Devotionals
Enlighted Hearts
Do you remember the Polaroid cameras that produced the photo for you within a minute of you taking the picture? Now we have digital cameras that provide a picture instantly. The old Polaroid cameras were considered state of the art innovation in its time. You would take a picture and then watch it develop right before your eyes.
That process of development is similar to the Greek word, "photizo", which Paul uses in his letter to the saints in Ephesus. This particular Greek word is translated as "enlightened." Notice how Paul uses the word in the following context.
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints." Eph 1:18 (NIV)
Your heart, which represents your capacity to understand and comprehend God's truth, has room to grow. Your ability to know, grasp, and understand has the potential to develop. You can grow in your knowing.
God wants you to be enlightened. God desires for you to develop in your knowledge of Him.
Personalize Ephesians 1:18 and pray through it by asking God to open the eyes of your heart. God will unveil His Word to you in a personal and powerful way.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Strategic Praying
"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Eph 1:16 (NIV)
Is somebody praying for you? I want you to begin to calculate where you would be had it not been for the people who have prayed for you. Your name, your circumstances, and your future have been placed before the throne of God by those people who have prayed for you.
God has a unique way of prompting people to pray for you. He will nudge them with a gentle reminder of your life. They may respond by praying for you to realize God's will. Maybe they pray for you to have a heightened awareness of God's presence and activity.
Paul exhibited a deep love for the saints in Ephesus. He constantly thanked God for them and for their obvious faith in the Lord and their love for their fellow believers. Paul consistently remembered them in his prayers. They were as natural to his prayer life as water to a fish.
Carve out a few moments right now to thank God for the people who have prayed for you. This could get emotional! It's okay. You matter to God and He deeply loves you and cares for you.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Active Love
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1 John 3:17 (NIV)
When you pull up to a traffic signal and notice a man holding a cardboard sign saying, "Need food! Please help!" What kind of thoughts race through your mind? Do you wrestle with the notion to roll down your window and extend a dollar bill or maybe even a five dollar bill? Then again, you may start pondering what he might spend the money on. In your mind you are thinking that he may take the money and go buy alcohol, cigarettes, or a lottery ticket. You question whether he will really use the money to buy food as his sign advertised.
Does God expect us to use good judgment? Yes! But, God also expects us to help meet needs. Remember this concept: God does not bless you based on how that person spends the money you give. God blesses you based on your heart in giving to meet needs.
John takes the concept of meeting needs into the arena of the family of God. We are to help fellow believers. In fact, if we are unwilling to use the resources God has blessed us with to help a brother in need, then how can the love of God be in us. In other words, God's love is evidenced as we meet needs.
God's love compels us to be generous. Generosity will not flow naturally. It is a supernatural experience. God has blessed us to be a blessing. Ask God to show you some needs this week that He wants you to meet for His glory!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Willing Sacrifice
"When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." Gen 22:9-10 (NIV)
Is there anything in your life that takes priority over your relationship with Jesus? Are there any allurements sifting your affection away from your devotion to Christ? Do you have an Isaac in your life that you are unwilling to sacrifice?
Abraham demonstrated absolute loyalty and devotion to God by his willingness to sacrifice his promised son. Abraham and Sarah were beyond child bearing years. Yet, God provided the miracle of Isaac's conception. Now God is asking Abraham to sacrifice that which was promised to him.
What is standing in the way of your realization of unbroken fellowship with God? What is taking the number one place of prominence in your life which is reserved for God? Whatever that item, ambition, or person is may be your Isaac.
Could it be that God wants you to sacrifice that Isaac in your life to enable God to have top priority in your life? God wants first place in your daily walk. God wants to be the supreme object of your energy and affection. He not only deserves it, but He demands it.
Spend a few moments taking inventory of your current priorities and identify what is preventing God from being your top priority.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Simple Obedience
"So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran." Gen 12:4 (NIV)
What is keeping you from obeying God? Do you fear the unknown? Are you uncomfortable making a move without having more information? Maybe God has chosen to limit His revelation to match your obedience. Once you obey what He has already said, then He will show you the next step.
Abram took God at His word! He simply obeyed God. God told Abram to leave and go to a land that He would show him. Guess what? Abram left, as the Lord told him. He obeyed.
You can never go wrong obeying God. His way is always the best way. Even when it doesn't make sense or seem remotely logical, God's way is the right way. If you are confused about your next step, just obey what He has already said. Start there!
Identify what you are wrestling with right now? What is keeping you from taking the next step? Place that fear or frustration before the Lord in prayer and see how He helps you take the next step.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Sovereign Orchestration
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." Eph 1:11-12 (NIV)
Has your life ever become complicated and messy? Have you traveled down a road you never thought you would view? Living in a fallen world tends to cause us to experience unexpected turns in life. Either we make poor choices or the decisions of others negatively affect us. It may be a relationship that has diverted into unhealthy patterns or personal behaviors that drift away from God's best.
The good news is that God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. He always has the final say in any and every situation. Even when you make a disastrous move, God can orchestrate your path for your good and His glory. Notice how our Bible verse says that God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. He is God! There is nothing that is impossible with Him. He can handle your situation. He can handle your relationships.
God orchestrates everything we encounter to bring about His will. Right now your current challenge may seem like an uphill climb dragging two dead elephants. God can take any difficult situation and orchestrate the details to conform to His plan.
Are you willing to surrender your hurts, your frustrations, your disappointments, and your fears to God? Release them and entrust them to God's sovereign care. He is the master conductor in the orchestra called life.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Divine Favor
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)
While you were sleeping, God was working. He does not sleep. God is always at work. His work is continuous and consistent. Whatever you are facing today, God is working. Whatever you are dreading today, God is working. Whatever you are fearing today, God is working.
In all things, God works! He takes the initiative. Regardless of how confusing your current circumstance may seem to you, God is at work. He takes the initiative to work for your good and His glory. In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.
Do you love Him? Have you been called according to His purpose? Then you can walk in assurance today knowing that in all the things you face, in all the things you are wrestling with, in all the things that seem impossible, God works for your good. He will do what is best for you. He formed you and fashioned you and He will orchestrate all of the circumstances that surround you in order to work for your good.
Now that is the favor of God! You are favored by God. You are His treasure. Trust Him.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Utilizing Memory
"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." Psalms 51:3 (NIV)
How's your memory? Can you remember your favorite vacation from your childhood? Can you remember learning how to swim or braving the high diving board for the first time? Do you remember the day you got your driver's license? There's power in memory.
Memory can paralyze us with fear or mobilize us to persevere. Memory can blockade us like a brick wall or project us forward like a smooth water slide. It depends on how you utilize your memory.
Satan uses memory to ridicule and demean us. He uses our memory to stifle our growth and to discredit our progress. Satan will bring to our minds the darkness of our past in order to cripple us.
Yet, where Satan seeks to bring death and destruction, God can bring life and victory! God uses memory to remind us where we would be without His abundant grace and abiding peace. God allows us to remember our sin so that we will know where He brought us from.
David acknowledged his sin. David affirmed the reality of sin always being before him in his memory. The question is not: Why do I remember my sin? The question is: What will I do in response to my ability to remember my sin?
God wants us to remember that He rescued us from our sin so that we can live the abundant life. So, when Satan reminds you of your past just remind him of God's provision of cleansing through the shed blood of His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus! Yes! Now that's using memory in victory!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Personalization
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions." Psalms 51:1 (NIV)
David came to the point of desperation after committing the sins of adultery and murder. God used the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan used a parable to personalize David's sin and then injected the piercing accusatory statement, "You are the man!"
Have you heard these lyrics before? "It's me! It's me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer!" Both David and the prodigal son would have embraced this song. It is common throughout our earthly existence to go through seasons of personalization. In fact, if you want to become Christ-like and reach your God-given potential then you must be willing to acknowledge your sin personally.
Personalization is looking into the mirror and confronting the reality of your own sin before you start judging others. The next step is to personalize God's mercy, unfailing love, and compassion.
Now let's get personal. What specific area of your life is in desperate need of God's touch? Identify the sin that entangles you and trace Satan's strategy. How does the enemy attack you? When are you most susceptible to sin? Where are you when you are most vulnerable to the enemy's flaming arrows? Is it when you travel? Is it when you are home alone? Is it when you are at work?
Personalize Psalms 51:1 and pray it to God right now. Go ahead and pray this Scripture and see how God reveals his mercy, unfailing love, and compassion.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Soul Consciousness
"The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." Jer 8:20 (NIV)
How much time do you have left on earth? How many people will die without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ within the next twenty-four hours? What difference will your life make in light of eternity?
Jesus modeled a deep abiding passion for souls. The Bible says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost"(Luke 19:10 NIV). Jesus never lost His focus of redeeming the lost. He did not neglect His mission to save the lost at any cost.
How many lost people are in your sphere of influence? What kind of relational bridge are you building to them? What are you willing to do to introduce them to a saving relationship with Jesus?
Pray this prayer with me. “Father, forgive me for my passive neglect. Forgive me for being so self-absorbed that I have minimized the urgency of soul-winning. Elevate my soul consciousness. Give me eyes to see lost people in their desperation. Anoint me with the courage of Jesus. Empower me to be your witness and to be your laborer in the harvest field. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in '07 or '08. I'm taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell