September 30, 2019 … The Healing Tree

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 273 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Natalie Grant singing Clean ... poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, are made clean by repenting of our sin and believing in the cleansing sacrifice of Christ’s blood on the cross.

 Left - Poisonwood Tree ... Right - Gum Elemi Tree 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 53:5 [NKJV] ... 5  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 
… God’s prophesy of God healing our sin thru the Lord’s sacrefice on the cross.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 53:1-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Isiah prophesies the healing sacrifice of the Messiah 700+ years before it took place. 
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] ... 22  Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 
… God promises His healing grace to be there for all who need His healing mercies … anyone, … anytime, … anywhere.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 
… God’s promise; … to lift us up anytime/anywhere we need His strength.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus’ promise to be there anytime we need Him to help us carry our load in life.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, uses a botanical picture in nature illustrating how Christ’s blood heals all our sin wounds. … The ODB author wrote: Following the park guide, I scribbled notes as he taught about the plants of the Bahamian primeval forest. He told us which trees to avoid. The poisonwood tree, he said, secretes a black sap that causes a painful, itchy rash. But not to worry! The antidote could usually be found growing right next it. “Cut into the red bark of the gum elemi tree,” he said, “and rub the sap on the rash. It will immediately begin to heal.” [see photo of the two trees described above] 
I nearly dropped my pencil in astonishment. I hadn’t expected to find a picture of salvation in the forest. But in the gum elemi tree, I saw Jesus. He’s the ready remedy wherever the poison of sin is found. Like the red bark of that tree, the blood of Jesus brings healing. 

Interesting picture from nature … of God’s mercy and grace … with His saving grace being available to anyone - anytime - anywhere - for the healing of our sin; … but only when we’re willing to believe in Christ’s sacrifice and receive His healing grace; … and, as Natalie Grant sings in the linked song, experiencing the cleansing from the balm of our Lord’s sacrifice.

I pray all reading here have allowed Christ’s blood, thru our faith in His sacrifice, to cleanse us and heal us from the painful disease of our sin nature. And as I have this morning, … by hearing the linked song and meditating on the scriptures above, sensing His healing grace all over again. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for ALWAYS being there to provide the salve of Your blood to cover the wounds of our sin.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to revel in the healing grace we have thru Christ’s blood. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 29, 2019 … He ALWAYS Is Able …

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 272 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing Be Still and Know ... poignantly singing of how we need to know that we serve Who is alway able to give us His strength when we feel inadequate.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Exodus 3:14 [NKJV] ... 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” …
... We may not be whom we need to be; but God is always Whom He needs to be.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Exodus 3:10-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Moses didn’t feel up to his calling as deliverer; but he had to learn that God always is able to give us what we need if He calls us to serve Him.
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Reference Passage : ... 1Kings Chapter 19 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … .
.. Elijah, running from Jezebel, feels totally depleted and wants to die; but God restores him.

Reference Passage : ... Psalm 46:10 [NKJV] ... 10  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 
... God is God; and we need to be still and know that He is!

Reference Passage : ... John 21:15-19 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
... Peter was restored by Jesus after feeling totally inadequate to his calling to feed God’s sheep.

Reference Passage : ... 2Corinthians 12:9 [NKJV] ... 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
... Paul helps us realize that God’s grace is ALWAYS sufficient to give us strength when we feel inadequate to His calling.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses a story of a man who felt inferior to a calling in life … to illustrate our need to have faith in the One Who is ALWAYS able. … The ODB author wrote: Dave enjoyed his job, but for a long time he’d sensed a pull toward something else. Now he was about to fulfill his dream and step into mission work. But strangely, he began to have serious doubts. 
“I don’t deserve this,” he told a friend. “The mission board doesn’t know the real me. I’m not good enough.”

As today’s ODB entry indicates, Dave, in this story, had pretty good biblical company. There was Moses (in the highlight passage) who didn’t feel up to his calling to be God’s agent of deliverance for God’s people in Egypt. … There was Elijah, who felt like dying at the hands of Jezebel (see 1Kings 19). … And there was Peter, (see John 21), who needed restoration after denying Jesus three times before His crucifixion.

Yes, dear ones, … there will always be times when we need to stop and realize that we will feel inadequate to some situations or callings in life. But God is ALWAYS able (see Psalm 46:10); and He is alway able to provide us with the grace of His strength [see 2Cor 12:9] when we feel inadequate to His calling.

As my mentor used to tell me OFTEN … “God’s calling is His enablement!!” And I pray today that we all … be still and know that He is God!!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us Your grace when we feel inadequate to Your calling.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here join me today to be still and know that we serve a God Who is Who He is! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 28, 2019 … Seeing Him More Clearly

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 271 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Michael W Smith singing Open the Eyes of My Heart ... poignantly singing of how we need to pray that God opens the eyes of our hearts so that we can Him more clearly than every before. … And the ON TO THIS LINK … to hear and see the lyrics from the blind Christian singer/songwriter, Gordon Mote, singing Don’t Let Me Miss the Glory … my prayer for us today.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 1:18 [NKJV] ... 18 … the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, … 
... Prayerfully we can see, thru eyes of understanding, just how wonderful is our Savior. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 1: 15-23 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Paul declares how we need to do all we can to see our Lord more clearly to love Him more dearly by seeing Him in creation.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 19:1 [NKJV] ... 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. 
...  David sings of seeing God’s glory in creation.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 1:15-16 [NKJV] ... 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 
... When we look around us, we see the God who made all things.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses one’s perception of God’s glory around us to illustrate how we can become desensitized to our God all around us, seeing Him everywhere/everyplace. … The ODB author wrote: I gazed out at the rolling, green hills in Lancashire in northern England, noticing the stone fences enclosing some sheep dotted around the hills. [see photo] Puffy clouds moved across the bright sky, and I inhaled deeply, drinking in the sight. When I remarked about the beautiful scene to the woman working at the retreat center I was visiting, she said, “You know, I never used to notice it before our guests would point it out. We’ve lived here for years; and when we were farmers, this was just the office!” 

Today, not a lot of writing from me. I just want all reading here to take the time to use the links above and see/hear the two linked songs and to take in the beauty of the attached photo. Because the ODB entry for the day points out that we can actually become blinded to the glory of God all around us in creation because it’s there all the time for us to see.

Yes, we need to not only stop and see and smell the roses; but we need to take in the beauty of creation all around us as a way to see our God more clearly and to experience His love and grace thru His creation.

So, I pray we all see Him today in what is around us; and then to be thankful for the reality that He not only created it all for Himself (see Col. 1:15-16); but He created it all for you and me as well. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing us Your glory in creation.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here join me today to see our Lord more clearly in the creation that He has crafted for us and for His glory. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 27, 2019 … Live Today For His Tomorrow

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 270 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Tim McGraw singing Live Like You Were Dying ... poignantly singing of how we might live if we were faced with our ultimate mortality … living as if we were dying … which is how we all really need to live.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 25:13 [NKJV] ... 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 
... As disciples of Christ, we are to live wisely at all times, knowing that He could come again at anytime.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 25:1-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus in the parable of wise/foolish virgins, warns His followers to live as if tomorrow were the day He would come again.
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Reference Passage : ... John 11:24-26 [NKJV] ... 25 Jesus said to her [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 
... Jesus tells Martha, after the death of her brother, Lazarus, that we can always know that He, our Lord, Jesus, is the resurrection and we can ALWAYS live today knowing that we will live with Him in eternity.

Reference Passage : …Luke 9:23 [NKJV] ... 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross]daily, and follow Me. … “ 
... The only way to live for tomorrow by following Christ today.

Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 5:15-16 [NKJV] ... 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 
... God, thru Paul, exhorts us to redeem our time wisely for God’s glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mike Wittmer, uses the lyrics of a Country song to illustrate how we should be living, as Christians, today ... as if we had few tomorrows. … The ODB author wrote: I’m inspired by country singer Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying.” In it he describes some of the exciting “bucket list” things a man did after receiving some bad news about his health. He also chose to love and forgive people more freely—speaking to them more tenderly. The song recommends that we live well, as if knowing our lives will end soon. 
This song reminds us that our time is limited. It’s important for us to not put off for tomorrow what we can do today, because one day we’ll run out of tomorrows. 

What would you do today, if you seemingly had good health but knew that you might not have tomorrow? … Would you do things today that you had on a “bucket list?” [see photo] Would you do all you could to live today like you know that Jesus has always been calling you to live for Him. 

Well, that’s what Jesus was saying to those who had been following Him in His days on earth, wasn’t He (see scriptures above)? And it’s certainly what Tim McGraw sings about in the linked song?

So, what’re we waiting for?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us the grace to live one more day for You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here are searching to live today like we are Jesus’ bride, waiting for Him to come for us tomorrow. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 26, 2019 … Standing With Courage?!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 269 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Kathy Troccoli singing I Will Choose Christ ... poignantly singing of how, in spite of the trials of life, we must CHOOSE to follow Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 19:40 [NKJV] ... 40 Then they [Joseph and Nicodemus] took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 
… The two Jewish leaders took great risk to courageously bury the body of Jesus in Joesph’s grave site.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 19:38-42 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… It took great courage for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to openly bury Jesus’ body in that infamous grave after The Lord’s death.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NKJV] ... 3  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 
… The only real place of peace and safety is found in a courageous pursuit of Christ.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 
… God’s promise; … but do we have the courage to believe it and forge ahead with the courage that comes from faith?

Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NKJV] … 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
… Yes, we will have trials in this world; but do we follow the One Who has overcome the world?

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God’s exhortation to courage and His promise that we need not fear because He’ll never forsake us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Remi Oyedele, uses a reference to a courageous soldier in WW2 who served with great courage in the face of great personal risk. … The ODB author wrote: … Desmond Doss enlisted to serve in World War II as a non-combatant. Though his religious beliefs prevented him from carrying a gun, Doss ably served as a combat medic. In one battle, he withstood intense and repeated enemy fire to pull seventy-five soldiers in his unit to safety after they had been injured. His story is told in the documentary The Conscientious Objector and dramatized in the film Hacksaw Ridge. [see photo] 

The true story of Desmond Doss in WW2, portrayed in the recent movie, was a story of great courage and faith in God in the face of great personal risk. Doss just kept going back to save wounded soldiers over and over again at Hacksaw Ridge. And his story reminded the ODB author of two others in the Bible, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who, at great risk, courageously took Jesus’ body and buried their newly found Lord/Savior in that grave from which Jesus rose again three days later.

Sometimes, the trials of this world challenge us to take a stand of faith and courage in the face of personal risk because we simply seek to follow Christ and honor Him with our choices. As the ODB author quotes Nelson Mandela, … ”Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.”

So, … what will we be called to say or do today which shows that we believe the Scriptures above and seek our peace in life only by following our Lord … no matter where He may lead us or what He may call us to do?

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for ALWAYS being there for us when we need Your strength or courage.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to take a stand today for our Savior. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 25, 2019 … Finding Our Hiding Place

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 268 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Selah singing You Are My Hiding Place ... poignantly singing of how our Lord is our only really safe hiding place.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 1:14-15 [NKJV] ... 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel [d]of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 
… Jesus begins His ministry on earth to proclaim God safe place in His kingdom. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 1:9-15 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus came to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and show all who would believe on Him to the ultimate place of freedom and redemption.
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Reference Passage : … Psalms 63:1-4 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… A Psalm of David for deliverance which I pray EVERY MORNING, seeking my safe place in Christ EVERY DAY!

Reference Passage : … Psalm 139:23-24 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Another of my prayers EACH MORNING that God will lead my in His pathway to deliverance from myself.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3  [NKJV] ... 3  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 
… The only real place of peace and safety is in pursuit of Christ.

Reference Passage : … Luke 4:17-21 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus openly declares that Isaiah’s prophesy of deliverance by the Messiah was fulfilled in Him.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, uses a personal story of how we often feel when we’re called by God into the future (see photo). … The ODB author wrote: … That experience reminded me of a man I met on a plane, who began apologizing to me as we taxied down the runway. “I’m going to get drunk on this flight,” he said. “It sounds like you don’t want to,” I replied. “I don’t,” he said, “but I always run back to the drink.” [see photo] He got drunk, and the saddest part was watching his wife embrace him when he got off the plane, smell his breath, then push him away. Drink was his place of safety, but it was no safe place at all. 

Many of us have had our “go to” place of false security, like the man on the plane in the ODB story. Once for me, … years ago, … it was finding false safety in viewing P0RN; but I now know I was simply trying to secure a place in my heart that only God could (and can) fill.

Jesus came, as our King and Messiah, to deliver us from our false hiding places into God’s only safe place (see Luke 4:17-21, … i.e., … deliverance into His place of eternal redemption. But we have to choose to go there, don’t we?

And that’s why - EVERY MORNING - in a quiet time with God (as now), I pray, as King David prayed, for my God to quench my thirst for Him (Psalm 63:1-4) and to lead me to His place of peace and safety (see Psalm 139:23-24 and Isaiah 26:3)

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing us the only place of safety - in our relationship with You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to go to God’s safe place … His ONLY safe place, … our relationship with King Jesus. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 24, 2019 … What God Sees In Me

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 267 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing His Strength Is Perfect ... poignantly singing of how God can - and will - give us His strength when ours seems to be gone and to enable us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Genesis 6:9 [NKJV] ... 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, [a]perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 
... All God needed to see about Noah was that he was a man who was willing to walk with the Lord and serve Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Genesis 6:8-19 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Noah was qualified to build an Ark, but God saw that Noah was qualified to serve Him.
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Reference Passage : … Exodus 3:10-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Moses didn’t feel up to his calling as deliverer; but he had to learn that God always is able to give us what we need if He calls us to serve Him.

Reference Passage : … Judges 6:11-16 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Gideon certainly didn’t see himself as God’s warrior; … but God did!

Reference Passage : … Job 1:1 [NKJV] ... 1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 
… No man could endure what Job endured under Satan’s attack; but God saw a man who could, a man who was blameless and walked with God.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… When we don’t see what God sees in us to move forward, we must trust His calling to be His enablement.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, uses a personal story of how we often feel when we’re called by God into the future (see photo). … The ODB author wrote: A technology-consulting firm hired me after college although I couldn’t write a line of computer code and had very little business knowledge. During the interview process for my entry-level position, I learned that the company did not place high value on work experience. Instead, personal qualities such as the ability to solve problems creatively, exercise good judgment, and work well with a team were more important. The company assumed new workers could be taught the necessary skills as long as they were the kind of people the company was looking for. 

The ODB author, in her testimony, expresses a feeling that some real giants of the faith had when they were first called by God to serve Him (see photo)…
… There was Noah, a farmer, who was called to build an Ark and save mankind (see highlight passage).
… There was Moses, when he was called to be God’s agent of delivery in Exodus 3.
… There was Gideon, who saw himself as a coward and the least in God’s eyes but was chosen to be God’s warrior (see Judges 6).
 … And there was Job, in whom God saw the strength to undertake Satan’s attacks (see Job 1).

Years ago, I had a mentor who often said to me, “Bill, … If God calls you to a task, He will enable you to do it with His grace.” And that’s what I see in those men of God in the passages above.

So, what do we see God calling us to do … where we may feel what is said in the attached photo? … “Yes, BUT!” 

If God calls us forward, we need to move forward and live out the Nike logo - “Just do it!!” … Because … if God has called us forward, we must trust Him (you know …Prov. 3:5-6) and know that His calling is His enablement.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us Your grace to empower us to move forward in Your will.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to “JUST DO IT” if God’s will calls us forward. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 23, 2019 … My Shield of Faith

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 266 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the Prestonwood Baptist Church Choir singing Thou O Lord ... powerfully singing of how God can - and will - lift us up when we’re down and protect us with our shield of faith in Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 3:3 [NKJV] ... 3  But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. 
... David’s shield of faith in a time of peril.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 3 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… David, when being pursued by his son, Absalom, still had faith that his God would protect him.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... No matter what we encounter, we must trust in our God.

Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NKJV] ... 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
... Jesus, to His disciples (and to you and me), shows why we can - and should - have faith in Him when we’re attacked by the world … because He has overcome the world.

Reference Passage : … 1Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] ... 3 No temptation [or also translated “test, trial, trouble, or tribulation”] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 
... God, thru Paul, assures us that our faithful God will be there to protect us and lead us no matter what we face.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 6:16 [NKJV] ... 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 
 ... Our faith in God is our shield against the threats and attacks of our spiritual enemies.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Arthur Jackson, uses a story of a friend who had to hold onto her faith in a series of trials. … The ODB author wrote: Our church experienced an agonizing loss when Paul, our gifted worship minister, died at the age of thirty-one in a boating accident. Paul and his wife, DuRhonda, were no strangers to pain; they had buried several children who hadn’t made it to term. Now there would be another grave near the small graves of these little ones. The life-crushing crisis this family experienced hit those who loved them like a knockout blow to the head. 

Perhaps, like David when he penned and sang the highlight passage in Psalm 3, some readers here are in the midst of spiritual warfare, being attacked by severe challenges of life, as was the mother in the ODB story above. Perhaps it’s just outright spiritual warfare where the attacks of our enemies are being felt. Well, in such times, we need to take up our shield of faith, as did King David when he was being pursued under threat of death by his son, Absalom.

And in the midst of such threats or loss of security, David held up his shield of faith, penning Psalm 3, especially verse 3, holding up his faith as also did the Apostle Paul from prison and threat of death when he wrote about the full armor of God and taking up the shield of faith (see Eph. 6:16).

And maybe there are readers with me today who need to set aside our personal fears (see Prov. 3:5-6) and trust that God will protect us and lead us into victory. We need to have faith that our God has overcome our enemies [see John 16:33], who would come after us to bring us down. Yes, our God is our shield of faith in times of trouble (see photo and 1Cor 10:13).

But do we believe it; … and then, will we use it today?!

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for providing us with Your shield of faith.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to hold up Your shield of faith to quell the attacks from our enemies. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 22, 2019 … We Keep On Keeping On !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 265 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman singing His Strength Is Perfect ... poignantly singing of how God can - and will - carry us with His strength when we are weak in carrying out various tasks in life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Philippians 4:13 [NKJV] ... 13 I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.. 
... We Christians get our strength to endure from our relationship with Christ and from His sustaining grace.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Philippians 4:10-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to grow to learn how to be content in all situations of life. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
 .. God, thru Solomon, shows believers how to trust and follow our Lord’s lead.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 26:3 [NKJV] ... 3  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 
... God teaches, thru Isaiah, that we will only find and hold onto real peace by focusing on and following the Lord obediently.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] ... 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. …” 
... Jesus, quoted by Luke, shows us, as His disciples, that we must deny ourselves in the challenges of life to follow Him.

Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NKJV] ... 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 
 ... Jesus shows His disciples that we an only come to overcome the world’s challenges in our relationship with Him since HE has overcome the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, uses a story of a young man trying, in weakness, to overcome a difficult challenge to illustrate how we, as Christians, must often rely on God’s strength to cover our weakness. … The ODB author wrote: “You’re going to be an exchange student!” I was seventeen and thrilled to hear I was approved to study in Germany. But it was only three months before my departure, and I had never taken a class in German. … 
 Months later I was in a classroom in Germany, discouraged because I didn’t know more of the language. That day a teacher gave me wise advice. “Learning a language is like climbing a sand dune. [See photo] Sometimes you feel like you’re not getting anywhere. But just keep going and you will.” 

Every been there, my fellow Christian? … Oh. … maybe not the same situation as the young man in the ODB story; but perhaps feeling like the weakened climber in the attached photo, … trudging up a sand dune of challenge, and trying to overcome our weaknesses to catch up with others up ahead. I don’t know about other readers here; but I’ve certainly “been there, done that.”

But with the help of a mentor and other stronger, more mature, Christians, I’ve learned God’s willingness - and grace - to give me the strength - HIS strength - to become an overcomer in the challenges of life, … primarily focusing on and following HIM (see reference scriptures); and, as the linked song tells us, letting Him give us the strength provided by His enabling grace to climb whatever sand dune we’re asked to climb in life.

And I pray today that we’re doing just that, … especially if we’re facing a really steep sand dune up ahead of us.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for providing us with Your empowering grace when we need it.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to rely on God’s enabling grace to climb that sand dune up ahead today or tomorrow. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 21, 2019 … Name Above All Names

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 264 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing Jesus, Messiah ... poignantly singing of how we all should recognize and declare the Name of Jesus as “Lord of all!!”

"The Messiah" - Violin by Antonio Stradivari 

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Highlight Verse[s]: Exodus 6:6 [NKJV] ... 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 
... God tells Moses to tell the people that He, The Lord (i.e., “Yahweh”), is the great “I AM,” The Messiah of God’s people.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Exodus 6:1-8 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus assures His followers of their importance to God in the vastness of the universe. 
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Reference Passage : ... Philippians 2:9-11 [NKJV] ... 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 
... God has designated that Jesus is “Yahweh” (i.e., LORD), which is the Name above all names.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Mart DeHaan, uses a reference to a unique Stradivarius violin, which has been named “The Messiah” to illustrate the Name which is above all names - that of “The Lord,” Who was/is our Messiah, ... King Jesus. … The ODB author wrote: The name of Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) is legendary in the world of music. His violins, cellos, and violas are so treasured for their craftsmanship and clarity of sound that many have been given their own names. One of them, for instance, is known as the Messiah-Salabue Stradivarius. [See photo] After violinist Joseph Joachim (1831–1907) played it, he wrote, “The sound of the Strad, that unique ‘Messie,’ turns up again and again in my memory, with its combined sweetness and grandeur.” 

Interesting that of all the masterpiece instruments which were crafted by the greatest of all violin craftsmen, the most valuable of them would be named “The Messiah.” It was - and still is - considered the greatest and most valuable violin ever created. And like our Lord’s name, which the Apostle Paul declared was to be “Yahweh (i.e., LORD)” (see Phil 2), Whose Name given to Him on earth, i.e., “Jesus,” was to be the NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, … to Whom we would one day bow, along with all on earth and in Heaven, and declare that He is “LORD,” and our “Messiah,” … King Jesus.

And I pray today that we can all sing, along with Chris Tomlin, … that Jesus is “Messiah, … Lord of all !!” And we all recognize our King Jesus as … “The Name above all names.”

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing us thru Your word that you are LORD of all, … and Your Name is above all other names.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading bow before You as King Jesus, our Messiah, … LORD OF ALL!! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 20, 2019 … Abiding In The Vine

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 263 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Sara Groves singing Abide With Me ... poignantly singing of how we can abide in Christ in times of trials praying and tapping into the essence of His live-giving fruitfulness.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 15:4 [NKJV] ... 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. .
.. Jesus promises our fruitfulness as Christians when we abide in Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 15:1-8 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus assures His followers of their importance to God in the vastness of the universe. 
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 80:8-9 [NKJV] ... You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. 9  You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. 
 ... God planted Israel to be fruitful in the promised land.

Reference Passage : …Luke 9:23 [NKJV] ... 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “ 
... We will only be fruitful as disciples of Christ when we follow Him and abide in Him.

Reference Passage : ... John 14:21 [NKJV] ... 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 
... Jesus can only manifest Himself in fruitfulness when we abide in Him, being obedient to His word.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses a botanical word picture to illustrate the fruitfulness we can find in Christ when we’re grafted into Him thru salvation and partake of (i.e., abiding in and blossoming thru) His life-giving fruitfulness. … The ODB author wrote: One spring after a particularly dreary winter during which she helped a family member through a long illness, Emma found encouragement each time she walked past a cherry tree near her home in Cambridge, England. Bursting out at the top of the white blossoms grew blossoms of pink. [see photo]  A clever gardener had grafted into the tree a branch of pink flowers. When Emma passed the unusual tree, she thought of Jesus’s words about being the Vine and His followers the branches (John 15:1–8). 

And when Jesus used this picture of the vine of life for His Jewish followers, they would have recognized that He was referring to the image from the Old Testament of Israel being from God’s tree of life and to becoming fruitful by following the power to come from their Messiah (see Ps. 80:8-9). 

But as with picture in the photo, Jesus was promising that anyone - yes, even the Gentiles - could blossom from His essence when grafted into Him as the One who would provide the life-giving power of God’s grace thru salvation. That’s the message of the highlight passage; and when we obey and follow Christ (see Luke 9:23 and John 14:21), abiding in Him thru obedience to His word, we can grow and blossom like the cherry tree in the photo.

I pray today that all reading with me are doing all we can to abide in “the Vine” of life and are being fruitful in/for Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for grafting us into Your vine of life thru faith in Your finished work on the cross and by abiding in Your word.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here are grafted into Your vine of life and doing all we can to abide in You so as to be fruitful in this life. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 19, 2019 … It’s A Really Big Deal !!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 262 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Brian Doerksen singing Creation Calls ... poignantly singing of how creation calls us to realize just how vast God’s creation is and how much God loves us in the scope of what our Lord and Creator has created for us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 6:26 [NKJV] ... 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 
... Jesus assures us of our importance to our Heavenly Father.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 6:25-32 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus assures His followers of their importance to God in the vastness of the universe. 
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 8:3-4 [NKJV] ... 3  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 what is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 
 ... God, thru the Psalmist, shows us the vastness of His creation and our importance to Him thru it.

Reference Passage : ... Psalm 19:1 [NKJV] ... 1  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. 
... David sings of God’s glory as we simply look up into the heavens.

Reference Passage : ... John 1:1-3 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Think of it, … when we see the universe, we see all that God has created … for we are the crowning glory of HIs creation.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, reflects on how he feels so insignificant when he looks up into the vastness of the universe (see photo). … The ODB author wrote: What makes me feel small is creation’s vastness—when I gaze at an ocean, fly over the polar ice cap, or survey a night sky sparkling with a billion stars. If the created universe is so expansive, how much greater must be the Creator who spoke it into being! 

But then the ODB author also reflects on reading and believing in the truth of what Jesus spoke to those who were following Him in the highlight passage from the Sermon on the Mount [see Matt. 6], … where He assured them (and us) of mankind’s importance to God.

And yes, we also read, in the psalms of David, just how vast the universe, which God created, appears when we look into the heavens [see the psalms copied above). And to think that all of that was created for God’s glory [YES!]; but it was also created for the crowning glory of God’s creation, which is mankind [that’s you and me!].

And then we look to the cross and see just what God was willing to do for us; … that, … in his love for mankind, He would send His Son, the glory of all glories, to die for us … to save us from our own sin [see John 3:16, which I’m sure you know by heart].

Oh, can you witness a profound and loud, ”HALLELUJAH” along with me as you read this; … for the God Who created all that we see in the heavens and under our feet, did so JUST FOR US. … Oh yes, for sure in bold red letters … ”HALLELUJAH !!!” 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for creating all that I experience just for me and for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to thank and praise our God for all He has created for us; … and most especially for sending His Son, our Lord, to die and save us from ourselves. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 18, 2019 … Stand or Run

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 261 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Mia Fieldes singing her song Fearless ... poignantly singing of how we Christians can deal with the fearful challenges of life, … by standing in the knowledge that our Lord gives us His strength in our times of fear/weakness.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1Peter 5:9 [NKJV] ... 9 Resist him [Satan], steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 
... Paul declares God’s truth that we can stand for Christ no matter what the enemy may bring against us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1Peter 5:8-10 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Peter declares how we Christians can - and should - be vigilant and know how do deal with the wiles and strategies of Satan.
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Reference Passage : ... 1Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] ... 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 
... Paul reminds us that God is ALWAYS faithful to help us deal with life’s temptations and trials.

Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 6:10-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Many times our battles are way beyond us; but we can put on God’s armor and stand in the gap for His glory.

Reference Passage : ... 2Timothy 2:22 [NKJV] ... Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 
... Sometimes the best battle strategy is to just turn and run … away from Satan and toward the path where God is leading us.

Reference Passage : ... 1John 4:4 [NKJV] ... 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 
... We need to learn to realize and act from the faith that the power in us is ALWAYS greater than the powers which come against us from the world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a personal remembrance to illustrate how difficult it is to stand strong against our spiritual enemies.  … The ODB author wrote: Ali was a beautiful, smart, and talented teenager with loving parents. But after high school something prompted her to try heroin. Her parents noticed changes in her and sent her to a rehabilitation facility after Ali eventually admitted the impact it was having on her. After treatment, they asked what she would tell her friends about trying drugs. Her advice: “Just turn and run.” She urged that “just saying no” wasn’t enough. 
Tragically, Ali relapsed and died at age twenty-two of an overdose. In an attempt to keep others from the same fate, her heartbroken parents appeared on a local news program encouraging listeners to “run for Ali” by staying far from situations where they could be exposed to drugs and other dangers. 

Many reading here know that God has called yours truly to lead a ministry [USE THIS LINK] that shows men who have past struggles with habitual sexual sin to learn how to walk free and stand strong against Satan in this “hypersexual" and “pornified” world. And those who’re serious to walk free learn the truth of the Scriptures above … that we need to be vigilant to identify the ploys of Satan in this world [see highlight passages], who is like a roaring lion [see photo] seeking to devour those of us who can’t learn to stand strong (see Eph. 6:10-18) or those who simply don’t know when to turn and run toward Christ (see 2Tim. 2:22).

The men who learn to be warriors are those who learn to believe and act on the faith that we, who are in Christ, have His power to do battle (see 1John 4:4) and that God is always faithful to show us how to deal with the temptations and trials of life [1Cor. 10:13], … IF … we’re simply willing to follow Him in battle each day.

I pray we do so today, … FEARLESSLY … as Mia Fieldes sings in the linked song. 

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for showing us the way to do battle against our enemies.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will follow You as You gives us Your strength and leads us in battle today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 17, 2019 … Covered in Christ

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 260 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing his song No Longer A Slave To Fear ... poignantly singing of how we Christians can declare - thru baptism - that we have died to self and now live, being covered by Christ’s robes of righteousness.

Yours truly being baptized in the Jordan River

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Highlight Verse[s]: Galatians 3:27 [NKJV] ... 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 
... Paul declares God’s truth that our baptism in Christ allows us to put on His robes of righteousness … FOREVER!!
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Highlight Passage [context]: Galatians 3:26-29 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Paul declares how, in Christ, we are now are now free from being slaves of fear and sin and can now, as heirs to the King, can wear His robes of righteousness.
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Reference Passage : ... 2Corinthians 5:17 [NKJV] ... 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 
... Being covered by the blood of the Lamb, I have been baptized by His Spirit into a new life in Christ.

Reference Passage : ... Galatians 2:20 [NKJV] ... 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 
... Because Christ now lives in me - or any born-again Christian - se can declare our newness in Christ … FOREVER.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 3:12-17 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... Being baptized into the newness of Christ, I can now choose to put on His robes of righteousness and put off my old clothes of sin.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Peter Chin, uses a personal remembrance of his own baptism to illustrate his witness of the new life he now has in Christ. … The ODB author wrote: One of my earliest childhood memories of church was a pastor walking down the aisle, challenging us to “remember the waters of our baptism.” Remember the waters? I asked myself. How can you remember water? He then proceeded to splash everyone with water, which as a young child both delighted and confused me. 
Why should we think about baptism? When a person is baptized, there’s so much more to it than water. Baptism [see photo] symbolizes how through faith in Jesus, we’ve become “clothed” with Him (Galatians 3:27). Or in other words, it’s celebrating that we belong to Him and that He lives in and through us. 

Dear fellow Christian, … do you remember your baptismal witness of faith in Christ? I certainly do. And tho the one pictured above was my second baptism, it was the one I’ll never forget, … being baptized in the Jordan river. And it was saying to all in attendance what Zach Williams sings in the linked song … that “I’m no longer a slave to fear” and sin … because I am now a “child of God,” with all that entails … to be able to wear Christ’s robes of righteousness forever, … having my sins covered by the blood of the Lamb of God.

And I pray this morning that all reading here KNOW, beyond any doubt, that your baptism witness of faith has declared to the world that, being raised from the waters of baptism, you have died to self and; and as it declares in God’s truth, … that you no longer live for yourself in fear … but having been raised from the baptismal waters, you now live in/for Christ.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for allowing us to be raised from self into newness by our Savior’s blood.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here have declared thru baptism our newness in Christ. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 16, 2019 … Beware of Trolls

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 259 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jason Gray singing his song Glow In the Dark ... poignantly singing of how we Christians need to come out of the darkness in these dangerous days and glow with Christ’s light of truth.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Proverbs 26:4 [NKJV] ... 44 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. 
... In our bond of unity in Christ we are called to come TOGETHER in unity - the Body of Christ. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Proverbs 26:4-12 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Solomon, gives us solid advice on how to avoid those fools who would try to derail our lives with their lies and selfish ploys.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 119:105 [NKJV] … 105  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 
... We walk in God’s wisdom when we use the light we get from His word.

Reference Passage : ... John 17:23 [NKJV] ... 12 Then Jesus spoke to them [i.e., those following Jesus] again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 
... When we follow the will and ways of our Lord, we will walk in His light.

Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 5:8-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... God, thru Paul, exhorting fellow Christians (like us) to walk in the light provided by following Christ and avoiding the pitfalls and darkness of this world.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 4:5-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... God, thru Paul, calling the body of Christ to walk in the wisdom found from God’s truth.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica Brands, uses an old saying to warn us in today’s dangerous digital age to beware of “trolls” which desire to derail our lives on the internet. … The ODB author wrote: Ever heard the expression, “Don’t feed the trolls”? “Trolls” refers to a new problem in today’s digital world - [see photo] - online users who repeatedly post intentionally inflammatory and hurtful comments on news or social media discussion boards. But ignoring such comments—not “feeding” the trolls—makes it harder for them to derail a conversation. 
Of course, it’s nothing new to encounter people who aren’t genuinely interested in productive conversation. “Don’t feed the trolls” could almost be a modern equivalent of Proverbs 26:4.

Good advice - yes, for sure, Godly advice! - for those, especially today’s youth - who become prey for dangerous internet “trolls,” who seek to devour those who are emotionally vulnerable. And thru Jesus himself [see John 17:23] and the biblically wise, like the Psalmist, Solomon, or the Apostle Paul, in the scriptures above, who, inspired by God’s Spirit, have given us God’s own truth to warn us to seek the wisdom and light which comes from God’s word. In that way we will not be “feeding the trolls’ of evil on the internet [again, see photo] in this digitalized, “pornified,” world.

And as Jason Gray sings in the linked song, we are to become God’s light of truth to shine brightly in this ever-darkening world. So, dear ones, let’s go out and shine His light today as we follow His light of truth into this world.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us the light of Your truth to follow in the darkness of this world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will seek to use the light of God’s word today to lead us out of the darkness of this digital world into Your light of wisdom and truth. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 15, 2019 … Together In Christ

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 258 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the The Sidewalk Prophets singing Come To The Table ... poignantly singing of how Christians must come TOGETHER to Christ’s table as the body of Christ.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 4:4 [NKJV] ... 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; … 
... In our bond of unity in Christ we are called to come TOGETHER in unity - the Body of Christ. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 4:1-6 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru Paul, calls all Christians to come together in the Spirit of their calling as disciples of Christ.
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Reference Passage : ... Psalm 133:1 [NKJV] … 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 
... God, thru David’s song, calls His beloved to come together in their pursuit of The Messiah.

Reference Passage : ... John 17:23 [NKJV] ... 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 
... Jesus. calling all of His disciples to come together in following Him.

Reference Passage : ... Colossians 3:13-14 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... God, thru Paul, calling the body of Christ to come together in unity.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Estera Escobar, uses a historical example of a group of 18th century Christians finding that they only way they could live together in community was to come together in their Christian faith. … The ODB author wrote: In 1722 a small group of Moravian Christians, who lived in what is now the Czech Republic, found refuge from persecution on the estate of a generous German count. Within four years, more than 300 people came. But instead of an ideal community for persecuted refugees, the settlement became filled with discord. Different perspectives on Christianity brought division. What they did next may seem like a small choice, but it launched an incredible revival: They began to focus on what they agreed on rather than on what they disagreed on. The result was unity. 

Who wins when Christians bicker and divide in disunity? … Satan, of course? … But when we, as declared disciples of Christ, come together at the cross (see photo) or at at the Lord’s table of grace (see linked song), … Who wins? … DUH!!!

So, my fellow Christians, let’s all pray that we - as Christians - can do what David sung about in Psalm 133:1, … or what Jesus called for in John 17:23, … or what the former persecutor of Christians, the Apostle Paul, called Christians to do in Eph. 4 and Col. 3 … i.e., … to come TOGETHER in our calling as followers of the The Messiah, … King Jesus.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for calling us, thru Your word, to come together in unity at Your table where love, and mercy, and grace are served in abundance. 
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me  in the body of Christ to come TOGETHER as pictured in the attached photo. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

September 14, 2019 … Standing For Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 257 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the Maranatha Promise Band singing a modern version of the old hymn Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus ... powerfully singing of our call to stand up for Jesus in today’s hostile world.

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 12:42-43 [NKJV] ... 42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 
... The cost to stand for Jesus in His day was just too much for a number of the Pharisees, perhaps like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who later helped bury Jesus after His death. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 12:37-43 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... Some of the Pharisees had come to believe in Jesus as The Christ, but wouldn’t stand up for him for fear of rejection, or even death, by their fellow Jewish leaders.
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Reference Passage : ... Luke 9:23 [NKJV] … 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. …” 
... What Jesus demands of anyone who would be His DISCIPLE.

Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 6:10-13 [NKJV] ... USE THIS LINK …
... The Apostle helps fellow Christians realize that we have what it takes to stand up for Jesus, even under great persecution.

Reference Passage : ... 1Peter 3:15 [NKJV] ... 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ... 
...  God, thru Peter, exhorts Christians to be ready … ALWAYS … to have an answer to those who challenge our faith …

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, uses reference to a recent movie about the Apostle Paul to illustrate how Jesus calls all disciples, like His Apostles, to stand up for our faith in the marketplace of ideas and interaction. … The ODB author wrote: The film Paul, Apostle of Christ [see photo] takes an unflinching look at persecution in the early days of the church. Even the movie’s minor characters reveal how dangerous it was to follow Jesus. Consider these roles listed in the credits: “Beaten Woman; Beaten Man; Christian Victims 1, 2, and 3.” 
Identifying with Christ often came at a high cost. And in much of the world, it’s still dangerous to follow Jesus. Many in the church today can relate to that kind of persecution. Some of us, however, may feel “persecuted” prematurely—outraged any time our faith is mocked or we suspect we were passed over for a promotion because of our beliefs. 

If readers saw the movie referenced in the ODB entry today [again, see photo], you know it depicts how the Apostle Paul was “called” to suffer greatly while standing for His faith in Jesus and carrying the Gospel message, … yes, even to the Gentiles, who were a hated people by their fellow Jews. It eventually cost Paul’s life; but prior to his martyrdom, he was beaten and imprisoned (several times) for years at a stretch.

Oh, for sure, the oppression and aggression against Christians is growing in this world today, … yes, even in this so-called “free country.” However, our challenge as Christians in America is no where near what it is for many believers around the world, … where brothers/sisters in Christ are being martyred daily. But, nonetheless, all Christians, are called out by Jesus Himself and by the scriptures above, to stand for our faith … NO MATTER WHAT we encounter!

And the oppression is going to get worse, my fellow believers. And I think we all know that, don’t we? So, I’m praying that we all will be able to stand for our faith … as did the Apostles, who almost all died for theirs.

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for giving us Your grace to be able to have Your strength to stand up for You in this world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to follow You even as You have called us … to stand up for You and and, yes, even to suffer, or die, if necessary, for Your glory. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>