September 16 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 I find it 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:

1. God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 1 John 3:20

2. 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. Father God, 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. Abba, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being so that I can always thank you even through the most difficult of times. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 13 Devotion - Transfer your burdens to God

Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.
الق على الرب اعمالك فتثبت افكارك.

Proverbs 16:3

 

[Commit], as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it.

 [your thoughts] i.e., The plans or counsels out of which the works spring.

 

(From Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The noblest thoughts we can produce are thoughts about God. We can never fully exhaust our ability to think about the goodness and greatness of God. There is no end of our praise of Him.

 

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.

My heavenly  Father, I want to transfer my burdens from my own back to You because You are stronger and wiser and by doing this my activities will be based on Your counsel and Your plans. I know that when I commit and trust my works wholly to You; You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will. 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.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 12 Devotion - Pray and believe BIG

“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
 Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Isaiah 54 The Message (MSG)

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

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

 

When we have a fellowship with the Holy Spirit we grow to understand God’s plan for our lives. When you think BIG, think bigger. All through the scripture, we see people doing this. Elijah prayed that it wouldn’t rain, and for three and a half years there was no rain. Joshua prayed for more daylight, and God stopped the sun. We need to follow their example and step out in faith. Dare to ask, dare to believe God, and see His mighty hand move on our behalf.

You may be one thought from a huge breakthrough. One breakthrough away from your destiny; let patience have its perfect work...God is working to shape and mold your thinking and character.

 

 

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 think, pray and believe Big. Give me the confidence and belief that You are doing great things in my life and will do even better things. Lord help me to have the conviction that You can accomplish infinitely more than I could ever ask or think. Father God, You are incredible and astonishing, continue to shape and mold my character to make me Christ-like and have the same faith as Jesus in whose name I pray to You Father. Let me see your glory. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 11 Devotion - Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

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.

ملقمة 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 بطئا 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. We need to seek first to understand the other person, and then to try and be understood our self, to strive deeply to understand the other person's point of view through empathic listening.

 

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

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 10 Devotion - A Double Portion

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

عوضا عن خزيكم ضعفان وعوضا عن الخجل يبتهجون بنصيبهم. لذلك يرثون في ارضهم ضعفين. بهجة ابدية تكون لهم.

Isaiah 61:7

 

God sent these promises and words of encouragement to His people when they were going through a very difficult time in the Old Testament.

 The question I asked myself was: do these words apply to us; the believers in His Son and our redeemer; today? Do they apply to the Christians who are persecuted today for their faith, as in my country of origin, Egypt, where Christians are persecuted and killed and churches being burned? Do these words apply today to any Christian who is facing personal challenges?

 

I believe they do because:  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

 

God is always faithful to His Word. Let us rejoice then, because our God will give us restoration and make things better above and beyond our expectations.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You for Your faithfulness and wisdom. Abba, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being and help me to stay obedient to You. Please strengthen my faith so that I can receive what You promised as double for my troubles and receive Your blessings in every area of my life. O’Lord guide and direct my steps to Your everlasting joy. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 9 Devotion - Keep yourselves in God's love

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

...But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Romans 7:19, Jude1:20–21

 

فَأَنَا لاَ أَعْمَلُ الصَّلاَحَ الَّذِي أُرِيدُهُ؛ وَإِنَّمَا الشَّرُّ الَّذِي لاَ أُرِيدُهُ فَإِيَّاهُ أُمَارِسُ

وَأَمَّا أَنْتُمْ أَيُّهَا الأَحِبَّاءُ، فَابْنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ عَلَى إِيمَانِكُمُ الأَقْدَسِ، وَصَلُّوا دَائِماً فِي الرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ.َاحْفَظُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ فِي مَحَبَّةِ اللهِ، مُنْتَظِرِينَ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّنَا يَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ إِذْ يَعُودُ وَيَأْخُذُكُمْ لِتَحْيَوْا مَعَهُ إِلَى الأَبَدِ.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, I cannot do it on my own. Replace my self-effort and my problem solving techniques with Your power. Help me learn to walk by faith. Jesus, You are my Strength and my Shield. You are the One who can fortify my human frailty with Your supernatural grace. I lean on You today. Saviour, saturate my mind with Your Word and fill me with Your Spirit. Keep me in Your love and strength as I await Your return Jesus. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 6 Devotion - May the power of Christ rest upon me

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 ⁹ فَقَالَ لِي: «نِعْمَتِي تَكْفِيكَ، لأَنَّ قُدْرَتِي تُكَمَّلُ فِي الضَّعْفِ!» فَأَنَا أَرْضَى بِأَنْ أَفْتَخِرَ مَسْرُوراً بِالضَّعَفَاتِ الَّتِي فِيَّ، لِكَيْ تُخَيِّمَ عَلَيَّ قُدْرَةُ الْمَسِيحِ.

2 Corinthians 12:9

When we are weak, we need the energizing work of the Holy Spirit to sustain us.

Isaiah encourages us that God “Gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength”

يَهِبُ الْمَنْهُوكَ قُوَّةً وَيَمْنَحُ الضَّعِيفَ قُدْرَةً عَظِيمَةً.

Isaiah 40:29

 

We need to rely fully on God and praise Him in expectation of His support.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, in my weakest moments, assure me that the power of Christ will rest upon me. Your grace is sufficient for me. I believe that when your grace abounds my weakness will be transformed into strength and I will soar like an eagle and I shall run and not be weary. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 5 Devotion - The Lord Gives Wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

5 وَإِنْ كَانَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ بِحَاجَةٍ إِلَى الْحِكْمَةِ، فَلْيَطْلُبْ مِنَ اللهِ الَّذِي يُعْطِي الْجَمِيعَ بِسَخَاءٍ وَلاَ يُعَيِّرُ. فَسَيُعْطَى لَهُ.
لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ يَهَبُ الْحِكْمَةَ، وَمِنْ فَمِهِ تَتَدَفَّقُ الْمَعْرِفَةُ وَالْفَهْمُ.

James 1:5, Proverbs 2:6

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, fill me with Your wisdom and help me to think and talk through Your wisdom. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that every decision I make be based on Your wisdom. Teach me Your ways O’Lord and help me to walk in Your path always counseling me and course-correcting me whenever I drift. Jesus I know that You are the light of the world, strengthen me to always follow You. Father let the Holy Spirit who indwells me have a continuous increase in His will and a continuous decrease in my will. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 4 Devotion - Jesus Heals

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” ³⁷ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸ Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. ³⁹ When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
⁴⁰ And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. ⁴³ But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Mark 5:35-43

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord I pray for all Your children who are in need of Your healing touch, that You touch them today. I pray that The Holy Spirit that indwells us and that was sent to us by The Father in Jesus’ name give us all the faith needed to believe that You will heal us. Father give our physicians clarity to correctly diagnose and heal our illnesses. Jesus You possess the healing ability, we need to believe to receive it. Lord, today I pray that You strengthen my faith so as to receive Your healing. In Jesus’ name. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

35 وبينما هو يتكلم جاءوا من دار رئيس المجمع قائلين ابنتك ماتت .لماذا تتعب المعلم بعد .

36 فسمع يسوع لوقته الكلمة التي قيلت فقال لرئيس المجمع لا تخف .آمن فقط .
37 ولم يدع احد يتبعه الا بطرس ويعقوب ويوحنا اخا يعقوب .
38 فجاء الى بيت رئيس المجمع ورأى ضجيجا .يبكون ويولولون كثيرا .
39 فدخل وقال لهم لماذا تضجون وتبكون .لم تمت الصبية لكنها نائمة .
40 فضحكوا عليه .اما هو فاخرج الجميع واخذ ابا الصبية وامها والذين معه ودخل حيث كانت الصبية مضطجعة .
41 وامسك بيد الصبية وقال لها طليثا قومي .الذي تفسيره يا صبية لك اقول قومي .
42 وللوقت قامت الصبية ومشت .لانها كانت ابنة اثنتي عشر سنة .فبهتوا بهتا عظيما .
43 فاوصاهم كثيرا ان لا يعلم احد بذلك .وقال ان تعطى لتأكل

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 3 Devotion - Be Transformed

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will… For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

Romans 12:2

Philippians 2:13

Philippians 1:6

ولا تشاكلوا هذا الدهر. بل تغيّروا عن شكلكم بتجديد اذهانكم لتختبروا ما هي ارادة الله الصالحة المرضية الكاملة.

لأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُنْشِيءُ فِيكُمُ الإِرَادَةَ وَالْعَمَلَ لأَجْلِ مَرْضَاتِهِ.

وَلِي ثِقَةٌ فِي هَذَا الأَمْرِ بِالذَّاتِ: أَنَّ الَّذِي بَدَأَ فِيكُمْ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً سَوْفَ يُتَمِّمُهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْمَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ.

God is in the change business. He changed a group of fisherman to leading evangelists. He changed a man’s objective of destroying Christians and churches to creating churches and leading people to the truth.

 

God changed many people throughout history to the better and is in the process of helping all who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour; like you and me; and will see it to completion according to His will for us.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You Lord that You want to revolutionize my mind as well as my spirit. Help me and teach me to change my paradigms, thinking, attitude and behaviour. Through the supernatural change agent; the Holy Spirit; change O’Lord all my entrenched mental configurations that do not please You and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ 2 Corinthians 10:5. I pray that You make me willing to change so that I can live Your good, pleasing and perfect will for me. Thank You Father that You work in me to will and act according to Your purpose. Lord You began the transformation in my life when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and am confident that You will carry it through on to completion. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

September 2 Devotion - A time to work and a time to rest

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ³¹ And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

Mark 6:30-31

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
² A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

 Today is ‘Labour Day’. A time for rest from work. Jesus Himself told His disciples after their hard word that they should take a time to rest and rejuvenate. So must we. As Solomon wrote: There is a time for everything under the sun.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31The Scriptures tell us that whatever we do we should do for God’s glory. So whether we are working or at rest we need to glorify God.

We have to remember that Jesus gave us a job to do apart from our regular jobs. In His great commission Jesus said to His disciples and to all believers “ ..make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28 So if you have retired, welcome to your second career.

Let us remember that when we surrender our lives to Jesus and make Him Lord of our lives:

… it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
لأَنَّ اللهَ هُوَ الَّذِي يُنْشِيءُ فِيكُمُ الإِرَادَةَ وَالْعَمَلَ لأَجْلِ مَرْضَاتِهِ

Philippians 2:13

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and for the riches of Your grace. God of peace may the blood of the eternal covenant; the resurrection of Jesus; His Shepherd care for His sheep; and the equipping of the Holy Spirit; guide my every action. Lord make me want what You want for me, work in me to will and to work in order to fulfill Your purpose and to always glorify You. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

August 30 Devotion - Strong Weak People

Peter said to Him, Lord, why cannot I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.

³⁸ Jesus answered, Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me [completely disown Me] three times.

John 13:37-38

 Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.

John 14: 1

All of the disciples must have been troubled about Jesus' predictions of betrayal, denial, and departure. After all, if Peter's commitment was shaky, then every disciple should be aware of his own weaknesses.

In the Greek, the pronoun your is plural; therefore, Jesus was speaking to Peter and to all the other disciples.

Jesus did not want his followers to imitate Peter's impulsive self-confidence. Potential weaknesses and possible failures trouble us. So we don't like to think about them. Peter denied his own frailty and claimed more faith than he had.

Jesus' solution for troubled hearts requires us to trust in him. Trust does not mean pretending we are strong; it means recognizing our weakness and need for God's help. If we believe for a moment that we can follow Jesus in our own strength, we will fail as miserably as Peter.

(from The Life Application Commentary Series Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and for the riches of Your grace. Thank You that You have provided for my weakness by sending the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), The Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name [in Jesus’ place, to represent Him and act on His behalf], to teach me to trust in You and in Jesus and replace my troubled heart with Your peace. Lord, I admit my weakness and my need for the help of The Holy Spirit to comfort me strengthen me and give me wise counsel and I pray for it in Jesus’ name. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you
In Him,
Wagdi Henein

August 29 Devotion - THE RICHES OF GOD'S GRACE

… having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

 

⁵ إِذْ سَبَقَ فَعَيَّنَنَا فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ لِيَتَّخِذَنَا أَبْنَاءً لَهُ بِيَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ. وَذَلِكَ مُوَافِقٌ لِلْقَصْدِ الَّذِي سُرَّتْ بِهِ مَشِيئَتُهُ،

 ⁶ بِغَرَضِ مَدْحِ مَجْدِ نِعْمَتِهِ الَّتِي بِهَا أَعْطَانَا حُظْوَةً لَدَيْهِ فِي الْمَحْبُوبِ:

Ephesians 1:5-6

 Ephesians 1:5–6 teaches us that God’s will was to adopt us as His own through the work of Christ. God’s will is that we would have the strongest possible relationship with Him through the most precious relationship He has ever created which is His relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

Every believer in Jesus as his/her Lord and Saviour is immensely loved by God and we are adopted into His spiritual family, we are His children. Salvation is a position of great blessing, each one of us can enjoy being a child of God and receive His blessings and gifts of mercy and grace and start living eternity NOW.

 

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

ام اي انسان منكم اذا سأله ابنه خبزا يعطيه حجرا .

10 وان سأله سمكة يعطيه حية .

11 فان كنتم وانتم اشرار تعرفون ان تعطوا اولادكم عطايا جيدة فكم بالحري ابوكم الذي في السموات يهب خيرات للذين يسألونه .

Mathew 7:9-11

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Thank You Father who is in heaven that I have been adopted into Your family and that I am loved and accepted by You. Thank You God for the riches of Your grace. Thank You that You have said that as Your child I can come boldly to Your throne of grace, and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16. I come boldly to Your throne of grace and ask You to help me always seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, for Jesus said that when we seek them first, all other things will be added unto us. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Him be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you

In Him,
Wagdi Henein