September 6 Devotion - Dealing with loneliness

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you and be with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Isaiah 49:16, Isaiah 41:10

John 14:18, Matthew 28:20

There is a critical difference between solitude, aloneness, and loneliness:

·     Solitude, is a time where we are alone and enjoy the peace and quiet and where we get in touch with our feelings and can meditate

·     Aloneness, is a time when we enjoy doing things on our own, things that we really like that others may not care for and do not require having company 

·     Loneliness, is a time where we are alone even though we need to fellowship with others, but no one is available

When we feel lonely we should admit our emotions to God. He knows what we are going through, and He wants to be the One to fill that void. The reality of God’s constant presence with us is a fact, but we are not always aware of Him, especially in lonely periods. I have many times questioned, how come I cannot feel God’s presence even though I know He is with me, how come I feel so alone? When I feel that lonely, my courage diminishes.

I need to keep reminding myself that where God has begun the work of grace, He will perfect it. He will help those who, in humble dependence on Him, help themselves. Having our hearts and our hopes focused on God, we shall be carried above all difficulties, and be enabled to lay hold of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. The truth is that He will never leave nor forsake those whom He has saved.

  

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help! Psalm 71:12 Lord, please use my loneliness as a tool to draw me closer to You. I am comforted in the knowledge that I am so special to You God that You have inscribed my name on the palms of Your hands. Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me and Your abundant blessings in my life. Father God I know that because Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour; You love me unconditionally. Thank You Jesus that You will always be with me until the end of the age and that You have promised NOT to leave me as an orphan and You will come and be with me. In Your name Jesus, the only intercessor, I pray to The Father. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty and the blessings forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

September 5 Devotion - Change Anger to Praise

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

إِنْ غَضِبْتُمْ، فَلاَ تُخْطِئُوا؛ لاَ تَدَعُوا الشَّمْسَ تَغِيبُ وَأَنْتُمْ غَاضِبُونَ،

Ephesians 4:26

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

أُبَارِكُ الرَّبَّ فِي كُلِّ حِينٍ. تَسْبِيحُهُ دَائِماً فِي فَمِي.

Psalm 34:1

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings. Lord, Creator of my emotions, I turn them over to You. When I am angry, give me the desire to rise above self, and the strength to forgive. Abba Father in heaven, I choose to bless You at all times. Cover me always with Your favour, grace and mercy. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me at all times. Strengthen me to constantly speak Your praises. I pray to You Father in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, to whom be glory and power forever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

September 4 Devotion - Be Merciful God - Dorian

Jesus said: do you assume that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no;

أَوْ أُولئِكَ الثَّمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ الَّذِينَ سَقَطَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْبُرْجُ فِي سِلْوَامَ وَقَتَلَهُمْ، أَتَظُنُّونَ أَنَّ هؤُلاَءِ كَانُوا مُذْنِبِينَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ النَّاسِ السَّاكِنِينَ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ؟ 5كَلاّ

Luke 13:4-5

Today I am writing about a very difficult subject, one that I am trying to understand. We are currently seeing the destruction brought upon The Bahamas and countries in the Caribbean and Hurricane Dorian is expected to hit the eastern coast in the USA.

Many see God as the One causing these terrible catastrophes, and that it is His wrath on sinners. This is not true. Jesus referred to 18 people who had died in a disaster of a fallen tower and indicated that this was not because they were sinners.

God is not in the business of causing natural disasters and calamities. On the contrary, He is the giver of life. We live in a fallen world; The Bible says that when man fell into sin, all of nature was cursed. In other words, it was impossible for a sinful man to live in a perfect environment of paradise, so all of nature is cursed. Natural disasters happen within God’s providence.

One of the greatest challenges we have as Christians is to continue to believe God and to trust Him in the midst of devastation. God has intervened in our world by sending Jesus Christ. We must look at the cross and there see the love of God most clearly.

All we can do is pray for God’s mercy and grace. Let us join together in prayer for everyone impacted: Psalm 57:

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious and merciful to me, for my soul finds shelter and safety in You, And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge and be confidently secure until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, He will send from heaven and save me; God will send out His lovingkindness and His truth. Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory and majesty be over all the earth. I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people; I will sing praises to You among the nations. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory and majesty be over all the earth.

ارحَمْنِي يا اللهُ ارحَمْنِي

لأنِّي جَعَلْتُكَ مَلْجَأِي،

وَتَحتَ ظِلِّ جَناحَيكَ أحتَمِي،

إلَى أنْ تَعبُرَ العَواصِفُ المُدَمِّرَةُ.

2 أدعُو اللهَ العَلِيَّ،

اللهَ الَّذِي يَسهَرُ عَلَيَّ.

3 يُرسِلُ مِنَ السَّماءِ عَوناً وَيُنَجِّينِي،

أعلَى مِنَ السَّماواتِ أنتَ يا اللهُ.

وَمَجدُكَ يُغَطِّي كُلَّ الأرْضِ!

سَأُسَبِّحُكَ يا رَبُّ بَينَ كُلِّ الأُمَمِ!

وَأمامَ كُلِّ بَشَرٍ سَأتَغَنَّى بِكَ.

10 لأنَّ رَحمَتَكَ أعظَمُ مِنَ السَّماواتِ،

وَأعلَى مِنْ أعلَى الغُيُومِ أمانَتُكَ!

11 أعلَى مِنَ السَّماواتِ أنتَ يا اللهُ،

وَمَجدُكَ يُغَطِّي كُلَّ الأرْضِ.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

September 3 Devotion - You are the salt of the earth - Part 2

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people

Matthew 5:13 (AMP)

«أَنْتُمْ مِلْحُ الأَرْضِ، وَلكِنْ إِنْ فَسَدَ الْمِلْحُ فَبِمَاذَا يُمَلَّحُ؟ لاَ يَصْلُحُ بَعْدُ لِشَيْءٍ، إِلاَّ لأَنْ يُطْرَحَ خَارِجًا وَيُدَاسَ مِنَ النَّاسِ.

Please note that Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. Not try to be, or you may become.

Salt enhances the flavour of the food it seasons. We the followers of Christ are given the role of those who “enhance” the flavour of life in this world. As Christian believers living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, we will inevitably positively influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavour of the food it seasons.

We are given the responsibility to act in a Christ- like way: where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up emotional wounds (as salt binds physical wounds); and where there is evil we are to act as preservatives (similar to salt) preserving the world from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly people.

Salt that lost its ‘saltiness’ was used in Jesus’ time as an insulator for kilns and then thrown out into the streets, where people trampled on it. Jesus is pointing out to us to remain in the faith so as not to lose our salt-like properties.

You shall season every grain offering with salt so that the salt (preservation) of the covenant of your God will not be missing from your grain offering. You shall offer salt with all your offerings.

Leviticus 2:13(AMP)

¹³وَكُلُّ قُرْبَانٍ مِنْ تَقَادِمِكَ بِالْمِلْحِ تُمَلِّحُهُ، وَلاَ تُخْلِ تَقْدِمَتَكَ مِنْ مِلْحِ عَهْدِ إِلهِكَ. عَلَى جَمِيعِ قَرَابِينِكَ تُقَرِّبُ مِلْحًا.

Salt is also seen as a sign of friendship and a sign of the covenant we have with God.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, strengthen me to “enhance” the flavour of life in this world. Strengthen me to always live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ. Father guide me and give me wisdom to be a peacemaker, to help bind up people’s emotional wounds (as salt binds physical wounds); and where there is evil to act as a preservative (similar to salt) preserving the world from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly people. I declare to the world that Christ is 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 before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein