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 #98
SING DOXOLOGY”
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Amen
Richard Baxter said, “If family religion were duly attended to and properly discharged, I think the preaching of the Word would not be the common instrument of conversion.”
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 57:7-11
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.
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Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary regarding this passage, “By lively faith, David’s prayers and complaints are at once turned into praises. His heart is fixed; it is prepared for every event, being stayed upon God. If by the grace of God we are brought into this composed frame of mind, we have great reason to be thankful. Our tongue is our glory, and never more so than when praising God; dull and sleepy devotions will never be acceptable to God. Let us awake early in the morning to begin the day with God. When God comes toward us with his favours, let us go forth to meet him with our praises. Let us seek to have our hearts fixed to praise his boundless mercy and unfailing faithfulness; and to glorify him with body, soul, and spirit, which are his.”
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: Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental and Technology Initiatives Reed Cordish
Leaders of federal agencies: Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin
State governors: California Governor Jerry Brown
City mayors: Winston-Salem, NC, Mayor Allen Joines
U.S. Senators: Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi
U.S. Representatives: California Representative Ken Calvert
Police Chiefs: Laredo, TX, Police Chief Claudio Trevino
Sheriffs: Fairfax County, VA, Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid
Military Leaders: General Gustave F. Perna, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command
All law enforcement officials
Leaders of nations around the world: Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Leaders of the Wesleyan Church: Executive Directors Anita Eastlack, Russ Gunsalus, Dennis Jackson, and Janelle Vernon
PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
– For the salvation, protection, and safety of all those affected by Hurricane Harvey
– For the families of the twelve people dead from Typhoon Hato
– For the recovery of the seven people, including 5 children, who are in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle in Rice Township, PA.
– For the families of the 20 people killed and the recovery of the dozens wounded in a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
– 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
Fox News anchors Bill Hemmer, Arthel Neville, and Uma Pemmaraju
PRAYER REQUESTS
Katarina
please improve, develop, and deepen the relationship between her and Dejan; make them a strong Christian couple and help them to get married soon
Raju
please give him the job You want him to have
Eric
please show him the meanings of the visions he is having
Chika
please provide him and his church with all the Bibles they need for new converts
Maricel
bless her with a child according to Your perfect time and will
Marie
please provide her and her family with all they need to make progress, as well as the right people to give them help and support
Tiffany
please bless her husband to face all challenges in his work and give him peace of mind, courage, and a God-fearing attitude; please bless her son and her mother to have healthy lives
Spencer
please bless his mother with success, guidance, and protection in her small business
Rodwell
help him to please You by working in the field You want him to work in
David
please bless the Christian motion picture he wants to make, have it to witness to many people and block the haters who are speaking against him
PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST
Jeanette
Sundara
Agnes
Mary
Diane
Arthur
Lovish
PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO JESUS CHRIST
Moffat
Joanie
Kizzy
Anne
Yohannes
Foday
Fredrick
DEVOTIONAL READING: “Living Your Theology” by Oswald Chambers
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. Jesus said, “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
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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!
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.
BCNN1 WP 