“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?'” – Genesis 3:1

No, God never actually said that! However, this is how Satan, that crafty old serpent, often works. He love to twist and distort God’s Word, creating questions about things that are very, very clear. The devil sows confusion and invites God’s people to question the motives of their loving Creator. His goal is to pull us further and further from the bedrock truth of God’s Word until we’re easily tricked or enticed into sin, often convinced that it’s OK because of some carefully constructed (false) logic.

Sin will always be a temptation to us. However, the closer and deeper we are in God’s Word, the more difficult it is for the devil to confuse us about God’s will and ways. Make sure you are always anchored in God’s Word! Not a general affection for God’s Word. Reading and studying it for yourself. Every day! Meditating on what you’ve read, what it means, and how it applies to you. Every day! Memorizing it as Jesus did to resist the devil’s temptations.

The devil will still come at you, but he will have a much harder time beating you if you know what God’s Word actually says rather than what you kinda, sorta think it says. Don’t let the devil twist God’s Word to fool you… Get in your Bible and #FollowJesus!

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” – Genesis 2:7

People matter! That means YOU matter! God created everything else we see by speaking it into existence. But people are different. In a good way! God created mankind not by word but by action. He formed us from dust and breathed life into us Himself. We alone are made in God’s image. This is why human beings, weird as we are, are the crown jewels of God’s creation.

Yes, we’ve damaged ourselves and our image-bearing through sin. That’s why God sent His Son Jesus to restore us to righteousness and a relationship of love with Him. Because people matter. Every person matters. You are precious to God! He has numbered the individual hairs on your head and knows the smallest details of your life. God loves you more than you can comprehend and gave His Son for your salvation.

God is calling you to a closer relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. If Jesus isn’t already your Savior, make that decision today! If Jesus is your Savior, then take up your cross and devote yourself to more closely obeying and becoming like Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. Always remember that you bear God’s image. The life you have and the breath you breathe flows out of God Himself. Rejoice in your exalted status and your relationship with your Creator through Jesus. #FollowJesus

“In the beginning…” – Genesis 1:1a

Here we are at the beginning of another new year. As always, it’s full of promise, possibilities, opportunities, and probably more than a few challenges. The best way to thrive in this new year will be to draw even closer to God. What’s your plan for that? What will you do to more fully walk in step with the Holy Spirit?

As always, we recommend that you choose a daily Bible-reading plan and start reading God’s Word for yourself every single day. Daily devotionals like this are a nice appetizer but the Bible itself should always be the main course. Read it for yourself or listen to it read. Either way, let God’s Word speak to you. That’s the #1 way God speaks to His beloved children.

Need a Bible reading plan? We offer several at https://www.lakeridgebaptist.com/read-the-bible/

“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 150

The last psalm for the last day of the year. It kind of sounds like a New Year’s Eve party with all the trumpets, lutes, harps, tambourines, strings, pipes, cymbals, and dancing, doesn’t it?!? Well, this party has a theme – praising God! Praising God for Who He is and what He does. Praising God with all the different tools and instruments available to praise Him. It’s a good idea!

Whatever else you may be planning today to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another, take time to praise God. Think about His power and presence in your life this past year. Think about His mighty deeds and His many mercies. Think about His greatness and His goodness. Think about His love, grace, and kindness toward you. Think about the answered prayers and those best left unanswered. Take time to have praise party for the Lord today, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever! #FollowJesus

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” – Revelation 21:22-23

No matter how dark the present may feel, an infinitely brighter day is coming for those in Jesus Christ! One day, Christ will return and creation will be renewed. The curse upon Creation will be reversed and sin will no longer separate us from our Creator. We will see God the Father and Jesus the Son face to face. We will enjoy their visible presence night and day! Their radiant glory will be so overwhelming that we won’t even need a sun, moon, or other lights!

We won’t even need special places for worshiping God because every place will be in His presence and every place will be perfect for worshiping. When that day comes, there will be no evil, no suffering, no illness, no poverty, no pain, no injustice, no cruelty, and no death. Brighter days are coming!

If this sounds good to you, please remember this – these brighter days are only for those who’ve been made clean in the eyes of God through faith in His Son, Jesus. Everyone is welcome to God’s party but they must wear the clothes He’s given them access to – robes washed in the blood of Jesus. Let this truth encourage you if Jesus is your Lord, Let it lead you to trust in Him if He isn’t. Let it lend urgency to your efforts to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people you know who haven’t yet believed. #FollowJesus