en-US Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:34:35 +0200 GodRev/My_Devotionalhttp://feedburner.google.com http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/461/Abraham-s-Lesson-On-Obedience.html http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/461/Abraham-s-Lesson-On-Obedience.html The Old Testament records the life and trials of Abraham. While the patriarch had a special relationship with God, his faith was not perfect. Over the course of his life, he came to understand how important it is to obey-mdash;and how costly it can be to rebel. Abraham learned the hard way that manipulating circumstances to gain a desired result can bring heartache. The Lord had promised him and Sarah a child, but the couple was still waiting for that blessing when they were elderly. Already in her 80s, Sarah suggested that Abraham get an heir by having a child with her servant Hagar. The result was jealousy, family strife, and a bloody conflict that still rages today between the descendants of Hagar's son Ishmael and Sarah's son Isaac. Obedience will bring the Lord's best, but it requires waiting on Him. Abraham was already an old man when God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. (Genesis 15:5). This would not be fulfilled until he[...]]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:24:27 +0200 http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/460/The-Result-of-Surrender.html http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/460/The-Result-of-Surrender.html Ask most believers if they would like to accomplish what the Lord has planned for them to do with their life, and they will say, 'Yes!' To be the person He calls each one of us to be, we must surrender our will to His. That means telling God that we are willing for Him to do whatever He must to drive selfishness out of our life. He may send pain and heartache, because that is a sure way to get our attention. But as a result, we'll be wiser and more mature followers. Surrendering our will to God's better plan clears off the throne of our life, enabling the Holy Spirit to take His rightful place there. Then, as He discards the junk from our life, we are transformed from the inside out. Our spirit undergoes three important changes. First, we begin to recognize when God's hand is at work. Second, we experience freedom from selfish pursuits or earthly attachments, like money and wrong relationships. Third, we understand and appreciate what it means to[...]]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:23:47 +0200 http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/459/Brokenness-The-Plan.html http://godrev.jesus.net/devotionals/?/459/Brokenness-The-Plan.html Humans are born 'bent away' from the Lord. Our natural inclination is to please and serve self, which is the opposite of a God honoring lifestyle. When we become believers, our Father begins to bend our will and ways back towards Him. But we must cooperate with Him and yield to the process; otherwise, we are of little use to the kingdom. The Lord wants to eradicate every thought pattern and activity promoting dependency on anything other than Him. This means that relying on oneself to attain security, salvation, or physical and emotional comfort are outside His will. Actions that advance a person at the expense of others are also ungodly. In areas where we resist bending toward the Lord, He may break us by allowing pain into our life. As a result, we are driven to Him in surrender. To break a person may sound harsh, but God does this work in love. He sees beyond the hurt to the outcome-mdash;we will be more mature and faithful servants for having walked through[...]]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:22:18 +0200