February 23 Devotion - Do not put God in a box

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth…  

Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁷ And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”.  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

John 9:1 - 9

Jesus had healed people before by just touching them. So why did Jesus choose a new method? Why did Jesus spit and heal this blind man in this way?

Spit and dirt (clay) mixed and put on the eyes, does not sound very nice. Do you agree?  The blind man could have reacted by saying something like ‘How dare you spit on me and make my eyes full of mud, I thought you were going to heal me, not make me worse’. But he didn’t, he totally trusted Jesus and went to wash.  I have learnt that Archeologists say that Siloam; where the blind man had to go and wash; is very big with wide steps on 3 sides, where you need more courage and braveness to go into it.  But the blind man went and washed and was healed and could see for the first time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Some of my lessons learned: I should never put Jesus in a box, for His ways are totally different than our ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. Isaiah 55

I need to Trust in the LORD with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding Proverbs 3:5

What I want and pray for may not be what is best for me, or it may be delivered in a different fashion than what I am expecting.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life and for Your inseparable love for me. Help me to ‘see’ your ways and understand your thoughts. Lord, give me wisdom to not lean on my own understanding and strengthen me to trust You and follow You with all my heart and all my mind, soul and strength. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His Holy Name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

February 20 Devotion - Our Sufficiency is from God

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

ليس اننا كفاة من انفسنا ان نفتكر شيئا كانه من انفسنا بل كفايتنا من الله

2 Corinthians 3:5

All that we are is a gift from God. Our intelligence, success, abilities, health, etc. are a gift from God lest anyone should boast or become arrogant. We are not perfect yet and need God to constantly help us grow. We need God to do what He alone can do for us, in us, and through us.

When we feel less than adequate; our chant should never be ‘I cannot’ but our chant should be ‘With God’s grace and support, I can”

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love for me. Lord, my sufficiency is 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 always say in confidence and strong faith: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Philippians 4:13

I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His Holy Name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

إِنِّي أَسْتَطِيعُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، فِي الْمَسِيحِ الَّذِي يُقَوِّينِي

February 19 Devotion - Wisdom

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

لِذَلِكَ لاَ تَكُونُوا أَغْبِيَاءَ، بَلِ افْهَمُوا مَا هِيَ مَشِيئَةُ الرَّبِّ.

5. وَإِنَّمَا إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ تُعْوِزُهُ حِكْمَةٌ فَلْيَطْلُبْ مِنَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي يُعْطِي الْجَمِيعَ بِسَخَاءٍ وَلاَ يُعَيِّرُ، فَسَيُعْطَى لَهُ.

Ephesians 5:17, James 1:5

Wisdom means to me:

v     That I seek God’s will for my life and follow His plan

v     That I always act according to the spirit of the Biblical Commandments 

v     That I understand the consequences of my actions and words before I act or speak

v     To have the knowledge and understanding to recognize the right course of action and to have the will and courage to follow it.

I find that many times I fail to act with wisdom. I realize that I need the guidance and conviction of The Holy Spirit to act wisely.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself and to meditate on it:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, help me to clearly see Your plan and will for my life. Holy Spirit, I need Your wisdom to guide all my actions. Lord, help me to listen to the direction of The Holy Spirit within me. Strengthen my faith to clearly realize that You are my rock in whom I take refuge. You are my salvation and my stronghold. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory and the power 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

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

February 17 Devotion - Your Name is Inscribed on God's Palm

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

 15 هَلْ تَنْسَى الْمَرْأَةُ رَضِيعَهَا وَلاَ تَرْحَمُ ابْنَ أَحْشَائِهَا؟ حَتَّى هَؤُلاَءِ يَنْسَيْنَ، أَمَّا أَنَا فَلاَ أَنْسَاكُمْ.  16 انْظُرُوا هَا أَنَا قَدْ نَقَشْتُكِ ُ عَلَى كَفِّي.

Isaiah 49:15-16

For thus says the LORD of hosts:… “For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.”

فَإِنَّ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ يَقُولُ ...'لأَنَّ مَنْ يَمَسُّكُمْ يَمَسُّ حَدَقَةَ عَيْنِهِ.'

Zechariah 2:8

God loves us so very much.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

أ لأَنَّهُ هكَذَا أَحَبَّ اللهُ الْعَالَمَ حَتَّى بَذَلَ ابْنَهُ الْوَحِيدَ، لِكَيْ لاَ يَهْلِكَ كُلُّ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ، بَلْ تَكُونُ لَهُ الْحَيَاةُ الأَبَدِيَّةُ.

John 3:16

The eyes of the Father are forever focused on us because of Christ’s atoning death on the cross for us.

God will never forget us; the followers of Christ; for He has inscribed our names on the palms of His Hands. Neither will He forget the church, the body of believers.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, forgive me if at times I feel that You have forgotten me. Increase my faith so as to know, believe, and trust that You never forget me. I am privileged and thankful that as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; Your only begotten son; that I am so precious to You, that my name is written on the palms of Your hands. Thank You Lord for loving me so much that You consider that whoever touches me touches the apple of Your eye. I thank You, praise You and glorify You, in the name of Jesus my Lord and Saviour, to whom be honour, glory and power forever and ever . Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein