April 11 Devotion - God is Omnipresent

 

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? ⁸ If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, ¹⁰ even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will take hold of me. ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the night will be the only light around me,” ¹² even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You,
but the night shines as bright as the day; darkness and light are alike to You.

Psalm 139:7-12

أَيْنَ الْمَهْرَبُ مِنْ رُوحِكَ؟ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ مِنْ حَضْرَتِكَ؟ 8 إِنْ صَعِدْتُ إِلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَنْتَ هُنَاكَ، وَإِنْ جَعَلْتُ فِرَاشِي فِي عَالَمِ الأَمْوَاتِ فَهُنَاكَ أَنْتَ أَيْضاً. 9 إِنِ اسْتَعَرْتُ أَجْنِحَةَ الْفَجْرِ وَطِرْتُ، وَسَكَنْتُ فِي أَقْصَى أَطْرَافِ الْبَحْرِ 10 فَهُنَاكَ أَيْضاً يَدُكَ تَهْدِينِي وَيُمْنَاكَ تُمْسِكُنِي. 11 إِنْ قُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: «رُبَّمَا الظُّلْمَةُ تَحْجُبُنِي وَالضَّوْءُ حَوْلِي يَصِيرُ لَيْلاً»، 12 فَحَتَّى الظُّلْمَةُ لَا تُخْفِي عَنْكَ شَيْئاً، وَاللَّيْلُ كَالنَّهَارِ يُضِيءُ، فَسِيَّانَ عِنْدَكَ الظَّلامُ وَالضَّوْءُ. 

 

Would you agree that if people are being constantly watched and heard through technology and sophisticated cameras, people will stop doing ‘wrong’ things and stop saying ‘wrong’ things? If you are speeding and see in the rear view mirror the flashing lights of a police car, do you slow down? I think we all do.

 

God is everywhere, He is omnipresent (present everywhere all the time). He can see us, hear us, know our thoughts, and hear us all the time. Yet we continue doing wrong things, having wrong thoughts, and sinning against God. I believe we often put more emphasis on what people think than what God thinks.

 

King David expressed the omnipresence of God and realized that he cannot hide from God. It is our human nature to be weak and do ‘wrong’ things but we (the followers of Jesus Christ who have accepted Him as our Saviour and made Him Lord over our lives) have a source of strength, a source of purity, love, forgiveness, and peace available to us because The Holy Spirit lives within us. We need to tap into that strength and relinquish the fire of The Holy Spirit that we may have quenched.

 

Do not quench the Spirit.

 لا تُطفِئُوا عَمَلَ الرُّوحِ القُدُسِ فِيكُمْ.

1 Thessalonians 5:19

 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, I know intellectually that You are omnipresent, let me feel Your presence all the time. Lord. Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; Psalm 139:23 Lord help me, let The Holy Spirit convict me of anything that is within me that is not pleasing to You. Help me Lord to focus on You, not on my circumstances. Increase my faith O’Lord and show me Your ways. Jesus help to become more and more Christ-like daily. Father God, thank You that You love me and that Your love is unfailing, steadfast, deep, and everlasting. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. I pray in the holy and mighty name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. 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, ²¹to 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

April 10 Devotion - "I am the vine, you are the branches"

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

 

وَقَالَ يَسُوعُ: «أنَا الكَرمَةُ الحَقِيقِيَّةُ وَأبِي الكَرَّامُ. 2 وَهُوَ يَقْطَعُ كُلَّ غُصْنٍ فِيَّ لَا يُنتِجُ ثَمَرًا، وَيُنَقِّي كُلَّ غُصْنٍ مُثْمِرٍ لِكَي يُنتِجَ ثَمَرًا أكْثَرَ. 3 أنْتُمُ الآنَ أنقِيَاءُ بِسَبَبِ التَّعلِيمِ الَّذِي أعْطَيْتُهُ لَكُمْ. 4 اثبُتُوا فِيَّ وَأنَا سَأثْبُتُ فِيكُمْ. لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ الغُصْنُ أنْ يُنتِجَ ثَمَرًا وَحْدَهُ، إلَّا إذَا ثَبَتَ فِي سَاقِ الكَرمَةِ. كَذَلِكَ أنْتُمْ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أنْ تُنتِجُوا ثَمَرًا إلَّا إذَا ثَبَتُّمْ فِيَّ.

 

5 «أنَا الكَرمَةُ، وَأنْتُمُ الأغْصَانُ. فَمَنْ يَثْبُتُ فِيَّ وَأثبُتُ أنَا فِيهِ، يُنتِجُ ثَمَرًا كَثِيرًا. فَأنْتُمْ لَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أنْ تَفْعَلُوا شَيْئًا بِدُونِي.

 

 

John 15:1-5

Without Jesus we cannot do anything that is spiritually good. Nothing can be accomplished "without Christ", without His Spirit, grace, strength, and presence. Were it possible for believers that are truly in Him, to be removed from Him, they could bring forth no spiritual fruits or fruits of good works, any more than a branch separated from the vine can bring forth grapes; so that all the fruitfulness of a believer is to be ascribed to Christ, and His grace, and not to our own free will and power.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me and Your abundant blessings in my life. Thank You Jesus that I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of Your life. Jesus, I pray that You abide in me, and I in You. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can I, unless I abide in You Jesus. Jesus please strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can bear much fruit; for without You Jesus I can do nothing. In the name of The King of kings and Lord of lords, in the holy name of Jesus I pray to You Father. To Jesus be the glory, the majesty, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

April 8 Devotion - Jesus Sets Boundaries

But the news about Him was spreading farther, and large crowds kept gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their illnesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].

 

عَلَى أَنَّ خَبَرَ يَسُوعَ زَادَ انْتِشَاراً، حَتَّى تَوَافَدَتْ إِلَيْهِ جُمُوعٌ كَثِيرَةٌ لِيَسْتَمِعُوا إِلَيْهِ وَيَنَالُوا الشِّفَاءَ مِنْ أَمْرَاضِهِمْ. 16 أَمَّا هُوَ، فَكَانَ يَنْسَحِبُ إِلَى الأَمَاكِنِ الْخَالِيَةِ حَيْثُ يُصَلِّي.

 

Luke 5:15-16

   

Many people are sensitive-hearted and prone to take on other people’s problems. If they don’t have clear personal boundaries and limits they get weighed down and walked on. Eventually they start having problems with anger, resentment, stress overload, or burn out. They just can’t continue being so helpful and caring all the time and at the expense of their personal needs.

Is it okay to set boundaries in relationships? Is it healthy to set boundaries in relationships? Did Jesus set boundaries in dealing with people? The answer to these three questions is a definite YES.

 

Many health professionals insist that one of the most vital components to creating a healthy and fulfilling relationship is to set clear and agreed to boundaries in relationships. In simple terms, boundaries are the thing that keeps us separate from the other person. The boundaries are what set the place between where you end and the other person begins.

Jesus had personal needs that he put priority on — sometimes even over the needs of other people — and he did so without feeling guilty. Primarily his personal soul care had to do with separating himself from people to be alone with God.

Jesus said no to inappropriate behaviour:

 

When the demands on Him from the crowd crossed His needs to be with His Father, He withdrew from the crowds

           

Jesus said no to Peter and the disciples who had an inappropriate agenda for Jesus as a political king or military warrior rather than a sacrificial lamb.

 

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.”

فَالْتَفَتَ يَسُوعُ إِلَى بُطْرُسَ وَقَالَ لَهُ:  

«اغْرُبْ مِنْ أَمَامِي يَا شَيْطَانُ! أَنْتَ عَقَبَةٌ أَمَامِي، لأَنَّكَ تُفَكِّرُ لَا بِأُمُورِ اللهِ، بَلْ بِأُمُورِ النَّاسِ!»

 

Matthew 16:23

 

There are many more examples of Jesus setting boundaries in The Bible and we need to learn that it is Christian to set boundaries and protect ourselves and our emotions, and teach others (children, friends, coworkers, loved ones, parents) their boundaries so as to set the place between where you end and the other person begins, leading to healthier win-win relationships.

 

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 I can learn to set boundaries in my life and in my relationships with others. Help me to be prepared through the guidance of The Holy Spirit to answer all accusations or attempts to make me feel guilty because I am setting healthy boundaries. Teach me to be firm but courteous and respectful in my answers, explaining to others that setting boundaries is a win for them as well and we can live in a win-win relationship with respect. Help me Lord to push back those who have by force pushed on my boundary line during the years; without allowing my emotions to be in play; but to let The Holy Spirit think for me and speak through me. Thank You Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Father God I pray to You in the name of Your only begotten  Son, my Redeemer, Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty, and the blessings before all time and now and forevermore. Amen

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

 

April 7 Devotion - Becoming Christ-like

 

…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus… For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power

من اجل ذلك نحن ايضا منذ يوم سمعنا لم نزل مصلّين وطالبين لاجلكم ان تمتلئوا من معرفة مشيئته في كل حكمة وفهم روحي

10 لتسلكوا كما يحق للرب في كل رضى مثمرين في كل عمل صالح ونامين في معرفة الله

11 متقوين بكل قوة بحسب قدرة مجده

Colossians 1:9-11

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your unfailing, inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me and Your abundant blessings in my life. 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 discern Your will for my life and be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Strengthen me through Your Holy Spirit Lord, so that that I may walk in such a way that is fully pleasing to You and is fruitful in every good work. Lord, I desire and need to increase in Your knowledge. Help me Father to pray for others and to be Christ-like, fully pleasing You and being fruitful toward others through Your glorious strength. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray to You Father God. To Jesus be the glory, the power, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 3 Devotion - Parakletos

 

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.

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

 

John 14:16

 

In the original Greek, the word used to describe the Holy Spirit is the word Parakletos, or “Comforter.” It suggests the giving of aid much like a legal counselor or advocate would do.

The sense in which Parakletos is used means “to come alongside another while giving strength and encouraging support.” The Holy Spirit is God’s personal representative here on earth. He is the third person of the Trinity. 

Jesus knew the void within the hearts of His disciples would be great after He returned to the Father. Therefore, God in His greatness and compassion sent the Holy Spirit to comfort the followers of Christ, and He is still with us today. He is our Guide to all truth and our personal Advocate and Comforter before the throne of God. 

This is our peace and strength—knowing that whatever we face, God faces it with us through the Holy Spirit.

 I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for sending me The Parakletos the spirit of wisdom to aspire the things that are eternal, and to enlighten my mind to Your divine teachings and fill my heart with Your divine council, comfort strength and aid. Thank You Father God for loving me with a deep, unfailing, and everlasting love. Thank You Abba Father for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life.  Father God, I praise You, glorify You and lift You up on high. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray to You. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 2 Devotion - ASK, SEEK, KNOCK

 

“So, I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

 فَإِنِّي أَقُولُ لَكُمْ: اطْلُبُوا، تُعْطَوْا؛ اسْعَوْا، تَجِدُوا؛ اقْرَعُوا، يُفْتَحْ لَكُمْ

Luke 11:9

 

A S K

 

Those who Ask will receive answers. Those who Seek will find. Those who Knock will find the door opened for them.

 

The Lord wants us to pray to Him, not only because it honours Him, but also because it helps us to grow in Him. Furthermore, prayer taps us into His work in the world. At any given moment, we can pray for anyone anywhere on earth and have confidence that the Lord of the entire universe will hear us and respond in the most effective fashion.

For this reason, prayer is one of the best ways to get involved in God’s mission. What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to participate in the expansion of God’s kingdom by asking the Lord to help His children and impact His creation. 

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, please teach me to ask, seek, and knock—to persevere in prayer until I receive Your answer. Thank You for all the good and advantageous gifts You gave me, are giving me, and will give me in the future. Thank You for Your inseparable, deep, unfailing, and everlasting love. Father God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You and glorify Your holy name. Lord God, please teach me to seek Your face and help me to grow in Your word. I knock on the door of Your peace that surpasses all understanding. In the holy name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray to You Father. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In Him,

Wagdi Henein