Emanuel Ministries Devotionals

"Are you trying to figure out God? " Job 28 24–25"  For He looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven ; To make the weight for the winds ; and He weights the waters by measure." There are  certain things God is not going to reveal. And that is good news.  Who wants to believe in a God that they can put in a box and completely understand? Not me. You can take a bucket down to the ocean and dip out a bucket full of water. Everything in that bucket is ocean, but not all the ocean is in the bucket. Amen ? And with our bucket-size minds, we are never going to know all there is about God. I'm not. You're not. Nobody is.  Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God : but those things which are revealed belongs unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Someone said ,"God is like a mountain, the closer you get the bigger He is."  The only thing that you can

“Waiting is hard, but we must learn to do it. “Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him : do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.“ We don’t like the word “rest,” do we? We’re always running around pulling up our radishes  by the roots to see how they’re growing, and then cramming them back into the ground. Yet Isaiah tells us, “And therefore will  the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted that He may have mercy upon you : for the Lord is a God of judgment :  blessed are all  they that wait for Him.( Isaiah 30:18). You’re not going to hurry God because He is not interested in time. He’s interested in timing. Lean back, watch, wait, and trust. He knows what He is  doing. Titus 2:12-13” And the grace of God is teaching us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the g

“Did you lose your hearing or your faith? “ Rom.10:17” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have so much faith, others have weak faith, and some have no faith at all? Is God unfair? No, God is no respecter of persons (see  2 Chron. 19:7). He is given to every man a measure of faith see (Romans 12:3) And so, what is faith? Let me first say what it is not. Faith is not positive thinking or optimism. It is not a feeling that you can do something. It is not a hunch or looking on the sunny side of the street. Faith is getting a word from God and acting upon it. You see, you can get a word from God and believe that word. That this belief. But when you act upon it, that is faith. Faith is belief with legs on it. Today is the day that you put your foot of faith upon the promises of God and say, “ That promise is mine ! “Get back to the Bible. Your hearing and your faith will be restored. Let Jesus speak to this heart

"Live each day like it's that day ." 1Peter 4:7"But the end of all things is at hand : be ye therefore sober , and watch unto prayer. " Years ago, G.Campbell Morgan who was a great expositor of the Word of God said," I never lay my head on the pillow without thinking that perhaps before I awake the final morning may have dawned . I never begin work without thinking that He may interrupt it to begin His own." Every night before we go to sleep we ought to say, "Jesus may come tonight. "And every day when we get our tools and go to work, this may be the last day of work that we do. We are to be looking for His return. We are also to be longing for His return. We must live with the perspective of His kingdom every day. We must be aware of the greatest event that is going to happen - the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready for it ? Are you hastening His coming? Are you praying for Jesus to return? If you love Him, you ought t

Are you a new creature?  2 Corinthians 5:17 “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation ;  old things have passed away ; behold, all things have become new. “  I read about an old farmer, his wife, and their son who had never been to the big city. So they got into their old pick up truck, drove to the city, and found a place to park. The farmer’s wife decided to wait in the truck while her husband and son walked to a gleaming skyscraper hotel to get a room. As they entered the massive lobby, they watched as a set of mysterious doors opened and an elderly woman stepped inside. Then the doors closed. After a few moments passed , the doors opened again, and a beautiful young woman walked out. The old farmer turned to his son and said,” Junior, quick , go get mama !” Wouldn’t it be great if we could walk into church as one person and leave as another?   The Bible tells us that when we became Christians, we turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.

"Surely none of the man who came up from Egypt... shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...,except Caleb  and Joshua are the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord ."During the war between China and Japan a Chinese soldier was flying his plane against the Japanese people when his plane was bombed and crashed to the ground. He was able to jump with a parachute and when he got on the ground he checked the plane which  was a mess,but he found that his   shotgun was intact . He pick it up and walked for 20 miles  to the camp caring his shotgun and when he arrived he asked his supervisor, "Can I have a plane for my shotgun? "That's persistence. What kind of perseverance do we need? 1) In PRAYER Lk.18:1,7 " Then Jesus spoke a parable to them, that man always ought to pray and not lose heart.  2) In the WORD-Ps.1:2" ... and in His law he meditates day and night.  3) In FAITH-1Pet.1:7" ... that the genuineness of y

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me." God blessed us with many things including His indescribable Gift-His  Son Jesus Christ. And Jesus has blessed us with the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to be with us all the days of our lives. The Holy Spirit has one cause : to testify of Jesus Christ. He is very single-minded . He's not interested in doing ten things for God,  just one. There are some who get caught up in the Holy Spirit. They focus on what He is  doing through miracles, healings, tongues ,and more. My friend, be aware of those who focus on making the Holy Spirit the figurehead of their faith. The mark that a man is filled with the Holy Spirit is that he is always talking about Jesus Christ. He can't do any more. He can do no less. I challenge you to make this pledge to God :  I  will bring my talents, my business, my time, and  my resources, all for

“In the world you will have tribulation : but take heart I have overcome the world.” Do you struggle with trials and anxieties? Are you desperate and discouraged? The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. His power is ever present in your life as His child. If I could have been there in the days of His flesh, I would have wanted to see Him walk across the sea and calm the waves. I can just see the kingly form with the wind in His hair, putting His footsteps on the sea, His garments billowing back, smiling at the storm. When the disciples saw Him walking on the water what was their biggest problem? The water. Jesus, in essence, was saying, “What looks like is going to be over your head, is already under My feet. “Ps.68:19 “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. 2 Cor.2:14 “But thanks be to God who always carry us in His chariot of victory in Christ Jesus.”  Rom.8:37...”In all these things we are more than overcomers thro

Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil ,as a roaring lion, walketh about ,seeking whom he may devour.” When you were born again, you were born to win ! Your new birth in Christ Jesus has fitted you for victory. You can detect Satan’s  schemes and overcome his world system. You can “march to the beat of a different drummer. “ You can live with victory over the desires of your flesh,habits, attitudes, unclean desires, worries ,anger, and dissipation must yield as you exercise authority over your mind, emotions, and will. You can actually put Satan and his demons to flight. You don’t have to be afraid of him – he will be afraid of you ! Are you feeling defeated about something? Say this out loud,” I was born to win !” Doesn’t that feel good? Now, look in the mirror and say it again !  “ I was born to win ! I can do all things to Christ, who strengthens me. “(Phillipians 4:13) Do you believe that? Do you believe in the power of the Word of God? Then be bold and move on a

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” In that day the cross was an instrument of shame, humiliation, suffering, torture and death. Sadly, the message has become clouded in our day. Some people say that a lost job, abusive spouse, a wayward child or a crazy boss is their cross.Some people think that an illness or a physical handicap is their cross. The trials and hardships you face in this life are not your cross ! Jesus is calling us to die to ourselves. He is calling us to commit to a lifestyle of living death. Galatians 2:20 He is calling us to willingly bear the shame, the reproach, the humiliation, the suffering, the hatred, the alienation and even the death that may come to those who are associated with Him. We take up our cross when we choose the narrow way over the way of the world, regardless of the cost. We take up the cross when we live out biblical ethics in our personal lives and in our business relationships, regar

”If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if He does not...” This last statement is not a doubt but a confidence in God‘s will, an absolute surrender to God‘s plan and purpose, a desire to see the glory of God revealed. Are we totally convinced that our God is sovereign? Does our faith resist the fire? There is a war out there that every genuine Christian must fight. Do we have an “ but even if He does not “moment in our lives when we’ll go through the burning fiery furnace? If our business is not going well and will go bankrupt, if we struggle financially, if we are sick or get old, if someone dear to our heart dies, or if you are still single for so long, if our plans are not accomplished, if our ministries don’t have the results that we expect, if we don’t get promoted, or we don’t pass the exam, or we don’t get the position, or we don’t get accepted in the college that we dreamed a

If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." If you are trying to live in two worlds you're not happy. Am I right? When you spend time around other Christians, you're uncomfortable because of your sin. On the other hand, when you're doing things you know you shouldn't as a Christian, then you have the conviction of that sin. Stop doing that stuff. Make your choice. "Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Every one of us must make that decision. I can't make it for you, and you can't make it for me. Are you in a relationship that is dragging you down? Are you doing things that are weakening your resolve? Stop doing those things. I'm not saying it is easy