Date Archives April 2022

Behind Locked Doors

Christianity Devotional Life April 27, 2022

Mid-week Devotional – April 27, 2022

Behind Locked Doors

“Peace be with you,” John 20:19

Read:

'One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” ' John 20:24-29

Reflect:

Today’s reading is a snapshot of a bigger story. To add context, Jesus, the one for whom the disciples left their families and livelihoods to follow for three (3) years, was gone. Jesus was their hope to overthrow Roman rule but he died by crucifixion in a very public way. They were certain (because they had physically seen it) that he was dead. They were terrified that they were next so they locked themselves in a room in fear.

Jesus finds them there. He presents Himself to His disciples so that they could see Him in His new resurrected form. They needed a fresh revelation of Him in order to fulfill their purpose. For whatever reason Thomas was not there and when the others told him of the miracle they witnessed he was unable to process this new information. So he declared that “ “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

We beat up on Thomas all the time. But I’m not sure many of us would think or feel differently if we were in Thomas’ position. So what’s the lesson here? Two things come to mind.

First, in Thomas’ doubt he did not forsake his friends or the path he had chosen. Thomas in the midst of his grief could have given up and walked away. Perhaps he could have gone back to the family he left behind. Instead he stayed even in his doubt and petitioned God to show him the evidence.

The next thing that stands out is that when Jesus appears to them the second time, he greets them “peace be unto you” then he addresses Thomas’ concern, not with chastisement but with gentleness. Doesn’t it give you great peace to know God is interested in answering our questions or at the very least speaking peace to the tumults in our hearts caused by unanswered questions? I know it does for me.

Behind Locked Doors…

Today, behind locked doors, you may have doubts of your own. There are questions that invade your thoughts and disturb your rest. These questions may cause you to doubt whether you belong to Christ or not. I want to reassure you. You are not disqualified from His presence. God is not afraid of nor is He intimidated by your questions. He provides an open invitation to bring your doubt to Him.

Scripture actually says: ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking ‘ James 1:5. Another translation of the same verse puts it beautifully; ‘And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. ‘ James (Jacob) 1:5

So I encourage you to present your doubts to God, ask Him the tough questions and be open to receiving an answer. He will replace your doubt with wisdom. He promised He would and He cannot lie.

Song of the Week:

Journal Prompt:

What doubt have you locked behind the doors of your heart?

Pray:

Peace Maker, God who sees me. I present my box of doubts to you. You have seen the mess in my mind. You have seen my struggle to see beyond this cloud of doubt. Release me into wisdom. You said I should ask. So here I am Lord, asking you to show me the way through. In Jesus name. AMEN

Affirmation:

I will not be afraid to cast my doubts before God. He promised to give wisdom and I will receive it.

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Have a great week!

See you next week for another Devotional by Lady Kavan.

To read more from Lady Kavan, check out her blog

You can find Lady Kavan on Amazon. Follow this link for an overview of her available books

In Light of the Resurrection

Christianity Devotional April 18, 2022

Monday Devotional – April 18, 2022

In Light of the Resurrection

‘Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!’ Romans 8:11

https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/rom.8.11/1890

Read:

'For God achieved what the law was unable to accomplish, because the law was limited by the weakness of human nature. Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin. So now every righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled through the Anointed One living his life in us. And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit! Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God. Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! So then, beloved ones, the flesh has no claims on us at all, and we have no further obligation to live in obedience to it. For when you live controlled by the flesh, you are about to die. But if the life of the Spirit puts to death the corrupt ways of the flesh, we then taste his abundant life.' Romans 8:3-4,10-13

Reflect:

In John 11:25, Jesus declares to Martha that He is the Resurrection and Life Eternal. Today we reflect on living in light of the resurrection (the event) and Resurrection ( the person). On the first day of the week, the scripture says Jesus walked back from what we previously perceived as the uncrossable barrier and translated from death to life. The magnitude of that miracle should never become common or so familiar that we take it for granted. What power, what divinity, what measure of awesomeness must it have taken to accomplish this? I dont think we can fathom it.

Pause now to imagine: the same Spirit who accomplished that feat lives in you and me. Our temporal temples are hosts to Resurrection. With Him in our vessels what then is impossible? Nothing. What dream is too big? None. Which problem is unsolvable? None. How can sickness be unhealable? It is not. What sin can defeat us? None at all.

Yet many of us live defeated because we have not renewed our mind and re-trained our thoughts to live in light of the resurrection. Today, let’s repent from small minded thinking. Let us repent of boxing God in with our puny expectations. Why? Because Resurrection changes everything and we should live in that hope

Song of the Week:

Journal Prompt:

How will I live my life this week in light of the resurrection?

Pray:

Mighty God, Resurrection and Life, I honor Your Presence in my mortal body. I remain grateful that You would clothe Yourself in humanity to identify with us. I repent today of thinking so small, forgetting that the Author of the universe lives in me. Holy Spirit help my unbelief and help me retrain my thoughts and renew my mind. Nothing is impossible in Jesus name.

Affirmation:

I am host to Resurrection. The same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead lives in me.

—————

Have a great week!

See you next week for another Mocha Monday – a weekly Monday Devotional by Lady Kavan.

To read more from Lady Kavan, check out her blog

You can find Lady Kavan on Amazon. Follow this link for an overview of her available books

I am crucified with Christ

Christianity Devotional April 11, 2022

Monday Devotional – April 11, 2022

I am crucified

‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ‘ Galatians 5:24

Read:

'But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.' Galatians 2:17-21

Reflect:

It’s Holy Week! I know Christmas gets most of the pomp and pageantry but this is the week we get to reflect on what Christ did for us. A brief recap? He came to earth, taught us the Fathers heart and expectation for how we should live. Then He sacrificed Himself, dying in a most gruesome way on a cross (crucified). His innocent blood shed willingly, paid for the sin of humanity once and for all. Hallelujah, thank You Jesus.

So what then does Paul mean when he declares “I have been crucified with Christ” in Gal 2:20? Well He explains in chapter 5:24. ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. There is an element of choice here.

Christ died, our sins are paid for but it is my choice to accept the gift. It is also my choice to kill the passions and desires I have that are sinful. The good news is we don’t and can’t do this alone.

What does that look like practically?

We pray for God’s help. ‘If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ‘James 1:5
We renew our mind daily. ‘Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.’ Romans 12:2
We make choices that reflect our decision to follow Christ. “… then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” Joshua 24:15

There is a super (beyond) natural element to walking in faith. When we accept Jesus He immediately makes us new. We spend the rest of our lives learning how to walk in that newness. The awesome news is Jesus walks with us as Emmanuel, the Holy Spirit stays within us as Comforter, Teacher and Guide. Don’t be fooled into thinking we can crucify our sin nature alone or by following a formula or rules. We nurture our relationship with Christ and allow our actions to flow out of that love relationship. Anything else is burdensome, ritualistic and empty religion. I beg of you don’t take His grace written plainly in blood for granted.

Song of the Week:

Journal Prompt:

What desire, sin or issue do I need to crucify this week?
Which Scripture should I store in our hearts to do that?
How can I choose differently to prevent myself from going down the wrong path?

Pray:

Jesus, I pause to thank You for Your sacrifice. Your gift enables me to live free of my sinful nature. This week I commit my tendency to ________________. Forgive me Lord. Help me to do better. Show me what strategies I can use to help me overcome. In Jesus name

Affirmation:

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

—————

Have a great week!

See you next week for another Mocha Monday – a weekly Monday Devotional by Lady Kavan.

To read more from Lady Kavan, check out her blog

You can find Lady Kavan on Amazon. Follow this link for an overview of her available books

Living Water

Christianity April 4, 2022

Monday Devotional – April 4, 2022

Living Water

‘but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never be thirsty again. John 4:14

Read:

6 - 8 ' Wearied by his long journey, he sat on the edge of Jacob’s well, and sent his disciples into the village to buy food, for it was already afternoon. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 9 She replied, “Why would a Jewish man ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew who I am and the gift that God wants to give you, you’d ask me for a drink, and I would give you living water.” 11 The woman replied, “But sir, you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is very deep. So where do you find this ‘living water’? 12 Do you really think that you are greater than our ancestor Jacob who dug this well and drank from it himself, along with his children and livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well, you’ll be thirsty again, 14 but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never be thirsty again. For when you drink the water I give you, it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit , flooding you with endless life!” ' John 4:6-14

Reflect:

Our devotion today comes from the popular interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well. Depending on your interaction with this story we can associate it with God’s ability to cleanse us from sexual sin, or maybe the prophetic power of God in a moment to speak to our deepest issues. Perhaps this story reminds you of God’s ability to cross religious barriers and get to the heart of the matter and heal not just physical scars but emotional ones. Indeed it is all of the above. However, today we focus on Living Water.

The phrase appears more than 8 times throughout Scripture. In Jeremiah 2: 13 & 17:13 God refers to Himself as the “fountain of living waters”. So when Jesus declares to this nameless woman and to us that “If you only knew who I am and the gift that God wants to give you, you’d ask me for a drink, and I would give you living water”, He referred to Himself.

Do we truly have a revelation of who Jesus is, not out of religion but relationship? The Samaritan woman knew religion; she did not recognize Him at the moment because she lacked a relationship with the God she served. Do we know the God who wants to give us Himself? In Jn 7:39 we learn that Living Water is the Holy Spirit. What a gift!! Through the Holy Spirit God gives us Himself within our hearts, washing us clean, making us new, empowering us to function in all the gifts, purposes and plans He has ordained for our lives.

Do you want this precious gift that transforms our lives from inside out? Then believe! You have heard the testimony of many who experienced Him. I bet if you examine your own life you will see the evidence of how He has helped you, rescued you and been there for you. So place your trust in the One who is able to do abundantly more than you can ask or imagine because of His power within us. Ephesians 3:20

Today God’s invitation to us is simple:

“All you thirsty ones, come to me! Come to me and drink! Believe in me so that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!” ‘ John 7:37-38

Song of the Week:

Journal Prompt:

In what area of your life are you struggling to believe God can fix?

Ask God to help your unbelief

Pray:

Holy Spirit I thank You for You. Your presence is the most precious gift to us. Jesus died so that You can live in us as living temples. I am grateful for You. Continue to fill me with more and more of Yourself. Teach me to live a life of surrender to You.

Affirmation:

I will believe in Living Water. His transformation power in my life will cause an outflow of Living water from heart.

—————

Have a great week!

See you next week for another Mocha Monday – a weekly Monday Devotional by Lady Kavan.

To read more from Lady Kavan, check out her blog

You can find Lady Kavan on Amazon. Follow this link for an overview of her available books