If You Love Me

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: If You Love Me
Date: Saturday January 21, 2012Today's Chapters: Exodus 17-20Preview of Today's Message: While we are all sinners, we can live a pretty righteous life with God as long as we are willing to follow His commands. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I was out soul winning last night and the last person I visited sincerely wanted a life with God, he clearly did a lot of studying on the matter, the problem was, he looked to every religion and book he could find rather than the only Book that would show him how to do that. I did not debate him on his findings, even after he told me that Jesus and God's name were not correct in the Bible. I simply said after I handed him a Bible tract, you have done a lot of research and I hope you find the truth, which I just gave you, I hope to see you in heaven one day, God wants to see you in heaven, He knows who He is, He knows His name. He looked at me and nodded as if a light bulb just went off in his head. So many people want God in their lives and likewise He wants to be in their lives too, the key, “Follow My Commands”.

“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” -John 14:11-16.

There really is no better encouragement or motivation to follow God's commands than to see Him work. To see the impossible become possible, if you are saved, if you have received Christ as your Savior and kept Him in your life than you are proof that God can make the impossible possible. The life you live with Christ now did not happen over night it took some effort, it took some faith, it took some discipline. We cannot grow as a Christian, we cannot grow in our faith, and we cannot see the impossible become possible unless we follow God's commands. As the Israelite's continue their journey to the promised land God placed obstacles before them. Why? To get them to depend only upon Him to make the impossible possible. Time and time again they saw only the obstacle and not God, even though He was right there in front of them. Once again God placed an obstacle in front of them only to have the same response.
“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?” -Exodus 17:3-7.
Massah means temptation, Meribah means strife, they began to question whether God was with them or not. This is called their “tempting God,” because of distrust in Him after they had received such proofs of His power and goodness. Every time we question God's ability or existence when facing difficulties we are tempting God. Now, we all have questions for God, but to tempt Him is another story, it is as if we are saying, unless you do this for me I am not going to believe in you anymore. The rock represents Christ, and their drinking of it is represented as their being made partakers of the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” -John 7:38.

Some time later, when Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God was doing for Israel and that they were now free he met up with him. He was pleased to see all that God had done, but was a bit disturbed to see that Moses was taking on all the burdens of the people all by himself. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” -Exodus 18:13-18.

Moses did what Jethro suggested, he taught and appointed people to take on most of the burdens of the people, except for the things that really needed his attention. We all need help from time to time, it is wise to teach others what we know, we are not invincible and we will not be around forever, so, it is important that we teach others so they can continue to do what we have worked so hard to accomplish. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” - II Timothy 2:24,25.

We all need God's help, in everything that we do, God promises to always be there for us when we keep following His commands. “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel...And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.” -Exodus 19:5,6,9.

God Himself spoke to the Israelite's from a mountain, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” -Exodus 20:1-6.

I am not going to be the first to tell you that I understand all of the commands that God enforces, but I can tell you that whatever God wants to keep us from is for good reason and all He is really wants is for us to trust Him and have some morals about us so that we can be seen as His peculiar treasure. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” While our works certainly do not save us, Christ does and our keeping His commandments are simply our way to show Him that we truly love Him. Unless we study His Word and only His Word can we even know what those are. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” -2 Timothy 2:15.
Today's Psalm: 119:10 - “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.”

Today's Proverb: 13:13 - “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”

Today's Prayer: God, Let Your commands be pressed upon my heart, Your love and blessings motivate and encourage me to obey You in all that I do. Lord, help me as I study Your Word from cover to cover, show me what Your will is for my life and give me Your power to fulfill that will and entrust You completely with my life, after all, You know what is best for me. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible StudyVisit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus

A Diligent Doer

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: A Diligent Doer
Date: Friday January 20, 2012Today's Chapters: Exodus 14-16Preview of Today's Message: Anyone can read the Bible, but those who live by it not only find favor with God, they are blessed. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,
If Jesus Himself was our preacher and we rested in hearing His Words only, it would never bring us to heaven. People had Him right there in front of Him and yet they died and went to hell because they did not do what He said. We have a right to choose whether or not to believe in Christ, and many do believe that He existed and died to save them, but unless we do what we hear from the Bible concerning our salvation we will never get to the Kingdom of God. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” - James 1:22-25.

Israel finally had their freedom, they were no longer held in slavery to the Egyptians. Right in front of them was a pillar leading the way to the promised land, it was with them day and night, that pillar was God Himself. Can you imagine looking up and knowing that God was right there in front of you? I envy what the Israelite's had, they saw so many miracles from God and were chosen by Him to be their people. You would think that the Israelite's would have had more faith in God than anyone, but the sad thing is that they did not. The second they were faced with difficulties they began complaining, their first test of faith came when they were being chased by the Egyptian.

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” - Exodus 14:10-14.

When God is on our side we have nothing to fear, He loves us, and guess what, He even takes care of us and protects us when we have no faith in Him at all. We need not seek vengeance, God gets the vengeance all the time, and let me tell you, both you and your offender will know who God is. Egypt and Israel both saw God part the Red Sea and devour all the Egyptians once the Israelite's were safe. “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.” -Exodus 14:30,31.

Yea, they feared God, right up until the next challenge, three days later, when they could not drink the water. “So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” - Exodus 15:22-26.

One amazing thing about God is that He wants us to prove Him as the Almighty God, that is why He faces us with challenges. Is there anything too hard for God? He welcomes the challenge and always comes through, but the key to seeing His blessings come to pass is having faith in Him. Faith, is talking yourself into believing something to be true when you cannot see it. You put your faith in God knowing He is true, without seeing His face and you will see those blessing unfold right before your eyes. That word diligence means to keep doing what God tells you through His Word, when you become a doer of His Word that is what gives you the faith to believe in God. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:1,6.
I have this talking alarm clock on my computer, I have two alarms set, one to pray, one to read today's Scripture. Since I want to put God first I try my hardest to keep to this schedule because if I am not it throws my entire day off. The last two days I have overslept and have not done either one on time, it's frustrating, and quite upsetting to know that I let God down. Then it hit me, while schedules are good to keep us on track, we are on God's schedule not our own. God knows what we need, He certainly knows when we are going to best serve Him, so, rather than get upset about what we see as failures, we need to be thankful that God counts all failures as opportunities for us to be diligent in all we do for Him, whether that is at home, work, or His ministry. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” -Colossians 3:23,24.
Today's Psalm: “Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.” - Psalm 119:4.

Today's Proverb: “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.” -Proverbs 7:15.

Today's Prayer: God, we want to be diligent in our walk with You, we want to study Your Word to show ourselves approved of You and to fully understand Your plan for our lives. Thank You for Your Word that is a lamp to my feet and light for my path. Your Spirit illumines my path so that I do not walk in darkness, but walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who keeps me going in the right direction when I diligently seek You. Lord, keep me on the right path and help me to be diligent about serving You every where we go. In Jesus' name. Amen. 
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible StudyVisit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus

Victory Through Christ

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Victory Through Christ
Date: Thursday January 19, 2012Today's Chapters: Exodus 11-13Preview of Today's Message: The sting of death is sin, but death is swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

There is a song, “Where would you be if Jesus came five minutes ago?” There is a lot to think of just in the title of that song. Where would you be if Jesus came five minutes ago? In the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of a trumpet Jesus will be here. Will you be raised from the dead and changed into something glorious or would you be cast into the lake of fire? “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.
Eighty years ago Pharaoh was fearful by the strength and number of the Hebrews that in order to control their population he ordered all male Hebrew babies born to be cast into the river. Well, who would have thought that after all this time that the same thing would happen to the Egyptians. Egypt will be judged, the first born of every household, man and beast, Egyptian or Hebrew in the land of Egypt will die.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether...And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.” -Exodus 11:1,4-6.
God, gave specific instructions for Israel to follow if they wanted to be saved from this plague, each household was to take a perfect male lamb, kill it, take the blood and apply the blood over the door post, then roast the flesh and everyone in the house was to eat of the sacrifice. It was to be just enough for all of them to eat, with nothing to be left over. “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt...And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” -Exodus 12:11-13,48,49

While God chose Israel as the people that would be His people, He is not a respecter of persons, He allows anyone to be a part of the family. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” - Romans 2:9-11.

The time had come, God would bring His judgment upon Egypt, just as He said, at midnight He passed over Egypt and every first born that did not have the blood applied to the doorpost died. “And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.” -Exodus 12:28-31.
The key to us being saved from death is doing what God instructs us to do, it's simple, believe. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13.

The Hebrews were free, for the first time in over four hundred years they headed for the promised land, they had no idea how they would get there, but they had the best guide of the land, God. “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt...And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” -Exodus 13:17,18,21,22.

God never leaves us wandering around in the wilderness, although He may take us the long way around, He guides us and leads the way to victory all the time. We cannot do anything or go anywhere without the Lord leading the way, even if we have gone astray He is leading the way and will take us where we need to be. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:35-39.
Today's Psalm: “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” -Psalm 91:14.

Today's Proverb: “I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:” -Proverbs 8:20.

Today's Prayer: God, we do not have to fear the present nor the future when we place our complete confidence in You and recognize that Your plans prevail. Daily we make our plans but we know that You have the final say.  Help us to find comfort in You for the circumstances of life that throw us for a curve, knowing all the while, that You will supply us with the needed resources and spiritual support that leads us to victory so that we can truly proclaim from the depths of our hearts, “All is well, with my Lod!” In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible StudyVisit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus

Acknowledging God

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Acknowledging God 
Date: Wednesday January 18, 2012Today's Chapters: Exodus 8-10Preview of Today's Message: From creation, God has made Himself known to man, but pride, corruption, and wicked imaginations are what changes a persons belief or acceptance of God into something questionable. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I remember growing up knowing that God existed and Jesus too, but I also grew up with mother nature, and with the belief that whatever religion you came from that lead to God. After getting saved and listening to only One Book, I realized that all the corruptible and false things I learned about God were due to two reasons. One, it's what I was taught and two, I came up with my own conclusions when what I was taught did not make sense. I am not alone, a lot of people are brought up the same way, and suffer through a lot of heartache and disillusions as a result of it. I am just glad that God showed up in my life before I really did something stupid. The truth is, we are all born with the knowledge of God in us, it is the life we choose that acknowledges Him as our God.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” - Romans 1:20-25.

No matter how much God shows Himself to be the one and only God, who is in control of all things, there are some people bent on proving that He does not exist, or that they are a god. Pharaoh knew quite well that there was only one God, but refused to acknowledge that He was more powerful than his magicians. Through a series of plagues, he was quick to offer a bargain with God in order to remove a curse, but he failed to realize that no one bargains with God, even his magicians realized that they were powerless against God.
“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God...And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank...Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.” -Exodus 8:8-10,13,14,19.

God's curse upon a man will pursue him wherever he goes, and lie heavy upon him in whatever he does until they truly repent. Only until the heart is renewed by the grace of God, can one admit that they have sinned and find favor with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9.
Now, after some time, Pharaoh, for the first time he admits that he sinned against the Lord. “So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation...And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD'S. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God...And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.” -Exodus 9:24,27-30,34,35.

Pharaoh humbled himself, he could not have spoken better, he admits he sinned and acknowledges that the

God is righteous. Yet his heart was hardened all this while. Pharaoh was frightened by the tremendous judgment of God, but when that was over, his fair promises were forgotten. Those that are not bettered by judgments and mercies, commonly become worse. “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” - Ephesians 4:18,19.

Why did God afflict them with so much? Here is His answer, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” - Exodus 10:1,2.

The plagues of Egypt show the disease of sin, they warn the children of men not to strive with their Creator. Pharaoh had pretended to humble himself, but no account was made of it, for he was not sincere. We cannot hide from God, we cannot ignore Him or pretend that he does not exist, and we cannot create a god in our own image in order to live a wicked, immoral life, it will catch up to everyone. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” -2 Timothy 2:24-26.
The Hebrews were to be a testimony of the power of God that would be taught from generation to generation, but little by little they became a testimony that would show the wrath of God by their corruption and wicked imaginations. The truth is, until a hardened heart truly comes to the acknowledgment of God they will endure more and more affliction. We must hit rock bottom before we realize who God truly is who He says He is. It happened to me, it took me fifteen years of affliction to acknowledge God after I had been saved, it happens to everyone at some point. I know people who grew up in the church that have said they questioned what they were taught until something happened that truly made them acknowledge that God is who He says He is. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” -Hosea 5:15.
Today's Psalm: “ I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” -Psalm 32:5.Today's Proverb: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” -Proverbs 3:6. Today's Prayer: God, it is only when I trust in You with all my heart that I can acknowledge that everything comes from You. When You are first in my thoughts my attitudes and actions will prove that You are my God. Instead of plotting I will pray, instead of being afraid I will be courageous, instead of being weak I will be strong in You. I will not resort to my own understanding for it is faulty, frail, and full of vain imaginations. More of You, less of me is my prayer that I might trust You with all of my heart and acknowledge You in all things. In Jesus' name. Amen. 
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible StudyVisit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus

Faith By My Works

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Faith By My Works
Date: Tuesday January 17, 2012
Today's Chapters: Exodus 5-7
Preview of Today's Message: While only faith in the Gospel of Christ saves us, without works of love toward God to accompany our faith we will never learn to appreciate our salvation and what God truly has saved us from. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I imagine we all would like a comfortable life, to be prosperous and successful in what we do, now, what we think is a comfortable life is dependent upon how we grew up, people born into poverty think a comfortable life is a lot different than people born into riches. We all need faith that we can be successful in reaching our goals, but without making an effort to reach those goals we will never get very far. Likewise, we can work very hard at reaching our goals, but without faith we will not get very far. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?..Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?..And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” - James 2:14,17-24.

When Moses and Aaron met with the Hebrew elders and showed them that God was with them and they would be set free from the Egyptians they were ecstatic, they were ready to do whatever it took to be free. Little did they, including Moses, realize that they were going to have to endure some affliction in order to be set free. Just like God told him, Moses went before Pharaoh and asked that he let Israel go.

“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword...And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves...And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?..And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.” - Exodus 5:2,3,6,7,14,20,21.

Pharaoh did not release them, in fact, he put more affliction upon them. Pharaoh thought himself to be a god so, when Moses and Aaron asked them to let them go to worship God he afflicted them even more, siting that if they have time to worship God they need more work to do. On top of that the Hebrews went to Moses complaining about the affliction they caused upon them. These guys were complaining because they had to work harder. They did not have faith that God could really set them free, all they could think of was the affliction they were facing, and blaming it on Moses. We all get discouraged when we work hard at something to see it fail, but we keep trying and with faith something good will come out of it. “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” -1 Peter 3:17,18.

The Hebrews complained so much that even Moses went to God and asked Him why He even told them to go up to Pharaoh. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” -Exodus 6:2-7,9.

God reminded Moses I am JEHOVAH, the Almighty, I will bring you out of captivity, but the people did not listen. Their faith was dead because they could not see past the affliction they were facing, it is us who cannot see pass the afflictions and walk away from God. God allows affliction in our lives not to punish us or hurt us, but to grow us, to prepare us, and to show us that He is JEHOVAH. Believe it or not, we are not the most appreciative people when we are just handed things to us. 90% of the world, maybe even more than that, have a me, myself, and I mentality. They want what is best for them, not thinking of the consequences it might bring to others, forgetting or ignoring that God gave it to them all along. Of course, we all want things and God wants to give them to us, but He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him, first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33.

Now, after the pep talk Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh and tried once again. This time God brings Moses down to the level of Pharaoh, he thinks he is a god, well, God will prove Himself JEHOVAH. “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” - Exodus 7:1-5.

Whenever God is ready to do something through us to show His existence to others there is often affliction before there are rewards, yet they are all blessings from God. We cannot truly be satisfied with the reward if we have not worked at receiving it. Think about it, if things are just given to you are you as excited about receiving them as you are when you receive them after working so hard to get them? If God just hands everything over to us do you think we would realize it came from God. Until we get to the point where we know, “THIS CAME FROM GOD” than we will endure some affliction. “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” - I Peter 4:15,17.

Today's Psalm: “For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” -Psalm 92:4.
Today's Proverb: “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” - Proverbs 20:11.
Today's Prayer: God, let us continually remember the work that we do that produces our faith in Christ, our work is prompted by our love for You. The afflictions we endure become inspirations by the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. How grateful are we for the love and fellowship we enjoy with our brothers and sisters who serve You all over the world. We lift up those who are presently enduring matters that weigh heavy on their hearts. May the hope they have in the Lord Jesus Christ inspire confidence that You will give them victory as they continue to work to produce more faith in You, In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible Study
Visit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus

You Are Chosen

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: You Are Chosen
Date: Monday January 16, 2012
Today's Chapters: Exodus 1-4
Preview of Today's Message: God has a plan for you, it may be bigger than what you could ever imagined, but He knows you can do it. Embrace the calling from God and watch His blessings unfold. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I was watching a movie the other day and heard a quote, “Your future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.” The truth is, our future has been written, God has a plan for each and every one of us. It's what we do to try and altar His plan that makes it easier or more difficult to achieve. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10.

The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Old Testament and Bible and contains forty chapters. The timeline for these events are approximately between 1689BC to 1490BC. The author of the book is Moses and it was written to Israel. The purpose of the book was to record their deliverance from slavery to the Egyptians. What we are to learn from the book is that salvation comes from the blood alone. “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” -Exodus 12:13.

After Joseph and the rest of his generation died, a new Pharaoh was appointed ruler over Egypt, he had no idea who Joseph was, nor any of his family, but he knew that there were more Hebrews in his land then there were Egyptians. He was determined to get rid of them, but his plan really did not go so well.

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.” - Exodus 1:8-14.

The more the Egyptians afflicted the Hebrews the more they grew in number, if you have learned anything through history, studies have proved that the more a nation suffers the more it multiplies, which is what happened here. We may not realize it at the time, but God uses our burdens to our advantage, everything that we go through in life is allowed in order to grow us, strengthen our relationship with Him, and to prepare us for the next challenge. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - I Peter 4:12,13.

Pharaoh then commanded that every newborn male Hebrew baby be cast into the river. Pharaoh really thought that he had everything under his control, but the fact was that God was in control He used Pharaoh's own daughter to not only save a male Hebrew baby, but to raise him as her own.

“And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.” - Exodus 2:5-10.

What an amazing God we have, God not only saved this child, but allowed his biological mother to get paid for nursing her own baby. When situations seem hopeless, it is more than comforting to remember that our God cares about us, knows how to deliver us from our afflictions, and even blesses us through them. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” - II Corinthians 4:17,18.

Now, some time had come to pass, Moses was distraught about the way the Hebrews were being treated, he got so angry one day that he killed a man. Not only were the Egyptians after him, the Hebrews we not exactly thrilled that he killed a man in their honor. Out of fear he fled to Midian, he made a life there and was content to live there and raise his family there. However, forty years later, God was ready to fulfill the plan He had for Moses. He contacted Moses and told him that he was going to be the one to lead the Hebrews to freedom. Moses gave one excuse after another to be excused from fulfilling the plan, but when God appoints you to do something He does not care how long it takes, He will get you to comply.

“And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee...And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.” - Exodus 4:1,10-14.

God gave Moses a little help by using his brother Aaron to speak. God has a plan for you, it may be bigger than what you could ever imagined, it may be something as simple as saying hi to someone. Embrace the calling from God and watch the blessings unfold. Oh, you are going to face some affliction, Moses did, but He is right there with you to help you accomplish it. If you need help, He will send someone to help you, trust in Him, be honored that He has chosen you.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” - John 15:13-19.

Today's Psalm: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” -Psalm 33:12.
Today's Proverb: “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.” -Proverbs 8:32.
Today's Prayer: God, we want to live beyond the corruptions of this world as a people of righteousness set apart for Your purpose. We forsake the things of this world that bring disgrace to Your holy name and live for the purpose of bringing glory, honor and praise to You. We pray for our nation, for the turning away from our sins and turning toward the abundant life we find in Christ our Lord. Lord, You have called me to do something great for You, lead me and guide me, grow me and give me the knowledge and wisdom I need to fulfill Your plan for my life. Help me to listen, trust, and do what You have called me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible Study
Visit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus