June 12 Devotion - God is with me

“I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

اللهَ يَقُولُ: لاَ أَتْرُكُكَ، وَلاَ أَتَخَلَّى عَنْكَ أَبَداً

Hebrews 13:5

God continues to extend His hand to us each day to soothe our damaged emotions and our heartaches. I sometimes feel God is distant however it is not true. God said that He will not in any way fail me nor give me up nor leave me without support.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—

وَسَوْفَ أَطْلُبُ مِنَ الآبِ أَنْ يُعْطِيَكُمْ مُعِيناً آخَرَ يَبْقَى مَعَكُمْ إِلَى الأَبَدِ،

John 14:16

The Holy Spirit is God inside us. He is called the Comforter meaning “one called alongside to help and aid.”

When we are down, the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to encourage us. When we are grieving, the Holy Spirit knows the balance between shedding tears of grief and gently wiping them from our cheeks. He is at work to comfort us through every adversity. He is in us and we can take refuge in Him and depend on The Holy Spirit to protect us and to give us joy.

   

But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice, Let them ever sing for joy; Because You cover and shelter them, Let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in You.

                   

وَيَبْتَهِجُ جَمِيعُ الْمُتَّكِلِينَ عَلَيْكَ. إِلَى الأَبَدِ يَتَرَنَّمُونَ، لأَنَّكَ تُظَلِّلُهُمْ بِحِمَايَتِكَ، فَيَفْرَحُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ اسْمَكَ.

Psalm 5:11

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, help me to take refuge in You and be glad and sing for joy. Spread Your protection over me because I love Your name and want to rejoice in You. 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 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121 Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. Psalm 16:1. Thank You Lord that I am not alone to go through any difficult time and that The Holy Spirit indwells in me comforting me and helping me. Sooth my emotions Lord and strengthen me. I thank You that You are a reliable and trustworthy God and You promised that You will never leave me nor forsake me, and I know that You are faithful. I choose today to concentrate on You, to hold fast my confession that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour and in His mighty name I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.   

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

June 11 Devotion - Walking in Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

لاننا بالايمان نسلك لا بالعيان.

2 Corinthians 5:7

We try to walk by faith but sometimes fail. We need to stop trying and trust God fully and live with the knowledge that He is able to do what we cannot do for ourselves.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

اتَّكِلْ عَلَى الرَّبِّ مِنْ كُلِّ قَلْبِكَ، وَعَلَى فِطْنَتِكَ لاَ تَعْتَمِدْ.

 ⁶ اعْرِفِ الرَّبَّ فِي كُلِّ طُرُقِكَ وَهُوَ يُقَوِّمُ سُبُلَكَ.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I am learning that the more I trust in God and stop trying to figure things out on my own, and obey His commandments through the strength of The Holy Spirit, and seek His Face, the more He will reveal His plan for me to me.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, teach me to trust in You totally and to be totally dependent on You. Teach me patience O’Lord and give me the ability to set aside my preconceived notions of the plan for my life and the courage to follow Your plan for me in faith. Help me Lord to realize that my total dependence on You is not an indication of weakness on my part, but a sign of strength and confidence in You and Your promises. Father God 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. Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, thank You for Your abundant blessings and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. In the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus The Christ, the only begotten Son of God, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion before all time and now and forevermore. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

June 10 Devotion - Lasting Peace

After Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the grave He came to his disciples who were hiding:

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

وَلَمَّا حَلَّ مَسَاءُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، وَهُوَ الْيَوْمُ الأَوَّلُ مِنَ الأُسْبُوعِ، كَانَ التَّلاَمِيذُ مُجْتَمِعِينَ فِي بَيْتٍ أَغْلَقُوا أَبْوَابَهُ خَوْفاً مِنَ الْيَهُودِ، وَإِذَا يَسُوعُ يَحْضُرُ وَسْطَهُمْ قَائِلاً: «سَلاَمٌ لَكُمْ!»

John 20:19

There are so many words we take for granted and think we understand, but each one of us understands the same word in a different way and we communicate with each other thinking the other person understands, and so does he/she, yet we really do not understand each other fully.

I looked up the world definition and the Biblical definition of peace. What did Jesus mean when he told His disciples “Peace be with you”?

In English, the word "peace" depicts a passive picture, one showing an absence of disturbance or hostilities, or a personality free from internal and external strife.

The Biblical concept of peace is larger than that and rests heavily on the Semitic root slm, which means "to be complete" or "to be sound." The verb conveys both a dynamic and a static meaning" to be complete or whole" or "to live well." Shalom was used in both greetings and farewells. It was meant to act as a blessing on the one to whom it was spoken: "May your life be filled with health, prosperity, and victory." As an adjective, it expressed completeness and safety.

God alone is the source of peace, for he is "Yahweh Shalom" (see Judges 6:24 ). The Lord came to sinful humankind, historically first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, desiring to enter into a relationship with them. He established with them a covenant of peace, which was sealed with his presence (see Num 6:24-26 ). Participants were given perfect peace so long as they maintained a right relationship with the Lord (see Isaiah 26:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:16). Adapted from: Dictionaries - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Did you ever find yourself not at peace with God? Although many may frown at this question, I admit there have been times when I was not at peace with God. There are some questions to which I do not know the answers to at the present time and is keeping me from being at peace with God. He may or may not reveal His answers to me, and even if He does, I may not understand because

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine”.

لأَنَّ أَفْكَارِي لَيْسَتْ مُمَاثِلَةً لأَفْكَارِكُمْ، وَلاَ طُرُقَكُمْ مِثْلُ طُرُقِي، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ.

Isaiah 55:8

Lasting peace cannot be attained through our own efforts, but rather through Christ in us. The peace that comes from Him is eternal. Our bond with Him is the foundation upon which real and lasting peace is built.

In order to experience the peace of God we need first to be at peace with God.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I want to experience Your lasting peace. I ask You God to expose anything that may be preventing me from being at peace with You and heal it so that I can receive the true and everlasting peace that only You can give. Thank You Lord that through the atoning blood of Jesus I am without spot or blemish in Your eyes. Father I rejoice in Your faithfulness. Thank You Father God that Your deep 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. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

June 7 Devotion - Cast all your anxiety on Him

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

وَاطْرَحُوا عَلَيْهِ ثِقْلَ هُمُومِكُمْ كُلِّهَا، لأَنَّهُ هُوَ يَعْتَنِي بِكُمْ.

1 Peter 5:7

God is sovereign; we can cast all our anxiety on Him. He created everything and has absolute control over every aspect of His creation. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever present. He knows absolutely everything about our situation and He cares for us. God loves all believers in His Son Jesus Christ; as Lord and Saviour; with an unconditional, unfathomable, immeasurable love.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me and for Your abundant blessings in my life. Thank you Father for Your  omniscience—You know all my needs, for  Your omnipotence—You are able to help in all circumstances, for Your  omnipresence—You are involved in all aspects and details of my life. Help me God to totally depend on You, cast my worries and anxiety on You and enjoy Your peace. My heavenly Father, please produce wholeness out of my brokenness; build strength out of my weakness; heal me emotionally and physically; and bring reconciliation and love to all my relationships. In Jesus’ name I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein