Vignettes Devotional

Vignettes You Have Not Passed This Way Before Joshua 3:1-4 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before. ” As we know, nothing in the Bible is random. Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible who inspired the writers and compilers of it to showcase what He wanted His people to know. This passage of Scripture is no exception. God called, chose and anointed Joshua to be Moses successor as the leader ...

Vignettes Pray First About Everything Philippians 4:6 (CEV) Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. This point cannot be emphasized enough: Pray first about everything! The New King James rendition of this verse reads, Be anxious for nothing , but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. I do not believe Holy Spirit meant pray when you feel like it; or, pray when you are feeling calmer; or, pray after the crisis has passed; or, pray when you remember to pray. He actually meant what He said when He instructed us, through Paul’s writings, to pray first about everything. But how do I pray first about everything ? you may ask. To pause for a moment in the moment and pray about a situation presented to you is a good start to developing the habit of praying for everything. We already know how to pray instantly if we, one of our children ...

Vignettes Sounds In The Night Psalm 139:11-12 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You; but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Ever heard sounds in the night ? Or have you ever been woken up by terrified-of-the-night children? Those sounds in the night are scary especially as to what your imagination can come up with. The Psalmist says that the darkness cannot hide from God ; that, to God, the night shines as the day . Both darkness and light are the same to God . In other words, what scares you, those sounds in the night, do not terrify God at all. He can see what is causing those sounds, and if you trust In Him and listen in your spirit, He will show you what to do. That is why you can call on God and rely on Him even in the darkest, scariest night of them all. But sometimes the sounds in the night are not only external. Sounds of grief...

Vignettes It’s Amazing What Faith Can Do! It’s Amazing What Faith can Make. James 5:15 And the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Recently I found myself praying more than usual for healing for so many. The pain the people, the beloved of God, are enduring makes me appreciate the fact that we have more than medicine to turn to in our time of need. Medicine is necessary, a blessing from God, I believe. But so is the Prayer of Faith. Holy Spirit teaches us through James, the brother of Jesus, that the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him or her up. But God does not limit the Prayer of Faith to healing only. It can be prayed, and results seen, under any circumstance. Holy Spirit spoke these words to me when He gave me the prophecy for this month, the month of Adar1, 5782 , in 2021: It’s amazing what faith can do. It’s amazing what faith can make! Mark 11:...

Vignettes Praise Looks Good On You! Psalm 147:1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is beautiful. Praise is beautiful! Praise is comely! In other words, to God, praise looks good on you! When you and I praise God, it melts His heart. When we praise Him with all of our hearts, it makes Him sit up and pay attention. In God’s eyes, praise makes you look good. It is good to sing praises to our God, and praise and worship makes us feel good. It elevates our spirits, carrying us on wings of hope , happiness, joy, satisfaction and peace into the very Presence of God and of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we praise God, we know we are doing a good thing, unlike when we murmur and complain, which only leaves us feeling bitter, insecure and burdened by the cares and troubles of this world. You singing and worshipping the Lord is a sweet and pleasant sound in His ears, one He loves hearing daily. We all like to look good. But we a...

Vignettes   He First Loved Us   We love Him because He first loved us.  I John 4:19 A short verse, only eight words yet so full of the love, goodness and care of God. God loved us first. We did not ‘Find God” and then loved Him. Rather God has loved us from before the beginning of time ; from when we were sinners, before we met Christ. When we were without Jesus in our lives, God loved us. God has loved us from before we knew of Him or about Him; from before we became aware of how much we need Him. Therefore, because of all He has done, we love Him because He first loved us. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  I Peter 5:7 Here, too, God does not waste words. In eleven words, God sums up His love and care towards those who believe in the name of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ with the words: For He cares for you.   And God’s care for us has an added benefit: You can cast all of your cares on shoulders bigger and stronger than your...

  Vignettes   You Are Loved.  You Are Deeply Loved For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16‭-‬17 Many years ago, when my family and I were still resident in Johannesburg, I asked the Lord, as I usually do at the start of each New Year, what He wanted His people to hear and to know. His reply? Tell My people I love them! Needless to say, I was very disappointed with that answer. I asked Jesus, Why tell people what they already know? Between you and me, I wanted God to give me a profound word that would shake people and change minds, hearts and lives.  Holy Spirit , though, was firm about what He wanted His people to hear. It is a message He has never stopped and will never stop teaching. It is a Word straight from the heart of God to the hearts o...

Vignettes As Long As You Have Today, Enjoy Today Psalm 118:24 (KJV) This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.   This day , Today , is the day that The Lord has made. He has given us the privilege of living, breathing, thinking and moving Today. So, while it is called Today make the most of it! Enjoy Today to the full . Love those you are with Today. Tomorrow has not been guaranteed to anybody. “ Enjoy Today” is how a friend blesses me almost daily. Upon careful consideration of what Enjoy Today means to me, living for Jesus comes to mind and being thankful for all He has, is, and will do for me. Enjoying Today to me is to open my heart, and to keep it open, to the blessings, kindness, love, mercy and goodness the Lord extends to me each day. This day, Today, this very day, is the Gift of the Lord to you! He made Today . He blessed it and He crowned it with His goodness. Stop dragging the worries of yesterday and the ...