Daily Devotion for Men

HonorBound Devotion: June 21, 2010

Read 1 Chronicles 12:18 – Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

"We are yours, O David;

We are on your side, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

And peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”  (NKJV)

Fight Like a Man

This was a time of transition.  Saul was dead.  David was to be king.  It was evident to these fighting men that God’s hand and anointing was upon David’s life and ministry.  These men committed themselves to their leader “we are yours…we are on your side.”

What if men demonstrated this same attitude towards their pastor and started fighting in prayer on behalf of the pastor and the church?  Join the fight, the fight that takes place on your knees.  The greatest victories are won by those who “fight” in prayer.

– Cecil Culbreth serves as president of His Story Ministries, equipping the church to pray on behalf of students in America.

HonorBound Devotion: June 18, 2010

Read James 5:11 – As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

We all need heroes in life. Real heroes are those who come up strong and persistent in trials and live life to the fullest. The scriptures are full of those people we should and could model our lives after. Has there ever been a more powerful example for us than Job? He gained great wealth, influence, power and happiness and lost it all almost instantly. He lost his wealth, children, fortune and the ability to trust the advice of his wife but never his confidence in God. He is to us an example of knowing that the game of life is not over and how to live when the chips are down. His convictions always kept his faith intact even when there were days and moments of doubt.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 17, 2010

Read James 5:10 – Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Sometimes the best way to learn something is to watch others and take note of how they respond in similar situations. The Bible is full of godly examples of people who responded both well and not so well to the tests of life. Study them and you can learn both what you should and should not do. Suffering is not pleasant, but it does produce in us the fruit of righteousness.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 16, 2010

Read James 5:9 – Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

The second hardest thing in the world is to keep a good attitude. The hardest thing is to not let others know how you feel when you have a rotten attitude. Longsuffering and patience are fruits that need to be worked into our lives. The only way you can be proficient in these fruits is to experience the difficulties that give opportunity to practice them. The Lord is judging our actions as we go though those difficult times to see what fruit we are producing through trials. What is He finding on your tree today?

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 15, 2010

Read James 5:7-8 – Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Life can be hard when you have little means and the economy is fragile. It is hard when you do what is right and it is rebuffed as wrong. All over the earth we see inequity, heartlessness, trouble and pain. It seems that the woes of this earth only get worse each rising day. If we are not careful we will look at the signs of the times and let them determine our outlook. All that we see today should not discourage us but cause us to look more intently for the Second Coming of Christ. We have to be patient and firm in our hope in the Lord. He is coming and in the hour men least expect Him.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 14, 2010

Read 1 Chronicles 12:38 – All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. (NKJV)

Fight Like a Man

These men were experienced fighters.  They were organized.  They had a specific purpose.  Nothing was going to stop them.  They were prepared to fight like men.  Are you ready to “fight” for your kids and grandkids?  The greatest battle for your kids and grandkids will be fought on your knees in prayer.  With Father’s Day approaching, make a commitment to fight for a generation in prayer.  Be courageous and take a stand on behalf of the youth and children of our nation.  Somebody needs to fight for our kids.

– Cecil Culbreth serves as president of His Story Ministries, equipping the church to pray on behalf of students in America.

HonorBound Devotion: June 11, 2010

Read James 5:5-6 – You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Sad is the man who lives only for himself. The man who can live in luxury while others live in lack is wrong when it is in his power to relieve some of the load. When we have abundance we should be sure that there are not those around us who might need some consideration. Men who live selfish, indulgent lives are in the wrong. Men who are so selfish that they feel they have to push every person close to them away are really sad. God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing to others.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 10, 2010

Read James 5:4 – Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

If someone works for you then you should pay them their wages according to the agreement made. People who work from one contract to the next many times live paycheck to paycheck. They don’t often have much reserve. For the man employing day labor, a loss of a salary may mean you have to put off a purchase. For a laborer the loss may affect dinner for his family. The man who labors is worthy of his wages. Act fair with others and God will bless your endeavors.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 9, 2010

Read James 5:2-3 – Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

We have such a ridiculous sense of value. We measure wealth by home appraisals, only to have houses get old, lose value and cause us to be frustrated. Men think gold, stocks, rubies or diamonds will survive the inflation of life. How God must shake His head at our foolishness. The greatest investment in life is to win souls. He said, “He who wins souls is wise.” On the other side, the man that ignores or loses souls in his pursuit of money is foolish.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 8, 2010

Read James 5:1 – Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

Wealth itself is not a bad thing and people who have it should not be looked down on for their financial success. The problem with wealth comes when people think it can insulate them from hard times. There are a lot of wonderful comforts that wealth can buy. But there are also a lot of things all the money in the world cannot purchase. It can get you the best doctors, but it cannot buy healing from a deadly disease. Wealth can buy you a house, but it cannot buy a happy home. Wealth can make life appear better, but it cannot assure you of it always being so. We have assurance in Christ that He will be with us always even when good times are not.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 7, 2010

Read Genesis 32:30-32 – So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank. (NKJV)

A Man’s Model Prayer

With just a few words Jacob gives us the ultimate objective of prayer—an encounter with God. “I have seen God face to face.” While God wants us to present our needs to Him in prayer we must always keep in focus that the real objective in prayer is to come together with God. It is because of this encounter with God that our needs are met. Jacob’s life was drastically changed because of this encounter. Every time he walked, he was reminded of that experience with God. May it be evident to those around us that “we have been with Jesus.”

– Cecil Culbreth serves as president of His Story Ministries, equipping the church to pray on behalf of students in America.

HonorBound Devotion: June 4, 2010

Read James 4:17 – Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

There are many ways to sin in life. They range from lies to murder. We could note them but never exhaust the list of sins, so I will not try to do so. Then there are the sins we can commit by not acting on the right things in life. When men know the things that are right and they are silent and unresponsive, it is also a sin. When the opportunity to do good is neglected it is as bad as knowing to not do evil and still doing it. As men we need the courage to not only refrain from sin but the courage to speak up for righteousness.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 3, 2010

Read James 4:16 – As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

Boasting and bragging is foolishness. The weakest men are those who build a wall around themselves of their exploits and strengths. If a man has to tell someone how great he is, it is probably an indication of how small he really is. He may convince some with his flowery description of himself but he will be exposed when he has to produce. Too many men over-promise and under-deliver in life. It is much better for a man to boast only in Christ and never exalt his feats. Greater is the man who humbles himself and allows God to exalt him.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 2, 2010

Read James 4:15 – Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

The man who lives his life yielded to the Lord’s will is a wise man. Rare is the man that lives such a yielded life on the purposes of Christ. This man will find that he will have an abundance of happiness. No man can find true joy if he struggles to take control of his life with his own hands, while ignoring the hand of God. Real strength is revealed in a man strong enough to submit to the will of God in everyday life.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: June 1, 2010

Read James 4:13-14 – Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Sadly many men think that their destiny is in their own hands. These men believe that in their own power they can determine when they will do something or how they will manage their life. The truth is we have no idea what will be revealed by the receding darkness of a new day. It only takes one visit to the doctor and the words of some disease to turn a sunny day cloudy. Life that is firmly held in youth seems but a fleeting moth in old age. A good euphemism for one’s life is “As the mist arises from the ground in the morning and is burned off quickly by the sun.” Never assume you know the outcome of your life by what is happening today. Live each day as if it is the last one you may have because it could be the very last one you live.
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: May 31, 2010

Read Genesis 32:27-29 – So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray."  And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.  (NKJV)

A Man’s Model Prayer

Jacob was so hungry for the blessing of God on his life that he was willing to “struggle” with God in prayer.  True prayer begins with a desire that is birthed in your heart—a passion to see God work in your life and the lives of those around you.  When your prayer flows from your passion, you will prevail—that is, you will be victorious with God and man.  Jacob had prayed, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.” (v. 26) Jacob prevailed in prayer and God “blessed him there”.

– Cecil Culbreth serves as president of His Story Ministries, equipping the church to pray on behalf of students in America.

HonorBound Devotion: May 28, 2010

Read James 4:12 – There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

God is the Supreme Court of the heavens. His word is final and conclusive in all matters. He is able to save and restore any man in any situation. He is also able to pass judgment on any nation and to carry out the sentence if He so wishes. He is all-powerful, all-knowing and ever present. Now put Him on one side of the picture and place yourself on the other side. Who do you really think you are in contrast and comparison to Him? Ask yourself if you really should be judging others when He is judging you?

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: May 27, 2010

Read James 4:11 – Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

It is way too easy to slander others with little thought of the seriousness of it. It not only does damage to others but it also reveals negative traits about the slanderer. It reveals ignorance of the scriptures’ teaching and lack of respect for that teaching. When you disobey the scripture there is a penalty to be paid as a result of your sin. The Lord takes up the cause of those who cannot defend themselves. Sin in itself has a self-acting release when man practices it. The scripture teaches that the soul that sins will die. Spiritual death or separation from God is the result of sin. So if you are being slandered, don’t retaliate. If you are slandering others, beware.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: May 26, 2010

Read James 4:9-10 – Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

True sorrow over sin has a dramatic effect on any man’s life. When men truly see Christ for who He is – Righteous, Holy and True – it is overwhelming. Then the mirror of the Holy Spirit shows us who we really are – wretched, sinful and lost – which is equally overwhelming. It is then that godly sorrow is experienced. When a man does not care who sees him cry, mourn or wail over his life then that man has truly humbled himself before God. It is then that God lifts a man out of the miry clay of sin into a great place of salvation. Pride and humility are opposites. They cannot exist at the same time in any man.

– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.

HonorBound Devotion: May 25, 2010

Read James 4:8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Men who run from God can never expect God to help them. It isn’t that God doesn’t want to help men. Rather, God can only help those who submit to Him by putting their trust in Him. To come near God is to know you are safer the closer you are to Him. Why is it that men will run from that which they need the most? The main reason is sin. Sin makes worldly things looker better than they really are and makes God look worse than He could ever be. Wash your hands of the life of sin, change your heart and make up your mind to serve God and the Lord will come near your life!
– David Raley serves as the Field Representative for Light for the Lost.