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2 Chronicles 20:22
22As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated (NIV). We all have heard of the phrase “Concealed Weapon” one time or another. Due to the increase rate in crime, many people have decided to apply for a permit to carry a “Concealed Weapon”. The word concealed means to hide or to keep secret. However, today I write this devotion to inform you about an “Unconcealed Weapon” called Praise. In 2 Chronicles, God had guaranteed the Israelites triumph against their adversaries. God told them not to fear, because he would fight their battle for them. He gave the Israelites specific instructions to stand still. King Jehoshaphat bowed his faced down to worship the Lord and then the Levites of the children Kohathites and Korahites begin to sing with loud voices. They arose early in the hours and began to sing and praise the Lord. As they begin to sing, the enemies became confused and begin to turn on each other until they were all destroyed. As a result of them praising God openly, the Israelites walked away with all the spoils that was left behind. Praising God does not have to be concealed. Your praises will allow God to show up and show out on your behalf just as he did for the Israelites. When we stand still and follow God’s instructions, he will fight our battle for us. Your praise is an “Unconcealed Weapon”. Use it so God can get the glory! You do not have to hide your praise. God wants us to “Shout a Joyful Noise Unto Him”! When the adversary comes against you, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God will destroy your adversaries for you. God is Jehovah Nissi! He is God all by Himself! Dear God, Thank you for being the Almighty One! God, I surrender all of my battles to you. In Jesus’s Name, Amen! ©2014 by Edwina Perrin. All rights reserved. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 New King James Version (NKJV)
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. On Thursday, we will fellowship with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. While you are with your family and friends, take a period of time and THANK God for what He has done in your lives. Reflect on the many blessings he has bestowed upon everyone around you. God has been good to all of us and we should be excited to say “THANK YOU” I cannot begin to share the miraculous things He has done for me. Therefore, I say THANK YOU daily. There are so many scriptures that command us to give thanks. Here are four of my favorite scriptures on giving thanks. “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever”. Jeremiah 33:11 "Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples”! 1 Chronicles 16:8 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”. Philippians 4:6 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him”. Colossians 3:17 So as you celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving reflect on this: T is for Thanksgiving; H is for Honor; A is for Adoration; N is for Necessary for me to give God praise; K is for He Kept me; S is for he is my Savior; G is for God all by himself; I is for “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”; V is for Victory; I is for I trust him; N is for I am Never alone; G is for Greatly to be praised; Dear God, I love giving you thanks because you are so good to me. You are an awesome God. God even when I am in the middle of a storm, I still give you THANKS and PRAISE! God, I love you! In Jesus Name, Amen! ©2014 by Edwina Perrin. A Reason to Press On….
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NKJV). We all have faced giants in our lives one time or another. We all have had trials and hardships we endured, but in this scripture it tells us that our affliction is only going to last for a moment. Paul, the writer, is instructing us to live a godly life even in the midst of trials and tribulations. Paul does not want us to quit or become discouraged because it is only “light affliction”. As Christians, we should not be astounded by the problems we have. In 1st Peter 4:12, it clearly tells us to not be surprised by the trials that we will face. We have to remind ourselves that we do not have to face these trials alone. For the scripture says, Matthew 11: 30, “For my yoke is easy and my burdens are light” (NIV). We do not have to experience problems by ourselves. God is waiting with open arms for us to run to him. He wants us to surrender and turn our problems and burdens over to him. He is Jehovah Shammah (Lord Is There), El Shaddai, (Almighty One), the Sovereign One, the Omnipotent, and Omniscient one. So… why are we in distress? Paul is telling us, in this text, not to be caught up in the ungodly ways of whining and complaining. Psalm 121 clearly tells us to look to the hills which cometh our help because all our help comes from the Lord. Dear God, Forgive me for the many times I whined and complained about my problems. Forgive me for not turning to you first, but instead turned to other people. You are my rock, my mighty battle axe, and my way maker. God, from this day forward, I refuse to be discouraged by life experiences. I surrender ALL to you today. In Jesus Name, Amen! Copyrighted 2014 by Edwina D. Perrin All rights reserved. Matthew 1:23
“Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Christmas will soon be with us, and that thought can fill you with trepidation; or excitement! The thought of all the commercialism that is added on to the real Christmas is enough to make anyone feel a little unhappy. But when we recognized the real reason of Christmas, it will fulfill us with joy. It is so wonderful to realize that God gave the Gift of his only son to a lost world. As recorded by the prophet Isaiah and in Matthew, an angel appeared to Mary and Joseph— with the name ‘Emmanuel.’ Although in Isaiah, the spelling Immanuel with an “I” derived from the Hebrew word (Old Testament) and Emmanuel with an “E” Greek word (New Testament) they both still mean God is with us. It doesn’t matter of the spelling of the name because God is with us: 1) God is with us in good times as well as the bad times. 2) God is with us in the times we are tempted to quit and through in the towel. 3) God is with us in times of danger. 4) God is with us in joyful times. 5) He is with us when we on the mountain. 6) He is with us when we are in the valley. 7) God is with us even when we are lonely. “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear!” What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Some call him Emmanuel; Some call him our Rose of Sharon; Some call him a Wheel in the middle of the wheel; Some call him a Lily in the Valley; I don’t know what you call him, but I call him my way out of no way, my burden bearer, my heavy load sharer. He is a strong tower. A mighty battle axe! Dear God, You said that you would never leave nor forsake us, but be with us always. God, I thank you for never leaving me alone. In your 23rd Psalm, you remind me of “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”. God, I thank you for being there for me when I did not recognize or acknowledge your presence. Forgive me, Oh God. In Jesus name I pray, Amen! ©2014 by Edwina Perrin. All rights reserved. |
This is a Global Ministry here to EMPOWER you daily with the truth of God.
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