June 23, 2025 … Entangled and Encumbered …

June 23, 2025 … Entangled and Encumbered …  

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   Please take the time to hear music and lyrics with the group New Wine Worship singing… Song of Repentance,  calling for all Christians to repent and unburden themselves (ourselves) of our sin.

The vines ENTANGLE the garden .... 

Highlight Passage: … Hebrews 12:1 … [NLT] … 

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.              

…  God calls on Christians to strip away any/all sins in our lives which hinder us from serving and being fruitful for the Lord. 

           

Highlight Passage (in context): … Hebrews 12:1-3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

… God calls on born-again Christians  to focus on setting aside anything which encumbers us from serving and being fruitful for God’s Kingdom.   

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Reference Passage: … 2Chronicles 7:14  (NLT) …  USE THIS LINK …

… God calls on Solomon to call God’s people to let God help them (us) by forgiving our sins and restoring them (us) to become more fruitful for God’s kingdom.

Reference Passage: …Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) …  USE THIS LINK … 

… God”s wisdom from Solomon on confessing of our sins to receive God’s mercy.  

Reference Passage: … Matthew 4:17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… Jesus began to preach repentance to all who were following Him … 

Reference Passage: … Luke 13:3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …

…   Jesus again warns believers to repent of their (our) sin or perish.

Reference Passage: … Acts 2:38 NLT) …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Peter preaches at Pentecost of Christians repenting and receiving God’s Spirit to help them (us) be cleansed of our sinful ways.

Reference Passage:… 1John 1:9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… The Apostle John teaches truth about confessing of our sins and receiving the cleansing of God’s Spirit.    

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author - Jennifer Benson Schuldt  … AT THIS LINK    … used a story of how she had to untangle and remove watermelon vines (see photo) from her garden because they were strangling the growth of her tomatoes and peppers.  She felt that her efforts to make her vegetable garden more fruitful were like God sending His Spirit to help us untangle our lives by confessing and repenting of our sin and becoming more fruitful for God’s kingdom.      

Today, by taking in the ODB entry, the linked song, and the Scriptures I shared from God’s word (see above), I realized that I need to do more to untangle my life and cut away all the sins which block my fruitfulness God’s kingdom.  if my readers have taken in all of this, what is God saying to you today? Is there anything that God reveals to you which can be cut away - today - like the watermelon vines in the ODB entry?   If so, I’m praying that God’s Spirit is leading you as He is for me.  How about it?  Let’s get clean today!!  

My Thanksgiving: … Oh, King Jesus, thank You, … for helping me cut away the sins which entangle my life today, Lord. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I praise You, … again today, Lord. … as Your Spirit, Lord, shows me those things which entangle my life in serving You.     … Amen

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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.