“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 20
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)
*Editor note: Thank you to our 'destest duddy' Pastor Jason who graciously gave me the following 2 scriptures for today's devotional! May you be blessed as well, and receive NEW revelation through the power and annointing of the Spirit!*
“In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ~ John 1:1
“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~ Isaiah 55:11
Well, I guess God wants us to continue on with words, the Word, and His Word. There are several meanings behind the one simple word, ‘word’. However, the funny thing is when you click dictionary.com, and look up ‘word’, it says ‘no results found’. In the Greek, one of the translations is ‘logos’, which is message; the spoken word; and is also used to refer to Jesus. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." God has always been, and therefore so has Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God spoke everything into being, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit were right there with Him. In John 1:14, it says, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Need more proof? Check out Genesis 1, and please do not fall for the gap theory or the theory of evolution. God CREATED the world and everything in it. He spoke the light into the world (physically and spiritually). Jesus is the light of the world. Whatever words come forth from the mouth of God will have power and His promises and declarations are all true. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” His Word frees us from the bondage of sin. “I have hidden your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). We need to always be in the Word, and meditating on it, so that it is in our hearts, minds and spirits. We don’t hide it as a dirty little secret we hide it like a special treasure, one that brings life. We also don’t hide it from others. Sometimes our lives are the only Bibles that they will read. WOW! That’s sure an eye-opener isn’t it. Therefore we need to be reading, meditating, speaking and living the Word.
When we use God’s Word (as in His Scriptures), it’s like throwing a boomerang. We speak forth the Word, and it comes back to us, and blesses us, and He answers our prayer requests and petitions. His Word does not come back empty though. Another way of saying it, in a different translation it uses the word void. His Word will be sent out, and come back fulfilling the promises that it set out to do. It will not and cannot be voided. The verse in Isaiah 55:11 above, says that it indeed will accomplish what God desires and achieves the purpose for which He sent it. WOW! How awesome is that truly? Think on that truth for a moment. What is it that you have been praying for? What do you truly believe that God desires for you? Are you seeking His will, or your own will? Are you asking in faith, or are you a doubting Thomas? Are you delighting yourself in the Lord? Remember it says in His Word, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. AMEN & AMEN! Thank you Lord for your promises! Are you trusting in the Lord, or trusting in men? Are you lacking faith due to unanswered prayers? Did you know that it is in God’s will to leave some prayers unanswered? I thank God for unanswered prayers. I’m sure throughout our lives, there isn’t one person who hasn’t thought or prayed idle words to God, and then got upset at God because those words didn’t come into being. (For example wanting to date a high school crush, and not being able to) But God did answer, just not the way we wanted, because they didn’t fit into God’s divine plan for our lives. But now in the present you can thank God that He didn’t answer those prayers, because you wouldn’t have all that you have now. Garth Brooks sings a song called, “Unanswered Prayers”, and in it he sings,
“Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”
The man in the song is married, and went to his high school reunion with his wife, and they met up with his old flame. He was reminded in his thoughts, of the times they had together, and was reminded of the prayers that he had prayed for them to be together, and that he wouldn’t ask for anything else, if God gave her to him. However, in looking at the ‘flame’ that day, he realized that she wasn’t all that he thought she was, and what he prayed for. He then looked at his own beautiful wife, and thanked God for not answering that particular prayer, but in reality his wife was the answer to his prayers.
We have to be careful of what we pray for or wish for. People say that a lot in jest, and teasing, but it is a true sentence. God knows our hearts & motives, and also our desires, but most importantly He knows what we need, and when we need it. He created us in our mother’s wombs, from conception to delivery, we were alive with Him. (that’s also another devotional all on its own) We don’t always get what we want, but God sure does provide what we need. Again, our words need to be ‘chewed’ before we speak them – especially to God. Remember to use words of life. For God’s Word is also alive…
In Hebrews 4:12 it says, “God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.” WOW and double WOW! The Word is God-breathed, and new things can be revealed each time you read it. Each person in a youth group could read the same verse in the Bible, and each one could have a different revelation about that verse. (Same as these devotional verses, when you read them here, you get my interpretation, and what the Spirit is telling me, but He may be telling you something new and different. That doesn’t make this view wrong, or your view wrong, He speaks to each of us in ways we can understand, and in ways that we need to hear.)
Again, this verse brings a song to mind, but not a scripture song, a song by Casting Crowns, ‘The Word is Alive’ – “this world and its glories will fade, but His truth it will not pass away. It remains yesterday and forever, the same. The Word is alive!”
May you be blessed as you read the Word, have relationship with the Word, and speak the Word! Spread the message of life to the hopeless!
Prayer: Father God, we thank You for Your Word, the living Word that we can put our full trust in. Thank You for Your Son, who was there with You in the beginning. Thank You Lord that we were even part of Your plan, at creation. You spoke everything into being. Your Words have power. Help us to never underestimate the power of our words, and the power of our prayers. Thank You Lord for ‘unanswered prayers’. Help us to desire what You want us to have in our lives. Help us to fulfill our destiny in You, by using the gifts and talents that You have given to us to share with the dark, dying and hopeless world. Use Your Words and speak to us now, teach us to listen for Your Spirit. I thank you Lord, that when we speak Your Word, that it will not return empty, but will accomplish what You desire and achieve the purpose for which You sent it. Help us God to resist temptation using Your Word, as Your Son Jesus did in His fight against the devil in the desert. May our hearts, minds and Spirits be filled with Your holy Scriptures. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We ask all these things in the name of JESUS, AMEN!
WORD OF GOD SPEAK – Mercy Me
I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say…
Be blessed, and be a blessing as you Shine the Light into the dark world!
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)
*Editor note: Thank you to our 'destest duddy' Pastor Jason who graciously gave me the following 2 scriptures for today's devotional! May you be blessed as well, and receive NEW revelation through the power and annointing of the Spirit!*
“In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ~ John 1:1
“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~ Isaiah 55:11
Well, I guess God wants us to continue on with words, the Word, and His Word. There are several meanings behind the one simple word, ‘word’. However, the funny thing is when you click dictionary.com, and look up ‘word’, it says ‘no results found’. In the Greek, one of the translations is ‘logos’, which is message; the spoken word; and is also used to refer to Jesus. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." God has always been, and therefore so has Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God spoke everything into being, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit were right there with Him. In John 1:14, it says, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". Need more proof? Check out Genesis 1, and please do not fall for the gap theory or the theory of evolution. God CREATED the world and everything in it. He spoke the light into the world (physically and spiritually). Jesus is the light of the world. Whatever words come forth from the mouth of God will have power and His promises and declarations are all true. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” His Word frees us from the bondage of sin. “I have hidden your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). We need to always be in the Word, and meditating on it, so that it is in our hearts, minds and spirits. We don’t hide it as a dirty little secret we hide it like a special treasure, one that brings life. We also don’t hide it from others. Sometimes our lives are the only Bibles that they will read. WOW! That’s sure an eye-opener isn’t it. Therefore we need to be reading, meditating, speaking and living the Word.When we use God’s Word (as in His Scriptures), it’s like throwing a boomerang. We speak forth the Word, and it comes back to us, and blesses us, and He answers our prayer requests and petitions. His Word does not come back empty though. Another way of saying it, in a different translation it uses the word void. His Word will be sent out, and come back fulfilling the promises that it set out to do. It will not and cannot be voided. The verse in Isaiah 55:11 above, says that it indeed will accomplish what God desires and achieves the purpose for which He sent it. WOW! How awesome is that truly? Think on that truth for a moment. What is it that you have been praying for? What do you truly believe that God desires for you? Are you seeking His will, or your own will? Are you asking in faith, or are you a doubting Thomas? Are you delighting yourself in the Lord? Remember it says in His Word, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. AMEN & AMEN! Thank you Lord for your promises! Are you trusting in the Lord, or trusting in men? Are you lacking faith due to unanswered prayers? Did you know that it is in God’s will to leave some prayers unanswered? I thank God for unanswered prayers. I’m sure throughout our lives, there isn’t one person who hasn’t thought or prayed idle words to God, and then got upset at God because those words didn’t come into being. (For example wanting to date a high school crush, and not being able to) But God did answer, just not the way we wanted, because they didn’t fit into God’s divine plan for our lives. But now in the present you can thank God that He didn’t answer those prayers, because you wouldn’t have all that you have now. Garth Brooks sings a song called, “Unanswered Prayers”, and in it he sings,
“Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”
The man in the song is married, and went to his high school reunion with his wife, and they met up with his old flame. He was reminded in his thoughts, of the times they had together, and was reminded of the prayers that he had prayed for them to be together, and that he wouldn’t ask for anything else, if God gave her to him. However, in looking at the ‘flame’ that day, he realized that she wasn’t all that he thought she was, and what he prayed for. He then looked at his own beautiful wife, and thanked God for not answering that particular prayer, but in reality his wife was the answer to his prayers.
We have to be careful of what we pray for or wish for. People say that a lot in jest, and teasing, but it is a true sentence. God knows our hearts & motives, and also our desires, but most importantly He knows what we need, and when we need it. He created us in our mother’s wombs, from conception to delivery, we were alive with Him. (that’s also another devotional all on its own) We don’t always get what we want, but God sure does provide what we need. Again, our words need to be ‘chewed’ before we speak them – especially to God. Remember to use words of life. For God’s Word is also alive…
In Hebrews 4:12 it says, “God's word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.” WOW and double WOW! The Word is God-breathed, and new things can be revealed each time you read it. Each person in a youth group could read the same verse in the Bible, and each one could have a different revelation about that verse. (Same as these devotional verses, when you read them here, you get my interpretation, and what the Spirit is telling me, but He may be telling you something new and different. That doesn’t make this view wrong, or your view wrong, He speaks to each of us in ways we can understand, and in ways that we need to hear.)
Again, this verse brings a song to mind, but not a scripture song, a song by Casting Crowns, ‘The Word is Alive’ – “this world and its glories will fade, but His truth it will not pass away. It remains yesterday and forever, the same. The Word is alive!”
May you be blessed as you read the Word, have relationship with the Word, and speak the Word! Spread the message of life to the hopeless!
Prayer: Father God, we thank You for Your Word, the living Word that we can put our full trust in. Thank You for Your Son, who was there with You in the beginning. Thank You Lord that we were even part of Your plan, at creation. You spoke everything into being. Your Words have power. Help us to never underestimate the power of our words, and the power of our prayers. Thank You Lord for ‘unanswered prayers’. Help us to desire what You want us to have in our lives. Help us to fulfill our destiny in You, by using the gifts and talents that You have given to us to share with the dark, dying and hopeless world. Use Your Words and speak to us now, teach us to listen for Your Spirit. I thank you Lord, that when we speak Your Word, that it will not return empty, but will accomplish what You desire and achieve the purpose for which You sent it. Help us God to resist temptation using Your Word, as Your Son Jesus did in His fight against the devil in the desert. May our hearts, minds and Spirits be filled with Your holy Scriptures. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We ask all these things in the name of JESUS, AMEN!
WORD OF GOD SPEAK – Mercy Me
I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say…
Be blessed, and be a blessing as you Shine the Light into the dark world!
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