Freedom Devotional

The first question I will like to ask you is, do you love him? If your answer is yes, then you need to pray to God for strength against temptations that will lead you to cheat on him (again). During our moments of weaknesses, that is, when we feel lonely, down or angry, our mind becomes a "temptation playground" and in such moments, it's eminent that you fight off any thoughts that would lead you into temptation, by taking them captive and making them obedient to Christ as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 10:5, or as Jesus did in Luke 4:1-13.  Thank you...

This is a question that is frequently asked by teenagers and young adults from different religious backgrounds and cultures, and therefore, the best way to answer it, will be to take it first from a neutral perspective before factoring in other views. I will first love to start by throwing a question at you: who determines what is right or wrong? Is it the laws of a country, a God some of us believe in — One who others are yet to know about, or a group of philosophers? Your question, when looked at through a morality or ethical scope, will lead us down a road of endless debates. Obviously not what you are looking for. The question "is it right or wrong?", is usually rooted in the internal battle (temptations) we all go through: to do, or not to do. At the beginning of every temptation, our first reaction is to think of ways to counter it. When this happens, some of us turn to the laws of our religion or country; others, a promise they made to themselves ...

Today freedomdevotional.com is rolling out a new product called Ask|Me. The story behind Ask Me In October of 2010, I went over to a pastor friend's house. Actually he was a friend to my parents. I went with a lot of questions on my mind. At the time, I was being battered by a lot of temptations and I needed to know: 1) What would have happened to my soul if I fell and 2) The best way to flee from a major temptation that was awaiting me... When I got to his place however, I couldn't ask him my questions; I was scared he would condemn me or tell my parents about my personal struggles (which I had kept secret for years.) I went back home with my questions, and as you guessed it, the temptation caught up with and over took me. I believe many people like me a while back, have similar questions and are scared of asking anyone for the fear of being condemned and so forth. This is why this product was created: for you. Using the product Send your questions to the as...

Personality may be viewed as consisting of stable characteristics that explain why a person behaves in a certain way.   Many people would love to to know why Hitler did the things he did. Many of us would love to understand why some people in society, just don't seem to get the basic principles of sanitation. Some would also love to understand why countless innocent kids, who never ever bothered anyone in their schools committed suicide. We would also love to know why the world is in a state of turmoil, and why there is so much injustice in it among other things. Social scientists will tell us that there are many factors that make up an individual's personality; factors ranging from a person's ethnic origin, culture, early family experiences and so forth. However, when filtered, we would realize that there are only two major factors that make up individuals: love and hate. No matter what part of the world a person lives in, he or she can and will only be shaped by the...

Verse John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Message Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that i do shall he do also." Pause! How on earth are we going to do His mighty works, if we do not have the same resources He had? Actually we do. Jesus made the final provision or resource available to all of us on the day of Pentecost. On that day, He sent the Holy Ghost. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ( Acts 1:8 ) We have all been given a ministry of reconciliation. A ministry that is birthed after the born again experience. This is confirmed in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20,  " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;...

Verses John 21:15-17 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Message One of the things I love most about my kindergarten teachers (like all my other teachers) is that, they taught me all they needed to teach me—the abcd's and how to spell—and held nothing back. They loved me even when I didn't know much about loving people, and disciplined me when I caused trouble in class: they...

Verses Romans 7:18-20 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Romans 7:24-25 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Message If we would all be honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that, there are many things we do that we wish we never did or ever started doing. No theory can explain this, and even the knowledge gathered from the fact that, 'hate-filled experiences from a person's past, have the power to send them on a quest to find love in the wrong places', isn't enough to keep us from indulging in acts...

Verses 1 Timothy 1:5-7 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. Message The gospel is so simple that the devil wants to and has complicated it. From the introduction of strange names of demons into the church; to the farrago of doctrines that make us feel devilish every time we fail to live by them; to teachings that are so confusing that, even the preachers, as Paul said, don't understand what they themselves preach. Paul also stated in Colossians 2:18-23 that, many things that were and are being introduced into the body of Christ, do nothing to stop us from indulging in the flesh. So what is the gospel all about? The gospel is a revelation of the person who would enable us to do the things that only God can do: Jesus Christ. In Ga...

Verse James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you... Message Many people are looking for God, but when they find Him or are close to meeting Him, they turn away; their decisions are usually based on preconceptions of who He is. People want to worship a supreme being or a god who can offer them all their needs in this life: power, peace and everything they lack. People want a god they can have a relationship with. We all yearn for a Godly Father because, at one point in time or another we felt like spiritual orphans being battered by the cares of life, which took advantage of us because we were all alone. Spiritual orphans jump from temple to temple, church to church or any other place of worship in search of something or someone real. They are looking for God, and He is right around them, waiting for them to draw close to Him: to understand why He sent His Son Jesus, so that they can receive everything in Him. Amen

Verses Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Message Much learning has the power to make one mad. When this happens, doctrines, teachings and theories,  that also cause others to slowly go mad  are birthed. Learning that is geared at challenging the Creator; trying to understand His wisdom by our own might, can lead, and has led a lot of people down the road to madness. Festus thought the same had happened to Paul, after he narrated his profound testimony (See Acts 26:24). But as Paul exclaimed, he received everything via revelation, not when he was on a quest to und...

Verses 1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli [a High Priest of Shiloh] were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord . Message There is a saying that goes like this, "most pastors kids are naughty; or the nature of most pastors kids totally contrasts that of their parents." This is weird, considering the fact that they (the parents) have dedicated their lives to ensuring that other people's kids, and families as a whole, do not stray away from the gospel. It's easy to point fingers at the devil for attacking the weaker ones in these homes, that is, the kids. However, we need to bear in mind that, he (the devil) always looks for an opening through which he can attack them — just like he did with Adam and Eve, who were more or less "pastors kids". The opening he used to gain access into the lives of Adam and Eve, was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or rather one law: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of...

Verses Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Message What's the point of having over a 100 friends or followers, if we can not make a difference in their lives? What's the point in calling them friends, if we do not treat them as friends, but rather, like familiar faces on a "friends list"? We all love it when our friend or follower counters goes up. "Oh I have got a new follower...Someone just followed me, they love me or are interested in engaging with my content," we say. We all yearn to be loved, and these counters help in feeding our "love hunger". However, the question is, how hungry are our followers? How hungry are they to...

Verse Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Message For many, the desire to quit an addiction fluctuates like a thermostat. At one point in time, these individuals feel like quitting. However, when the guilt they feel after falling into temptation subsides, they once again wrestle with, and fall back into the same old temptations: indulging in the very things they wanted to quit. The question is, why the inconsistency? Why are we hungry for righteousness at one point in time, and for unrighteousness at another? It's hard to fathom our double-minded behavior, however, or thankfully, the Word of God gives us the key to understanding the reason behind our falls. This key lies in Genesis 3:4-5, "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Over the years, beg...

Over the years, after the death of Jesus Christ, two types of Christians have emerged. They are the lawyers and the "gracers." The lawyers are typically the ones, who like the Pharisees, "pick up stones to kill the woman caught in the act of adultery" (See John 8:1-11).  Lawyers like any other lawyer, know the law, but this doesn't mean they are capable of living up to it — knowledge is nothing without application. The lawyers are — because of their knowledge of the law, good at pointing out people's flaws and sins whiles secretly concealing theirs. For this reason, Jesus called them a generation of vipers (See Matthew 12:34) and hypocrites (See Mark 7:6). 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34) 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips,...

Verses Proverbs 31:3-4 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Message Many of us young folks, have at a point in our lives received advise from our parents or guardians on various topics pertaining to relationships, sex, drugs and probably every other social ill that destroyed the lives of their peers back in their day. We listened to their wise words, and promised never to indulge in certain acts. However as we grew up, things changed. We began doing the very things we promised never to do. Some of us began living secret lives, and this led us to perceive our parents as the enemy. Some of us grew rebellious: a contrast to the kids our parents were advising a few years back. So what happened? Why did we break the promises we made? What caused us to transform into the people we now "hate"? Many of us look in the mirror once in ...