By Faith We Can Be Healed

By Faith We Can Be Healed “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘if I only touch his cloak, I will be healed’. Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter’, he said, ‘your faith has healed you.” Matthew 9:20-21 Jesus tells us in His scriptures that if we have as little faith as a mustard seed we can make a mountain move. This woman in the scripture above proved Her faith just by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. Jesus also healed two blind men. Matthew 9:28-29 “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.” There are so many people suffering with medical issues, financial issues, relationship issues and family issues today that could be healed, if they just had enough faith, as in the two examples above. As Christians we go to church each Sunday, and read our Bibles each day, and know what God tells us about the power of our faith. God tells us that our faith can heal and restore, so why don’t we have enough faith to cure ourselves of our sickness? I have personally witnessed several people during the past two years that have been healed, and had the faith necessary to have God touch them, and heal their bodies. To be able to witness a healing by faith is such an important occurrence, in that it lets us know that the power of God’s word is still alive in our nation today. God is still with us, and His power is still as strong and alive as it was in the days of the Apostles. I would encourage each of you that have a medical need, to seek God, spend time with Him and get to know Him in such a way as to have the faith needed to ask for your own healing, as in the examples above. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 8 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Giving Freely

Giving Freely “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:3-4 During this past ten years I have been amazed at the lack of commitment that our church community has shown to provide for the needy in our community. I have visited the majority of the churches in our area speaking to their congregations about the need in our area and the number of people who are going hungry. The majority of these churches have not responded to this need, and have not participated in any way. Many of the churches that have responded have done so with the idea of getting publicity for their churches, and unless there has been a way to get their name in the public eye they have not contributed. The scripture above tells us how Jesus views our giving to the needy, as it needs to be done in private and not with the thought of bringing attention to ourselves. I know that my wife and I have provided help to the needy throughout the years, always keeping our giving between the person we are helping and ourselves, as God tells us to do. There was a wealthy gentleman in our area several years ago who would give large sums of money to worthwhile causes, but always insisted on the building being named after him or his name displayed in a public place. His sole purpose was to let others know that he gave and to get public recognition for his gift. I believe that giving in this manner did nothing to bring him any reward in the sight of God, as he was doing it not with the idea of helping others, but to gain glory for himself in the eyes of others. God wants each of us to give freely, as He has provided our needs and wants us to then give freely of our excess. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 7 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Keep God's Law

Keep God’s Law “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:18 The above scripture describes how Jesus felt about the law, and the importance it meant to him. I have heard many people say that the Law of the Old Testament was not meant for Jesus’ time, or was meant for the society we live in. This is not true, as throughout the New Testament, both Jesus and the Disciples talk repeatedly, about the Law and the importance it means. The Law that is depicted in the Old Testament is still the Law that God expects us to obey today. When I think back to the time of my childhood, and see the changes in family values that have occurred during this time, I realize what perilous times we are living in. The lifestyles of today’s families bear little resemblance to what they were, as I was growing up. Families have compromised their values little by little, until they have succumbed to the temptations of Satan, and have thrown God out of their families. The divorce rates are skyrocketing, and families are being torn apart by drug and alcohol abuse, sexual permissiveness, relationship and financial pressures. The home is no longer a place for children to feel safe and secure, and a place where Godly principles are taught. Children are left to find their own values, usually from their peers, who have not been taught the word of God, and what is right from wrong. When God gave us the Law, it was meant to provide guidance and wisdom for all people to use, as it gives us the format to pattern our families and our lives after. I would encourage each of you to study God’s word, and apply it to your life and your family. It will make a difference in your life. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 6 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Keep Your Joy

Keep Your Joy “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 Have you ever noticed how easy our joy can disappear? We can wake up in the morning with joy in our hearts and a smile on our face, but the first disappointment or problem we face, completely destroys that joy, and takes away that smile. It is so easy to allow Satan to destroy our joy and our positive attitude, and replace it with discouragement and negativity. I believe that each day is sacred and precious to God, and He wants us to cherish it as much as possible. God wants us to be at peace and have joy in our lives, as we are going to be a better witness for Him, and be more focused on His will, when we are happy. When we begin to give in to discouragement, to have doubts, to concentrate on the negative things around us, we are on the path to losing our joy and happiness. The answer to getting back our joy and happiness, is to begin to refocus our minds and life back on God, as chances are when your joy and happiness began leaving you, was the time you were drifting away from God. I would suggest that when you sense that your joy is waning, to begin immediately praying to God. Thank Him for all the blessings that He has bestowed on you, for providing you with your needs, and saving your soul. Think about King David, as he prayed to God constantly, when his joy began to leave him, as much of the Book of Psalm was about him, either thanking God for blessing him, or praying for deliverance from his enemies. I would encourage you that when that black cloud threatens to take over, to seek God, and remember that you serve a good and gracious God, one who loves you unconditionally, and wants you to be joyful, so that He can fulfill the plan and purpose that He has for your life. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 5 Robert William Brock, Jr.

God Can Rescue Us

God Can Rescue Us “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 Last week I saw the news where severe flooding in Texas had claimed the lives of several people. The newscast showed several people clinging to the tops of trees to try to escape the raging waters. In life there are times when we are going along without a care in the world and nothing to weigh us down. Then, without warning we are hit by a catastrophe such as this flood and our world is turned upside down. We look around and are terrified by what we see, as our human eyes do not see any way out of our trouble. I am sure that these people clinging to the tree tops felt exactly this way, and felt that their worlds had collapsed around them. Their homes, their material possessions and everything they owned had been swept away by the raging floodwaters. In the scripture above God tells us that there is hope in the worst of times as He will sustain us and rescue us. Maybe you are facing adversity in a physical, emotional, or financial area of your life. Don’t panic! Pray, even though it looks like there is no way out, you must not lose heart because God is still there, and knows your trouble, and tells us that He will not let us bear more than we can handle. Isaiah 43:2 “I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” I would encourage each of you to turn to God when you face your troubles, as He will be there to listen and come to your rescue. There is no one that can conquer the raging floods in your life the way God can. Even through our trials God can give us His overwhelming peace and assurances that everything is fine. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 3 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Keep Your Faith

Keep Your Faith “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1st Peter 4:12-13 It is sometimes difficult to understand why things happen to us. Why do we have the trials and troubles that we suffer through, when we are trying our best to be a Christian? Many times it seems like we are constantly deep in the valleys and the mountains seem too steep to climb, and there is no way that we can see how we will ever overcome our problems. I have a dear Christian friend who this scripture fits so well, as during the past year he endured a terrible year financially, as one problem after another happened in his business. He had given so much of himself during this time both financially and of his time, to help distribute food to the needy in our area, while his own personal finances had suffered. I recently had a conversation with him and asked him why he had continued to give the way he did, when he was suffering so badly himself. He stated that the time that he spent distributing the food to the needy was what was getting him through his own troubles. He said that he looked forward to the days that the food was distributed, and that this was his best day of the week. His faith and trust in God has never wavered during the year, and he faithfully kept giving of his time and money. The people in our church have seen his unwavering dedication to God during this difficult time, and it is touching many of the people around him. He is a tremendous witness for Christ wherever he goes, and through his trials he continues to keep his faith and trust. I would encourage each of you to continue trusting in God even during your trials because your reward in heaven will be worth it. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 2 Robert William Brock, Jr

Our Inner Beauty

Our Inner Beauty “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1st Peter 3:3-4 So often throughout our society our success in life is judged by our outward appearance. Recent surveys show that someone who is attractive has a much better chance of getting the best jobs, receive better raises and has a much better chance to advance in their careers. Our society routinely promotes outward appearances through beauty pageants, fashions and television and movie stars as the ultimate pinnacle of success. However, it is not the outward appearances that matters most to God, as it is the inner beauty of each of us that is important to Him. I recently saw a young girl who was deformed and crippled from birth with a terrible disease. Her limbs and face were distorted, but God had given her a talent for music, and she had been asked to play the piano for one of the largest symphonies in the nation. Her music was the best I have ever heard. Her beauty did not come from her outward appearance, but rather came from her inner self, and God had given her a gift that very few people have. It is important to never judge others based on what we see with our eyes, but to judge them on their hearts, and even then we are not the final judge as what we think does not matter. God is the ultimate judge for all of us, as it is when we stand before God on judgment day, we will not be judged on our beauty, as God will look at our hearts, at our good deeds, at the way we lived our lives and obeyed His commands. All of these things will be considered, but the most important thing of all is that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 1 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Open Your Heart To God

Open Your Hearts To God “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing me in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.” Hebrews 3:8-9 These are the words that God gives us to warn us to not harden our hearts and obey his teachings. But I am afraid that our society as a whole is again hardening their hearts to the Word of God and his commandments. We are turning away from God and becoming a world where there is sexual immorality, perversion, greed, anger, and almost any other form of sin pervading our society. We are gradually taking God out of our lives, as he is becoming less and less of our daily lives. I can remember as I grew up that we prayed in school, and any government meeting was begun with prayer. Our families prayed before meals and we worshipped together at church on Sunday. Today, we are not allowed to pray in school, or in our government. There is becoming more and more families that do not pray together, and many do not even go to church to worship. God warns us to not test him in these acts of disobedience, as throughout history he has turned his back on his people when they began turning from him. In the scripture above he let his chosen people wander for forty years in the desert because they hardened their hearts toward him. Our society is forgetting God, and I believe he is again going to punish us for this disobedience. God’s chosen people have been the most powerful people in existence when they have obeyed and followed God’s commands, but when they disobeyed, God has allowed them to be defeated, conquered and humiliated by their enemies. I would encourage each of you to open your hearts to God and change your lives, before God takes his revenge on you. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 30 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Make Your Reservation Now

Make Your Reservation Now “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2nd Timothy 3:1-4 Does this sound like the generation we live in today? Almost all of us can identify with people who fit any or all of these categories. The Bible prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak and all indications are that these are the last days. What do we do to get ready for the return of Jesus? Are we prepared for his return, and do we know how God is going to judge us? There are only two choices that we can make, either to be ready to live with God in heaven, or to follow Satan into his lake of everlasting fire called Hell. Getting ready for the return of Jesus can be like making and confirming our reservations to go on the last trip we will ever make. This trip will take us to the place where we will spend all eternity. The place we are going to is either going to be the grandest, most beautiful, joyful and magnificent place we can imagine, or it is going to be a place where we will suffer in Satan’s lake of fire for all eternity. Each one of us now has this option and can confirm and make our reservation to Heaven or Hell, as there is no other option available, and no one can make this reservation for us. I would encourage each of you today to please confirm your reservation now by accepting Jesus as your Savior. Ask him to come into your heart, and forgive you of your sins, and promise that you will serve him for the rest of your life. This simple commitment will confirm your reservation into God’s Kingdom. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 29 Robert William Brock, Jr.

It Is Not Too Late

It Is Not Too Late “You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-23 The Bible tells us that to be born again and experience the eternal life that God promises, we must accept Jesus into our hearts, and ask forgiveness of our sins, and change our wicked ways, and begin obeying God’s commands. This sounds so easy to do, but so many people don’t take advantage of this amazing offer. It is so important for everyone to understand that one day, you will die. That is a fact. At that moment, you will stand before God and there will only be one question, “Do you know Jesus as your Savior by faith?” That is a “yes” or “no” answer. You won’t have the opportunity to stand there and say, “no, but.” God is not going to be interested in your excuses. Each person is responsible for accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ into their heart and life by faith, and each person will be held accountable by God for all eternity for that choice. Let me ask you a simple question. If you died this very moment, do you have the complete assurance, without any doubt, that when you stand before God he will welcome you into His presence for all eternity? None of us know when our time will come, but it is coming. It is so sad that many people die each day because they keep putting off accepting Jesus into their hearts, thinking that they will do it tomorrow or next week at church, or next month. But they have waited too long, and their time to stand before God in judgment has come. It is not too late for you however, as you still have the chance to become this new person and accept Jesus as your savior. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 28 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Dealing With Anger

Dealing With Anger “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26 Anger is a powerful emotion which can strike suddenly, and take over our thoughts, and many times can seem to be uncontrollable. Anger and its devastating effects can leave everything and everyone that it is directed at in ruins. There are as many causes and expressions of anger as there are people, but one of the underlying causes of anger is due to the fact that things are not happening as we expected them to happen. We may not get the raise we expected, our children may not listen to us, or our spouse does not agree with our point of view about an important matter. Usually anger is directed towards the person that does not agree with us or we feel has harmed us in some way. Everyone will get angry at some point in their life, but controlling our anger is the thing that sets us apart from others. If anger is controlling you, there is only one way to find relief and that is to give God control of your life. God teaches us to love rather than be angry, and his answer to control our anger is to learn to forgive. Forgiveness is perhaps the greatest remedy for anger. Just remember that as Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sins, he asked His Father to “forgive them for they know not what they do”. Jesus had every right to be angry toward those who placed him there, but rather chose to forgive them instead. To anyone that is fighting anger in their lives, don’t let it fester and build up, as it will not go away by itself; it will grow like a cancer and affect the things that are most precious to you. Turn your anger over to God, and ask him to help you forgive the people that have caused you to be angry, as this is the only way that you will be able to rid yourself of this sin. God will take control and give you peace. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 27 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Are You An Example For Others

Are You An Example For Others “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” 1st Corinthians 8:9 Over the years I have seen many people being influenced by what someone else is doing, as they think just because so and so is doing something, and that they are somebody that has status and influential in the right circles, that it is all right for them to do it as well. We have all had idols as we grew up, whether it was our favorite sports star, our grandparents, our parents or someone else who we would like to pattern ourselves after. Even though many of us do not realize it we may be someone’s idol and the person that someone is trying to pattern themselves after. The scripture above tells us that whatever we do in life, which means our words and our actions, should not become a stumbling block for others. This means that we need to watch what we say and watch what we do, so that we do not set the wrong example for someone. How many times do we see in the newspaper some individual who has been the so called example, or role model, caught in situations that are wrong and many times illegal? This fallen hero has many times destroyed someone who was trying to imitate their actions and be like them. When the weak Christian is influenced by the example of the stronger Christian, and even though he feels it to be wrong, it still has a tendency to blunt their conscience, so that doing what is wrong becomes much easier the next time. We are accountable to set an example of what a Christian should be like in our daily life by the way we speak and by the way we conduct ourselves at all times. I would encourage each of you to consider your actions, wherever you are, and to be a good example to someone who may be watching you, as God wants your life to reflect the life of a Christian. God is also watching you. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 25 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Restore Governing Authorities

Restore Governing Authorities “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1 I have always wondered how God would judge the authorities that exist in our world today, as much has changed from the time in which he lived. In the Bible God tells us to respect the authorities that govern us, and to submit to them. He tells us to obey the laws of the land and follow their instructions. However, there are many laws that are now in place that go completely against the teachings of the Bible and do not reflect what God wants us to submit to. Our government has legalized abortions, which completely goes against the teachings of the Bible, the mention of God is being taken out of our schools, which is against Biblical teachings, and our government, which was founded on God and his laws and commands, no longer allows prayer and God to be mentioned. When civil leaders and authorities overstep their proper function, the Bible tells us that the Christian is to obey God rather than man. Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than men.” Our authorities exist for the benefit of our society and to bring order to our government, and to protect the general public. God has ordained the authorities and expects the Christian to respect and obey them, but only as far as they are following the laws and commands of God. When they begin going against God’s laws and commands then Christians need to stand up and rebel against authorities. I would encourage each of you to begin to take a stand in restoring our civil and governmental authorities to ones that God would approve of and return our country to one that is based on Godly principles.

Expect Your Miracle

Expect Your Miracle “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18 God considers Abraham the father of the Jews and the gentiles, as the birth of Isaac through Abraham and Sarah, both of whom were far past the age of child bearing, populated future generations, and thus Abraham is considered to be the father of all mankind. The example of Abraham and Sarah is the perfect example of the miracles that God can do in people’s lives. Abraham was almost one hundred years old and Sarah was about ninety years old, but Abraham was a righteous man who was promised “offspring like the dust of the earth” and possession of the land of Canaan, and that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham had faith that even though he was old that God would fulfill His promise to him. He did not lose his hope and continued to trust in God for his miracle. Could we ever have the faith that Abraham showed, and go against all the odds that our human frailty demonstrates, and expect our miracles in today’s world? The Bible teaches us that our miracles are also possible if we have the faith and belief in God that Abraham had. The Bible tells us that if we only have the faith of a mustard seed that we can make our mountains move. This tells us that God still is alive today, and can still work miracles for us as well. The question we need to ask ourselves is do we have enough faith and trust in God to hope for our miracle and receive it. Many of us have serious need for a miracle in our lives either due to health issues, financial issues, relationship issues or family issues. I would encourage you to start believing and having faith and trusting in God that He will provide you with your own miracle. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 23 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Become A Servant

Become A Servant “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15 The interpretation of the scripture above tells us that Christ’s action provides an example of humble service, and that it teaches us that we are to have a servant attitude toward others. It tells us that Christians should be willing to perform the most menial services to help one another. It tells us that we are to love others as we love ourselves. It illustrates God’s commandment that we should love others as we love ourselves, and what more humbling example to show this than to wash someone else’s feet. I believe that each of us needs to evaluate our own lives to see if we have a servant attitude. We need to determine if we want to be in control and set on the throne, or would we be just as comfortable as Jesus was, and instructing his Disciples to do; and that is to be a servant. I believe this is one of the most important issues that Christian’s face today, as the servant attitude is being lost in our society, as the status of being successful in life is based on our titles and positions in our companies. The idea that we are to be humble and a servant to others doesn’t go well with the people that are striving to rise to the top in their organizations. The attitude that Christ wants us to have is to not be self centered, always thinking about ourselves, but to be concerned about others. We miss so many opportunities in life to be able to minister to others by not demonstrating this humble and servant attitude to them. I would encourage each of you today to begin getting your minds off yourselves, and look around you to see where you could make a difference in someone’s life, by giving them a helping hand or providing their needs. Be a servant to someone as Jesus was. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 22 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Do You Love Yourself Too Much

Do You Love Yourself Too Much “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25 There are not many people who don’t love themselves, but Jesus warns us in the scripture above that when we begin to only think about ourselves, and forget about others that we are walking on thin ice. Do you find yourself in this situation, in that your entire world revolves around your likes and dislikes, your wants and desires, with no thought of others? Is your time and your money spent entirely in making yourself happy and forgetting others? If you answer yes to these two simple questions you need to step back and evaluate your life. Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that we are to love others as we love ourselves. This means that we are to devote time to others, and to spend some of our money in helping others. If we are not making this kind of commitment we are not obeying one of God’s greatest commandments. It is good for us to be successful in life and want to succeed, but we do not want to become self centered and think that we are the center of the universe, and that everything revolves around us. God does not want us to have this kind of attitude about ourselves, as He wants us to have a servant attitude and humble ourselves to others. As powerful as Jesus was He washed the feet of His disciples to show them the humbleness of Himself. When we develop an attitude that we are better or superior to others this is what Jesus is warning us about in the scripture above, and is the time to take stock in ourselves. I would encourage each of you to look at your own life, and determine if you are self centered; only thinking about yourself. If you find this to be true take the time to ask God for help in refocusing your life as your eternal life with God is in the balance. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 21 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Seek God's Kingdom

Seek God’s Kingdom “Then Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like?” What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19 The scripture above gives us an indication about just how hard it will be to enter the Kingdom of God. There are several other examples such as “The Narrow Door”, and “The Rich Man”, where Jesus tells us that in order to enter God’s Kingdom that it will not be easy as many will be turned away. It is only the ones that truly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and have asked Him into their hearts and are obeying His commands who will be allowed to enter His Kingdom. It is going to take more than just going to church on Sunday and then going about our business. It is going to take a commitment on our part to making God the focal point of our lives on a daily basis. It is going to take a commitment to begin obeying his commandments and letting our actions and our words follow the will of God. When God becomes the center of our life and our world revolves around Him, then we are on the narrow path that will lead to His Kingdom. With all that is going on in the lives of people today it is difficult to not get caught up in ourselves and our own selfish desires and leave God out. It is easy to find pastimes and hobbies that occupy our time where there is no time left for God. It is easy to spend all our effort on accumulating money and material possessions and not giving generously to help others. The most important thing that you will ever do in life is to find the path that leads to the Kingdom of God. It will be, as Jesus says, hard to find but will be worth it. I would encourage each of you to seek God daily, read His word, pray and ask Him for guidance to find His Kingdom. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 20 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Are You Ready

Are You Ready “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:40 Christ’s return is certain but the time is not known, so it is important to be prepared at all times. I have always heard people say that they are going to start to church next week as they want to begin serving God, and know that they are a sinner. Many times some do start going to church and get saved, however many times these people keep putting off the most important thing they will ever do in their lives. This is such a gamble as no one knows when Christ will return, and they are taking a chance on how they will spend all eternity. I have heard pastors speak on the end of time, and the signs that the Bible gives us telling us about the fulfillment of scripture, and that most of them are now fulfilled. These warnings are important, but these are man’s interpretations and not God’s, as only He knows when He is coming back. But the important thing to remember is that we must be ready. We are accustomed to being prepared in almost all things we do. We prepare ourselves for an exam at school. We prepare ourselves for our careers. We prepare ourselves to take care of our families. Everything we do in life we spend some time getting ready and preparing ourselves for. However when it comes to preparing ourselves for our future, by asking ourselves “how will we spend our eternity”, many times we do not plan and get ourselves ready. We need to begin preparing ourselves and be ready at all times for the most important thing that will ever happen to us. I would encourage each of you to get yourself prepared as Christ could return even today or tomorrow. Will you be ready? I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 19 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Battle For Your Heart

The Battle For Your Heart “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45 The Bible gives us many scriptures similar to the one above warning us that our words, either good or bad, come from our hearts. The previous devotional talked about clean or unclean things coming from our heart, and whether we allow God or Satan to gain control over our hearts. I believe the Christian is in a constant spiritual war between God and Satan for control over our hearts. The Apostle Paul recognized this and tells us to “take up the whole armor of God.” We need to recognize the need for constant vigilance at all times, and that the battle rages constantly, “in all seasons in the Spirit”, as Paul tells us that the enemy is not human, but spiritual in nature. It is ready to do battle 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an army that is persistent and is ready to attack at any time. But when we submit our hearts and our wills to God and commit to following his commands, we are well equipped to withstand any attack that Satan sends our way. It is important to seek God each day through prayer and study in His word to ward off any attack that Satan brings against us. When we shirk our duty in God’s army to pray and seek Him daily, we are dropping our guard and can become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. Putting on the full armor of God can protect us and provide a shield for us and prevent Satan from getting a foothold, as we need all the protection we can get to defeat him. I would encourage each of you to go to God each day, read His word, pray to Him and ask Him to help you keep your heart from becoming infected with the evil that Satan can store up in your heart. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 18 Robert William Brock, Jr.

A Clean Heart

A Clean Heart “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.” Mark 7:15-16 When God gave us His commandments He gave us the Law that we are to follow in our everyday life. We know from His law what is right and wrong, and when we make our daily decisions we know which ones meet with God’s approval and which ones don’t. Therefore when we confront temptations in our daily life, we know which temptations to avoid. We know that if we visit a friend’s house and see money on his table that we aren’t to take it, as this would be stealing. We know that we should not make up a story that is not true, as this is lying. We know that we should not use the Lord’s name in vain, as this is cursing. God had given us His laws and expects us to obey them. The problem is that Satan also is tempting us to not follow God’s laws, and is putting all kind of thoughts in our minds, and we find ourselves in situations continually where we have to either obey God or Satan. Our lives therefore become a battlefield as to who will win, either good or evil; God or Satan. The battle is for our heart, as what comes out of us comes from our heart, and can either be clean or unclean. If we have filled our hearts with the word of God, goodness will come out of us and we will be clean. But if Satan has infiltrated our hearts evil will come out of us and we will be unclean. This is why we need to be in the presence of God each and every day of our lives, as He can protect us from the temptations and deceptions that Satan can send upon us. I would encourage each of you to go to God daily and get in His word, and know what His Law and commands are and follow them in your daily lives, so that when your decisions need to be made they will also be God’s decisions. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 17 Robert William Brock, Jr.

A Servant's Heart

A Servant's Heart “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12 People like to be recognized, and many will do almost anything to have honor and praise bestowed on them. Just recently I saw an article in the newspaper about a mother whose daughter was trying out for the cheerleading squad, and thought that another young girl was going to beat her daughter out from making the squad and actually had the other girl murdered. This is the lengths that some people will go to be honored and recognized. The scripture above tells us that we should humble ourselves toward others and not look for praise, honor and glory because we have done something good for others. Jesus tells us also when we give our tithes and give to others, to do so in secret as He knows what we have done and that is all that matters. We should never do things to bring honor and glory to ourselves, but do them out of the kindness and goodness of our hearts, and to help others. There are so many people that when they do something good they want all the people around them to know what they have done and to be recognized for this. There are buildings named after people who have made donations to charities all across our nation and many of these donations have been made solely because the people wanted to be recognized. God wants us to be a servant to others, just as He was. A servant does not serve others with the attitude that they will be rewarded in some way, but serves out of the goodness of his heart. We should not expect to be rewarded for our service to others by man, but God knows our hearts and will reward us for our good works. I would encourage each of you to become a servant, not seeking rewards for yourself as God will reward you. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 16 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Stand Strong Against Temptations

Stand Strong Against Temptations “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone: but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:13-14 No one other than Jesus has ever been sinless, as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. There are temptations all around us, as we are confronted and tempted almost everywhere we look. Television, movies, music and even the clothing we wear are all designed to tempt us to do evil. God does not place the seed of evil in our hearts but Satan does. God does not tempt us, but our own evil desires are the ones that many times get the best of us. Temptations can be strong as they got the best of Adam, Moses, and David, and we ask ourselves how do we defeat temptation in our own lives. We can use the same technique that Jesus used when He was tempted, and that is the Word of God. If we follow the commands and the Law of God in all aspects of our life, we can fight all the temptations that Satan can bring against us. This certainly is not going to be an easy task to do however, as only Jesus has been able to conquer all temptation and sin. But in order to battle temptation we need to rely on the Word of God and also on His constant spiritual feeding. In order to battle temptations we must know God’s laws and know what is right. We must know that when we are tempted to do something, whether God would approve of it or not. We must always guard our thoughts, our minds, our speech and our actions to know what God’s laws are and to obey them. Temptations are all around us and we have to be alert, but we should use Jesus as our model as He remained faithful in temptation by relying on the word of God, as this is our best defense against our evil desires. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 15 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Make A New Covenant With God

Make A New Covenant With God “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” Hebrews 8:10 There had been other covenants that God had made with the people of Israel, but these covenants were broken time and time again as the people would drift away from obeying God’s commands and doing His will. The above scripture depicts a new covenant that God made with His chosen people, and one they were to keep in their hearts as to the commands and the will of God for them, so that they would not forget and go back to their wicked ways. What has happened to this covenant? I believe that the covenant that God made then, and the laws that He established for the people to follow are still in existence today, but the problem is that we are not following and obeying them. We are again turning our backs on God and forgetting about His laws and commands. Just look at God’s two greatest commandments to (1) “love God” and (2) “love others”, and see how our society has turned our back on obeying either of these. We have either taken God out, or trying to take Him out, of our government, our schools, our justice system and our society. We obviously don’t love others as we love ourselves, as there are people going hungry, sleeping on the streets and people without clothing all around us, but we are considered to be the wealthiest nation in the world. We have definitely broken the two most important commandments from God, and almost completely ignored the rest of His commandments. I would encourage each of you to make and commit to a new covenant with God today, and begin once again to let Him be your God and let you be His people. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 14 Robert William Brock, Jr

God's Patience

God’s Patience “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and have eternal life.” 1st Timothy 1:16 As I have written in previous devotionals, I have always had a problem dealing with patience. In my business career and also in my personal life, patience has been one of my fiercest enemies that I still deal with today, although I have made significant progress through the years in conquering this demon. I believe that many people are like me, and are not very patient, and we see examples all around us. Bosses do not allow employees to make many mistakes before they begin to take corrective action. Horns begin to blow if someone does not begin moving when a red light changes. We become impatient when a checkout line at the grocery store is extremely slow. But just think how patient Jesus must be, as the scripture above tells us of His unlimited patience? Just imagine what we would do if someone that we love keeps on doing the same thing day after day, year after year after we have told them not to do something. Jesus tells us not to sin but we continue to sin each day; we tell lies, we say hateful things to hurt people, we steal, we think evil thoughts and do evil things every day of our lives, but Jesus is still patient with us. I cannot imagine the patience it must take for Him to witness the sins that we commit every day, and still be able to open His heart to take us back and forgive us. But to experience the love that Jesus shows for us we need to follow in His footsteps, and teach ourselves to love others and be patient with them. I would encourage each of you to think about your love for others, and to develop and show them the same unlimited patience that Jesus shows to us. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 13 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Open Your Heart To God

Open Your Heart To God “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparable great power for those who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19 The catch phrase in the scripture above that aroused my attention was “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”, as so often I believe that we only react to what we see, when sometimes there is something deep inside us that we do not know about that needs our attention. God speaks to us in a variety of ways; sometimes in dreams, visions or thoughts, but it is our hearts that must be reached and enlightened to really make a change in us. In order for us to really understand what the riches of God’s great inheritance and power is for each of us we must get our hearts enlightened and willing to accept God’s riches. King Solomon, who was given the wisdom of God, gives us so many scriptures in the book of Proverbs that help us deal with issues we face in life. The first part of Proverbs talks about the importance of what wisdom, knowledge and understanding really means to each of us, and how we can obtain this wisdom. Acquiring this wisdom will open the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, and will allow us to understand the true riches and power that God has in store for us as believers in Him. So often our hearts become hardened because of sinful habits that become part of our daily lives, but when we open the eyes of our hearts to God and His power, our lives can change. I would encourage each of you to open the eyes of your hearts today, and begin to let God speak to you. God wants to come into your heart and let you know about the inheritance He has for you. He offers you peace and hope but most of all He offers you an eternal life simply by opening your heart to Him. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 12 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Bond Of Love

The Bond Of Love “Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3 In our society today it is so easy to lose the love we need to have for each other. God gives us one of His greatest commandments telling us to love others as we love ourselves, but everywhere we turn, we see examples where people are turning against one another. I just returned from a funeral service where a brother and sister had turned against each other several years ago about a small trivial issue and had not spoken with each other since. It took their mother’s death to bring them together again. These kinds of trivial issues are so prevalent throughout our society, and are destroying friendships, personal relationships and families. The scripture above gives us so much good advice about dealing with these issues, in that it tells us to be humble, gentle, and patient and to be understanding with each other in love. So many times I have witnessed people who get upset when the smallest thing goes wrong and immediately will look around to find someone to blame. So many problems start with these kinds of issues, but if we could just think before we react to things that do not go our way, and think about the scripture above, I believe our world would be different. Normally people do not do things to upset us, but if they inadvertently do something, we need to teach ourselves to be understanding, compassionate and to think before we react. Jesus is teaching us that through the bond of peace and love that we can heal our friendships, our relationships and our families. I would encourage each of you to think about others, and not react to every little thing that does not go your way, but live the scripture above and show others the bond of peace and love. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 11 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Our Eternal Home

Our Eternal Home “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 2nd Corinthians 5:1 Yesterday my wife and I attended a funeral service for my daughter in law’s grandmother who passed away at the age of 93 years old. She had been blessed with a long life and had been a faithful and wonderful mother and grandmother and her memory will remain with them forever. This service reminded me that even though she had lived a life much longer than most people live, it is such a short period of time when we compare a life that will live for all eternity. It is hard to fathom just how long eternity really is. I have been doing family research for over 30 years, and have traced our family history from generation to generation and have gotten just a little perspective about the importance of time. In my research I am excited to find just a glimpse of one generation which may last only 50-100 years, but to think about a life that will last for all eternity is hard to comprehend. This eternal life is what we can all look forward to when we know Jesus as our personal Savior. Just think about what an eternal life in Heaven will be like; funerals will not exist anymore; sickness and pain will be nonexistent; there will be no doubt and worry, and all our days will be happy times walking on streets of gold. I know that it is difficult to give up someone we love as we will miss them, but to know that our family members have just left a world filled with pain, suffering, troubles and trials, and have entered into a new world filled with so much beauty, and which contains so many wonders and good things that our imaginations simply cannot describe, gives us peace and the assurance that they are now with God and living in their new eternal home. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 10 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Plan For Tomorrow

Plan For Tomorrow “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2nd Corinthians 4:18 So often, we as Christian’s, cannot get ourselves focused on anything except our day to day problems and situations. We live in the “here and now”, thinking only about the things that will get us through today. Life today is so hectic that just taking care of what we see in our immediate future is so exhausting that there is little time left to worry about tomorrow. This kind of thinking and attitude about our life will lead to a disastrous future if it is not changed. We have to think about and plan for our tomorrows and what they will hold for us. For example if we don’t plan for our retirements, who is going to take care of us when we are not able to work anymore? The same is true for our souls. We can live each day at a time, having fun, indulging in sin and enjoying ourselves, but this time will quickly pass away, and then what will happen if we have not thought about our tomorrow. As the scripture above states it is easy to fix our sights on what is seen, but what is really important is what is unseen. Living only for today and enjoying what we see is only temporary and will pass away, but planning for tomorrow which is unseen and eternal, and which will last forever must be our top priority. Our earthly bodies are wasting away each day, but our souls can be destined to live forever, if we have planned properly. All the planning that is necessary for us to have an eternal life is to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and to ask Him to come live within our hearts, and then commit ourselves to obeying His commands. When we do this simple thing we are looking past today which is temporal, and planning for the future which is an eternal life with God. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 9 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Let God Light Your Day

Let God Light Your Day “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12 I have a good friend who discovered that she had cancer about five years ago, and during this time has endured much pain and suffering, and many times has stated that it is by her faith and trust in God that she is able to continue. She is such a devout Christian and demonstrates her faith wherever she goes. She has touched many lives during these five years, as people see how her faith in God has sustained her during these difficult times. It is easy to become discouraged when this kind of trouble confronts us, and feel that our life is over, and simply give up. However God tells us that this is the time that we really need to trust in Him even more. I believe God will give us burdens to bear during our lives to test us and see just how strong our faith is in Him. It is easy to have faith in the good times, when there are not any problems confronting us, but when the storm clouds begin to roll in, who do we turn to? When David got into trouble, he turned to God, and prayed constantly to Him to deliver him from whatever difficulties he faced. This is what we all need to do when we face our trials and troubles in life; simply turn to God and ask Him to help us carry our burdens. We do not have to face our difficulties all by ourselves, as we have God to depend on who will help us climb our mountains and help us carry our loads. The scripture above so beautiful describes what can happen when we depend on God to help us through difficult times as our nights can turn into day, and our darkness can turn into light. I would encourage each of you that when you face trials and troubles in your life, to turn your eyes toward heaven and put on God’s armor of light, and your night will turn to day as you put your trust in Him. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 8 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Do Not Judge

Do Not Judge “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Romans 2:1 I have found over the years that it is so easy for us to judge others, by what we hear about them or from what we observe about them. So many times, however, I have discovered that sometimes what we see and what we hear is not what it seems to be. Just this week there was a young man that had been killed in Iraq that was awarded one of the highest medals that the army had bestowed on someone. Through his heroic actions he had saved several of his fellow soldiers from sure death, and had sacrificed his own life to save them. When some of his former schoolmates were interviewed they said about him “that he never stood out” and that “he usually thought about himself first”. This young soldier had been judged so wrong by the people who supposedly knew him, as they had only seen his outwardly appearance and had not witnessed his true inner being. It is so easy to want to judge others by what we see and hear, but only God knows the heart of every person. So often we do not take the time to get to know the true character of people around us, but judge them on the first impression. Outwardly appearances are deceiving, and we should never judge others based on them, but rather get to know what they stand for and believe in. There are so many examples in the Bible where Jesus chose people who did not stand out in the crowd, but He knew their hearts, and what they stood for. I would encourage each of you to not judge others based on what you see, but get to know them, understand them and then also realize that it is God that is the only one that can judge. My Daily Devotional Volume III June 7 Robert William Brock, Jr.