A Devotional by Pastor Cesar Castellanos
Today’s Bible Verse
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Isaiah 55:1
Channels of Blessing
Each word that comes from the mouth of God fulfills the purpose for which it was sent. God has given us His Word. In doing so, He has given us the opportunity to receive His blessing; but we only have to activate it through faith.
We are all invited, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come…” Salvation is completely free. People do not have to pay for it by offering sacrifices, because the sacrifice was already made beforehand through Jesus. His blood poured out on the Cross was the cost of our redemption. For all who the Lord knows cannot pay for their own redemption, the Lord makes a marvelous invitation. In John 3:16, He asks those who believe in Him, to come and be saved.
The Lord advises us what to invest in. “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2). The best investment that man can make is to channel all of his strength into obtaining the knowledge of the Word of God. If we listen attentively to God, we will be able to enjoy His blessings that bring satisfaction to the soul.
The Lord wants to make a covenant with us. “…I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David” (Isaiah 55:3). The covenant is an agreement between two or more parties. The same covenant that God established with David is the one that He wants to extend to each believer. “Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live…” (Isaiah 55:3). God desires that we would know His Word and obey it. He will take care of us and extend His mercy the same way that He did with David.
The Lord gives us the anointing to produce fruit for His work. “Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you…” (Isaiah 55:5). God will give you grace so you can develop quickly. He wants your life to become a channel of blessing for others. You will watch in awe as people follow you because of His anointing on your life. You will also be able to guide them to leave their evil ways and turn to God (Isaiah 55:6-7).
God always has better ideas than ours. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).
One of the multiple expressions of the mercy of God is the Bible. He has given His Word to each one of us, that it is only activated by faith. Through it, God opens the doors of His Kingdom of love and offers us the opportunity to receive His blessing.
Something to Think About
“We are reaching 10 years of marriage. In the first seven years we were able to see the hand of God on several areas of our life. The Lord allowed us to see many miracles in our finances, the ministry, and our family. But in our heart there was a great desire to have children. For seven years we dreamed, visualized, and declared the miracle. But there were moments when our hearts would ask, “Lord, when will you give us children?” So, what we decided to do was to begin posting pictures of the miracle we longed to see. We posted pictures of babies in the back of the door of our room. We also put a name for the baby. My mother was a great help in increasing our measure of faith. She spoke with such an assurance of the miracle that some people would ask me if I was already pregnant. In that moment, I understood that by declaring what we longed to see every day, the miracle would be activated.
In 2009, God started to act in a special way. He asked us to make a Covenant for our children. It was to be an amount that was a great step of faith; but we did it anyway. Later that same year, Pastor Claudia gave a teaching about “Seek your star and you will shine.” This led me to search for the meaning of the name of the baby I desired; and it meant star. So, I started to feel the miracle was much closer. Also, that same year we were anointed as Pastors of MCI. After these signs from God that something was happening we made a trip for one month to Miami where we spent time with the Pastors and with Johanna and Eliemerson who were already enjoying precious Shailoh. When I would watch her, I dreamt of my baby. During those days, the Lord gave me a word that impacted me and made my faith grow even more. “I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3). I started to feel that the Lord was telling me something. When I returned to Colombia I felt something different was happening in my body. I did the pregnancy test and sure enough Vanessa Sofia Cataño was on her way! I understood that the Almighty God was manifesting Himself through all these signs. Also, I understood that the power of declaring the miracle, along with the power of a covenant produces wonderful results. Vanessa Sofia was born January 19, 2010 and has been the most beautiful gift we have received.” (Jorge Andres and Margarita Cataño)
Prayer
“Eternal God, my heart is thankful to You because You have guided me through Your Word. My confidence is set on Your Word and I will wait night and day for You to fulfill it. Your Word illuminates my path and shows me where to walk. By it, I can reach salvation that came as a result of the high price that You paid. It didn’t cost me anything, but it cost You everything. You gave what You loved the most, Your only Son. And You did it all for love. Now, I am compelled to be a channel of the same blessing towards those who have never known Your wonderful love. I am so very thankful, my Heavenly Father, Amen.”
Declaration
My life is a channel of blessing for many, since Jesus saved me so that I can save others.
Today’s Bible Reading
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
