If you know me personally then you know that I am huge kid, as well as also being a kid at heart.
A lot of times, I remember and apply biblical principles, when I watch my favorite movies. One such is the Disney Pixar movie “Up.” My favorite line is said by the adventurous Ellie.
“Adventure IS Out there!”
What a powerful and faith-fill statement. Every day I feel the same way as Ellie. This Christian walk is the journey of a lifetime. It involves faith, adventure, drama, love, fear, belief, and so many other things.
A life of allowing the Lord to lead, is a life that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
Matthew 4:19
New International Version (NIV)
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
I’m going to jump right in today. Please read Luke 4:1-13.
In Luke 4:1-13 when Jesus was being tempted, in the desert, by Satan. He responded to Satan’s temptations with knowledge on how to fight back.
Temptation comes in three forms:
Temptation through Greed
Temptation through Lust
Temptation through Pride
The first thing Luke mentions is that Jesus was full of the Spirit. He spent time and fellowship with God. He was girded with the Spirit AND The Word.
Next, Luke noted that the Spirit LED Jesus into the wilderness and for 40 days he was tempted. During Jesus’s time in the wilderness he ate nothing.
Here is how Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations.
Temptation through Greed: Verses 3-4
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
WHAT DID JESUS SAY?
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.
Temptation through Lust: Verses 5-8
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
WHAT DID JESUS SAY?
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
Temptation through Pride: Verses 9-12
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
WHAT DID JESUS SAY?
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Jesus teaches us how to combat the enemy. Dont do it in your on strength. We must stand on the Word of God and continually fellowship and worship God. In some cases, as you are lead by the Holy Spirit, fasting may be necessary. Allow God to lead you in how to fast, how long to fast, and what to fast from.
Always be vigilant in your warfare, because the enemy will not stop. In fact verse 13 says this:
“13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Spiritual warfare is not a one time attack and then it’s over forever. The enemy’s main desire is to destroy us or to distract us from our purpose, by any means necessary. The enemy does not play fair. Prepare yourself. Get Ready.
When you hear the words, “Just have a little faith,” what do those words mean to you? For me, it means trusting God. It means going past what my eyes, or circumstances, tells me and listening to the still small voice inside of me.
Stepping out on faith, for me, means that my faith, in God, is bigger than my fear. Do I get scared or nervous when I step out on faith? Of course I do. However, I know that God would never lead me to a place that he had not already prepared for me.
When I was younger, I used to love the music of a Contemporary Christian artist by the name of Rich Mullins. One particular song that would always give me strength was entitled Sometimes By Step (Step by Step). I would always feel so encouraged, after listening. Then I would pray to Jesus to help me make whatever journey was ahead of me. I knew that if I got up early in the morning, when everything was quiet, I would be able to hear my Lord’s voice.
Psalm 63:1-8
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Here in the states, we celebrated July 4th which is our Independence Day.
I woke up this morning thanking Jesus for allowing us to come to the Father, because of the loving sacrifice he became on the cross.
Because of our freedom, in Christ, we get to come to the Throne Room of God. Jesus gave us step by step instructions on how to pray.
Matthew 6:5-15
New International Version (NIV)
Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
First, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read the devotionals. It means so much that I get to share my love for Jesus with you all.
I keep my post easy to read, for all levels of believers. This devotional is sometimes the closest some of my readers will get to going to church and hearing the Word of God. I use a vast array of Bible translations, so that all readers may be able to understand the Word of God.
Unfortunately, I believe that a lot of people are leery of organized religion and church, for so many reasons, but the biggest reason of because of conversations that turn into theological debates and doctrines.
This is neither the heart or purpose of Sacred Journey Devotionals. Our purpose is to edify, encourage and help bring people to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
All denominations are welcome here, but I have to ask that we all respect each other and honor the purpose of Sacred Journey Devotionals.
I keep the post simple. As people grow in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will lead them into the knowledge and wisdom of Christianity. Right now, I’m just trying to help people have a closer relationship with Jesus.
As each person grows closer to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide their heart. Sacred Journey Devotionals is about helping people develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and also encouraging and edifying those that already have a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s not about not denominational differences and theological debates.
All are welcome here.
I leave you with this passage of scripture, which is at the heart of Sacred Journey Devotionals:
Philippians 4:8
New King James Version (NKJV)
Meditate on These Things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Go in peace, while serving and growing in the Lord.
The love of God is immeasurable. The peace of God is unexplainable. The grace of God is remarkable.
Family, there are some seasons of our lives that it seems that we need God more than ever. It may feel like you can’t take one more step, in your journey. You cry out to Jesus, in desperation. What now?? Where do you go from here?
Thomas A. Dorsey lost his wife and child on the same day. His wife died giving birth to his son. Later on, that same evening, his son died. Through his pain and grief, he along with a close friend, birthed the song Precious Lord, Take My Hand.
It’s amazing how God’s love, peace and grace can take the difficult moments in our lives and use them for our good and His glory.
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home When my way grows drear, precious Lord linger near When my light is almost gone Hear my cry, hear my call Hold my hand lest I fall Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home When the darkness appears and the night draws near And the day is past and gone At the river I stand Guide my feet, hold my hand Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home (lead me home)
Go in peace, Family, knowing that God is in control. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Trust Jesus and take his hand.
Have you ever just woke giving praises to God? Not because anything happened, that was of the ordinary, but simply because God is so good and in that moment, you were overwhelmed by His greatness.
Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 is one of my favorite bible passages. It doesn’t say, “on the day I get, I will rejoice and be glad.” The passage says, “Today is the day the Lord has made. Not tomorrow, not two days from now.
God knew what he was doing when he inspired the writing of this scripture. God teaches us not to depend on the day or circumstances to dictate how we worship Him. In fact, the way we worship God will dictate our day.
Be glad, Family. Continually chase after the Lord. Let your lifestyle be a lifestyle of worship. Psalm 34: says, “I will bless the Lord, at All Times. His praises shall continually be in my mouth.” Amen!
Go in peace, while praising, worshipping and serving the Lord.
I love to study the word of God. Sometimes I like to be able to know the root of a scripture, because the Lord calls me to go deeper. This morning’s devotional is a result of my studies. The passage below was taken from ONE FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel) on June 2, 2016:
“Adonai Tzva’ot, the “Lord of Hosts” is one of the names of God, used 235 times in the Bible. The first time it appears is in the story of Hannah and her husband Elkanah, in Hannah’s struggle with barrenness. Hannah is the first person to call God by this name.
She cries out to the one who is able to create from nothing, to whom every cell and atom are called to attention. She knows that her hope lies only with the one whose voice the whole host of heavens and earth must obey. She understands that the command of the Lord of Armies will and must be executed. And it was.”
Today’s Scripture Passage
Psalm 24
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
By David. A psalm:
(1) The earth is Adonai’s, with all that is in it, the world and those who live there; 2 for he set its foundations on the seas and established it on the rivers.
3 Who may go up to the mountain of Adonai? Who can stand in his holy place? 4 Those with clean hands and pure hearts, who don’t make vanities the purpose of their lives or swear oaths just to deceive. 5 They will receive a blessing from Adonai and justice from God, who saves them. 6 Such is the character of those who seek him, of Ya‘akov, who seeks your face.(Selah)
7 Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious king can enter! 8 Who is he, this glorious king? Adonai, strong and mighty, Adonai, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious king can enter! 10 Who is he, this glorious king? Adonai-Tzva’ot — he is the glorious king.(Selah)
Go in peace, while serving and praising the King of Glory, the Lord God strong and mighty!!! Amen
This morning, I woke up thinking about the amazing love of God.
We were originally created, by God, to fellowship and commune with God. Even though we fell short, so many times, God continued to want a relationship with us.
What kind of amazing love is this? God has a love for us that will never change and never fade. Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, is the unifier of us to God. Nothing will ever be able to separate us from Him.
I stand in awe and wonder of a Love that is so wide, so deep, and so vast. There is no place we, as believers, can be where Your love can’t reach us. Why do you love us so much?
I stand in Awe of you, Lord.
John 3:16
English Standard Version (ESV)
For God So Loved the World
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Go in peace, joy and thankfulness, while serving the Lord.
Sing with me, Family, if you remember this vacation bible school song (that we use to sing in rounds):
I’ve been redeemed (echo)
By the blood of the Lamb (echo)
I’ve been redeemed (echo)
By the blood of the Lamb (echo)
I’ve been redeemed
By the blood of the Lamb
Saved and sacntified I am
All my sins are washed away
I’ve been redeemed…
The song was sung, in fun, as a young child, so that we could be taught God’s Holy Word. As adults, knowing the meaning of Redemption holds a lot more weight.
We have been bought with an eternal price. We are forever the property of Heaven. The blood, that Jesus shed for us on Calvary, was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. The culmination of our freedom took place three days later when Jesus conquered death and the grave and rose with ALL POWER and Authority. The complete sacrifice was made and had been fulfilled.
Ephesians 1:3-7
New King James Version (NKJV)
Redemption in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Family, let us live our Redeemed life with joy and thankfulness. Tell and show others the Good News. Let your light shine among ALL people. Allow love to be your currency. We have enough religion. The world is seeking an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sacred Journey Devotionals - Where Christianity and Metaphysics Meet 