Devotional Blog

In this life people face many ups and downs and because of that, they don’t believe in Jesus. They think if there is God, He should always keep us away from the downturns, problems, the pits and the valleys of life. People are questioning that God exist because many evil things are happening in this world that they see with their eyes.

We, on the other hand, as believers should never feel that way. We know that God has a master plan for us. We know that He holds our lives in His hand and nothing that happens will happen without His knowledge; and yes, that is including the pain, the troubles that we have to go through. We must believe that God’s plan for us is the best and that is a plan to prosper us and all of those things that happen, good and bad, is to make us into His image, to fulfill our purpose, to do His wills and to bring glory to His Name.

Joseph realized this when his brothers confronted him and asked him for forgiveness for all the things that they have done (Genesis chapter 37-50). Yet, for all the sufferings that Joseph had to go through, God was always with Him and made him prosperous wherever he was, even in jail for he found favor in God’s eyes. He forgave his brothers and saying that they meant evil but God meant it for good to save many people’s lives.

Sadly, we know this that God meant everything for the greater good and yet when troubles come we don’t like it, we complain and bolted and run to the other direction. We leave God and don’t believe that is for our good.

Trust in Him. God knows what He is doing and it is all will be revealed after we go through those troubles WITH THANKSGIVING. We will see that His plans are never meant to harm us even though we can’t see it. That is called FAITH. Believe in God in through everything and in everything. We will see how it all unfolds and that He never leaves us, not even for one second. He gives us strength and comfort when we have to go through pain. He is a wonderfully good God.

Genesis 50:20
Romans 8:28

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, I believe that all things work together for good to those who love You. Give me strength to go through this lives and all its troubles for I know it is for my own good and to do Your will, to fulfill my purpose and to bring glory to Your Name. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source:https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8150/7345860658_afe7d13cb7_z.jpg

We as believers still have to go to a market place and work every single day because not everyone is called to be a pastor or evangelist. That is a calling, but it is not entirely correct if we say we do not need to be in a full time ministry. If we follow the Lord and if we serve Him with our lives, then every single second of our lives need to be a witness for the Lord and that everyone else who sees what we do, the way we speak and behave will know and recognize Christ that dwell in us. That is a full time ministry for us.

God loves obedience people and who are doing His commandments. We as believers are adopted into the kingdom of heaven and have the right to receive the blessings that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Genesis 12:2-3 “….you shall be a blessing…., and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. That is the promise of God that we shall become a blessing to all families of the earth.

Wherever we work or we go, we should become a blessing for that work place and the people around us. That place should be prosperous through us. It takes more than just showing up there and expects God to bless that place because of us. We should pray for that place, for our boss, our coworkers. We need to stand up if we see things that are wrong and lead by example. We spread the gospels through our actions and our words that we speak daily. We have to be different and show the characters of God through us. We should never compromise because of fear of losing our job. As long as we believe in God and do all that He asks us to do and doing it for Him. He would take care of us.

God never goes back on His promises. People will see how God bless them through us. They will in turn believe in God. That’s our best ministry, through our action that glorifies Him. If the places where we go instead are not prospering, a lot of conflicts, people call us hypocrites. Then we need to look at ourselves and be true to ourselves. Do not just be believers in church or around our friends, but be believers for 24/7; that God truly has changed us from the inside out.

Let’s be a blessing for others as that is the promise of God that through us all families of the earth shall be blessed. It is a decision that we have to make every single time as a response to God’s blessing in our lives, then let us become a blessing for others.

Genesis 30:27

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, I believe that wherever I go, in my family, my work place that I shall be a blessing. I believe in Your promises. I pray for the place that I work, for the people around me that their eyes may be opened and they can see Jesus through my life. That my life always pleases You and glorify Your name. that they may repent and believe in You. In the Name of Jesus ii pray.

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Throughout the book of Genesis, we read how God blesses Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they will be blessed and be made into a great nation and that through them all nations will be blessed. We are by faith are the descendants of Abraham and we have the right to proclaim God’s blessing upon them.

Jacob knew how important God blessing was and he, through trickery received that blessing that was supposed to be for Esau. Jacob knew that God is almighty and that He always keeps His promises. This unwavering belief in God that prompted Jacob to take risk being killed by his own brother, but Jacob would not stop at anything to receive God’s blessing.

We, as the inheritance of God’s blessing and promises do not need to use trickery to receive God’s promises. Jesus sacrifice on the cross has reconciled our relationship with God and make us His own sons and daughters, the chosen ones, His own special people that we may proclaim on His promises.

When Jacob was on the run and he went to a place where he eventually named it bethel (Genesis 28), he met the Lord and received the Lord’s blessing and promises. He did not stop there however, Jacob made a vow where he would make the Lord as his one and only God and would give a tenth of whatever the Lord gave him as worship to Him that God always protect him.

There are 4 promises that we can learn from Jacob’s vow that are more than enough for us:
1. God will always be with us and will never leave us nor forsake us
2. God will protect us on our ways, in every step that we take
3. God will provide everything that we need. Not what we want
4. God will bring us back home to His house, to spend eternity with Him.

Proclaim on God’s promises the way Jacob did. Do not doubt, as there is no lies and no shadow of doubt whatsoever in our God. Be faithful and make Him as the only God over our lives.

Genesis 28:20-21

Daily prayer
My God, I thank You for Your presence, protection and provision in my life. I proclaim Your blessing and promises be poured out over my life and that I will worship You with my sacrifices and my obedience and I will be faithful until You bring me home to You again. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source: http://bibleencyclopedia.com/kjv/KJV_Genesis_28-20.jpg

It is interesting to note that no one, not one sane person likes to lose over everything. If we can, we want to get our ways and gain whatever we desire and laid our eyes upon. However, that is just not the way with the Lord. If we always quarrel and fight for everything and think that we are right, that goes to show that we insist on our own will and desire and using our own strength to fight for our right instead of depending on the Lord and counting His blessing. It shows that we deny God’s kindness by ultimately saying that what He gives us aren’t enough.

Isaac, in the book of genesis showed how much he trusted the Lord with his life. There was a famine in the country where he stayed. There wasn’t enough food to eat and since they were farmers, it means the conditions to plant were not ideal. As a human being that has family to feed, it is natural for Isaac to be worried and take action. The action that he took however was trusting the Lord and His commandment. God asked Him to stay in that barren land and to plant. Can you imagine planting on a dry land, no water and he could have second guessed God’s order. One thing that Isaac had though, he had a personal encounter with God when he was being sacrificed. He knew that God exist and that He can trust Him. So, he sowed on that barren land, and God blessed Him until he became very prosperous.

Isaac had the right to a well that Abraham left him, but the Philistines envy him and took over that well. This happened many times, wherever Isaac moved and dug a well, God blessed him and it produced water but the philistines would just take it over again and again. The Philistines, however, watched firsthand how God was always with Isaac and blessed him and they were afraid of him. They declared that truly God of Isaac was great and always with him.
Isaac could have been angry at God that he was the one who has to give up his rights to his father’s well and it seems like he was losing the battles all the time. God loved him and blessed for Isaac obeyed God and God showed Isaac that because of God’s grace, blessing and protection, Isaac became wealthy, prosperous and powerful that others fear him, even though it looked like he was losing.

We need to learn from Isaac. If we trust the Lord then we should depend on His provision; don’t depend on our own sight and look at our situation and thinks that God is no longer with us because we are being pushed around, because we are losing over what is our right. God always has the best plan for us, but He wants to see our obedience and in due time God will lift us up for all to see how mighty our God is. With God, we will always win, even when we lose.

Genesis 26:12

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to trust You like the way Isaac did. To truly obey You and that I will not look at my situation and how helpless it is but instead I will always look at You and know how mighty You are and that I am blessed by You. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

Image source:http://biblepic.com/53/0705.jpg

We are faced with many situations in our lives that require us to make decisions every single time. We believe that God has a plan for us and He speaks to us to guide us in making the right decisions. We however are confused so many times which decisions that we make are the right ones and according to God’s will. We are hesitating in our steps, doubting the outcome of many decisions that we make and after that we also regret the outcome of those decisions. So, how can we know which decisions are to make?

In Genesis chapter 24, Abraham decided to choose a bride for his son, Isaac, but he did not go himself and instead sent out his oldest servant from his house. The servant was afraid, hesitating and felt helpless. Abraham just said that he must bring back a wife, whom Abraham and neither Isaac never saw, and it must be according to what they want. Abraham just said that the angel of the Lord would be before him and guide him there.

Can you imagine this poor servant who had to go to a country far away to find a bride for his master? These thoughts must have crosses his mind; what if I chose the wrong girl? What if no one wants to come back with me? What if when I bring one, my master would reject it? What if I fail? That journey must have been a scary one especially for a servant.

He did however one thing that is for sure that helps him out. He prayed to God and asking for a confirmation. He was very specific of what he wanted to happen and if that happened then God sent him the right bride for Isaac. If that did not happen then God did not want the women that he met as Isaac bride. God did exactly what the servant prayed for as a confirmation. He succeeded in His mission. Rebekah was the one that God created to be Isaac bride.

God has a plan for each one of us, a specific person and event that supposed to happen in our lives. We often ask God for confirmation but we did not ask specifically. Then when God did not give confirmation, as a sign that we should not go ahead with our plans or decisions, we still go ahead with it and uses our own mind and plans. We ask God and when He answers by not giving the confirmation, we ignore it. It’s like our mind made up to just go ahead with whatever we have decided.

Learn to ask God for confirmation by asking for specific things. Learn to change our plan when He said no or did not answer it. God always answer us with yes, no or wait. Learn to obey

Genesis 24:12-14, 40

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to obey You and follow You to the very detail of Your commandments. Teach to ask confirmations from You and wait patiently for Your reply. I believe that You always hear and answer my prayers. Teach my heart to obey You. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source:http://time4thinkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/goverse-Genesis-24-40-NIV-030113.jpg

One day, God just told Abraham to pack up his bags and belongings and go to a place where he would show him and that God would bless him and make him great among nations. There was no detailed plan given to Abraham. There was no place mentioned or what kind of place, how long he had to walk and what he had to do. God just simply said to pack up your bags and go.

God gave a great dream to Joseph where his parents and brothers bow down to him. He was destined for greatness and that God would use him. God never told him any of that on how to achieve it or what he had to do. Instead he had to go through so much hardship to eventually making those dreams into realization.

Many times in life God told us to do something or gave us a dream and yet there is nothing else. We believe that God’s plans are the best for us but many times we have no clue whatsoever what His plans are. There are no details, no laid out plans or steps for us to get there. It seems like there is a goal in front of us that God has set before us but to get there we have to walk through the darkness and blindly.

God is doing that to train us to trust Him fully and to see whether we will obey Him no matter what. He is doing that so we will ask Him and talk to Him, consult Him, depend on Him one hundred percent on every step that we take and ask Him on every turn that we have to make.

If God told us a detailed plan and we can see our life years ahead. We will start calculating and we can say to God: it’s alright Lord, I know where I am going, I can get there. We will stop relying on Him. There will be a broken connection. We will utilize our own strength and somewhere down the road, we might think that God’s plan is not good for us. If Joseph knew that he would be thrown into a well, be made a slave, thrown into jail, even though he knew he would become number 2 man in Egypt. He would have said no to God and ask Him to give him a different route. If that happened, God could not process him and prepare him to become a humble yet a powerful man. He would not have forgiven his brothers.

So, do not question God. Follow Him even though we feel like a blind man. Learn to trust in Him at every step. He has the best laid plan for us. Not only the goal which will be great, but we as a person will be processed as well to become more like Him. If only we trust Him.

Jeremiah 29:11

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, I believe that You have laid out the best plan for me. Teach me to rely on You with all that I am, to not doubt You and obey Your every commandment because I know that You Lord, thought of the very best things for me. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source:http://www.dailylifeverse.com/posts/images/2013/11/jeremiah-29-11.jpg?s=full

God created us in the same image as Him. He created us so that we could have dominion over this earth and so that He could have fellowship with us. God equip us with abilities, creativities, capabilities, feelings and all that we have so that we can conquer this earth and all that is sin it. One of those feeling is curiosity. God put that in us so that Adam in the beginning would learn and studies all these different animals and fruits and trees and flowers; to learn which ones could be tamed, could be eaten, which ones are poisonous and all there is that need to be conquered.

This curiosity feeling however causes the downfall of man and of course with the help of the cunning and the deception of the devil. God gave one commandment only and that was not to eat the fruit of the tree which was in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Eve was curious. She saw the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes and the deception of the devil that told her that it could make her wise and be like God make her desire it even more. So, she ate it and gave one to Adam and the rest is history. Disobedience to God’s commandment causes us to be separated from God.

God’s commandments are not intended to punish us or what people say is taking the fun out of this life; but it is to protect us from the deception of the devils. We use this curiosity feeling for so many wrong things. Scientist and atheist have this believe that there is no God and so they are curious where this life comes from. Young people have been made aware that cigarettes, drugs and alcohol are bad and addictive, yet because of curiosity, they ignore all the warning and try it and get hooked on it. Others have walked and lived before us. Jesus lived on this earth before us and it is all recorded in the Bible. They taught us and history teaches us so many things which ones are good and which ones are bad. Yet again, this curiosity is becoming our downfall.

Curiosity is not a bad thing. It all depends on us. If we direct that to all positive things then we will get positive results. Curb that feeling of wanting to try all the things that we now they are bad for us. Just don’t do it and no need to be curious about it. Instead, be curious about God. Have that feeling to know more about Him, to know Him deeper and to know His ways, His will, His love, His commandments and live accordingly. Be curious about eternal life, about Holy Spirit, about Jesus, about all the things above and not the things of this earth.

Genesis 3:6

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus I pray that I use all this abilities that You gave me only for Your glory and that my curiosity is directed only to You and to all positive and righteous things in life. Keep my mind and my eyes focus on You. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source:http://thejake.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/thejake_030412.png

We know that we need to work to live on this earth. Many of us who believes in God know this in our head that God will supply all that we need, and yet in reality our lives do not reflect that at all. We strive and struggle to make ends meet. We sacrifice our family time, our prayer time, our fellowship with God, we skip church for the chance to earn a few more dollars to fulfill our wants.

The word ‘surrender to God” and “God will supply our need become a mantra for us. When will we learn and fully trust in Him? The story of Israel when they were hungry and complain to God in the dessert, God supplied them with quails at night and manna (bread from heaven) in the morning. There is a rule however that every person should gather enough only for their family and on the sixth day, they can gather twice as much for that day and the next day which is the seventh day.

However, human being greedy and collected more than what God commanded them. They did not trust God that they would get manna again the next day. The left over became rotten and stank and from it came worms. God supply us enough and as long as we sanctify the Sabbath or the seventh day and use that day to celebrate the goodness of God. He supplies us with enough. That is the miracle of God. The manna that they collected for the sixth day which was twice the amount stayed fresh on the seventh day but not any other day. God is telling us that He will takes care our need if we trust HIM. If we dare to rest on the seventh day, like God rested on the seventh day when He created heaven and earth and He blessed it, then our lives will be blessed too. (Genesis 2:2-3)

God hates greediness. The left over manna that Israel collected produced worms and it stank. It describes the conditions of our heart when we think that God does not give us enough and we work hard using our own strength to fulfill our needs. Those worms are the greediness in our heart which God hate. It shows our disbelief in Him. It shows that we doubt on His power and His joy in loving us and giving us what we need. He loves to take care of us. God truly loves us.

Don’t be greedy. Trust Him. Sanctify the seventh day for Him only. Go to church and seek Him and we will see that He never goes back on His promises and supply us with everything that we need. Don’t let worms grows in our heart. Don’t let our heart stink in front of Him.

Exodus 16:15-24
Philippians 4:19

Daily prayer
Lord Jesus, forgives me if all this time I doubt that You love to give us what we need. Forgives us of our greediness and let us fully trust in You that You will supply all that we need according to Your riches and glory. I will sanctify the Sabbath to celebrate Your goodness. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source:http://www.thefellowshipsite.org/uploads/7/4/1/7/7417809/philippians_4.19_picture.jpg

A lot of us feel sometimes like there are so many things that we cannot do. We feel like we don’t have enough talents or abilities even to just go through our daily live. Everybody wants to be successful and yet it seems like we have no idea how to be successful. There lies the problem. Success is relative to each individual. For some, having a lot of money is successful. For others, having a happy family is successful. What about for us as a Christians?

God said seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added on to you. Success in the eyes of God is where we could find Him, the ultimate treasure; that is God who is waiting for us to be found. Success is where at the end when we meet Him, He would call us by our names and tell us that we are faithful and good servant and we can live eternity with Him. If we focus our effort in seeking God then everything else on this earth, He would give to us and take care of us. We might not become overly rich but we will be able to overcome whatever the enemy is throwing at us and live faithfully to Him. That is a success.

When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, He said that he will have dominion over all this earth and to manage that Garden. Now, was Adam born as a gardener? Did he ever go through college on how to deal with different kind of animals and plants? He did not. It means that God gave Adam creativeness and natural abilities to be able to do all of that. God, when He created Adam, He put those abilities inside of him to conquer this earth, to manage all of those. It shows over the centuries how men able to find electricity, create cars, build buildings, lighters, able to utilize gas and countless others that make us live comfortably as we are now. It was there inside of us. God put those abilities inside those men so they can invent all of those things.

We have those abilities too. We can conquer this earth as long as we are not lazy and able to tap into those abilities and creativeness that God has given inside of us. The only way to do that is to connect with God and ask Him to reveal and enable us to use them, just like Adam did. He was in constant fellowship with God and that is how he was able to manage Garden of Eden by himself.

Do not ever think that God just created us and then neglect us without equipping us with something more. He loves us and wants us to be successful. Connect with Him and He will show us.

Genesis 1:28-29
Genesis 2:15

Daily prayer
Father, I believe You have equip me to conquer this earth. I will seek You more than anything, to have a relationship with You, walk daily in Your will and I believe You will release all those potentials, creativeness and abilities within me for me to use to the fullest. In the Name of Jesus I pray.

image source: http://bibleencyclopedia.com/kjvsmall/KJV_Genesis_1-28.jpg