April 24 Devotion - The Lord's Prayer - Introduction

 

Jesus said:

 

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 

وَعِنْدَمَا تُصَلُّونَ، لَا تَكُونُوا مِثْلَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يُصَلُّوا وَاقِفِينَ فِي الْمَجَامِعِ وَفِي زَوَايَا الشَّوَارِعِ لِيَرَاهُمُ النَّاسُ. الْحَقَّ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ: إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ نَالُوا مُكَافَأَتَهُمْ. 6 أَمَّا أَنْتَ، فَعِنْدَمَا تُصَلِّي، فَادْخُلْ غُرْفَتَكَ، وَأَغْلِقِ الْبَابَ عَلَيْكَ، وَصَلِّ إِلَى أَبِيكَ الَّذِي فِي الْخَفَاءِ. وَأَبُوكَ الَّذِي يَرَى فِي الْخَفَاءِ، هُوَ يُكَافِئُكَ. 7 وَعِنْدَمَا تُصَلُّونَ، لَا تُكَرِّرُوا كَلاماً فَارِغاً كَمَا يَفْعَلُ الْوَثَنِيُّونَ، ظَنّاً مِنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ بِالإِكْثَارِ مِنَ الْكَلامِ، يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُمْ. 8 فَلاَ تَكُونُوا مِثْلَهُمْ، لأَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلُوهُ.

Matthew 6:5-8

 

Jesus is teaching us and cautioning us not to call attention to ourselves in prideful ways as we practise our faith. The Sadducees and the Pharisees, who were the Jewish religious teachers, were attracting attention to themselves when they were praying instead of pointing to God.  

Jesus also cautions us not to keep repeating and babbling as we pray because pagans did that. God will not hear us just because we keep repeating. Unfortunately, we still fall in this trap individually and in groups and in certain churches where the same prayer is sometimes repeated over 100 times.

Unlike the Sadducees, we are to believe everything the Bible says, including the miraculous and the afterlife. Unlike the Pharisees, we are not to treat traditions as having equal authority as Scripture, and we are not to allow our relationship with God to be reduced to a legalistic list of rules and rituals.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, deep, inseparable and everlasting, love. 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 pray in the manner that pleases You and builds an intimate relationship with You. Strengthen me Jesus so that I always point to You and give You the glory. Abba Father, You know what I need before I ask and I pray that You will help me to pray for the ‘right’ things and to trust Your choice and timing. Help me to pray without repeating words uselessly. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour. God, I praise You, glorify You, and lift You up on high. In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the holy name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 23 Devotion - God's Healing Power

 

This devotion is dedicated to all of us who need healing. Physical and/or emotional and/or mental

 

The LORD will strengthen him/her on his/her bed of illness; You will sustain him/her on his/her sickbed.

 

L'Éternel le soutient sur son lit de douleur; Tu le soulages dans toutes ses maladies.

 

 ³ يَعْضُدُهُ الرَّبُّ عَلَى فِرَاشِ الأَلَمِ، وَيَرُدُّ عَافِيَتَهُ.

Psalm 41:3

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

 

Jusqu'à votre vieillesse je serai le même, Jusqu'à votre vieillesse je vous soutiendrai

 

حَتَّى كَبُرْتُمْ. حَتَّى عِندَما يَشِيبُ شَعرُكُمْ أنا أحمِلُكُمْ.

Isaiah 46:4

 

We know that Jesus has the healing power and that He performed many miracles when He was on earth. The question many of us sometimes ask is: Does He still heal today? The answer is in the following biblical truth:

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 

Jésus Christ est le même hier, aujourd'hui, et éternellement.

 

 ⁸ يَسُوعُ الْمَسِيحُ هُوَ هُوَ أَمْساً وَالْيَوْمَ وَإِلَى الأَبَدِ.

Hebrews 13:8

 

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

 

Et moi, je prierai le Père, et il vous donnera un autre consolateur, afin qu'il demeure éternellement avec vous,

 

وَسَأطلُبُ مِنَ الآبِ، وَسَيُعطِيكُمْ مُعِيْناً آخَرَ لِيَظَلَّ مَعَكُمْ إلَى الأبَدِ.

John 14:16 

 

Jesus told many of those He healed ‘your faith has healed you’. Jesus is still healing, and we have The Holy Spirit within us.,

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourselves and others:

Abba Father, please grant me out of the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through Your Spirit in my inner self, indwelling my innermost being and personality so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Lord, give me and all who are in need enough faith to receive Your healing. Lord, I pray for all those who are sick and afflicted and for their families. God, give them health and perseverance, help them to go through the tough times knowing You are carrying them. As You taught us Jesus, in Your prayers to The Father, Your will be done. Thank You Father God for Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me and Your abundant blessings. God, I pray to You in the name of Your precious Son, The King of kings and Lord of lords, my Redeemer, Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty, and the blessings forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 22 Devotion We are free forever from condemnation

 

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

اذا لا شيء من الدينونة الآن على الذين هم في المسيح يسوع السالكين ليس حسب الجسد بل حسب الروح.

2 لان ناموس روح الحياة في المسيح يسوع قد اعتقني من ناموس الخطية والموت.

 

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul said: ‘So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin’ meaning that the Law could not affect deliverance from sin. In Romans 8 he states ‘There is, therefore, now’ deliverance and it is related to the gospel alone. This 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. God has justified us, or declared us not guilty, because by the gift of faith we have accepted Christ as Saviour. Because Christ has already endured the penalty of our sins and obeyed the precept of the Law in our behalf, there is no condemnation whatever, not only no final condemnation, but no condemnation now.

This does not mean a license to sin, on the contrary. By accepting Jesus as Lord over our lives the Spirit of God is conveyed into our hearts through The Holy Spirit and we are delivered from sin. Our union with Christ is compared to that between the vine and its branches John 15:1-6, and hence, we believers are in Jesus in a similar sense, as deriving our support from Him, and as united in feeling, in purpose, and destiny. Out of love for Jesus and through the Holy Spirit we live in obedience to God.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that as a follower of and believer in Your only begotten Son Jesus I am free forever from condemnation. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can live by the spirit and not by the flesh. Thank You God that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Father God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I exalt You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your holy name. “Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.” Ephesians 3:20-21 (AMP) Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 20 Devotion - Lasting Happiness

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 «طُوبَى لِلْمَسَاكِينِ بِالرُّوحِ، لأَنَّ لَهُمْ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ

Matthew 5:3

 

Since the original language of the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek (although Jesus spoke Aramaic), the word used for blessed is ‘Makarios’ which means deep contentment and lasting happiness.

Real happiness is found when we realize that happiness is in the spiritual realm that is interior to ourselves. In our spiritual realm we are designed to know, experience, and enjoy God.

In the same way that man designed a car to run on gasoline (or electricity if you own an electric car); I believe God designed us to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to run on.

I always pondered on why being ‘poor in spirit’ is a good thing, until I learned that it means: it is when I realize my spiritual bankruptcy and depend on God who is the real food and fuel to my spirit and He comes to live within me that I can have Makarios. When I accept His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, I receive The Holy Spirit, and I can have The Kingdom of God within me and be guaranteed eternity with God.                        

For me it is straight forward, if anyone wants everlasting happiness, Makarios, it is only found in Jesus.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for revealing to me that You are the source of my ‘Makarios’. I realize that I am poor in spirit, and You are the fuel and food for my spirit. Thank You for sinking the message deep in my heart that lasting happiness is not found in worldly things. Thank You that You sent Jesus to redeem me and grant me salvation and life eternal as a pure act of grace which I do not deserve. Thank You Lord for Your abundant blessings and deep inseparable love. I praise You and glorify You Father God. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His holy name. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 14 Devotion - Endurance

 

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a difficult time or situation; it is the ability to turn it into glory.

 

We have all probably discovered that the most difficult time to remember the basic truths of God’s Word are during periods of pain or difficulty. With the right attitude we can make it a habit to view every situation through the filter of God’s perspective. As the duration of the difficult times extend the only way to endure and feel comforted is to rely on God and the support of The Holy Spirit.

 

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose

ونحن نعلم ان كل الاشياء تعمل معا للخير للذين يحبون الله الذين هم مدعوون حسب قصده.

Romans 8:28 AMP

                              

If we believe that God will bring good out of the situation somehow, then pessimistic thinking finds no permanent home in our hearts. When we adopt the right attitude, over time, our emotions will gradually align with the truth, and we will be able to endure.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can have Your divine perspective and the right attitude. Lord, please keep me away from discouragement, worry, and self-sufficiency. Lord, please help me to focus on You instead of my circumstances so that I can endure. I know that when I am hurting it does not mean that You do not care about me. Your promises are true Lord, and I am confident that You will change all my circumstances to work for Your glory and my good, joy and peace. Abba Father, thank You that Your deep, unfailing, steadfast love for me endures forever. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. I will rejoice in The Lord. In the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein