DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST

Below are daily devotions for each day of the month. They include a quote from a famous individual with my personal comment and a scripture passage with my personal comment. I hope you find these quotations, scripture passages and my personal comments helpful in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

August 1

 

“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only interests.”

Peter Marshall

 

We may be interested in Christianity but that is not the same as BELIEVING in it. IF we truly believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior AND IF we truly believe the Bible is the Word of God, then we will LIVE it every day and the force of ONE is then greater than ninety-nine who have just an interest in “religion.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A friend loves at all times.”

Proverbs 17:17

 

We all have “friends” but a true friend is one who loves you no matter what and in whatever happens. They forgive you, help you, confront you and pray for you. People around us have too few true friends, why not be one to someone.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 2

 

‎”Reproaches from those who have been intimate with us, and trusted by us, cut us to the quick; and they are usually so well acquainted with our peculiar weaknesses that they know how to touch us where we are most sensitive, and to speak so as to do us most damage.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

This can happen between friends, coworkers, spouses and relatives as well as Christian brothers and sisters. May each of us be cautious and careful about not using the knowledge we have about others to be critical of them, make fun of them or gossip about them. These actions are like stabbing someone with a sharp knife blade to cause serious emotional harm.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct.”

Proverbs 10:23

 

No one wants to be called a fool but how many times have we done stupid sinful things and found pleasure in them and then regretted them later because we realized how foolish we were. God calls Christians to be SMART not foolish. Let us walk the righteous path of the “Smart Ones” rather than the evil path of the “Foolish Ones.”

Michael K. Farrar

 

 

August 3

 

“Look to godliness. Godliness is something more than religion. Make God’s glory your object in life; live in His sight; dwell close to Him; seek fellowship with Him; then you will have “godliness.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

Have you asked yourself the question “What is your purpose in life?” What would be your answer? I hope, if you are a Christian your central purpose in life would be to seek godliness to give God glory. If you make God’s glory the object of your life, you will be a better person, a better father or mother, a better husband or wife, a better friend, a better worker, a better employer, a better citizen, a better servant of Jesus Christ.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.”

Psalms 133:1

 

It is very, very good and pleasant when Christian brothers and sisters live together in unity. God calls His church to live in unity and harmony. Unfortunately many times we fail at this task because we put ourselves and our desires or opinions above the love we have for God and our fellow Believer. Let each of us seek to live by this Psalm but also by Philippians 2:4 and Romans 12:3 – look them up and make them your devotion for the day!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 4

 

“The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”

Charles Swindoll

 

We often blame our circumstance for our attitude, when really we have made a personal willful choice to embrace the attitude we wish to have. Having Christ in us gives us a choice over our flesh, to embrace a Christ-like attitude no matter what pressures our circumstance or situation places upon us. We really are without excuse. We let Christ live in us, or we don’t. It’s as simple as that. Now if all of us can just capture this thought, especially me!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Proverbs 29:11

 

Oh, to never be called a fool by Proverbs. We’ve all lost our temper in anger at one time or another, so we have all been a fool. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit you can only be angry in a righteous manner. But if you fail to let the Holy Spirit be in control you are a sitting duck for your fleshly anger to rise up and mark you as a fool. Lord, help us rely upon the Holy Spirit and Your strength to keep us from being angry fools. Make us wise and controlled.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 5

 

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

Mother Teresa

 

If you can believe it sometimes, in our sinful pride we strive to be faithful only in the big things that people will notice or that can feed our spiritual pride. Mother Teresa is saying here that it is in the small, often unnoticed things when we use our weakest faith that is where our strength lies. When we are weak, He is strong.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

‎”Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Luke 16:10

 

If we seek to be obedient in the smallest of tasks we will be trusted by God to accomplish most magnificent things. Why would God trust us with His most precious tasks of ministry if we fail to follow through or squander the small requests He has of us?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 6

 

“I also have the responsibility to keep my spirit in agreement with His Spirit. And when I do, Jesus gradually lifts me up to the level where He lived – a level of perfect submission to His Father’s will – where I pay no attention to anything else. Am I perfecting this kind of holiness in the fear of God? Is God having His way with me, and are people beginning to see God in my life more and more?”

Oswald Chambers

 

When we let God have His way with us we are submitting completely to His will and purpose for our lives. I wonder how often we fail to submit each day? May the Holy Spirit come to our minds and speak to our soul when we are failing to submit to anything God would have us do or change in our lives.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Sing to the Lord a new song.”

Psalms 98:1

 

We love singing the favorite songs we know and sometimes avoid the new songs for we are unfamiliar with them. We fail to remember that at one time the songs that are our favorites were once a new song. May we seek to sing new songs as often as possible and so expand the number of songs that are our favorites. New songs, even if not our favorite, are blessed because these songs praise our Lord. Also, whether you sing, hum or just think about a new song it brings praise to the Lord and blesses your soul, so SING A NEW SONG!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 7

 

“Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with.”

Peter Marshall

 

Often when we are proven to be wrong in a matter we resist admitting it, become belligerent and possibly even angry. If we are a Christian, what happened to our Christ-likeness? Our submission to God and humility towards others. Let us seek to change with grace when we discover we are wrong. But sometimes when we are right we are overbearing, egotistical and very hard to live with. Again I ask, where is our humility towards others. In such situations we have let our ego and selfish pride take over and again we are very hard to live with. The only answer for either of these extremes is to seek to be like Christ, submit to our Heavenly Father and listen to the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”

Proverbs 27:19

 

It’s amazing how you can see your reflection in a pool of water. It’s not crystal clear, but its good enough to recognize the important and significant features and identify who is looking into the water. I wonder what it would be like if people could see our hearts like they see our faces what would they perceive? What if we couldn’t hide what was in our hearts and everyone knew who we really were at heart? That’s what this verse implies, that who we really are as a person is who we are in our heart. We can talk a good talk and even act a good part, but the heart reveals the TRUTH about who we are. Who are you, in your heart?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 8

 

“Mystery is but another name for our ignorance; if we were omniscient, all would be perfectly plain.”

Tyron Edwards

 

Because we are creatures and not the Creator we are plagued with many mysteries in our life. Sometime they are unexplainable scientific observations, other times they are human behavior befuddlements, but mostly they are the mysterious ways that God works in our lives with events. We are often clueless as to why things happen to us at times and very likely this experience of the mysterious has been designed and allowed by God to build our faith and trust in who He is. He is omniscient so all things are perfectly plain to Him, but we are not so we are left to seek to humble ourselves to His will and trust that He wants the best for us and wants us to grow in our faith in Him. Let us do this.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The Jews then responded to him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'”

John 2:18-19

 

Here the God’s Chosen People the Jews asked an probing honest question of Jesus. Jesus responded, as often He did, with the blunt truth hidden in a spiritual puzzle. Those who were spiritually astute and perceptive would have grasped His meaning but none figured out that He was talking about His own body that was to be crucified on the cross. There are spiritual lessons and truths buried in our daily experiences that God wishes to teach us each day. May we read the Word intensely, pray with passion and listen with eager ears for the Holy Spirit to speak to us so that we learn the Christian truths from what we experience each day.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 9

 

“From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the advance party or in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we work in the field, he seeks to break our implements; if we build a wall, he tries to cast down the stones; if we are serving God in suffering or in conflict – everywhere Satan hinders us…We are not alarmed because Satan hinders us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord’s side and we are doing the Lord’s work, and in His strength we will win the victory and triumph over our adversary.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

We do battle Satan each and every day in some fashion but we must remain faithful and trust that God will give us the strength for the battle for He has already provided our defense and our godly weapons for the conflict.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

1 Timothy 6:6

 

We always obtain a blessing when we are godly, but when we are content with our godliness we received even a greater gain of blessing. Sometimes we walk our talk, but complain in our hearts because of the burden the godly behavior is to carry. When we can… be content with whatever burden we bear or consequences we face because we are living a godly life then we will be overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord and a true contentment built on our faith in our Heavenly Father.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 10

 

“Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

If we try to make happiness our goal, we will be sorely disappointed. If we seek to please the Lord, live righteously and dwell on what is pure, we will have the joy of the Lord which is much more fulfilling. Happiness can also result as well if we live… life in a godly manner. Think of happiness as the quick sugar fix that is fleeting and temporary. Think of the joy of the Lord as an excellent nourishing meal that you linger over as you consume it and lingers within you as you feel it bring you godly pleasure for an extended period of time.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Ephesians 5:15-16

 

We would probably be surprised at how much time we waste, how unwise we are during the day and how careless we are in how we live at times. We’re not called to put each …minute on a spreadsheet to make sure it balances properly, but we are called to be cautious, careful, wise and efficient as we go about our day. We are surrounded by evil and we often forget we drag our evil flesh around with us through the day as well. We also forget there is a spiritual dimension that is unseen where demonic forces are at work. That is the intent of this verse, not to scare us, but to encourage us treat our time with respect and to be good stewards of it as well.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 11

 

“If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth.”

Oswald Chambers

 

When we let our sinful flesh convince us that we must feed our selfish needs we begin the process whereby we become a slave to whatever our flesh desires. This slavery eventually will become total and complete if we do not turn from our ways or unless God intervenes to wake us up from our selfish pursuits. May we seek to be a slave of Christ rather than a slave to selfishness. A slave of Christ is really free because the Truth has set them free.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Love is patient…”

1 Corinthians 13:4

 

There are many definitions and forms of love in this world, but godly love is for sure “patient.” “Agape” love is patient at all times because it is love that comes from the Lord and flows through us as we rely upon Him. Patience for us as weak vessels is difficult, but God’s love has enduring and consistent abilities to push us to wait. God’s love continues to wait, when everyone else’s love has left the station. God’s love waits because it always has hope. Let us seek the Lord that He might teach us about this godly love spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 12

 

“To be perplexed is not sinful.”

Martin Lloyd Jones

 

Let us not worry or fret that we have lost faith if we are perplexed at times. Remember you are human and limited in knowledge, wisdom, understanding and comprehension. Only God is never perplexed. During those particularly perplexing times, pray that God gives you a peace to rest until things become clear. Wait for God to clear the matter. Seek wise counsel. Read the Holy Scriptures. Do something pleasant and pure or an act of service for someone else to get your mind off of the perplexing issue or moment. Also try sleeping on the matter. Often you may awake in the night with the answer or get up the next morning and the answer to your confusion will be apparent. Sometimes God allows us to be perplexed so that we are reminded of our limitations or so that we will seek Him for help.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“So do not throw away your confidence.”

Hebrews 10:35

 

Don’t we often do this when facing a struggle or trial? Rather than grasping the confidence that we have in God and the skills and wisdom He has blessed us with, the first thing we do when meeting Mr. Adversity on the street of life is to toss our confidence in the nearest garbage can. We look at our worst quirks, our failures of the past, our sins that God has already forgiven and we slink off into a dark corner because we have ignored the confidence in our Lord that was bestowed upon us when we became His child and servant. Let us put our confidence in the Lord and stride bolding forward into the challenges and the storms of life knowing that as long as we put our confidence in our Heavenly Father, all will be well.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 13

 

“God’s angels often protect his servants from potential enemies.”

Billy Graham

 

We never know sometimes when God has directed His angels to protect us. While we face all sorts of trials and struggles in life, I believe we would face even more hardships, possibly more horrible than we could imagine, if it weren’t for God commanding His angels to care for us. Nothing is allowed to come into our lives until it has filtered through the loving hands of our Heavenly Father. God often uses His army of angels to carry out his merciful will of protection for His saints.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the Lord, who is my refuge — then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”

Psalms 91:9-13

 

If we seek the Lord and make Him where we dwell daily He will be our refuge. In this protective bastion and fortress we are safe from all harm. We will conquer storms of life because we have sought refuge in our Heavenly Father. He directs angels to carry out His will of protection and care so that we can truly be called victors by the power of God.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 14

 

“The swift wind of compromise is a lot more devastating than the sudden jolt of misfortune.”

Chuck Swindohll

 

Misfortunes are those things that come into our life that shake our world that we cannot avoid. They are also things that God allows in our lives to both remind us that we are not in control and that we need to seek Him at all times. Compromises are much more devastating because they lead to horrible situations due to our unrighteous and unwise choices. God oversees misfortunes, but our compromises are of our own choosing. God can rescue us from both, but compromises in our life can lead us away from God and that is a dangerous place to be.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The Lord watches over you.”

Psalms 121:5

 

Isn’t it a wonderful thought that even though we may be unaware of God’s watchful eye, He constantly is watching out for us. He never sleeps, takes a break, gets distracted, becomes bored or shirks from His duty of loving us, caring for us and watching over us. Our Heavenly Father is tireless in His concern over what is happening in our lives. If we could fully understand this, we would be more at peace and love our Lord that much more.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 15

 

If you cannot get on honestly, be satisfied not to get on.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

Sometimes we compromise our honesty because we can’t see how we can continue on in life without sacrificing it for what we desire. God would have us always strive to be honest and sincere in our dealings. Spurgeon is confronting us with the truth that it would be better to not get what we desire if we can’t go about it honestly. Deception and lies may allow you to obtain what you wish for, but once we receive it we will understand finally that there is a higher price to pay for it than we thought. Integrity and honor in even the smallest things builds a strong foundation and honesty is one of the cornerstones of a godly life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”

John 14:1

 

Our life can often seem to be full of disturbing events and situations and this troubles our heart. In such times we need to read this verse that records advice from our Savior. We are not to let our hearts be troubled because we are to focus on trusting God and our Savior. Trade your troubled heart for a trusting heart. Your trusting heart can focus on your Heavenly Father who knows all about your troubles and His Son who lives within you. If you have trouble trusting God, then ask for faith and strength from Him to do so. He will grant that prayer.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 16

 

“Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life, or are you exhibiting a walk of spiritual pride before Him?”

Oswald Chambers

 

That is quite a convicting question Mr. Chambers asks us. Sometimes we walk about in our Christian life with spiritual pride. We boast to ourselves how much we have read our Bible. We take pride in how often we go to church. We think how lucky God is to have us on His team. In such attitudes we are letting the flesh arise in our hearts, minds and souls with power and disguised in religious clothes? Christ is satisfied with our lives when we are focusing on Him and when our life is a reflection of Him. This happens not in our power, but in our submission to the Holy Spirit. We must boast in what the Lord is doing in us, not what we are doing in our own strength. We cannot live any part of the Christian life without the power of our Heavenly Father, the sacrifice and intercession of His Son and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless.”

Psalms 119:1

 

Oh to be blessed in this manner. To walk a blameless path would bring great comfort and peace to us as well as glory to God. Is this possible? This is a hard question. We can walk blameless the closer we walk with our Savior, focus on Him and attempt to keep short accounts of the sins we do commit. We can never be perfect, but as long as we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father, seek to be like Christ in all we do and listen intently to the Holy Spirit within us, we walk blamelessly and are therefore blessed.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 17

 

“I wonder why it is that the whole idea of the godly man has somehow or other got lost amongst us? Why is it that Christian people are not described as ‘god-fearing’ people?”

Martin Lloyd Jones

 

Possibly today Christians are no longer described as ‘god-fearing’ because there are so many that are not. To fear the Lord is NOT to crawl along in life fearing God will strike you dead with lightning for any infraction of His law you might commit. ‘God-fearing’ IS a healthy respect for who our Heavenly Father is as well as to honor Him by obeying His Word and striving to love and minister to others as His Son Jesus Christ did. A godly man or woman is easy to recognize, they seek to grow in their relationship with the Lord, live a pure life, serve others and respect God. The problem is there are so few of them. I challenge you as I challenge myself, to be one of these ‘rare’ people that are ‘god-fearing.’

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“He who scorns instruction will pay for it.”

Proverbs 13:13

 

As Christians we are inundated by all kinds of sources of instruction in how we should live as children of God. We have God’s Word in our homes. We have church services, mid-week services, Bible studies, books upon books written about God’s wisdom, DVD Bible studies, Audio sermons, etc. etc. If we scorn this plethora of wisdom we will pay for it. We are without excuse as well. We cannot say as American Christians, “I never knew?”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 18

 

“We’re going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us.”

Beth Moore

 

This is an interesting way to put the battle we have with our flesh as well as the lies of the Evil One. We feed on God’s Word. We have the Holy Spirit living within us and we have been saved and redeemed. We have all the heavenly spiritual armor that God has provided. These tools and weapons are at our disposal to help the truth out-shout, as Beth Moore would say the temptations and lies that attempt to distract us from a holy and godly life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“Peace be within you.”

Psalms 122:8

 

Peace can be found within us if we let go and let God work on our heart, mind and soul. Our heart is disturbed by past wounds and hurts. Our mind is confused over the things we are exposed to or the things we allow to float through it. Our soul is troubled by our worries of the future. But if we let God mend our heart, place proper things in our mind and minister to our soul we will obtain a peace that passes understanding. Come Lord give us peace.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 19

 

“Withhold no part of the precious truth, but speak what you know and declare what you have seen. Do not allow the toil or darkness or possible unbelief of your friends to dissuade you. Let us rise and march to the place of duty, and there declare what great things God has shown to our soul.”

Alistair Begg

 

As we live out our Christian life, God will show us things in His Word and in our lives through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. These things are evidences of His Truth. These truths need to be shared not only with our Christian friends but also with scoffers of the faith. Never let a truth from God’s Word that has been manifested in your heart, mind or soul be quenched by your fear of rejection of others. We must of course verify we know the truth before we share it for it creates a problem if we share what we think is the truth but which is simply a human creation. But if we verify a truth by God’s Word, by wise counsel and prayer these truths must be shared with all those we come in contact.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“I do not accept praise from men,”

John 5:41

 

These are the words of Jesus and reveal His dedication to His Father in Heaven. He was only concerned with fulfilling His ministry and receiving praise from His Father. We are placed in situations where we will be praised and we need to learn something from these words of Jesus. When someone praises us, we can thank them for their praise and I believe enjoy the fact that we have done something well. But, we must also remember these words of Jesus. If we accept the praise of men so that it makes us dependent on such praise we have stumbled. If we live for the praise of men we have walked further down an unrighteous path. Praise from men can be received with a humble thank you and it can be considered as reward for a job, behavior or action well done, but we should never place it on the altar of our life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 20

 

“Choosing the right path begins with submission, not information.” Andy Stanley

 

When we submit to the Lord, that is the best thing we can do to get on the right path as well as stay on it. We can have all the Biblical information in the world, but unless we submit to the message that is contained in it we will stray from the righteous path. Submit to the Lord, then walk along the narrow path then your future will be secure.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints — but let them not return to folly.”

Psalms 85:8

 

We should never say, “I might listen to the Lord.” Or “Possibly I’ll consider what the Lord has to say.” We need to commit to say, “I WILL listen to what God the Lord will say!” He promises us peace, but this peace comes from listening to Him. But, if we return to the folly of our own understanding we will forfeit our peace and very likely many other blessings the Lord has given us. Seek to listen closely to what the Lord God has to say each and every day.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 21

 

‎”Reproaches from those who have been intimate with us, and trusted by us, cut us to the quick; and they are usually so well acquainted with our peculiar weaknesses that they know how to touch us where we are most sensitive, and to speak so as to do us most damage.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

This can happen between friends, coworkers, spouses and relatives as well as Christian brothers and sisters. May each of us be cautious and careful about not using the knowledge we have about others to be critical of them, make fun of them or gossip about them. These actions are like stabbing someone with a sharp knife blade to cause serious emotional harm.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct.”

Proverbs 10:23

 

No one wants to be called a fool but how many times have we done stupid sinful things and found pleasure in them and then regretted them later because we realized how foolish we were. God calls Christians to be SMART not foolish. Let us walk the righteous path of the “Smart Ones” rather than the evil path of the “Foolish Ones.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 22

 

“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.”

Søren Kierkegaard

 

God never changes so prayer does not change God, but it does influence His actions and it does please Him when we speak to Him in prayer. We are changed by our prayers, usually without even knowing it. We draw closer to the Lord. We focus on His will for our life. We pour out our deepest needs and learn how to be humble and bold in our prayers. Prayer is such a vital practice for the child of God. We could not live the Christian life without this holy practice of prayer.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.”

Luke 9:46

 

It’s hard to imagine the men who saw Jesus in person and sat under His teaching arguing like selfish little children. But then, they were human just like us. Do we argue like this at times? I wonder if we battle some jealousy within our hearts at times when someone gets attention at church or in a ministry who does the same thing we do, but we go unnoticed? This shows our flesh rising up from the depths. We want attention, recognition and admiration for things we do for the Lord at times. It would be better if we were to do things “for the Lord” and be satisfied with that, rather than for the “attention of men.”
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 23

 

“If you would excel in heavenly wisdom, and hallow your life, abundantly occupy yourself with sacred meditation.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

We live in such a fast paced society we rarely set aside time to meditate, to think slowly about the things we have read in God’s Word or the thoughts the Holy Spirit has touched our soul with. Because of this, we often lack the wisdom would could have gained and the holiness we could exhibit in our life. Seek to set aside some time to meditate on your Heavenly Father or something He has impressed upon your heart. Be silent and know that He is God and let this sink deep into your soul.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Devote yourselves to prayer.”

Colossians 4:2

 

We do pray, and actually pray quite often at times, but are we devoted to it? Devotion means that we have a regular consistent dedicated holy habit of praying about anything and everything. To devote oneself to prayer means not a short “God bless” or “God help” it means sometimes numerous minutes at least of intercession, petitioning, praising and listening in the conversations you have with God in prayer. We need to grasp the true definition of the word “devotion” as it relates to our prayer life.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 24

 

“That He may dwell in your heart, the best room in the house! Not in your thoughts alone, but in your affections; not merely in the mind’s meditations, but in the heart’s emotions. We should long to love Christ in an enduring way – not a love that flames up and then dies out into the darkness of a few embers, but a constant flame, fed by sacred fuel, like the fire upon the altar that never went out.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

May we seek to take not only Spurgeon’s words to heart but God’s Word to heart. Remember the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame.”

Proverbs 18:13

 

Listening is a lost art. Rarely do we really listen to others or to the Lord. We are so impatient waiting for what we want to say we fail to listen to what is said to us. Listening exposes us to the thoughts, desires and wisdom that others have. It also facilitates communications with friends and even enemies. Listening is tough because we must set aside our agenda and gracefully listen to someone else. It is a polite as well as holy habit to listen first and then reply.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 25

 

“Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once, asking Him to re-establish your rest. Never allow anything to remain in your life that is causing the unrest.”

Oswald Chambers

 

Too often we let things that seem small to eat away at our relationship with our Savior. Remember a single termite eating at just the right spot given enough time can topple a house. The big things that interfere with our love and dedication of the Lord are often obvious but even these we ignore at times. We cannot allow anything of any size to eat away at our heart, mind and soul when it comes to our life in Christ.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

Psalms 19:7

 

Our soul is often plagued by what we might call “spiritual down in the dumps.” We seem apathetic, listless and lazy in our spiritual life. Seek for revival in the Word of the Lord, but first pray. Your pray may be weak, but God has strong ears. Whisper a few words requesting to be revived, then read His Word, especially the Psalms and you will not only be revived you will be blessed with a rejuvenated spirit. Practice this not only when you are down spiritually but at the highest points of your experiences with your Heavenly Father. The blessings you will receive will be amazing.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 26

 

“Christian preachers, more than all others, should know that people are starving for God.”

John Piper

 

Christians in general should know this as well. We should be so in tune with God that we can discern in a brief conversation with someone where their spiritual commitment is with God. Some people that do not know the Savior have no idea they are starving and really need to be told. But if we don’t listen to the Spirit and seek to discern the need we will fail to help those that are starving. Even worse is when someone who knows they are starving comes to us for spiritual food, the Bread of Life, and we fail to feed them. Let us seek to be more sensitive to this need in the lives of people that we come in contact each and every day.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.”

Psalms 62:5

 

Unfortunately we often seek rest in all sorts of things and activities rather than the Lord. When we do this we gain partial rest, temporary rest or fleeting rest. True rest that is complete, lasting and stable is only found in the One who made us, our Heavenly Father. He’s only a prayer away and so is your rest.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 7

 

“We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”

Chuck Swindohll

 

If you look at your life as a musical instrument, the one string we have very likely is our attitude. The real question is who tunes the instrument. If we try in our own effort to tune our attitude, we might play a short minuet, but it would last for only a short time and fade into oblivion. If we let the Master tune it on the other hand, we play the music of God’s Word with the motivation of the Holy Spirit and the songs we play are heavenly and last for eternity. Who tunes your attitude?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”

Psalm 37: 23-24

 

Whether it is a good man or woman, if their steps are ordered by the Lord, God delights in their path. Can you comprehend what that means? The Creator of the Universe can take delight in the steps you take as you walk into your future. He takes pleasure when you are good and you are good when you let God order your steps. Yes you can stumble and fall at times, but as long as the Lord is ordering your steps, you will not remain down cast. God will reach down and with His love and grace will lift you up. Can you comprehend that? The Mighty God we serve will take the time with gracious love to help us stand back up, dust ourselves off and continue on in the path that He has ordered for us. What a tender yet powerful God we serve.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 28

 

“If Christians spent more time in prayer asking to be filled with the Spirit rather than arguing over the baptism of the Spirit, God’s Church would be more unified and His Kingdom would have a more radical impact on the world. If we were as concerned about whether we were expressing the fruits of the Spirit as we were about whether we had specific gifts of the Spirit, the world would see Christ more clearly in our lives.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalms 118:24

 

We often complain about the days we have, but if we were to consider this verse seriously we probably would change our minds. Since God makes the days, when we complain are we complaining about God’s omnipotence and providence? Wouldn’t it be much better if we rejoiced in the fact that whatever comes our way was filtered through the hands of God and He challenges us to enjoy the blessings and overcome the adversity with the joy of the Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 28

 

“If Christians spent more time in prayer asking to be filled with the Spirit rather than arguing over the baptism of the Spirit, God’s Church would be more unified and His Kingdom would have a more radical impact on the world. If we were as concerned about whether we were expressing the fruits of the Spirit as we were about whether we had specific gifts of the Spirit, the world would see Christ more clearly in our lives.”

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalms 118:24

 

We often complain about the days we have, but if we were to consider this verse seriously we probably would change our minds. Since God makes the days, when we complain are we complaining about God’s omnipotence and providence? Wouldn’t it be much better if we rejoiced in the fact that whatever comes our way was filtered through the hands of God and He challenges us to enjoy the blessings and overcome the adversity with the joy of the Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 29

 

“Christ imparts the capacity of conquest to our lives every single day that we are willing to believe Him.”

Walter Martin

 

We have no idea the power, wisdom and strength that Christ can give us to conquer our lives each and every single day. If we just believe in Him, He will speak through the Word of God in accordance with the Holy Spirit and in agreement with our Heavenly Father’s will to guide and direct us as well as empower and strengthen us to conquer life to bring God glory and honor.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

 

Proverbs 30:8-9

 

This is a content place to be, trusting God for daily supply, not worrying about having too little so that you are tempted to cheat or steal or attempting to manage so much that you forget the Lord has blessed you. If we asked the Lord for just enough so that our greatest focus would be on our relationship with Him then whether we had a surplus or not we would be content with whatever He provided in His perfect providence.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 30

 

“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”

Peter Marshall

 

We often pray that adversity and struggle be removed from our lives when these are the things that make us stronger. There is a dilemma here. We know God does not want us to suffer, but we also know He wants us to grow in faith. So how do we pray? I believe we pray that God will have mercy on us and bless us with a blessed life, but that we will humbly submit to His will when He allows adversity to descend upon us. We continue with this prayer that we will remain faithful and that He will give us the strength for what must be done to bring Him glory and honor.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially that of prophecy.”

1 Corinthians 14:1

 

Notice what comes first here, “follow the way of love.” Love comes first in all that we do, because God is love. Yes we are to desire to have and develop spiritual gifts, but we must remember the Holy Spirit distributes them as He sees fit. We desire the spiritual gifts, not to build ourselves up, but to build the Body of Christ up. And Paul here instructs us to especially to desire the gift of prophecy or teaching. Teaching is crucial to learning what to do, so that our spiritual gifts can be used appropriately and often. But always the teaching and expression of spiritual gifts are motivated by love which comes from the Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

August 31

 

“Either sin will keep you from the Word, or the Word will keep you from sin.”

John Bunyan

 

When we are in willful sin, we do not wish to be confronted with the Word. We avoid it like the plague. We know it will be convicted and so seek every avenue of escape from its truthful living words. But the opposite is also true. If we are in the Word, are cherishing the Word, feeding on the Word, living by the Word, letting it guide our path, this will keep us from the sin that would so easily entangle us in the world. Remember to be in the Word so that it can keep you from sin.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Be self-controlled and alert.”

1 Peter 5:1

 

There is balance presented in this scripture. We can be so concerned about being self controlled that we fail to be alert to the advances of the Devil. Yes we are in control of our thoughts, actions and behavior, but if we are not alert we will be caught off guard. We can also be very alert to the Devil’s schemes, but if we are not self-controlled we can respond inappropriately and put ourselves as well as others in danger. There is a balance indicated here to help us remain strong and steadfast when the demonic forces wish to attack us. Let us be ready.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.