Embracing God's Provision, Forgiveness, and Disruptions

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing God as Our Ultimate Provider

In our daily lives, it is easy to become consumed by the belief that our jobs, bank accounts, and earthly resources are the primary sources of our provision. However, it is crucial to remember that these are merely channels through which God provides for us. Just as a pet relies on its owner for sustenance, we must acknowledge that everything we have comes from God. Without Him, there is no life, no provision, and no kingdom. This understanding should lead us to a posture of gratitude and dependence on God, recognizing that He is the ultimate source of all we have. [02:46]

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you been relying on earthly resources rather than acknowledging God as your ultimate provider? How can you shift your perspective to see Him as the source of all your needs today?

Day 2: The Power of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a profound decision that involves releasing a debt without seeking revenge. It is not merely a feeling but a conscious choice to let go of the hurt and pain caused by others. There are two types of forgiveness: unilateral and transactional. Unilateral forgiveness is for our benefit, regardless of whether the other person apologizes or repents. Transactional forgiveness, on the other hand, involves repentance and can lead to reconciliation. Embracing forgiveness is crucial for maintaining our fellowship with God and ensuring our prayers are answered. Holding onto unforgiveness is like a rattlesnake biting itself, poisoning our own souls. [04:18]

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone you need to forgive today, even if they haven't apologized? How can you begin to release the burden of unforgiveness and experience the freedom it brings?

Day 3: The Dangers of Unforgiveness

Unforgiveness is a self-destructive force that can poison our souls and hinder our relationship with God. Holding onto grudges is like a rattlesnake biting itself, causing harm to our spiritual well-being. To maintain our fellowship with God and ensure our prayers are answered, we must release the dents on our souls caused by others. By choosing to forgive, we free ourselves from the chains of bitterness and open the door to healing and restoration. [06:51]

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV)

Reflection: What grudges or bitterness are you holding onto that may be hindering your relationship with God? How can you take steps to release these burdens and embrace forgiveness today?

Day 4: Seeking Protection from Temptation

In our journey of faith, we face various trials and temptations that can lead us astray. It is essential to pray for protection from temptation and evil, seeking God's wisdom and direction to navigate these challenges. God knows our weaknesses and promises to provide a way of escape when we are tempted. By acknowledging our dependence on Him, we can find the strength to overcome the trials we encounter and remain steadfast in our faith. [08:27]

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

Reflection: What temptations or challenges are you currently facing? How can you seek God's wisdom and strength to overcome them and remain faithful to Him?

Day 5: Embracing God's Disruptions with Praise

Life is full of unexpected disruptions, and sometimes God, our King, may alter our earthly plans. When this happens, we should respond with "Amen," acknowledging His authority and giving Him the praise He deserves. Just as a football player celebrates a successful play, we should not be afraid to give God the glory and adoration due to His name, even when He disrupts our lives. Embracing God's disruptions with praise allows us to recognize His sovereignty and trust in His perfect will. [12:42]

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)

Reflection: How do you typically respond when your plans are disrupted? How can you learn to embrace these moments with praise and trust in God's perfect will for your life?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, who is our ultimate provider, protector, and source of forgiveness. Just as my dog Solomon relied on me for his daily sustenance, we too must recognize that everything we have comes from God. Without Him, there is no life, no provision, and no kingdom. Many of us, like Solomon, forget this and growl at God, not realizing that He is the source of all we have. Our jobs, banks, and earthly resources are merely channels through which God provides for us.

We also delved into the importance of forgiveness, which is a decision to release a debt without seeking revenge. There are two types of forgiveness: unilateral and transactional. Unilateral forgiveness is for our benefit, regardless of whether the other person apologizes or repents. Transactional forgiveness, on the other hand, involves repentance and can lead to reconciliation. Forgiveness is crucial for maintaining our fellowship with God and ensuring our prayers are answered. Holding onto unforgiveness is like a rattlesnake biting itself, poisoning our own souls.

Furthermore, we discussed the need for protection from temptation and evil. We must pray for wisdom and direction to handle the trials and temptations we face. God knows our weaknesses and will provide a way of escape when we are tempted. The purpose of prayer is to acknowledge God's kingdom, power, and glory. A doxology, or eruption of praise, is our response to recognizing God's greatness and His work in our lives. Just as a crowd erupts in praise during a victorious moment in sports, we too should praise God for His provision, forgiveness, and protection.

Finally, we must remember that God, our King, may disrupt our earthly plans, but His will is perfect. When He does, we should respond with "Amen," acknowledging His authority and giving Him the praise He deserves. Just as a football player celebrates a successful play, we should not be afraid to give God the glory and adoration due to His name, even when He disrupts our lives.

Key Takeaways

1. Recognize God as the ultimate source of all provision. Just as Solomon relied on me for his sustenance, we must acknowledge that everything we have comes from God. Our jobs and resources are merely channels through which He provides. Without Him, there is no life or provision. [02:46]
2. Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. It involves releasing a debt without seeking revenge. Unilateral forgiveness benefits us, regardless of the other person's actions, while transactional forgiveness can lead to reconciliation if there is repentance. [04:18]
3. Unforgiveness is self-poisoning. Holding onto grudges is like a rattlesnake biting itself. We must release the dents on our souls caused by others to maintain our fellowship with God and ensure our prayers are answered. [06:51]
4. Pray for protection from temptation and evil. God knows our weaknesses and will provide a way of escape when we face trials. We need wisdom and direction to handle the challenges we encounter. [08:27]
5. Embrace God's disruptions with praise. When God, our King, disrupts our plans, we should respond with "Amen," acknowledging His authority. Like a victorious moment in sports, we should erupt in praise for His provision, forgiveness, and protection. [12:42]
** [12:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - Our Heavenly Provider
[00:30] - Solomon's Lesson
[01:10] - Recognizing Our Source
[02:30] - The Danger of Forgetting God
[03:18] - Understanding Provision
[03:47] - The Importance of Forgiveness
[04:34] - Types of Forgiveness
[05:53] - Living with Unforgiveness
[06:38] - Forgiveness and Fellowship
[07:24] - Praying for Protection
[08:14] - Facing Temptations
[08:43] - The Purpose of Prayer
[09:53] - The Power of a Doxology
[11:11] - Embracing God's Disruptions
[12:21] - Giving God the Praise

Sermon Clips

I got a daddy my daddy up there has got a program he's bringing down here has a way of accomplishing it through his designed will and my daddy up there is my provider down here on a day by day basis and I got a daddy up there who doesn't mind forgiving me and when I'm facing trouble I got a daddy up there who walks beside me in the trouble and protects me against the attacks. [00:00:00]

Solomon was living in My Kingdom, my house. Solomon had it good because it was warm in the winter and air conditioned in the summer, so Solomon was living large. Solomon was living the good life. One day, put water in Solomon's Bowl put food in Solomon's Bowl and something was spilling out Solomon was there getting ready to eat and something was spilling out and I was reaching down to take care of it and Solomon growled at me. [00:00:57]

Solomon was threatening to bite the hand that feeds him. See in dog fought, Solomon didn't understand the only reason he has water and the only reason he has food is I am his supplier, without me, there's no water there's no food and there is no Kingdom. Well what a lot of people don't know is they growl at God because they forget that that without him there is no life. [00:02:11]

Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. This is the only part of the prayer that he he does an expositional in verse 14 for if you forgive others for their transgressions your heavenly father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive others then your father will not forgive your transgressions. He deals with the importance of forgiveness pardoning. [00:03:40]

Forgiveness is the decision to release a debt from an infraction without a view of Revenge, forgiveness is not first a feeling it is a decision that I'm not going to seek personal Revenge for an infraction. There are two kinds of forgiveness, unilateral forgiveness and transactional forgiveness. Unilateral forgiveness is I forgive for my benefit whether the person apologizes or repents or not. [00:04:05]

A lot of us are living our lives with dents on our souls because somebody did something for us and we can't let that thing go and we live with that dent even though they died or disappeared, but your car your soul is still dented so unless you release that thing unilaterally without an apology without repentance, then you will stay dented in your life or in your mind. [00:05:32]

Then there is transactional forgiveness. Now transactional forgiveness is where there is repentance and there is a transaction where forgiveness leads to reconciliation. See forgiveness doesn't automatically give you reconciliation because that depends on what the other person does, but transactional forgiveness can lead to reconciliation assuming there is repentance and the fruits thereof. [00:06:04]

If you are a refuser to forgive your heavenly father won't forgive you he's not talking about going to heaven he's talking to his disciples he's talking about losing fellowship with God on Earth so your prayers don't get answered, so forgiveness is a key to answered prayer, and so he deals with the pardon don't be like a rattlesnake I don't know if you know this but a rattlesnake can get so mad it will bite itself. [00:06:30]

Do not lead me into temptation but Deliver Us Deliver Us from Evil. Protection from sin from Satan from situations I can't handle don't put me into anything that's going to destroy me in other words help me to perceive where I am so that I know that I can handle anything I face that's where wisdom is needed and direction is needed. [00:07:27]

He concludes with the purpose of Prayer for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen, that's called the doxology, a doxology is an eruption of praise, a doxology is when there is a touchdown at the end of the game when the clock Runs Out and people stand up In Praise. [00:08:32]

A doxology is not merely emotionalism because emotionalism gets hyped when nothing has happened, a doxology is the recognize I got a daddy who up there, it recognizes that my daddy up there has got a program he's bringing down here, it recognizes my daddy up there that it has a program that is bringing down here has a way of accomplishing it through his designed will as I cooperate with it. [00:09:44]

You know a king in heaven and he may disrupt your program on Earth, but the end of the doxology says amen, amen means so be it amen mean I heard that amen means that's the way it is, amen says whatever you say Amen is giving recognition that he has the final say-so in football whenever a player on defense sacks the quarterback you'll see him often stand up and go like that what they're telling the folks is Give It Up. [00:11:54]

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