Scripture Reading: 1 Kings18: 20-40
Focus Verse: 1 Kings 18: 22 “Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty.”
Do you ever feel alone in your life? There’s an old saying, “God plus one is a majority.” A more accurate account is that God plus none is still a majority. God is bigger than anything. God is greater than any who would come against Him.
Elijah knew this when he climbed up Mount Carmel to go against 450 prophets of Baal. Elijah knew that himself plus God was still the majority. This was a true test of faith for Elijah. Are you able to see yourself in the majority when God is on your side? You may not be coming up against 450 prophets of Baal, but you may come up against circumstances where you see no way out. With God on your side there is a way out and there is a solution. Elijah needed for God to show Himself all powerful. The nation of Israel needed to see the power of God demonstrated against the false prophets of Baal. Because Elijah had asked them in verse 22, “how long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him.” The prophets of Baal called to their god. No answer. In fact, they called all day and there was no answer because they were calling to a god that is not alive. Then Elijah said in verse 37, “O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." Verse 38, "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water." Everyone saw that day that Elijah plus God was the majority.
Don’t hesitate to ask God to be on your side against whatever you are facing. He will be with you and direct you. Remember, with God, all things are possible.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, July 27, 2018
Friday, July 20, 2018
Unshakable Faith
By Shana Schutte - Wisdom Hunters Devotion
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
During college, Glen House experienced a tragic skiing accident. His plans had been to graduate, go to medical school, and become a surgeon. After hitting an icy run, he flew headlong into a tree and sustained a massive head injury. The results were not good.
Glen was paralyzed.
With minimal use of his arms and hands, handling the delicate instruments and movements of surgery would have been impossible.
But he didn’t give up.
Within a few weeks, Glen returned to school to continue studying medicine. He was still determined to be a doctor—but for others like himself who had spinal cord injuries.
One day after he had started his practice, he was summoned to the hospital room of a new patient, a college student who was paralyzed due to a motorcycle accident. Understandably, the young man was distraught. “I just wanted to have a wife and children. I wanted a family.” His face fell.
Glen rolled his wheelchair closer to the young man’s bedside, pulled out his wallet, and retrieved a photo of his wife and two girls. He showed it to the young man. “Well, then get up and have a family,” Glen said.
Glen knew a secret that many of us forget when our hopes for a purposeful and meaningful future are stripped away through loss. He knew that when we have hope and faith in the unshakeable, that we will be unshakeable as well—and our confidence for a meaningful and purposeful future will remain intact.
If the object of my faith is my ability to sing, and I lose my voice due to an infection, all hope for a purposeful future is lost.
If the object of my faith is my ability to cultivate a happy marriage, but my mate files for divorce, all hope for a purposeful and meaningful future is lost.
If the object of my faith is my ability to be a rock climber, but then I lose that ability through blindness, all hope for a meaningful and purposeful future is lost.
But when the object of my faith is unshakeable, I will be unshakeable as well.
Because nothing can separate you from God’s love, there is nothing that can separate you from the purposes that He has for your life—nothing. Nothing can truly shake you. In this you can have hope and faith—and that is a promise that no one and no circumstance can take away.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Prayer: Lord, how I praise you that because I can never be separated from your love, my life will always have purpose and meaning no matter what happens. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Application: Reflect on how the Lord has taught you to trust Him over those things that can be shaken.
Additional Reading:
Romans 14:8 “If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
2 Timothy 1:12 “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.”
By Shana Schutte - Wisdom Hunters Devotion subscribe here: https://www.wisdomhunters.com/subscribe/
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
During college, Glen House experienced a tragic skiing accident. His plans had been to graduate, go to medical school, and become a surgeon. After hitting an icy run, he flew headlong into a tree and sustained a massive head injury. The results were not good.
Glen was paralyzed.
With minimal use of his arms and hands, handling the delicate instruments and movements of surgery would have been impossible.
But he didn’t give up.
Within a few weeks, Glen returned to school to continue studying medicine. He was still determined to be a doctor—but for others like himself who had spinal cord injuries.
One day after he had started his practice, he was summoned to the hospital room of a new patient, a college student who was paralyzed due to a motorcycle accident. Understandably, the young man was distraught. “I just wanted to have a wife and children. I wanted a family.” His face fell.
Glen rolled his wheelchair closer to the young man’s bedside, pulled out his wallet, and retrieved a photo of his wife and two girls. He showed it to the young man. “Well, then get up and have a family,” Glen said.
Glen knew a secret that many of us forget when our hopes for a purposeful and meaningful future are stripped away through loss. He knew that when we have hope and faith in the unshakeable, that we will be unshakeable as well—and our confidence for a meaningful and purposeful future will remain intact.
If the object of my faith is my ability to sing, and I lose my voice due to an infection, all hope for a purposeful future is lost.
If the object of my faith is my ability to cultivate a happy marriage, but my mate files for divorce, all hope for a purposeful and meaningful future is lost.
If the object of my faith is my ability to be a rock climber, but then I lose that ability through blindness, all hope for a meaningful and purposeful future is lost.
But when the object of my faith is unshakeable, I will be unshakeable as well.
Because nothing can separate you from God’s love, there is nothing that can separate you from the purposes that He has for your life—nothing. Nothing can truly shake you. In this you can have hope and faith—and that is a promise that no one and no circumstance can take away.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Prayer: Lord, how I praise you that because I can never be separated from your love, my life will always have purpose and meaning no matter what happens. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Application: Reflect on how the Lord has taught you to trust Him over those things that can be shaken.
Additional Reading:
Romans 14:8 “If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
2 Timothy 1:12 “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.”
By Shana Schutte - Wisdom Hunters Devotion subscribe here: https://www.wisdomhunters.com/subscribe/
Friday, July 13, 2018
Do More Than Expected
Scripture Reading: Philemon 1:8-22
Focus Verse: Philemon 1:21 “Confident of our obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
We should try to do more than is expected of us, because that is what Christ has done for us. God doesn’t do anything halfway. When God does something for us He exceeds our expectations. Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." So when God asks us to do something let’s try and do it with passion and exceed expectations. You can also exceed expectations at work. When others see you working hard, they may ask you why, and this gives you opportunity to witness for Christ. You may get a promotion at work when you exceed expectations. Employers will often reward hard work with a promotion and increase pay. The apostle Paul noticed when expectations where exceeded.
He writes in 2 Corinthians 8:3 “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own.”
Marriage is another place where you can serve beyond what is expected of you. Have you ever tried to serve your spouse more than they serve you? Nobody has ever complained that their spouse loves and respects them too much. Exceeding expectation in your home will give you a happy home. Your home is not about you it’s about others in your home. When you serve others, most times you will then see others begin to serve you. We don’t keep score to see who serves the most, but we can serve so others will see in us the example God has set before us.
God has asked us to give a 10% tithe. What would happen if you exceeded expectations and gave 12% or 15%? Do you think you would go bankrupt? I don’t think so, God would probably exceed expectation in your life. So let’s exceed expectations in someones life and see what happens.
2 Corinthians 8:5 “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.”
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus Verse: Philemon 1:21 “Confident of our obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.”
We should try to do more than is expected of us, because that is what Christ has done for us. God doesn’t do anything halfway. When God does something for us He exceeds our expectations. Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." So when God asks us to do something let’s try and do it with passion and exceed expectations. You can also exceed expectations at work. When others see you working hard, they may ask you why, and this gives you opportunity to witness for Christ. You may get a promotion at work when you exceed expectations. Employers will often reward hard work with a promotion and increase pay. The apostle Paul noticed when expectations where exceeded.
He writes in 2 Corinthians 8:3 “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own.”
Marriage is another place where you can serve beyond what is expected of you. Have you ever tried to serve your spouse more than they serve you? Nobody has ever complained that their spouse loves and respects them too much. Exceeding expectation in your home will give you a happy home. Your home is not about you it’s about others in your home. When you serve others, most times you will then see others begin to serve you. We don’t keep score to see who serves the most, but we can serve so others will see in us the example God has set before us.
God has asked us to give a 10% tithe. What would happen if you exceeded expectations and gave 12% or 15%? Do you think you would go bankrupt? I don’t think so, God would probably exceed expectation in your life. So let’s exceed expectations in someones life and see what happens.
2 Corinthians 8:5 “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.”
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, July 6, 2018
Confidence in God as We Face Difficulties
Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 3
Focus Verses: Habakkuk 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
There has been some research done about why people leave their faith in Christ. Many times it is because people were disappointed because their expectation of God was not being met. They prayed for something and their prayers seemed to go unanswered or were not answered the way they wanted them to be answered. So basically these people are saying “God has not done things the way I think they should be done." Or there saying “I know how things should be done better than God.” Let’s remember Jesus never promised that this life would be without pain and suffering. Those days won’t come until we get to heaven. If you can only love God when everything is going good for you then your Christian life will be a disappointment. Our Christian life doesn’t work because we always get what we want. It works because Jesus is always with us to help us get through the hard times. He will never leave us. There will be times when God will answer your prayers the way you want, and we can be thankful for that, but when He doesn’t, you can trust that God has a better plan that He is working out in your life. That’s where faith and trust come in as well as learning to rejoice in our Savior. So let’s always live knowing that God is doing what is best for us. “The righteous will live by faith” Romans 1:7 And God is worthy of our faith. Habakkuk never forgot the power and might of God and recounts it in the first part of the prayer in Chapter 3 as he asks God for help.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Focus Verses: Habakkuk 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
There has been some research done about why people leave their faith in Christ. Many times it is because people were disappointed because their expectation of God was not being met. They prayed for something and their prayers seemed to go unanswered or were not answered the way they wanted them to be answered. So basically these people are saying “God has not done things the way I think they should be done." Or there saying “I know how things should be done better than God.” Let’s remember Jesus never promised that this life would be without pain and suffering. Those days won’t come until we get to heaven. If you can only love God when everything is going good for you then your Christian life will be a disappointment. Our Christian life doesn’t work because we always get what we want. It works because Jesus is always with us to help us get through the hard times. He will never leave us. There will be times when God will answer your prayers the way you want, and we can be thankful for that, but when He doesn’t, you can trust that God has a better plan that He is working out in your life. That’s where faith and trust come in as well as learning to rejoice in our Savior. So let’s always live knowing that God is doing what is best for us. “The righteous will live by faith” Romans 1:7 And God is worthy of our faith. Habakkuk never forgot the power and might of God and recounts it in the first part of the prayer in Chapter 3 as he asks God for help.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
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