Two books I recommend:
Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry Blackaby, his son Richard Blackaby and Claude King
The Life of Faith by Mrs. C. Nazum
It is not just a morning prayer. It is alone time with the Lord. It is scripture reading. It is worship and laying my petitions before the Lord.
I use devotional books from time to time as part of my morning devotion.
Some days I use them in the evening when the work day is done. The time I spend in the Word of God and these precious devotionals reveal a lot more to me than the precious promise of God. There are times when I see in my devotions areas of my life that still need to be improved, and more importantly I see how to improve those areas.
I encourage you to broaden your perspectives taking advantage of the many gifted writers of our time as well as earlier writers.
The Road to Rest
Created a sovereign being by God to trod and eventually lie beneath the sod. Along the route there are choices to be made. Decisions.
I require your council to make. Should I choose the right road? Who is to say?
Should I choose the wrong road; How long do I journey before I know it is?
Threescore and ten could mean the journey's end. Threescore and ten could mean a new journey begins. All along the route there are choices to be made. Do I myself know what roads to take?
There is only one who the right roads chose. He alone my guide will be. His foot-steps I will look to see.
FgHolland 1984
AUGUST
Selah
I have long been intrigued by the definition for the Hebrew word that is transliterated Selah. According to Christianity.com there are many different explanations for the word Selah. For example, "Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah" (Psalm 3:8)
According to Christianity.com "The New American Standard Hebrew Lexicon defines the Hebrew word (סֶֽלָה) as “to lift up, exalt.”
Some scholars believe that Selah was a musical notation possibly meaning "silence" or "pause;" others, "end," "a louder strain," "piano," etc. Still, others think it is similar to a musical interlude, “a pause in the voices singing, while the instruments perform alone.”
Selah is translated as “intermission” in the Septuagint (LXX) which is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament. The Septuagint is significant because it was completed in the 2nd Century BCE and was quoted by the Apostle Paul."
I personally have adopted it to mean pause and think about it. Rather than just reading on, take a moment or few seconds to consider what was just said. Is this statement of greater or less significance? Is this a principle? How does it impact me? Is this a challenge to my faith or a confirmation of it. Is this praise worthy? Is it worth memorizing?
Now we know that all scripture is written for our admonition and benefit; To help us grow into a mature believer. But the Psalmist in particular seems to be drawing our attention to what was just said as being very significant. I hear in Jesus' opening words, "truly, truly" the same idea Selah! What he is about to say is significant. Don't miss what he is about to say.
So at times in my own writing I have begun to use the term to bring attention to specific word phrases that have been significant to me and hopefully to you.
September
I have begun a new devotional this month. It was sent to me from one of my favorite ministries, In touch Ministries. The ministry has been led by Pastor Charles Stanley for over 45 years. I plan to review the devotional here when I complete it.
“Respect is Not”
9/4/22-Revised:
Respect is not a gift upon a silver charger. It is not an apparel worn upon a certain age acquired. It is not found upon a shelf as a prize won. It is not beheld with natural eyes. Respect is a wage to be earned. Labors of love, Faithfulness in all, Trustworthy and True, these are the toils that precede Respect. FgHolland-Revised from 10/27/84
October
The In Touch Daily reading For Devoted Living is the full title of Dr. Stanley's Devotional that I have begun receiving. It is a monthly devotional. In Touch has been a radio program and now on You Tube that I have followed for years. In fact Dr. Stanley and his InTouch radio broadcast was such an important part of my spiritual development. I have been so blessed by his ministry since coming to the Lord in 1971-72. I found the devotional to be extremely easy to read. It is designed to be very short readings that are filled with relationship building teaching. As with all things of this life it requires diligence to not just breeze through it as I had initially began. It is more impactful as you use it as a time of seeking to know God better and build on your relationship with him and those within your sphere of influence, through his word and the devotional. I especially encourage you to take to heart Dr. Stanley's observation, "At times, our loved ones will fail us, and there'll be moments when we also fall short of their expectations. But that doesn't mean our bonds aren't worth fighting for. Quite the opposite-to grow spiritually and emotionally, we need the people God places in our life." I hope you will be spiritually and emotionally enriched from this devotional written by Dr. Stanley.
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Due to the amount of time I have been spending on writing I have not been keeping up any specific devotional reading so it may be a while before any new entry regarding devotionals will appear. I still strongly encourage you to take advantage of the many inspirational devotionals that have been written.
To my brother and his wife Donna I apologize that I have not been drawn to actually write a devotional yet.
July
May 29, 2023
I began working my way through a book that was given to me by my brother who is a pastor in Jacksonville Florida. The book is written by Mark and Patti Virkler. It is titled "4 Keys To Hearing God's Voice. The book is designed to encourage and teach believers to hear God's voice. Virkler notes, early in the book, "Hearing God's voice is as simple as quieting yourself down, fixing your eyes on Jesus, tuning to spontaneity, and writing."(p.27) Much of what I have derived from this devotional is the introspection that takes place as I follow the various processes. I am also learning to be more open to the Spirit of the living God who dwells in me.
As I said, I am working my way through the book. Some will be able to stay focused and complete it much quicker than I am but at the same time I am enjoying the process. For me the emphasis is not on completing the book but absorbing as much as the book offers. I can wholeheartedly recommend you check into Mark and Patti Virkler's 4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice
Have you ever wanted to memorize scriptures to lead a soul to Christ? Let me share this 8 Steps to Commitment to Christ