TRAPPED!

Ecclesiastes 9:12 – Devotional

Ecclesiastes 9:12

“No man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.”

Have you ever been trapped? There is one incident that stands out in my mind. It was a moment of utter terror that still makes me shudder when I think about it.

It was back in 1967 when I was with the US Air Force, stationed at Whiteman AFB in Missouri. I was also working on my Masters degree at Central Missouri State University. Joyce was also working for the Vice-President.

We were on our way back to the base and nearing the home of one of the members of the church we were attending. I noticed a friend of ours, Captain Terry Pullen, waving his hand frantically. He was having car trouble and had stopped there for assistance. I pulled in the driveway and got out of the car. (It was not a wise thing to do!)

Immediately as I closed my door a huge German Shepherd roared around the front of the car with teeth bared and snarling. It was clear that he meant business! When the dog came after me, Terry jumped in the back seat on the passenger side. (The coward!) He even had the audacity to roll down the window and tell me to be careful because the dog was vicious. (I was so glad that he told me. I never would have known!)

I am not sure how I managed to get the door open and back inside the safety of the car without being eaten alive, but I finally made it!

That incident reminds me that we can easily fall into the trap of the enemy of our souls. Satan knows how to put various kinds of lures along our pathway to heaven. We may have the best of intentions, and one little detour shouldn’t hurt—but it does!

The Apostle Peter knew what it was like to be ensnared by words and actions that resulted in his failing his Master, Jesus Christ. I love the words he writes in 1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Peter describes an accurate picture of the devil prowling around looking for prey. Do you notice that he gives specific steps of action when being faced with the traps of the enemy? Let me list them for you:

1. “Be self-controlled and alert.”

2. “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

3. “Know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

There we have it! This is a very simple plan to steer clear of the devil’s traps. Can I share something with you? The plan is much easier than the implementation. Read number three again. We are not alone! I want you to know that I pray each day that I send these messages out that it will keep you from falling. I will be here for you.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with 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 June 16th, we have a $1,707 need for June 2026 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

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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.

FULFILL YOUR VOW​​!

Ecclesiastes 5:4 – Devotional

Ecclesiastes 5:4

“When you make a vow to God, do not be slow to fulfill it.
God takes no pleasure in fools; so fulfill your vow.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Fulfill Your Vow,” followed by Pastor Cecil’s Prayer by clicking above on the play button.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

P.S. – Thanks for your generosity and 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 Sunday, March 8, 2026, we have a $1,906 need for March 2026 (was $2,000). To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

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.

A REASON TO REJOICE!​​

Matthew 5:12 – Devotional

Matthew 5:12

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven!”

When I attended high school we were not large enough to field an eleven-man football team, we competed in an eight-man football league. The rules were the same, but with fewer players.

In my senior year we had won all of our games. The final game of the season was played under the lights at the home field of our toughest competitor. They played hard, but our team won the game and the championship. As the final gun sounded, wild cheering surrounded and rose up all around us. We were rejoicing because we had been declared the winner.

In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus presented an unusual reason for rejoicing. I did not include the verse that precedes today’s topic Scripture because I wanted to stress the difference Jesus gave. Here is what He said in verse 11: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”

Wow! What a difference. Jesus calls us to rejoice even when we experience severe opposition. Usually we whimper and whine? Jesus calls His believers to be different by exhibiting radiant joy even when things are tough. Do we?

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 Wednesday, October 15, 2025, we have a $1,696.00 need for October 2025. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

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.

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.

RIGHT ON TIME!​​

Isaiah 41:10 – Devotional

Ecclesiastes 3:1

“Everything has its own season, and an appropriate time for every purpose under heaven.”

Schedules are extremely important. The world of public transportation relies on accurate schedules. I have mentioned many times in the past that I have an application on my computer that alerts me to the passes of the International Space Station (ISS), as it silently glides across the heavens over 200 miles above.

Over the years I have viewed the (ISS) as it passes overhead hundreds of times. Some of these passes occur during the dark hours so it is possible to see the Space Station as a very bright star. In some instances the Station passes into the earth’s shadow and seems to disappear.

Day after day, I know that the (ISS) makes its way around the earth. It may be cloudy or the sun may prevent our viewing it as it passes over head, but I always know that it is right on time.

It may often seem that the Lord is late in answering our prayers. We focus on our own desires rather than waiting on the Lord to bring about His will. At all times we need to remind ourselves that the Lord is always RIGHT ON TIME!

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 Tuesday, October 14, 2025, we have a $1,696.00 need for October 2025. To read about how the money is used, please go to https://DailyEvotional.com/donations/

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.

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.

THE SANDS OF ETERNITY!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – Devotional

Ecclesiastes 3:11

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.“

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

Years ago I heard a minister tell of an incident in a hospital elevator where he had just come from visiting a very ill patient. A young man overheard him speak about eternity and, perhaps wanting to mock his view, asked the minister where eternity was. The minister told the boy to place his hand on his chest to feel the beat of his heart. “Young man, eternity is one heartbeat away!” That may answer where eternity is or at least how close we are to it, but just how long is eternity?

Our daughter was in the hospital near death. One afternoon as the two of us spoke quietly, she said she felt she was cheated out of half of her life. She went on to say that Grandpa was 74 when he died and here she was just 35.

That evening as I drove into the garage I noticed that the car had been bringing in sand. I took out a sheet of typing paper and swept up some of the sand. I then sat at the kitchen table and counted out 74 grains. Some were larger than others, but all of them were quite small. I placed the 74 grains of sand in a tiny sample perfume bottle.

The next day as I entered her room I placed the bottle on her bed. When she asked what it was I told her it was Grandpa. I asked her to imagine the earth being nothing but fine sand. Each grain represented one year of eternity. The 74 grains in the bottle represented Grandpa’s life. Compared to the entire globe of sand it was nothing. Whether a person’s life lasted long or short, compared to eternity it was nothing.

It is what we do with the years we are given that matters. We can choose to confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior or we can continue our own willful way and suffer the dreadful consequences prepared for the lost.

I pray that the video that accompanies today’s Daily-E-Votional will assist you in making the right choice. Please feel free to share it with others while there is still time.

To view the video, The Sands of Eternity, go to PastorCecil.com.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.com.

GOD’S PERFECT TIME!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – Devotional

Ecclesiastes 3:1

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Schedules are extremely important. If you have ever been the parent of a newborn, you will quickly understand the necessity of a schedule. The whole world of public transportation relies on accurate schedules. The International Space Station (ISS) silently glides across the heavens over 200 miles above the earth.

Across the years I have viewed the ISS hundreds of times as it passed overhead. Some of the passes occur during the dark hours and it is possible to see the Space Station as a very bright star. In some instances, the Station passes into the earth’s shadow and seems to disappear.

Day after day I know that the ISS is making its way around the earth. It may be cloudy or the sun may prevent our viewing it as it passes over head, but I always know that it is keeping perfect time.

To us it may seem as if the Lord is late in answering our prayers. We focus on our own desires rather than waiting on the Lord to bring about His will. At all times we need to remind ourselves that the Lord’s time is always PERFECT TIME!

Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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

Share the Lord with someone by directing them to https://PastorCecil.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.