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Christian Devotional – December 18, 2014
Read Judges chapter 16 VERSE: Judges 16:20–The she said, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. TRUTH: To me, this is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. The idea that Samson, a man used mightily by God would get to the place where he wouldn’t even realize that God was not with him is so incredibly sad. We must be careful not to fall into the same trap. We go through our day each day and just move from one thing to…
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Christian Devotional – December 17, 2014
Read Judges chapter 15 VERSE: Judges 15:14–As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax and the bindings dropped from his hands. TRUTH: Samson did not always follow God, but God still used him in mighty and amazing ways. God’s Spirit worked through him to accomplish great and wonderful victories that only can be explained by God. If we will surrender ourselves to God, He desires to use us in mighty and amazing ways. We don’t have to be perfect to be used by God, but we do have to be willing.…
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Christian Devotional – December 16, 2014
Read Judges chapter 14 VERSE: Judges 14:17–She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people. TRUTH: Why do people continue to whine and beg? Because often it gets results. Samson here was willing to give up the answer to a riddle that he had posed just because his wife whined and cried about it. Do we use whining and begging as a means to get our way? Yes it may seem to work and people do what we want, but the attitude the do it with…
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Christian Devotional – December 15, 2014
Read Judges chapter 13 VERSE: Judges 13:8–Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” TRUTH: Oh, how I wish every parent would pray this prayer. We think we know so many wonderful things about taking care of our children, yet, this man recognized that his child was special to the Lord and that he would need special help to know how to guide and to teach the child that God was giving them. Every child that od allows us to…
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Christian Devotional – December 14, 2014
Read Judges chapter 12 VERSE: Judges 12:2–Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands.” TRUTH: Do we come to the aid of others when they call? Jephthah had called for help, but no one answered his call. As we listen to God guiding and directing us in our life, part of our responsibility is to come to help other believers as they go through struggles. We must be willing to stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ as they are going through struggles and difficulties. RESPONSE: Father, You are the…
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Christian Devotional – December 13, 2014
Read Judges chapter 11 VERSE: Judges 11:27–“I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.” TRUTH: When we are experiencing a dispute between people, how do we handle it? Do we pile on the arguments and the logic? Do we get vindictive and attack the person in some way? Do we sue them and drag them to court just to prove we are right? In this case, the reminder was that God is the judge between people. God is the One to determine the guilt of people.…
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Christian Devotional – December 12, 2014
Read Judges chapter 10 VERSE: Judges 10:14–“Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” TRUTH: God, speaking to the people of Israel, hears them begging to be rescued again. They have worshipped idols and forsaken God, but now that they are in trouble, they want God to save them. Do we do this? Do we only call on God when we are in trouble, but live the rest of the time worshipping other things? Why do we spend our time worshipping things that can’t save us? What would we have left if God told us the same thing He…
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Christian Devotional – December 11, 2014
Read Judges chapter 9 VERSE: Judges 9:56–Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimeleck had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. TRUTH: Years had passed before this took place. Abimeleck had murdered 70 men at one time in a fit of rage to secure his own power and authority, but God allowed him to continue for several years before He brought about judgment. When we look around our world and we see all the evil things that people do and seem to get away with, we must remember that God’s judgment is coming. However, there is no guarantee that it will come immediately. Sometimes God chooses to wait…
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Christian Devotional – December 10, 2014
Read Judges chapter 8 VERSE: Judges 8:27–Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town . All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. TRUTH: Gideon had done so many wonderful things and had allowed God to use him in mighty ways. However, he became prideful and that became a stumbling block. Instead of continuing to worship the God who had given him the victory. He started to worship the gold that he took as a result of the victory. It is easy to get distracted from the One who truly deserves our worship if…
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Christian Devotional – December 9, 2014
Read Judges chapter 7 VERSE: Judges 7:2–The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.'” TRUTH: When God gives us a plan, often we get busy trying to figure out a way to see that plan accomplished. However, we must remember that god has not only the goal in mind, but also the means to accomplish that goal. You can be sure that God’s method is designed to bring Him the most glory. As we seek God’s will and God’s plan, we must be mindful of God’s glory. He will…