Category: Devotions

Contextual Christianity

“Do your best to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker who isn’t ashamed to teach the word of truth correctly.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (GWT)
“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” (NLT)
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (AMP)

I know that I have been guilty of sometimes quoting a scripture out of context and making it apply to whatever I was saying. But NOOOO!! We cannot do that! We miss out on the true understanding and overall message of a particular passage by henpecking through the scriptures. True indeed, that is how a lot of so-called “moral wrongs” have been excused through the ages—that’s right, by misquoting the bible. Reading in context means gaining understanding and comprehension in terms of when it was written, why it was written, who that particular passage may have been written for(the audience), and what is actually being said.

I was watching Bible Study online—well, actually a Financial Empowerment seminar—and I had actually realized about a week ago how I have been missing out on the truths in God’s word by not reading in context and by not truly understanding what has been said. I ask God for healing, health, deliverance and prosperity, but truthfully, I am not doing everything He asks. I mean really, how can you expect to be healed if you do not heed the full warning? How can you ask for prosperity if you do not know that it is necessary to be fully obedient? How can you want to be delivered if you have not studied to know what is needed to gain that deliverance? Many people have begun to easily doubt and question God and some of His messengers because they simply have not followed directions. The main things God tells us is to love and trust Him wholeheartedly, love others unconditionally, and believe even when the whole world has accepted defeat. God takes care of His people; but how can He do that if you haven’t at least taken the medicines He had provided you with? Reading and spending time in God’s presence guarantees that you have the relationship necessary to call Him correctly on His word! The key here is that mostly everything in the Bible has already happened.

Challenge yourself to go deeper in the Lord by simply reading the whole story so you can get the whole truth and nothing but the truth! Trust that God will give you the understanding He wants you to have!

“Acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding. Do not forget. Do not turn away from the words that I have spoken. Do not abandon wisdom, and it will watch over you. Love wisdom, and it will protect you. The beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom. Acquire understanding with all that you have.” Proverbs 4:5-7

Hey everybody!!! Disclaimer: I completely forgot to post this devotion and the next one…but a fresh one will be written for today as well… Love ya!

Recognizing the Spirit of Loneliness

“God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” Psalm 68:6

Hey everybody. I hope that this day is wonderful for you. Last night and the last few days actually, I have been thinking about loneliness. There are several definitions for loneliness; there are two in particular: 1) sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned and 2) the state of being alone in solitary isolation. I know that feeling all too well. To be quite honest, its more than a feeling, as the definition says it’s a state of mind, a spirit. I was lonely growing up, not because of not having a sister or friends. Actually, I have always been able to make friends without a problem. Loneliness is different from being alone or by yourself. For me it was the result of some event or tragedy in my life: 1) as a child following moving to different places and a new school, 2) primarily after experiencing and witnessing some difficult things as a child and teenager, 3) after I got sick in college, 4) when I moved back here and in dealing with all the things that have happened since. But last year I started identifying changes I wanted to make in myself, mainly how I looked at things and my attitude towards life. Loneliness is not having someone you feel you can talk to, and it is also not allowing yourself to reach out to others. You isolate yourself in nearly every way imaginable, of course hurting yourself all the more.

I chose the scripture above for several reasons. 1) There is a way out of loneliness—turning to God. If you give those feelings and that spirit over to God for Him to eliminate, He will do it. 2) He will, as the scripture says, put you in a family—be it your own family, the church, or other people that can help you recognize your wealth. You allow yourself to stay in “prison” to being lonely by not dealing with it and complaining about it. When I got sick, which I have to say, was the lowest point in my life, I could not deal with other people. Quite frankly, I hated to even get up and look in the mirror at myself. I had to couple that with going to class everyday as if things were normal. Everyday someone would say something in regards to how my face was looking (prednisone is the devil I tell you!) or me gaining weight and I would go break down. One day one of the side effects of the medicine had crushed my spirit so badly that I cried for the rest of the day. No one can understand that feeling if you have never been lonely; it seems that even God has left you. 3) But it’s only a lie to believe that God has left you alone to deal with the evils of life. Once I got back to a safe place emotionally, I was able to recognize that it was only the devil, aiming to break me and discourage me, to distort the fact that God was there witnessing what I was going through and carrying me through it. In Deuteronomy 31:6&8 Moses tells the Israelites then Joshua that God will never leave or forsake them. That does not only apply to them because it also applies to all of us through Christ’s provision. God will give you what you need to get through every situation. After praying that God help me get past it, I was able to relish in the joy of spending time with the people around me that cared about me. Once you give things to God who is much greater than yourself—and yes that is hard, I have to remember this everyday—you can allow Him to fix it and you. Truth be told, loneliness is only a warping and distortion of the truth—the truth that God is always there.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8