GODLY DISCIPLINE!

Isaiah 38:16 –  Devotional

Isaiah 38:16

“O Lord, Your discipline is for our good. It is kind and gentle and leads us to health here on earth and life eternal. It is by You that we receive health and life.”

As a boy our family moved to a new town and naturally I was enrolled in a new school. I think I was in the fifth grade and my new teacher was much like a Marine Corps drill sergeant. I didn’t realize this until I made some minor infraction and suddenly felt her ruler slam down on my hand.

That was not the end of the matter. The force of her blow caused the ruler to break and she exploded in anger and held me responsible for the broken ruler. I was sent to the principal’s office where I was told to behave myself in the future. (My teacher was terminated at the end of the school year. I think she blamed me.)

I am so glad we serve a God who has lived on earth as a human and experienced all of the circumstances that each of us face. He was confronted with injustice, scorn and pain, yet He endured it all. He died that we might live.

We all face times of godly discipline, but thank God they are not the sort as my grade school teacher dispensed. Godly discipline loves us enough to die for us that we might live for Christ. I like that sort of discipline. No broken ruler!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

GOD’S PROMISE!

Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear for I am with you; do not be depressed, for I am your God. I will be your strength and your help in the time of need and will hold you up by the power of My righteousness.”

Did you know that fear paralyzes? Perhaps most of us have heard the expression, “He froze like a deer in the headlights.” Think of the most frightful experiences of your life and you may be able to relate to that poor animal.

Satan uses fear to keep believers from doing the things that the Lord has called us and empowered us to accomplish. Satan causes us to imagine that we will be scorned if we obey the Lord, so we tend to stare into his headlights and do nothing.

In the midst of our fear we are given this powerful verse in Isaiah 41:10. There are two things that we are instructed to do: don’t fear and don’t be dismayed. The Lord promises that He will strengthen us and help us and uphold us with His righteous right hand. The right hand is the symbol of ultimate divine power.

I challenge you to let the Lord fight your battles with the enemy. Trust Him completely and know that He never leaves you or forsakes you but will always be with you.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

ENTER INTO PEACE!

Isaiah 57:1-2 –  Devotional

Isaiah 57:1-2

“The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.”

Sometimes I feel as if I am surrounded by death and dying. At the moment there are funerals pending and others who are near death’s door. For those who have not established a born-again relationship with Christ these are terrifying times.

For those who have passed from death to life by being born again, the pathway of death leads to the glory that the martyr Stephen experienced as recorded in Acts 7:55-56.

When a believer passes from this life it is like entering into the gates of Paradise. There is no fear and no dread. Jesus described it in His parable about the righteous man, Lazarus being carried into Paradise by angels. No fear in this parable except for the rich man who rejected God and was doomed.

As we look forward to our eternal reward we need not be overcome with fear and dread. We also need to remind ourselves that our loved ones who have died knowing the Lord are now experiencing peace, joy and delight! WOW!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

DO NOT BE DISMAYED!

Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.“

Yesterday I focused our attention on the admonition of Isaiah that we need have no fear because the Lord assures us that He is with us. Today I want to zero in on the second of his instructions; that we do not be dismayed. By the way, that is the same as being down in the dumps!

How do we go about overcoming depression and sadness? When bad things happen to good people, how are good people to respond? Well I can certainly tell us what not to do. Do not say cheer up and then walk away thinking we have made their dreary day bright and shiny. If anything we have only added rain on their parade.

Isaiah gives us wonderful clarity in how to deal with people who are feeling at the end of their rope. We are to remind each other that we have the Lord in our life. The blessing of having the Lord in our life is that He promises to: strengthen us, and help us – with the right hand of His righteousness.

Anytime we are feeling at the end of our endurance and resources, just remember that we are His and He is there to take over when we feel depression approach us like a threatening cloud.

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

DO NOT GO THERE!

Isaiah 41:10 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

As a young boy I was challenged to memorize this verse in Isaiah 41:10. I will never apologize for using it too often. It is a truth that should be a part of the life of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The first truth we are given is to be brave in the Lord. It is not that we are so strong and powerful that our enemies will flee from us, but it is that we serve a God who created all things and possesses the power over all things.

Does that mean that we will be exempted from all of the evil that surrounds us? Absolutely not! We are told that the rain falls on the just as well as on the unjust. That means we will all pass through the valley of the shadow of death as David explains in Psalm 23.

The confidence that the Lord wants each believer to rest upon is that we are never alone in the tribulations of this life. He is always is with us to lead, guide and direct us to be used as He sees fit. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Stay away from the dismal abode of fear. Do not go there!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.

STRONG TO THE END!

Isaiah 41:18 –  Devotional

Isaiah 41:18

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

We are in the midst of the 2021 Olympic Games, held this year in Japan. In addition to the stress of the fierce competition are the unusually hot temperatures. It gives graphic meaning to the phrase; the heat of competition.

I know that many of the competitors are born again Christians and regardless of whether or not they win a medal, they have a reward in heaven waiting for them that surpasses anything this old world can offer.

As a young husband, to make ends meet, I worked an extra job as a roofer. On miserably hot days we would start work at first light and tried to get as much done as possible before we could not stand the heat any longer.

The thing that kept us going was the knowledge that relief was coming soon. We sometimes feel that the stresses of this life are more than we can endure, but that is not the case. Our reward is waiting for us and the Lord encourages is to remain STRONG TO THE END!

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

– – – Pastor Cecil

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.