PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 31, 2021 "PURIFIED BY GOD!" Malachai 3: 3 PURIFIED BY GOD! Malachai 3:3 – Devotional Malachai 3:3 “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” I have often heard the expression; If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen! The same is even more applicable to a refiner of silver. The refiner of silver sits in front of the refining fire to watch the intense heat burn away the impurities. It is essential in the refining process for the silversmith to stay in front of the fire at all times without taking his eyes off the silver. If the silver were to be left in the intense heat for a moment too long the silver would be destroyed. The only way for the silversmith to know when the silver was fully refined was when he can see his own image reflected in it. All too often we try to
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THE RIGHT FRUIT! John 15:5 – Devotional John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” With all of the filthy-mouth language in our world today, it is difficult to hear a conversation not laced with profanity. I am deeply troubled by the use of the word “God” in general conversation. I once was talking with a man that repeatedly used “God” several times during our conversation. I asked him if he was praying? He said, “No, why do you ask?” I told him that he used the word “God” so often that I was just sure he was praying. Using the Lord’s name in vain is profanity! Ulysses S. Grant was the President at the close of the Civil War and a very interesting man. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His roommate was Fred Dent. When he was interviewed about what kind of man the President was, Fred Dent had this to say: “In all the time we roomed together, I never knew Ulysses to us
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 26, 2021 "ENTER INTO PEACE!" Isaiah 57:1-2 THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS! Philippians 4:8 – Devotional Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” There used to be series of capital letters that seemed irrational until you grasped the meaning: GIGO. These letters meant: GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT! What we fill our minds with will result in the actions we take. We live in a world that is like a cesspool of sin and depravity. That means we must be on guard constantly lest we be swept away with the ugliness that is so prevalent that it seems to have become the norm rather than the exception. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul is giving them practical advice to be able to c
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 25, 2021 “THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!” Philippians 4:8 THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS! Philippians 4:8 – Devotional Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” There used to be series of capital letters that seemed irrational until you grasped the meaning: GIGO. These letters meant: GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT! What we fill our minds with will result in the actions we take. We live in a world that is like a cesspool of sin and depravity. That means we must be on guard constantly lest we be swept away with the ugliness that is so prevalent that it seems to have become the norm rather than the exception. In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul is giving them practical advice to be able to con
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 24, 2021 "GOD’S LAWS!" James 5:8 GOD’S LAWS! James 5:8 – Devotional James 5:8 “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” Sir Isaac Newton was a very brilliant man. He set forth the Laws of Motion. The first law is: A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force. The second law has sometimes been called the law of inertia. It states that: A body at rest tends to remain at rest unless impelled by some external force. The third law is: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Alright folks, that is your physics lesson for today! Just as there are physical laws that are in control of the universe, there are spiritual laws that are designed to draw us closer to the Lord. The first spiritual law of motion is: A soul that moves toward the Lord will tend to continue moving toward Him. The problem is that the devil is trying t
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 23, 2021 "SHINE BRIGHT!" Matthew 5:16 SHINE BRIGHT! Matthew 5:16 – Devotional Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” There seems to be nothing as depressing as a dim light bulb. A light bulb is designed to give light! Just calm down, I can almost hear your protests that there are certain uses for light to be reduced in order to produce a desired effect. Regardless of whether light is dimmed or diffused, it overcomes darkness. As the old spiritual song goes, The darker the night the brighter the light shines. I hope I have the words right, but the meaning is clear. Many people seem to be living in a state of gloom and darkness. Sin and strife seem to pervade the very fabric of our modern world and no matter what worldly forces are used to bring order out of our chaos, they fail! There is only one answer and that is in Jesus Christ – the LI
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 22, 2021 "IN GOD WE TRUST!" Deuteronomy 7:9 IN GOD WE TRUST! Deuteronomy 7:9 – Devotional Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Listen to today’s Message of the Week by Pastor Cecil by clicking above on the play button. Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing! – – – Pastor Cecil
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 21, 2021 “THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!” Psalm 36:5-6 THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! Psalm 36:5-6 – Devotional Psalm 36:5-6 “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.” Listen to today’s Message of the Week by Pastor Cecil by clicking above on the play button. Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing! – – – Pastor Cecil
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 20, 2021 “ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING!” Psalm 145:10-11 ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING! Psalm 145:10-11 – Devotional Psalm 145:10-11 “All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power.” The older I get (and I am getting up there), the more disturbed I am about senseless killing. This is not only true of attacks on other people, but also on the killing animals just for the sport of it. In my hunting days I did shoot game, but it was for food not for sport. Now, however, there are many that hunt only for bragging rights, not for food. God meant for us to be keepers and protectors, not killers. In 1225, when he was feeling ill and losing his sight, Francis of Assisi wrote about what was always on his heart: the praise of God. In All Creatures of Our God and King , his love for God and the world He made comes out very strongly. P
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 19, 2021 "THE WAY OF ESCAPE!" 1 Corinthians 10:13 THE WAY OF ESCAPE! 1 Corinthians 10:13 – Devotional 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The images of frantic people chasing after a huge Air Force cargo plane were heart rendering. These frantic people knew they were being left behind and the fate that awaited them was almost more than they could bear. Some people have tried to describe the scene that occurred during the flood in Noah’s day. There is no vivid description about people crying out for deliverance as the flood waters rose. This may or may not have been the case. It is just as likely that they dismissed the torrent of rain as just a passing thing and the sun would soon be shining again an
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 18, 2021 "THE CANCER OF SIN!" Hebrews 3:12-13 THE CANCER OF SIN! Hebrews 3:12-13 – Devotional Hebrews 3:12-13 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” The word cancer is one of the most feared words. Many of us have lost loved ones to this dread disease. Even though tremendous improvements have been made in treatment, cancer still remains a deadly enemy. While many of us may personally know friends or family members who have been impacted with this foul disease known as cancer, there is an even greater disease that affects the entire human race…SIN! We were all born with it and without treatment it has a far more devastating consequence – – Eternal death! The treatment for sin is not by being good, attending church
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 17, 2021 "ALWAYS SEEK GOD’ S DIRECTION!" Joshua 9:14-15 ALWAYS SEEK GOD’ S DIRECTION! Joshua 9:14-15 – Devotional Joshua 9:14-15 “Joshua and the men of Israel did not ask counsel of the Lord. Joshua and the rulers of the congregation made a covenant with the deceitful Gibeonites to let them live; and so swore an oath to them without seeking counsel from the LORD.” Heartbreak and defeat are always the result of not seeking God’s counsel before taking a particular action. Over the years of my ministry I have counseled many people concerning their relationship with God and with individuals. Frequently, people have wanted their own way rather than taking the time to discover God’s way. When Joshua and the leaders of Israel sought the face of God and then obeyed, there was victory. Every time they failed to seek God’s will, there was always failure and disaster. The crafty Gibeonites knew that Israel was an unstoppable for
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for August 16, 2021 “ENTER WITH VICTORY!” Psalm 100:4-5 ENTER WITH VICTORY! Psalm 100:4-5 – Devotional Psalm 100:4-5 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” World War II ended when I was eleven years old. I can recall the absolute joy in the celebrations that erupted with the news that the war had ended. People that were too old, or like me, too young to participate in the war, still celebrated as if we had been on the front lines of the battle. It was several years later that I was blessed to meet three Japanese students who were attending college in Nampa, Idaho. These beautiful Christian students had a glow and joy that transcended the horrors of war; they taught us that God is able to end the battles in this world and prepare us for the joy that awaits us in heaven. It is