Daily Devotional

Scripture Judges 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.

Observation: There is no where we can’t go if we allow the Spirit of the Lord to be our guide. God wants to accomplish things through us if we allow Him, He will put His spirit on us and guide us. God could make us do anything He wants us to do, but He wants us to do it out of love for Him. If we love Him as we should we would wait on His spirit to guide and direct our lives no matter where He wants to take us. He knows best and wants the best for us.

Application: I continue to do things on my own or don’t do anything at all. I’m still head strong and I try to figure things out on my own and miss God’s best for me. I’m only here for a short time and I don’t know how many opportunities I’ve already messed up on, because I didn’t wait for the spirit of the Lord to guide me. I need to be in constant prayer and be focused on what God desires of me. I want to build up treasures in heaven, bear fruit and run the good race of faith, but I can only do it with the Spirits’ guidance in my life.

Prayer: My Lord place the Holy Spirit in my heart and guide me each day to do what is pleasing to you. I don’t know how much time is left for me and I want to accomplish what you created me to do. Guide this servant and show me where you want me to go and give me success in all you call on me to do.

Scripture Judges 10:16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

Observation: Chapter after chapter the Israelites are saved by the Lord and every chapter they turn away from Him and go and serve other gods. A couple of verses before this God told Him that He wasn’t going to save them anymore, He had enough of there lies and sinful ways. So they did it again, put away their false gods and started serving the Lord and God’s love is so much deeper than ours, because He couldn’t watch their misery any longer and now He is going to save them again. If it was me I would have rejoiced in their suffering for the way they treated me, but not our God His love endures forever.

Application: I never want to get to the point in my life again where I turn my back on my Lord. This is the part in my life where I continually draw closer to Him, bearing fruit and doing good works in glory to His name. I can’t have any false gods with me, money, sex, career or anything else that would distract me from serving my God whole heartily.

Prayer: My Lord I thank you for the way you couldn’t stand me suffering and as many times that I turned away from you and searched for anything else to fill the emptiness I felt, you never turned away. Thank you for your mercy and your grace, but most of all thank you for your love which saved me. I love you Lord, drawer me near to you.

Scripture Judges 9:57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Observation: We look around today and see that evil people are prospering and we wonder where God. We seem to forget our reward is not in this world but with our Lord in the next. God repays evil with evil, but His concern is with His children when they come home. When people do us wrong it is an opportunity for us to build treasures in heaven by paying evil with good and forgiveness. We should never worry about others, especially those who do evil, because God has it under control and the only person we have control over is us.

Application: I need to be focused more on my eternal home and what I should be doing here to earn the rewards God has set aside for me. There are so many evil people, but God wants them to repent and be saved and He wants to use us to help make this happen. When I see someone who is lost I need to show love and mercy and let God do any judging of His children. I need to be the best I can be for God

Prayer: Dear Lord may I be more concerned about the person I’m becoming and less about anyone else. May I show a loving spirit to all You surround me with. Change my heart to be more like your Son’s and lead me in the way you everlasting.

Scripture Judges 8:34 Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

Observation: I look at the Israelites and can’t believe how soon they can forget all that God has done for them. At times I wish God would have just destroyed these people as He destroyed the pagan nations around them. God continues to be there for them when they cry out and then some time passes and they go back to worshipping other idols. As I get mad at them and then think of my own life I see how I fall into the same state of mind. At one moment I’m praising God for what He is doing in my life and that a short time passes and I’m filled with anxiety when another challenge comes to me forgetting how God delivered me before. I think of my belongings, my feeling, my position instead of focusing on my Lord that gives me all these things and more.

Application: Before I turn away from God whether in anxiety or my own personal desires I need each day to think of all He has done and who He is. He is my Master and my King and His desires come before me. He should be my focus each day and I need to live my life with Him at the center of it. My life belongs to Him and all that I have and am is only because He desires it. If I had my way I would have been dead about 25 years ago and burning in Hell where I belong, but He bought me with a price and owns me and there is nowhere else I rather be.

Prayer: My Lord thank you for not giving up on me and seeing something worthwhile in this lowly servant. Thank you for your mercy and grace and using something I thought was useless. May I never forget all you have done for me and all that you desire to be done with this life that you spared. I love you Lord, use me to bear fruit in your name.

Scripture Judges 7:10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,

Observation: In this passage God as told Gideon that He will deliver their enemy into their hands. You would think that would be enough that the Lord tells you something that we should believe and obey, but God understands how weak we are and wants us to be assure of His provision. He proved beforehand to Gideon that He would do what He said He would do by showing him first. He is God and always does what He claims to do, but still loves us so much wants us to know that He will accomplish all for His glory.

Application: I shouldn’t need God’s reassurance for all that He does I should never have a doubt if He calls me to a task I should just do it by faith. However I’m weak and lazy and a sinner and I doubt at times. I can’t count how many times God has reassured me before hand before I take on a task for Him. He is always with me and never lets me fail when I’m doing something for His glory.

Prayer: My Lord you have put Proverbs 3:5 & 6 on my heart, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding, but in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” I believe oh Lord, help me with my unbelief.

Scripture Judges 6:13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

Observation: It seems when things get bad in this world we are ready to blame God. If there was a God none of this would happen seems to be the cry of those that don’t know Him. We don’t want to take the blame ourselves when things go wrong, even though it was our poor judgment and not asking God for guidance before we get into these messes. Our Lord said we would have trials and tribulations, but that He will always be with us, if we let Him. We do things the way we want to do them and it’s not until all is lost that we bring God into the equation and that is usually only to blame Him for our stupidity.

Application: I need to seek God before I do anything and if I mess up and do something on my own without His counsel I need to be man enough to admit it and ask for my Lord’s forgiveness. I know I’ll come up against trials in my life and the more I try to be what God calls me to be, Satan will take a shot, but that is when I need to focus more on God and less on my situation.

Prayer: My Lord forgive me for my stupidity at times and give me wisdom to seek you in all that I do. I know you want the best for me and that you desire me to bear fruit before coming home. Show me the way to live that I’ll be able to build up treasures at home and bring a smile to your face when you think of me.

Scripture Judges 5:2 “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD!

Observation: When we offer ourselves to others we bless the Lord. This Thursday is Thanksgiving and we will be doing a dinner at the Army and Navy Academy for the homeless and military. I’ve asked for servants for this event and I have more than enough and had to turn away volunteers. The people are willing to give of themselves to bless others and return bless God. He asks us to bear fruit and to do good works and this will be an opportunity to do so and God will be glorified.

Application: It’s been awhile since I’ve willingly have given myself to serve others. I do it once in a while and pretend it’s enough or more than some others might do, but in reality my purpose is to serve as my Lord served me. I’m called to be a servant a servant to all and not occasionally but all of the time. I need to find more ways to serve others whether in the church or outside of it I’m here to serve as if I’m serving my God, which I am.

Prayer: Dear Lord your servant is lazy, help strengthen me to be a better servant for you. May I not put myself above anyone else, but be last as you call me to do. May I serve others that your name will be glorified. You deserve all I have, may I give it willingly, always.