September 28 Devotion - Strengthen your Faith and Be ready to receive

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

إِنَّمَا خَيْرٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ يَتْبَعَانِنِي طَوَالَ حَيَاتِي،

Psalm 23:6

 

Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back;
       lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

وَسِّعِي فَسْحَةَ خَيْمَتِكِ وَابْسُطِي سَتَائِرَ مَسَاكِنِكِ، لاَ تُضَيِّقِي. أَطِيلِي حِبَالَ خَيْمَتِكِ وَرَسِّخِي أَوْتَادَكِ،

Isaiah 54:2

I believe that God has many blessings prepared for us. David had faith and was expecting God to supply goodness and mercy for the rest of his life, and was ready to receive the blessings. Isaiah had faith and a vision.

Think about this: if you have a cup and God has a hundred litres to give you, the problem is not with the supply. The problem is that you don't have the capacity to receive the hundred litres. But, if you replace the cup with a 100 litre tank then you will be able to receive more. The container is our faith and our ability to receive.

If we think we've reached our limits, the problem isn't that God doesn't have the resources or the ability. The problem is that our container is too small. We have to enlarge our vision and make room for the new things God has for us.

Our attitude should be: Yes, I know the economy is down, we are persecuted, and the country is unstable but I know God is still on the throne. I know wherever I go His goodness and mercy follow me.

When we have that kind of faith, we increase our capacity to receive so that we can live the abundant life Jesus came to give to us, For He Himself has said:

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

أَمَّا أَنَا فَقَدْ أَتَيْتُ لِتَكُونَ لَهُمْ حَيَاةٌ، بَلْ مِلْءُ الْحَيَاةِ!

John 10:10

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love already in my life. Lord You are Good and I praise You and glorify You. Jesus, I want to experience the abundant life You came to give me. Lord, please enormously strengthen my faith and enlarge my vision of myself and my future, make me ready to receive all the blessings You want and are ready to give me. Help me to have a deep belief that goodness and mercy will follow me for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

May The Lord bless you and keep you.                                                                                                                       May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to  you.                                                                                                                                                                                     May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 27 Devotion - The Lord is Good

The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ صَالِحٌ، إِلَى الأَبَدِ رَحْمَتُهُ وَأَمَانَتُهُ دَائِمَةٌ مِنْ جِيلٍ إِلَى جِيلٍ.

Psalm 100:5

 

I had wrongly understood the meaning of the LORD is good to mean that He answers all my prayer requests. But I later understood that because He is good He only gives me what is best for me. Sometimes He says no and sometimes He gives me beyond my request and imagination, sometimes different than what I asked for, sometimes at a different timing but always what is best for me. I realized that God loves me with an affection beyond imagination, and He knows me best because He fashioned every intricate fiber of my being.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

لأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ قَدْ كَوَّنْتَ كُلْيَتَيَّ. نَسَجْتَنِي دَاخِلَ بَطْنِ أُمِّي.

 ¹⁴ أَحْمَدُكَ لأَنَّكَ صَنَعْتَنِي بِإِعْجَازِكَ الْمُدْهِشِ. مَا أَعْجَبَ أَعْمَالَكَ وَنَفْسِي تَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ يَقِيناً.

Psalm 139:13–14

It makes total sense, then, that He knows exactly what I need and what blessings would benefit me the most.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord You are Good and I praise You and glorify You. I will give thanks to You because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. Lord, thank You that Your mercies are everlasting in my life. Lord, teach me to surrender totally to You and to realize that You are always looking out after me and doing what is best for me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين .

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 26 Devotion - Attitude

Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]

فليكن فيكم هذا الفكر الذي في المسيح يسوع ايضا

Philippians 2:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Bible says that faith pleases God. An attitude of gratitude is pleasing to God and helps to build us up. We need to keep believing in face of adversity, we need to keep an attitude of faith and expectancy because ‘attitude determines altitude’.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You. Lord, give me Your divine perspective and the right and humble attitude. Keep me from discouragement, worry, and self-sufficiency. I know that your promises are true and that You will change all the circumstances to work for the good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

September 25 Devotion - Child of God

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
أَمَّا الَّذِينَ قَبِلُوهُ، أَيِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاسْمِهِ، فَقَدْ مَنَحَهُمُ الْحَقَّ فِي أَنْ يَصِيرُوا أَوْلاَدَ اللهِ،

John 1:12 

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

تَأَمَّلُوا مَا أَعْظَمَ الْمَحَبَّةَ الَّتِي أَحَبَّنَا بِهَا الآبُ حَتَّى صِرْنَا نُدْعَى «أَوْلاَدَ اللهِ»، وَنَحْنُ أَوْلاَدُهُ حَقّاً. وَلَكِنْ، بِمَا أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْعَالَمِ لاَ يَعْرِفُونَ اللهَ، فَهُمْ لاَ يَعْرِفُونَنَا.

1 John 3

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You. Thank You my heavenly Father that You love me so much that You have given Your only begotten son Jesus to die for my sins so that I can be a child of God. I receive You Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and believe in Your name. Help me to see myself as You see me; a unique, irreplaceable and beloved creation with a divine and eternal plan and purpose. I hold my head up and face the world with the knowledge that I am a child of God and my Father is the King of the universe. I pray that every person will believe in Your name and become a child of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 21 Devotion - Following God's Plan

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

الحق الحق اقول لكم ان لم تقع حبة الحنطة في الارض وتمت فهي تبقى وحدها .ولكن ان ماتت تأتي بثمر كثير .

John 12:24 

The statement that knowledge is power is in reality not a true statement because only applied knowledge is power. I have learnt a lesson and I need to apply it if I want the full power of what God is teaching me in my life. In writing these devotions, I am the first person to benefit.

It's good to be passionate, however I seem to be unhappy if things do not happen my way and I need to learn that I have to put my dreams on God’s altar.

Does this apply to you too? Are you frustrated because you're trying to force things to happen on your timetable? Sometimes we hold on to things so tightly, but actually, when we let them go, that's when God brings them to pass.

We have to remember, God already knows what we want and what we are in need of. He's the One who put those desires in us.

“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

أَبَاكُمْ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلُوهُ.

Matthew 6:8

We shouldn't be consumed by trying to make things happen. Instead, a greater act of faith is to be happy right where we are; to stay open and trust God because He has great plans in store.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Lord, teach me that the way to open the door for God to give me the desires of my heart is to thank God consistently that He is directing my steps. I really need to learn this lesson. Lord, let this lesson go deep into my conscious and subconscious mind. Help me today to release my dreams, my desires, my "wants" like a seed falling to the ground and dying, and I know that in Your fertile plan I will receive Your desires for me. I know that You have the best plan for my future, and I trust You to bring it to pass in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2 قُلْتُ لِلرَّبِّ: «أَنْتَ سَيِّدِي. خَيْرِي لاَ شَيْءَ غَيْرُكَ».

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 20 Devotion - I will give you rest

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
      And He shall direct your paths. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

توكل على الرب بكل قلبك وعلى فهمك لا تعتمد. في كل طرقك اعرفه وهو يقوم سبلك تعالوا اليّ يا جميع المتعبين والثقيلي الاحمال وانا اريحكم

Proverbs 3:5-6 

                                                                     Matthew 11:28 

Come to me: I understand this phrase in the context of the new covenant to mean that the knowledge of God and His gift of grace are only available through Jesus and is an invitation to come to Him for salvation and to follow Him as His disciple.

I will give you rest: I understand that this is the rest we get when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and we are as a result redeemed, justified, reconciled, and sanctified.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Lord, give me wisdom not to lean on my own understanding and strengthen me Lord to always trust You. Direct my paths Lord to always follow Your Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, help me to always put all my worries and problems at the feet of Your Cross. I know that You will give me rest, peace, joy, and fill my heart with Your love, for You died for the forgiveness of my sins and to redeem me and declare me righteous in the eyes of the LORD.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
My goodness is nothing apart from You.” Psalm 16:2
قُلْتُ لِلرَّبِّ: «أَنْتَ سَيِّدِي. خَيْرِي لاَ شَيْءَ غَيْرُكَ».
Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 19 Devotion - In everything give thanks

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

ارْفَعُوا الشُّكْرَ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ: فَهَذِهِ هِيَ مَشِيئَةُ اللهِ لَكُمْ فِي الْمَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In the middle of a severe problem or trial it is extremely difficult to give thanks to God and to praise Him. We are taught however that it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that we give thanks in everything.

In order to be able to do that we need to remember that God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 1 John 3:20 and that God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 He has allowed this problem or trial for a reason and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. Romans 8:28

When we have an attitude of gratitude even through hardships we are telling God that we trust Him and even though we do not understand, we believe that according to God’s ways and thinking, going through these hardships will eventually be for our benefit. We praise Him for His purpose.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Thank You Lord that You have a divine plan for me and that whatever I go through is Your will through Christ Jesus, and has a good ending.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

I will praise You with my whole heart;   Psalm 138:1                   

أُسَبِّحُكَ مِنْ كُلِّ قَلْبِي

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 18 Devotion - It is all from God

For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

لانه من يميّزك واي شيء لك لم تأخذه.وان كنت قد اخذت فلماذا تفتخر كانك لم تأخذ.

 

1 Corinthians 4:7

 

Although we all want to feel good about ourselves, let us immediately recognize that everything we have is from God. Whatever blessings, beginning with our talents, our intelligence, our ability to speak languages, our successes, our wealth and going all the way to our salvation is from God. Whatever spiritual gifts we have are from God. Your voice, her organizational abilities, his preaching abilities, my writing abilities, and these devotions they are all from God, lest anyone should boast.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Thank You Lord for all the talents, physical attributes, success and joy in my life, they are all blessings from You Lord. Thank for the ‘devotion ministry’ You have given me through these devotions, may they be a blessing to anyone reading them. Grant me the humility to always recognize Your hand in everything I am, and everything I own and in everything good in my life. I thank You for the grace of Your Salvation through Jesus Christ, I know that that is a gift that I am chosen for and that I received freely, and that Jesus paid His life for my redemption and salvation. What a fantastic gift beyond description. Thank You Lord.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

 

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 17 Devotion - Be swift to hear

Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

لقمة يابسة ومعها سلامة خير من بيت ملآن ذبائح مع خصام. الموت والحياة في يد اللسان واحباؤه ياكلون ثمره. اذا يا اخوتي الاحباء ليكن كل انسان مسرعا في الاستماع مبطئا في التكلم مبطئا في الغضب.

Proverbs 17:1

Proverbs 18

James 1:19

Through God’s word we learn that quietness and peace are much better than a house full of feasting and arguments and conflict. Peace between people requires establishing mutual trust .Trust is about listening and understanding - not necessarily agreeing (which is different) - to the other person. Listening without judging is necessary.

A useful focus to aim for when listening to another person is to try to understand him/her, how the other person feels, and to discover what the other person wants to achieve.

The late Dr. Stephen Covey (of 'The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People'® fame) is one of many modern advocates who urge us to strive deeply to understand the other person's point of view through empathic listening (also called active listening or reflective listening).

Click and view:             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5aszu84FLM

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

Lord help me to listen with empathy, to understand other people, not to judge them, and to be slow to wrath. Help me to control what I say and purify what I think.  

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth
لانك انت رجائي يا سيدي الرب متكلي منذ صباي.
Psalm 71:5

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

 

 

September 12, 13 & 14 Devotion - Love, the first fruit of THE SPIRIT

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

واما ثمر الروح فهو محبة فرح سلام طول اناة لطف صلاح ايمان

وداعة تعفف.

                                                            Galatians 5:22–23

 

"Fruit of the Spirit" is a Biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit.

 The fruit of the Holy Spirit is first and foremost love. All of the other qualities associated with having the Holy Spirit flow from the presence of God’s love in us.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16

 God does not merely love; He is love itself. Everything God does flows from His love. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely (us), not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so, and He must be true to His nature and character.

How does God love us? It is an Agape love, a sacrificial love. Here is how He described His love for us:

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

⁵ It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

⁶ It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

⁷ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

⁸ Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].

                           1 Corinthians 13:4–8 AMP

 

We are the undeserving recipients upon whom He lavishes that love. His love was demonstrated when Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for those He loves.

…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:10

 Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.

²⁴ All who keep His commandments [who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. [They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ.] And by this we know and understand and have the proof that He [really] lives and makes His home in us: by the [Holy] Spirit Whom He has given us.

1 John 3:23–24

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. I praise You and glorify You.

O gracious and merciful God, fill my heart with the fruit of Your Holy Spirit - love.

Teach and strengthen me Lord, let the Holy Spirit within me love others the way You love me, and to love my enemies so that I may be a child of God. Fill my heart dear Lord with Your unconditional Agape love.

I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

والقادر ان يفعل فوق كل شيء اكثر جدا مما نطلب او نفتكر بحسب القوة التي تعمل فينا

له المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

 
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, John 1:12
واما كل الذين قبلوه فاعطاهم سلطانا ان يصيروا اولاد الله أي المؤمنون باسمه.

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein