A Scripture Based Devotional for Overcomers

 

5 March
Acts 19:11-12
God does extraordinary miracles

While Paul was in Ephesus in the course of his missionary work, God did extraordinary miracles through Him (Acts 19:11-12). It was God who did the miracles, not Paul (Acts 19:11-12). He did them through Paul(Acts 19:11-12). Genuine miracles come from God, not from His human instruments. All credit must be given to God for all genuine miracles, not to His human media. We must look to God for miracles, not to men (see Acts 4:29-30). The miracles were extraordinary (Acts 19:11-12). Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul were taken to the sick and they were cured (Acts 19:11-12). God’s power is subject to no hindrances or limitations. Miracles, extraordinary miracles, and even much more extraordinary miracles are still possible today because we are serving the same God as Paul and our God is ever living (Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:18). Jesus even promised that His followers will do not only what he did, but even greater things than the ones He did (Jn. 14:12). God used miracles to confirm His word and bring people to believe in His son (Acts 4:29-30; Jn. 20:30-31). He still uses them today for the same purpose. Therefore, we should not hesitate to ask God not only for extraordinary miracles but for much more extraordinary ones (Acts 4:29-30; Jn. 14:12). For nothing is indeed impossible with our God (Lk. 1:37).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please perform even much more extraordinary miracles in my life.
2. Father, please perform even much more extraordinary miracles through me.

6 March
Amos 1:3-5
How the Lord judges

What form was God’s promised judgment of Damascus going to take? The nation was to go into exile to Assyria, with all the consequences thereof (Amos 1:4-5). They were all to forfeit their liberty and become slaves in a foreign land (cf. Is. 8:1-10; Jer.49:23-27). This was just one form that God’s judgment took against the people of Damascus. God can judge in several ways. He may use drought (1 Kgs. 17:1) , exile (Jer. 52:3), and even death (Acts 12:23). God is not limited or short of the form with which to execute His judgments. It is a fearful thing to come under His judgment, its form not withstanding (Heb. 10:31). We should seek His mercy, not His judgment (Prov. 28:13). Our God is indeed a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). No one can stand before His judgment (Rev.6:15-17).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please save me from your judgment.
2. Father, please deliver me from anything that can bring your judgment upon me.

7 March
Acts 20:9-12
God raises the dead

In Troas, a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in a window, sank into a deep sleep as he was listening to Paul in the night, and when he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third storey and died (Acts 20:9). Paul went down to him, throw himself on him and put his arms around him and he came back to life (Acts 20:11-12). This is another instance in which God did a miracle through Paul (see Acts 19:11-12). This is another instance in which someone was raised from dead (Jn. 11:38-44). Jesus promise is fulfilled as Paul does for Eutychus what Jesus did for Lazarus (Jn. 14:12; Jn. 11:38-44). We are serving the same God as Paul. As God heard him, He will not fail to hear us as well (Jn. 14:12). And nothing is impossible with our God (Lk. 1:37). What we need is the kind of faith and devotion to Him that Paul had.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please always honour your name and hear me when I call upon you as you heard Paul.
2. Father, please keep me from anything that hinders you from hearing me.

8 March
Jos. 1:6, 7
The benefit of courage

After the death of Moses, Joshua took over the mantle of leadership of the Israelites (Jos. 1:1-5). God commanded him to be strong and courageous because of the task ahead of him (Jos.1:6, 7). The task of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land demanded it (Jos.1:6). Joshua needed courage to succeed in this enormous task. Without it, success would have been unthinkable and impossible for him. Courage guaranteed his success. David gave this same command to his son, Solomon (1 Kgs.2:2). Courage is an indispensable attribute of leadership. It is also an indispensable attribute for the Christian life. The challenges of leadership and the Christian life make courage most essential. The early disciples saw the need for courage and asked God for it (Acts 4:29). Like Joshua, believers are also commanded to be courageous (1 Cor. 16:13; cf. Acts 4:29). A courageous man is a successful man. Similarly, a courageous believer is a successful believer (see Acts 5:27-42). In fact, courage is synonymous with success. It is God who makes one strong and courageous (Ps. 138:3).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please give me courage.
2. Father, please take away from me everything that makes me not to be courageous.

9 March
Matt. 1:24
Joseph’s dream

The Lord’s angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and spoke to him (Matt. 1:20-21). Joseph obeyed what the angel commanded him in the dream and acted upon it (Matt. 1:24). Joseph did not entertain any doubt concerning the legitimacy of his dream. By acting upon it, it means he considered it as legitimate because it came from God (Matt. 1:24). God does speak through dreams (see Num. 12:6; Joel 2:28). But not all dreams are legitimate. A dream is legitimate if God sends it. Dreams that are not sent by God are wholly illegitimate. Therefore all dreams must be tested against the Scripture before they are taken seriously (1 Jn. 4:1-3). Any dream that is not in agreement with the Scripture must be discarded. God will not reveal anything that is contrary to His word. All dreams must be subject to God’s word. No dream has the status of Scripture or is equal to it. The Scripture is the final authority on all matters of life and faith, including dreams.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please do not allow me to have dreams you have not sent.
2. Father, please make your will clear to me in all things.

10 March
Jos. 1:9
How to overcome fear and despair

Joshua is to be strong, courageous, not terrified, and not discouraged because of the Lord’s presence with him (Jos. 1:9). God’s presence with him makes fear and discouragement unnecessary (Jos. 1:9). God’s presence with him extended to everything he did and everywhere he went (Jos.1:9). With God’s presence with him, Joshua had no basis to be afraid and in despair (Jos. 1:9). Jesus also promised His presence to His followers (Matt. 28:20). He also made the same promise to Paul (Acts 18:9-11). There is no basis for fear and despair whatever when the Lord is with us (Matt. 28:20). God’s presence with His children is an effective remedy against fear and despair. No fear and despair can withstand God’s presence. His presence covers all aspects of our lives (Matt. 28:20). No one can overcome fear and despair of his own. It is only when the Lord is with us, that we can overcome all fear and despair (Jos.1:9; Ps. 138:3; Rom. 8:31). Without the Lord’s presence, our fear persists (see Jos. 1:9; Ps. 138:3; Rom. 8:31). Fear is the common ailment of those who do not know or have the Lord as their God. There is victory over fear and despair for all who turn to God wholeheartedly and make Him their God.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please let your presence be my portion always.
2. Father, please overcome every fear for me.

11 March
2 Thess. 1:4
Perseverance

One of the attributes for which Paul boasts about the Thessalonian brethren is their perseverance in suffering (2 Thess. 1:4).Their perseverance in all the persecutions and trials they experienced was well known that Paul boasted about it (2 Thess. 1:4). This means they remained steadfast, unshaken or unmoved, and firm in their faith in spite of the persecutions and trials they encountered. Instead of abandoning Christ and His cause under suffering, they held fast to both. This is how to handle suffering. Believers are called upon to persevere under it (Heb. 12:1). In fact, perseverance is a proof of genuine faith (cf. Jam. 1:2-4). Anyone who does not persevere under suffering cannot claim to have true faith. It is the one who perseveres under suffering who earns the crown, not the one who abandons his faith (Jam. 1:12).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to persevere under suffering.
2. Father, please take away whatever hinders me from persevering under suffering.

 

 

 

Our Daily Key: A Scripture Based Devotional for Overcomers

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