Michael Harrison's e-devotion

I need this… Proverbs 3:5-6  NASB   Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. I need that.  How about you? Most likely all of us need that reminder no matter what is going on in our lives  The truth of the matter is that “Jesus is the truth”.  We can trust in the one who is the origin of faith and trust.  There is nothing and no one better. Throughout this week I have been reminded that leaning on anything or anyone other than God isn’t the best.  It is useless.  Almost like what Solomon describes in the book of Ecclesiastes.   Ecclesiastes 1:17  NASB   And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know insanity and foolishness; I realized that this also is striving after wind.  The wisest person who ever lived says that he chased everything, sought all kinds of pleasure and wisdom, but nothing brought Solomon he...

  Hearing is a big deal.  There are many things going on in our lives that help us connect to what is going on around us.  Seeing is another.  Touch is another.  Smell yet another.  But I focus on what we hear in this e-devotion. Maybe the question is better like this: who are you listening to? If you cannot hear, you cannot listen.  If you are listening, you have chosen not to hear.  You might block out things with ear phones or some noise.  You might even have some sickness that is keeping you from hearing.  What we know is that hearing is important. Think about who you are listening to and what you are listening to.  Those things are influencing your influence, shaping your character, changing your mind, either tearing apart or shoring up your foundation. Deuteronomy 6:4  NLT   Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone Exodus 19:9  NLT   Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick c...

We continue our series at church called DRIFT.  One of the most powerful things that happens in our lives is confidence, and that will keep us from drifting further from God. Confidence is clearly built by knowing who you are and being good with that fact.  God made you.  God loves you.  He has a plan for your life. Stay tied to what you have have learned and the examples of those who love and know God.  Why?  Because drift happens. It can happen radically and quick.  Yet far more over DRIFT is subtle and happens over time. Hebrews 2:1  NLT   So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. How do we battle drift in our own lives?  Jesus told us in this passage some of the greatest things.  I shared three simple facts from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.  We need God … we must choose humility … and we should want more! Matthew 5:3  NLT   God blesses those who are poor an...

We continue our series Pre-Decide at The Community Fellowship, and yesterday we talked about being faithful as we pursue our God and choose to be in relationship with the God who loves us so much.  There are so many great outcomes if we simple continue to follow. Jesus taught his disciples how to understand and live by faith.  It isn’t easy, but it is right.  The outcome is worth the struggle.  In fact, as God says, our responsibility is to be obedient to God.  His responsibility are all the outcomes.  Just do what is right, and leave the results to God. Listen in to what God says and guides us to understand… Faithfulness our choice that has excellent outcomes because it is in God’s hands, not ours.  How is is this applied?  What Jesus said & didn’t say?  As the disciples worried, Jesus spoke to them Like 12:22  NASB And He said to His disciples, “for this reason I say, Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat, not for y...

  I was listening to a powerful message from Pastor Benny Tate as he shared a point that stuck in my mind, and really in my heart.  He said something like this, “choose to start praying before the storm begins.” That is an amazing and important statement.   As humans we often don’t make a change until it is obvious a change must be made.  The pain begins and we need to go to the doctor.  We find ourselves broke and say we need to save money.  Our marriages are in dire need of fixing and we decide to do something about it. Yet the best thing to do would be to start praying before the storm begins.  Take care of your health before you need to go to the doctor and deal with the pain.  Begin saving money before you know that you are broke.  Work on your marriage before your marriage is falling apart.   Does that make sense to you?  It makes a lot of sense to me.  And that is a huge thought as we move through this week, deeper in to...

Deuteronomy 28:13 NIV  “The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” There are some verses that you come across that hit you, won’t leave you and keep you thinking for someone.  That verse is one this happened with yesterday.  It was in my daily reading.  Powerful. It is my understanding that the promises of God are not just for way back when.  They are for today.  Trust Him.  Seek Him.  Watch Him work. But God isn’t a magic something that we go to get what we want.  He has a plan, and what He does is to complete us and to bring His glory as well as to see that His plan to in place.  I have seen this time and time again.  Have you?  Have you watched something come together in your life that you thought was useless or never ending? God is at work.  Trust Him. Go...

Earlier this week I shared from John 12 some insight that kept ringing in my heart.  Well, I have to turn back there again, and yes, I missed sharing with you yesterday.  Let’s see if I can make up for it. In the verses I am going to share today I’d like to ask that you choose to look at them from the position of a follower of Jesus.   What did you experience when you were with Him? How did His teaching and His mannerisms impact you? Which of these things do you need to apply to your walk with Him? Read on with those questions in mind. John 12:44-50  NLT   Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge...

We are still working our way through the book of Nehemiah at The Community Fellowship, and this week we looked at chapters 7, 8 and 9 where we were reminded of the incredible accomplishment of the walls of Jerusalem being completed and how important it is to listen to what God says. Hear what God says and follow Him.  To make sure this is the path I am on keep yourself focused on God.  The impact of following God changes us and those around us. Exodus 13:21  NIV   By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. God provides for His people.  He guides them no matter the time, no matter the weather and always.  He did it for others, and He will do this for us.  But are we following God? Learn to listen.  Keep on following.  Walk this truth and know that it is the Word of God, the Bible, that helps us to be aligned w...

Doors are one of those incredible things that we often notice.  We see people painting the doors on their house many different colors.  In this Christmas season people put a wreath with lights or some other decoration on their doors. They are the place where you enter.  My prayer is that you and I will find peace at the doors we enter, ours and others. God also provides doors for us! Revelation 3:20   NASB Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Literally our God is seeking to enter our lives, and He calls it a door for Him.  Open your life.  Open your home.  Be open to God and His wonder in your life. 1 Corinthians 16:9   NLT There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. Paul said there was a door open for him to do lots of kingdom, God kind of work.  The same is true for you and me.  Walk through the doo...

  Not all people around the world celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday but everyone should be giving thanks.  We ought to be thankful and we should be thanking God often. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, choosing to be thankful and to be actively giving thanks things will happen around you that you might not be able to explain.  It is like the results that come from following God.  There is a return on your investment when your life and focus and heart are set on God. What might the results be for choosing to be thankful?  They are many.  here are a few. Psalm 50:23  NLT But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Giving thanks is a sacrifice that honors God.  Honoring God leads to great rewards in our lives. 2 Corinthians 9:12  NLT So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will...