IF I WERE THE DEVIL​​​​​​!

Ephesians 6:10-11 – Devotional

Ephesians 6:10-11

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.“

I always enjoyed listening to the late Paul Harvey on the radio. His comments were so penetrating and direct that it seemed as if he knew where we all lived.

It was about 60 years ago that he delivered the following message that seems somehow to be prophetic.

IF I WERE THE DEVIL by Paul Harvey (broadcast April 3, 1965)

“If I were the devil . . . if I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I would have a third of its real estate and a fourth of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree . . . THEE!

“So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as  you please.” To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square.”

“And the old I would teach to pray after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington.” And then I’d get organized.

“I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d peddle narcotics to who I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

“If I were the devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, and churches at ware with themselves, and nations at war with themselves, until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

“If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions–just let hose run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. Within a decade, I’d have prisons overflowing. I’d have judges promoting pornography.

“Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, and then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science.

“I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money.

“If I were the devil, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

“And what will you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as a way to get rich. I would caution against extremes in hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

“I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on TV is the way to be, and thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.

“In other words, if I were the devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing!”

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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JUST AS I AM​​​!

Ephesians 2:8-9 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.“

I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beeeeep! Wrong answer!

A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name written down in glory.

The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”

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

JUST AS I AM

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

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

You can go to https://gloryscapes.com/justasiam/ to watch the Just As I Am video devotional.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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BE KIND IN AN UNKIND WORLD!

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Devotional

Ephesians 4:31-32

“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Be Kind In An Unkind World!” by clicking above on the play button.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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QUALIFIED​!

Ephesians 2:8-10 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Today I was listening to a local radio station that plays only music from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. One of the songs was unfamiliar to me and I was struck by the message that it conveyed.

The lyrics said that you have to live right to get to heaven. That false message has been around for generations. IT IS WRONG! The stuff Hollywood has been dishing out for years is false.

No bells ring and we do not become angels. We are a separate creation from the angels and God has graciously given us the opportunity to become the bride of Christ. I think it is natural for us to feel that we have to do something in order to earn our salvation, but it just is not so.

When I was in the U.S. Air Force I served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer. There were weeks of schooling followed by hours spent in a simulator.

Every step we took was under the careful scrutiny of our instructors. After successfully completing the required work we received our Missile Combat Officer’s pin. QUALIFIED!

There is no such requirement in the spiritual realm.

There are no classes to take, tests to pass, or evaluations to be made. It is a sincere decision to confess that we are sinners in need of a savior and invite Jesus to come into our heart.

From that very moment we are qualified!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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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.

OUR GOD PROVIDES!

Ephesians 3:20 – Devotional

Ephesians 3:20

Our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

It is a miracle that I am still alive today. Food safety guidelines require that certain foods, such as chicken and potato salad, be stored at cold temperatures. My dear old Grandma Shubert lived in another era.

My family would often travel from the state of Washington to the Oklahoma Panhandle to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Many times when we were ready to leave, Grandma would prepare fried chicken and potato salad, put them in a paper grocery bag and send it with us for our lunch on the road. Being summertime, the temperature was very warm and we traveled several hours before stopping for lunch — it was still very hot.

We would open up that grocery bag and thank the Lord for His provision, then dive in. I can never remember a time when any of us got sick from it. I guess it would land us in the hospital if we ate that way today!

Jesus is our ultimate provider. I love the way Paul expresses it: “. . . abundantly above all that we ask or think.” That is the kind of provision that the world will never be able to provide. If you have never received that type of provision, bow your head right now and ask the Lord to give it to you.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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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.

WE ARE SPECIOUS!

Ephesians 2:10 – Devotional

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

There is no such word as specious but it rings with sweet memory in my mind. It goes way back when our grandson, Jeremiah was just learning to talk. My wife, Joyce, had been telling Jeremiah that he was special and that he was also precious. Jeremiah grinned and said; “I am specious!”

I think it is accurate (if not grammatically correct) to say that in God’s sight we are indeed; SPECIOUS! Worldly people may mock us and be-little us because of our walk with the Lord, but we need to remind ourselves of the heroes of the faith who have endured mockery, abuse, torture, and even death for the sake of Christ. They were specious!

God has never promised His followers an easy or pleasant life. In fact He has told us to expect to be reviled, persecuted, and rejected. In response to this treatment we are to rejoice and be exceedingly happy. Why? Because we are God’s specious people!

Go out into the world and let your light so shine, that people will be lifted from their pit of despair into the reality that God offers anyone who will to come to Him and be made specious by His saving grace!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

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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.