Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

DEVOTIONAL VIDEO: “Do You Believe? Jesus Gives us the Promise of Belief”

DEVOTIONAL VIDEO

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

The Upper Room Part 3: The Promise of Belief (St. Thomas Anglican Church, Athens GA)

A primary component of Jesus teaching methodology was to ask questions. Most questions asked regarding Christianity are directly answerable. However, it is not “doubt” that constrains people from believing and following Jesus; but it is their “resistance to giving up their sins” that constrains their belief and acceptance.

Important questions were asked by Jesus in His several appearances after His Resurrection from His Crucifixion and death. In the first reference in John 20 to Jesus’ appearance to His Apostilles, the Apostille Thomas was not present. Therefore, when Thomas was told of Jesus’ appearance, Thomas said that he would not believe in Jesus’ Resurrection until he could see and feel Jesus’ wounds from the Crucifixion. Jesus, knowing Thomas’ disbelief, asked Thomas, in John 20:27-29, to feel His wounds; and Thomas answered with an answer that has resonated throughout the centuries: “My Lord and my God!”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”. Jesus went on to affirm Thomas’ belief in the face of compelling physical evidence, but Jesus acknowledged the power of the belief and faith by those of us who follow Him without physical evidence.

However, in John 14:6-7, Jesus provided an answer to Thomas and to us that is the foundation of our Christian faith: “Jesus said to him {Thomas}, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’”. In So, for us who do not have the physical evidence of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, Paul tells us, in Romans 10:17, that: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”.

Do you believe?

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Anger. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Forgiveness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 10:19-30; John 11:15-16; John 14:5-7; Psalms 136b:13-26.

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “You Are Personally Responsible and Accountable, to God, for All He Entrusts to You", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “The Conscience”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

As Followers of Jesus, We Know that God Is With Us and He Will Never Leave Us

MESSAGE SUMMARY: By accepting Jesus, you can be born of the Holy Spirit and have your sins forgiven by His sacrificial death on the cross. Paul explains, in Philippians 3:9b-12, that Jesus “has made me His own”: ‘but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Straining Toward the Goal. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own’.”. Amidst suffering and loss; economic uncertainty; and family crises, you can still celebrate and rejoice because you know that God has given you life and life eternal. We know that God is with us and He will never leave us.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Addictions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Self-Control. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Philippians 3:7-12; John 5:24; Matthew 28:19-20; Psalms 132:1-18.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus?", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share Publicly Your Relationship with Jesus?”:  https://awordfromthelord.org/video-archives/

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

At Your Earthly Death, You Will Be Asked: “Who Do You Say that I Am?”; Your Answer Today?

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus claimed to be the unique, divine Son of God; therefore, Jesus is on an equal footing with God. Jesus said that He would one day judge the world. How you respond to Jesus, in your life, will determine how you are judged. The Apostle John summarizes, in John 20:27-29, the interchange between Jesus and the Apostle Thomas when Thomas realizes who Jesus, the man that he had been following for years, is: “Then he said to Thomas, ’Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”. You, as follower of Jesus, have not seen Jesus or His wounds. Therefore, do you believe through your faith; and are you able, by your faith, to say: “My Lord and my God!”? If not, why not?

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  2 Timothy 4:1-8; Matthew 12:36-37; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Psalms 119j:109-120.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.awordfromthelord.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Five Needs of Fathers", at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

If You Cannot Believe In Jesus and His Gospel of Salvation, Just Start With What You Can Believe

MESSAGE SUMMARY: It is hard for some of you to believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus that we celebrate on Christmas day. Ok, just start where you are in what you believe. Can you believe that you are a sinner? Can you believe that you are not perfect? Can you believe that you have violated God’s laws? Despite this life background, can you believe that God loves you just as you now are? Can you believe that God sent His Only Son, Jesus, to save all that believe in Him so that you would not perish but have eternal life? Maybe this is where you start in believing in the miraculous birth of Jesus; you need to start where you are. Jesus’ life was defined by His death on the cross and by His resurrection, thereby, living up to the translation of His name, Jesus – “Salvation”. The Apostle John succinctly summarized the purpose of Jesus birth on Christmas in John3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.". You’ve got to believe; but until you get your thinking right, your life will not change – you’ve got to believe!

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Anger. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Forgiveness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Luke 1:27-38; Luke 2:1-22; John 20:27-29; Psalms 119f:61-72.

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/

 

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Five Needs of Fathers", at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

If You Don’t Use Your Faith, You Will Lose It

MESSAGE SUMMARY: In many ways, your faith is like a muscle – both your muscles and your faith will atrophy if you don’t use them. In the ministry, we often hear comments like: “Some time ago, I walked with the Lord and He spoke to me; but now I am not even sure I believe any more.”. This falling away from the Lord is, often, a result of faith not being exercised. In Hebrews 2:1-3, you are told that when the storms of life come, you are to look to Jesus – use your faith and always look to Jesus: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,".

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will serve others. (Philippians 2:3f).  “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 3: The Promise of Belief (St. Thomas Anglican Church, Athens GA)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S RECENT VIDEOS:  https://awftlvser.podbean.com/.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 12:1-8; Leviticus 26:18-21; 2 John 4:8-9; Psalms 78a:1-18.

“Whatever You Ask in Prayer, You Will Receive, If You Have Faith”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: While you are endeavoring to hold onto our faith in God and Jesus’ Gospel, you need to always remember the faithfulness of God, even in those times in which you may be doubting or questioning your faith. When the Apostles questioned Jesus about faith and prayer, Jesus told the Apostles, in Mathew 21:21-22, that our faith is powerful and that God will respond to our faith: “And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.’”. Let us hold, unswervingly, to the hope and faith we profess because God, who promised us, is faithful – God will never leave you or forsake you. When the difficulties arise; and you are tempted to walk away from your faith. because you are tempted to doubt God, remember that God is faithful. Don’t give up your faith!

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 3: The Promise of Belief (St. Thomas Anglican Church, Athens GA)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S RECENT VIDEOS:  https://awftlvser.podbean.com/.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Psalms 91:1-10; Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 6:25-34; Psalms 76:1-12.

“Whoever has the Son {Jesus} has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

MESSAGE SUMMARY: "God gave us eternal life, and this {Eternal} life is in his Son {Jesus}. Whoever has the Son has {Eternal} life." (1 John 5:11). Jesus tells us in John 5:25-27: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”. If you believe in the name of the Son of God and know the Lord, you can be assured of forgiveness and salvation because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, His resurrection, and God’s Grace. As the author of 1 John tells us in 1 John 5:10-12: “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.". Jesus is the only Way to Eternal Life.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Interior Life – Emotional Maturity: Exercising the Mind – Part 4 (Christ Church; Atlanta, GA)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S RECENT VIDEOS:  https://awftlvser.podbean.com/.

 

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 1:16-17; Matthew 26:28; John 5:25-27; Psalms 68c:27-35.

Lord, Here Am I; Send Me!

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Do you, like many Christians, see little, spiritually, going on in your life? Many Christians should be asking the question: “Am I ready for something spiritual to happen in my life; am I dressed and ready for service?”. Are you ready to say: “Lord, here am I; send me.”? The call of the Holy Spirit to you may be diverse: becoming a missionary in a third world country; to be a Christian business leader; to taking a stand for Jesus that is not politically correct. Can you be as ready as Isaiah when he said to God’s call, in Isaiah 6:8: “I heard the voice of the Lord: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said: ‘Lord, here am I; send me.’”? If you are not ready, why not?

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In all my ways I will seek to know Him, and He will make my pathways straight. (From Proverbs 3:5f).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Beginnings of Prayer -- Part 3: Prayer is Not About Us, It Is About Others", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S CURRENT VIDEO: “Prophetic Glimpses of the Coming Messiah” (Third Sunday in Advent; Holy Cross Anglican Cathedral; Loganville, GA),  https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 8:12-17; Acts 2:1-4; Genesis 46:2-4; Psalms 37b:11-20.

As a Forgiven Christian, God Expects Your Faith and Belief In Jesus’ Deity

MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Jesus is the firstborn of all creation; and in Him, all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form. These statements, from Paul to the Colossians in Colossians 1:15, “He {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." form the crux of Christianity. In Jesus, God fully dwells. Again, in Colossians 2:9-10, Paul reminds us of Jesus’ ultimate Deity: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.". This position, of Jesus’ Deity, is quite different from the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, the New Age, or the Universalist. God expects our faith and belief in Jesus’ Deity in return for God’s forgiveness that results from Jesus’ sacrificial Crucifixion and Resurrection and God’s Grace.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Thanks-Living (Additional Message by Pastor Yow of Gahanna – “Go, and Make Disciples”)", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S VIDEO: “The Upper Room Part 4: The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)”,  https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/`

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  Colossians 2:9-10; Proverbs 8:27; John 1:1-5; Psalms 129:1-8.

Only Your Faith Can Save You – the Faith of Others, on Your Behalf, Cannot Save You!

MESSAGE SUMMARY: We first believed because of what our parents taught us; but then we heard for ourselves, and we believed. You and cannot live on another’s faith in Jesus. Each of us must hear for ourselves and come to the Lord in our own faith. As Paul tells us in Romans 10:16-17: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." You and I each will stand before the Lord alone in judgment -- we will speak for ourselves with only Jesus to speak for us. Others to whom we minister, such as our children, can her about the Lord and the Gospel from us – for the first time or in reinforcement – but they must hear for themselves and believe for themselves to be saved.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

 

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “The Interior Life – Maintenance of the Inner Man -- Part 8: The Body; Giving Life to the Spirit Soul", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.

 

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S VIDEO: “The Upper Room Part 2: The Promise of Forgiveness (Christ Cathedral; Kampala, Uganda)”,  https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/`

 

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

 

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Matthew 7:24-27; 119c:39-58.