A Scripture Based Devotional for Overcomers

21 May
Hos. 1:6
The consequence of Lo-Ruhamah
What will be the aftermath of the Lord withdrawing His love from the Northern kingdom of Israel? According to the passage, the Lord will not forgive them (Hos. 1:6). This means that they will now come under His wrath(2 Kgs.17:7-14). They are no more objects of His mercy but of His wrath. Again, the principle is the same for all mankind and all generations. The time of God’s mercy is prior to His judgment or wrath(see 2 Cor.6:2). Anyone who refuses to repent of his sins and to turn to God is not an object of His mercy or favour but of His judgment or wrath(Heb.10:26-27). The right thing for anyone to do is to seek and turn to the Lord while His love remains(Is.55:6-7), not when it has been withdrawn. Repentance is acceptable prior to God’s judgment(Heb.10:26-27). The consequence of persisting in sin and unbelief is judgment, not mercy(Heb.10:26-27). God’s mercy and forgiveness are available to the one who repents of his sin and turns to Him(cf. Acts 2: 38-39). Like Israel of Hosea’s time, anyone who persists in sin and refuses to turn from it to God will also have His love withdrawn from him.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to turn completely from every sin to you.
2. Father, please do not ever withdraw your love from me.

22 May
Ps. 145:17
God is righteous
Here the psalmist states another attribute of God (Ps. 145:17). To Him, God is not only righteous, but righteous in all His ways (Ps. 145:17). Thus God is righteous both in His being and everything (Ps. 145:17). To be righteous means there is no evil of any kind in Him. What the psalmist has stated is completely true of God. God is indeed righteous (Ps. 11:7; Ps. 119:137). All His activities are conditioned by His righteousness. He deals with everyone according to His righteousness. He does not condone any evil since there is no evil of any kind in Him (Ps. 5:4). Due to His righteousness, we please Him when we act righteously, and provoke Him to anger when we do not do so (Ps. 11:5; Ps. 34:16; Ps. 55:23). God expects us to be righteous like Him (Ps. 97:10; 1 Thess. 5:22). But no one can become righteous before Him (see Ps. 143:2; Eccl. 7:20; Prov. 3:33). Since no one can be righteous before Him, God has graciously provided a means for us to be righteous like Him (Rom. 3:21-24). Therefore, through Christ we can become righteous as God requires (Rom. 3:21-24). To become righteous through Christ, we must turn from sin to Him (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 3:19-20). Righteousness is the basis of our blessings (Ps. 34:15, 17, 19-20; Prov. 3:33).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please destroy completely the spirit unrighteousness in me.

2. Father, please take my own righteousness away and give me the righteousness of Jesus.
3. Lord, make me righteous like you.

23 May
Ps. 10:14
God’s responsibility to His children in trouble
We learn from this passage that God does not abandon the afflicted, the fatherless, or the helpless. We are told that He sees all the actions of the wicked against them (Ps. 10:14). To see here not only means to take account of it but to take action concerning it (Ps. 10:14; cf. Exod. 3:7-10). It is well known from the Scripture that God has a special place in His heart and plan for the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless, (see Ps. 68:5-6; cf. Mk. 6:34; Mk. 8:1-2). Therefore, the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless can always find Him a welcome, present, and unfailing refuge and help in trouble (Ps. 46:1). With God, there is no basis for fear or despair for the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless (Ps. 46:1-3). God alone is a sufficient refuge for those in trouble (Ps. 10:14; 46:1). No one else is able to help the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless, like Him. With God, there is no need for the afflicted, the fatherless, the helpless, to turn to another for refuge or help.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please be my help always.
2. Father, please enable me to look up to you alone for all things at all times.

24 May
Ps. 145:13
The Lord keeps all His promises
Here the psalmist states another important truth about God. According to him, He is faithful to all His promises (Ps. 145:13). This means that He keeps all His promises (Jos. 21:45; Jos. 23:14; 1 Kgs. 8:56). All His promises are potent (2 Cor. 1:20). His promises never fail (Jos. 21:45; Jos. 23:14). His promises have no record of failing to come to pass. It is not in His nature to fail to keep His promises (see Num. 23:19). It is not some of His promises that He keeps, but all of them (Ps. 145:13). Therefore, we can count on all His promises. None of His promises will ever fail come to pass for us (see Jos. 21:45; Jos. 23:14; 1 Kgs. 8:56). He never promised without fulfilling (Num. 23:19). We can count on Him to fulfill all His promises.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please fulfill all your promises in my life.
2. Father, please enable me to trust you to fulfill all your promises.

25 May
Ps. 145:18
The Lord answers those who call on Him
The Psalmist presents us here with another important truth about God (Ps. 145:18). It is that the Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth (Ps. 145:18). He is near, not to anyone who calls on Him, but to those who do so in truth (Ps. 145:18). To be near is to answer, and to call on Him in truth is to call on Him from the heart. This means therefore that the Lord answers those who call on Him from the heart. It is those who call on Him from the heart who are sure of His answer (Ps. 145:18). The Lord is an answering God (see (Ps. 18:6; Ps. 30:2-3; Ps. 116:1; Ps. 120:1). But His answer belongs to those who call on him from the heart (Ps. 50:14-15; Ps. 145:18). Therefore we can call on Him and be certain of His answer if we do so from the heart (see Jam. 5:15-16). It is calling on Him from the heart that guarantees His answer (cf. Ps. 50:14-15; Jam.5:15-16). If there is no answer, it means that the calling is not from the heart (see Ps. 66:18; cf. Ps. 50:14-15; Jam. 5:15-16). To call on Him from the heart, one must first become His child and live for Him in full obedience (see Deut. 6:5; Jos. 24:15; Matt. 4:10). Anyone can become His child through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:12-13). No one can call on Him from the heart unless he becomes His child through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:12-13).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please make me your child through Jesus Christ.
2. Father, please enable me to call on you from my heart.
3. Father, please answer me whenever I call.


26 May
1 Tim. 1:3-4
God’s work is by faith
Here Paul points out a marked difference between false teachings of the Law and the work of God (1Tim. 1:3-4). According to him, the difference between false teachings of the Law and God’s work is that the latter is by faith (1Tim. 1:4). This means that the false teachings of the Law are not based on faith, but on works (see Rom. 9:30-33). Paul was consistent in teaching that God’s work is not based on works, but on faith (Rom. 3:21-26, 28; Eph. 2:8-9). This difference persists today. In fact, salvation by works is commonly taught in several forms today. But anyone who seeks God by works than faith will not find Him (cf. Rom. 9:30-33). It is indeed futile to seek God by any other means than by faith (Heb. 11:6). And to have faith is to believe in Him and His word ( Heb. 11:1).

PRAYER: 1. Father, please increase my faith.
2. Father, please, let your grace be sufficient to me for all things.

27 May
Ps. 145:19
The Lord fulfils the desires of His children
The Psalmist states here again another important truth about God (Ps. 145:19). According to him, the Lord is the one who fulfils the desire of those who fear Him (Ps. 145:19). It is His nature to do so, and He does it continuously and unfailingly (Ps. 145:19). Those who fear the Lord are those who acknowledge Him alone as their God and obey Him wholeheartedly (see Deut. 6:5; Prov. 8:13; Eccl. 12:13; Jn. 14:15). Therefore, those who fear the Lord can count on Him to fulfill their desires. The Lord is a promise keeper, known to keep all His promises (Jos. 21:45; 2 Cor. 1:20). Our duty is to fear Him, His is to fulfill our desires. Once we do our part, He is certain to do His own. He is willing and able to do so (Lk. 1:37). This promise belongs exclusively to those who fear the Lord, not to those who refuse to do so (Ps. 145:19; see Deut. 28:1-68; Ps. 1:1-6). Therefore, if anyone needs His desires to be fulfilled, he must fear the Lord. Those who do not fear the Lord are objects of His displeasure, not of His blessings (Rom. 8:7-8; Deut. 28:15-68; Ps. 1:4-6; Ps. 145:20). To fear the Lord is therefore a rewarding activity, not a vain exercise.

PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to fear you as you deserve.
2. Father, please fulfill my desires as you promised.

 

Our Daily Key: A Scripture Based Devotional for Overcomers

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