Wed, May 30th - 9:03AM

Healed As They Went      Luke 7:14       May 30




12Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.



We hear a lot today about prayer and faith and well we should. For the Bible tells us to pray in faith not doubting. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 21, 21 “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus tells us in Mark 11, 22 “Have faith in God. 23“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

There is an element in our scripture text for today that clarifies what is meant by the phrase, “not doubting” or praying “in faith” or “having faith.” The lepers heard that Jesus was going to be passing their way and so they called out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” We do not know what these men expected from Jesus. We can certainly surmise that they wanted to be made whole and cleansed from the terrible disease that they had. Jesus did not tell them that they had been made whole or that He had healed them. The truth is, He had not done so. These men were still lepers.

Jesus told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Here is where the faith of the men came into play. The men had a choice to make; would they do as Jesus had instructed them to do or would they simply go back to what they were doing thinking, “Jesus did not care for me.” Sometimes we expect our prayers to be answered in a certain way and if that does not happen, then we go on our merry way trying to solve our own problems our own way. Jesus gave the men a command; He did not even tell them, “If you do as I tell you, you will be healed.” He simply told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

Here is the result of dynamic faith; “And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” The men’s faith healed them; their faith was demonstrated in what they did. They went to see the priests and then they were healed. Answers to our prayers are often found when we turn in obedience to the Word of God for our lives. God answers our prayers; most of the time He answers them according to our own response to faith in Him, which is demonstrated in our obedience to His will and way for our lives.

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"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Be sure to visit our church's web site at www.daytonawestside.com

><>   Bob

Sun, May 27th - 8:32AM

Waiting and Hoping              Psalm 130:5               May 27

5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I do hope.

Waiting for the Lord is a wonderful thing. It carries with it great benefits. You see, God knows what you and I need in our lives. He is both the giver and the sustainer of life. He created us and He is solely responsible for every breath we take. He and He alone is responsible for every atom and molecule maintaining its shape and position in our creation otherwise, we would experience a cosmic catastrophe that could utterly destroy the entire cosmos.

When God tells us to wait, there is good reason to do so! How are we to wait or better yet, how are we to know when to “go”? The answer to that question is to be found in the Word of God. God has given us His Word so that we might be able to come to know Him. He wants us to know who He is and what He wants to do in our lives and in our world. Faith is believing that God is everything that He says He is and that He will do everything that He says He will do.

It only makes sense that when it comes to knowing God’s will, we have to wait! We have to study and to learn what God’s will is and the place to do that is in His Word. The Psalmist tells us that he has learned to wait on the Lord and to trust in His Word. If I am going to believe that God is everything that He says He is, then I must wait on Him so that He can prove Himself to me. As God is able to prove Himself to me, He is also able to prove Himself to those around us as well!

When God does things, He does them in grand fashion where everyone will be able to see Him in all of His glory. This involves waiting which involves a lot of prayer. The devil does not want us being still and knowing that He is God. The devil wants us to plow ahead and get ahead of God.

A lot of folks think that the devil will do everything he can to keep us from doing the things of God. That is not true. The devil does not care if you do things for God, just don’t do them on God’s timetable where God can bless you! The devil does not care if you do good things as long as you do them on your terms and your timetable and not God’s. If the devil cannot stop you from doing something for God, he will get behind you and push you so that you will get ahead of God and miss out on blessings.

As we take hold of the Word of God and wait on Him, and stand on what His Word says, we will not get ahead of God and the devil will not be able to rob us of the goodness that God has for us. That is why David could say, “I am waiting on the Lord and in His Word I will trust!”

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"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Visit Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach's website at www.daytonawestside.com

><> Bob  <><

Comment (2)

Sat, May 26th - 8:39AM

Sun, May 20th - 8:23AM

Be Merciful to Me                Luke 18:13                  May 20

10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

God be merciful to me a sinner. It is so easy to let our relationship with the Lord get out of control. It is easy to begin to think that because we are special to God, we can take liberties that we know we should not take.

It is easy to take our commitment to our church for granted and begin to think, "Look at what I am doing for God." It is easy to think that because we teach a Sunday School class or sing in the choir that we are special and that excuses the temptations that we flirt with. Preachers can fall into this trap. Deacons and elders can fall into this trap as well.

The two examples that Jesus gave concerning prayer are important examples for us all to look at and remember. One was a religious guy. He walked his talk. His commitment to God became more important than God Himself. It is easy to follow in this man’s footsteps if we are not careful.

The tax collector knew that he was not where he should be. He knew that his life was not what it ought to be. His prayer was, "God be merciful to me a sinner." We are all sinners. As Christians, we are saved sinners but sinners none the less and we must remember who and what we are. We all need God’s mercy and His grace every moment of every day.

We must look to Him with the right attitude and in humility come to Him in prayer. God wants us to know that we are His and that He is ours but we must also remember that it is what Christ did for us at Calvary that allows us the privilege to be called the children of God.

As long as I am grateful and thankful for what God has done for me, He is able to bless me and make me a blessing to Him as well as those around me. This is our purpose! Let’s be busy doing what God created and then saved us to do!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Visit Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach's website at www.daytonawestside.com

To receive these devotionals by email every morning, go to www.sbgm.org/subscribe01.htm 

><> Bob <><

Sat, May 19th - 8:05AM

Ask in Prayer                    Matthew 21:22               May 19



22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will
receive.”



We as God’s children are admonished to pray without ceasing. We are
instructed to God first in all that we do. We are told the reason we
have not is because we ask not. Here we find Jesus telling us,
22“whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

One thing is obvious when it comes to prayer. We are to pray more than
we are to do anything else! The truth is, we do everything else before
we pray! It is no wonder that our lives and our world is in the shape
that it is in today.

Someone has said, “As poor as our giving is in dollars and cents, the
giving of our money exceeds the giving of our time in prayer.” Jesus
gives us a promise here. He tells us ”whatever things you ask in
prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Lets look at what He says just prior to this statement. Jesus tells His
disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not
doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you
say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it
will be done. 22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you
will receive.”

The key to a victorious life in Christ is found in verse 21,
“Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt.” This is a
conditional statement. The benefit is available to us if we meet the
conditional part of the promise. Faith is important in everything that we do
as a Christian.

Faith is believing that God is everything He says He is and that He
will do everything that He says He will do. When I doubt, I am basically
making God out to be a liar. When I take God at His Word, and believe
Him unconditionally, trusting Him for every need that I have in my life,
there is no problem in me receiving ”whatever things I ask from Him
in prayer.”

The real power is not in the asking; it is in the living. However, the
living is intricately tied to the asking! My obedience is directly
proportionate to the time I spend on my knees in prayer to God. The more I
pray, the better my life becomes; the better my life is, the more
effective my prayers become!

. 22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will
receive.” The more I believe, the more I will receive! Whew! That is
remarkable!


.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Visit Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach's website at
www.daytonawestside.com

To subscribe to receive these devotionals by email every morning, go to www.sbgm.org/subscribe01.htm

><> Bob  <><

Fri, May 18th - 9:35AM

Separated From God

Separated from God           Romans 8:35            May 18

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

How often do we find ourselves in valleys and it seems as if our prayers are not getting out of the rooms that we are in? It is as if the ceilings are made of steel and like cell phones in bad areas, these is no signal. Sometimes, we want to just cry out to God, "Can you hear me now?"

Paul asks the question, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Paul has already told us. "If God be for us who can be against us?" He goes on to say, "It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Jesus is praying for me on my behalf! So, once again, "Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or the sword?"

No! None of these things should separate us from God’s love for us. I say, "should" because this is our response. God’s love for us never changes! He has loved us with an everlasting love. He loved us before the creation of the world and He will love us when eternity has ended. When I cannot feel the warmth of God’s love for me. I can know that He still loves me. Even when I have sinned against Him and I have let Him down, He still loves me and there is nothing that can separate me from the love that He has for me.

When I really come to understand the thrust of this love that He has for me, it will become a catalyst in my life to motivate me to walk even closer to Him and His Word and His will for my life. This is why Paul will go on to say, "37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God’s love for me make me more than a conqueror; it gives me eternal assurance that I am His and He is mine!

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"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Visit Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach's website at www.daytonawestside.com

><> Bob <><

Tue, May 15th - 4:56PM

Find Him Praying        Acts 9:11         May 15

10Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12“And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

13Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14“And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16“For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Ananias was a devout Christian man. He loved the Lord and the Lord loved him. Jesus spoke to Ananias personally and told him to go to a certain street where he would find a man named Saul of Tarsus. Jesus told Ananias to lay his hands on Saul and pray over him so that he would receive his sight. Ananias had heard of Saul of Tarsus. In fact, he may have even gone in hiding because of the threats that Saul had made against Him personally!

Ananias told Jesus what he knew about this man named Saul. Jesus told Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16“For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

The statement that stood out in this passage was, inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Saul of Tarsus, this Jewish army of one against the New Testament Church was praying! Imagine that. Ananias was no doubt himself praying. He certainly was not prepared to receive the answer to his prayers that day.

Ananias would find Saul praying. My prayer is that others will find us praying as well. Our prayers are strength for our soul. Our prayers are strength to others. People know if prayer is a priority in our lives. People see us praying. People can see the results of prayer in our lives! Jesus told Ananias he would find Saul of Tarsus praying. Can Jesus say that of you?

May our Father bless you exceedingly abundantly more than you could ask or hope for in Christ Jesus!

Please visit our church;s web site at www.daytonawestside.com

If you would like to receive these devotionals by email every morning absolutely free, then go to www.sbgm.org/subscribe01.htm

><>   Bob

Sun, May 13th - 7:57AM

Happy Mother's Day to all!

My Only Hope               Psalm 62:1            May 13



1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be
greatly moved.



David had learned to wait upon God. He had learned the value in
standing still and allowing God to lead the way in his life. He knew that God
and God alone was his sole hope of salvation. David did not say, “He
is my rock and my salvation”; he said, “He is my only rock and my
salvation.”

What a difference there is in those two statements. In the first, God
is my rock implies that He could be one of several rocks that one can
lean on. In the second there are no options; for God is our “only
rock.” David says, “He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”
David knew that his salvation was securely anchored in the rock and
nothing was going to move him from there!

What a joy it is indeed to know that our salvation is safe and secure
in Christ Jesus. David did not have the benefit of knowing how his
salvation was to be secured, but you and I do! He trusted God and His
salvation before Christ ever even came; you and I can look back at the cross
and understand better than David did how much God loves us and how much
Jesus did for us at Calvary.

You and I can get down on our knees before God and cry out as David
did, :Oh God, my soul waits for You! You and You alone are the foundation
and the formation of my salvation! You are my defense and I shall not
be moved!”

What a precious prayer that is indeed! If you belong to the Lord today,
you can join David in this prayer of thanksgiving for all the things
that God has done for you! If you have never been to the basin of Calvary
and had your sins washed white as snow, you can cry out with David and
give testimony to your faith that God is the only way to salvation;
that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin so
that you could live for Him today and then with Him forever in heaven!

Ask God to forgive your sin and to give you a new nature and He will
hear your prayer and He will forgive your sin and He will give you a new
heart and a new nature and a new start on life!

Look to the Lord today!


.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you."

Visit Westside Baptist Church in Daytona Beach's website at
www.daytonawestside.com



><> Bob  <><