November 2020 Devotionals

Wednesday Devotional - 11/11/20

Prayers for this week:

First of all, let us thank and remember all of our Veterans on this particular day. Hebrews 11:32-24 says “For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenches the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” These great examples of soldiers in the Bible that Paul recalls reminds us that those who have fought for our country should be honored, and even more honored when they call themselves Christian! 

Let us also remember those who are sick within our community, and those who are caretakers. I always think of those who are caretakers will be especially rewarded for their steadfastness in trying times. Pray that they will continue to have the strength to carry on with their task, and that God will give them the knowledge and wisdom as they continue to make medical decisions for their loved ones. 

Pray for our country as well. We are faced with a decision today: are we going to pray for those who were elected in a way that will honor God or not? I know that there are some who are disappointed with the election results, but that does not excuse us from praying for those who are in the leadership positions in our country. Remember that Romans 12:17 says “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” Pray that God will bless our land, that He will make us even more prosperous than we already are, and that His will be done.

Also, for those of you who are reading this on Facebook, please feel free to add any public prayer requests (or even unspoken requests) in the comments. Please take a moment this week to pray for those requests, and that God will be honored through them.  

Devotional

We are continuing the devotional from Charles Stanley called “When Tragedy Strikes”, which can be found on Bible.com. I highly encourage you to take a look at that in its original form. It is very good!

Matthew 5:4 - Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (KJV)

Lead with Compassion and Concern

When a tragedy happens in the life of someone, often we are thunderstruck as to what we can do for that person. In short, what we should do is to respond with compassion and concern for that person. Merriam-Webster defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it”. That’s a fancy way of saying ‘I see you’re hurting, what can I do about it?’ Concern, in turn, is related to this: again from Merriam-Webster, “to be a care, trouble, or distress to”. What we must do in times of trouble is not just shunt people to the side, but rather we must reach out as best as we can to try to help our fellow man!

When we go through troubling times, it’s always great to know that we have someone there to help us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” God is always by our side when we go through troubling times. God is also the one who is always by our side in times of trouble because he knows exactly what we are going through. Isaiah 53:3 reminds us that “He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.” This, of course, is prophecy regarding Jesus; he was rejected and despised, and he knows personally what grief is. He understands our unique situations, uncertainties, fears, and troubles. And as he comforts us, we are able to comfort others as they have troubles as well. 

When you have troubles, give those to God completely, and He will be your comfort and strength. God grieves with you as you bear the weight of your losses and shares with you in the awful sense of emptiness and helplessness you may feel. But God never leaves you. He remains by your side, offering His mercy in the darkest of days because it is His desire to comfort you. May we as Christians be known for our mercy in those darkest of days as well. 

 Wednesday Devotional - 11/18/20

Prayers:

First, I want to say a special thank you for taking the time to look over this devotional and to pray weekly for these requests. I know that sometimes it feels like we are not doing a lot when we just pray, but we do see the results of those prayers being answered! Please continue to ‘pray without ceasing’, especially for our country, for our neighbors, and for those who are lost and seeking the Lord.

Also, please be in prayer for the family of Lulamae Parker. She is, as of the time of this writing, still in ICU at Habersham hospital. We also pray still for Charlie Dobson as he continues his fight with cancer and his loss of Betty. We pray for others in our community that are battling various sicknesses, and pray that God will be with them as they continue to fight. 

Finally, pray for thankfulness in your life. As we enter the week leading up to Thanksgiving, we are reminded that there is much to be thankful for, even in these strange times. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Devotional

We are continuing Charles Stanley’s “When Tragedy Strikes” devotional, which can be found in the devotional section of Bible.com. This week’s lesson is how to live fearlessly. 

As we are reminded, our first response should always be concern and compassion when tragedy strikes. But the second response is just as important as this: we must be courageous in the face of tragedy. We do this with determination and without fear because it helps us to face that tragedy with calmness. Now, you will likely think to yourself, preacher, that’s not really something that I can do all the time! You might find yourself in a situation where you are battling a spirit of fear, and you might feel like you are losing! But let me remind you of the scriptures. Isaiah 41:13 says “I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you “Do not fear, I will help you.” 

Because we know that God has us in the palm of his hand, and that he does good for us, we can truly be fearless. We have a right to be bold and confident because God promises us that he will intervene for us on our behalf. Does it mean that we will face no consequences or not have tough times in our lives? Of course not. Remember Jesus promised us that we would have trouble in this world. But we can know that God will never fail us, because just as Jesus said we would have trouble, he has overcome the world! No matter what troubles or fears are at our gate, with God we will be triumphant. 

I know that many of you have had pain and suffering in your life that many of us cannot fully understand or fathom. But I can tell you that no matter what pain and suffering has happened to us, or which ones will befall us in the future, God is always there. Psalms 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Even when our pain is so big and it threatens to overwhelm us, God is always there. He is the one we need to run to, to seek help, and to seek refuge until the storms pass. God WILL be there for you, and he will strengthen you in your fear, and will carry you through until you are strong enough to stand on your own. 

Wednesday Devotional - 11/25/20

Prayers:

First, we want to remember the Dobson family in our prayers this week. Brother Charlie went to be with the Lord yesterday morning after his long battle with cancer. Having known the heart that Charlie had for his community, we remember that he is being rewarded in Heaven for that. We also know that he is there because of his faith in Jesus Christ! Remember James 1:12: “blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised those who love him. 

I would like to thank you for the prayers and support for my family in the death of my mother in law, Bonnie Sansone. We covet your continued prayers as we deal with her death, and learn what our new normal is for our family.

Remember the family of Lula Mae Parker as they continue to mourn her. We know that both of these ladies are celebrating in Heaven today, and we must be thankful for that. I know that we miss these three greatly, but we are thankful for their witness in Christ. 

We are thankful for our nation this week. With Thanksgiving being upon us, please remember those families that are having to be separated from loved ones due to the increased virus protections around the country. Remember those who are missing loved ones this time of the year, and remember to pray that they will remember happier times.

Pray for those who are serving overseas during the holiday season, too. Our heroes in uniform always deserve our prayers, but it is especially hard on them to be so far away from their families during this time of the year. 

Finally, pray this week for those who are sick and needing healing in our community of Suches. We have many who are dealing with various illnesses, and we remember them at this time.

I would like to say that if you read this on Facebook, please put a comment if there is anything that we can pray specifically for you about. If you receive this by email, drop a reply back if there is anything that you would like prayed over, and we will include it in our next devotional.

Devotional 

We are continuing Charles Stanley’s “When Tragedy Strikes” devotional, which can be found in the devotional section of Bible.com. This week’s lesson is to remember God is in control!

When something terrible happens, have you ever asked to God “why did you let this happen?” Sometimes we hear people say “if God is so good, why does he let bad things happen to good people?” For us as Christians, we cannot just dismiss this, but we should face it head on. For those of us who know Jesus as our savior and God as our Heavenly Father, we’re not afraid to ask him hard questions. We know that the clear promises found in His Word and seeking to understand why He permits tragedy is an appropriate response. 

There are some within our Christian community that say that we should never question God at all. This is frankly untrue and unBiblical. We see in the Garden that Jesus asks the Father to let the cup pass from him if it was the Father’s will to do so. We also see King David question God. David often commented on his inability to understand the ways of God, and at times, was upfront with his probing questions of God. In the New Testament, James 1:5-6 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” We can learn from the Lord without fear of retribution. We are to seek him out to find His answers to the difficult problems and heartache that we have. We cannot leave God out of the equation!

Do you know that God is never surprised? He knows what will happen to you before it happens. God is always in control. Psalms 103:19 says “The Lord has set up his throne in heaven. His kingdom rules over all.” You might ask then, why does God then allow something bad to happen to me then? Did God initiate this? No, because God never does anything for evil, but for good (Romans 8:28). Then you might ask, “well, if he does everything for good, why did he allow this to happen?” I will say this: sometimes we do not know. And that is when you go to the Father and ask him why. Prayerfully and earnestly talk to him about what questions you have. God will always give you honest answers back. And as you earnestly and honestly seek him, He will give you the answers to your questions and, at the same time, start to transform your life. You might even find yourself asking “what do you want to teach me, Lord, through this experience?” God always works for good, and even in the most difficult of circumstances, he promises to give us comfort, strength, and wisdom during the most difficult of times.