Pursuing God! El-Shaddai - The Lord God Almighty

Sep 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Redemption as a Bought-Back Love

The story of Hosea purchasing Gomer from slavery mirrors God’s relentless pursuit of broken humanity. Redemption isn’t a vague religious concept but a costly transaction where God pays the price to reclaim what was lost. Just as silver exchanged hands to restore Gomer, Christ’s blood bought back our value when sin had devalued us. This love refuses to abandon even those who wander into slavery. Every redemption story whispers the deeper truth: we were worth the thirty pieces. [07:14]

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.’ So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.”
(Hosea 3:1-3, NKJV)

Reflection: When have you felt “sold” to shame or fear? How does Christ’s payment for you redefine what you believe you’re worth?

Day 2: The Weight of a Name

El Shaddai means “God Almighty,” but its roots dig deeper into the image of a nourishing mother. Like a child sustained at the breast, believers draw strength from God’s inexhaustible sufficiency. This name crushes the lie of scarcity, declaring God’s provision isn’t rationed but flows from His intimate knowledge of our needs. Abraham learned this at 99: what seems impossible to man is routine for the One who designed DNA and galaxies. To call Him El Shaddai is to trade striving for surrender. [35:51]

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’”
(Genesis 17:1, NKJV)

Reflection: What “spicy milk” situations have made you doubt God’s nurturing care? How might trusting His design for sustenance change your daily anxieties?

Day 3: When Whirlwinds Follow the Seed

Sowing and reaping isn’t karma—it’s agricultural law written into creation. Like the woman refusing to falsify accident claims, our choices plant seeds that grow beyond our control. Ishmael’s birth through human striving still breeds conflict today, proving bad seed outlives the planter. Yet good harvests can overtake bad when we let God till the soil of our decisions. Every action is a seed: some grow oaks, others thorns, all under the watch of the Gardener. [29:15]

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
(Galatians 6:7, NKJV)

Reflection: What harvest from your past choices surprises you? Where do you need God to uproot bad seed before it matures?

Day 4: The Breastplate of Daily Dependence

Putting on spiritual armor isn’t a ritual—it’s declaring war on self-sufficiency. Like David facing Goliath, the “helmet of salvation” admits we can’t think our way to victory, and the “sword of the Spirit” rejects human strategies. The pastor’s morning prayer ritual models this: raw dependence on God’s strength before feet hit the floor. Mighty men of Scripture didn’t rely on muscles but on the Spirit’s sudden surges. Our weakness becomes the socket where Heaven plugs in power. [57:33]

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
(Ephesians 6:10-11, NKJV)

Reflection: What task today feels like “ten hours in the heat”? How would arming yourself with God’s might instead of your stamina change your approach?

Day 5: Contempt’s Collision with Sovereignty

Lucifer’s fall began with contempt—a sneer at God’s authority. Like Dagon’s statue repeatedly falling before the ark, all rebellion eventually crumbles before true power. Yet God permits free will, knowing even Satan’s worst schemes become threads in His tapestry. Naomi called God “Mara” (bitter), missing that her story would birth King David’s lineage. Sovereignty means our contemptuous seasons become classrooms where we learn His faithfulness outlives our doubts. [03:00]

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.”
(Psalm 2:1-4, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you secretly resented God’s timing? How might His laughter over rebellion comfort you in current frustrations?

Sermon Summary

God’s word comes as light, touching hearts and minds and moving damaged human lives back toward the original purpose of creation. Christ restores the image that was damaged in the fall, and spiritual disciplines draw believers closer to Christlikeness and toward the reason God pursued them in the first place. Paul’s pursuit becomes the pattern: he had been apprehended by God, and he wanted to know why God wanted him in the family.

Free will carries the real possibility of rejection, and Lucifer’s contempt for God shows how pride brought rebellion into creation. Adam’s rebellion and Eve’s beguilement brought humanity into a state of sin, so redemption became necessary. Redemption means buying back something that was once possessed, united, and in relationship with God. Joseph, Hosea and Gomer, Ruth and Boaz, and Christ’s thirty pieces of silver all point toward Jesus as the Kinsman Redeemer who rescues people out of spiritual poverty and lostness.

God’s names reveal God’s character and keep people from running to false gods for provision, direction, protection, or answers about the future. Elohim reveals the Creator who stands outside space, time, and matter. El Elyon reveals the Most High God, greater than corrupt leaders, hostile powers, and every god that has to be propped up. Adonai reveals that Jesus must not only save lives but also be Lord over them. The Easter egg picture makes the point plain: God knows where the good stuff is, and the Holy Spirit’s nudges should be sought out rather than pushed away.

El Shaddai reveals the Lord God Almighty as more than enough, the nourisher, provider, and fountain that overflows into human lack. Genesis 17 places this name before ninety-nine-year-old Abraham, who had no promised son yet. God’s command to walk blamelessly joins His covenant promise to the reality of sowing and reaping. Fleshly shortcuts produce Ishmaels, but faith in God’s promise produces Isaacs.

El Shaddai also calls depleted people out of fear that there will not be enough. God’s reservoir is not running dry, and His economy is not shaken by the same things that shake the world. Naomi’s bitterness shows how grief and consequence can make a person think the Almighty has dealt bitterly, yet redemption still restores what has been lost. Christ remains the hiding place for those tempted to believe they deserve only bad things. God’s might gives strength, wisdom, provision, healing, and ability for whatever assignment stands before His people.

Key Takeaways

1. Redemption means God buys back the lost God’s use of redemption language means humanity was not created distant from Him. Sin broke a real union, but Christ did not come merely to improve broken people. Christ came to buy back lives that belonged in communion with God from the beginning. [07:38]
2. God’s names reveal His available help God reveals His names so hearts will know where to run when life gets hard. El Elyon answers the fear of hostile authority, Adonai answers the struggle for control, and El Shaddai answers the fear of lack. God’s character is not abstract information but a golden key for faith in real situations. [45:02]
3. Lordship follows the Spirit’s direction Adonai means Jesus is Lord, not simply Savior. The Holy Spirit often gives a nudge toward the prize eggs that human understanding cannot yet see. Surrender may carry sacrifice and splinters in the cross, but God’s will remains greater than a self-made plan. [19:32]
4. El Shaddai is more than enough El Shaddai meets weakness, depletion, and incapacity with God’s inexhaustible supply. God does not merely offer enough to survive but reveals Himself as the fountain that overflows into lack. Faith stops striving as though personal strength must carry every burden. [41:24]
5. Good seed can overtake bad harvests Sowing and reaping remains a serious reality even after conversion. Christ followers cannot erase consequences by pretending sin has no harvest, yet grace calls them to sow good seed until the good harvest overtakes the bad. Christ provides redemption without giving permission for dishonesty or fleshly shortcuts.

## [29:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:41] - Restored Into Christlikeness
[01:48] - Free Will, Rebellion, and Sin
[05:17] - Redemption Throughout Scripture
[08:47] - God Reveals His Names
[14:03] - El Elyon, the Most High God
[17:55] - Adonai and the Lordship of Jesus
[23:55] - El Shaddai Revealed to Abraham
[26:19] - Blameless Living and Sowing Reaping
[32:39] - God Redeems Jews and Muslims
[41:24] - El Shaddai, More Than Enough
[45:02] - God’s Names as Golden Keys
[52:13] - God’s Provision and Spirit of Might
[56:29] - Drawing From God’s Supply
[62:03] - Naomi’s Bitterness and Restoration
[64:55] - Prayer to El Shaddai

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 17:1
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’” [26:04]

Ruth 1:20-21
“But she said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?’” [01:02:03]

Genesis 28:3
“May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples;” [49:21]

Genesis 35:11
“Also God said to him: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.’” [58:35]

Genesis 49:25
“By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” [01:00:29]

Job 11:7
“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?” [01:04:12]

Observation questions

In Genesis 17:1, what two things does God say about Himself and what does He command Abram to do in response?
What repeated blessings are connected with “God Almighty” in Genesis 28:3, Genesis 35:11, and Genesis 49:25—help, fruitfulness, multiplication, or something else?
What losses cause Naomi to ask people to call her “Mara,” and how does she describe the way the Almighty has dealt with her? [01:02:03]
What pictures of redemption appear through Joseph, Hosea and Gomer, and Ruth and Boaz, and what do they show about what a redeemer does? [07:17]

Interpretation questions

Why might God reveal Himself to ninety-nine-year-old Abram as El Shaddai, Almighty God, before the promised son had been born? [24:31]
How does God’s command to “walk before Me and be blameless” fit with the promise that God is more than enough? How does this keep trust in God from becoming an excuse for sinful choices? [27:33]
Naomi saw her painful circumstances as proof that the Almighty was against her. How can grief, past mistakes, and painful consequences cause a believer to misread God’s character? [01:03:01]
If the Almighty has no limits, as Job 11:7 says, how should a believer hold together humble faith, wise action, and trust when the answer has not come yet? [01:01:18]

Application questions

Where do you currently feel depleted—strength, finances, peace, health, wisdom, or ability? What would it look like to bring that specific lack to El Shaddai instead of carrying it only in your own strength? [56:38]
Have you been tempted to take a fleshly shortcut because God’s promise or provision seemed slow? What might an “Ishmael” shortcut look like in your situation, and what would faithful waiting look like instead? [29:43]
Is there an area where you have been resisting the Holy Spirit’s nudge because you do not fully understand where He is leading? What simple step could help you seek His direction this week? [19:32]
When you face a difficult person in authority—a supervisor, leader, official, or family member—do you tend toward fear, anger, or prayer? How could remembering that God is the Most High change your response? [17:08]
Is there a consequence from a past choice that makes you feel as though you deserve only bad things? How can you honestly face the consequence while also hiding in Christ as one who has been redeemed? [01:03:16]
What good seed can you begin sowing this week in one practical area: honesty, reconciliation, generosity, prayer, serving, or self-control? How might steady good seed begin to overtake an old bad harvest? [29:43]
What is one need you can name before God each morning this week—might, wisdom, protection, patience, or provision? How could starting the day by asking for God’s strength change the way you enter that day? [57:29]

Sermon Clips

49s

#RedeemedNotDeserved

“And we are hard on ourselves thinking that we deserve it. Right? That's the first struggle we get into. Especially if we've made mistakes, we start saying we deserve it. So we start letting bad things happen to us because we deserve it. Listen, you need to be fighting to hide in Jesus. Right? Hide in Christ. Don't say you deserve bad things to happen to you. Say, in Christ I'm redeemed. Somebody say amen. In Christ, God can cover me. What happened whenever she ran into the kinsman redeemer? God restored everything that she lost and God put her in the lineage of Jesus.”

44s

#RedeemedRestoredRelationship

“God redeemed us. We understand that that redeeming something means you buy it back. And we see redemption detailed all through the scriptures. So that indicates to us that we were lost. Those that which was in the possession of God, that which was submitted to God in unity with God in the garden was lost. So why would God use a terminology redemption or redeeming unless there was a first relationship? Right? There had to be a first ownership. And God was, we were in full relationship and and, unity and communion with God.”

29s

#DontPropYourGod

“They have to prop their god. If you gotta prop your god up, you got the wrong god. Somebody say amen. They gotta prop their God up. If you gotta feed your God, you got the wrong God. Right? Because we got we got a God that you don't that he's the one nurturing us. Right? He's the one we we don't serve I don't serve a God. I gotta light a candle and try to get him to wake up today, right?”

42s

#KingdomSacrifice

“And that's the calling. Right? But what you're giving up here, as he says, as he tells us in Corinthians and even Hebrews, the the the light affliction, the the afflictions that you deal with here are nowhere in comparison with the rewards you'll get there. Right? And God may use your life in a way of sacrifice. You know, you may lay down, your life and go on a mission field. You may lay down your life in a way of going, you know, doing work in a, you know, in a ministry for many years because, you know, God says, hey, I want you to do something that's gonna work for the kingdom.”

26s

#SowTruthReapsHonor

“So he calls him to holiness. He calls him to to not lie, to not steal, to not, you know, murder others unjustly. He calls him not to, you know, not to take advantage of others. He calls him not to potentially enslave someone else. Right? So he knows sowing and God knows sowing and reaping is a huge part of the way things happen on the earth.”

64s

#RestoredImageInChrist

“Lordship is different than being our savior. Right? Jesus Jesus saves us, but we we should make him lord of our lives. Because the lordship of Jesus is a a a a my wife said that that illustration was pretty good, brother Carly, on Sunday. She told me the Easter egg illustration was pretty good about you showing where the gold is. Right? You so I'll tell just a little piece of it. So if you guys ever have kids that go on Easter egg hunt, you got people who plant the eggs. Right? Or whatever. They they hide the eggs. And, we we back here on many many occasions, the little guys, you know, they're running around and they're not getting the prize eggs. Right? So Timmy and Tony and brother Crawley and some of the people who may have planted those eggs, they might be trying to tell they would try to tell the little kids, hey, go over there, you know. There's a there's a prize they're they don't save the prize egg, but they kinda point them to the way and some of the kids would obey. Right? Brother Crawley? But other kids don't even don't even”

49s

#FreeWillAndConsequences

“with Adam and Eve, our image got damaged. The the human image got damaged. So what God has been doing ever since is he sent Christ to restore, redeem mankind. And that image God's God's restoring it in us. And so when we read the word, the purpose we were created for, the purpose, the very understanding of our hearts begin to line up with God's purpose originally. The original creation, right? The original reasons that that he created us begins to come forth. So as you grow in Christ, you, we he talks about in Hebrews that we're actually in Romans eight that that we are constantly being transformed into Christ likeness.”

38s

#GodWhoSees

“And that's what a lot of Christians, you know, we have to understand with Christ with Christ. Easy times aren't the goal of our life. Although, you know, God gives us blessings and easy times and and times of refreshing and times of joy. But sometimes the the calling is heavy. The calling is hard. Sometimes we gotta suffer some things in this life. And understanding that the goal of the Christian walk for many ends up in in martyrdom. And for many it ends up laying down their life or giving up some things for God.”

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