JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"We're Never Alone"

Deuteronomy 31:6  "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Daniel 6:16-22  "So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions.  But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, 'Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.'  Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.  Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him.  Also his sleep went from him.  Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.  And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel.  The king spoke, saying to Daniel, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?'  Then Daniel said to the king, 'O king, live forever!  My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.'”

1 Corinthians 10:13  "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Insight: We are never alone because God is always faithful.  Remember that God is always there.  Trust in God and seek Him before, during, and after your time of need.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for your faithfulness.  There is no other like You.  Bless us and make us like You.  Remind us that You are faithful.  Help us to see You as You really are, Lord.  We will increase our faith in You.  We will believe You keep your promises and love us as You say and as You have shown.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On February 1st, 1871, the Cardiff Giant was revealed as a hoax. Two cousins had carved a gypsum statue of a ten-foot man, then they claimed to have discovered it as buried petrified remains near Cardiff, New York. Part of their motivation was to ridicule the reference to “giants in the earth” found in Genesis 6:4. Thousands of people eventually paid to see this fake fossil. Even some experts were fooled into believing the Cardiff Giant was either a fossil man or an ancient statue. Three years passed before it was realized that the giant had been carved and artificially aged with ink and sulfuric acid. The Cardiff Giant story is largely forgotten today, while the Book of Genesis still stands true.

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

We should be excited when we find people who are interested in the gospel.

The Great Commission is for every believer in Jesus Christ.

Are you hungry to see God do something that you cannot do alone?

God's kingdom isn't about good intentions, but it's about power.

Trying to figure out all of the Holy Spirit's ways and reasons can be a futile task.

If you want to help sinners, you have to take some risks.

Your ministry is capped by how much you pray.

When you realize the cup you have isn't the cup you want, you can either complain about it, accept it, or change it.

God says, "I love you so much, you shouldn't complain."

Forget Super Tuesday. God is waiting for you to elect Him king so you can have a Super Sunday.

When Christians are politically defeated, they have the opportunity to exercise great faith during persecution.

Nobody has always been a Christian.

In addition to having an Easter egg hunt, we should have a lost neighbor hunt.

These quotes came from the Holy Spirit, Howard Everett, and Jason Gastrich.  If you'd like to read more wise quotes, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.