Elaine Campbell

 Devotional 'The preparations of the heart of man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord' (Proverbs 16:1). We can make our plans, but it is the Lord that gives us the right answer. Jeremiah 10:16, tells us that, "...the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." We cannot direct our own steps, it is the Lord who does that as we trust in Him. Our God is Sovereign over all the earth, therefore His plans and purposes will stand forever.  It is God who has given us free will to choose, from the beginning of creation. The responsibility to make good choices or bad decisions was placed in the heart of man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. It is the Lord by his grace, that had given us a will to make choices, to think things through, and a heart to make plans. However, it is the Lord who gives the ultimate outcome. We may have planned our  way, but it is the Lord in his grace that guided our steps. As Children of

 'Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace' (Galatians 5:4). We are justified by faith in Christ, who is our Righteousness. Some people believed they are justified by following the law. Such thinking is not acceptable to by God. We are asked to trust in Christ rather than following the law and become slaves to it. When we add works to faith in Christ, we are saying, we do not trust fully in Him, therefore we missed out on the grace of God. Grace comes through a living faith in Christ, and there is no other means to salvation. When we trust in Christ we have freedom from the bondage of sin and is no longer slaves to it. However, when we choose to follow the law or be justified by the law, we have not attain to the law of righteousness which is in Christ. Let us try not to make ourselves right with God by keeping the law; we will be alienated from Christ and fall from grace. All who accept Christ is justified by recei

 Devotional 'But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me' (Matthew 14:30). Immediately after feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two small fishes, Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. He had commanded his disciples to go before him to the other side where he would join them later. As Jesus was alone praying, the disciples were by now in the midst of the sea rowing against a strong wind. Jesus then appeared, walking on the water towards the disciples. At first they thought it was a spirit and called out in fear. Jesus identified Himself straight away that it was him, and they shouldn't be afraid. Peter realising it was Jesus, wanted to do what Jesus was doing. He believed that as long as it  was Christ making it happen, it was possible to walk on water, and so he asked Jesus to bid him come. Jesus did asked him to come. As Peter stepped over the boat his focus was on Jesus and for a short period he

 Devotional 'Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one toward another according  to Christ Jesus' ( 1 Corinthians 15:5) We are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus. It is God who gives us the patience and the encouragement to do so, because He is the Author and Giver of grace. Paul gives the Christians in Rome hope in verse 4, which we too can model."Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Paul viewed God as the One who is the source of encouragement and endurance. It is God who will lift us up when we are downtrodden and help us to keep going. Now Paul is praying that God will give us the ability, to live in harmony with each other, inspite of our individual differences. Have we not faith? Let us have faith in the Almighty God as we heed the master's call. God is our Patienc

 'And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive' (Mark 11:25). We do not earn salvation by being forgiven, but through the precious blood of Jesus. However, it is an important aspect of our life to forgive others and be forgiven by God. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6: 14-15). We sin against God who is the Creator, every day of our lives. Our sins separate us from God and yet we expect Him to forgive us; while we may have disputes with others, some of which are very petty and refuse to forgive. How do we work that one out? As a result of our unforgiveness, our relationships get broken and cannot be restored, due to pride or apathy. God sacrifice his Son, Jesus Christ, so He can be forgive us.

 'Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man' (Psalm 108:12). It is God whom we should seek help from in times of trouble and not man. The help of man is useless and will bring disappointment. When our confidence in man is gone, we have to pray with every ounce of confidence in God. We shall not find it vain to seek the help of God. It  is the Devil who is the cause of all our troubles. God allows it because He wants us to trust Him totally. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be Sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walked about  seeking whom he may devour." It is God who can help you in difficult situations, not man, whose help is in vain. Therefore, you ought to trust God and not man. Today if you're facing a difficult situation or trouble, ask God to help you through these tough times; pray and place it in His hands, because He is faithful and will deliver you. We are living in a world of sin where everyone is for themself. People

 'And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds' (Acts 19:18). Paul had to deal with all types of people on his arrival in Ephesus. There were some devout Christians, who were followers of John the Baptist, who were baptised with the baptism of repentance,  and had not received the Holy Spirit since they believed. There were the Jewish exorcists, who used the name of Jesus  to try and control demons (Acts 19:13). While there were still those who practice witchcraft. Likewise, we in our time has come across different classes of people, who have various beliefs and practices contrary to that of God. There are many people who loves in their horoscope, or they worship animate and inanimate things that God has created. They fail to understand that all God requires of them is to be in a saving relationship with Him and to trust and worship him alone. There are many who believe, confess and follow Christ, at the preaching of Paul. They were amazed by his  authorit

 ' the eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressors' (Proverbs 22:12). God is Sovereign over all the earth and his eyes are everywhere. His eyes run back and forth throughout the length and breath of the earth. God's eyes preserved knowledge of himself and look unto those who know him, and do His will. The Lord overthrow the words of those who are unfaithful and handle his word deceitfully, bringing them to nought. God despised the arrogant thoughts of the wicked (Psalm 119:113). He is committed to expose and destroy the thoughts and words of transgressors, But still His eyes preseved His knowledge and the people in the earth who trust him. We must recognise that it's only one place to go for knowledge- the Creator God through His Word. Let us humble ourselves before the God of Heaven  and ask him to earnestly teach us true knowledge. Even though God has reserved knowledge to Himself, he has also revealed much for his people to

 'For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord' (1 Thessalonians 3:8). It is counted a joy to stand firm in the Lord. "Standing firm" is a way to trust God, to depend on him, as we allow him to have His way in our lives. As Christians, we are confronted daily with attacks from the Devil and his forces. When we stand firm in the Lord we shall live. We have to learn to depend upon the Lord in times of trouble and persecution; to stand firm and not drift away from the faith, but to keep anchored in the love of Christ. We must be steadfast, immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). Let us be firmly planted into the faith and hold onto Christ as we our anchor of hope. Without Christ in our lives, we are dead in our trespasses and sin. In Him there is hope of eternal life. Amidst all of our trials and troubles, it is Christ who made the difference in our lives. Our spirits revived and we become more alive and cheerful. In all our afflict

 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us' (Psalm 67:1). God is merciful and gracious and understands the trials and temptations we go through moment by moment. He is the One who gives us the strength to carry on. God promised to be merciful or gracious to us and will indeed bless us. He also promised to cause his face to shine on upon us: that is, to grant us His gracious presence through his Son Jesus Christ, so as to have commune with Him. God wants us to have a greater understanding of himself in Christ. All who feel their need of mercy will receive God's mercy. As sinners we do not deserve God's mercy, but He grants us favour through the sacrifice made by Christ on our behalf. God's blessings to us enrich our souls and are his gifts and deeds granted to us because He is merciful and gracious. Let us lift up our hearts and voices to the most High God; that He may be gracious and bless us, that our ways be known on earth. As we are blessed

 'And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them' (Galatian 3:12). On our Christian journey, we will have people trying to deter us from the path of righteousness. There are those who will try to lead us away from God's truth, and bring doubts in our minds. We see the Christians in Galatia who had such problem. They were been pressured by the Judaisers that they need both Christ and the law to be saved. These were very convincing arguments put forward by these Judaisers, which led the Galatians to doubt they have been saved by God's grace through faith in Christ alone. As Christians, we have to know the Word of God for ourselves and be in a right relationship with God, and be led by the power of the Holy Spirit to know truth and eliminate errors that may arise. When certain doctrines are preached that are not  truth from the Scriptures, we should tackle it head on, like Paul with the Galatians. Paul showed from the Old Testament Scriptures

 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that accept understanding shall find good' (Proverbs 19:8). The wisdom from God  brings peace and prosperity to one's life, and is freely offered to all by God. When we ask God for wisdom, He will grant it unto us. He said that if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...and it shall be given him (James 1:5). In getting wisdom we love our own soul, but if we reject the offer of wisdom it is to love death. We are told to love wisdom: and with all our getting, get understanding (Prov 4:7). King Solomon the wisest man described wisdom as, "...More precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her" Proverbs 3:15). In getting wisdom we need to humble ourselves and fear God. Dedicated yourself to learning and God will grant you the power of right judgment. That is, knowing what you can do in any situation that arises. Let us seek to also accept understanding by hiding God's Word i

 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preseveth the faithful, and plentifully rewarded  the proud doer' (Psalm 31:23). We are called to love the Lord, not only by words but by deeds. We are to express it under a sense of the love God has towards us. We ought to appreciate God's amazing love for us and reverence him; trust in him and give thanks to him, as a result of his kindness towards us, and because he is also God. God in his mercy will preserve us, as we trust in Him; as we believe in Christ our Saviour; being faithful to  his word and abide by them. God is a covenant-keeping God, who is always faithful. He is true to his word and his promises to his people. He will reward those who are self-righteous and proud doers according to their works. Let us therefore, truly praise and exalt the name of the Lord, because we love Him deeply, and know that He  will preserve those who are faithful. We are admonished in the Scriptures, to love the Lord our God with all our

 'For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance' (Romans 11:29) God promises are sure,  and He has never broken His promises, unlike us humans beings. God promises of an everlasting covenant to Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob was inclusive of their descendants. It wasn't just Israel, but all who would believe in Christ and are saved. The promises given to the Patriarchs were gifts from God. Abraham believed God by faith and was accounted righteous. Paul pointed out that these gifts and callings were irrevocable or without repentance. These promises of God were based on God's own goodness; therefore, no matter how deeply Israel sinned in rejecting faith in Christ as the Messiah, those promises would not be revoked. God love for Israel saw him calling them back into a loving and saving relationship with Himself. We too as Christians, and of Abraham's seed, are all included in these great promises of God. When we forget God and stray away from him, He is callin

 'Let him eschew evil, and do good, let him seek peace, and ensue it' (1 Peter 3:11). There are several passages in the Bible that encourage us to depart from evil and do good (Psalm 37:27). In Psalm 34:14, it tells us to depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. As Christians, we ought to always strive to do good and seek peace - the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Those of us who want to live life and see good days, must refrain to use words that will hurt even against those who have done us harm. Our natural response is to do evil to others in return for what they have done to us. But with Christ in us, we ought to learn to move away from the hurt done to us. In so doing we should turn from our natural inclination to do evil. We are therefore called to turn toward doing good, to create an atmosphere of peace. It is not only the turning towards doing good, but we must make peace. This is inherently difficult to depart from evil and do good, but in C

 'And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of Judgement: blessed are all they that wait for him' (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord God desires only good things for His Children. Inspite of our shortcomings, He will wait because he longs to be gracious to us and to have compassion, because he is a God of Judgement. We are blessed to wait for Him. Its so amazing that when we cry for help the Lord will be gracious to us. As soon as He hears, he will answer us. God had given His people  Israel many promises, but they keep turning their back on Him and his grace which he continued to shower on them. They tend to rely on their own strength instead of trusting in the Lord their God. How about us today? We have the examples of Israel's disobedience and the consequences that came as a result. Yet we too seek our own strength. We act as if it is God who needs us and not us that r

 'Let all the earth fear the Lord: Let all the inhabitants of the world Stand in awe of him ( Psalm 33:8). As Creator of the world, all men that dwell upon the face of the earth should fear God. The whole duty of man is to fear God, and keep his commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). All inhabitants of the earth should glorify and adore the name of the Lord. Let us forsake everything that stops us from reverently regarding the true and living God. The Songwriter said, "There is no secret what God can do." He put the stars in place and hung the earth in space. He who has promised to save us by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, was faithful. Let us therefore honour God and sing praises unto His name. Let us rejoice in Him! God being the Creator and Sustainer of all things. As we look around us we see God in everything, and can find the goodness of God in many ways. The power of God is so great and mighty. By His  Word were the heavens made, and everything that there is in it.

 'Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name' (Psalm 86:11). To obey God is to experience joy. Our desire should always be  to please God and be faithful to Him. But unless God give us that understanding and bring to life His Words into our hearts, we will not be able to please Him. David wanted badly to do the will of God; and for Him to help him form the right habits. So He cried out to God, "Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear your name." Like David, do you have a desire to do the will of God and to honour Him? Do you desire God's help in forming the right habits? Then it must be your desire to live a Christlike life, to cherish His Word and to live in it daily. You need to pray earnestly to God, and ask Him to open your eyes of understanding and to teach you His Word that you may comprehend the depth of His love. Cry out to God, testify of His goodness, immerse yourself in His Word

 'The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them' (Proverbs 11:3). In our everyday life, we struggle with doing right from wrong. The Spirit of God is the best guide for those who are upright and we must honour and trust God. There are two ways to live: either the safe way, doing what is right; or the dangerous way, doing what feels good and sounds good. To be one of integrity is to always do what is right, regardless of difficulties or consequences; and that's what the upright does. They have constant guide through the Word of God and the voice of their conscience. The perverse on the other hand, do whatever they want, having no standards or parameters for their actions, so their perversity will destroy them. For example, in the Bible Haman was perverse and wicked, his ways were crooked; he conspired to take away the lives of others, but to his own demise He was hung instead for his wicked deeds (Esther 7:10). When we k

 'The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him' (Nahum 1:7). The city of Nineveh was an evil city and once again come into the  Judgement and wrath of God. One hundred and fifty years before the prophet Nahum received a message of Judgement  concerning them, God had given Jonah a message of destruction, of which they fasted and repented and the judgment was averted. They had turn to their evil ways and was oppressing Israel, and God's impending punishment was an irreversible judgement. During this time, Nahum promised the people of God that the Lord is good and is a stronghold in the day of trouble. The Lord God is the same  yesterday and today and forever more.  He will be a stronghold in the day of trouble, a refuge for those who trust Him, and a comfort for His people. God is a God of justice and will protect and defend all who are oppressed and downtrodden. His promises of hope and comfort are there for us to claim. To ackn

 'Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known' (Proverbs 14:33). There is the wisdom of man which manifest self and the wisdom of God which is the manifestation of the will of God. Godly wisdom manifest the spirit of God and solidify the existence of God. When we possess godly understanding there is no need to boast about wisdom. Fools brag about their knowledge of wisdom, when in fact they have none, if they have no true knowledge of God. The Bible regards a fool as one who ignores godly wisdom and truth, in favour of their own preferences, beliefs and biases. The Bible states that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 3:19). When we choose to do God's will and abide with his principles, we are  wise and have unfailing security.  While those who choose not to comply with the will of God and reject his wisdom are foolish and have no security in Him. We see all through Scriptures,

 'And the work of righteousness shall be peace: and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever' (Isaiah 32:17). The Lord is good, merciful and of great kindness to his people, even when we messed up. He is also a God of justice and truth; and  when we refused to obey Him and do our thing, then we have to face the consequences that follows our foolhardiness. Israel went into apostasy, time and time again, turning their backs on the true and living God. Even though God mete out punishment on them for their apostasy, which led them into the Babylonian captivity; He in his mercy and grace promised to bring them back into a right relationship with Him. How beautiful is God's love towards His erring children, how merciful is our God!  We too have messed up so many times, but God's love and mercy seek to draw us back into a right relationship with himself. When we come to God, confessing our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, cleanse us from all unr