My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don’t have a family to pray with, who don’t have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I’m facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children’s cases about something they’re doing. Don’t be shocked; this is real life.
Welcome to the Whyte House Family Devotion #94
SING “GLORIA PATRI”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
World without end. Amen.
Henry Ward Beecher said, “The world’s battlefields have been in the heart chiefly; more heroism has been displayed in the household and the closet, than on the most memorable battlefields in history.”
GENERAL PRAYER
RECITE: THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic [universal] and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
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DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: PSALM 55:16-23
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
———
Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary regarding this passage, “In every trial let us call upon the Lord, and he will save us. He shall hear us, and not blame us for coming too often; the oftener we come, the more welcome we are. David had thought all were against him; but now he sees there were many with him, more than he supposed; and he gives God the glory for this, for it is he that raises up friends and makes them faithful to us. Believers have more real friends in their gloomy hours than they often suppose. David’s enemies should be reckoned with, and brought down; they could not ease themselves of their fears, as David could, by faith in God. The burden of afflictions is very heavy. The only relief is to look to Christ who bore it. Whatever it is that thou desirest God to give thee, leave it to him to give in his own way and time.”
PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERS
1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
President Donald Trump
Vice President Mike Pence
First Lady Melania Trump
Second Lady Karen Pence
Presidential aides: Deputy Assistant to the President and Strategist Ira A. Greenstein
Leaders of federal agencies: Attorney General Jeff Sessions
State governors: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey
City mayors: Durham, NC, Mayor Bill Bell
U.S. Senators: West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin
U.S. Representatives: California Representative Linda Sánchez
Police Chiefs: Buffalo, NY, Commissioner Daniel Derenda
Sheriffs: Oakland County, MI, Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard
Military Leaders: Admiral Michael S. Rogers, Director of the National Security Agency and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command
All law enforcement officials
Leaders of nations around the world: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani
PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Leaders of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church: Bishop Henry Williamson, Bishop Thomas Brown, Sr., and Bishop Kenneth W. Carter
PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
– For comfort for the families of the 2 people killed in an earthquake in Italy and for the recovery of the dozens wounded
– For the families of the sailors killed in a U.S. Navy destroyer collision with a tanker off the coast of Singapore
– For the families of the 2 people killed in a knife attack in Finland; and for the recovery of those who were wounded
– For the families of the 15 people killed in a terror attack in Barcelona; and for the recovery of the over 150 people injured.
– For the peace of Jerusalem: Psalm 122:6 says, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”
– Persecuted Christians around the world
PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA
CNN analysts John King, Mark Preston, and Jeffrey Toobin
PRAYER REQUESTS
Angelika
please be with her
Katarina
please improve, develop, and deepen the relationship between her and Dejan; make them a strong Christian couple and get married soon
Macarena
heal her child who has down syndrome and pneumonia
Marie
provide Kylie with a feeding tube and personal care; heal her of skin lesions and migraines; provide direction for them in the areas of housing and finances
Melwert
please restore his marriage
Sibusiso
help him to grow in You and know You more and more
Morine
please save all the non Christians in the world
Eero
help him to believe in You; give him power in prayer; fill him with Your Holy Spirit; give him the gifts of Your Grace
Esther
bless her son to do well in his degree program in Ukraine; fill her, her family, and her staff with your Holy Spirit; provide financially for their nonprofit; bless her children’s education
Wulikey
please bless his family and church with Bibles and Christian books
Daphne
please heal her son Jerred
Mahesh
help him to get his job back
PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST
Estelle
Janine
Vitallis
Fai
Augustine
Lorelie
Chrissy
PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO JESUS CHRIST
Mary
Annicha
Pascal
Lineo
Dorcas
Alimi
Nomakwezi
DEVOTIONAL READING: “I Indeed… But He,” by Oswald Chambers
Matthew 3:11 says, “I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Have I ever come to the point in my life where I can say, “I indeed…but He…”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. I indeed am at the end, and I cannot do anything more — but He begins right there — He does the things that no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come and do His work in me as long as there is anything blocking the way, whether it is something good or bad. When He comes to me, am I prepared for Him to drag every wrong thing I have ever done into the light? That is exactly where He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean is where He will put His feet and stand, and wherever I think I am clean is where He will remove His feet and walk away.
When John says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire,” he is not speaking of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience, but as a work performed by Jesus Christ. The only experience that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are ever conscious of is the experience of sensing their absolute unworthiness.
“I indeed” was this in the past, “but He” came and something miraculous happened. Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
*A lot more is said during the actual devotional than what is shown in the prepared guide above. Please listen to get the full devotional.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
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