October 31 Devotion - We are Redeemed

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

 

1Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7

المسيح افتدانا من لعنة الناموس الذي فيه لنا الفداء بدمه غفران الخطايا حسب غنى نعمته

To redeem means: to purchase back at a cost.

Jesus went to the cross for the primary purpose of purchasing us back from a life of slavery to sin, to a life of freedom as children of God.

Be freed from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

تُحَرَّرَ هِيَ أَيْضاً مِنْ عُبُودِيَّةِ الْفَسَادِ إِلَى حُرِّيَّةِ الْمَجْدِ الَّتِي لأَوْلاَدِ اللهِ.   

Romans 8:21

Does this apply to everyone? I believe it applies only to those who have surrendered their lives to Christ and accepted the fact that He bore their sins in His own body at The Cross, and have declared Him as their Lord and Saviour. At that moment they are born again through the spirit and become children of God.

 

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. Thank You Lord that I was not purchased with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Thank You Lord that You redeemed me and granted me forgiveness of my sins, according to the riches of Your grace. LORD, I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 29 and October 30 Devotion - Joy Fulfilled

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world,

 

that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves….

 

²⁰I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.”

John 17:9-20

 

9 من اجلهم انا اسأل .لست اسأل من اجل العالم بل من اجل الذين اعطيتني لانهم لك .

10 وكل ما هو لي فهو لك .وما هو لك فهو لي وانا ممجد فيهم .
13 اما الآن فاني آتي اليك .واتكلم بهذا في العالم

ليكون لهم فرحي كاملا فيهم .

20 ولست اسأل من اجل هؤلاء فقط بل ايضا من اجل الذين يؤمنون بي بكلامهم

 

Jesus is praying for you and me and for all other believers who have declared Him as their Lord and Saviour. He is requesting from The Father that we may experience Jesus’ delight fulfilled in us, and that Jesus’ enjoyment be perfected in our souls. He requests that our hearts be filled with His gladness.

Feeling joyful is what everyone wants, and we believers should be the most joyful, for our salvation is guaranteed through Christ. The Apostle Paul said

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

افْرَحُوا فِي الرَّبِّ دَائِماً، وَأَقُولُ أَيْضاً: افْرَحُوا.

Philippians 4:4

We need to feel God’s grace in order to feel joy, so what is stopping us from feeling it since Jesus requested that we feel it.

The only answer that I have come up with is that we are somehow blocking it. Blockers may be: fear, wrong paradigms, and wrong programs running in our still “un-renewed minds”.

We need to “see” ourselves joyful so that we can unblock this state and feel the joy Jesus intends for us to feel. Jesus said:

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:24

We need to believe that we will/are/can be joyful, and we will be joyful, and Jesus’ joy will be fulfilled in us. We need to visualize and meditate on seeing ourselves joyful all the time.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You, I thank You, I glorify You and I rejoice in You. Thank You Jesus for praying for me to The Father. Heavenly Father I long to experience Jesus’ delight fulfilled in me, and Jesus’ enjoyment perfected in my soul. I long to have my heart filled with His gladness. Fill me God totally and envelop me with Your Grace, so that I can feel an inner joy independent of circumstances. Jesus You said: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11

Jesus I long for and pray that Your Joy remain in me and that my Joy be full and that I always rejoice in You. Jesus, in Your Holy name I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

كلمتكم بهذا لكي يثبت فرحي فيكم ويكمل فرحكم

Jesus loves you

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

October 28 Devotion - Your thoughts impact your destiny

Sow a thought, reap a paradigm;

Sow a paradigm, reap a behaviour;

Sow a behaviour, reap an action;

Sow an action, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a personality;

Sow a personality, reap a destiny.

Wagdi Henein

So if our thoughts are that important, what kind of thoughts should we have? We learn from God’s word that we should occupy our mind with the following:

 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

كل ما هو حق كل ما هو جليل كل ما هو عادل كل ما هو طاهر كل ما هو مسرّ كل ما صيته حسن ان كانت فضيلة وان كان مدح ففي هذه افتكروا.

Philippians 4:8–9

When we choose to think about those things that inspire us, encourage us, teach us, and build us up emotionally, we find that we want to follow God’s will and we will desire to remain faithful to Him.

When we choose to think about the majesty and glory of God, we rely upon Him with increasing faith and trust.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in You. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can be changed by the renewing of my mind. Help me Lord to think the way You want me to think, to constantly think positive and pleasant thoughts of people & circumstances. Help me to concentrate on Your love for me and feel your joy in my heart. Help me to think thoughts of obedience and discipleship. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. 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

October 24 Devotion - With God All Things Are possible

By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.

وعن طريق الإيمان، ندرك أن الكون كله قد خرج إلى الوجود بكلمة أمر من الله. حتى إن عالمنا المنظور، قد تكون من أمور غير منظورة!

Hebrews 11:3 رسالة العبرانيين

Amplified Bible (AMP)

 

This verse tells me that I have to look with my eyes of faith because: 

The provision, healing and miracle I need is already available in God’s realm.

I believe that I was created by Almighty God to live a blessed and fulfilled life. I believe that many of us may be living far below the level of what God truly intended for us because we do not have enough faith and imagination to see God’s plan and believe how it could happen. 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord I praise You and glorify You. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can look with my eyes of faith and believe that You have a glorious plan for my life and see it materialize because that which I will see was not made out of things which are visible, as Jesus said  “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 23 Devotion - Our Great High Priest

Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

فَمَادَامَ لَنَا رَئِيسَ كَهَنَتِنَا الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي ارْتَفَعَ مُجْتَازاً السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَهُوَ يَسُوعُ ابْنُ اللهِ، فَلْنَتَمَسَّكْ دَائِماً بِالاعْتِرَافِ بِهِ.

Hebrews 4:14

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

فلنتقدم بثقة الى عرش النعمة لكي ننال رحمة ونجد نعمة عونا في حينه

Hebrews 4:16

Whenever we experience adversity (hardship; distress; affliction) we can:

 

·     Deal with it on our own, or  

·     Allow God to carry our burden for us.

The first requires human strength and effort, which are rarely sufficient in handling grievous trials. Heartache erodes human ability.

The wiser course of action is to allow God to handle our adversities. His ability to provide goes beyond our greatest imagination. He is the God who has the ability to calm every storm.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, thank You that in Your divine love, wisdom, grace and mercy You have allowed me to come directly to You through our High Priest Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour and eliminated the need for anyone else to intercede for me. Thank You that You instruct me to come boldly to the Throne of Grace, and find help when I need it the most. Jesus in Your name I pray, help me to hold fast to my faith in You and surrender to You and to leave all my troubles at the foot of Your Cross for You to handle for me. 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

October 22 Devotion - ABCD

If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Matthew 5:40-42

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُخَاصِمَكَ وَيَأْخُذَ ثَوْبَكَ فَاتْرُكْ لَهُ الرِّدَاءَ أَيْضاً.

41. وَمَنْ سَخَّرَكَ مِيلاً وَاحِداً فَاذْهَبْ مَعَهُ اثْنَيْنِ.
42. مَنْ سَأَلَكَ فَأَعْطِهِ وَمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْتَرِضَ مِنْكَ فَلاَ تَرُدَّهُ.

At one of my work assignments, the company encouraged people to go beyond their job descriptions and their objectives. When a person did that they got an ABCD award. Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

How can we get an ABCD award in our Christian life when the bar is as high as Jesus puts it? On our own we cannot because we cannot even meet the bar that Jesus has set. In my opinion these verses are there to teach us three things. One lesson is: that is the nature of God. That is how He loves and treats us. The second is to show us that on our own we cannot but through The Holy Spirit we can. The third is that we can never do enough works to enter heaven, we need the Grace of God demonstrated by the justification we experience through the death of Jesus in our place.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord I praise You and glorify You. Thank You Lord for the depth of your love for me even though I do not deserve it. Lord, strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being to go the extra mile and to be generous toward others. Thank You Jesus that you sympathize with my weaknesses and that You are my high priest to whom I take my needs, and through You Jesus I can come boldly to God’s throne of grace. Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. Psalm 16:1 Let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over us that those who love your name may rejoice in You. Psalm 5:11 Give ear to my words, O Lord, Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. Psalm 5:1-2  Those who know Your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 21 Devotion - We Are Chosen

Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

 Ephesians 1:4, John10:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

كما اختارنا فيه قبل تأسيس العالم لنكون قديسين وبلا لوم قدامه في المحبة

انا فقد أتيت لتكون لهم حياة وليكون لهم افضل .

According to the above scripture we ‘born again’ Christians, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and declared Him as Lord over our lives; were chosen by God before the world was formed.

You are called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of your earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God.

Not only has He chosen you, but He has equipped you with everything you need to live His abundant life.

In order to be all that God has called you to be, you have to see yourself as chosen, valuable, and victorious.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, thank You that You have picked me as Your own in Christ even before the foundation of the earth and that through Christ’s blood You consider me blameless in Your sight. Help me Lord to understand my value as it stems from You and to rise up higher and higher into the abundant life of victory and joy You have prepared for me. Father, help me to see myself as chosen, valuable and victorious. Lord, show me Your ways that I may be holy (consecrated and set apart for You) and walk with You in confidence and trust all the days of my life. In the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus The Christ, the only begotten Son of God, 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

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 17 Devotion - God's Vision for us is superior

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

طرقك يا رب عرّفني. سبلك علمني.

 دربني في حقك وعلمني. لانك انت اله خلاصي. اياك انتظرت اليوم كله.

Psalm 25:4–5

Most of us are familiar with the scripture, in which God said,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways”

لان افكاري ليست افكاركم ولا طرقكم طرقي يقول الرب.

Isaiah 55:8

 

Yet many times we fail to see the goodness of this verse. God often takes us places we could never dream of going on our own. His vision is far beyond ours. His might and power open doors for us we thought were permanently closed or opens doors we never knew existed. I actually experienced that this week as He opened a door of service for me I never knew existed.

God has a way of providing all we could ever hope for. The problem comes when we fail to trust Him in times of waiting. All of us have done this. We want something to take place so badly that we try to convince God to give us what we want now. When we fail to see His immediate response, we often think He is not going to provide what we desire to receive.

Jesus told His disciples:
 Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

لكن اطلبوا اولا ملكوت الله وبره وهذه كلها تزاد لكم .

Matthew 6:33 

  

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Abba Father, please show me Your plan and desires for me and help me to wait for Your way to be known. Don’t let me walk in my own way. Take away my selfish desires and replace them with Your healthy dreams and goals. I believe that the blessings I will receive will fill my heart with boundless joy. Lord I trust in Your  vision; which is far beyond my vision; and I trust  that Your might and power will continue to open doors for me that I thought were permanently closed or new doors that I never knew existed. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 16 Devotion - Keep your eyes on Jesus

Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.

Proverbs 4:25 Amplified Bible (AMP)

لتنظر عيناك الى قدامك واجفانك الى امامك مستقيما.

While peripheral vision, or seeing things from the corner of your eye, is a good thing for driving, it is not good when you want to be a follower of Jesus as you need to have directional vision seeing only Jesus and not the lusts of the world. That’s why Proverbs 4:25 tells us that we need to look straight ahead toward Christ because in the spiritual, like the natural, whatever we focus our mind and heart on, we move toward. Jesus told us:

The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound, your entire body will be full of light.

Matthew 6:22

 

سراج الجسد هو العين .فان كانت عينك بسيطة فجسدك كله يكون نيرا .

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way Psalm 119:37 Help me Lord to keep my eyes on Jesus and not on my problems nor on the lusts of the world. Teach me to be steadfast in my faith. Father God, I want my fixed purpose to be: to become Christlike. Please let my eyes be sound and fill my whole body with the light of The Holy Spirit. 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 فيناله المجد في الكنيسة في المسيح يسوع الى جميع اجيال دهر الدهور.آمين

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 15 Devotion - Align your Vision to God's Vision

For the vision awaits an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it is slow in coming wait for it; because it will surely come.  It will not delay.

لان الرؤيا بعد الى الميعاد وفي النهاية تتكلم ولا تكذب. ان توانت فانتظرها لانها ستاتي اتيانا ولا تتأخر

Habakkuk 2:3

 

God has a vision for the life of each believer. It is important for each one of us to realize God’s purpose for our individual lives; and be aligned with it. He also has a vision for us as a family, a church, a community and a country.

God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of each one of us. If you have had challenges in the past, the depth your valley determines the height of your potential mountain top. Keep hold of the vision, give your dreams a new beginning, and embrace all the blessings God has planned for you.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Dear Heavenly Father, I want Your viewpoint. Clarify my spiritual vision and help me to focus on the principles of Your Word. Thank You Father that when my vision is aligned with Yours, I have Your assurance that it will materialize. Lord, give me the strength and wisdom to follow Your leading. I rejoice in the hope and the faith and knowledge that my vision will soon materialize. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Jesus loves you

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

October 14 Devotion - A Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 رَافِعِينَ الشُّكْرَ كُلَّ حِينٍ وَعَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لِلهِ وَالآبِ، بِاسْمِ رَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ؛

Ephesians 5:20

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving day. Best wishes to all my Canadian friends and family and to the whole nation.

Your circumstances today may be bright. If so, give God the praise that He deserves. However, if your situation is bleak, still give God thanks. Giving thanks in everything (that does not leave you with any exceptions) is possible when you understand that every situation, good or evil, is used by our loving Father to further our dependence on Him and make us more like Him. God is determined to conform us to the image of Christ through the inevitable afflictions that accompany life. Having, cultivating and maintaining a grateful heart that continues to pulsate with thanksgiving, even in trials, presents a challenge. Thanking God in the trials may be difficult, but when we do, His purposes and presence will illuminate our path and carry us through.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord help me to always see Your hand in my life and to be grateful for Your wisdom. Lord give me a grateful heart that continues to pulsate with thanksgiving, even in trials. Lord I ask that through my gratitude in the midst of trials that Your purpose and presence will illuminate my path and carry me through. Thank You God that You are determined to conform me to the image of Christ through any afflictions in my life. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13  I give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: Psalm 136:3 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:62. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

October 11 Devotion - The Compass versus the Clock

The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.

Psalm 119:130

Amplified Bible (AMP)

فتح كلامك ينير يعقل الجهال.

Do you prioritize your schedule or do you schedule your priorities?  

When you look at your schedule and put priorities to what is outlined for you, you are using time management and you are using the clock. When you identify what is important in your life or work and make sure you are scheduling your priorities, you are using the compass and are making sure your mission in life is coming to fruition. 

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the obligations of everyday life and we are so busy doing so many good things that there isn't time for the most important thing, having a personal relationship with our Saviour through reading God’s word, meditating on it and praying.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord, I praise You and glorify You. Lord, I ask for Your wisdom to help me schedule Your priorities and the most important of which is my personal relationship with You. Lord help me to surrender to You and to give You my attention, time, mind, will and emotions. Lead me Lord in all my decisions and actions. Let the unfolding of Your words give me light; discernment and comprehension.  In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein