It Takes Guts to Get Out of the Ruts

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Mark Shields

It takes guts to get out of the ruts. What holds us back many times is fear so it takes courage but it can be done if we work at overcoming our fears, are disciplined, and seek a firmer foundation to get traction. This day with God, we continue to develop our faith to get out of the mud.

Let us take in what is right and reject what is wrong by reading today 2 Kings 18. Hezekiah the king of Judah was trying to get his nation unstuck so he got busy, and confidently took actions to benefit his people. He should be commended for doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord by removing the high places, smashing the sacred stones, cutting down the Asherah poles, and destroying the bronze snake Moses had made.

He trusted in the Lord, continued to follow Him, and kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. There were personal and national benefits for his actions. He was successful in whatever he undertook as he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and no longer served him. He also defeated the Philistines.

So it takes guts to get out of the ruts, but we can conquer the fear if we listen to the voice of Truth, get busy, and confidently take actions for a better future. The voice of Truth says don’t be afraid, take a stand, and others will often follow.

Hezekiah responded to present problems but not so much for the future. It’s the same with us. Sometimes we make the adjustments to handle a crisis in the moment, but the enemy will continue to create a crisis situation until there is a permanent fix. The enemy will continue to intimidate and create fear so we must prepare for the future. The permanent fix for us my friend is Jesus Christ. By accepting Jesus as Savior, we have the courage needed with the power to gain victory in this hour.

This day with You God, we are encouraged to boldly step ahead out of the mud to be unstuck from our past. With Jesus, there is a way to victory. This is Good News for us and for those we know with whom we share. We trust in You and are not afraid. There is no anxiety because we stand on solid ground. Help us now to listen to Your truth, get busy and confidently take action in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.

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Deliverance From Enemies

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Mark Shields

Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. – 2 Kings 17:38-39

From “Spiritual Intelligence”, chronicled was how a nation went into total decline by following idols. The future was bleak in those days, but this day with God, we can head in the other direction.

This day with God, let us see His majesty in the things around us. Worship the ONE true God with songs like Here is Our King by David Crowder. Our God, became human and died for our sins. If Christ is our King and our love, we will be brought back from cultural decline that leads to destruction in order to once again flourish.

Index of devotionals

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Spiritual Intelligence

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Mark Shields

The newest big thing is AI (artificial intelligence), but wouldn’t it be better to be connected to spiritual intelligence! Is AI the next idol to worship in the secular realm? It’s important to be connected to the ONE true God. As we find out in today’s passage, not being connected to the ONE true God leads to a dismal future.  

Reading today 2 Kings 17, several bad kings were not doing what was right in the eyes of God and the whole nation faced a very bleak future. The worship of other gods was practiced, and the anger of the ONE true God was aroused (v. 11). Then we read that God allowed the whole nation to be taken over by Assyria and the people were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria (v. 23).

The king of Assyria sent a priests to Samaria to live there and teach them how to worship the Lord (v. 28). Still there was confusion and hypocrisy as they worshiped the Lord, but also their own gods (v. 33). Think about today’s culture. Don’t we do the same today? There is confusion as many worship the Lord on Sunday, but also their own gods the rest of the week. Anything we put before God is an idol. Examples may include money, job, food, alcohol, and the list goes on and on.

The message for us is to know what God requires and to pay close attention. If we follow the next best thing in the secular realm, disorder will expand to fill the void of human failure, but if we focus on the ONE true God, order will fill the void with greatness.

This day with God, let us see His majesty in the things around us. Let us worship the ONE true God who became human and died for our sins. If Christ is our king and our love, we will be connected to the Holy Trinity which is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will be brought back from cultural decline that leads to destruction in order to once again flourish.

This day with You Lord, we are thankful that You are the real Intelligence and not artificial. Things built by man are inferior but You Lord are supreme. Today, we put our total attention into Your majesty and worship the ONE true God who became human and died for our sins. Because we follow Christ our King, we are guided by and provided spiritual intelligence. We are properly connected to the power source with power beyond all comprehension. For in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Photo Source – “Bing.” Microsoft. N.p., n.d. Web. Images >.



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Things Fall In Place With Grace

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Mark Shields

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:8-9

Presented in “Going the Wrong Way” was how king Ahaz was leading his people the wrong way. He was a wicked king of Judah and his foolish actions included sacrificing his son in the fire as an offering to an idol.

Things domino from there as a coalition of Israel and Syria to the north invaded Judah inflicting heavy casualties. It was Judah’s darkest hour and Ahaz thought he had to go to extremes to get his situation straightened out so he paid Assyria to help in the war with gold taken from the temple.

We can be grateful that because of Jesus, we have a sure Way to get headed in the right direction when we get off track. All we need to understand is that His grace is enough. Then we can begin the process of correcting foolish actions with actions that are thought out so we can get back on track.

Let us worship today with the song Your Grace is Enough by Chris Tomlin and believe things will fall into place because of His grace.

Index of devotionals

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Going the Wrong Way

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Mark Shields

A guy is on his way home from work. His wife calls him and tells him to be careful because she saw on the news that some lunatic was driving the wrong way on the interstate. He says it’s worse than that … There are hundreds of them.*

Think about actions of the past that may get people going the wrong way and get them in a bind. It may be something like saying something out of anger, buying something that was not needed, or taking the wrong advice from someone. 

Foolish actions not only get us into a bind but also affect those around us. Our family, neighbors, co-workers, and community. Reading today in 2 Kings 16, Ahaz became king after Jotham’s death. He was a wicked king of Judah and his foolish actions included sacrificing his son in the fire as an offering to an idol. This detestable practice of idol worship along with offering sacrifices and burned incense at the high places set the stage for failure.

God was not with Ahaz and a coalition of Israel and Syria to the north invaded Judah inflicting heavy casualties. It was Judah’s darkest hour so Ahaz paid Assyria to help in the war. He paid with gold taken from the temple. He was totally under Assyria’s control and even allowed the king of Assyria to lead Judah rather than God.

It all started with idol, dominoes from there, and Ahaz got in a bind. Then, he took extreme measures to get his situation straightened out. The foolish actions of Ahaz caused his family and nation to suffer. We can be grateful that because of Jesus, we have a sure Way to head back in the right direction. All we need to understand is that His grace is enough. Then we can begin the process of correcting foolish actions with actions that are thought out and get us back on track.

Things will fall into place because of His grace. Because of the Savior, there is a change in behavior; following where He leads and doing good deeds; accepting the truth and teaching our youth; learning His ways and giving Him praise.

This day Lord, we are thankful for grace which the book of Truth tells us about. You give us the opportunity to be holy and receive the Spirit that guides us along the path. Your Word Lord coaches us towards holiness. Help us to make the right choices by following the Light as we read Your Word, apply it, and share it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

*Short and Funny Jokes| Top 100. https://short-funny.com

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