Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

Fasting and Prayer Release Your Spiritual Power by Making God Strong in Your Life Through Your Weakness from Fasting

Fasting and Prayer Release Your Spiritual Power by Making God Strong in Your Life Through Your Weakness from Fasting

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 you ask for God’s intervention into your life and personal needs.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Father, I know how often I am carried away by too many concerns and demands and projects. I have felt the violence to my soul. Deliver me from this whirlwind around me and in me. Heal my tired and weary spirit, allowing the wisdom that comes from rest in you to flow deep within me. In Jesus’ name, amen.       Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 124). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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

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

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus’ Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us

Remember those Soldiers and First Responders Who, Having Jesus’ Agape Love, Place Themselves in Positions to Sacrifice Their Lives for Us

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.". Let us all remember all those who have Jesus’ Agape Love and who place themselves in a position to sacrifice themselves and their lives for us if needed, like soldiers and first responders, out of their love for us – their Agape love.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus’ name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Compassion. “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): 1 John 4:18-19; Psalms 51:1-2; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 8:31-39; Psalms 107a:1-11.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

“Life Situations” May Cause a Focus on Yourself; but a Prayer Focused on Yourself and Not Considering Others’ Needs Constrains Your Prayer Relationship with God

“Life Situations” May Cause a Focus on Yourself; but a Prayer Focused on Yourself and Not Considering Others’ Needs Constrains Your Prayer Relationship with God

MESSAGE SUMMARY: When you are experiencing a "life situation" AND you stop just focusing on yourself and your situation, then you can enter prayerful communion with God. In your personal relationship with God and your communion with God, He will tell you how to pray for your "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 PRAYER: Lord, I thank you that you are working even when I am sleeping. Teach me to respect the built-in rhythms of life, and to live from a place of deep rest in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.       Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 127). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, My life is about Christ (Philippians 1:21). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 5:20-21; Romans 1:16-17; James 1:5-6; Psalms 109b:16-31.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

For Jesus Followers, God Has Compassion on Them, His Children, as they Praise and Fear Him

For Jesus Followers, God Has Compassion on Them, His Children, as they Praise and Fear Him

MESSAGE SUMMARY: As a Jesus Follower, then you believe that God is the Creator of the Universe and that God is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. Therefore, as Sovereign Lod, God merits your fear, respect, praise, and awe for the Grace, love, and mercy He has given to you. Proverbs 1:7 tells you that the “Fear of the Lord”, while bringing the Lord’s “Compassion” and “Blessings”, also, brings you “Knowledge”: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.". David models again and again, as in Psalms 117:1-2, how we should praise God: "Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.". In Psalms 112:1-2, David again admonishes you to praise and to fear the Lord: “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.". Therefore, God, as our Father, has compassion on us His children as we praise and fear Him.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Father, when I read even part of the story of Job, I too am overwhelmed by your “wildness.” Your ways and timing are beyond me. Job moved from hearing about you to having “seen you.” Lead me, Lord, on a pathway so that I too can pray as Job prayed: “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 89). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 112:1-2; Psalms 51:1-19. 

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

Few Are Promulgating Peace in Today’s Health Care, Race, Religion, or Politics; but Are Jesus Followers Doing God’s Will as His Peacemakers?

Few Are Promulgating Peace in Today’s Health Care, Race, Religion, or Politics; but Are Jesus Followers Doing God’s Will as His Peacemakers?

MESSAGE SUMMARY: God, through Jesus the Christ, gave us the ministry of Reconciliation. In Jesus, God was Reconciling the world to Himself and not counting their trespasses or sins against them, as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”. God entrusted us with the message of reconciliation; therefore, we are “ambassadors for Christ”. We are implored, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled with God and to live a life like someone who has been given the opportunity to reflect Jesus in their life and to be at peace with God. Blessed are the peacemakers – ambassadors of God’s peace – Jesus Followers are intended, by God, to be His Peacemakers for the World.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus’ name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, 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): Romans 5:11; Mathew 5:12; Luke 1:30-35; Psalms 108:1-13.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God

Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God

MESSAGE SUMMARY:  The enemy {the evil one, the devil} is always at work seeking to destroy the fruit of the Lord’s field and your life. In John10:10, Jesus tells us: “The thief {enemy} comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter tells you more about your enemy who is always with you: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil {enemy} prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”. Continue to remember that the enemy is always attempting to mess you up and to destroy your witness. Also, the enemy is always attempting to destroy your relationship with God and to get you to reject God. The enemy does his evil in subtle ways, but his purpose is clear -- the enemy wants you off the right path. The enemy is always at work, and he never sleeps.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John10:10-18;1 Peter 5:8-11; Ephesians 4:26-32; Psalms 50b:13-23.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/   

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

Jesus Followers Have Much for which to Thank God - His Grace for Our Salvation and Our Freedom to Serve Him

Jesus Followers Have Much for which to Thank God - His Grace for Our Salvation and Our Freedom to Serve Him

MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name. Our government has set aside an annual national holiday of Thanksgiving for all Americans to offer prayers for our country; our many blessings; and our special blessings for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, thanksgiving to God, for Christians, should be a lifestyle; and Jesus Followers should not need a special day to give thanks to the Lord. As Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”. Do you, as a Christian, need a special day to give thanks God because you get so immersed in your life outside of your relationship with God? Do you stop to give God thanks for His grace for you and His blessings to you in your prayer life’s personal relationship with God? Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, after his loss, you gave Job prosperity, blessing him with twice as much as he had before, but that has not always felt like my experience. Grant me patience. Help me to trust and wait on you, especially in those areas of my life where I have no idea what you are doing, when my hardship will end, or where you are taking me. In Jesus’ name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 115). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Chronicles 16:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4; Psalms 50a:1-12.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “How God Says He Loves Us: Part 3 -- The Covenant with Moses”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

As You Live on Earth, God Has Work for You; You Are to “Live in Christ” So that Others See Jesus in Your Life

As You Live on Earth, God Has Work for You; You Are to “Live in Christ” So that Others See Jesus in Your Life

MESSAGE SUMMARY: As a Jesus Follower, God Expects You to Both Work for Kingdom and Witness for the Gospel. Also, as a Jesus Follower, you are to live in Christ and to let others see Jesus in your life. If you are to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for you – God has work for you; God’s work for you is real work. The spiritual life is work – it is fruitful labor. Also, Godly conduct is a necessity to live in Christ as we are instructed in Philippians 1:27: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . .”. Not only does God have a work for you, but you, also, have a witness for Him through your actions, words, and your attitudes. Your actions, words, and attitudes constantly reflect who and what God is in your life. Paul admonishes us, in Galatians 6:2,9-10a to follow the law of Christ and to do good and live a moral life: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . . . And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”. Also, Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12, succinctly presents what it means for a Jesus Follower “to live in Christ”: “To be a witness, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.". Are you following Jesus so that you are living in Christ and letting others see Jesus in your life?

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus’ name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim Him. (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Galatians 5:18-26; 1 Peter 1:15-19; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Psalms 37d:21-40

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say I Love You, Part 4: Violation of the Covenant”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

This Is the Time, in Our Fear-Evoking Events, that Jesus Followers, Like Jesus and King Hezekiah, Need to Get Alone with God and Pray

This Is the Time, in Our Fear-Evoking Events, that Jesus Followers, Like Jesus and King Hezekiah, Need to Get Alone with God and Pray

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Immediately, Jesus made His Disciples get in a boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side while Jesus dismissed the crowd. After Jesus dismissed the crowd, He went up on a mountainside, by Himself, to pray. He was alone with His Father. In Mark 1:35, Jesus’ prayer life is presented: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.”. If there is one Christian discipline that is neglected by Christians of today, it is the practice of getting alone with God and having a quiet time to pray -- not you and your computer; not you and a friend; but only you and God alone in your prayer. We can learn a great deal from King Hezekiah, in Isaiah 37:15-17a about his personal relationship with God, through personal prayer, as he is faced with a powerful invasion of Israel: “And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ‘O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear.’”.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

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 17:1-5; Matthew 26:36-40; Isaiah 37:14-17; Psalms 100:1-5.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say I Love You, Part 4: Violation of the Covenant”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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

Your Focus on Yourself and not on God or Others Will Lead to a Miserable Spiritual Condition – To serve is Christ

Your Focus on Yourself and not on God or Others Will Lead to a Miserable Spiritual Condition – To serve is Christ

MESSAGE SUMMARY: When we show up at our church on Sunday, what is our purpose – is it to serve or to be served? Too many of us go to church seeking what the church can do for us. Our church should provide us a place to worship Jesus in Spirit and in the truth of His Word. Also, our church should provide a chance to serve others -- To serve is Christ. We will never be more like Jesus than when we are serving others. We are all serving someone, but who are we serving; are we serving ourselves or others? In Mark 10:43b-45, Jesus explains that His followers must have mind focused on service and being a servant to others: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. The longer that we stay focused on ourselves and not God or others, the longer we will remain stuck in a miserable spiritual condition. To serve is Christ.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER Lord, I praise you because your love seeks my good in any and every situation. Forgive me for the seeds that I have squandered. Soften my heart to surrender to your will in and through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 120). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Presence. “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): Matthew 20:1-16; Philippians 2:21-30; Matthew 25:34-46; Psalms 99:1-9.

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

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say I Love You, Part 4: Violation of the Covenant”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

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