Cgeneration devotional

Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.“

God’s protection is guaranteed for those who dwell in His presence, even when they go through fire!

Deuteronomy‬ ‭20‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

”..Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’“

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When God’s presence is with you, God will fight your battles for you, both seen and unseen.

Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭4‬ ‭AMP‬‬

”Blessed and greatly favored are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence..”

When you carry God’s presence, you will find favour and you will be highly sought after. It doesn’t matter where you are or which country you live in, people will come looking for you, just like they looked for Joseph and David.

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.“

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

How can someone who is a slave be called a successful man? The words ‘slave’ and ‘success’ are two words that just don’t go together. Yet, Joseph was successful even though he was a slave.

Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭16‬

“… it is in Your going with us that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth”

If we look at the lives of different people in the bible who had God’s presence with them, there was always something that distinguished them or separated them from other people around them.

When Abraham moved to live in Gerar in the land of the Philistines, there was something that distinguished him from other people and King Abimelech had no choice but to notice it!

Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭15‬ ‭

“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.“

God instructed Moses to lead the Israelites out to the promised land but He (God) wasn’t going to go with them. Guess what? Moses refused!

As Christians we all know the importance of getting saved. But after we get saved then what? Is getting saved the only thing in God’s redemption program for us?

2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬ says “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

How can we serve God with a perfect heart?

In I Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬, David was advising his son Solomon on how to serve God and he said “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

When God wants to assess a person for any purpose at all, God looks at the heart.

1 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ says

“…The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

If Jesus were to judge us today based on what we’ve done this year, will we receive a pass mark or will we fail woefully?  

1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭31‬ ‭AMP‬‬ says 

“But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly [recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior], we would not be judged.”