DEPENDENCE OR INDEPENDENCE? – Philippians 2:3 Devotional

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DEPENDENCE OR INDEPENDENCE?

Philippians 2:3 – Devotional

Philippians 2:3

“Let each of you value others above yourselves.

If your kids are anything like our kids, they went through a stage of independence. They wanted to do things themselves, even when they were not able to accomplish the task they were attempting. Kids are not alone in acting independently.

I once went golfing with my father-in-law and two of his regular golfing mates. I had never been on the links before, but since I was far younger than the others, I felt that I could hold my own. I stood at the first tee and gave a mighty swing! I missed the ball completely! On the next mighty swing I struck the ball, only to have it dribble a few feet from the tee. It was a very long and humiliating day. The others enjoyed the day as I was providing them with great entertainment.

On this day, July 4th, we celebrate Independence Day. While we may rejoice in the freedoms that our forefathers fought to assure us, it is vital that we remember that we never are to live independently. WE NEED EACH OTHER!

Not only do we need each other, we must have the Lord in control of our lives. In Acts 17:28 we are reminded; “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Our independent attitude ends with our total dependence on Him. HAPPY DEPENDENCE DAY!

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Thanks for partnering with us to help spread the Good News–Please CLICK HERE or on the Donate Button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of July 4th, we have a $1,948 need for July 2026 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

The Bible in One Year & Prayer

July 4th: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30, Acts 22:17-23:10, Psalm 2:1-12, Proverbs 18:13

New Testament Scripture & Prayer

July 4th: Acts 22:17-23:10, Psalm 2:1-12, Proverbs 18:13

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button below.

You can share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

Enjoy the Song of the Week below created by Russ Hansen
Please send him your feedback at inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

RUN TOWARD YOUR GIANT​! – 1 Samuel 17 Devotional

RUN TOWARD YOUR GIANT​!

1 Samuel 17 – Devotional

1 Samuel 17:48

“As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.”

This week we have a special new song for you created by Russ Hansen entitled, “Run Toward Your Giant.” He’d appreciate your feedback on this song–please send it to him at inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Run Toward Your Giant (inspired by 1 Samuel 17)

[Verse 1]
Forty days the giant called out from the hill,
every soldier trembling, every army still,
then a boy came running with his shepherd’s bag,
carrying a promise that would never sag.

[Verse 2]
His brothers laughed and said “go back home to your sheep,”
Saul said “you’re too little for the battle to keep,”
but the boy said “I have faced the lion and the bear,
and the God who saved me then is the same God here.”

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not the size of the fighter in the field,
it’s the size of the God behind the shield,
David didn’t run toward Goliath in his own name,
he ran toward the giant in the Lord’s great fame.

[Chorus]
Run toward your giant, don’t you turn and flee,
the same God who saved David is the same God for me,
what looks like a mountain from where you stand
is already crumbling in the Master’s hand.
Run toward your giant.
Run.

[Verse 3]
Maybe your Goliath wears a different face,
debt or doubt or darkness stealing all your grace,
a diagnosis spoken like a death sentence loud,
or a lie you’ve believed that’s become your shroud.

[Verse 4]
You’ve been in that valley forty days or more,
wondering if heaven even hears you anymore,
but the stone is in your hand and the creek bed’s near,
and the God of angel armies whispers “I am here.”

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not the size of the fighter in the field,
it’s the size of the God behind the shield,
David didn’t run toward Goliath in his own name,
he ran toward the giant in the Lord’s great fame.

[Chorus]
Run toward your giant, don’t you turn and flee,
the same God who saved David is the same God for me,
what looks like a mountain from where you stand
is already crumbling in the Master’s hand.
Run toward your giant.
Run.

[Bridge]
Everyone who saw him said the boy would fall,
but the ones who doubt you don’t determine your call,
God didn’t pick the tallest, didn’t pick the strong,
He picked the one who knew where his help came from all along.
He picks the ones who know.
He picks the ones who know.

[Verse 5]
When the stone left David’s hand the giant never knew
that the God of Israel was already coming through,
and the thing that tried to silence you and take you down
is the very thing God’s using for your testimony now.

[Final Chorus]
Run toward your giant, don’t you turn and flee,
the same God who saved David is the same God for me,
what looks like a mountain from where you stand
is already crumbling in the Master’s hand.
Run toward your giant, child.
Run toward your giant.
Run.

[Outro — slow and declarative]
The battle belongs to the Lord.
The battle belongs to the Lord.
Pick up your stone and run.
The battle belongs to the Lord.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Thanks for partnering with us to help spread the Good News–Please CLICK HERE or on the Donate Button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of July 3rd, we have a $2,000 need for July 2026. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

The Bible in One Year & Prayer

July 3rd: 2 Kings 22:3-23:30, Acts 21:37-22:16, Psalm 1:1-6, and Proverbs 18:11-12

New Testament Scripture & Prayer

July 3rd: Acts 21:37-22:16, Psalm 1:1-6, and Proverbs 18:11-12

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button below.

You can share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

Enjoy the Song of the Week below created by Russ Hansen
Please send him your feedback at inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

PR-I-DE! – 1 John 2:15-16 Devotional

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PR-I-DE!

1 John 2:15-16 – Devotional

1 John 2:15-16

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

Pride has been the prevalent sin of all mankind since the Garden of Eden. We might even predate it earlier than the creation of Adam and Eve. Satan was consumed with a spirit of pride and desired to be high and lifted up to a position of divinity. He tempted Eve in the Garden by causing her to believe that the reason she and Adam were not allowed to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil was that they would become like God.

Years ago I heard the story of a pastor who announced to his congregation that he would be starting a series on pride and a call to true humility. After the first sermon in the series he was met at the door by a little lady who was so pleased with his new series. She told her pastor that she did not have many gifts or talents, but she was very PROUD of her humility. It made him want to cry.

When we stop to analyze the situation, most of us are very preoccupied with ourselves. Our chief aim is to satisfy ourselves. Even when offering a helping hand to someone else we want to make sure that we get credit for it. In other words, it is all about our own personal pride, the battleground of humanity.

Paul urges us to get our eyes off of the worldly and focus on the spiritual. Our goal should be always to inquire of the Lord what He is leading us to accomplish. We also need to keep our eyes open to see where He is at work around us and then making sure that we join in His program.

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Thanks for partnering with us to help spread the Good News–Please CLICK HERE or on the Donate Button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of July 2nd, we have a $2,000 need for July 2026. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

The Bible in One Year & Prayer

July 2nd: 2 Kings 20:1-22:2, Acts 21:18-36, Psalm 150:1-6, Proverbs 18:9-10

New Testament Scripture & Prayer

July 2nd: Acts 21:18-36, Psalm 150:1-6, Proverbs 18:9-10

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button below.

You can share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

Enjoy the Song of the Week below created by Russ Hansen
Please send him your feedback at inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.

BE A DOER OF GOD’S WORD! – Isaiah 41:10 Devotional

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BE A DOER OF GOD’S WORD!

James 1:22 – Devotional

James 1:22

“Be doers of God’s Word, and not simply hearers, deceiving yourselves.

It is easy to be caught up in the emotion of the moment after reading a moving passage of Scripture or listening to a powerful sermon. The fact of the matter is that it is not what we feel that matters, but what actions we take!

In my dim and distant past I seem to recall reading the phrase; “I would rather see a good sermon rather than simply hear one!” I am sure that I have not remembered the statement exactly, but it is something like that.

The gist of what James is saying in today’s verse, is that God calls us to go far beyond simply hearing or reading the Word of God, we are to take action as a result of what it says and DO IT!

That brings us to a provoking question. In what way are we consistently being a doer of the Word of God? Ask God to allow His Word to come alive and spur you become a doer of the Word and not just a hearer.

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Thanks for partnering with us to help spread the Good News–Please CLICK HERE or on the Donate Button below if you feel led to help us financially with Pastor Cecil’s ministry. As of July 1st, we have a $2,000 need for July 2026. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

The Bible in One Year & Prayer

July 1st: 2 Kings 18:13-19:37, Acts 21:1-17, Psalm 149:1-9, and Proverbs 18:8

New Testament Scripture & Prayer

July 1st: Acts 21:1-17, Psalm 149:1-9, and Proverbs 18:8

Share a blessing by inviting your friends and family to subscribe to Pastor Cecil’s DailyEvotional emails by clicking on the Subscribe button below.

You can share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

Enjoy the Song of the Week below created by Russ Hansen
Please send him your feedback at inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com

If you have watched The Sands of Eternity video above and prayed the prayer at the end, please go to https://PastorCecil.com/ and use the form on the webpage to let us know so we can send you follow up resources and/or send an email to pastorcecil@dailyevotional.com and let him know.