Devotionals

Nehemiah 10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.

Bros, years ago, I owned a house in San Clemente that literally started falling apart from neglect. I went up North to work and was gone for three months and came home and noticed it started falling apart just from no one being there and caring for it… So, neglect can destroy and bring down, we have to be careful not to neglect every need of the house of our God.

Everything required is important for ministry to take place, it takes a cohesive effort of tithes and offerings- we are those that are called to give and labor to accommodate the house of the Lord; also it takes those that are called to work, it takes order, organization- also it takes those that are called to lead & direct- leaders, also it takes those who are called to serve to- the gatekeepers, and also it takes those that have been gifted- the singers, those that are called to teach- to minister… everyone is needed and important in the things of the house of God.

The Bible teaches us to be givers and says we need to be givers. But not so much for the sake of that that we give to, but giving sets out hearts right about material things. If money and giving are held to tightly that they are never used for God’s glory. Then that says a lot about the heart that is in control of those blessings from God-who is the Greatest Giver of all!!!

Bros if we let it go, if we don’t practice caring, if we don’t do what’s required of us, if we have gifts that we don’t bring to the altar, if we ignore Gods Word, if we neglect it- who will care for the house of our God?

My dad shortly before he went home to the Lord asked me to fix a door frame at their place. My mom had just finished saying she would call my uncle to fix it. My dad looked over at me and said “Danny fix that door for your mom.” He didn’t just mean fix that door; I could tell when he said it that he meant Danny take care of your mom’s house. I’m leaving soon and until she leaves to go home take care of her and her house- don’t neglect taking care of her! He went home to the Lord a few days after saying this to me… I took care her until the Lord took her home.

Bros in the same way God desires us to be those folks who use their gifts, talents, abilities to serve God and His house. We need to ask God to help us be those men who don’t neglect the house of our God-amen! “…we will not neglect the house of our God.”

Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;  and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”  So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do itby day, he did it by night. Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal JUDGES 6:25-27

Bros they had made the idol of Baal equal with God in Gideon’s town they worshipped Baal right alongside Yahweh. The tearing down; you see this false idol-god had slipped in through “their” lack of obedience…

Now they went from death to life abundantly, from idolatry to worshipping the One true and living God, from sinfulness to repentance-they returned to God from false worship to true worship of the Lord- 

God was moving and using Gideon in a powerful way to deliver Israel from their idolatry and sinful practices and point them back to the One and True Living God!

In obedience to the Lord Gideon tore down his father’s altar. God called him, but before He used him, he had to get his house in order. Hence get rid of the idols!

1Peter 4:17 For the time [has come] for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if [it begins] with us first, what will [be] the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

Bros just like us, if we desire to be used of God in these last days we will also need to get our houses in order and remove any idols. Reminding ourselves Gideon tore down his father’s idols…. What are we willing to tear down and get rid of in our lives or homes that are idolatry?

Wonder how many that were brought up in the Catholic Church would today go tear down the idols in their fathers, or mothers or grandmothers house- that have statues of whatever? 

Would someone today have this kind of boldness to destroy the present day idols… to break or destroy mom or grandmas statue of Mary or take down the shrines, or rip the rosary beads apart? Gideon had the calling of God on him. God spoke to his heart and said tear down the altar of baal and Gideon responded boldly. Do you have idols that need to be torn down and you know Gods is calling you to tear them down? 

Get rid of those idols and build an altar to the Lord your God, Jesus Christ is our Rock, our foundation, all else is sinking sand…

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.  So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You [are] a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. "Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for [it is] better for me to die than to live!" Then the LORD said, "[Is it] right for you to be angry?"” [JONAH 4:1-4]

Bros, Jonah was displeased, exceedingly. He got angry, he prayed, basically said I told You so to God; he justified his sin of running away from obedience to go to Tarshish. Because thinking that the Gentiles might come to repentance. Jonah acknowledges God and the fact that God is gracious, merciful and slow to anger (unlike Jonah), abundant in loving kindness (unlike Jonah). One who relents from doing harm (unlike Jonah).

Then Jonah says take my life-physically, it would have been better if Jonah had said Lord I surrender my life (heart- spiritually) to You! Give me a love like Yours Lord to love the Ninevites like You, help me to love all Gentiles. All those who are lost, weak and weary in their sins and need You. Take not my life but take this negative heart and give me a new heart to love as You do Lord, to be a witness to the Gentiles instead of being jealous that the message of grace was extended to the Gentiles.

"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock? [Jonah 4:11]"

Lord help us as men to not look at a person’s life or character as not worthy of Your grace and mercy, certainly we know that we are not worthy as well, but from a heart as Yours…

In that they need Jesus to save them and a call to repentance to be able to come into a right relationship with You. Use us as your ambassadors, Your hands, feet and voices to carry the Gospel to the least, lost and the last. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” [2Corinthians 5:20]

That we might have the motivation of the message of the cross, reconciliation to Christ with all we encounter daily in our lives, not jealous that someone might get saved and be on fire for Christ and be used mightily in the Kingdom of God here on earth. Give us a heart like Yours Lord and love like Yours-amen!

“Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, "We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You." So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea…,” [Jonah1:14-15 NKJV]

Bros,

There might come a day in your life when you have to put somebody out because of their sins of disobedience to the Lord or maybe you are the one getting thrown out. I have encountered many such a people in times of counseling. I have heard this explanation countless times as to why a person is homeless; I am homeless because I have no money, no place to live and I have no job. My first question is always, do you have family and the immediate response is yes, but they will not help me… Because they are the ones who threw me out, so my next question is why?

Then they proceed to tell me that they smoke a little weed or like to have a few drinks once in a while or something of this nature…It might be someone who was living at home with their parents and they will say; they threw me out because I like to smoke a little weed in my bedroom and they do not allow or want any drugs or alcohol or whatever the sin might be going on in their home. So then I say well- you are not homeless then, to which they always say “what do you mean…” To which I always say you are not homeless- “YOU ARE REBELLIOUS” I say look if I go visit and stay at someone’s home I am subject to the rules of their home, not my own rules- if I want to stay with them. 

Bros I want encourage you with this; the men of the ship Jonah was on knew he was in rebellion and running from God. Because of Jonah’s rebellion it was causing every one grief and heartache and brought immediate and major storms and danger in their lives as he was on their ship. Jonah was wreaking havoc on those around him because of his rebellion to God; they were all suffering because of his bad choices. So they sought God and put him out or more bluntly threw him out or in this case overboard- “he was boat less” not because he didn’t have anyone that cared for him. But because he was running from God and in direct sin rebellion with God.

Don’t ever feel bad when you have to throw someone out because they are bringing down your house, your walk with their sinful and rebellious ways. Put them out and put them in God’s hands, he is able. At the end of verse fifteen above it says this:  So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. God took Jonah to a tomb inside the belly of a fish for three days, where God resurrected Jonah, brought him back from the dead, from the pit of hell literally speaking. So don’t be afraid when God shows you to put someone out, it’s for their own good. Trust God He is able.

O LORD correct me but with justice; Not in Your anger lest You bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:24 NKJV).

Bros better to be corrected by the Lords justice than His anger! Jeremiah is delivering the Lords word to the house of Israel for Judah's futile idolatry in chapter ten of Jeremiah. Then this verse above later on in the chapter is part of Jeremiahs prayer for correction. Much can be learned by us in this chapter. We may have idols in our lives- Idols that cannot save like the idols referred to by Jeremiah are wooden decorated with silver & gold and made to stand up with nails & hammers yet they cannot speak and must be carried and cannot do evil or good. I think about how people could be so foolish as to get caught up in idolatry with something as foolish as inanimate objects and spend all their time worshipping these objects back in those days. Couldn't they see this was futile? Wasting their time with a chunk of wood or metal that a craftsman or metalsmith spent way too much time fashioning. Couldn't they grasp that God is the true and living God and want to spend time with Him and worship Him? Maybe they knew this but chose not to worship the One true and living God. Perhaps they allowed these idols to creep in little by little until they were consumed with them and spent all their time in front of them. Can you think of anything in your life that may have crept in that you have been spending all your time in front of because it consumes all or most of your time away from worshipping the One true and living God? If so then Jeremiah's prayer is for you and me both- amen! O LORD correct me but with justice; Not in Your anger lest You bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:24 NKJV). His correction is sweeter and better His justice is right on and His anger can bring us to nothing but may His correction bring us closer to home in Him. He loves you and maybe He is speaking to you right now about idols in your life the Bible tells us to examine ourselves. Let us search out and examine our ways And turn back to the LORD (Lamentations 3:40 NKJV); Have mercy on us Lord and help us to get rid of any idols whether they be wood metal electronic visual audio or motorized or any other inanimate or animate form or thing if idols are taking time away from our worship of You then take away our idols Lord we want to worship Jesus only in our lives. Forgive us for being foolish and allowing idols to creep in and maybe we don't bow down literally to them but they consume us and rob us of time with You Lord and fill us with worldly and fleshly trash. Forgive me Lord I pray and I repent in Jesus Name- amen! Agape

“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.” [Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV]

Bros Jeremiah knows that the Lord can and will do all to heal and save him and really all who call on His Name. Jeremiah acknowledges what the Lord just said to him in previous verses, when the Lord told him not to trust in man, in fact the Lord said “Cursed is the man who trust in man and makes his flesh his strength…,” The Lord went on to say “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord.” Now after the Lord speaks Jeremiah says “Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.”

Most times to our detriment our biggest enemy, our worst foe that we battle is self, meaning our flesh. When we ask God to heal and save and come in, also to circumcise our heart that we may live. It’s our flesh that usually always stands in the way; to cut away the flesh and those sins that keep us plagued with separation from our Savior. Yes sometimes we wallow and linger in our sinful flesh. We keep trying to win this battle on our own, but bros the battle belongs to the Lord. Give your sins, your flesh to the Lord, lay it on the altar, the Lord has never ever lost a battle yet and never will. He did indeed have victory over sin and death! But I guarantee that you will lose the battle to self if and when you battle in the flesh. Our battles are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Jeremiah clearly knows this and asks the Lord to heal him and he shall be healed and save him and he shall be saved. Very simple, direct and real, ask the Lord to heal us from ourselves and save us from ourselves. Let’s make this personal; Lord heal me of myself, save me of myself, help me realize You are my praise. The Lord hears our cries, He hears our prayers, He knows us intimately, He desires to heal you and save you, let Him do so today. You want to live, give up the flesh; let the Lord do surgery on your heart today.  “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” Deuteronomy 30:6 God always seems to go beyond whatever we can ask or imagine, He always knows exactly what is best for us.

Jeremiah gives us a great witness and testimony in a simple way because he knows the Lord is able and hears us. “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.”

He [is] your praise, and He [is] your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. Deuteronomy 10:21

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” [Jeremiah 7:23-24 NKJV]

Bros, Judah followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts. You may think it is better I follow my heart and be content, but I assure you that you will never be content or have or know peace unless you obey God. Because they would not listen to God and instead followed the evil dictates of their evil hearts.

James 1:13-15 says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Our desires come from our heart, so too sin can come from our desires. If sin is evil, then desires that are sin are evil. If we let our sin desires turn into a practicing thought and keep thinking on them, we are sure to do them eventually. The Prophet Jeremiah declared a few chapters further in chapter 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Our heart is unpredictable and bound to do evil given the slimmest of chances to sin, but God He is always true, just and perfect in All His ways. Our hearts are always capable of doing evil. And so it is better to obey God and do His way and His will. And bros sure as we could slip on a banana peel and fall down… we can sin that quickly and un-expectantly. So beware, Judah thought at the temple gates, if they kept bringing sacrifices to the altar rather than obedience somehow God might be pleased but the Lord took no delight in them, but God desired obedience rather than sacrifice. Better to repent and walk in obedience and obey the Lord than sacrifice at the altar without obedience. Otherwise might be like giving a stolen gift that cost you nothing…It cost the Lord a lot to be obedient when He went to the cross for you and me.

Bros way better to obey and go forward towards Him and remain in Him, than our evil hearts and fall backwards away from Him our loving God.

Obey means to hear, submit, follow and conform. Don’t be like Judah and follow the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts and went backwards and not forward. Keep walking and moving forward towards obedience in and to the Lord, obey His voice and walk in all His ways that He has commanded you. Abide in Him and go forward in Him that it may be well with you, amen!

"For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer. [Isaiah 54:7-8 NKJV]

For a mere moment Israel was forsaken and the Lord comes back on the heels of that forsakenness with great mercies. The forsakenness was temporary, a “mere moment”… “But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you” The Lord reminds them who He is in this statement; “Says the Lord, your Redeemer.” Therein lies the guarantee, the promise comes by who He is, theirs, yours, and ours; our Redeemer. He left them for a second, but He is going to have mercy on them forever.

You know bros, it seems like we can get caught up and feel sorry for ourselves, have great pity for ourselves and expect everyone else to have that great pity on us as well when we get chasten or rebuked. But in reality it’s fleeting, it’s a mere moment. Seems to last forever but it’s a mere moment. And maybe it almost

seems like we are never going to get through that mere moment. But when you compare it and stack it up against this part of the above verse, “But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you.” We then know it’s for our own good, to teach us, to help us, to grow us and restore us…then comes the “everlasting”

When you know Gods mercy and then think of His mercy with everlasting kindness, that’s permanent, that’s endless, perpetual, and that’s eternal!

So whatever you are going through, if you are being corrected, chastened or have fallen, backslidden or feel the forsakenness of the Lord because of sin in your life, confess it, repent and submit to God. As His heart was for restoration for Israel, so too does His heart desire to restore us to a right relationship with Him. And know forsakenness is only for a mere moment and behind that He says “But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you.”