Michael Harrison's e-devotion

  Take another bite. Some people like big bites.  Some like very little bites.  Just take one, and keep on eating.  You have to have something.   Well, I am not talking about food, but we all eat because you have to eat to live.  The choice is outs as to what is on our diet and what we enjoy.  Yet let me give you something that we also need if we are going to be following Jesus. Deuteronomy 8:3  NLT   Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus quoted that verse to Satan when He was tempted to eat when Jesus had chosen to fast for 40 days.  We need to feast on the word of God. Proverbs 30:5  NLT   Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Psalm 33:4  NLT ...

  Let’s dig in even more.   Scripture is one of things that we might take for granted, but making it a daily part of like will help us see what God sees and to be stronger in our faith. Here are several verses that remind me why God gave is the Bible, the Word of God.   Check them out and apply each of them. Psalm 119:105   NLT   Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. 2 Timothy 3:16-17   NLT   All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Hebrews 4:12   NLT   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.  Psalm 19:7,14   NLT...

  Don’t you love have God makes the Scripture come to life or come alive?  It is amazing how He speaks to us and life gets better, stronger and more. That is something that happened for me recently.  I will point you to a simple passage from Psalms that I read this past weekend.  But first I remind you that daily Bible reading is important to me.  It is something I challenge you to make part of your life. Listening to God changes you, changes how you see things and gives you wisdom to live.  That is what happened with Psalm 89. Psalm 89  NLT 1-2  I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. 2  Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. 5-8  All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. 6  For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like th...

Jack. He strolled into our Saturday addiction ministry service about two years ago led by one of our faithful men, Fred Spencer, who went to high school with Fred and was very concerned about his old friend.  Jack had led a tough life full of struggle and some not so good choices. That was then.  In the last few weeks, even on a recent Sunday, Jack shouted at me one more time “I am the righteousness of Christ”.  And he meant it. Daily this gentleman would pour over the word of God.  Before getting a new Bible at Christmas, one that was much easier to read, Jack would read his Bible and often call his pastor friend in Georgia to discuss what he was reading.  Jack had fallen in love with his God and the word of God. His testimony was strong.  One that several people heard first hand about the power of addiction and the results of those choices.  One of his children who had continued to make tough choices and had issues of various kinds. Jack’s life chang...

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...

Those verses. You the ones.  It is the ones that people quote all the time.  Sometimes they are quoted far out of context. But let me give us some perspective.   The Bible is powerful.  Do you agree? The Bible shares things we often think about.  Do you agree? The Bible promises what we can’t do alone.  Do you agree? The Bible reminds us that God is what life is about. Do you agree? So, back to those verses.  My premise today is very simple.  The Bible is used by God for His glory and our good.  He is able to go beyond what we expect as well as in directions we aren’t ready for.  The Bible is simply powerful. Hebrews 4:12  NASB For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any   two-edged   sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and ...

My family is in the middle of a devotion that uses one of my favorite passages in the Bible about the Bible.   These words about the word are powerful reminding us of what God intends for His word to do in our lives. One of the reasons is it is so powerful is because when I was 20 I heard a message from John MacArthur using these verses.   That message and it’s truth have continued to ring in my heart and mind since that time, about 26 years ago.   God reminds me often that the Bible changes me. Interacting with the Word of God gets me interacting with God.   The Bible is not only powerful, but it is illuminated.   Kind of like a powerful sign with bright colors or that blinks simply getting your attention, the Bible does that.   It gets our attention. As you read these verses today I pray you will interact with God and His word.   May the truth sink in and transform you as it is me… Psalms 19:7-14   ESV The law of the  ...