I had the honor and privelage to prepare and give a devotion on Loyalty to God for DCLS Class X last Tuesday. Never before have I felt so confident and just allowed God to speak thru me and use me. I had several people request to see my notes. I ended up writing it just like you would see a devotion in a devotional book or email. I pray that it moves beyond just that Tuesday Devo and speaks to your life as well.... ------------------------------ Devotions: Loyalty to God Megan Maze loyยทalยทty หloiษltฤ/ noun โข the quality of being loyal to someone or something. โข a strong feeling of support or allegiance. plural noun: loyalties - Synonyms: allegiance, faithfulness, obedience, adherence, homage, devotion; steadfastness, staunchness, trueheartedness, dependability, reliability, trustworthiness Mark 8:34-38 NLT // "Then calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.โ Loyalty today has become lost in the world around us. Instead of focusing are allegiance to God, we allow ourselves to become attached to self made gods. These gods can be our family, our friends, our careers, the ministries we are involved in, music and sports. When our loyalty is placed in these things we begin to lose control of our lives even when we think we are in control. What we donโt realize is that placing our loyalty in these things opens us up for hurt, distrust and confusion. We then begin to find our acceptance in people, places and things and it destroys us. This is not what God has designed our lives for, if we focus on the things of Him our loyalty will be where it was designed to be. Our souls will be invested in him and not the things of this world. God is asking us to trust him and to allow him to take the wheel. It comes down to a choice. Everyday you have a choice to pick up your cross and carry it. A choice to focus on the things He has placed in front of you, a choice to follow Him. God wants to build on a solid foundation that will get you to the point of no return in your relationship with Him. One of the main focuses of this program is to lay your foundation down, one that is built on Godโs promises and that will not be shaken by the distractions in life. Your loyalty should be to him and the boundaries he has set in your life. It's not about what you want or what others believe you should be. You are either hot or cold not in the middle, you chose to be loyal to him or to the self-made gods you have built into your life. When I came in for my first year I was at a crossroads. I had spent years investing in my church, in my business and in my relationships. My loyalty had shifted to what I was trying to accomplish in those areas and I had lost focus of who God was and what he wanted in my life. Instead of serving God, I was serving out of selfish intentions to gain the position in leadership I wanted. I had opportunities that others only dreamed of and here I was taking them for granted. God had to break me down and strip all those things away from me in order for me to see where my loyalty was. I thought I had lost everything, but in the end I gained everything I never thought I wanted. From that moment on I made the decision to chose God above all things, it has not been without struggle but I continue to press on because following God fulfills me and gives me purpose. Joshua 24:14-15 NLT // "So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Eygpt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua made a decision to serve the Lord above all else and here he was asking the Isrealites to do the same. Either serve God or the other gods that they have placed in their life, but to make that choice and stick to it - no wavering. God had proven himself to them and he didnโt have to. He knew that it was time for them to let go of the past and what they had become accustomed to. God had rescued them, he had given them provision and refuge in abundance. Joshua knew without a doubt it was his duty to live a life of service to God in return. Loyalty is greatly lived out in service to God. Service is not about us or our selfish ambitions, but it is about serving him wholeheartedly. When we are completely loyal to him pure service begins to flow out of us. We get to this point in our lives where we move because He moves, we love because He loves and there is nothing that can change that. Our complete allegiance and devotion is in Him. And just like that there is nothing we would want more than to obey and please Him. He becomes our life. There was a point in my life that you could have told me this and I would not have believed it, but He changed me and without a doubt this is how I strive to live my life now. It will be lived in service to Him no matter where I have been or where I will go. My life has been completely and utterly dedicated to him, not out of fear but out of complete reverence to Him. That is the point of no return. If you feel like you are stuck in a place of wavering, do not lose hope as God has already provided you a way out. The victory has already been won. He has renewed his covenant with you, just as he did with the Israelites. Take a moment and look back on your life as we go into prayer and see him there, see him in the dark places and the good places. He has brought you right here to this moment for a specific reason. The choice is yours to make. Here at your crossroads - just as Joshua challenged the Isrealites, you are being challenged. You have many different options available to you and it is time to close those options you are keeping open in your life. He is asking you to chose Him, to give Him 100% - I'm every area of your lifeโฆ. Who will you chose?
