Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

Risks Cannot Be Reconciled Today By Man’s Knowledge or Technology; God Provides Answers Through Gifts of the Holy Spirit

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Today, we face risks, like health, economic, financial, and political, which cannot be defined, much less managed, by man’s knowledge, experience, and technology. However, God’s Gifts {tools} of the Holy Spirit do provide answers if we respond to God’s call to us. We need to make the Holy Spirit, God’s counselor gift to us, an integral part of our life and calling. Paul, in Ephesians 4:11-13, tells us about God’s focus and reasons for His gifts to us through the Holy Spirit: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints {followers of Jesus} for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . .". Again Paul, in Romans 11:29, gives us further information about God’s fantastic gifts {tools for us to serve God} of the Holy Spirit that are the enablers for you as you answer God’s call – as a Follower of Jesus, you are called and given gifts; but not all have answered His call: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.".  Jesus, in Matthew 28:18-19, has called you along with all Christians to: 1) “make disciples” and 2) “Go”: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,’". Even though you may not be called to be a missionary or a minister, Jesus calls all His followers in His “Great Commission”. However, Jesus does not call you without providing you the tools or gifts, through the Holy Spirit, to be successful. In summary, God, in His call to you, has given you the gifts of the Holy Spirit to perform His call to you.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:10-14; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:7-11; Psalms 111:1-10.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “We All Need “Hope” in Today’s World of Fear, Doubt in Our Faith, and Feelings of “Hopelessness”; and God Is this “Hope””:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

As a Sinless Man, Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Has Given You Access to God’s Grace and the Hope of Your Glory

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

When, on the cross, Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, b), it was the only time, in all eternity that Jesus had been separated from God the Father. Jesus had always known perfect fellowship with the Father; but when Jesus took on all our sin at the cross in His death, His fellowship with God was broken. God, the Father, had forsaken Jesus because God cannot have anything to do with sin. Paul, in Romans 5:15, summarizes Jesus’ sacrifice and the resulting gift of God’s Grace available to us from our faith: “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.”. Again, Paul reminds us, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, of the Grace resulting from Jesus’ sacrifice: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.". At the time of His crucifixion, Jesus, who was sinless. Hence, Jesus took on all the sins of the world for eternity. Therefore, we are blessed with God’s Grace of Salvation and Eternal Life, as the author of Hebrews summarizes in Hebrews 4:15-16: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.". Jesus, through God’s Grace, has given us the means of Grace and the Hope of our Glory.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). (From Romans 1:16).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 27:51-52; 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Romans 4:16-17; Psalms 59a:1-8.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Your Pride and Life Situation Concerns Can Provide Barriers for Your Entry Into God’s Presence in Prayer

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Pride takes many forms, but pride always puts a barrier between you and God – especially in your prayer life. We are all sinners, and we only are only able to be saved from eternal death by God's mercy and Grace. Your prideful self-sufficiency will prevent you from entering God’s throne room (The place of God’s presence for His prayerful communion with you). You are able to come to God, in a prayerful personal relationship, because of His mercy and Grace. As Paul tells us in Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Also, in Mark 7:20-23, Jesus provides His perspective regarding pride: “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’”. It is so easy to begin a prayer when both your heart and your mind are cluttered with your life’s stresses and the sinful thoughts and desires which you have permitted the enemy to leak into your being. Stop a moment and call upon the Holy Spirit (God’s helping gift to followers of Jesus) to clean your mind and heart while walking with you and your prayer into the presence of God – a no-pride solution to your prayers.

 

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

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 8:26-28; Mark 7:20-23; 1 John 2:15-17; Psalms 58:1-11.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Today’s Growing Challenges to Our Culture, Health, and Christian Institutions Can Only Be Reversed Through a “Spiritual Awakening”

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Before we blame our problems of today on those we have elected to high office (e.g., President, Congress, Governors), remember that God told Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel 4:17b, that He, God, rules {God is sovereign} the kingdom of men {i.e. Governance} and He gives it {i.e. Governance} to whom He chooses:  “the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High {God} rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”. We seem to get those in our Governance that we either need or that we deserve – “the lowliest of men”. In all, God is always Sovereign.

Today, our way of life, especially in these times of the coronavirus and civil dissonance, is slipping quickly away from us; but our way of life is not just about elections and politics. This risk arises from direct threats to both our Christian faith-based institutions and our country’s related founding principles. The news, 24/7, confirms that this risk to our country, our way of life, and to Christianity. This risk is coming from a constant state of conflict among institutions, cultures, churches, and individuals. The Bible provides examples of similar institutionalized conflicts throughout the ages. However, the conflict today, in and among organized religion, is over the basic principles of Biblical teachings and Jesus’ Gospel. This organized religion” conflict makes one wonder where and when the path for a way out of this descension and conflict will emerge.  

From Clergy, Politicians, and the men and women in the street, God is mocked daily along with His institutions. Paul tells us, in Galatians 6:7, that: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." Some ask, in a mocking fashion, “Where is Jesus; He is supposed to be the Peacemaker?” or “Where is God in this Pandemic?”. Jesus answers these questions in Matthew 10:34-35, 38-39: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law . . . And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." 

The risks from this conflict, the mocking of God, and the large numbers of institutions walking away from the principles upon which America was founded will only be addressed by a change in our hearts. The hearts of the people will not change until we have a true spiritual awakening. As Jesus tells us in John 14:1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”. Additionally, Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 35:4: “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”. A spiritual awakening is needed not only to save souls from eternal damnation but to save our way of life. This “Spiritual Awakening” begins by proclaiming Christ faithfully to the nations and returning to God who will return to us.

 

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).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ezekiel 22:30; Daniel 4:28-32; Matthew 22:19-21; Isaiah 29:8-21; Galatians 6:7; Matthew 10:34-35, 38-39; John 14:1; Isaiah 35:4.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Attacks on Christianity Today Can Challenge a Christian’s Faith, but Seek and Return to God and He Will Return to You

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY: The Lord wants to bring His grace and His peace into your life. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and God’s "New Covenant" with us, He can make us whole again. Jesus can bring His peace and His joy into our lives. Why will some, who have separated themselves from the Lord, not seek Him and return to Him? God tells you that, if some life event led you to turn away from Him, He will return to you when you return to  Him, no matter where you are, as God promises us in Joel 2:13b: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”. Also, the God tells us in Isaiah 44:22: “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.".

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will think like Jesus . (Philippians 2:5f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 2:12-13; Psalms 51:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10; Psalms 108:1-13.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Pray for the Holy Spirit To Be Your Constant Companion in Today’s Difficult and Uncertain Circumstances

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:  

In Isaiah 30:21, Isaiah tells us: "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.". We know from the New Testament that Christians are given the Holy Spirit to walk with them -- "a word {voice} behind you". Since the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you, the way the Lord speaks to you is through the inward witness of the Holy Spirit -- the Spirit will speak, and you will know that it is the God. As God told His people in Exodus 19:5-6: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”. Pray for the Holy Spirit to come into your life’s daily walk in today’s difficult and uncertain circumstances, and the Holy Spirit will be your constant companion as God intended the Holy Spirit to be for Jesus’ followers.

 

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

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 14:23-27; Acts 2:1-4; Exodus 19:1-6; Psalms 55b:13-23.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

An Old Hymn Says, From John 15:14, “What a friend we have in Jesus” and Tells Us that We Can Now Know God in a Personal Relationship

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY: 

There is a difference in knowing about someone and really knowing them. The New Covenant, from God through Jesus’ Gospel to us, permits you to know God in a personal way and not just to know about God. This means to know the Lord God was fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. In Romans 8:26, Paul tells us that the pathway for knowing God, personally, is through our prayers; and the Holy Spirit is with you to help you with your prayers: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.". There is a great deal of difference in knowing about God through study and knowing God by developing a personal relationship with Him through your prayers and the New Covenant that is in Jesus. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, clearly identifies that Jesus is the “Word” {God} who is the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". Therefore, God’s Grace, through Jesus, has given you the opportunity to have a personal relationship with our Triune God (i.e. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit). Jesus provides this opportunity for you to have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe, who can become the cornerstone of your life. Have you established your personal relationship with God? If not, why not?

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Faithfulness. “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 12:44-50; Luke 12:4-12; John 15:12-17; Psalms 55a:1-12.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Few of Us Have Experienced Today’s Uncertainties in Our Lifetimes; To Get God’s Help, Prayer AND Fasting Are Needed

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:  

There are times when you need clarity, understanding, knowledge and insights from the Lord about the specific issues that you are facing. The Lord will speak to you, but sometimes it takes your listening and fasting to hear Him. For example, when Joel received a Word when the land was to be destroyed, he called a fast (i.e. Joel 1:14): “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”. Some things you are facing in your life must be dealt with by both prayer and fasting. Fasting releases a spiritual power – in your weakness, God is made strong in your life. Daniel’s prayer, from Daniel 9:3-5, provides a context for asking direction from God: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.’". Also, Daniel provides a great context for your prayers – Praise, Thanksgiving; and Confession before we ask.

 

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)

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 1:13-16; Matthew 6:16; Daniel 9:3-7; Psalms 54:1-7.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “In This Period of Decision for America, We Need to Wake Up and Return to God so that God Will Return to Us", at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “As a Christian, You Are Equipped for God’s Purpose; Be Courageous and Let Others See Jesus In You for God Is With You”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Health Care Workers and Forward-Deployed Military, Today, Illustrate Jesus’ Self-Sacrificing “Agape Love”

 

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

As we watch TV news and the inevitable “war scenes”, often, we see scenes from the National Cemeteries here and overseas. From these scenes, we cannot help but be reminded of Jesus’ Agape Love. In John 15:12-14a, Jesus told of the actions that represent the self-sacrificial Agape Love taken by many of those soldiers interred in these cemeteries: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends . . .”. We are made in the image of God; therefore, we are supposed to be perfect mirrors of God's Agape Love (i.e. self-sacrificing love). In 1 John 4:16-17, John tells us about God’s Love: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world." Sin is our failure to act as our God of Agape Love acts -- the opposite of Agape Love is our self-love. Also, in 1 John 4:18-19, John presents us with the fruits of Agape Love, within the context of God’s model for Agape Love: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.". Today, let us all remember those, who with God’s Agape Love, have sacrificed and are sacrificing so much for us by giving up their lives for us.

 

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, 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).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “America Will Not Survive as a Nation Unless the People of God Stand Up and Plead for Our Survival - Pray for America": at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Cultural Turmoil and Health Threats Bring Fear, But Your Fear Is Overcome By Following God’s Call and Seeking His Will”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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

Prayer Is a Bridge Over Today’s River of Fear Through Prayer in Faith, Without Doubt, and Asking God’s Help

MESSAGE SUMMARY:

Even when you are experiencing a "life situation", you can enter prayerful communion with God by NOT FOCUSING ON YOURSELF. In your communion with God, God will tell you how to pray for the "situation". As James tells us in James 1:5-6: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.". Pray always; be consistent in your prayers. Do not give up on God; do not doubt the power of your prayer; and pray in faith.

 

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): Ephesians 5:20-21; Romans 1:16-17; James 1:5-6; Psalms 109b:16-31

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “America Will Not Survive as a Nation Unless the People of God Stand Up and Plead for Our Survival - Pray for America": at our Website: www.AWFTL.org/listen/.

WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S SERMON VIDEO – “Cultural Turmoil and Health Threats Bring Fear, But Your Fear Is Overcome By Following God’s Call and Seeking His Will”:  www.AWFTL.org/watch

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