Devotionals

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

Brothers in Christ, this monthly devotional is sent and meant to be an encouragement to all and to build up and edify in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oikodome means "Builder". The Lord has put this on my heart to send out a monthly Iron Man Oikodome {oy-kod-om-ay'} to build up and encourage the men who love and follow Jesus Christ in their walk with Him.
Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."  

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“Listen, Obey, and don’t Talk Back”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you." [Psalm  81:13-16 NKJV]

If only Israel would listen to the Lord, obey and walk in His ways, God would’ve blessed them by softening and subduing their enemies in His perfect timing…He would have taken their enemies out, can you imagine the hand of God coming against you, and I pity the fools that would think they can fool God. The enemies of the Lords people thought they could fake God out with fake submission, God sees, God knows real surrender, he knows hearts, thoughts, words before they come from the tongue. Seems like we could suffer the same way as Israel did for not listening and obeying when God speaks to us through His Word and leads us by His Holy Spirit we need to listen. Israel could have remained in the land but did not listen to God and were taken captive and destroyed by their enemies. God would of fed them the finest of wheat and honey from the rock, if only Israel had listened.  Also haters never going to taste and experience that the Lord is good.

 

Only God can take something as hard as a rock bring something as sweet as honey out of a hardened piece of material. Ever notice how God can take an extremely hardened person, that you might have known in that condition, take that mean revolting person and make them sweet as honey, unrecognizable from former self, except but God. Almost all of us has to do to see this person is walk over and gaze in mirror and realize that we are not the same as we once were, God changed us, soften us, made us sweeter, took our rock hard hearts and turned them into honey pots… When we listen, obey, don’t talk back and follow directions.

I use to use this exact phase raising my son, trying to show him and tell him in easy form he just needed to do three things. How easy God makes it for us if we would just do those things He asks us to do we would be eating the finest wheat and honey from a rock.

 

I was overjoyed to hear my daughter one day tell her little ones they needed to listen, obey and don’t talk back. So simple, yet sometimes we all rebel by pretending submission, better to surrender and enjoy wheat and honey from the rock, you know when God brings something so sweet as honey from a rock hard object it truly is a miracle and will be the best honey ever…Because it’s a work of God when we submit- listen, obey and follow His direction and don’t talk back-amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-12-27


“His Word”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?  Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. [Psalm  60:9-12 NKJV]

God never leaves us or sends us away; in fact it is He who leads us to the strong city of His ways, His wisdom, His Word. God was not with David and his men they fought this battle on their own without Gods help. David realized that the help of men is limited and mostly useless. What men can say or do may be an encouragement in trouble. But man can do little to nothing to help a soul in anguish, only God can bring deliverance.

The power of God is what David realized brings deliverance. David turning to God and His promises and affirms what he already knew. That is that the truth of God’s word is true and real.  We too can know and realize Gods Word in our life that it has the power to deliver, to bring wisdom, to bring healing, to promote obedience through abiding in Him and heeding His Word. His Word is powerful not anything that I can say or anyone else can say. Sure we might bring a morsel of encouragement, but Gods word has the power of deliverance and ability to penetrate into a person’s heart and life even cutting to the division of bone and marrow, never returning void, but accomplishing that for which it was sent forth to accomplish.

God can tread down all our enemies; Gods Word has the power to tread down the enemy of our soul. By staying in the word you would be wise-to keep the destructive devices of the enemy at bay. God’s Word is powerful and can deny the enemy of your soul power over you. By keeping the Sword of truth in your heart and mind you can help fortify your walk so as not to offer an outlet or entrance to slue foot, amen!

 

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-12-06


“DELIGHT”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. [Psalm 37:4 NKJV]

This is what Pastor Chuck had to say about this verse “Well, what that psalm doesn't say, but what is also true, that as you begin to delight yourself in the Lord, the Lord begins to redirect the desires of your heart. According to that which He wants and according to that which He has purposed. So that doing the will of God becomes really the most glorious thing of your entire existence. It becomes the fulfillment of your dreams and of your desires. And it's marvelous”

Bros you know when a pastor led me in prayer to receive the Lord as my personal Lord and Savior, and as soon as he said amen- I said can you pray and ask God to take the desire out of my heart for drugs & alcohol and bros that was 28 years ago that the Lord took that desire out of my heart, I have never craved or wanted drugs or alcohol again. God literally gave me the desires of my heart to remove the desire for drugs & alcohol.

So we delight ourselves in the Lord and He will redirect our fleshly desires and will make our desires for that which He desires for us and for His purposes.

So as you delight in doing His will and purpose; your desires sort of melt away and His desires become your primary and single focus. This is a beautiful way of overcoming sinful ways, by delighting in God, as you delight in Him, He changes your desires in exchange for His desires- This is amazing that those things, those sins we can give to the Lord, those things we desire, and we lust after. He says delight in Him and He will redirect our desires for His desires. In other words as you focus on delighting yourself in the Lord, He begins to redirect your desires, you are not focused on continually saying and trying to quit doing something but rather delighting and doing Gods will and as you do that He changes and redirects your desires from fleshly to godly. Bros isn’t God absolutely’’ amazing, He is awesome-amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-12-04


“Is There Life After Death”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

For with You [is] the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. [Psalm 36:9 NKJV]

Bros, yes after the destruction of our flesh through repentance, forgiveness of sins and receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior, filling with the Holy Spirit, we are New Creations in Christ, old things past away, all things become new. We are brought from darkness to His glorious Light of eternal Salvation and a life more abundantly in Him. The Light of Christ enters into our hearts and lives at every level and reflects His light in every area of our life and walk. We are lights for Christ and the Light of Christ will shine in you and through you as you receive Christ, obey Him and walk in Him.

We were chosen before the beginning of time and before we were in our mother’s womb, God chose you for His purpose and plan.

The Bible says in 1Peter 2:9 But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…;

Bros we are called into His light and to be His light that shines forth brightly because of Him Jesus Christ being in us. Every facet of our being exudes Him and His light shines in us and from us. If He weren’t in us we would not be able to shine from His light for all to see and recognize there is something greater at work in us and through us- it is the Resurrected Christ indwelling us with His Holy Spirit, using us as a lighthouse because we are His temple and a reflection of His light.

He dwells in us for all to see and that He might draw unto Himself those that see His Light in us and come to know Him through our witness of Him living in and through us. They would notice there is something different about us… Because we have been with Him and are in Him and He is in our hearts the Lord Christ Jesus, we have life more abundantly, our flesh has been mortified, and we have a New Life in Christ Jesus as we walk in the gift of the Holy Spirit-amen!

 

Agape,
Pastor Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-10-28


“SIN ROBS”

​

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.[PSALMS 31:9-10 NKJV]

Are we walking in the joy of the Lord and experiencing Gods Great Joy. In Nehemiah there is a verse in chapter 8 verse10 that says Do not sorrow, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

For the joy of the Lord- that’s your strength. Check out what David says Psalm 31:4 “for You are my strength” he was crying out to the Lord for deliverance- he knew where strength comes from. So without the Lord all else is sin and your strength fails because of sin…

Now we read above in Psalm 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.

Ever notice when you sin all of a sudden, you feel instantly drained, weak, confused, emotionally, spiritually, physically and even sometimes can be financially drained, fear comes like a jet plane and panic sets in like a speeding bullet coming to rest in it’s final destination… Yep bros all your strength leaves with sin, ever notice sin robs you of so many things…. The Joy of the Lord is our strength- not sin that always robs and steals our joy! Rejoice in the Lord always, I say rejoice, He is our strength, He is our High Tower, He is our Fortress, He is our Defense, He is our Rock-amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-10-17


“SOUL”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. [Am] I a sea, or a sea serpent, That You set a guard over me? When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, So that my soul chooses strangling [And] death rather than my body. I loathe [my life]; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days [are but] a breath. [Job 7:11-16 NKJV]

Bros seems Job speaks for many of us even though we may never have suffered as he has suffered…Job is not holding back anything and speaking from the depths of his soul. He is communicating from the agony and distress of his soul. To the point of resentment and cynicism coming from his soul and carried about as his spirit is filled with vinegar, sourness or ill-tempered like behavior or speech.  As the sea has its borders set in place by the Lord, Job cynically says the Lord put a guard over him… or a restraint about him to keep him in his place.

Not even feeling the security and comfort of his own bed as one who can’t wait to come home to his own bed and receive that comfort and rest that is derived from sleeping in one’s own bed. That familiarity that we experience in the comfort of our own personal bed cannot ease the suffering and anguish Job is experiencing.

 

We often blame others for our own misery, as Job tried to blame God for scaring him with dreams and visions. So much so that his soul prefers death and spells out the method of his demise. Saying his soul would choose death rather than dwell in his body. Job realizes God gave him that tent for his soul to dwell and even gives him each breath and his every heartbeat comes from the Lord.

 

Job cries to be let alone, that his days are but a breath and we know that even our breath is a vapor; it disappears and is fleeting at best. It takes a breath to blow out a match or a candle, a mere breath to snuff the flame that burns brightly. Just as God gives breath and controls our very breath, He can indeed take our breath away in an instant, vanished in the twinkling of an eye.

Job was right his life is a breath that can be gone and vanquished from a body leaving soul without home were it not for the Lord, who gives a new place for souls to dwell when these tents have breathed their last. Which place will your soul go, heaven or hell? May our every breath that the Lord grants us be used to praise Him, worship Him and used to be obedient to Him because He first loved us and saved us by His shed blood on Calvary for the remission of our sins-amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-07-20


“PERSONAL SACRIFICE”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this?" [Esther 4:14 NKJV]

Bros God used Mordecai to encourage and influence Esther to a place of personal sacrifice. To put her life in a position of being willing to lay it down for others to the point of possible death. A picture or glimmer of a Christ like action of a woman of God willing to lay it all down to save her people…To do anything for God and His people.

There is a time in each of our lives just as Esther did, when we need to speak up, speak out, speak the truth and be bold for our Lord.

 

Better to be bold for the Lord in life than be silent and perish in fear and in our flesh. If this is my body and it belongs to the Lord, then so be it, then let it belong to Christ even to the point of death that I may perish for the glory of the Lord, rather than perish in the flesh with my fears. The Lord will help each of us to go beyond our fears and live our life in boldness for Him. Just as Esther risked her life, may it be true with us that we are willing to be used by God for His purpose. That He would give us that boldness to always do His will and have the kind of love that He has to carry out that boldness

 

Mordecai had the wisdom of God to direct, encourage and influence his niece; Esther had the willingness and heart of Christ to lay it all down to save her people.

 

Bros what are you willing to do for the Lord in your life, for such a time as this? Do your people need to be saved?

Something to think about, but not for too long… Take action, be bold for the Lord- “who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this?" Lord please help each of us to give ourselves up, to be bold for You, to be willing to lay it all down for You that You Lord would be glorified in our lives and heart-Amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-05-28


“STREET CLEANER”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his [own] house. [Nehemiah 3:28 NKJV]

Bros notice that in the wall rebuilding that each family or group of people or in this verse the priests made repairs in front of their own houses. When you work on your own house you usually try to do your best work. Mainly because you have a vested interest and plus you will have to look at that work practically every day so you want it right. And because of that more than likely you will want it to look awesome.

Working in commercial construction sometimes when we are confronted with a few different ways to accomplish something, generally I will say to the tradesman do it the way you would do it if this were your very own house… That changes your perspective when you do something as you would do for yourself. Hence the “Golden Rule” And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. [Luke 6:31 NKJV]

And on another note if and when you might be going through a misunderstanding or difference of opinion or maybe you are in a dispute with a neighbor, friend, loved one or family member. The best way to resolve an issue that separates us from someone is to clean our side of the street first, no one else can do this work but us- it’s right in front of us… We have to look at it day in and day out.  And who will do a better job than us fixing the problem as we seek and rely on the Lords help. When things are done right and in order because we have to live with those things and those people that are in our lives. The work begins in our house as we follow Gods directions and then it will carry out from there as we do things in our life as the way we would want them done to us. When you work on your house you will do your best work. The work begins in the house of the Lord! Clean your side of the street first-amen!

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? [1Peter 4:17 NKJV]

 

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-04-24


“THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle [is] not yours, but God's. [2CHRONICLES 20:15 NKJV]

Bros the battle has always been the Lords, but we all know how man always tries to take over at least in most of our lives… But not in this case as King Jehoshaphat heeds a prophetic word of wisdom given by the Spirit of the Lord through Jahaziel in verse fourteen that he brings in the midst of the assembly. Surely God was moving and leading to give Jahaziel the boldness to declare this as King Jehoshaphat had the whole assembly of Judah and Jerusalem fasting and gathered up seeking the Lord.

 

Notice Jahaziel not only calls for the attention of Judah and Jerusalem, but it’s like he is exclusively emphasizing this point when he says “and you, King Jehoshaphat!” You see God wants our full attention every one of us whether we be king or joe cool. Also God knew King Jehoshaphat not only as a man but as a humble leader that truly was gifted by God. When Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast all throughout Judah. Soon after all Judah had come to seek the Lord. So Jehoshaphat stood in the midst of them and prayed and led Judah and Jerusalem in seeking God. So as a natural leader gifted by God he brought the people to seek God together. He knew he was out numbered- a great multitude was coming against him. That is how you can know he is a true leader, because he sought the Lord and then led the people to pray, seek and trust the Lord. And God brought the answer to that prayer and delivered them through humbly listening to Jahaziel as he declares to all the people gathered these beautiful bold prophetic words of deliverance “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle [is] not yours, but God's.”

 

Bros every day we are fighting battles all day long, there may be a war going off in your head right now. A lot of our battles are in our head right between our ears and they can become real when we buy into that fear, doom and destruction line the enemy tries to feed our mind with, that is if we let slue foot have access to our head… even so all battles belong to the Lord.

Then this battle comes along and seems to be the battle of all battles and could be that battle where you are surrounded and there seems to be no way out, no hope, you are overwhelmed, outnumbered, out gunned, out smarted, and consumed with fear. But don’t despair the Lord is on your side and can and will deliver you when you seek Him, listen to Him, obey Him and humbly submit to the King of kings and Lord of lords. He will deliver you because you belong to Him and the battle belongs to Him-amen!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-03-31


“MULBERRY TREES”

  Dear Bros in Christ,

Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.” And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines." So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. Then the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations. [1Chronicles 14:14-17 NKJV]

Bros in the above verse it is David’s second time inquiring of the Lord to go up against the Philistines. The first time was in this verse God tells him to go for it- “And David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" The LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.’ [1Chronicles 14:10 NKJV]

Now God tells him not to go up after them, but He gives David a plan for victory. First time He let David charge in and defeat the Philistines, but this time God has a plan and method He wants David to follow.

The cool thing is David does exactly as the Lord told him and he has complete victory and God allows him to gain fame throughout the land and with that fame brought fear of him upon all nations.

Another great reminder when we wait on the Lord and do it His way there is freedom and great victory. God doesn’t just give him victory but allows him to be propelled into a man of great reputation, as a man of God, as a man who inquires of the Lord, as a man who is listening to God, as a man of obedience, as a man who waits on the Lord, as a man after Gods own heart, also God is directing and ordering his steps, giving victory to, using and blessing him.

Truly this is what we all desire in our life and walk with the Lord. First we must surrender, submit, commit, inquire, listen, wait, obey, have faith, take action and receive what the Lord desires when we hear the marching in the tops of the Mulberry trees; then we shall go out to battle, the Lord has gone before us to give us victory in every battle. Bros wait on the Lord and trust Him, He is able, He is for you and if that be so, who can be against you-amen!

What then shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us?

[Romans 8:31 NKJV]

 

Agape,
Daniel Wright
daniel@ironmanoikodome.org
Proverbs 27:17

2017-03-17


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