*If this is your first time to have daily devotion or you have not had daily devotion for a long time, I suggest you to use this link for a 40 days of daily devotion through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, my Break.Build blog/podcast:
**If you would like to have me to walk with you for three years and three months to read through the whole Bible with one chapter a day, please click my fist blog "Devotion on Fire":
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-1-i-am-blind.html
Silence
40 Days Break.Build daily devotion:
**If you would like to have me to walk with you for three years and three months to read through the whole Bible with one chapter a day, please click my fist blog "Devotion on Fire":
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-1-i-am-blind.html
Silence
1. Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence
2. Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.
Praise and Thanksgiving
1. Think through your day, all the times that made you smile
2. Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people
"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."
Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:
“Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
“Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
2. Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:
"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."
The Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 2:7-12; Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11, Proverbs 1:10-19)
Bible link:
English(NIV):https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2&version=NIV
English(NIV):https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+2&version=NIV
PAUSE HERE!!!
Please read all four passages first before reading my sharing.
To know, learn and practice this method of Time with Abba, please click this link:
Please see below the passages I copied today:
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!
My Listening
The topic I received from Jesus is: "Can you see Satan's net?"
What I received today is very similar to what I received yesterday which makes me tremble, something I have never thought of!
The incredible thing is that I was enjoying yesterday's passage from Matthew and I read more than it required! I read from 2:13 to 4:25 and not to 3:6!
So, what I received is a kind of "yesterday, today and tomorrow", a kind of Macro for these three days, and what I received today is the micro in the midst of macro, goes well with the essence of my new book "MicroMacro Discipling"!
Good! Yesterday we talked about why "Very Good" no more? And, my catch was one verse and that is from Genesis 3:4:
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When we ignore God's warning to do things God does not want us to do, the eye of our heart will be blind and we can only see things from our physical eyes!
The bad thing is that our physical eyes always lead us into darkness. Because when we do not have the Holy Spirit to open our eye in our hearts, without God's revelation, without Jesus is Lord, what we usually do is to allow ourselves to be the "lord", see people and things as a god and to use our own angle and judgment to discern good or evil. But, the truth is that only God can say what is good and what is evil, we as human beings cannot. That's why we always discern wrongly, no matter judging other people or things!
We so often criticized someone before other people saying, "I know how to tell who is good or bad people. I am quite certain that this guy is a bad guy!"
Oh, that's how we become a judge all the times of our lives and yet we do not know! Do you agree?
Well, the biggest catch today is also one verse, Proverbs 1:17:
This verse consists of very deep meaning for us to ponder on. It means the birds see how the bird catchers set the net but they still fall into the trap. Why? Because the bait is too tempting!
We as human beings facing the net set by Satan to Eve in Genesis 3:4, or similar net set by Satan to Jesus in Matthew 4:3-10 of the money, sex and power, we often fall into those nets because they are too tempting. So, the eye of our hearts would be blind, Jesus is no more our Lord, we do not have the anointing of the Holy Spirit and we fall, fall even to a place we might not be able to return!
The word "self" or "me" control our whole lives and we waste our lives in running here and there without any fruit!
Now, today's theme is "Can you see Satan's net?" What is your answer?
My answer is I can't. I cannot see Satan's net as a human being!
I can't because I might fall into Satan's net willingly! Because of that, the eye of my heart is blind and I would rely on myself and my own physical eyes to live each day.
Dear Holy Sprit,
May you shine on me each day that I know what are those things you ask me to do and I do not do. What are those things you ask me not to do and I do. Help me to repent and to be filled with the Holy Spirit each day so that I can see those nets Satan sets for me and that I won't fall into them, instead I will be able to experience "very good" and use my life to glorify your mighty Name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Reflect on these questions:
1. What are those obstacles to block you and blind you from having Jesus as your Lord and King and you becoming a judge sitting on God's seat to judge other people?
2. How can you truly be able to see Satan's net and not fall into it so that you can experience "very good" more each day?
3. What have you heard from Jesus today?
Please find below today's "Abba's Heart: A daily Inspiration from Time with Abba" written by the founder of Time with Abba and Pastoral Care School. I have received his permission to put his write-up each day from now on.
Praise and Thanksgiving