INTRODUCTION
HEREIN this book contains a collection of devotionals that I have compiled over several years of learning about God, growing in my relationship with God, and discovering in part Who He Is and How He Works. As humans, as created beings, we can never know God fully until we pass from this phase of our lifetime into the next in which we will fully see God face to face. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Regardless of how I feel one day to the next, the more I know God, the more my hope grows, the more my joy grows, regardless of any situation or circumstance that I face today.
Why have I poured so much time into devotional writing for these many years, and only now just released this small collection? Because these are not just words on a page, but these words are part of my own life in which I have learned from through the entire process of writing this book. I have walked through my days reading and rereading these devotionals to the point where I only now have felt as though they are adequate to share with the rest of the world as they have helped to transform my life, my heart and mind, and strengthened my relationship with Almighty God, my Abba.
Sometimes all it takes is a simple word to change the way you view a moment in time, a situation, or a circumstance. A single word can change your view and perspective of anything in this world. When we open up our life to God, and allow Him to start speaking into us, all we may hear at times is a single word, and if we are truly listening for Him, and to Him, that one word can change the trajectory of our entire life. God has a plan for our life, as we read in the Old Testament, “Your eyes have seen my formless substance; and in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16). “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Let us look for a moment at these two Old Testament scripture verses individually.
“Your eyes have seen my formless substance; and in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16). King David. You probably know this name, his famous sling and stone story and how he dropped a giant with one stone, his famous Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd. David was so intently focused on God that he never let anything stand in his way and his devotion to God. Yes, true it is that he had made some bad choices in his time, but we are all guilty of that. Yet the one thing that we must remember is that he was devoted to God above all else. This man cried out to God like no other, which is why we have the Book of Psalms. Read through 1-2 Samuel to gain some perspective on David’s life, and then read through Psalms, they start to make sense the more you read his story along with his prayers and songs. David truly goes to show how important it is to spend time in devotion to God alone, one on one, so our heart can hear from Him directly and so that He can speak into our spirit.
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jeremiah was a prophet in Israel, and at the time he gave this prophecy, Babylon had taken Israel captive, and they were held captive for 70 years total, and God, after delivering this word through Jeremiah, also promised to take Babylon captive and punish them for their evil deeds for 70 years likewise. God’s promise to Israel came true, and those who diligently sought after God, to follow God’s ways and commandments, were blessed when they returned to Israel and were given a better future. God delivered on His promise. God still delivers on His promise today. As it says in the Book of Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever” (13:8). Now, if it says this about Jesus, then that means that the Father, and the Holy Spirit are also the same yesterday, today, and forever likewise as they have always existed together, from the beginning, in the same Spirit. This one short word and message to His people was enough for them to stay diligent and devoted to Him through to the very end.
Devotionals, though short, are crafted and written in a very specific manner to get a strong point across in a very short and quick manner of reading. Not too short, but not too long either. The following devotionals are crafted to help you grow in your relationship with God through prayer, the putting on of God’s spiritual armor over ourselves, and devotion to loving God and loving others with that same kind of unconditional love. God’s words are powerful, and all it takes at times is One Word, but at other times, He will fill our hearts with a bucket load of words to soak in.
ONE WORD
Take a look into a few of the devotional writings that are a part of this book by clicking the link below.
