With all the "doom and gloom" talk that we hear it's a challenge to stay positive in a hopeless society!! We must not allow the spirit of fear and hopelessness to pull us down because it can if that's our focus. There are two sides to every story so let's see what God says concerning His side of the story.
"And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but ALL THE CHILDREN of Israel had LIGHT in their dwellings." (Exodus 10:22-23 KJV)
Darkness on one side of the street but "Light" on the other side of the street!! If you have the Blood of the "Passover Lamb" applied to your heart, judgement will pass over you because you are marked as God's property.
Just because it's feels bad, looks bad, sounds bad, that doesn't in any way mean that God has forsaken His people. We must keep ourselves balanced mentally, spiritually and emotionally because God's Power and Presence can melt mountains. He can make the mountains tremble or even cast them into the sea if we believe He can!!! We have to realize that all the crazy stuff going on in our world did not catch our God asleep at the wheel. He is well able to "prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies"! "No weapon formed against us shall prosper" so don't allow the fact that prophesy is being fulfilled in the nations of the world get you all bent out of shape and fearful. Regardless of the darkness on the other side of the street, God will pay the light bill on my side of the street, even if He has to rain manna down from heaven to do it..... We are overcomers, more than conquerors and can do all things through Christ who strengthens us under any circumstances!! The Truth of the Word has not changed one bit!!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
Hello, My name is Stress!!
I was here a long time before I was named...... It is my job to skew your view enough that you can't see the good things in your life so you are never thankful. Once I remove your "attitude of gratitude" I can start to work on making you think EVERYTHING IS BAD in your life. Then I get you to join me on the edge of the ledge where "everything is bad", so we can move on to everything is probably wonderful in your friends life. From here it's pretty easy for me because I have you in a vicious cycle and all I have to do is get you to think that adding more sugar and caffeine will help you feel better.... Ok, the next step is I don't need sleep but you do so I will only give you bits and pieces of a thing called a "good nights rest". God created rest for your body to shut down so it could renew itself for the next day. The alarm clock, I'm sorry, your cell phone sounds to wake you but you've only had three hours sleep, it can't be time to do it all over again. You can go to your doctor and medicate me but I still won't go away, I will breakthrough as your meds wane... I have now become your constant companion, I've messed up your cortisol levels, I have them up when they should be down and down when they should be up!!! Once I've breached your walls of human preservation I can cause you to be anxious in a crowd or sitting home alone..... Once I have you "under my thumb" the music never stops, the dance of deception is on repeat and you think you can handle me but in reality I'm handling you!!
Hello, my name is stress, shall we dance?
"I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." (Psalms 118:5 KJV)
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
Hello, my name is stress, shall we dance?
"I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." (Psalms 118:5 KJV)
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
The day Adam buried Abel...
I have no idea how it would feel to lose a child. I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel to bury a son that had been murdered by his brother!! The first murder in the Bible is "Brother killing Brother", so goes the first chapters of the Bible, so goes the world!! Our nation barely gets past one season of mourning and we are in a state of mourning again. In Charleston, SC nine innocent people were murdered by a very mentality unstable person. He walked into their church, of all places, sat with them an hour and shot them down without a chance!! Our nation mourns the deaths of these precious people and we pray for their families!! Our walls have been breached by a "Spirit of Division" which brings with it destruction and death!!
"And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
(Mark 3:25 KJV)
We must be united in things of value realizing we will never all be the same, we will never all look the same, speak the same language but we can unite against evil!!! Jesus Christ taught us to pray, "Deliver us from evil", the spirit of evil and hatred brought this tragedy to pass!! God's Word tells us that we, his followers, have the power to heal this land!! We must stop killing our fellow Americans and cry out to God for healing. " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."(2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV) As Adam dug the grave for one son, I'm sure he wept for both sons because life would never be the same again in their family which is our family. "United we stand, Divided we fall!"
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
"And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
(Mark 3:25 KJV)
We must be united in things of value realizing we will never all be the same, we will never all look the same, speak the same language but we can unite against evil!!! Jesus Christ taught us to pray, "Deliver us from evil", the spirit of evil and hatred brought this tragedy to pass!! God's Word tells us that we, his followers, have the power to heal this land!! We must stop killing our fellow Americans and cry out to God for healing. " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."(2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV) As Adam dug the grave for one son, I'm sure he wept for both sons because life would never be the same again in their family which is our family. "United we stand, Divided we fall!"
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
We Americans are here to stay, get used to it.....
These devotions are read in several countries but today it is primarily for the citizens of the United States. America is a country made up of people that came from diverse backgrounds, skin color, races, cultures, etc.... The true Americans are joined at the heart because we are all different but we have one thing in common, we want to live the "American Dream" and enjoy the freedoms that our country has to offer to every citizen. Unfortunately, we have certain groups that want "special rights", people that work the system to their benefit when these benefits were put in place for the needy, disabled and those that contributed by working hard until retirement age. We have a great country that has a unique system that has worked well for honest hard working people for many years but we are now 18 trillion dollars in debt, open boarders to terrorist, school children being harassed for reading their Bible during their own time at school. Our walls have been breached by people that are trying to destroy our way of life that God Himself Blessed us with many years ago. I for one have no plans of sticking my head in the sand. I believe there are enough people in this country to take our country back from the "Blind leaders of the Blind" if we will unite around our common ideals regardless of some differences!! I think we have plenty conservative candidates for President that we can agree on one that is "electable"! We have to approach our presidential election like a chess game. We may not get everything we want in one man but close enough in the important issues at hand to clean up the mess that has been created in recent years. The true Americans are not asking for special rights, just our original rights given to us by our founding fathers. Let's all take a deep breath, be very aware that we are in bad shape but not beyond repair because in 2016 we will have an opportunity to position people that are capable of getting us moving again. If you are a Christian, humble yourself and ask God to Grace people with the knowledge they need to vote for the man that God can use to get us back on track!! It can be done but we have to stay focused and not give up on this great nation!! "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth." (Proverbs 10:30 KJV)
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
Who can we trust....
Uncertainty is in the air, anxiety is at an all time high and it's almost impossible to predict who you can trust!! If you read the Bible and history you will find out that this dilemma is not anything new. When Jesus was born an Angel of the Lord came and announced His birth to the shepherds that The Savior, Christ the Lord was born to save His people from their sins!! The universe shifted so that a Star came and led the "Wise Men" to Jesus. Herod the King was so troubled by the birth of the young child that he couldn't sleep and had all the male children under two years of age murdered trying to kill the Christ-Child that had rocked his world!! Joseph was warned in a dream to take his family to Egypt until it was safe in their homeland. God is watching over His people, He numbers the hairs of our head and knows when a sparrow falls to the earth. When you rise to face the day and when you lay down to sleep, pray this prayer of David!!
"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." (Psalms 16:1 KJV)
Ask God to protect you throughout your day and make a faith statement that you are trusting in Him!!! In the writings of David and Solomon we are constantly reminded not to put our trust in man! We must put our trust in God because "vain is the help of man". People make promises but they may or may not keep them but God is not like "man that He can lie". When you make "Faith Statements", you are allowing your Spirit Man to dominate your Emotional Man!! If you allow your emotions to rule in your life, you will be like the weather in the southern United States, changing every thirty minutes. You want to know who you can trust, GOD ALMIGHTY!!! He will not fail nor forsake you so Trust Him completely in every area of your life. Speak the Word of God over your life everyday so that the Holy Spirit rules in your life instead of every thing else.... He Reigns!!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." (Psalms 16:1 KJV)
Ask God to protect you throughout your day and make a faith statement that you are trusting in Him!!! In the writings of David and Solomon we are constantly reminded not to put our trust in man! We must put our trust in God because "vain is the help of man". People make promises but they may or may not keep them but God is not like "man that He can lie". When you make "Faith Statements", you are allowing your Spirit Man to dominate your Emotional Man!! If you allow your emotions to rule in your life, you will be like the weather in the southern United States, changing every thirty minutes. You want to know who you can trust, GOD ALMIGHTY!!! He will not fail nor forsake you so Trust Him completely in every area of your life. Speak the Word of God over your life everyday so that the Holy Spirit rules in your life instead of every thing else.... He Reigns!!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
"Be Still"
Sometime it is needful to shut all your systems down and be still, mentally, emotionally, physically and in every way possible. When we need peace, we must deliberately shut down and shut out all earthly voices!
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalms 46:10 KJV)
"Be Still" means to cease from your efforts. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said,
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 KJV). We often wear ourselves out by striving to accomplish something in our own strength when all we need to do is go sit quietly at the feet of Jesus!! He knows our burdens, needs, cares and everything else that concerns us. David goes on to say "and know that I am God", acknowledge or get acquainted with the truth the our God is the True and Living God! In order to really enjoy someone's company, you must get to know them in a personal way. We must figure out a way to find moments of stillness at the feet of Jesus to soak up His Presence! It is the best thing that we can do for ourselves because His Presence is impossible to explain but has healing powers beyond anything else on earth!! "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalms 16:11 KJV). I think Psalm 16:11 says it best, "in Thy Presence is the fullness of joy"! O'Lord, help us to seek your Presence on a daily basis because it is the only way we will ever find true joy!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalms 46:10 KJV)
"Be Still" means to cease from your efforts. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said,
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 KJV). We often wear ourselves out by striving to accomplish something in our own strength when all we need to do is go sit quietly at the feet of Jesus!! He knows our burdens, needs, cares and everything else that concerns us. David goes on to say "and know that I am God", acknowledge or get acquainted with the truth the our God is the True and Living God! In order to really enjoy someone's company, you must get to know them in a personal way. We must figure out a way to find moments of stillness at the feet of Jesus to soak up His Presence! It is the best thing that we can do for ourselves because His Presence is impossible to explain but has healing powers beyond anything else on earth!! "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalms 16:11 KJV). I think Psalm 16:11 says it best, "in Thy Presence is the fullness of joy"! O'Lord, help us to seek your Presence on a daily basis because it is the only way we will ever find true joy!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
Choose to Believe!!
Your choices have an immediate and profound effect on your life!! We must choose to believe what God says about us rather than the other voices we hear!!
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"(Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV)
If you initially and consistently choose Life and Blessing you can expect God to pour His Favor out on you. This choice will be tested by the system that is a byproduct of the choice that Adam and Eve made in the garden. For instance, if your body gets sick, you will have to choose to believe that you are "healed by the stripes of Jesus"! (Isaiah 53:5) If you balance your checkbook and it's in overdraft, you will have to choose that God loves you so much that He will honor your choice to give into His Kingdom that He will "supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"! (Philippians 4:19) Since we are programmed to figure out a way to make it work somehow, we often fail at standing on the "Promises of God" because it's so foreign to our human nature. Our human nature functions in the natural but God functions in the Supernatural!! He can do above and beyond anything we can "ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us". (Ephesians 3:20). Regardless of what we are faced with, God has a promise for whatever trial we may face and nothing is impossible with God!! The Word of God builds our Faith so we must read the Word on a consistent basis. David said that he hid the Word of God in his heart!! If your Bible is collecting dust then I would imagine that your spiritual life is dry and dusty also. God will pour water on him that is thirsty, He can turn a desert into standing water!! Choose to Believe the Word of God over the other voices in your life today and God will Bless you with His Favor!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"(Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV)
If you initially and consistently choose Life and Blessing you can expect God to pour His Favor out on you. This choice will be tested by the system that is a byproduct of the choice that Adam and Eve made in the garden. For instance, if your body gets sick, you will have to choose to believe that you are "healed by the stripes of Jesus"! (Isaiah 53:5) If you balance your checkbook and it's in overdraft, you will have to choose that God loves you so much that He will honor your choice to give into His Kingdom that He will "supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"! (Philippians 4:19) Since we are programmed to figure out a way to make it work somehow, we often fail at standing on the "Promises of God" because it's so foreign to our human nature. Our human nature functions in the natural but God functions in the Supernatural!! He can do above and beyond anything we can "ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us". (Ephesians 3:20). Regardless of what we are faced with, God has a promise for whatever trial we may face and nothing is impossible with God!! The Word of God builds our Faith so we must read the Word on a consistent basis. David said that he hid the Word of God in his heart!! If your Bible is collecting dust then I would imagine that your spiritual life is dry and dusty also. God will pour water on him that is thirsty, He can turn a desert into standing water!! Choose to Believe the Word of God over the other voices in your life today and God will Bless you with His Favor!!
I Believe,
Scott L. Boatner
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