October 26 Devotion - From Start to Completion

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.

وَاثِقًا بِهذَا عَيْنِهِ أَنَّ الَّذِي ابْتَدَأَ فِيكُمْ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا يُكَمِّلُ إِلَى يَوْمِ يَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ

Philippians 1:6

I have learned that:

v     God is more interested in changing me than He is in changing my circumstances.

v     If I choose to be upset because things are not happening my way, or I choose to be discouraged because things are not happening according to my preferred timing; then I may suffer the consequence of just staying where I am and not advancing.

v     If I want to see God open new doors, I have to be the best I can be right where I am, and allow God to work in me.

v     I need to have faith that God will complete what He started in me.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your deep and everlasting love, Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Jesus I know that You understand and care for me and there isn’t any situation in my life that is beyond Your concern and tender care. Reveal to me Lord what You want to change in me and strengthen me to align myself with Your plan. 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 realize that when I encounter difficulties while following Your plan, it means I still need more change from within. Lord I trust that You will never abandons me in a time of trial or suffering and You will complete everything that You started in my life and I know that all things will work together in my life for my good. 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.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

October 25 Devotion - I take refuge in You, LORD

God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

اللهَ يَقُولُ: «لاَ أَتْرُكُكَ، وَلاَ أَتَخَلَّى عَنْكَ أَبَداً!» ويفرح جميع المتكلين عليك. الى الابد يهتفون وتظللهم. ويبتهج بك محبو اسمك.

Psalm 5:11, Hebrews 13:5

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, Let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in You. Psalm 5:11 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. I trust in Your promise God that You will never leave me nor forsake me. God I praise You, glorify You and lift You up on high. Abba Father, thank You for Your deep and everlasting love for me, Your abundant blessings, and for the riches of Your grace in my life. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, to Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

يَأْتِي عَوْنِي مِنْ عِنْدِ الرَّبِّ، صَانِعِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ.

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

وَيَتَّكِلُ عَلَيْكَ الَّذِينَ يَعْرِفُونَ اسْمَكَ، لأَنَّكَ يَارَبُّ لَمْ تَخْذُلْ طَالِبِيكَ.  لكلماتي اصغ يا رب. تامل صراخي.

استمع لصوت دعائي يا ملكي والهي لاني اليك اصلّي.احْفَظْنِي يَااَللهُ ، فَإِنِّي مُتَوَكِّلٌ عَلَيْك                

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

October 23 Devotion - Resolving Conflict

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

لِيُرْفَعْ مِنْ بَيْنِكُمْ كُلُّ مَرَارَةٍ وَسَخَطٍ وَغَضَبٍ وَصِيَاحٍ وَتَجْدِيفٍ مَعَ كُلِّ خُبْثٍ. 32وَكُونُوا لُطَفَاءَ بَعْضُكُمْ نَحْوَ بَعْضٍ، شَفُوقِينَ مُتَسَامِحِينَ كَمَا سَامَحَكُمُ اللهُ أَيْضًا فِي الْمَسِيحِ.

Ephesians 4:31-32

As we see from Jesus’ actions and words in Matthew 21:12-13 (see text at the end of the devotion) anger is not intrinsically wrong. Anger in response to sin and its ill effects is a form of righteous anger, but when it crosses over the boundary into bitterness or a spirit of vengeance, it is not honouring to God.

Our health and well-being are important reasons for quick resolution of an angry conflict; bitterness must definitely be avoided.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please do not let anger control me. Teach me to resolve conflict and to replace it with a win-win alternative and to be tenderhearted toward the person I am having conflict with but without accepting a martyr lose-win alternative for myself. Please work on their heart also. Lord, help me to get rid of any desire to get revenge, and to able to quickly forgive just as You God have forgiven me in Christ. Lord help me to realize that my total dependence on You to help me forgive is not an indication of weakness on my part, but a sign of strength and confidence in You and Your promises. Father I thank You for Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me and for Your abundant blessings in my life. In the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus The Christ, the only begotten Son of God, I pray. To You Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

And Jesus entered the temple [grounds] and drove out [with force] all who were buying and selling [birds and animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and He turned over the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the chairs of those who were selling doves [for sacrifice]. ¹³ Jesus said to them, “It is written [in Scripture], ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

وَدَخَلَ يَسُوعُ إِلَى هَيْكَلِ اللهِ وَأَخْرَجَ جَمِيعَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَبِيعُونَ وَيَشْتَرُونَ فِي الْهَيْكَلِ، وَقَلَبَ مَوَائِدَ الصَّيَارِفَةِ وَكَرَاسِيَّ بَاعَةِ الْحَمَامِ ¹³وَقَالَ لَهُمْ:«مَكْتُوبٌ: بَيْتِي بَيْتَ الصَّلاَةِ يُدْعَى. وَأَنْتُمْ جَعَلْتُمُوهُ مَغَارَةَ لُصُوصٍ!»

October 23 Devotion- Praising God

IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful to him, and bless his name. I will sing of mercy and judgment: to you, O LORD, will I sing. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for you are my praise. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Psalms 92:1 Psalms 100:4 Psalms 101:1 Jeremiah 17:14 Ephesians 1:3 1Peter 2:9

When things are going our way Praise seems to be a natural part of what we want to do. However on the days when we face problems, challenges, and bad news it is much more difficult to show or express gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.

God understands how our emotions are built; He made them. He also knows that praise is the cure for a heart weighed down by concerns, worries and fears. Praise helps us to focus our attention on God. When we take a long and deliberate look at the character and ways of the Lord Jesus who loved us enough to die for us, our eyes are naturally shifted away from the difficulty and onto His ability to care for us.

Praise increases our faith. Telling God what we love about Him always involves reciting His past actions of might and power on our behalf. You can look back at the times He sent special provision at just the right moment and thank Him for them. This process results in a heart that expands with joy and security in Him.

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 when fears, irritations and concerns come my way I can praise You. Enable me to look at Your provision Lord in the past and rejoice at what You will do in the future. Jesus You said “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 Lord I praise Jesus who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings and Your deep, inseparable and everlasting love. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high and glorify Your Holy Name. LORD, In the mighty name of Jesus; my Lord and Saviour; I pray to You Father. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein