Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for April 26

WHOM GOD SENDS, GOD STRENGTHENS

From: April 26, 2023

‘Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”’ (Judges 6:14 NLT).

The Lord told Gideon to go with the strength he had to rescue Israel from the marauding Midianites. But Gideon replied that he was far from being strong, he was the least in his family and from the weakest tribe in Manasseh. Yet God sent him.

God often chooses “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27). What has God sent you to do? Why do you delay? If God has sent you, He will surely strengthen and supply what you need. So, go in the strength you have!

PRAYER: Lord, we are weak, but You are strong. Give us this day the strength we need to answer Your call. We will willing go where You send us. Strengthen us with Your power. Our success is in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”’ (Psalms 96:10 NLT).

From: April 26, 2022

TELL ALL THE NATIONS THAT THE LORD REIGNS

The psalmist encouraged God’s people to spread the message among the nations of the world that the Lord reigns. The Lord God is King over all. Therefore, the world and its peoples shall not be moved apart from His righteous judgment.

Viewed through the lens of the New Testament, this psalm foreshadows Christ’s Great Commission, which commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). For God has given His Son authority over all things in heaven and on earth. Therefore, His disciples are to say among the nations that the Lord Jesus reigns and call people to follow Him. Those who follow Jesus as King are “receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Heb. 12:28). So, when the Day comes when the Lord will shake the earth, His righteous kingdom, which is the Church, will not be moved. And the peoples will be judged according to the righteousness of Christ.

Therefore, let us not be moved by those that say this pandemic or war or any other thing will bring an end to the world before it is time. For our Lord Jesus reigns and His Kingdom is unshakeable.

PRAYER: Dear Father, since we fear You, we fear nothing else. For we declare the Lord reigns. And You have given authority to Jesus to reign over all things in heaven and earth. Therefore, we do not fear. For we are members of His unshakeable kingdom. Now strengthen us to always say to the nations and the peoples of the earth, “The Lord reigns!” In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground”’ (Judges 6:39 HCSB).

From: April 26, 2021

BE CAREFUL ABOUT ASKING GOD FOR A SIGN

Gideon’s fleece test –– Was it narrative or normative? I believe it must be considered narrative, a true story described, yet not prescribed. It is not to be taken as normative, meaning that it does not teach a norm, or a timeless method, on how to discover God’s will. “Put out your fleece” is not the best advice to be taken from this Scripture for those seeking God’s will.

Perhaps a better timeless principle to see is God’s patience with us and His willingness to reveal His will to us. He met Gideon where he was, based on his level of spiritual maturity. Gideon had some faith, but still needed more encouragement. He had already taken action to obey God’s call, yet along the way he needed reassurance that he was in fact called of God. He didn’t doubt God. He doubted himself. And God answered his “fleece test” to help him overcome his self-doubt.

Jesus warned that, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matt. 16:4). So, we must be careful in how we apply Gideon’s story. It is better to believe God’s word and obey it without question. But it is good to know that God is patient with us when we struggle with self-doubt along the way.

PRAYER: Dear Father, strengthen us to hear and obey Your call and Your Word. We sometimes struggle with doubt and seek confirmation. Give us wisdom to know when we must simply obey and when we should seek Your will more fully through prayer and through wise counsel. We want to walk by faith, not by sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; the world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.”’ (Psalms 96:10 NKJV).

From: April 26, 2020

LET US SAY AMONG THE NATIONS THAT THE LORD REIGNS

The psalmist encouraged God’s people to spread the message among the nations of the world that the Lord reigns. The Lord God is King over all. Therefore, the world and its peoples shall not be moved apart from His righteous judgment.

Viewed through the lens of the New Testament, this psalm foreshadows Christ’s Great Commission, which commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). For God has given His Son authority over all things in heaven and on earth. Therefore, His disciples are to say among the nations that the Lord Jesus reigns and call people to follow Him. Those who follow Jesus as King are “receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Heb. 12:28). So, when the Day comes when the Lord will shake the earth, His righteous kingdom, which is the Church, will not be moved. And the peoples will be judged according to the righteousness of Christ.

Therefore, let us not be moved by those that say this pandemic or war or any other thing will bring an end to the world before it is time. For our Lord Jesus reigns and His Kingdom is unshakeable.

PRAYER: Dear Father, since we fear You, we fear nothing else. For we declare the Lord reigns. And You have given authority to Jesus to reign over all things in heaven and earth. Therefore, we do not fear. For we are members of His unshakeable kingdom. Now strengthen us to always say to the nations and the peoples of the earth, “The Lord reigns!” In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”’ (Judges 6:14 NLT).

From: April 26, 2019

WHOM GOD SENDS, GOD STRENGTHENS

The Lord told Gideon to go with the strength he had to rescue Israel from the marauding Midianites. But Gideon replied that he was far from being strong, he was the least in his family and from the weakest tribe in Manasseh. Yet God sent him.

God often chooses “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27). What has God sent you to do? Why do you delay? If God has sent you, He will surely strengthen and supply what you need. So, go in the strength you have!

PRAYER: Lord, we are weak, but You are strong. Give us this day the strength we need to answer Your call. We will willing go where You send us. Strengthen us with Your power. Our success is in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day” (Luke 23:12 NLT).

From: April 26, 2018

DAVID’S PROPHECY FULFILLED

David’s prophecy that the “kings and rulers of the earth would take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Psa. 2:2) was fulfilled in Herod and Pilate. How sad that they would become friends by coming together against Christ. Yet, the disciples prayed for boldness to preach under the threat of those who had conspired to crucify Christ. For they were convinced that God had ordained these things and would handle their threats according to His purpose and plan (See Acts 4:23-31).

‘Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”’ (Judges 6:39 NKJV).

From: April 26, 2017

Gideon’s fleece test –– Was it narrative or normative? I believe it must be considered narrative, a true story described, yet not prescribed. It is not to be taken as normative, meaning that it does not teach a norm, or a timeless method, on how to discover God’s will. “Put out your fleece” is not the best advice to be taken from this Scripture for those seeking God’s will.

Perhaps a better timeless principle to see is God’s patience with us and His willingness to reveal His will to us. He met Gideon where he was, based on his level of spiritual maturity. Gideon had some faith, but still needed more encouragement. He had already taken action to obey God’s call, yet along the way he needed reassurance that he was in fact called of God. He didn’t doubt God. He doubted himself. And God answered his “fleece test” to help him overcome his self-doubt.

Jesus warned that, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matt. 16:4). So, we must be careful in how we apply Gideon’s story. It is better to believe God’s word and obey it without question. But it is good to know that God is patient with us when we struggle with self-doubt along the way.

‘But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer”‘ (Luke 22:67-68 ESV)

From: April 26, 2016

When the Jewish council questioned Jesus concerning whether he was the Christ, they did so not to determine the truth of his identity, but to gain a confession that would justify their desire to kill him. Yet, Jesus responded by describing their real motivation. Their agnostic questions weren’t motivated by a desire to discover the truth, but were from a heart that had already rejected Christ. He knew that they “would not” believe any of his claims, nor honestly answer any of his questions. Their unbelief was an act of the will, not the result of intellectual inquiry. He told them, “You will not believe.” How have you responded to Christ’s claims? How have you answered the question concerning Him? As Jesus asked Martha, so He asks us, “Do you believe?”

“So Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62 NKJV)

From: April 26, 2015

Peter was overcome with grief when he denied Christ three times just as Christ had predicted. Peter, the “Rock,” had crumbled. And to make matters worse, he had made eye contact with Jesus in the moment the rooster crowed. This was the last time Peter saw Jesus until His resurrection. He did not witness His trial before Pilate, nor His crucifixion. Peter was a castaway, drowning in his own misery, beyond comfort. Yet, Jesus had prayed for Peter. He knew that Peter was about to enter a dark night of the soul. “When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Jesus had said (32). And Peter did return. “Do you love Me?” Jesus asked three times, restoring him to Himself. “Yes Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You.” Peter responded (John 21:17).
Have you strayed from the Lord? Return to Him. For Jesus has already prayed for you.

“A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding” (Proverbs 14:6 NLT)

From: April 26, 2014

The “mocker” is made nervous by too serious a tone and feels the need to interrupt with sarcasm and sly remarks. He satisfies himself with an awareness of knowledge without commitment to the same and questions others sincerity. He may rise to the king’s court, but never as more than the king’s fool. Everyone laughs at the mocker’s comedy, but no one follows his command. In contrast, the one with “understanding” is able to grasp knowledge and to accept and apply it to their own life situation as well. The one with understanding may know less than the mocker, yet applies what he knows. While the mocker knows without application. The one with understanding becomes wise. The mocker remains a fool.