Monthly Archives: August 2015

August 31st 2015 – Stand and Fight!

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We as Christians, are in a continual battle against our adversary, the devil. He is not an enemy of flesh and blood but rather a spirit being.

His sole intent is to cause havoc for each one of us in order to get us off track of the plan God has for our lives. He waits until we’re at a vulnerable place before bringing forth his attack. This is why we have to be on our guard every single day.

Scripture tells us.

“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

There are times when we may feel like our backs are against the wall with no way out. The thought of having to fight the giants of life in order to move forward can be intimidating. This is when the enemy comes alongside us to speak words of fear and doubt.

Satan is always trying to discourage us from believing that we will ever walk in triumph. He is a liar and the king of all lies. We can either stand and fight or run and hide, the choice is ours to make. It doesn’t mater what the circumstances look like and what the devil says. The most important thing is what God’s Word says about our particular situation.

“So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word” (Hebrews 10:23).

“Second Corinthians 10:4-5 teaches us that our weapons are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds in our mind. Casting down imaginations, thoughts, reasonings, and theories that don’t agree with God’s Word requires us to use our offensive weapon-the Word of God coming out of our mouth. When we speak, it becomes a two-edged sword that defeats the enemy with one edge and opens the blessings of heaven with the other. There are many other weapons that are defensive, but the Word is offensive-it chases the enemy, driving him back.”

We should never be the ones who back down from Satan in defeat. No! We must be bold in our faith and continue to push back the powers of darkness by using God’s Word as our weapon. Satan fears those who truly grasp hold of God’s Word and begin using it to their advantage. He knows the power the Word carries, and that he is no match against it.

“Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written…” (Matthew 4:10)

God sent forth His Son, Jesus, to die for us so we could have victory over the evil one. Our victory was bought with the price of Jesus’ blood. We, therefore, are protected by the blood of Christ and because of this protection Satan cannot have dominion over us.

Radical, Violent, Passionate Prayer

There is something about fighting in prayer that is radical, violent, and passionate. It is a fight, not a joke. Read Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

And God wants us to fight the devil and his demons. God does not give us the weapons of warfare (Ephesians 6:10-16) so we can just dress up and look like soldiers—only to run away when the war starts. He has given us those weapons so we can fight and win. He expects us to win.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

*  Put on the full Armor of God, stand against the devil’s schemes. 

*  Struggle against principalities and powers

*  Weapons of warfare

*  Bind and loose

*  Take it by force

*  Resist the devil

*  Tread on

We should not be afraid of fighting this war. We are called and equipped to be soldiers of Christ. God has given us everything we need to win; he has assured us of victory, and those who overcome shall reign with Jesus forever. Therefore arise, fight, and never give up.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I am in the middle of spiritual warfare. I day upon you for guidance and strength in this battle against the enemy that is seeking to destroy my life and my family. I am claiming Victory in the name of Jesus Christ! I love you Lord and will stand firm in all battles because You are with me. In your precious Name… Amen.

Discover how you can find strengh and victory with Jesus. Click Here

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 30th 2015 – Thoughts

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“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

It is significant that when our Lord describes the stream of iniquity as it flows out of the heart He begins with the thoughts. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”  (Matthew 15:19)

It is doubtful whether any sin is ever committed until it first incubates in the thoughts long enough to stir the feelings and predispose the will toward it favorably. Even the sudden flash of anger, which of all sins would appear on the surface to have the lowest mental content, is anything but a sudden eruption of the emotions. The quick-tempered man is one who habitually broods over wrongs and insults and thus conditions himself for the sudden fit of temper that seems to have no mental origin.

The short-tempered person is given to fits of rage. Long-temperedness (patience) is part of the fruit of the Spirit as is gentleness and self-control. That fruit is produced in us as we walk by under the Spirits control. The heart that has had the benefit of broad, sane thinking on moral questions, especially long meditation upon mans sin, Gods mercy and the goodness of Christ in dying for His enemies, is not conditioned to blow up when occasion arises. The worst reaction to an affront or an injustice will be annoyance or mild irritation, never a burst of sinful anger.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to relate to other people as You do to me, with great patience, grace and gentleness. Lord God, also help me take charge over my thoughts when they are starting to drift. To overcome them, which destroy the nature of You in me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, Click Here!

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 29th 2015 – Pray for the Glory of God

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“Please show me your Glory!” (Exodus 33:18)

Imagine what this short prayer means! The children of Israel were delayed in their journey because of idolatry. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, they made a golden calf to have a god like the other nations. God was very angry and Moses, bless him he threw down the stone tablets that were written by the finger of God. After confronting the people about their sin, the perpetrators were put to death.

Moving forward, God made this suggestion: that His Presence—the fire during the night and the cloud during the day—would no longer accompany them, lest the next time He “consume” them. In His stead He would send an angel to guide them.

Moses could not tolerate this. If the Presence of God did not go with them, Moses said he did not want to go. Better to remain in the wilderness with the Presence of God than to go to the Promised Land without Him! So, God gave Moses the assurance that indeed, He would go with them. God affirmed that He had heard Moses’ prayer, saying that Moses had “found favor in His sight.”

Moses is not content with this simple promise but prays that he might see God’s Glory. Although we should not expect to physically see the Glory of God as Moses did, we should and must pray that we would share Moses’ passionate desire for the Glory of God.

Can we see this relationship still operating even today? I believe we can. When we offer our bodies as living sacrifices; our future, our plans, our possessions and our lives, to the Lord–His glory begins to be revealed as His Spirit works in and through us. Called by Him to be more and more like Yeshua (Jesus), the people of God should be a people of sacrifice. Do you want to see the glory of God filling every aspect of your life? Then lay your life upon the altar in surrender to His perfect will–you will watch in amazement as He takes your offering and turns it to a beautiful testimony of His glory.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the heart of Moses, who cared only to see Your glory. And I pray that we would so strongly desire to know You that they would be willing to sacrifice time and energy just to be assured that You are pleased with us all, give us a holy desire to glorify You in our private lives, in our public lives, and in all our associations. May You be our most prized treasure. I pray You will get glory from our lives.

Help us to get to know You as well as it is possible for us as sinners to know You in this life. Today, show us Your glory through Your Word and help us to reflect this glory to others. Let us be like Moses who did not know that his face shone—let us live in Your presence and radiate Your presence to others. Consume us with a desire to see You glorified in our lives. Show us Your Glory! We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, please click here.

August 28th 2015 – Seeking Jesus

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“If you seek me with all your heart you will find me. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

The Lord encourages us to seek Him with all our heart and all our soul. If we do pursue Him with everything within us, He promises that we will find Him. I imagine this to be similar to a child’s game of hide and seek. When my children were young, they would love to play this game with me, They would turn towards the wall and close their eyes and count to ten.

In the mean time, I would scamper off into another part of the house to find a place in which to hide. At the count of ten, my children in much delight would begin their quest to find me. Their anticipation would build as they would open every closet door and look under every bed.

While the searching part of the game was always fun, it was the finding part that was the best part of the game! I never chose a place too hard for my children to find me. I loved the moment when the children would finally catch me. Our cry of “You found me!” and their cry of “I found you!” would happen simultaneously followed by a mutual celebration that the game was over.

The game wouldn’t have been fun if my intention was to hide so that my children would never find me. The fun is in being found. I think it is the same way in our relationship with God. When He calls us to search for Him, He never hides Himself so well that He cannot be found.

Prayer

Father, I am thankful that You do not make it difficult for me to find You, for You are never far away and are always happy to be found! I pray that I might pursue You with all my heart and my soul, all the while having a child-like anticipation of finding You! In the name of your beloved Son Jesus I pray, Amen.

Seeking Jesus, here’s how to find Him

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

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August 27th 2015 – My ultimate expression of my love for you.

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“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10 ) 

It is one thing to say the words “I love you”, and it is quite another thing to prove your love. God did not only say that He loved us, He practically demonstrated it by sending us His only Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

While we all need an intellectual understanding of God’s love, many of us struggle to actually feel God’s love in the realm of our emotions. And if we don’t “feel” His love, we can spiral down to a place ruled by our emotions where we begin to question if He loves us at all.

It is at these times that we need to be reminded of God’s own definition of love found in 1 John 4:10… This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Father did everything that He could possibly do to prove His unwavering love towards us when He sent us Jesus.

When we struggle to believe that God loves us, we need not go any farther than the cross to see the full expression of His love. When your feelings question God’s love for you, let faith rise up in your heart and thank your Father for His complete expression of love demonstrated in the work of the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Father, I thank You for your sacrifice of your Son Jesus, it was the ultimate expression of Your love for us. Please forgive us for the times when we have questioned your love for us. I believe that You love us and have demonstrated that love once and for all through the cross. I pray that the truth of Your love for us will be the bedrock of my faith even during the times when I don’t feel loved. In the name of Your beloved Son Jesus I pray, Amen

interested in experiencing God’s ultimate love?

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 26th 2015 – Victory with the Power of the Holy Spirit

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“Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.” (Judges 14:5-6)

“And she (Delilah) said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” (Judges 16:20)

Samson is a powerful example of a man of God who won his battles over and over again because the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Yet when he was finally defeated by Delilah’s temptations he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him, the woman’s spell was so errective.

The enemy is subtle and the temptations of the flesh can so quickly quench the presence and power of God’s spirit that we may not even realize it has happened. But this anointing of the Holy Spirit is our Life….and our victory. Opposition can be destroyed and burdens can be lifted when His wonderful Presence fills and rests upon us. Our greatest battle is maintaining that internal communion with Him by His Spirit. Temptations, bad habits, our sinful nature, demonic attacks, all these collaborate to rob us of this holy anointing, our communion with God, and our only real power over every enemy!

Samson’s victories vividly demonstrate the tremendous power of the anointing. His power over the Philistines was legendary and truly heroic. But when he lost his anointing, they nearly destroyed him. How critical it is in these days to keep our lamps burning with the Holy “oil” of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) anointing. His goodness will defeat the evils around us…His light will banish darkness…His joy will annihilate our depression…His forgiveness will root out all bitterness…His love will overcome our natural hatred…and every subtle deception will be exposed by His excellent TRUTH! Seek HIS ANOINTING, the fullness of the Holy Spirit — He will equip you to break every yoke of bondage and defeat every internal and external enemy.

Please don’t find yourself in the condition of Samson, in the arms of his lust, not even realizing that the anointing had left him. The cost was enormous, even though he was restored. Instead, guard yourself against the subtle temptations of this world seeking more and more of His indwelling Presence. That anointing will produce one victory after another. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father

You know the thirst each of us have! Lord we as your children come to ask You to fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Lord! We have come to the last days and You have promised to pour out Your Spirit upon all flesh! I claim in Your promise and plead for Your Holy Spirit Lord! Your Word says whoever asks shall receive! Let Your Holy Spirit step into my heart Lord and let His mighty presence engulf me even now! Lord cleanse me of all my sins and short comings so that Your Holy Spirit can dwell in me. Lord! Unless He comes into my life, I can never lead a flawless life before You! So we need Your Spirit. We open my heart to You, come in and take control of our whole being and quench our thirst Lord!I thank You Lord right now for granting us this precious gift. Let Him be my sweet companion for ever and let Him direct my steps. We know You have answered this prayer because we ask this in the most precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Click here if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior 

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 25th 2015 – Praising God

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Yesterday after work I stopped by our local Christian bookstore. After I found a few titles on my list to read, I proceeded to the counter to checkout. While talking to the gentleman at the counter I told him about what God has led me to do with this website. I praised God for how He has provided me insperation and direction in what God had placed in my heart. Then how to verbally articulate the messages.

I then let the clerk know the stats. In approximately 40 days we have experienced incredible growth, far beyond what I could have imangined.  So here it goes,,  The Scriptural Seeds website has on average 700 people a day from 14 countries reading the daily devotions.  We also have had 32 precious individuals ask Jesus into there heart. Praise God…. I can not describe how humbled I feel that God has allowed someone like me to share the gospel in such a way.

It is easy to praise God when the sun is shining in our lives as I mentioned above. It’s easy to praise Him when we are greatful for promotions at work, when children are doing well in school or even as adults. But when the storm clouds gather, the grades start to slip, and the pink slips are read, the last thing we feel like doing is praising God. Yet, this is the very time when we need to lift our voices to Him in praise.

When we praise God, we proclaim our faith in Him. The psalmist writes, “As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure” (Psalm 71:14-15).

A sacrifice of praise is something that we offer to God — in times of well being and in times of sorrow. Never allow praise to become a habit or a trite activity. It is a priceless honor to kneel before the throne of our Lord and Savior.

One of the greatest misconceptions concerning praise is that it is something we do for God. However, nothing could be further from the truth. God does not need our praise, but certainly, He desires it. He knows when life takes an unexpected turn toward sorrow or when a serious illness lingers for months and even years, praise has the ability to lighten our hearts and fill us with a sense of love and security that can only come from one place, heaven’s throne.

Praise teaches us to be joyful and thankful regardless of our circumstances. It prepares us for God’s service and helps us to see beyond our present circumstances to the immense possibilities that are ours through faith in Jesus Christ.

No matter how deep our sorrow or how grave our circumstances may seem, we can learn to praise God while acknowledging His sovereignty over our lives.

This sounds like good advice, but what do you do when life becomes so dark that it seems impossible to praise God? How do you lift your voice to the Lord in praise when your spouse has left you or your best friend is suffering from cancer? How do you praise God when you have just received word that your loved one has met a sudden death?

You begin by realizing that praise is a sacrifice, an offering to the Lord. It does not lesson our sorrow or, in many cases, change our immediate circumstances. It will, however, bring light to our darkness, a light that Satan cannot extinguish.

Joy and Praise Provide Fresh Strength

Nehemiah wrote, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Praise teaches us to turn our eyes away from circumstances to the One who has the ability to heal, save, renew, and mend every broken heart.

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is something we experience for a moment and is often short lived. Joy is eternal. It comes only as a result of living a life of praise. Praise comes as a result of a heart that is overflowing with joy that may even come in lonely moments. Suddenly, you find yourself being comforted by the One who created you and who understands your grief and sorrow. You may feel as though you cannot praise God but if you will just take a step toward praise, you will sense God’s arms surrounding you.

Your praise can be as simple as this: “To you, Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, my God.” Let praise steady your heart when trouble comes and gain God’s perspective on your current situation. Take time to thank God for what He has done for you. He has saved you and given you an opportunity to know and love Him. Remember He loves you with an unconditional love and will not withhold His love from you.

Our deepest gratitude, honor, and glory belong to the Lord. Praise Him for He is worthy to be praised! (Psalm 18:3)

My Prayer

Lord, I praise You! You are marvelous. Wondrous. Glorious. I praise You for the glory of Your grace, the riches of Your mercy, the abundance of Your blessings, the depths of Your kindness, the greatness of Your power, the splendor of Your majesty, and the overwhelming generosity of Your love. I see Your goodness in every direction I turn.

I praise You for the miracles You work, for the mystery of Your ways, for all the things about You that are past finding out. You are above and beyond anything I could know, think, or ever imagine about You.

I praise You for working in my heart, for being in my day, for sustaining me each moment. I praise You for each time you made a way for me when there seemed to be none, for each time You came to me with an answer when I didn’t know what to do; for each time You revealed something new about the wisdom of Your will and the goodness of Your ways.

I praise you for my beautiful wife Tina, how she is so loving and kind, supportive and caring, for my children, how when they seemed lost you you turned each of their lives around. I thank you for Marissa, Michael and Larry, may you bless them and their families. I praise you for my grandkids Lane and Lila. And also for my mother and how you Lord have shown me miracles time after time in her recovery. I praise you for our best friend Stacey, my childhood friend Lynette, for my wifes parents and our family.  My job and my wonderful customers. i praise you Lord for mentor Roy and his heart of prayer and encouragement.  I praise you for each soul that you lead my way Lord. May I forever continue to love like you love me and share your message. I praise you for my church family.

I praise You for the unique way You made me and for the unexpected ways You use me. I praise You with a happy heart, with uplifted hands, with a voice of singing, and with a shout of joy, for You alone are the God of all my joys!

In Jesus precious name, Amen.

(That is how you praise God in prayer!)

If you want to ask Jesus into your heart, or recommit your life to the Lord Please click here

Pastor Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 24th 2015 – Jesus is Coming Back Soon

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“But don’t forget this, dear friends. . . . He isn’t really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent.” (2 Peter 3:8,9)

Look around us,  everything is changing so quickly, right before our eyes and at such an alarming rate. If you have ever read the Holy Bible,  it should come as no suprise how this story goes.

Many people are asking, “Where is history heading?” A careful student of the Bible will be led to see that God controls the clock of destiny. Amid the world’s confusion, God’s omnipotent hand moves, working out His unchanging plan and purpose. Jesus Christ is coming to earth again. It is Christ who is in control, and He will determine the outcome.

George Whitefield, a great English evangelist, said, “I am daily waiting for the coming of the Son of God.” But he did not sit down and do nothing. He burned out his life in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.

If you have any questions about what you must do know Jesus personally click here!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, deliver us from slothfulness, keep us  quickened to deliver Your message of salvation to everyone who will listen, until that day we die or You return again. We thank you for Your love and presence,  we praise You for the day when Jesus returns. Amen.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Minstries

August 23rd 2015 – Our Salvation is Free

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“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)

Salvation is free! God puts no price tag on the Gift of gifts—it’s free! Preachers are not salesmen, for they have nothing to sell. They are bearers of Good News, the good tidings that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Money can’t buy it. Man’s righteousness can’t earn it. Social prestige can’t help you acquire it. Morality can’t purchase it. It is, as Isaiah said, “without money and without price.”

God is not a bargaining God. You cannot barter with Him. You must do business with Him on His own terms. He holds in His omnipotent hand the priceless, precious, eternal gift of salvation, and He bids you to take it without money and without price. The best things in life are free, are they not? The air we breathe is not sold by the cubic foot. The water which flows crystal clear from the mountain stream is free for the taking. Love is free, faith is free, hope is free.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Even though my salvation was obtained only through the costliest sacrifice ever made, You freely gave it to me. Lord, I praise You for this gift so lovingly given. Thank you Lord

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 22nd 2015 – God Opens Doors When We Least Expect It

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What if today, right out of the clear blue sky, or tonight, out under the stars, God placed before you a clear-cut opportunity for an adventure in faith with Him? Are you ready? Ready to lace up your shoes, step through that door, and follow Him?

Why do we always tend to turn away from open doors, from the prospect of new adventures in faith? Why do we let opportunity after opportunity pass us by, even though we feel a stirring of desire and a tug on our hearts to respond? What holds us back?

I think many of us feel too busy in life, often we are too tangled up and weighed down by our past to step into God’s purpose today. How sad is that, We lose “today” because of “yesterday.” Life flows on by, and age creeps up on us while we remain mired in doubts, fears, and hesitations.

Have you ever met some older person, now physically unable to work or travel, who could only look back on life with regrets? It’s not a happy story. Some older man will say, “Years ago I had the opportunity to serve the Lord overseas—and deep down, I really wanted to go. But I had a good job, and I was climbing the ladder. So I held back. Then the opportunity passed me by—and it never came again.”

Or some older lady saying, “My husband and I couldn’t have children. He wanted to adopt a baby girl from China, but I was afraid, I kept stalling the decision, and we never did. Now my husband’s gone, and here I am with no one in my life. It would be so wonderful to have a daughter or son.”

Life is too short to live with regrets! Life is too precious to turn away from promising opportunities to serve the King in His kingdom.

The psalmist said,

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” (Psalm 119:32)

That’s what we want. To just run and run and run into His will and the paths of His purpose. With a light heart, a clear eye, and hope rushing bank-high through the channels of our heart.

But we can’t run if we have huge packs on our backs or ropes tangling up our feet that keep us from embracing God Adventures. Be open when God calls, even out of the blue.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise you for all of the opportunities that you provide for us. Please forgive us when we don’t pay attention or allow procrastination to get in the way. I pray that we, your children would spend more time in prayer seeking Your will, Your guidance and Your direction in our lives. I pray father God that when we  come across an open door to serve you that we ask for Your direction and have faith that You are our God. In Jesus precious name. Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries