Okay, I made a really silly/huge mistake, which I have never committed before. No, I did not prescribe the wrong feed to a patient - even if I did, I can still make the change. I had a patient who was admitted for dehydration because of short bowel syndrome. He had only 100cm of his small bowel left that he needed to be on elemental feeds i.e. Peptamen or Alitraq. Anyway, management of the patient was fine until it was time for him to be discharged. So on the day of discharge, the nurse rang me and informed me to order more Peptamen for the patient as he needed 1 tin a day for his daily requirements. Without considering the cost (1 tin cost $40), I asked the patient if he wanted me to order a carton so he need not have to come down to the hospital weekly to get it. He said sure! So, I made the order. Before I knew it, I received a call from my boss informing me that the Pharmacy rang her and asked why her dietitian ordered so much Peptamen knowing that it will cost the patient ~$800. At that time, I felt so CONDEMNED! I have never made such a mistake before. In fact, I felt so bad that my mood was affected (fortunately, it was towards the end of the day!) that I feared talking to my boss for the next couple of days.
However, God has been very gracious indeed. For the past week since I made the silly mistake, the Lord has assured me of His big heart. While reading the Daily Devotional this week, the topic has been on righteousness. Its as if God is assuring me that no matter what mistakes I make, big or small, severe or silly, there is now NO condemnation because I am His righteousness in Christ! Isn't it amazing?
- Wednesday's Daily Devo:
The Antidote To Fear
1 John 4:18
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…
Experts tell us that babies have two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. A study on fear was conducted on 500 adults of varying ages, backgrounds and lifestyles. The results showed that they shared some 7,000 different fears. This means that they must have learnt 6,998 fears since they were born. That is a lot of fears!
Actually, our bodies are designed for faith. Fear was foreign to man until Adam sinned against God. For the first time, Adam knew fear, and he hid from God and said, “I heard Your voice… I was afraid… I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)
Since then, man has been living in the realm of fear — fear of the future, fear of what others might say, fear of diseases, fear of flying… Actually, every fear is born out of the feeling of being cut off from God. If you think that God is still mad at you, that He is out to punish you, how can you have faith that everything will be all right? How can you have faith for your miracle?
But I have good news for you. There is a sure antidote to fear. The apostle John says that “perfect love casts out fear”. When you know that God so loves you that He gave His Son to take your beating so that you can take His blessings, you will stop fearing.
God so loves you that at the cross, Jesus was rejected so that you could become God’s beloved. It was not the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was His love for you. And if God did not withhold Jesus, why do you think that He will withhold healing, finances or a blessed marriage from you? (Romans 8:32)
Today, when you hear His voice, you will hear Him say, “You are My beloved child, in you I am well pleased.” And you don’t have to hide but you can run to Him without fear because He is not out to punish you. He is out to protect, prosper and provide for you, so fear not!
- Thursday's Daily Devo:
Some people see God as a judge who has exacting demands on man. When they fall short or when things go wrong in their lives, they think that God is judging them.Romans 8:33
33Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
My friend, the truth is that if you are a believer, God does not bring any charge against you. Instead, He justifies you because of the blood of His Son. In fact, God’s Word goes on to say that the One who has the right to condemn you, chose instead to die for you and is risen at the Father’s right hand to be your righteousness! (Romans 8:34)
But what the devil tries to do is to get you to believe that God watches you with a critical eye and punishes you when you do wrong. He has deceived many sincere Christians into believing that if they have done something wrong, sickness or some other evil thing has a right to come upon them and their families. And when these things happen, he convinces them that they are suffering God’s judgment because of their wrongdoings. In the meantime, these sincere Christians struggle with condemnation because they think that they are the cause of their problems.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since the cross, where Jesus was judged in your place for every one of your wrong actions, thoughts and words, God no longer judges you, His child. You need not accept condemnation or evil things happening to you because Jesus took all your punishment at the cross.
So when you start to feel condemned for your actions or when you experience negative circumstances, say, “It is written: It is God who justifies me. I am completely forgiven and made righteous before Him. I refuse to accept any condemnation and I reject every symptom of the curse that I am seeing in my circumstances!”
Then, simply stand on the truth of God’s Word, and watch Him deliver and bless you!
- Friday's Daily Devo:
Be Established In God’s Righteousness
Isaiah 54:14
14In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Have you ever asked yourself why some Christians are constantly beset with overwhelming challenges, sicknesses and defeat if God’s promise, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17), is true?
Well, this promise comes with a condition — “In righteousness you shall be established”. When you are established in righteousness, you will be far from oppression and terror, and not a single weapon formed against you will prosper!
This condition is not hard to meet. For a start, you already have righteousness! When you received Jesus as your Savior, you received the gift of righteousness which enables you to reign in life. (Romans 5:17) This righteousness does not come from you but the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17) And when you are established in His righteousness, no weapon formed against you will prosper.
But what does being established in righteousness mean? To be established in something is to have that something as your very foundation for security. So God wants you to know, be sure of and grow in the revelation that you are righteous by the blood of Jesus, by His perfect sacrifice at the cross.
When you feel as if you are in a storm, tossed here and there, and you begin to experience worry and fear, remind yourself of who you are in Christ. You are the righteousness of God in Christ and you have His righteousness!
As you do this, you will begin to notice the worry and fear slide off you, for when you are established in righteousness, “you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”! That is why God wants you to be established in righteousness. He wants you to be free from fear, and far from oppression and terror.
So when the pressure is on, hold fast to the belief that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. That is where no weapon formed against you can prosper. As you keep believing and confessing your righteousness in Christ, revelation will break forth and you will experience the release of God’s miraculous provision, divine protection and blessings into your life!
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