“People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold.” Proverbs 6:30-31a (NKJV)

A supermarket manager rigs his scales to make customers’ purchases appear to weigh more in order to overcharge them. God calls this “an abomination.” Some otherwise honest folks boast about cheating on their taxes by inflating their tax deductions: “Hey, we’re

only working-class bums. Billionaires pay no taxes, so I hear.”

But what does Scripture say about paying taxes? When the temple tax collectors come to Jesus, He honors their request and directs the

apostle Peter to go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the first fish. Inside its mouth will be a coin with which Peter is to pay the taxes for

them both (Matthew 17:27).

Max, a little boy whose grandma has little money, gives him and his brother 10 pennies whenever they visit. The first 10 pennies go to

older brother, Sam. Then Grandma counts what is meant to be 10 for Max. But Max notices there are nine pennies and a dime. “Grandma, you gave me too much,” he says. “Thank you, son!” she says, and corrects the overpayment. On their way to the store, Sam grumbles, “You should have kept that dime!” Max shrugs, “Grandma might have needed it more.” Which boy is more likely to grow up to be an honest person?

Margo wants money to see a movie. She steals the cash from her mother’s purse. Is it okay to steal from your parents? What does the fifth Commandment say? Stealing also includes: kidnapping, taking an innocent person’s life, gossip (which is stealing another’s reputation), taking any property belonging to another, cheating a worker of his/her wages. How many more ways can you think of?

Father God, strengthen us to follow Your Word in times of our temptation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

– Kiki BelMonte-Schaller

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 (KJV)

A while back I was driving along during the evening. My headlights started dimming down, and the truck started to hesitate. We were

still quite a way from home. The lights kept dimming down, and the truck would slow down. Every now and then we had to stop, and it

seemed like the battery was draining.

Finally, we got home, and I realized what had happened. The day before I was working on the truck alternator, changing the brushes. So,

I checked it and, sure enough, I realized that I had left the nail in the alternator that was holding up the brushes . . . so the brushes weren’t seated. Because of that, the circuit was not complete, and we had an “unplugged” alternator.

I pulled out the nail, the brushes fell into place, and made the connection complete. It now worked fi ne and was now generating electrical power. Before, we were just running on battery power.

We must “keep generating”! It’s a reminder to be plugged in, make contact, and keep generating. Isaiah in the Old Testament says that

God helps tired people to be strong. He gives power to those without it. Even young men get tired and need to rest. Even young boys stumble and fall. But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.

If you want light in your house night or day, the light must be plugged in. It must be plugged into the power source. The electrical plug is only a link to the power source, but a very important link.

For us to be in the place of light and power . . . we must be plugged into Jesus. Isaiah 2:5b says: “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (KJV)

– Terry Hall

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay.” James 5:12b (KJV)

It’s hard for me to say “No.” When I say “No” I feel guilty. I feel like I have to make excuses and explain why I can’t do something, and I need to apologize.

When the minister of our church said he wanted to paint his house and needed volunteers to help him, I volunteered to help. I had expected about a dozen church members to show up, but I was the only one. His house was a small two-bedroom house. We started painting, and then he received a call and said he had to leave. I ended up painting the entire house alone—it took a week.

I spent 10 days taking care of the neighbor’s cat while she visited friends in Utah. She said the cat was litter box trained. It wasn’t. The

cat was nervous, meowed constantly for its owner, and rarely used the litter box. When the neighbor returned, I didn’t tell her about her

cat, but the next time she asked me to take care of her cat I told her I was expecting company. I lied. I know I shouldn’t have. I couldn’t bring myself to be honest with her, and I couldn’t just say “No.” She never spoke to me again.

The list is endless. I have allowed people to take advantage of me for years, partly because I felt it was my Christian duty to help other

people, and partly because I didn’t have the courage to say “No” to anyone who asked for my help.

I don’t regret the things I’ve done wrong as much as I regret the things I did right for the wrong reasons. It took me years to learn that

sometimes it is alright to say “No.”

Lord, give me the courage to say “No” when it is the right answer.

– Crying Wind

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

Scripture teaches us that no man has ever seen God. The only person to ever come close to seeing God that I read about in the Bible

is Moses. And he only saw the back of God, not His face. God told Moses specifically how to approach Him. God said, “Stand in the cleft

of the rock” and “you will see my back, but my face must not be seen” (Exodus 33:17-23). God told Moses in that encounter that no one had ever seen Him and lived. Why? Because that is the holiness of God. Incredible and powerful!

We can live our Christian lives three ways: by faith, sight, or good works. Here are reasons why I choose faith:

(1) We are instructed by the Word of God to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). I am glad my Christian walk is by faith in

God and not in people or things of this world. Guaranteed, people will disappoint you. But if your faith journey is in God, you will never be

disappointed.

(2) What about good works? Well, doing good works is biblical, but even that can bring disappointment, frustration, and emptiness.

The Christian life is all about balance. Absolutely, do good works, but don’t make it the basis of your Christian walk. We do good works in

ministry related to world disasters, overseas and local outreach to the poor in spirit. But remember, you and I must still rely on our faith in the Son of God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Hebrews 11 is often called the “Hall of Faith.” I encourage you to take the time to read it and be encouraged to see how the family of

faith walked their journey here on earth and accomplished great things for the kingdom of God.

– Marshall Murdock

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be

with me in paradise.’ ” Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)

I remember visiting a home where the husband was dying from cancer. I asked if it was okay for me to go and see him in his room. The wife agreed. I entered the room, and you could tell that he did not have many days left. I asked him if he knew Jesus Christ, and he said he did not know.

I told him who Jesus is, and that He is preparing a place for us. I asked him if he would ask Jesus for forgiveness of his sins, and he agreed by nodding yes. I told him that he will be with Jesus in paradise for eternity, and he nodded yes. The next day he passed away.

When I think of this man, I think of the thief on the cross in Luke 23. One criminal defended Jesus and asked Him to remember him when He comes into the kingdom. The man in my story had not been a believer, but he became open to knowing Jesus. Like the thief on the

cross he, too, had an opportunity to be with Jesus in paradise.

If you know someone who is close to death, they still have an opportunity to express their faith and not be led into the lake of fire. We all have a chance to “make it right” before we pass away, and it may take a believer in Jesus to make it happen. Don’t let your loved one miss that opportunity. Tell them about Jesus and what to expect when they have no more breath. If you love them very much, take the risk. If they chose not to ask Jesus for forgiveness of their sin, at least you have made the effort.

– Kirby James

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

I like my truck—it’s a blue 2007 4x4 Chevrolet Avalanche. There’s a bit of rust, a few years and a few miles on it, but it runs good and gets

me around. When I’m cruising at normal speed on a flat highway, the 5.3-liter motor runs easily on four cylinders (using less gas). That’s great as long as I’m not hauling a heavy load, trying to climb a steep hill, pulling a big old flat-deck trailer, trying to pass a semi-trailer—or all of the above (at the same time!).

At times like that, four cylinders just aren’t enough. I need more power! It’s then that all eight pistons cut in and you hear the mufflers

ramp up to a “Harley-level” roar! My right foot sinks perilously close to the floorboard as it spurs my old Chevy into the next dimension (or at least past the semi)!

The verse above talks about those times when you need added strength to face bigger obstacles, harder situations, and more intense

opposition than what your normal day brings. When your bank account is $6 overdrawn with no cheque on the radar . . . when “till death do us part” just walked out the door with a suitcase . . . when your doctor is making a living as the constant bearer of bad news . . . and when there’s no sign that things will change anytime soon, you need strength to draw on that you just don’t have in yourself.

When the road gets rough, I need my truck to go from four to eight cylinders and deliver that extra power I need right now. When

my spiritual journey involves more mud, gravel and hills than level pavement, I need that added strength I’m promised in Philippians 4:13.

If the battlefield you’re facing right now requires more spiritual stamina than usual, just know that it’s there for you! As a Christ follower,

you’re promised and assured of His power in all situations.

– Kene Jackson

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Bring them to me,’ he said.” Matthew 14:16-18a (NIV)

We used to have Sunday school in our home back when we lived in Cormorant, MB. We had people from all ages attend. This one

day, there were families from our community, and a lot of out-of-town families, too.

We used to feed the people who would come from out of town, but this day everyone decided to stay. We knew how much food we had,

and it certainly wasn’t enough food for everyone. My husband, Bert, and I talked it over and decided that he and I would not eat.

So, we prayed over the food that day. Everyone ate, and to our surprise there was some left over so Bert and I could eat after all. Wow!

It reminded me of the loaves and fish story in Matthew 14, where the disciples said, “We only have five loves and two fish,” and Jesus

replied, “Bring them to me.” Do you know what happened? All the people had enough food that day, and there were even leftovers. There were over 5000 people to feed!

I believe that when we prayed over the food that day, God multiplied the food so everyone could eat. Praise Jesus!

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. You multiplied the food that day, and everyone including us had a meal! Increase my faith,

Lord, to believe daily that You are Provider and will provide for my every need.

– Liz Genaille

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had

not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)

I grew up near Williams Lake, B.C., on a small reserve called Sugar Cane. I have many sweet memories of playing in the beautiful surroundings of my childhood home. When I started attending the Day School on the reserve, everything changed. The teacher was very cruel and racist. After completing grade six, I went off to residential school until I completed high school.

After these experiences, I had very low self-esteem and a deep confusion about authority figures. I started using alcohol and became

dependent on it to boost my confidence and ability to interact with people. However, my sister gave her life to God and I noticed a change in her. She encouraged me to come to church with her. A missionary shared the gospel, and I put my trust in the Lord. In a study one night I heard, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”

Those words did not fi t my image of myself. I cried because I felt unimportant. God’s Word was telling me something different. I was

interested in learning more. Since then, I have learned how God sees me and about His love for me. John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13 and Psalm

139 are only a few passages that tell us of God’s love, His goodness, and His generosity.

Father God, I ask You to help me treasure the truths that Your word speaks, and to learn to apply these truths to my life.

– Theresa Bose

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40 (NIV)

Everyone always says, “My mom’s fry bread is the best.” I think back to when I would say the same thing. I can remember when I asked my mom to teach me how to make fry bread. She told my wife and me to grab a bowl, and she told us the ingredients: flour, water, oil,

salt, baking powder . . . and two handfuls of love!

She told us to mix them together and try not to knead it too much. We would eventually fry it in oil that was in a frying pan, and it became a golden-brown masterpiece! She was a very good teacher.

The above Scripture reminds us of our need to be a student and to be taught. We are always students when it comes to the Holy Spirit,

who is constantly teaching us to be fully mature. We can’t be above the One who teaches us because the Teacher has been a teacher for a long, long time.

We may think that we know a lot, but do we really know a lot? When I first became a student of the Bible, it would come easy—but

there is so much to learn about being a student for life.

The Holy Spirit was given to us so we can learn to be a believer, to learn to follow Him, and live a life that God wants us to live.

Living a godly life will teach you to be a good student, and one day you will be a teacher to another person, like my mother who taught me to make fry bread.

– Kirby James

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above . . . ” Colossians 3:1 (NKJV)

The old trapper I was visiting mentioned “drops from a plane.” I began to ask some questions of this man who had spent many years on a trapline north of Ft. Chipewyan, Alb.

He explained that it was difficult to take enough supplies to last for the duration of the winter and spring trapping seasons, so supplies

were ordered whenever they ran low. Communication to the store was by two-way radio. People at the store would wrap up the order—things like flour, sugar, tea and lard. Then a plane would fly to the designated area and begin to drop the items. This worked well, as there were no nearby airstrips for landing and take-off.

Though this trapper had been familiar with this procedure for years, he remained fascinated with the accuracy of the drops. He said,

“We never lost anything. As the plane circled, the carefully wrapped items would bounce near us until the drops were completed. They were right on!”

I had heard of similar things being done in other parts of the world. I felt there was a comparison here to something in the spiritual realm. Answers from God to us in “gift packages” should include the leading of His Spirit, more sound knowledge of His Word, and a genuine concern for others that moves us to pray for others and speak to them. One more thing the trapper told me was, “When we came home from the trapline we went to pay for our drops from the plane.” As believers, we know that we need not pay for our “drops from above”— they are gifts.

James 1:17 says, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (NKJV)

– Bill Jackson

 

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org