Thought of the Day 1/7/2021
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Proverbs 11:24 (ESV)
It would seem if one person freely gives of what they have they would be in more want than the person who keeps for themselves what they have; however, today’s verse tells us the opposite. For when we give freely of our money, our time, our talents, our compassion, our friendship, God seeks to richly bless us. Do not mistake this as a get rich quick scheme or some sort of prosperity gospel for it is not. God will bless those who give all those aforementioned things freely with no regard for what they will get in return. How can you begin to give more freely today?
Jessica Ford
Communications Director
Alive Ministries USA
Thought of the Day 1/18/2020
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Proverbs 21:2 (ESV)
How true is this? I am certain we all know at least one person that genuinely believes they know everything and can do no wrong. Most likely, if we can be honest with ourselves, we too can all too often try and justify the wrongdoings (read: sin) in our lives as having the right motives or calling ourselves “only human” to brush off the severity. However, there is no way to justify not following God’s will and plan for our lives — we are either following Him or we are being disobedient to His commandments. God knows our every thought, every true motive, our true heart’s desires in life; so why try and talk our way out of it? If there is something you have been trying to convince yourself, God, or others that is right in your life that you know truly is not what God has designed you for, repent of that to Him right now and seek His wisdom moving forward.
Jessica Ford
Communications Director
Alive Ministries USA
Devotional 1/25/2020
Saturday Devotional
January 25, 2020
“There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV)
We make lots of plans in our lives. Many spent time coming up with New Year’s resolutions, but how many of us actually followed through with them? We make all kinds of plans in our hearts, but it is not those plans that last, it is the counsel, or purpose, of the Lord that stands.
What we do in life matters, and as human beings we want to plan for our future, even if we do not write those plans down. Our heart has its goals, and those goals are often changing. It is a good thing that the Lord’s purposes and His counsel stands and does not change like our plans.
God’s Word is the anchor for our life. We know we need wise counsel for life, but how many of us seek it in His Word? As believers it is not as if we see things from an unbelieving perspective, but sometimes it appears as though we behave as if we are unbelievers. We know TRUTH, and we know it is found in the written Word of God. We know that the written Word of God is infallible and perfect in every way, yet how many of us who profess to believe in God actually read our Bibles? How many of us actually have read our Bibles completely through? We must be in the pages of HIS story if we want to be anything other than a footnote in history. You cannot live an effective life for Christ apart and outside of the Word of God, you just cannot do it.
We must seek Wise Counsel! It is time that believers develop a hunger for the Word of God. We must go beyond a desire for just the milk of the faith as though we are newborn babies. We must seek out the meat and potatoes of the faith, piece by piece and bite by bite. If you have not read your Bible through, I encourage you to do so. We must go through the Word of God daily. I encourage you to be in your Bible every day. Start the day out in the Word. You do not have to start with an aggressive reading such as trying to tackle the Bible in ninety days. You can start with a Bible reading plan that will get you through the entire Bible in one year. I am going through the plans, the Bible in 90 days and the Bible in a year on YouVersion’s Bible app. You can find me on there. After I finish the plans I will likely start again but invite you to join me this time. If you set aside just as little, and I am not encouraging you to ever offer God your least, time as fifteen minutes you could have the entire Bible read in a year.
In this life I cannot guarantee you much. What I can guarantee is that Jesus is Lord, and if you have a relationship with Him your life will radically and dramatically change. I can guarantee that God will never leave you or forsake you if you truly are SURRENDERED to Him. I can guarantee that reading your Bible daily will absolutely change your life. I can guarantee that you have many plans in your heart, many of which will not last or even see the light of day. I can guarantee you that what will last is the Counsel of the Lord. Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life? Have you SURRENDERED FULLY to JESUS? If not, today is the day, now is the appointed hour. You can always reach out to us privately and confidentially. We are here for you if you would like to know more about salvation or want someone to pray with you.
Father, we praise Your mighty name! Lord, and we ask You to place a severe hunger and thirst for Your Word in our HEARTS. Give us a burning desire to want to know You intimately and deeply and earnestly. Lord bless all who read, hear, and share these words. Bless those who receive them with peace and full acceptance. Bless all those who labor in this ministry for Your glory, honor, and purposes. Counsel us, Lord. In Jesus’ MIGHTY name I pray, Amen!
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Christopher B. Cain
Minister of Evangelism and Discipleship
Alive Ministries USA
Thought of the Day 1/28/2020
“Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.” Proverbs 13:6 (ESV)
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” I am sure most everyone has heard this quote before (though mistakenly believe it to have been said by Aristotle). When this was written by Will Durant, he was attempting to simplify Aristotle’s philosophy. However, this quote could be applied to today’s verse as well. You see, when we continue in righteousness, righteousness itself will keep our hearts and minds from wandering and going astray from God’s Word and His will. The contrary is also true: When we do not keep our eyes on righteousness, we will find sin overthrowing us and putting our life into chaos. So, what acts are you repeating? How are you striving to live each day? What is your “habit”?
Jessica Ford
Communications Director
Alive Ministries USA
Thought of the Day 4/28/2020
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)
The word commit here, when translated from the original Hebrew, means to “roll unto the Lord”. We are called to seek God’s divine assistance with all of our burdens — physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, and so on. God desires to be our rock and our strong tower no matter what circumstance we are facing. When we commit our burdens to the Lord our “plans will be established” — or will prosper — because we will have aligned our thoughts with God’s will. Today we may be experiencing more burdens than usual due to the worldwide health and financial crisis caused by the coronavirus. Now, more than ever, we need to put our trust in God and God alone to help us carry those burdens. Fellow mankind, governments, and even charities can only offer mild support or temporary relief at best, whereas God can take away your anxiety and carry your burdens for you as He bestows His peace which surpasses all understanding. Have you trusted Him as your God? Have you given Him your burdens?
Jessica Ford
Communications Director
ALIVE Ministries USA
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