite a guess into our home and once inside to ignore him or her. Most would also consider it to be unacceptable to invite a holy man to dinner and then to speak only of vanities and profanities when seated at the table. Because these things be so, may we be more attentive to the presence of the Spirit of Christ within us. Store up His word in your heart and you will learn to recognize His voice the same way you recognize the voice of any other person familiar to you: by the tone, content, and character of what is spoken. In the same way, the Holy Spirit teaches us to have ears to hear the voice of God. Speak Lord in accordance to your Word, for your servant is listening. (2 Corinthians 5:20, 5:10; Matthew 24:37-39; Exodus 5:2; John 14:23; John 10:27-28; Revelation 3:20; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Today’s Bible Reading

Repeat yesterday’s:

Exodus 11-12:21; Luke 14

Job 29; 1 Corinthians 15

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for February 28

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

Whosoever Does These Things Will Never Be Shaken

111 Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. Psalm 111:1-4, 7-9 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There is little to fear from knowing too much, but there are many strips stored up for practicing too little of what is known. The worldly persuasion of our day is full of godless communications from education, news, entertainment, social media, and daily conversations. The counsel of worldly wisdom is to trust only what can be seen with its pillars being science, money, and self. To rely on any of these things rather than on the living God is to trust in an arm of flesh. With strong muscles and a brand new brain, it’s easy for the young to trust the popular messages of the world. Blessed are the ones who wake up and turn from the bait of vanities offered by this world. We are taken captive like fish on a hook without the knowledge of God. The older we get the more happiness eludes us when we are without God. It is vain to look for answers on how to live this present life anywhere else. All power belongs to God. God never fails, but we limit God by the little trust we place in Him. A little trust and we get a little salvation. Trust God completely and we are saved to the uttermost. If we want to enter by the straight gate that leads to enteral life, we must learn to live out the motto written on all US currency…IN GOD WE TRUST. (Proverbs 3:5-8; Matthew 7:13-14; Psalm 50:16-23; Hebrews 13:8, 7:25; 1 Timothy 6:15-21)

Today’s Bible Reading

Exodus 11-12:21; Luke 14

Job 29; 1 Corinthians 15

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into my heart your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer

faith

Devotional for January 21

Bruce ColemanLeave a comment

No Harm Will Overtake You

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Psalm 91:8-13 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Half-stepping in the Christian life will hinder our ability to model the gospel to a world that so desperately needs to see it. Worry is for unbelievers, and is a sure indication of not knowing God well enough. Keep your mind fixed on who God is. Worry will flee from you when you remain in His presence. Let His peace, which surpasses all understanding, be the default setting in your heart. A doubleminded man should expect none of this however. The heart of the doubleminded is tossed about by winds that sometimes blow hot and sometimes blow cold. Being wishy-washy creates a lukewarm commitment and an incomplete consecration to Jesus Christ. The full blessings are reserved for those who place their all on the alter before God and take none of the old self-life back. Do not be content with merely arranging and re-arranging the pieces of the sacrifice on the altar. Pray for fire from above! Believe and receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. He who promised is faithful, therefore He will surely do it.

Today’s Bible Reading

Genesis 22; Matthew 21

Nehemiah 11; Acts 21

The Prayer Appointed for This Week

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer