Pastor Tom's Daily Devotional

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am always amazed at how society wants to pin all of the bad that happens on our Heavenly Father, when this scripture is so clear on who brings the evil into the world and into people's lives.  Here it states that the thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  Well, if there is one thing that I know, it is that God is not a thief. Our Father in heaven is the giver of life.  He is the One who walks with us and talks with us and guides us along life's ways.  He is the One who protects us and brings life, and that more abundantly.  Our Father wants the best for us, just as any good earthly father would want the best for his children. The enemy, the devil, is the one who wants to destroy your life.  He’s the one that wants to destroy your marriage, home, health, and...

Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV) Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. The sweetest sound in the entire world is the sound of our Father’s voice.  When God, our Father, spoke in days past, things happened!  The world and the universe were created.  All of the life that crawls on the earth, under the earth, in the sky, and in the water, was created by His Word. Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”  What an amazing statement!  The Creator made all that is visible by a Word!  The reason I bring this out is that He who has all this power in His voice and in His Words speaks to us!  He wants to speak with us!  He wants to share His heart, and help and guide us each and every day of our lives.  What assuranc...

Proverbs 28:1 (NKJV) The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Righteousness is a gift that has been given to us from God, our Heavenly Father, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.  No one can stand before God as righteous, unless he has received this free gift.  Righteousness gives us the ability to stand in the presence of a holy God with no sense of guilt or condemnation, not because of how good we are, but because of His free gift to us.   This verse tells us that the righteous are as bold as lions.  In Christ Jesus we are bold, because we know our place of authority.  We understand that in ourselves, we do not have boldness, but when we stand in His garment of righteousness, it is not us standing there, but Christ in us, the hope of glory.  When we stand against the attacks of the wicked one, and know who we are in Him (in Jesus), it gives us the assurance and confidence that we will be more then con...

Hebrews 4:12 (NLTSE) For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. God's Word is alive!  It has God's very life and ability within it. Just as people are alive, and animals are alive, and plants are alive, so God’s Word is alive. The difference is that God’s Word has the Creator of all these other things within it. It is full of power to set us free, to heal us, and to deliver us. His Word created the very ground that we are standing on, and the air that we are breathing. His Word is Himself.  So, no matter what comes at us in life, it is His Word that has the power to release us from every situation. If God has declared it, then it has to happen.  You see, God and His Word are one.  If God’s Word does not work, then God does not work.  But God’s Word does work, as we work the Word. Faith is w...

Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJV) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. When we read a verse like this, it should make us say, “Wow!  So that is how God sees me.  He sees me raised with Him.”  It should make it so much easier to set our minds on things above, and not on things of this earth. Each day, as you go about your daily tasks, keep God on your mind, and you will see that whatever things come your way, through Him, you will be able to do them, and enjoy them! All things do work out for the good of those who set their minds on the King.  Brother Lawrence, a monk who wrote the book "Practicing the Presence of God,” said, “I have found that the shortest way to God is to go straight to Him.” It sounds so simple, and you know what, it is!  It is when you set your mind on Him, when you think about Him and H...

Romans 1:16 (NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. What would we do without the Gospel?  It is through the Gospel that we receive eternal life.  The Gospel is God’s power to us in our lives.  The word "salvation" means deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness.  In this Gospel of salvation, there is not only forgiveness of sins, but there is safety, healing, soundness of mind, life, and the promise that God preserves us unto good things.   What an amazing Father we have Who has given us so much!  As we learn His Word and His ways, we see all the good that He has set in order for us to live the victorious life in Christ Jesus.  God could have so easily said, “I have provided salvation through Jesus so you will live for eternity,” but He gave us that, plus all things that we would need to live a blessed lif...

John 14:1-4 (NKJV) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know. In this second verse, Jesus said that in our Heavenly Father’s house are many mansions, and that He is going back to prepare one for us.  Oh, the goodness of God!  He did not just make a few dwelling places, but many dwelling places!  There is a place being made today for you and for me, and He is making it special just for us! Can you imagine that?  The great architect of all times is making a special place for us to live in throughout all eternity!  It is a place where every desire or want that we would ever have for a home is fulfilled.  It is a...

John 14:1-4 (NKJV) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. God does not want our lives to be filled with trouble, stirred up, or agitated.  He wants us to have a peaceful life; a life filled with His goodness and His presence. Our God is a God of peace, and He wants His kids to have a life of peace.  Peace is that assurance that no matter what life might throw at us, we know that God will work it all out for His good.  You see, life and the devil can bring some pretty rotten things our way, but the Father who is all love, who has no evil or bad within Him whatsoever, will always give you a way of escape. The enemy comes to steal our joy, but our Heavenly Father has come to gi...