Be Careful of Those Flattering Words I Daily Walk Devotion

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Be Careful of Those Flattering Words

After preaching, some of the best compliments I have received from those who have slept through the message. I kid you not. I get these glowing words on how great the sermon was from somebody who napped through most of it. I guess it is a gift because I have received a ton of those compliments. Jesus tells you to Be careful of those flattering words that people throw at you.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭6:26

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

Jesus continues his discussion on how to react when people talk about you. Here He hits the issue of flattery and compliments. In the Old Testament, people spoke well of the false prophets because they always gave a message of health and prosperity. They didn’t like the real prophets because their messages were calling the idol-worshipping Jews to repent and return to God. Jesus tells the crowd to beware of when all men speak well of you. If that is happening, then you probably aren’t doing anything.

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When a Curse is a Blessing I Daily Walk Devotion

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When a Curse is a Blessing

Being liked by others seems to become an obsession for a majority of people. They don’t want do or say anything that will offend people or cause them to speak poorly so people often won’t stand firm in their faith or speak the truth in love for fear of being ostracized. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows you when a curse is a blessing. In God’s eyes, if you are insulted for the sake of Jesus, you will be blessed.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭6:22‬

“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.”

This is part of the Sermon on the Mount that Luke captures. Luke’s version is not as in-depth as Matthew’s but he gives us some good nuggets. Here we see Jesus telling his listeners that they are blessed with people hate you for His names sake. If you are cursed at, ostracized, and scorned then you are in good company. Jesus went through all of that survived, so can you. The key is to make sure that it happening because of your faith and service in Jesus Christ and not because you are a royal jerk.

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Transformed Into His Image I Daily Walk Devotion

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Transformed Into His Image

If you have children, there is a good chance that one of them looks identical to you. It’s unavoidable because genetics are strong. Even if they don’t look like you, they will mimic a lot of your personality. Some of this is learned, but most of it is inherent. Did you know that you are becoming more like Jesus? You are being transformed into His image.

‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭3:18

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Paul is inviting every believer to a unique intimacy with the Lord. It is available to everyone with an unveiled face. How is the veil taken away? When you turn to the Lord and give your life to Him. Then the veil is taken away, and you are one with Jesus. With the veil gone, we can behold His glory, and the process of being transformed begins. You start to look less like your old self and more like Jesus. The change starts on the inside and moves its way out.

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God Brings the Overflow I Daily Walk Devotion

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God Brings the Overflow

The other day I put a pod in a Keurig coffee maker and pressed brew. I soon discovered that I had made a mistake. I had pushed the button for 10 ounces of coffee and only had an 8-ounce cup. Soon it began to overflow into the catch basin and onto the counter. That is what I picture when I ask God to do a work in my life. I come with a cup too small, and He brings more than I can hold. God brings the overflow when He blesses His people.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭65:9

“You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.”

I always picture David sitting out in the field, watching his sheep, writing songs and poems to the Lord. As he inspects the bounty that God has blessed him with, he begins to pen a Psalm of seeing God’s hand in every part of the process. God causes the earth to overflow. Overflow is a term that expresses God’s provision. He greatly enriches the earth by making the stream full, preparing the grain, and getting the earth ready for planting. All of this is done before the planting or the harvest. He is involved in every detail.

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A New Work in Your Life I Daily Walk Devotion

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A New Work in Your Life

There are thousands of acres of vineyards that surround where I live. We often take drives along country roads lined with rows and rows of grapes just to get away from the busyness of our lives. Every fall, you can watch as the workers harvest the crops and take them to be processed into wine. The color of the grape determines what their juice will be stored in. White wines go into stainless steel vats, and red wines go into oak barrels. This preserves the wine as they go through the fermenting process. Today, Jesus shows you a new work in your life that He wants to accomplish.

‭‭LUKE‬ ‭5:37

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.”

Jesus uses an example in life that everyone would’ve understood. Wine was stored in wineskins, which were converted goat bladders. New wine emits gasses that stretch the container in which it is placed. Old wineskins have already expanded to their limit, so you wouldn’t put new wine in them. Jesus uses this to refer to the new work He is doing. The old system of obeying the law wasn’t going to work with the new work of grace. You are no longer going to be judged by your good works or by keeping the rules, but instead if the righteousness of Christ is on you.

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Make Your Name Great I Daily Walk Devotion

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Make Your Name Great

Some people in history can go by one name, and you know who they are. Think of people like Einstein, Churchill, and Luther. Their accomplishments during their lifetime will be studied for centuries to come. Abraham falls under that category in the Bible. The father of Israel is still revered today. God told him that He would “make your name great.”

‭‭GENESIS‬ ‭12:2

“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.”

This is God’s promise to Abraham to bring the great nation of Israel out of his lineage. Multiple times in Genesis, God tells him that his descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky or the sands on the sea. What makes this promise even more impressive is that at the time, Abraham has no children. He won’t become a father until he is 100 years old! He had to wait many years for this promise to begin, and then he only had one child.

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Triumphant Procession I Daily Walk Devotion

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Triumphant Procession

In the time of Jesus, when a Roman General defeated an enemy, there would be a parade welcoming him and the soldiers home. The general would enter on a white horse wearing his finest military attire. Behind him would be all of the spoils of his victory. There would be carts of the bounty brought back, followed by his soldiers, and at the end were all of the captured people. It was a triumphant procession that the whole city came out to celebrate.

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14‬

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

When Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross, that victory became ours. We are now part of the triumphant procession because we are no longer slaves to our sins. We joyfully march behind Jesus because his bloodshed on the cross has restored us to a right relationship with God, and now we are heirs to the inheritance to come. You are an overcomer who is victorious because you put your faith in Jesus Christ. You may have never won anything else in your life, but you have with Jesus.

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More Than You Need I Daily Walk Devotion
More Than You Need

Have you ever gone to the store to buy some supplies for dinner and ended up with more than you need? We’ve all done it. Maybe you measured wrong or couldn’t buy the quantity you wanted at the store. What do you do with the leftovers? Do you save it for later, or do you throw it away? Most people store it for later. That is the principle you need to remember when God comforts you. He always gives you more than you need.

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:5

“For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”

As Paul starts to address the Corinthians in his second letter, he lays out how much he has suffered taking the Gospel to different parts of the Roman Empire. At the same time, he has suffered dramatically, each time Jesus has given him comfort that overflows. Interestingly, he uses the term “overflows” because it means more than you can handle. When you are going through suffering, rest assured that if your trust is in the Lord, He will give you more than you need.

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Equipped to Endure I Daily Walk Devotion
Equipped to Endure

Have you ever heard the term “Preppers?” These are people preparing for Armageddon and have their garages packed with goods to survive when the food shortages happen. You can watch videos on how to get ready for the end of the world and have enough to survive. For the saints, during the tribulation, they will be equipped to endure by following the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

Revelation 14:12

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

The tribulation will be a tough time for everyone who remains on earth. There will be food shortages, water will be damaged and undrinkable, and pervasive pests and plagues will cover the earth. Those saints who started to follow Jesus during the tribulation will be equipped to endure the difficulties. It will take strict adherence to the Word of God and strong faith, but they will make it.

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Wholeheartedly Devoted I Daily Walk Devotion
Wholeheartedly Devoted

Elections can bring about the worst in people. Candidates exaggerate how good they are and tell lies about their opponent. When a candidate wins they think it is because they are the better person. This can go to their head and cause major issues down the line. As Christians we need to be different. The Lord is looking for those who wholeheartedly devoted to Him so He can show HIs Strength.

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭16:9

“For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.”

King Asa was one of the worst kings in Israel’s history, if not the worst. He was cruel and refused to acknowledge or follow the Lord. Instead, he looked to the armies of Syria and Ethiopia. When the prophet Hanani came to him and gave this message Asa locked him up and cruelly treated the people. God had judged the king and found him foolish and lacking strength in his dependence on others instead of the Lord. Because of that Asa would know wars for the rest of his life.

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