Emanuel Ministries Devotionals

“ What are you afraid of? ” Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for You are with me ; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. “  In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the talents. When the master who had distributed the talents came to see the stewardship of those talents, one man had taken his talent and hidden in the ground. You may have a buried talent, but you’ve been covered up by the sinister minister or fear, who keeps you from achieving your dreams.  You say,“ But what if I fail? “You can be so afraid of making a mistake that your  entire life will be a mistake. The fear of failure keeps so many from competing that they never even get in the race. They just lose by default !  Sir Walter Scott was called a “dunce “by his teachers. Napoleon Bonaparte was next to last in his military class. Walt Disney was fired as a cartoonist because the newspaper said he couldn’t draw ! It’s not bad to fail. We all will fail. B

“ Jesus has overcome the world. “  Hallelujah ! John 16:33 “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 Jesu

”Temporary troubles. “ 2Cor. 4:18 “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now ; rather, we fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. “ Adversity prepares us for what God has ahead . God‘s people will be better off eternally because they suffered temporarily. The trade-off in eternity will bear this out. Our troubles won’t last forever. As 2Cor.4:17 says,” For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. “ We need to look at our suffering and say,” It will make all sense in eternity, and it will produce something that would not have been there otherwise. So in faith, I am going to accept this truth and wait to see the outcome. Despite the worst tragedy, God can bring good out of bad. That doesn’t mean He makes bad things good. But it does mean that despite bad things, He can bring good. Sometimes life works that way. It did f

“Victory over your situation is just a prayer away.  “Psalm 119:116 “Uphold me according unto Thy Word, that I may live ; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” Paul did much of his writing from a prison cell. Maybe you also feel like you are in prison of sorts today with every door shut in your face. Maybe you are in prison of despair and doubt. Perhaps you just heard from the doctor and received a bad report, or are dreading a visit this week. Maybe you’re in a financial prison of debt or a domestic prison of abuse and you feel there is no way out. My friend, I want to tell you that there is a way out for you. God is still on the throne. He hears and answer every prayer. Victory over the situation is just a prayer away. The circumstances may not change, but your perspective and attitude will change as you begin to pray and praise God. You and I don’t have a need that God cannot meet. Also His Word can uphold you in your situation no matter how difficult it is. Do you want to

"Can you sleep? "Ps. 121:4" Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither sleep nor slumber."  I read about a man who was in a crisis and couldn't sleep. He thought about this verse of Scripture, "He that keepeth Israel shall neither sleep nor slumber." He said, "Well, Lord, there's no need for both of us to stay up all night. Good night, Lord. I'm going to sleep while you stay awake."  The Bible says,"Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusteth in Thee. (Isa.26:3); It may sound like a paradox : on one hand, pray earnestly. On the other, get some sleep. But Phi. 4:6,7 tells us , "Don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God ( listen to it ), which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. " Peace is the absence of anxiety.My

“ The danger to do something!” Psalm 46:10” Be still, and know that I am God ; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth !”  I  read about a fighter plane that fired off a weapon and was moving so fast that it overtook the bullet and shot itself down. Literally ! There are a lot of folks I know doing the same thing. They are shooting themselves down. They don’t take time to slow down and to be still and know that God is God. They don’t take time to experience His serenity and inner quietness. Isaiah 30:15 says, “ In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”  How much time do we take to be quiet before the Lord? If you don’t have time to do this, you are too busy ! You’re going to miss life looking for it. For example when we are sick, the first thing is to find medicine, or a doctor to take care of our sickness. But the Bible says in James 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.” What do you do whe

"Do you trust God completely? "!Psalm 37:3  "Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. "  This word "trust "is an interesting word. Its root is from the word that means "to lie face down on the ground." The idea is that a person is totally helpless. He has been cast down and has nothing to stand upon. The pins have been pulled from underneath him. He has no visible means of support.  That's the place God wants to bring us to -where we have no visible means of support, and all we have is God. In fact, did you know God will sometimes knock your feet out from under you so you might learn to trust Him?  At that point, faith is no longer an option or a luxury ; it's a necessity. To the world your situation looks hopeless, but that's right where God wants to show Himself powerful in your life. Is there an area in your life today for which you must trust God completely? Is trusting

“Do you live under the power of fear?”  Part 2. What is the antidote for fear or cure for fear? 2 Cor.10:5 ”Guard your mind...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Don’t welcome fear in your mind. If you don’t make every thought captive, you will become a captive to that thought. Gen. 3:10 Disobedience brings fear. Prov. 29:25” The fear of man brings a snare.” 2Chro.20:3,17, 21, 22 “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to SEEK the Lord and proclaimed a fast...Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you...” We always want to do something when we fear. Big mistake. Ver. 21”...He appointed those who should sing to the Lord...” Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever.” And... When they began to sing and to praise , the Lord set ambushes against their enemies...and they destroyed themselves...Hallelujah! Isaiah 41:10” Fear not for I am with you ; be not dismayed for I am your  God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will upho

"Do you live under the power of fear? "Mark 5:36 -Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue :..."DO NOT BE AFRAID ; ONLY BELIEVE . " Mark 6:50 "Take courage or be bold. It is I . Don't be afraid." Unbelief brings fear and fear will dominate your mind, body, and soul. In the Bible is mentioned 366 times God's promises :"Fear not, for I am with you. " That's one promise for everyday. It's not just a promise but a command of Jesus. But you still fear. Fear in sickness, losing your job, unable to pay your bills, rebellious children, fear of tomorrow, fear of death, etc. How can we overcome fear? Remember what you have received from God. 2Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER ,and of LOVE and of SOUND MIND." Romans 8:15" For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of ADOPTION by whom we cry out, ABBA, FATHER. " Hebrew 2:14,15..." tha

"The master broadened the bread . " Matthew 14: 19 "...Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people."  The five loaves and two small fishes were just enough to feed one little boy, but they were woefully insufficient to feed a vast multitude. However, when they were blessed and broken by the Master, their ability was  is broadened. He took what was designed for one and use it to feed as many as 25,000 ! That is what the Master can do with those things He blesses and brakes! God only breaks us so that  He might broaden our ministry!  Therefore, do not try to run away when the hand of the Lord lays heavy on your life ! When He is breaking you, it is so that He can use you in a greater manner ! Think of: Elijah, Jacob ,Moses, Paul in prison, Mary"alabaster box of ointment, Joseph, etc.  If you have been blessed and broken for the Lord, then get ready, He has a plan for your life that is glorious beyond imagination. But you nee