Daily Devotion (February 7, 2025)
Jeremiah 29:
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
We are in the thoughts, the mind of God. God’s thoughts are of peace and not evil. God will hear our prayers, but we must call upon Him & seek after Him with all their hearts.
Just as the Israelites had been taken captive and moved out of the presence of God so many today have been taken captive by Satan. God knows who we are and our true heart. As the Israelites had turned their backs on God and taken captive, today we have turned our backs on God and taken captive by the things of this world.
Even in our captivity, God still has us in His thoughts. God desires to live in us and through us. God wants to give us not just peace but His peace. God does not accept duplicity. We must come to God whole heartedly. God assures us that his plans for us are for our ultimate good. God fills us with His peace and hope.
The adversity of this world can have a paralyzing effect on us as it did on the Israelites. When taken captive and led into Babylon they sat down by the rivers of Babylon and wept. They hung their harps in trees and refused to sing.
Do we live in the captivity of sin? Do we place God second in our lives. What do we place ahead of God? Jeremiah 29:13 tells us when we seek God with all our hearts we will find Him.
The United States of America is in deep spiritual trouble. We are a fallen nation. Millions of people on any given Sunday can be found in sanctuaries of worship. But we need to ask who or what we are worshiping. God will never accept second place in our lives. We must remember God is not confined to a sanctuary…during the week as we go about our daily tasks are we putting God first?