Devotions

“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV).

We are all pressed down by problems and distress, but Paul has given us the answer when he tells us to “do it unto the Father.” The great preacher John Calvin said that singing and giving thanks always is all feigning and hypocrisy unless we are fully persuaded that God is our Father.

Often we don’t feel like giving thanks, and we can’t sing. Dire circumstances shatter our spirits. There are times the heart cries, “Lord, do you really expect me to sing and make melody when I hurt so badly? I am so burdened down with cares that I can barely lift my head. It’s hard to praise and speak hymns in my heart. There is too much fear, grief and doubt.”

God is not severe with us when we hurt. We are his children, and these words are given us to find solace and relief in such times. We become so focused on our difficulties that we lose more than our song. We drift further and further away from God’s eternal promises. In spite of all we face, our Lord says, “Give thanks always.”

It is easy to become ungrateful for all he has done in the past. We get swallowed up in praying only for ourselves, our needs and our families. We cannot lift up our eyes and see those who are suffering much more than we are. I am convicted when I think about this. I want to face tomorrow determined to sing to the Lord and give thanks each day for all things and in all things. It may be a weak, inaudible song, but there is a divine, supernatural power in doing it.

God has heard your cry, and he is working out the solution even now! Continue giving thanks always and never stop singing love songs to our precious Lord and Savior.

Some time ago, I had an unusual experience while in meditation with the Lord. His still, small voice asked me, “Do you still believe? Do you still believe I love you unconditionally…that you are right now being led by the Holy Spirit…that I bottle every tear you shed…that you are right now in this place, in the perfect will of God?

“Do you believe all things still work together for good to those who love me…that I hear your prayers, even when you have no audible words to express them, when all seems dark, and fear grips your mind and soul? Do you believe this even when it seems I have shut the heavens to you?

“David, do you still believe I feed all living things: the fish of the sea, the cattle, the fowls and all creeping things? Do you still believe I count every hair on your head and that I take note of every fallen bird on the earth? Do you truly believe that?

“Do you still believe when death comes to your loved ones? Do you still believe what you have testified, that I give comfort and strength to face even the grave?

“Do you still believe that I love you, that I have forgiven all your past and present sins, you, and I will forgive all future sins if you rest and trust in me? Do you believe I understand when Satan sends his messengers against you to plant lies, doubts, blasphemies, fears and despair?

“Do you still believe you are in the palm of my hand, that you are more precious than gold to your Savior, that eternal life is your future, that there is no power that can pluck you out of my hand, that I still am touched by every sickness and affliction you endure? Do you still believe these things are true?”

My answer is emphatically yes! Yes, Lord, I still believe it all and more, much more!

Read all of Psalm 103 and ask yourself, “Do I believe it? All of it?”

Once, there were three young men reading the Book of Acts together. They saw how the Spirit of God fell on the early church and how it changed everything. So these three young men went to their pastor one Sunday and said to him, “Pastor, we’re reading the Book of Acts, and it says that believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and power. They preached and thousands were saved. We’re not seeing that in the church today, but we want it. What do we need to do?”

Their pastor said, “That kind of thing doesn't happen anymore.”

Despite what he said, those three young men stayed at the altar of that church and said, “We’re not moving, God, until you touch us like the disciples. We believe you can do it again.” They stayed there for three days and three nights. After that, the Spirit of the Lord fell on these men.

The pastor came back into the church to check on them, and he said, “The power of the Holy Spirit is not—“ and as soon as he was about to say, “is not falling on people today”, he fell on his face. Fully awed by the presence and glory of God, he cried out, “Truly God is in this place!”

That was in Havana, Cuba many years ago. I preached in that church. All along the walls of the church, there are stacks of wheelchairs, crutches, braces and all kinds of stuff left behind by people who had been healed.

Those three young men weren’t looking for their own glory. They weren’t hoping to see their church become super popular. They weren’t trying to make their government different. They came to that altar desperate for a vision of God that transcended everything they knew. They wanted him to save and transform lives. They were stirred in their spirits, and God moved in response to their heartfelt prayers.

Do you sit daily in the presence of God? Do you cry out, “God, I need you. I need a word from you. When I point my finger into the Word, will you point your Word at me, God, and make it alive?” When the touch of God is on us, it’s noticeable. There’s power in God’s presence in our lives, but it only comes when we die to our plans and desires and take up our crosses.

When I was young, I went to a church that had a bishop, and everyone in the audience had to stand when he entered the room. Now I remember that and think about how Jesus went down on his knees to wash his disciples’ feet.

Let’s look at one of Peter’s letters to the church. He was writing to believers scattered throughout Turkey who were probably under persecution and opposition from the Roman Empire who wanted them to kneel and worship Caesar. “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:1-2, ESV).

There were two words in the New Testament for ‘servant.’ One was a person who had some basic rights but was under the authority of the person who owned them. The other word was ‘bondslave,’ someone who only looked to their master for what to do.

Which word do you think Peter used? That’s right, the bondslave. He was saying, “I’m sold out. I’m a bondslave of Jesus. I said goodbye to my will and plans a long time ago.” He was reminding people that he was sent out with authority from Christ but that he was also the Lord’s slave. He’s writing to people who, because of God’s justice and love, have obtained the same precious faith that Peter had. That faith means that our sins are not only forgiven but also wiped completely off the record in heaven. This faith in Christ pardons us of our rebellion and wrongdoings and makes us new creations. Christianity isn’t about earning anything.

Ministers who walk around like they’re somebody special, so many times it’s with such fake grandeur. Whatever happened to being Christ’s bondslave? People these days think, “Well, I don’t want to be anyone’s slave! I don’t want to have to obey someone else like that.” Trust me, the happiest life you can imagine is to be owned and controlled by our Lord and Savior.

_{Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.} 

God has a preordained plan to deliver us out of our fiery trials. No matter what you are going through, he has a plan tailored for every difficulty, one that could never be conceived by the human mind.

For example, take the trials that Israel faced in the desert. There was no bread or food of any kind. What committee could have come up with this idea? “Let’s pray that tomorrow we wake up and discover white flakes of food with a taste of honey covering the ground.”

There was no water either, and the hot desert parched their lips. We’re talking about a group of people the size of a small nation. It was a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of weeping wanderers, facing imminent death.

Who could have imagined the solution? Who would have pointed to a big rock and told Moses, “Go. Strike it, and a river of water will flow out.” God imagined it!

It was one thing after another. At one point God said, “Go back to the Red Sea.” What? This didn’t seem like a smart plan at all. The Red Sea was impassable for that many people. Pharaoh’s cruel army was already racing toward them, eager to overpower them and return them to captivity. They were trapped. Impossibilities! Hopelessness!

God, however, was way ahead of them. He had a plan. What looked like an unwise move turned out to be their salvation. They needed to learn to depend wholly upon him, to trust and obey the God who had daily proven that he would take care of them completely.

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-6, NKJV).

The Lord had brought the children of Israel out of bondage, and he would lead them into the promised land. In his perfect timing, he acted on their behalf, and he will do the same for you. He will fight your battles, miraculously provide for your needs and make a way where there is no way.