The Source of My Strength

The Source of My Strength

“In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Psalm 31:1-5 (NKJV)

 

Pause and contemplate this verse—may The Holy Spirit speak to you.

 

Thought 347: Dedication from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

 

 

Thought 347

Dedication

    Why don’t we dedicate it to the Lord? Our homes, churches, lives, resources, possessions, children, education,  etc… really all belong to the Lord.

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”   Proverbs 16:3 KJV

 

 

 

Thought 295: Take Every Thought Captive from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 295

Take Every Thought Captive

This is the only way to win the battles that lust faces us with, men, and the mental struggles that plague us all.

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; ⁶ And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

⁷ Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. ⁸ For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: ⁹ That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. ¹⁰ For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

¹¹ Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. ¹² For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ¹³ But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. ¹⁴ For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: ¹⁵ Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, ¹⁶ To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. ¹⁷ But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸ For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.    2 Corinthians 10:3-18 KJV

 

Thought 291: Selah from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 291

Selah

      Read Psalm 46 & 47 and contemplate what selah means. . . . ask the Lord what selah means.

Thought 283: Living a Quiet and Disciplined Life from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 283

Living a Quiet and Disciplined Life

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.

Zephaniah 2:3 KJV

 

    Many of the great Christians of the past that God has used have lived a quiet and disciplined life. They spent hours upon hours of their spare time studying and learning, pushing themselves to learn new languages and acquire knowledge to achieve their dream of knowing God more intimately and touch people with the Truth of the Gospel. They didn’t run around partying or pursuing entertainment, instead, they sweated, they worked, they pressed on toward a goal! Their lives where worth something and they didn’t waste them away on excessive pleasures. Today, many Christians struggle with befriending the world. They watch the same stuff, play the same stuff, and live the same way that the unbelieving pagan does. History and the Bible show us a different picture in the lifestyle of the great heroes of the Faith, though. They were cupbearers, servants, archeologists, and young men that had a God-given passion and dream and while the world was racing by, wasting its time on the newest music, art, or other currently fashionable entertainment, they lived a quiet and seemingly obscure life. They honored God, respected others, and worked to achieve the things that God had put a passion and desire in them to achieve. Dear Reader, where are you today? Are you seeking that quiet and peaceable life? Or are you chasing the fast world of change and shifting pleasures?

 

Thought 276: How Christians Succeed from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 276

How Christians Succeed

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant); And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 KJV (parenthesis added)

     Christians, too often we do not go about achievement in the proper way. I remember back to my high school years where I humbly served others and achieved tremendous success. People respected me, all I did seemed to prosper; I was content, happy and joyful! The reason why all the blessings happened was not because of my effort. I was humble, diligent, and dependent upon the Lord for things to work out.

“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14:11 KJV

       Where are you? Are you humbly serving or are you going after exalting yourself (pride)?

        Jesus said that to find your life, you must first lose it, spend it by serving others.

       Why don’t you close reading Matthew 20:1-16.

Thought 272: Saved from the current from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 272

Saved from the current

       On one trip of my early outdoor ventures me and my Dad went with a friend and his dad on a canoe/camping trip. On this trip me and my friend tried seeing how far we could walk through the strong current of the water. Now the water was only about eighteen inches to two feet deep so how hard could it be? We started to wade out. Now our dads were with us too, but after wading a short distance the water was too much for me and I fell. I held onto the river bed with my hands trying not to be pulled away in the current and I couldn’t stand back up. My face was above the water but I had to keep a firm grip on the rocks on the river bed to keep from being pulled away.

         At just the right time, my Dad came to the rescue and pulled me back to the river’s edge were our campsite lay on the beach. Now my Dad probably doesn’t remember that time, but because I couldn’t swim at that time and the fear of that moment has stuck with me for a long time. God has helped me realize that my dad reflects my Heavenly Father. HE watches over me and pulls me up just when the temptation or the circumstance or the situation is too great for me to bear.

Here is a comforting note friend:

  God has promised us in the Scripture that we will never be tempted more than we can bear ( 1 Cor. 10:12&13); likewise I believe that God’s Word is true and He will never allow us to go through something that is too great for us. We cannot be defeated if we are humbly placing our trust in Him!

Thought 252: Submissiveness from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 252

Submissiveness

Read Ephesians 5:21-6:9

    Submission is commanded by God. But God does not only tell women to be submissive to their husbands: children are to be submissive to their parents, slaves to their masters, masters to the Master (Jesus) and husbands to Christ. One further note on husbands, if a husband is truly living out this passage of Scripture, he is to live in such a manner that he follows the sacrificial example of Jesus which includes be willing to lay down his life for his wife, to cherish her, and to wash her in the water of the Word.

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”  1 Peter 5:5 KJV (emphasis added)

Thought 251: Pride from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 251

Pride

  Porn, selfishness, gluttony, moral infidelity, etc…are all tied to pride directly. All sin is tied in some way shape or form to pride. In the very beginning of the Bible, we find Eve partaking of the fruit because she desired to be like God and have more “wisdom.” Satan tempted Eve with the same lie he believed!—that he could be superior to God: that he could be more knowledgeable, wise, or powerful than God. Rebellion is linked to the prideful heart as is every sin. The prideful thoughts of the heart work their way out in a man’s actions and words and earn him the accurate labels of liar, adulterer, murderer, slanderer, fornicator, etc…

If you seem to be constantly battling pride. First, confess your fault to God and perhaps a spiritual friend (it is not required to confess your sin to a friend, but it greatly increases the coming of victory over it [James 5:16]). Second, purpose to remain faithful despite the temptation. Third, memorize Scripture related your specific temptation and quote it when temptation comes. Jesus used this method to send o’ll Satan packing his bags. Fourth, be alert and keep your guard up for fresh or renewed attacks of the battle and repeat the previous steps as needed. Finally, remember to listen for the Holy Spirit to share your victories humbly when appropriate for godly testimony to fellow Christians and unbelievers.

Thought 248: Our Expectations from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 248

Our Expectations

    Are your expectations in line with the Word of God? In our modern culture, rationalism and humanism abound. Rationalism trusts the mind of its user—logic is its all-consuming idol. Humanism vaunts itself up as a form of atheism which contributes success to your actions and yours alone by saying that God had no role in helping or equipping you to accomplish or excel. Amidst a world full of scientific rationalists and self-confident humanists it is very easy to fall prey to their philosophies. Today, take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to examine your heart for any false expectations you have and delve into the Word to learn what God’s proper expectations are for you.

Thought 224: A Purpose Driven Life from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 224

A Purpose Driven Life

  A life needs a purpose; otherwise there is no reason for that life to exist, right? No, God doesn’t create mistakes. You might not think that you look the best or are the smartest, but God created you to be you. He loves you and He cares for you.

Read Job 31:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; and 1 John 4:16

The Lord created you for a reason (Psalm 139:13). God wants you to wholeheartedly pursue Him (Matthew 6:33): a fruitful life reflecting Christ will be developed as you intentionally live each day following Jesus (Luke 9:23).

For most of my life I didn’t have a purpose, or at least I felt like it. I would play army men, Legos, and video games for hours on end. Around my freshman year of High School it dawned on me that buying and playing the newest and “greatest” games, chasing “cute” girls, and pursuing having fun had no real meaning or lasting value to my life. My friendships were many and empty: there was no depth, no true understanding or growth for the good of both parties. But one day, the Lord spoke to my heart as I was sitting in my basement writing or reading that He had a plan for me—I had purpose!

You have a Purpose!

Thought 216: Faster, Faster, 'Cram-it-all-in' from Ryan's devotional book series Thougths

Thought 216

Faster, Faster, ‘Cram-it-all-in’

     Have you ever found yourself in the mindset of having to go faster and cram more in? Sometimes I don’t feel like I am ever going to accomplish this book and then I sit down, be still, and write and God has helped me to finish five or seven devotions in an hour! At times, it even feels like my personal ministry is too much for my schedule; but I have discovered that God never asks us to do more than we can do–He will make a way. But we do have the responsibility to choose what we spend our time doing. If we choose to sit and read or play video games instead of getting done what we need to or  don’t set aside a day for the Lord, we will find ourselves worn out, depressed, discouraged, doubting, tempted, and battling against the Devil more than we would be if we were living as we should. 

     We cannot run around in busyness forever; if we try, we will fail and wither away. Only running the race that God has ordained us to run will bring peace and joy. Yet, many times the way to go fast with the Lord is to go slow. As we sit and listen to what the Lord has to say, whether literally sitting and communing, reading the Scripture and allowing God to reveal truths to us, or reading great Christian books that encourage us to live for God, grow, and examine ourselves, sitting before the Lord has to be a part of our time budget.

        You can lay your head down, dear Christians, without wandering where you will go if you die, but O the horror for the unbeliever! He does not have that assurance. Christians, if we can lay down are heads assured of our relationship with Christ, why do we get up and run around living like we don’t have Christ with us? The Lord has ordained that we live this way:

LIVE QUIET AND PEACEABLE LIVES (1 Thess. 4:11, 1 Tim. 2:2)

Daily Devotion from Ryan Marks book Thoughts

Thought 143

1 Corinthians 7:27 vs. Proverbs 18:22

The Finding Principle

 ^“Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife.” 1 Corinthians 7:27 (NIV1984)

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” Proverbs 18:22 (NIV1984)

    At first glance these Scriptures can appear to contradict each other: after all, one says don’t look for a wife and the other says that he who finds one receives favor from the Lord. How do you find something without looking for it? The answer is actually  very simple. Think about when you have misplaced an important item like your keys. As you look in odd places, you find things that you didn’t even know were there, right? It’s the same in our lives. If we seek the Lord Jesus and His kingdom first, then everything else we need will be added to us (Matthew.6:33). If you need a wife (or husband), God will provide (check out Genesis 24 for an example)!

    Are you unmarried? Don’t go looking for a wife! Seek the Lord. He will lead you and, as you follow Him, you will find that wife: find what is good and receive favor from the Lord!

Daily Devotion from Ryan Marks book Thoughts

Day 135

Lack of Dependence on Each Other = DIVORCE ???

    Dear readers, as much as some of us hate to admit it, we are all dependent on others. For example, I am more dependent on my parents than I let on. They counsel me, bandage my bruises, and instruct me in the way of the Lord; but I still have a choice to make: will I be healthily dependent on them? What I mean is that I need to grow up, get a job, move out and get marred one day. It wouldn’t be healthy to be dependent on them for everything when I’m 40 when I have the capacity physically and mentally to provide for myself and a family.

     Without the same principle of dependence, a marriage is not possible. A husband and a wife are supposed to “become one (Gen. 2:24).” What does that mean? I have heard Kevin Swanson illustrate it this way:  an ax head and an ax handle are both needed to have an ax, right? One piece alone cannot, and will not efficiently cut down the tree. In the same way a man and a woman that have married need each other to “get-the-job-done.”

        When marriage is no longer dependence on one another; but rather, two separate people that just said some vows, live together, and have children, there is no reason for a marriage to continue in many minds. People get bored of a life like that. But God meant marriage to be so much more than what we think it is. It is to be the foundation of the family, yet also an intimate relationship where two people become one in the sight of God. O this is a mystery!

Dear Christians, the divorce rate is higher in the Church than the world!

We do NOT live what we preach and what Jesus taught!

      Young adults, children, young men and women, older boys and girls or whatever you want to be labeled, you need to ground your marriage in God! Both of you being dependent on God together will be the strongest binding force of your marriage. Please, do not just become another statistic in the divorce rates when you get older. You have a role to play in a lasting marriage! When you marry, you have a part to play in the one person that emerges from two. Work together, love each other, but most importantly grow in Christ’s Truth together!

     Dependence is a key to marriage. You must be dependent on each other and God, you cannot separate, that is the only way a marriage can last. Husbands, no other woman will do. Wives, there is no other man for you. You are made for one person. Your vows last the whole lifetime that you are both to spend in this world. Live, learn, and grow in God’s love; grace; purpose; plan and everything else HE has for YOU TWO.

Read 1 Peter 3:1-7.

    God bless, and may this simple description of God’s rules change your life and convict your actions. In Jesus Name, amen.