Monday - Psalms 21:11  David, the writer of most of the Psalms, was not only a worshiper of the Lord, but he was a prophet. Many of the scriptures he wrote, had an initial meaning in David’s life, but an ongoing fulfillment in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.  Here at Easter we celebrate Jesus’, death, burial, and especially, His Resurrection. Satan planned to destroy God’s plan for man’s redemption. Satan’s minions crucified Jesus in the most cruel, painful death imaginable. Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan…  Now read Matthew 26:14-16. What Judas and the chief priests devised to destroy the Holy One, God used to make us Holy, to Him. Jesus’ betrayal was our betrothal. Jesus was betrayed so that we could become the Bride of Christ. With the shedding of His blood, we obtained the same hope and future that a betrothed bride has when she looks at her engagement ring. They will not prevail.. Not over Jesus, not over the Father’s plan, not over us.  Name three areas in your life, your enemies will not prevail over you.
Tuesday - Psalms 41:7–12 This is yet another prophecy by David, about Jesus. All who hate me whisper together about me; they plan to harm me. We can only imagine, as King of Israel, that David had. He had God’s chosen people to deal with, and all the enemies they had displaced. Internally and externally, the Kingdom of David was embattled and challenged. In the same way 1000 years later, the same things happened to Jesus. Judas and the Chief Priests plotted to capture Jesus and trap Him into a death sentence. Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised up his heel against me. Read  Matthew 26:24-25. By that time, Judas had already made the deal with the Chief Priests for 30 pieces of silver. Even though Judas turned against Jesus and betrayed Him, the same promise was true…the enemy does not shout in triumph over me. Jesus was raised from the dead and Judas went to the grave, and ultimately, to hell. God will set Jesus, and us,  in Your presence forever. The victory will belong to Jesus and Jesus’ victory will forever belong to you and I. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Wednesday – Psalms 83:2–4 They devise clever schemes against Your people; they conspire against Your treasured ones. The nation of Israel stands today in Palestine, as a miraculous testimony of Jesus’ coming Kingdom. It has forever been true, up until this very day that the enemies of the one true God, have devised clever schemes against Your people. The holocaust was meant to wipe the Jews out, and yet they emerged with a future and became an old people with a new Nation. They say, come let us wipe them out as a nation so that Israel’s name will no longer be remembered. After a 2000-year exile from the Holy Land, Israel is today, once again a nation. They survive on a tiny, contested sliver of land, that has no human reason to exist. For thousands of years, Your enemies; those who hate You have acted arrogantly. And what have they accomplished? Nothing. God’s plan for Israel has still occurred. This Easter , what is the application we can draw from this passage? God’s promise of protection for Israel is still true, and for you and I, His promises to us are still true. Jesus is alive, and we are alive in Him. And yes, the Bible teaches that one day, Israel will return to Him and will weep over the scars in Jesus’ nail-pierced hands. The world has devised schemes, but the Lord has made plans. God’s , trump the world’s schemes. Remember that the next time you hear the word, “Israel”.
Thursday - Psalms 83:5–12 The list of nations given in this Psalm is exactly the same as the ones today who form an alliance against You. This list of ancient Nations may have different names today but they are still the same peoples. They surround and hate Israel. Deal with them as You did with Midian…You can read about God using Gideon to destroy the Midianites in Judges 7. When Gideon and his 300 men shouted and blew their trumpets, the Midianites fled in terror. If you are familiar with the recent history of Israel, beginning in 1948, the miracles are no less fabulous.  God has protected His people. Even though they are surrounded by millions of Arabs with thousands of years of hatred amassed. Deal with them…is exactly what God has done. And it is what He will do. Read Hebrews.6:13-18. Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath… You and I, through Jesus Christ, are heirs of the promise. We are heirs of the promises, God made to Abraham. We have been promised eternal life in God’s eternal promised land. We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. Abraham’s promises are our promises. Israel’s hope is our hope. Seize the hope set before you and live like a people encouraged and redeemed!
Friday - Psalms 83:13–18  Cover their faces with shame so that they will seek Your name Yahweh. God wants the world to seek Him. He wants the world to know that He alone is God. May they know that You alone- whose name is Yahweh- are the Most High over all the earth. God uses everything at His disposal to say to the World that He is there and that He loves them. Read John 3:16-17. Notice God loved the world in this way; He gave His One and Only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. From book to book and Old to New Testament, the story is the same. God loves the world. We are in the world. God loves us. And He doesn’t want to condemn the world, but that the World through Him might be saved. Who are you praying for to be saved? Pray with me. Father God, please help me to show You love to ____________. I pray that they come to know You and Your faithful love. Help me to show them that love. In Jesus Name, Amen.  
Saturday - Isaiah 53:10 He will prolong His days. If you read Isa. 53, it becomes quickly apparent that 700 years before Christ, God described virtually everything that would happen to Jesus…including His Resurrection. As you celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection this week, remember God promised to raise Him from the dead. By His hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. Remember that you are the Lord’s Pleasure. You, being saved by God’s Grace, and living through Jesus and for Him, is the most pleasing thing in the universe to God. Walk in that today.

Monday - Deuteronomy 33:25 My heavy-duty, super-special, digital-key-pad, back-
door lock has broken. For what it cost, it should have lasted a lifetime but alas,
something inside of it has broken. It must be replaced with something to keep the riff-
raff out of my house. May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze… Most of us live in
a very safe land. So imagine a land full of thieves and robbers such as existed in
Deuteronomy’s times. Iron and bronze were the strongest and most valuable metals
available at the time. In terms of protection, that is. And we all want our families to be
protected. And here in this blessing from Moses to Asher, Moses favors Asher with
the best of blessings. Not only protection, but also strength. May…your strength last as
long as you live. Each of us who is aging has realized something that young people
may not know or even believe to be possible. At a given point, you will weaken for the
rest of your life. It can’t be stopped. It is a part of the curse of sin originating in the
disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But how many of us would love
to claim this part of the blessing. Whoever has experienced the fading of strength and
ability with age, would love for your strength to last as long as you live. Take a
moment and claim this blessing for yourself. Pray with me. Lord we need your
protection and favor in this life. Daily, we are completely dependent on You. Protect us
from the evil one and strengthen us for the journey ahead. And all we do and
accomplish will glorify you. You are our God. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Tuesday - Psalms 36:5–6 Clouds are incredible in their variety and appearance.
There are a few cloudless days, but by and large, when we gaze at the heavens we
can see clouds. The next time you look upward, consider this…Lord, Your faithful love
reaches to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds. Faithfulness is a term that, when
used in conjunction with men, can be short-lived. Men are sometimes not faithful very
long, or very well. But God has extended faithful love to us that reaches to heaven.
Visualize that. How much does God love those who have become His, through Jesus
Christ? Walk outside. Just look up and you will see.
Wednesday – Psalms 36:7-9 We used to sing a song that our young people loved. It
was not exactly the most theologically proficient song. It really wasn’t that good,
musically. But it was fun. So we did it. Regularly. Repeatedly. Over and over again. It
was called Big House. Even if it was not deep, it was true. It said about the same thing
that this scripture says. They are filled from the abundance of Your House… His
people are promised abundance. And that abundance comes directly from the
storehouses of heaven, and is directly related to the capabilities of our God. You may
have heard me say before how strongly I believe in tithing. I believe in it because of
the promises from God associated with it. I would tithe even if he hadn’t promised to
bless me, because He commanded it. But He has promised to multiply blessings to
those who tithe. Read Mal. 3:10-11. God has promised to open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. I have lived that promise. I
have tasted the miraculous goodness of the Lord, when He is taken at His Word. He
can and will increase the harvest of the produce of your land and…your field will not
fail to produce fruit… Pray with me. Lord fill us from the abundance of Your house.
Teach us to be faithful to You, even as You have been faithful to us. As You help us,
we will follow Your Word and we will trust You. Bless us because we need You, In
Jesus Name, Amen.
Thursday – Romans 8:28 How do we learn to love God? We come to know Him by
learning from His Word and His Presence in our lives. The more we know of Him, the
more we know His characteristics and His tendencies. The more we know His heart,
the more we love Him. When we learn to love Him more, and to know that we belong

to Him, He promises to do something unique and astounding. He promises to make
…all things work together for the good. We can live in the awareness that all we see
around us and anything that happens to us, can add character and strength to us. We
can know that all things work together for the good… Even what is not good, can work
for good. That is His promise to us. Our part? To love God and to know that we are
called according to His purpose. Does this cause us to look at the events in our life
differently? It should. And if we do, then we can live each day with eternity in our
hearts and on our minds.
Friday – 2 Cor. 12:10 That’s quite a list to take pleasure in… weaknesses, insults,
catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures. Why would Paul say that he takes
pleasure in such things? Well obviously he is saying this, this way to teach others to do
the same. In our day, with people offended by virtually anything that has to do with
Jesus being the only way to God, it’s an eye opener. What a different way to approach
life. I know that in my lifetime, there have never been more people who believe they
have a right to interfere with the freedoms of others, simply based on their capacity to
get insulted. Freedom of Speech really only extends to those who will scream the
loudest, and the most shrilly at what is offensive to them. Mobs are capable of violence
based on what they perceive to be unjust and offensive. And yet Paul says to take
pleasure in these things, because of Christ. Then Paul makes another baffling
statement. For when I am weak, then I am strong. That is a thought that is foreign to
us. When someone pushes us, we want to push back. But, take a moment and read
the scripture again. Look at that list. We are to take pleasure in the very things that
make us want to push back, the most. Why? Because, in Christ,weakness makes us
stronger. Take a moment and think about this scripture, then voice a prayer to God
about this scripture. Thank Him for the things, you might have blamed Him for.
Saturday – James 1:12 Blessed? What did it say? A man who endures trials is
blessed… Why? …because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love Him. That is what God has promised to
those who love Him. What is the crown of life? It is eternal life, but it is not just eternal
life. The crown of life is one of the crowns mentioned in the New Testament that is
literally, a crown. Yes, our good works are made into crowns in heaven, and those
crowns are laid at the feet of Jesus, to honor Him. This is a very specific act of worship
that every believer who enters heaven will do to recognize Jesus as the author and
finisher of our faith. We will acknowledge that every good thing we have done actually
came from Christ, in us. And those good works become crowns that are given to
Jesus. How big are the crowns? How much are they worth? That is directly related to
how many trials we endure and if we approach them as blessing, rather than bitterly
curse them. Pray with me. Jesus, Lord of Life, King of the World, help me to endure
trial and treat them as blessing. Help me to pass the test when the test comes my way.
I want to receive the crown of life, and I want to lay it at Your feet. I love You for what
You have done in me, and for me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Monday - Genesis 8:22 History has a way of repeating itself, unless God says it won’t. So even though many of the conditions are the same as they were before the flood, don’t expect another flood. God said He wouldn’t do that again. Concerned about global warming and man destroying the seasons? As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease. That doesn’t mean there won’t be cyclical fluctuations. But another ice age is not coming and no, it’s not going to get so hot it melts the polar ice caps. As a matter of fact, the “shrinking” ice caps have reversed themselves and they are now larger than normal. Here is the lesson, God promised that His plan, is the one that will continue, not the plans of man. God said He would not disrupt the day to day again, until the Day of the Lord’s Return. Normal will continue until the new normal begins. And the new normal that begins with the New Heaven and New Jerusalem will have none of the above, no summer and winter, no cold and heat, no day and night, and no seedtime and harvest. Read Rev. 22:1-5. Amen and Amen.
Tuesday  -  Exodus 15:6–9 the watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea. I don’t know how long it has existed, if it is an ongoing thing, or something that is more recent. But deep water submersibles have located what appears to be an ocean under the ocean. Extremely heavy salt water is pooled in various pockets and separates itself from the ocean above. It looks exactly like the pictures that we see when an airplane is flying low over the ocean, only it occurs 5000 feet down in the ocean at various places around the world. Here in Exodus, God is describing what occurred when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptians were consumed in the depths of the sea. But many times in the Bible something has an initial fulfillment, and then thousands of years later has a prophetic fulfillment. Not saying that this passage is that, but if you look at the conditions in our world today, everything Moses said about the power, might, and wisdom of our Lord and the overthrowing of His adversaries had occurred. And it is definitely going to occur again.  In terms of a future fulfillment, this passage would be a perfect description of exactly what God is going to do, during the tribulation period. And science has confirmed, the watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea. I guess I’ve kind of gotten used to God telling about scientific secrets thousands of years before science discovers them.
Wednesday -  Isaiah 35:8 A road will be there and a way; it will be called the Holy Way.  Holy is a word we don’t use often. And we certainly don’t think of ourselves as being Holy. And yet, if you travel the Holy Road and have the Holy One in your heart, God does see you as Holy. You are set apart (holy) because of who He is, not because of who you are, or were, or will be. And did it make you laugh when it spoke of Even the fool will not go astray? It did me. It sounds like me. Sometimes if it can be messed up, I will mess it up. Did you ever get so lost that you had no hope of finding your way out alone? Did you ever go the wrong way on a road for miles, only to find you are going away from your destination? Spiritually, for the man who humbly accepts the Lord and follows the Way, He keeps us on the narrow path. If we follow Him daily, even the fool will not go astray. Pray with me. Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Father, and Precious Holy Spirit, keep me in Your way. Lead me in Your path. Help my weak mind to be strong and fearless in You. Be exalted as I humbly am led and walk in Your Holy Way. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Thurday – Isaiah 35:9-10  “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” The Wizard of Oz is a timeless movie with characters that we all remember from our childhood. Do you remember the Lion? Then, do you remember the first time you saw a lion at the zoo? They are actually huge, and deadly, nothing at all like the Cowardly Lion. But… There will be no lion there; and no vicious beast will go up on it; they will not be found there. Where is it talking about? The Holy way that was mentioned in the verses before this. The redeemed of the Lord will…come to Zion singing, crowned with unending joy. The Old Testament says quite a lot about the road to heaven. As Christians maybe we talk a bit too much about it….no, never mind. You really can’t talk too much about unending joy. Paul says quite a lot about it in the New Testament, as well. Read 1 Pet. 1:8-9.  …inexpressible and glorious joy.  That is what happens to believers who see this life only dimly, as if looking through a lens toward eternity. If everything here magnifies there, then you do indeed receive the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  Take a few moments and thank Jesus for the joy of knowing your sins are forgiven and your eternity secure.
Friday – Joel 2:18-20 Then the Lord became jealous for His land and spared His people. There is coming a day when all the Jews who still claim their heritage and still consider Jerusalem to be the center of their world, will gather in the Holy Land. They will return. They are returning because the Lord became jealous for His land. He gave His land to the people of His choosing. Before the rapture of the church and the tribulation period all the religious Jews will be brought from the corners of the earth, back home. The ones that do will be spared from what is to come. The Lord…spared His people. They will realize that their long-awaited Messiah has already come. They will weep when they realize they had Him crucified. They will repent and turn back to the Lord. Then the Jewish stubbornness and zeal will be focused on proclaiming the Lord Jesus. Read Rev. 7:4-10. There will be 144,000 Jewish Evangelists who arise to be witnesses. They will proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. They will be the instruments of God sparing His People, during the Tribulation Period. Even as time and the world draws to a close on this journey to a new one, our patient Lord will extend yet another invitation to the world. Stay tuned to Saturday to hear it.
Saturday – Joel 2:18-20  I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land. Just take a look at Isis and radical muslims to the north and east of Israel. They will come against Israel some day. If you look at Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kurdistan, Aghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Then take a look at Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and various other African Muslim lands. They will come against Israel and the odds are absolutely overwhelming. What does God say He will do? I will…drive his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes his rotten smell will rise, for he has done catastrophic things. God knows the atrocities. He knows the hatred for Israel. And He has foretold what He will do. Of course even, as someday, the Tribulation Period comes, anyone from any of these nations may come to Him, in repentance. If they do, they will receive new life. Read Rev.  22:17. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God who will constantly be drawing humanity to Christ even through the Tribulation Period. The bride is the church. The church at Philadelphia will have been raptured. (Rev. 3:10) The church at Laodicea, the Tribulation Church will have lukewarm beginning, but brave, fiery endings. They will reach millions for Christ, and through out the seven years, Both the Spirit and the bride say, Come! Thanks be to God for anyone who hears should say come! Pray with me. Come quickly Lord Jesus! We long to see You. We long to be with You. And we pray that millions of lost souls will come to You through the end of the age. We look forward to worshipping You with the Redeemed from among the Jews and from the Gentiles. Hallelujah, for the brothers and sisters from every nation that will fall before Your throne, in worship. You are worthy to be exalted above everything else that is, or has ever been. In Jesus Name, Amen

Monday – Deuteronomy 32:43 God has a people. He has always seen fit to show the world who He is, by having a people who are familiar with His ways. Rejoice, you nations, concerning His people.  His intent is that when His people go into a nations, that there would be joy. Think about it and compare world religions. What religion other than Christianity exists that rampant grace is given freely to sinners? Therefore when the Gospel Good News comes to a people there should be joy because sinners can freely partake of the Water of Life that is Jesus Christ. So what happens when there is rejection and persecution of His people? He will avenge…take vengeance…purify.  God will not take likely the blood of His servants. In the halls of eternity, if every idle word man has spoken will be judged, how much more so acts of violence against Christians? There is coming a day of reckoning. Jesus himself talked about it.  Read Matthew 5:11-12. Jesus plainly said that there would be those insult…persecute…falsely say ever kind of evil against you. He said that these things would happen because of me.  Evil hates good, and Jesus is “good” personified. When we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, even though we love people, there are some people who will hate us.  But rest assured, God will avenge the blood of His servants. When we see Him face to face, his adversaries will also see Him. We long to see Him, partially for selfish reasons, we want to see Him. But also in the heart of every believer, is the desire to see Him Glorified. For the world to see that He is all that He has said He is. Lord, come quickly, You are our great “I am”.  (Ex. 3:14)  
Tuesday – Job 36:26-28 Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge…We can know Him. That is what He wants. He wants us to know His heart. He wants us to know His character. He wants us to know we can rely on Him, above all else in life. But we can’t know the extent of His exaltation and glory. To know such a thing in this life, would end our mortal days. We would die, if we saw Him as He is.  I love to watch nature shows. Documentaries. Its so funny because many of them mention evolution as if origins and purposes were explained by the concept. But I worship when I see all that God has created. For He makes waterdrops evaporate; they distill the rain into its mist, which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind.  How did Job describe such a thing? Science only caught up a few hundred years ago. And yet God revealed to Job exactly how He sustains all life on earth. We can know certain things about our God. What He has chosen to reveal to us. How He does it is beyond our knowledge. Take a few minutes and thank Him for who He is, in your life.
Wednesday –  Psalms 50:3-6 Our God is coming; He will not be silent!  Have you ever been around someone who just wouldn’t be quiet? They just kept saying something over and over again, even though you were tired of hearing it? The Bible is plain and clear and God has said it over and over again. On high, He summons heaven and earth in order to judge His people. He will judge the earth and those who are in righteous (in Christ) will receive their reward. Gather my faithful ones to me, those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.  We who have been born again, have a covenant with God. It has indeed been consummated by sacrifice. In the Old Testament it was ritual sacrifice. In the New Testament, it is an irrational sacrifice. It is an unpredictable and improbable sacrifice. That the Righteous One would die for the unrighteous millions makes no sense, humanly speaking. Would you sacrifice your good child for a murderous, lying, manipulating one? God did. And He even called the unrighteous faithful because of the sacrifice of the Righteous One. Pray with me. O Precious Righteous One, thank You. Thank you for the Cross. Thank you that Your Faithfulness made me into a faithful one. You did this for me, I could never have dreamed or accomplished anything like this. You did this. And I long to thank You personally, face-to-face, for all You have given me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Thursday – Ps. 76:8-10  Even human wrath will praise you; you will clothe Yourself with their remaining wrath. What an odd statement! We know that God will someday judge humanity and angels. We know that the earth will be completely re-made. But how and where in that process will human wrath praise You? The key is in the Book of Revelation. Much of what all of that symbolism means we will find out someday, hopefully after the fact because we passed that time in heaven. I’m talking about after the Rapture and before the Battle of Armageddon. Humanity will find out first hand what God has said through His prophets for centuries. And in the midst of God’s exclamation point to humanity, (the tribulation period) there will be a pivotal moment for much of humanity. They can see the power of God and turn from their sin. Or they can continue in their sin and hatred, disregarding the fact that God told them ahead of time what would happen.  Read Rev. 9:20. After plaques have come on mankind, less than halfway through the Tribulation Period, God notes that there could have been a turning point. Men could have listened to the prophesied Word. The events that are happening have been foretold. They could have repented. From that point on, in the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world (Rev. 3:10) mankind will endure wrath. And because God has given every opportunity for men to repent before the end, even human wrath will praise You. You will clothe Yourself with their remaining wrath. Because the hour of Jesus’ return is so close at this point even the wrath that man endures will speak of the Glory of God. Even the wrath man levies at God, will ultimately praise Him, because the end is so near. Even in their rebellion, they are actually confirming the Word of God.
Friday – Isaiah 51:12-16 I-I am the One who comforts you. Look at the world around us. There are some pretty scary people out there. There are some pretty scary religions out there. There are some pretty scary nations out there. But in this passage God says some pretty important things to believers. Don’t fear those who can’t effect your eternity. Don’t be in constant dread. Rather, be aware…the prisoner is soon to be set free. We will be free someday. We will be perfect and healthy and happy for all eternity. Heaven is so good that it makes even the best days here, pale in comparison. I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of My hand. In Jesus Christ, we have nothing to fear from our past, our present, or our future. Our past has been forgiven and He is the One who comforts you. Our present is protected because I have put My words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of My hand. And our future is certain because He is going to plant the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are My people”.  
Saturday – Hebrews 1:10-12 You are the same, and Your years will never end.
My favorite shirt is no more. It has worn completely out. It is only five years old and I have worked in it as an overshirt several times a week, in cold weather. It is time to replace it with a new one. Of course there are improvements. The pockets are not deep enough. The next one needs to have better pockets. God says the same thing of the earth and the heavens. He will replace them. They will all wear out like clothing. You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will changed like a robe. Frightening? Everything that we see and know burnt up and replaced? No it is not. Our constant is our Lord. He is always the same. Read Hebrews 13:8. Will our Lord’s love for us ever change? Will it ever weaken? Past, present, and future, we are His and He is ours. Even if all around us changes.

Monday - Deuteronomy 9:9–12  Most of us grew up learning the Ten Commandments. At the very least, we grew up in a country where all law and sense of morality comes from the Ten Commandments. And yet, we learn even as they were given to Moses, they were only the first part of God’s spiritual solution for man. The Israelites could see the mountain. They could see the smoke and see the presence of God as Moses ascended into it. And yet as the days progressed, in Moses’ absence, even in the sight of God’s physical presence on the mountain, they made an idol. The idol was a Golden Calf, the symbol over the years of various pagan religions and material excess. To save the Israelites from their potentially fatal mistake, the Lord warned Moses, Get up and go down immediately from here… Even as they were making themselves a golden God, God had given Moses direction for them. Read Exodus 20:4. Why was God so specific? Because as always, His heart is to protect men and keep them from harm. It is the same today, God has given us His Word and His presence so that we can please Him. He is for us, not against us. Just as He was for the Israelites, even as they rejected Him and made their own God.
Tuesday - Deuteronomy 9:13–17 There are pivotal moments in history, where certain situations could go one way or another. What Moses reports in this passage, is one of those moments. Leave me alone, and I will destroy them and blot our their name under heaven… Yes the Israelites are God’s chosen people. But at this point, God is willing to annihilate them. He had earlier promised to take them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. But based on their rampant disobedience, God is willing to change His plans. His back-up plan? Then I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.  Two things this teaches us today. First God is a God of Freewill. He did not force the Israelites to do His will. He allowed them to choose. And they chose poorly, so there was a backup plan. Second lesson, God will bless those who choose wisely. Moses was pleasing to God and God told Moses that God had the capability to replace a million or so people with the descendants of Moses. A mighty task indeed, but God said He was up to it. God can bless those who choose to please Him beyond anything we even know how to ask for. Pray with me. Lord, I choose You. I choose to follow You and even when I sin and make poor decisions, I thank You that your Holy Spirit and Holy Word teach me, keep me, and lead me. Bless me with wisdom to know the deceit of the Devil, and with a mind that is renewed in the Knowledge of the Son Of God. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday - Deuteronomy 9:18–21 Moses did two things to preserve the Israelites place in God’s plan. First He interceded for them. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and provoking Him to anger. Moses prayed and fasted for the Israelites. He prayed and fasted for Aaron. That was the first part of the return of the Israelites into God’s good graces. But Moses also took action, I took the sinful calf you had made, burned it up, and crushed it, thoroughly grinding it to powder as fine as dust. Then I threw it into the stream. The calf was made of gold. It had been fashioned from treasures carried out of Egypt. But Moses took no note of its monetary value, he utterly and completely destroyed it,  and disposed of it. It was not fashioned into items useful for worship of Yahweh. It was washed away by the waters of the stream that came down from the mountain. God heard because of Moses’ prayers and because of Moses’ action. Read James 1:22. What does this passage teach us?
Thursday -  Deuteronomy 9:22–25 Moses continued to recount to the Israelites their history and their treatment of the Lord. You continued to provoke the Lord… you have been rebelling against the Lord ever since I have known you… It was more than just miraculous, that the Israelites ever possessed the Promised Land. They were the most stubborn people the world has ever known. And yet, all along the way Moses continued praying for them. I fell down in the presence of the Lord 40 days and 40 nights because the Lord had threated to destroy you.  Who are you praying for today? Think of the people who are farthest from God. Think of the ones who need Him the most. Then carry their names to God. Plead for their salvation. Pray with me. Lord I am interceding for ____________________. Save them by Your mighty hand. Bring them close to You. If you saved the Israelites You can turn anyone back to you. Save _____________________ In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Friday – Deuteronomy 9:26-29 Moses even told the Israelites exactly how He prayed for them. Disregard this people’s stubbornness and their wickedness and sin. Moses pleaded with God even though the people were not deserving of God’s Mercy. Moses pleaded for the people because he cared about them. But he also cared deeply about the Nations that would see the Lord. If God destroyed the Israelites and replaced them with the descendants of Moses, then the surrounding nations would not have seen God’s plan for years, even centuries. Those in the land you brought us from will say, ‘because the Lord wasn’t able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, he brought them out to kill them in the wilderness. Moses understood that God was setting the Israelites free from slavery, but God was also setting them up to show  His Glory in the World. Through Intercession and prayer Moses turned the heart of God back to the Israelites. God forgave them because of Moses’ prayers.  And that is the only way our nation can be saved today. Spend some time praying for our nation. Read 2 Chronicles 7:14. Use that scripture to pray for our Nation.  
Saturday – Deuteronomy 10:1-5 Redo! Reset! Renew! Moses’ intercessions and prayers were heard. God changed His mind. He did not destroy the Israelites. Instead The Lord said to me at that time, ‘cut two stone tables like the first ones and come to Me on the mountain’…  Moses could have been done with the stubborn Israelites. He could have accepted God’s offer and God would have poured out His Spirit on Moses’ children. Because of Moses’ heart for his people, God gave Israel another shot. Have you ever needed to just start over? Read  2 Cor. 5:17. Take a moment to just think about what it says. Claim the promise that Moses pled for the Israelites. This level of redo, reset, renew, is available constantly to every New Testament believer. Pray with me. Lord, I ask your forgiveness. I ask You to make me new in You. Then fill me with the power to follow You and be pleasing to You. May my family be pleasing to You. Thank You that old things have passed away and in You, new things have come. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
 

Monday – Ps. 107:41-43 …and makes their families multiply like flocks… That might
scare you at this point in life. Flocks multiply exponentially. And some of us are past the
age of wanting flocks of children. Now grandchildren, that’s different. What is being
conveyed here is that God blesses the needy. Remember last week in Job? Same point,
God blesses the needy. Here in Ps. we learn that God blesses the needy out of their
suffering and makes their families multiply like flocks. Why? So that the upright see it
and rejoice… God wants witnesses to his blessing. God wants everyone to see what
happens to the needy who cry out to God. He blesses them immediately with their
suffering and He blesses them long-term with their families and children. Claim those
promises. Walk in God’s favor toward. Be needy and humble. Pray and seek Him daily.
Carry all your cares to him and let all injustice shut its mouth. He is willing, if we are
willing.
Tuesday – Ps. 118:5-7 …put me in a spacious place. Notice the Psalmist says that
God did not just answer his prayers. Instead because the writer called to the Lord in
distress, the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place. God has a way of
meeting both our emotional needs and our physical needs. When we pray to God
instead of talking negatively about our situation, God says He will act on our behalf.
Instead of feeling like we’re standing on a ledge with nowhere to go but down, the Lord
answered me and put me in a spacious place. We’ve all been in that place where we felt
we had no room to move and nowhere to go. Here the promise is …spacious… Around
the world, there are believers in prison. Historically, Christianity has been the most
persecuted religion of all time. Thousands and thousands of believers have been put in
prison and even martyred for their faith. And yet, there are more now than ever before.
Why? Could it be that the more difficult the persecution, the more powerful the Holy
Spirit in a man’s life? The Lord if for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
The Lord is my helper, Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me. And
ultimately, we will do just that. Read Phil. 2:9-11. Focus on the phrase, under the earth.
That means all of those who have died will bow and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. We will
see it. If you have been born again, you will proclaim it and then move to your spacious
place. He has a mansion prepared for all those born-again by the blood of Jesus. Take a
moment and thank Him for your spacious place. Now and later.
Wednesday – Isaiah 54:2 Build it a little bigger, deeper, longer and with a better
foundation. That’s what this passage says. I have seen it. I have seen many believers
Enlarge the site of your tent. As they grow older and more mature as believers, I see
God blessing them and prospering them. I see Him answering prayers they didn’t even
know how to pray, if they are needy and are walking daily with Him. …let your tent
curtains be stretched out… This means exactly what it sounds like. As God blesses you
better, move those walls further out because that’s simply not enough space. Do not
hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. Don’t fear, expand. Let God
bless you and give you good foundations. Drive your pegs deep. Go after Him. Know
Him. Follow Him. Rely on Him. Seek Him. Cry out to Him. For those who do this, I have
seen it with my own eyes. God blesses them. Pray with me. My Lord, I am poor and
needy. You are strong and mighty. All things are Yours. All creation is Yours. I need to
know more of You. Open Your Word to me. Help me to desire Your Words more than my
words. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. May Your presence fill my cup and flow out to bless
others. And then Lord, because I walk with You, enlarge the site of my tent. In Jesus
Name I pray, Amen.
Thursday – Galatians 2:19-21 Dead men can’t talk. Dead can’t decide which way
they’re going to go. Dead can’t rebel against God. I have been crucified with Christ and I

no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Paul regarded his life after being born again to be
the life of a dead man. There is a lesson for us in this. Believers tend to have places they
make exceptions. They are one way when things are good and easy. Then they have
places where they are willing to act the way they have always acted. But Paul said He
was dead to that. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God. What an
amazing attitude. Even more amazing that Paul didn’t walk with Jesus while Jesus was
on the earth. Paul walked with Jesus (after his Damascus Road experience) daily in
exactly the same way you and I do. And yet He was used more than all the other
Apostles. I do not set aside the grace of God. Paul was clear. What He was, he always
was, not just in public circles. Take a moment to pray and ask God to help you to be His
all the time.
Friday – 1 Timothy 1:15-17 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- and I
am the worst of them. A few years ago, there was a very popular writer who had some
faulty teachings. A man who believed those teachings and attended our church would
regularly correct me. “Pastor, you said we are sinners saved by Grace. Now we are
Saints, we are no longer sinners. There is nowhere in the New Testament believers are
called sinners after salvation. We are Saints, not sinners.” And the man who regularly
said that was one of the most prideful, arrogant, and difficult to be around men I have
ever pastored. I believe that is because He believed something that is not true. He
believed that believers will continue being perfected even if they are not willing to be
perfected or paying attention to be perfected. But notice Paul didn’t say he was the worst
of sinners. Paul said I am the worst of them. Present tense. And that is how we need to
operate. We need to be present tense Christians. Not past tense, and not future tense. I
am confessing my sin today. I am not dwelling on the past. I have already confessed
that. But I am monitoring myself today and being careful not to judge or criticize others. I
examine myself daily and confess my sin to God. And I apologize to others when I need
to. Why? I am the worst of them. I am a sinner saved by Grace, daily. Eternally secure,
but daily needy.
Saturday – Titus 2:14-15 to redeem us from all lawlessness…to cleanse for Himself a
people.. This is the reason He gave Himself for us. It wasn’t just what the Father
wanted. Jesus gave Himself. Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, willingly. He did it for who
we can become, in Him. The only way for our sinful hearts to be cleansed and redeemed
was for Jesus to shed His blood for us. These are the things we are commanded to
teach. Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one
disregard you. Paul is writing as one leader to another. One pastor to another. And
Paul’s message is as clear today as it was then. The willing sacrifice of Jesus is what
cleanses and redeems us. He gave Himself for us… so that we could give our lives for
others. He cleansed us so that others could hear the message and be cleansed. Who
are you praying for? Pray for them to go to church tomorrow to hear the message of
redemption and cleansing.

Monday - Job 5:12-13 Perhaps at no other time in history have there been so many
who consider themselves crafty in their scheming. In our day there are famous athiests
and philosophers who delight in explaining why it is quite impossible for God to exist,
not to mention be a personal God who has a plan for those who love Him. Many
brilliant teachers and scientists would rather do anything than admit that someday they
will give an account to God. And in terms of eternity, a human lifetime is brief beyond
description. He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success. It
is God who ultimately will define success. All the popularity and possessions in the
world will ultimately have no bearing on eternal success. Success by God’s reckoning
will mean an eternity, in perfection, with a perfect God, who loves us completely and
absolutely. He traps the wise in their craftiness, so that the plans of the deceptive are
quickly brought to an end. Yes, God plainly means that even in this life, today, that He
will use man’s own intellect to frustrate. Man without God lives an empty shell of a life,
even if it seems otherwise. But ultimately, God’s greatest plan to trap the wise is the
moment in eternity that they see, with their own eyes, that everything they believed,
and taught about atheism, is eternally wrong. God will prove Himself to be the Only-
Wise God.
Tuesday - Job 5:15-17 He saves the needy from their sharp words. Once again, we
see the futility of man’s pride in the face of God’s Sovereignty. We all, at times, use our
tongues as sharp devices. We hurt ourselves and others, with our opinions and
thoughts. The beauty of our Lord is that He will rescue us from ourselves. If we are
needy. Now while in a human relationship being needy is the kiss of death, in
relationship with our Lord, being needy is a necessity. He rescues us from ourselves
and also from the clutches of the powerful. In Him, the poor have hope and injustice
shuts its mouth. Do you feel hope? God says He gives hope to the needy. If we don’t
feel hopeful, it might be because, we don’t understand the depth of our need. We live
on a planet full of warlike people who simply can’t get along with one another. We are
bent toward self-destruction, without Christ and without the promises of God’s Word.
But when we are needy, God begins to work on our behalf. See how happy the man is
God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. Read Hebrews 12:5-6. It
says the same thing here as it did in the Old Testament. God will save us from
ourselves, if we let Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves. He loves us enough
to discipline us and teach us His ways rather than ours. Pray with me. Lord, show me
your ways. Teach me because I am poor and needy. Spiritually I need more of you
and less of me. Be my all in all. Be my Lord. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday – Job 5:19-22 I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more
forgetful I become. If I don’t write it down and put it on a list, I will forget it. So when
God gives you and I a list, I’m always curious about what goes on His list. Just like
yesterday, we are still examining the benefits of being needy before the Lord.
Yesterday, we found out that God saves the needy from themselves and from the
crafty. Today we find a list of seven things He rescues the needy from. Here is the list.
In famine….in battle…slander...not fear… destruction…hunger… not fear the animals..
This is a pretty long list. Take a few moments and look over the passage again. He will
rescue you…no harm will touch you… Pretty awesome promises. Read Ps. 91:4-6.
He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. Notice the
similarities of the promises. God wants us to know that He wants to protect us. Take a
moment and write down three areas you are admitting your need and seeking God’s
shelter and refuge.

Thursday- Ps. 94:10-11 Did you notice that in one sentence, God claims to be the
source of all that we know? The One who instructs nations, the One who teaches man
knowledge… Our nation has been the source of technology that has changed the
course of mankind. We have historically been the first, first world country, in terms of
discovery and influence. God says that He is the One who instructs nations. Any
success we have came from Him. Is there a man who invented something incredible
and wise? Is there a man who created something noble that changed humanity? God
says He is the One who teaches man knowledge. God says these things came from
Him. And that it could all change. Does He not discipline? Yes, God blesses nations
and men who bless Him. Pray with me. Lord, regardless of what the judges, politicians,
and academics in our Nation do, I acknowledge you as the giver of all things that are
good. You control the fate of men and nations and I beseech you to bless our nation.
Bring us back to you. Move through the Power of the Holy Spirit in our country. Show
Yourself to be glorious and strong. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
forever, amen.
Friday – Proverbs 2:7-8 I don’t know what you would consider to be, success. How
you define it might change over the years, as you grow in the Lord. Regardless of what
you and I might call it, God stores up success for the upright. He plans and purposes
for you and I to be successful spiritually. He is a shield... He will guard the paths of
justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. He promises to do these things for us
if we are His loyal followers. Read Matthew 6:33. Notice how consistent God is in His
promises? The promises in Proverbs and Matthew are so similar that they seem not to
be written centuries apart by two different authors. They are so alike because, they are
written by the same God. The only God. And He wants to change us from the inside
out. He wants to make us successful, spiritually. And He has told us repeatedly how
much He loves us. Pray with me. Lord I want Your success. Teach me how to be
upright. Be my shield. Help me live with integrity. Do this so that in every way You
might be glorified by my life. I seek first Your Kingdom. I seek Your righteousness. And
I can’t wait to see what blessings and success you have in store for me and my family.
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Saturday – Isaiah 29:13-14 We never want to be guilty of lip-service toward the Lord.
God will not bless that. Religion that says the right things, but is not from the heart, is a
particularly heinous thing in God’s eyes. The reason is that He doesn’t want us to
simply go through the motions, He cares about our motives. He wants us to want to
serve Him. We never want to be in the place where He says of us…yet their hearts are
far from me. We know our hearts are far from Him, when we are two radically different
people. There can be one person in us, that publicly looks and acts religious, while
there is another person inside that harbors known sin. God knows our hearts, so
purposefully holding onto thoughts and attitudes that are repugnant to Him, is repulsive
to Him. The cure? Read Matthew 22:37-39. While the passage in Isaiah tells us what
God hates, the passage in Matthew is repeated throughout the Bible as what God
loves. What does God want us to do? How does He want us to approach Him? “The
Great Commandment” in Matthew tells us it is a heart thing. Pray with me. Lord my
heart is Yours. I don’t fully understand how to love You but I do love You. Help me love
You more. Help me love Your ways and Your leading in my life. Help me to love You
with all my heart, soul and mind. Sometimes I don’t feel that way, but by faith, help me
to walk that way and be pleasing to You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday –  2 Chronicles 19:4–7  If you read the Old Testament, you see that it was rare that the children Israel were following the Lord. They strayed often. Jehoshaphat brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.  What a dream for our nation today, for us as a country, to come back to the Lord. As we look around we see a people who have strayed and we see injustice on so many levels and in so many places. We need God. We need the God of the Bible. That is exactly what Jehoshaphat said to his nation. Judges were appointed who would not judge for man but for the Lord.  Would to God that we had Judges in our land who would consult the Bible and follow the Bible. What would it be like to have judges and politicians who knew there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes with the Lord our God.  Would you pray with me for our nation? Dear Lord Jesus Christ, please do whatever it takes in our nation to return us to you. No price is too great, no comfort is to valuable, that we wouldn’t give it up, simply to see our nation fall to its knees and beg you for mercy. Be exalted in our nation. Be lifted up amongst us. Be glorified by people returning to You and calling You, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, In Jesus Name, Amen. 



Thursday –  2 Chronicles 20:2–4 People came and told Jeshoshaphat, “A vast number from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come….. We serve a God who is familiar with seemingly impossible forces bent on destruction of His Plan for the Nations. He is never surprised by a turn of events. He is never distracted by the decisions of man. He is a God of Power and Might. He is never worried about what men are doing…, or not doing, for that matter. When we see circumstances and obvious unrighteousness all around us, it is easy to for us to think God is just as worried as we are. He is not. However, for us to reach our potential and for us to grow to our fullest, we are called to fall on our knees, when our fears might be telling us to run. God has a prescription for broken nations that has ever been pleasing to Him. Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then He proclaimed a fast for all Judah, who gathered to seek the Lord. If you are ever in doubt about what to do when you don’t know what to do, fast (skip a meal or two) and let your hunger remind you to pray. When we fast, we say to God that He is more important than even our most immediate wants and needs. Cover to cover, in the Bible it is something, that when done in humility and privacy, pleases God and releases all the powers of heaven to change, what seems unchangeable.  Choose a day to fast and pray. 


Friday –  2 Chronicles 20:5–9 Power and might are in Your hand and no one can stand against You… Are you not… Jehoshaphat asks God a series of questions that he knew the answer to. While Jehoshaphat was pleading with God, he was not questioning God. He was acknowledging God through questions. Notice He questions, but then acknowledges the answer himself. God is never offended with questions that seek Him or ask Him to move to action on our behalf. But God never entertains questions designed to justify man. Sometimes men who question often really mean to point out their own intelligence or even their own power. But we can learn from Jeshoshaphat’s questions and from his intent. His intent is to state man’s doubt while appealing to God’s might. There is no sin in that. Pray with me. Lord I seek You. Sometimes I doubt that you are there, sometimes I doubt my ability to find You. And sometimes I even doubt Your ability to find and save me. But Your Word teaches me that you hear me and will save me. Save me Lord, for I need You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.   




 

Saturday - 2 Chronicles 20:17, 20-24 You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, and stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.  When we studied theater in college, we were taught to stand and deliver certain lines in a very particular way. With our body language we stood firmly planted and with faces forward we delivered that very important line.  That is exactly what God calls the Israelites to do. Position yourselves, stand still, and see… God calls us to relationship with Him. Sometimes that requires falling on our faces and humbling ourselves before Him. And other times it requires You and I standing on a promise and watching God move on our behalf. It is a wise man who learns the difference and the benefit of both. You know the rest of the story. They did not have to fight this battle. The enemy had turned on each other and killed one another, even to the very last man. What a miracle! What a mighty God! He is still a God of miracles and might. He is still in control. He is still calling us to kneel and to stand. He is the humbler of our spirits and the lifter of our heads. Praise be to the God who fights our battles for us, if we will let Him. Take a moment and write down below two things you need for God to handle for you. Kneel and give them to Him, then stand upon His promises!

Monday -Psalms 27:8–10 Something inside of each and every man tells us that a
bigger, higher, and much more complex being created us. We are incomplete without
that belief. Our hearts tell us to seek Him. He calls us to Himself and the Bible
commands us to seek Him. First we seek Him for His Salvation, then we seek to
know more of Him for the rest of our lives. When we realize we have sinned, deep
inside we know He is the only solution. Jesus himself said that if He would be lifted
up, He would draw all men to Himself. So both David in the Psalms and Jesus in
John 12:32 call us to seek God. Here is the really good news. When we seek Him,
He does not turn away from us. He does not reject us. The Psalmist says that He
has been our helper, that He will not leave us or abandon us. And even if those
closest to us were to abandon us, the Psalm says…the Lord cares for me. I pray
today that as you seek the Lord, that you are given a new awareness of just how
much He loves you. You are special to Him in a way that only the love of a Father to
His child could express.
Tuesday – Romans 11:32–36 Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
the knowledge of God! God’s wisdom and God’s knowledge dwarf us as we consider
His creation and all the miracles He has created. The vast complexity of the world
and everything in it speak of a God who is so far above our understanding. We
scarcely can comprehend how He could have created all we see, and still He truly
wants us to understand Him. That is why He planned from the foundations of the
world to offer salvation from sin so that we could choose to know Him. The only plan
for the salvation of man that could possibly work is one that treats every man equally.
That is why verse 32 says what it does. …God has imprisoned all in disobedience,
so that He may have mercy on all.. if they will. Read Rom. 3:23. It teaches exactly
the same thing. Read it and notice the similarity with Rom. 11:32. Men have so
much trouble treating all men equally that history is evidence of genocidal atrocities.
Total equality is God’s solution for man’s inequality, man’s racism, man’s bigotry, and
man’s evil. All have sinned so all can come, if they choose to.
Wednesday – Psalms 42:2 I live on a beautiful hilltop in Tennessee. Sometimes in
the morning the smoky mountain fog fills up the holler and the sun shines through it
with a heavenly brilliance that forces the soul to leap with the hope of heaven. A
bible-reading man can’t help but feel it. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I
come and appear before God? Its far more than a statement, it’s a heart-cry. As
good as life is and as beautiful as God’s creation is, one can’t help but wonder how
much better heaven can be? When David wrote this Psalm, He was the King of an
incredibly rich nation. He had everything he could possibly want. And yet, He thirsted
after seeing the living God. He felt the impatience associated with dreaming about
eternity and asked the question, When can I come and appear before God?” I wrote
a song many years ago based on passages of scripture like this. “I long after you
Lord, I long after You. You alone my heart’s desire. I long after you, long after you.”
Pray with me. I thirst after the living water of life. You are my living God. You alone
are God, and there is no one like You. I long for Your return. I long to see You Lord. I
long to thank You, face to face, for my salvation and for the blessings you have given
me. I long for the day when my faith will become sight. Until then Lord, help me to be
a blessing to You and to all who need to know you. In Jesus Name, I pray Amen.

Thursday – Psalms 63:2 Someday we will see God. Our old broken bodies will be
exchanged for perfect, eternal ones. We were made to be part of a vast throng which
lives together with God in a perfect new world. Until then, the next best thing is the
church. I have learned more about the Lord and His ways from the church than I
could ever have learned on my own. I’m not talking about a building but a living,
thriving community of believers. In living in community with other believers the facts I
learn from the Word, become faith to live by. As believers, the best way to see Him is
to see Him in others. The best way to see His strength and glory is to see it in
believers who accomplish new things. Many times these things are so much more
than they could have completed on their own, that the accomplishment has to point
to Him. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. I see
Him in my brothers and sisters-in-Christ. They don’t know it. They don’t see it. But if
you and I watch, we will see Jesus in them, in the sanctuary.
Friday – Hosea 14:2 Repentance,… true repentance, always leads to praise. We
all know that we wander and that we stray. We all know that spiritually, we can lose
our focus. When we do, this passage in Hosea is an excellent call to repentance.
Thank God, He anticipated our inability to maintain. So all He requires of us for there
to be a blank slate, is…repentance. Take words of repentance with you and return to
the Lord. The words don’t have to be flowery, or preachy, or perfect, just sincere.
And if we realize the incredible value of God’s gift of prayerful simplicity to us, then
we must repay Him with praise from our lips. We have no choice. When the guilty is
forgiven for no reason and no perfect phrase had to be uttered. Complete atonement
was achieved and no perfect sacrifice had to be given. All that was done when Jesus
said it is finished. (John 19:30) Jesus became the sacrifice for our sin once for all
time. Read Hebrews 9:12. Jesus shed his own blood so that we would not have to
make atonement ourselves for our continuing sin. The realization of the quality of
that sacrifice and what it accomplishes daily in our lives, has to result in exuberant,
joyous praise from our lips. We repay Him by being full of joy and praise. What a
Mighty God to think of such a thing and for Him to be fulfilled by our joy and praise!
Saturday – Matthew 7:7–8 Many times people will ask me, “Pastor, should I keep
on praying about something I’ve already asked God about?” Their thought is that
once you’ve asked, you should have faith, and leave it with God. However, it is not
what we think or feel that matters, it is what God actually says. Jesus answered this
exact question for us. Keep asking….keep searching…keep knocking. Jesus
commanded that we keep on praying, that we keep on seeking Him. Why? It is not
because He could not answer immediately, but that we need to pray, that we need to
seek. It is the very process of depending on Him, that keeps us healthy spiritually. In
the companion scripture beginning in Luke 11:5, Jesus tells a story about a neighbor
who needs three loaves of bread for a guest, so he wakes up his next-door neighbor
in the middle of the night and keeps persisting until the neighbor gives him the bread.
Jesus leaves no doubt that for the life issues we continue to deal with, we should
Keep asking…keep searching…keep knocking. List below 5 things in your life you
need to keep before the throne of grace.

Monday – Deuteronomy 4:19 While the heavens speak of the majesty and glory of
God, they are not God. No form of cosmic consciousness exists throughout the
universe, that we are a part of or can be a part of. God created the universe and man
to be independent creations. Separate creations, both speaking of Him, both totally
dependent on Him. At no time, are we told in the Bible that we can or should form
our own opinions about what we see in creation. When you look to the heavens and
and see the sun, moon, and stars…do not be led astray to bow down and worship
them. By the language here, we can see that God is heading something off. He is
stopping an inclination that is as common to man as breathing. When we see the
beauty of the heavens, we will be inclined to worship them, rather than the creator.
There are many unbelievers who are more comfortable praying to the “Universe”
rather than to a personal God who created everything in the universe and warned
man not to worship His Creations. Pray with me. My Father, Creator God. You are
the maker of the universe and by You all things hold together and continue. You
sustain all that we see, you reign over all that is unseen. You are victorious in Your
creation and we worship only You. We worship nothing that is created, we only
worship the Creator. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Tuesday – Psalms 14:1-3 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to
see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. The Bible teaches that the
“Universe” is silent and static with no personal attributes and no power to influence or
control. But the Bible teaches that God is constantly looking down from heaven on
the human race… to see if there is someone looking for Him. Why would God do
that? Because He knows us completely, yet loves us unconditionally. And he knows
that man without a Savior is bent to foolishness. The fool says in his heart, God does
not exist. Even worse, the man who says God does not exist is likely to be proud in
his decision and even to be aggressive toward those who say God does exist. That
is why God also says here in this passage There is no one who does good, not even
one. Of course, that does not mean that there aren’t men who do good to other men.
There are some. But concerning a Holy God who created all men for a specific
purpose, we all fail miserably. God created man to want to be with God. He created
us to want to worship Him. When sin entered the world, then the only way for God’s
plan to be carried out, is for men’s hearts to be changed. The fool says in his heart,
there is no God. But the wise man says in his heart, I am not God. The wise man
says in his heart, I need God. The wise man says in his heart, to please God, I need
help. Pray with me. Lord, You are God. You have created all that there is. And You
have created me. I reach out to You and with all of my heart, I want to learn to be
pleasing to You. I want you to change my heart and make it pleasing to You. Not just
what I do, but the reason I do it. May it be pleasing to You. In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Wednesday – Eph. 4:1-6 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called
to one hope at your calling- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of
all, who is above all and through all and in all. That’s a whole lotta “ones”. Notice
there is nothing about a dual nature. There’s nothing about a balanced good and
evil. There is only the single purpose, surrounding the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s
single plan for man; not two equal and opposite “forces” in the universe. There is
only one. And this one is above all and through all and in all. Virtually all Eastern
religions rely on a dualistic non-personal circle of life, that must be balanced between
two equal and opposite forces. The Bible is clear. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have
one plan for every man. Read John 14:6. The goes hand in hand with the word, one,
that we saw in the last scripture. They are the same. No one comes to the Father
except through Jesus. He is the way, the truth, the life, and the one.
Thursday – 1 Tim. 1:15-17 I am the worst of them. You would think of all the
sinners in this broken world, surely Paul would feel that he could not be the worst of
them. And yet Paul says it, not once, but twice. Why, of all the heinous sinners in the
world would Paul say he was the worst? Two reasons. One, Paul was so committed
to stamping out Christianity. He hated Christians and the Lord Jesus Christ. He was
the champion of the opposition. So yes, He was a sinner. But the second reason is
not quite as obvious. Paul, more than anyone else, saw the revealed plan of God
unfolded, like a tapestry. He was shown things that no man had ever seen. And the
more he saw, the more the majesty and brilliance of our Lord dwarfed him. God just
kept getting bigger and bigger to him, even as he himself felt smaller, under the
weight of God’s glory. Take a moment and ask God to show Himself to you. Ask Him
to be glorified in your life. Exalt Him and worship Him, right now.
Friday – Jeremiah 10:12-13 He made the earth by His power, established the
world by His wisdom, and spread out the heavens by His understanding.
Power…wisdom…understanding. God says that He created all that there is, simply
because He can. How did He do it? By His Power. By His wisdom. We will
understand it completely some day. In the meantime, it is enough to know that He
alone, has created the universe. It had a beginning point from which the universe
expanded outward in every direction. Thus, just as it says, He spread out the
heavens by His understanding. He set the cosmos in motion. Then He started the
earth’s rotation and weather patterns. He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of
the earth. We have seen today the earth rotating on its axis and where the weather
comes from, but how did they know it back then? Because God had the Prophets
write down what He was doing, and He said it very specifically so that we would
know His might and power. So when you see the clouds passing by, take a few
moments to think about how our God, thought them up and set their movement in
motion. All creation cries out His glory. Pray with me. God, Your power, Your
wisdom, and Your understanding cascades throughout Your creation. All that is, was
invented by You and is sustained through You. You alone are God. You hold
creation in Your hands. And You hold me. No one can take me out of your hands. In
Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.
Saturday- 2 Tim. 3:2-5 For people will be lovers of self… Paul is speaking to
Timothy about latter times. About a time, when time ends. What will be the signs of
time coming to an end? People will love themselves. They will indulge themselves.
They will create for themselves worldviews that will allow them to be unholy. The
word “holy” means set apart unto God. So unholy would mean set apart to self. And
we see that today in so many ways. We see an escalation of lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God. But perhaps the most disturbing is the holding to the form
of godliness but denying its power. Looking and sounding spiritual, while being dead
spiritually. And yet, the gates of hell have not prevailed against the coming Kingdom
of God. The Kingdom of God is coming. Every false system of self that the devil
originates simply whispers that God’s brand new tomorrow is not far away. Come
quickly, Lord Jesus Christ.

Monday – John 18:27-39 Pilate asks the question that each of us will ultimately
ask in our lives, “what is truth?” What prompted Pilate’s question? Jesus had
just explained His reason for living. That sparked within Pilate a question he
had evidently already been considering. Pilate evidently didn’t know his
purpose. He didn’t see truth in the world around him. Truth is fleeting even in a
world of instant information like the one we live in today. Each of us has learned
the hard way that one internet writer may say one thing, and then the next one
we read may say exactly the opposite. It seems like the more we know the less
we know. But Jesus had said to Pilate that he came into this world to “testify to
the truth”. Not a truth. Not some truth. Jesus said, “the truth”. You hold in your
hands what Jesus was testifying to. The Bible is Absolute Truth, that is
completely reliable all the time. Jesus said He came to “…testify to the truth.” If
we apply God’s Word in our lives, we will be living in truth. Therefore we can
know the exact thing Pilate was asking about. “What is truth?” You are holding
it in your hands. The Written Word of God is Absolute Truth.
Tuesday – Deuteronomy 32:4 What is the biggest rock you have ever seen?
Now imagine that rock is immovable and unbreakable. What would it take to
move it? It can’t be moved. That is what God says of himself. He is the Rock.
Not a Rock, not one of many Rocks. The Rock. Perfect and just. Then in
addition, he describes Himself as “faithful without prejudice”. What does
“without prejudice” mean? He loves everyone equally. He loves me as much as
he loves you. Everyone who follows him is blessed without prejudice. He is
indeed righteous and true. Pray with me. Lord thank you that you are the Rock
that I can build my life on. I can build my family on your foundations. Help us to
follow you and to be a reflection of your faithfulness. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Wednesday – Psalms 25:5 Do you ever pray the prayer written in this passage
of scripture? We constantly face decisions and situations where we need
guidance. In these circumstances, God intends for us to call out to Him. To call
on Him. When we are confused, we should pray very specifically from God’s
Word. “Guide me in Your truth and teach me. What an awesome prayer to an
awesome God who is willing to do awesome things in our lives. Read Ps.
50:15. What does it teach you that God is willing to do for you?
Thursday – Psalms 26:12 Have you ever stood for a while on the side of a hill?
After a while, it is exhausting. You can never relax, for if you do you will fall.
And if you fall then it is very difficult to get back up to where you were before
you fell. The writer of this Psalm says he is standing on level ground. We know
that He is talking about the Word of God. We know that, from the other
statements He makes about God’s Word. Read Ps. 119:105. What does it
teach that you want to apply in your life?
Friday- Psalms 86:11 If you show me how, I will do it. Teach me your way and I
will live by it, Lord. By humbly asking God for help, we approach the One who
spoke the world into existence. We approach the One who created both the
sunset and the sunrise. He thought up their beauty. He decided what colors He
would paint the dusky sky. He is the One who will be teaching us His ways and
truths. He is the one who can take our divided minds and loyalties and make us
true to Him. He is the one who will teach us how to reverence and worship His
Name. Pray with me. Teach me your ways, my Savior God. Teach me to live by
your truth. Help me to think of you before I make decisions. Help me to think of
you before I act. Help me to learn your Word and live by it daily. Give me a
mind that is fixed on You and Your Ways. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Saturday – John 16:13 When the Holy Spirit of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ is
invited in your heart He will help you to hear the Word of God. Our part is to
read and learn it. The Holy Spirit will confirm God’s Word and how we should
live by it. That is why Jesus himself ascended back to heaven and sent the
Holy Spirit to live inside of us. He will also declare to us what is ahead for us. I
mean that He will give us hope for the future. We know for sure that we will
someday live in eternity. We also know that the Bible teaches that as we live in
His Truth, our lives will eventually be blessed. Read Ps. 25:10 What promise
does God make you? Write it down below and spend a few moments thinking
about what it says.

Monday -Matthew 11:10–14 Take a look at the phrase the kingdom of heaven has been
suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force… What an odd phrase for
Jesus to utter. He identifies the kingdom of heaven as having occurred from the days of
John the Baptist until now… What He means is that salvation by grace through faith has
begun. It started with the baptism of John which was a baptism of repentance. When a
man hears the Gospel message and is convicted in his heart to repent of His sin he is
saved by faith in God’s promise. John was teaching that the Messiah is coming. We know
now, that the Messiah has come. We are saved because of our faith in His atoning death
and resurrection. But has the Kingdom of Heaven been suffering violence? Yes from the
time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, those who hate God have been violent. And in
2015, we have seen the forces of Islam increasing in violence. Is there a lesson for us in
this rather obscure statement? Possibly. We know from the book of Revelation that as
time progresses toward the visible return of Jesus Christ, that there is going to be an
increase in religious violence. I don’t know what verse 12 means to you, but personally,
it has taken on new meaning to me in 2015. And yes, there has been an increase in my
faith and, an urgency in my longing to see the Lord. The violent have been seizing it by
force is possibly an ongoing fulfillment of prophecy. And for me personally, every act of
violence by violent men whispers eternity in my ears.
Tuesday – Psalms 63:6–8 Nighttime is not as frightening to us as it was back in biblical
days. Today, if you remember a power outage when you looked out of your house at
total blackness with no light in the distance, anywhere, then you understand a little
better. We spend very little of our time in total darkness but that was normal centuries
ago. When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches.
We need to do the same. In the darkest moments of our lives, we need to meditate on
the memorized Word of God. It teaches us the character of God and who He says He is.
And rest assured, all that matters is who He says He is. Not what we say of Him, not
what they say of Him. Because He is who He says He is. He is our helper…we rejoice in
the shadow of His wings. And perhaps most important, when we are close to you, Your
right hand holds on to me. Notice He says the right hand holds me. Most warriors were
right-handed and that was their strong side. Thus, the strongest aspects of God are the
very ones He promises to protect us with, even during the darkest watches of the night.
Pray with me.
Wednesday -Matthew 10:5–7 As you go, announce this: The Kingdom of heaven has
come near. The Good News of the Gospel? The Kingdom of heaven has come near. So why
did Jesus tell the disciples not to take the road leading to the other nations, and don’t
enter any Samaritan town? Because early in Jesus ministry, He had to set the wheels in
motion so the Jews would later crucify Him. Years later, Jesus himself would enter a
Samaritan village. We can surmise from the later reaction of the Samaritan woman at
the well and her villagers that, He would have been accepted by them. They would have
declared Him Lord. And it was not yet time for that. Instead, it was time for Jesus to
minister and then die on a cross for our sin. That evidently could only happen in
Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews. That’s why Jesus was so specific in where He went
and what He said and did. He was headed for the cross, and no one but the Israelites
were so stubborn and so obstinate that they could see the miracles and hear Jesus’
Words and still miss Salvation. They simply refused to believe John’s message. Read
John 1:29-30. John understood Jesus was the blood sacrifice for sin. The Jews hated Him
for it. Read Matthew 27:25. The Jews literally cursed themselves with the blood of Jesus.
Where the Gentiles have been blessed by the shed blood of Jesus, most of the Jews have
been cursed by it. All these things had to happen for the Gospel to go out to the world.
Jesus, our Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Take a moment to thank
Jesus for His blood. Worship Him.
Thursday – Luke 7:27-30 Pharisees were not only common in Jesus’ day, they are still
common today. In almost every church, there will be at least one Pharisee who has
taken it upon themselves to criticize the leadership of that church. Or the membership
of that church. Just remember, critical people are always plainly visible to the humble
and wise in a body of Christ. Never follow the loudest voice of dissension but instead
consider them in the same way Jesus considered the Pharisees of His day. To Jesus, John
the Baptist was sent specifically to prepare the people for Jesus’ birth and ministry.
When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they acknowledged God’s way
of righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. The regular folks,
including the tax collectors, saw Jesus as God’s plan and acknowledged God’s way of
righteousness. But the divisive Pharisees rejected the plan of God for themselves. What
lessons can you and I learn from these scriptures? Pray with me. Precious Lord, I never
want to miss your plan for my life. Early Lord, I want to turn to You and accept Your
will in my life. I never want to be like a Pharisee, knowing law but not knowing Your
Heart. Help me to love and forgive others the way you did. In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
Friday – Luke 7:31-35 Can you imagine how Jesus felt? And rest assured, since He was
fully-God and fully-man, He did feel. This passage is filled with frustration, since Jesus
was love incarnate and He desperately wanted the people of this generation to know
Him. But instead He compared them to children sitting in the marketplace…we played the
flute for you but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t weep! They were like
children seeking approval from one another, but at the same time judging one another.
Those who were judging Jesus, had also judged John, but for completely different
reasons. John did not come eating bread or drinking wine, so because He was not like
them John was accused of he has a demon. Jesus sat down with them to dinner and even
turned water into wine. Jesus did all He could to meet them right where they were and
they said look a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Thus for
the religious elite of the day, neither John, nor Jesus communicated God to them. But as
for me, I am so glad John preached repentance and Jesus was a friend to sinners. For I
am a sinner,…daily. You would think that after 35 years of ministry, I would have
conquered this thing called sin. But I am just as needy and just as pitiful today, as I was
years ago. Without the power of the Holy Spirit in my life and the Word of God in my
hands, I would know nothing and be nothing. But with Him? Read Phil. 4:13.
Saturday – Luke 16:14-17 The Pharisees loved money and scoffed at Jesus. However,
Jesus’ summation of them is eternal, was recorded for all time, and will echo throughout
this thing called eternity. God knows your hearts… Even though they were admired by
people, they were revolting in God’s sight. God also knows our hearts. Yes, even the dark
places. How are we to be fitted for the moment in time when God reveals our hearts to
all in existence? Yes, we will judged for every idle word that we have uttered. The
Kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it. How do
we enter the Kingdom of God? By becoming the opposite of the Pharisees. Read
Matthew 18:3-4. We have to be converted. What is that? Jesus said to be like little
children. Spiritually, we are to realize we are as helpless as a babe, without our Savior,
and our Father, and our Comforter. Whoever humbles himself like this child-this one is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Take a moment and think of the places that anger you
or embitter you. Confess them as sin and humble yourself before the Lord.

Monday – Micah 5:2 His origin is from antiquity, from eternity… There’s something we
all love about a well-made antique. Something from generations gone by. Typically, it
was made with better materials. Maybe it was even manufactured using a different
process than today. But even more importantly, it has history. It has a story. One that
existed before us and, if we take care of that antique, it will be valuable to someone
else after us. Jesus is like that, only more so. His origin is from antiquity. And yet He
was to be born of a virgin, so He came from you. He was fully God, existing from the
foundation of the world, and also fully man, being born of a virgin…in Bethlehem. The
most important one ever born, born in the most unimportant place imaginable. But
born in the perfect place in time, a time ordained in the halls of eternity. Born at a time
of God’s choosing, so that you could know God. His origin is from antiquity, from
eternity. Pray with me. Precious Lord Jesus, thank You for leaving eternity, to bring
me the hope of eternal life. Your sacrifice brings us life. Thank You for being born in
Bethlehem. Thank You for Your life. Thank You for Your precious gift to us. You are
the reason for the season. In Jesus Name, I pray Amen.
Tuesday – Genesis 3:15 Have you ever had hostility between you and someone
else? Sometimes there are situations that can’t be resolved. The other person is simply
not willing. And because of that, a barrier exists between you and that other person. In
the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve chose to sin. Because of original sin, life in the
Garden of Eden changed. One of the things that happened, changed life for every man,
woman, and child, that has lived since then. I will put hostility between you and the
woman. God was cursing Satan. From this point forward Satan would be the enemy of
every man. This hostility would result in wars, crimes, lies, and false religions, until the
time when all curses are revoked. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
This is the first prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus being born of a virgin. He will strike
your head… On the cross, Jesus crushed the power of Satan. He crushed all the plans
of Satan. Jesus literally crushed the head of Satan. And what can Satan do? Nothing.
His fate is sealed, the future is inevitable. …you will strike his heel. Even in Jesus’ day,
the heel was covered by a sandal. To be struck in the heel would have no effect. So
Jesus destroyed all the power of Satan, and Satan could do nothing about it. Even
today, all Satan can do is lie to man. Of course, Jesus has destroyed even the power of
those lies. Because He is the Truth. Take a moment and ask the Lord to show you His
Truth. Ask Him your spiritual questions. Ask Him to defend you and your family from the
evil one. Jesus will hear you.
Wednesday – Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you. God gave promises to
Abraham. Those promises extend to you and I. Did you know that if you follow the
Lord with all of your heart, you become a source of blessing to all those around you?
You see God promised to bless those who bless you… Because you love Him, you
can be a source of blessing to those who love you. The key is to love the Lord first,
with all your heart. Then you can be a source of blessing for those around you. Take a
moment and write down three names of people you love and care about. Ask God to
bless them and to make their lives better.
Thursday – Luke 1:30-33 Some denominations assign Mary, the mother of Jesus, a
sense of deity. We don’t pray to Mary. She can’t grant prayers. But we do need to
understand that she found favor with God. That means she is a hero of the faith, not
someone to be prayed to. However, we need to thank God for Mary’s resolve and
understanding. She understood that God was going to use her to bless all mankind.
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High… That part of God’s promise to Mary
sounded great. Can you imagine how her heart jumped as she heard the angel of God
tell of her son’s greatness. However, the road to the cross and the Resurrection would
not be filled with the same types of moments. Truly, as God’s plan for Jesus unfolded,
there would be many moments of pain and suffering as she saw what Jesus suffered.
The road to Jesus’ greatness was paved with rejection and sorrow. He was indeed a
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Mary continued with Jesus through every
part of His life. She was even at the cross. And we are not told specifically, but yes,
she was with the other believers when they heard of His Resurrection. Can you
imagine at that point, how her heart jumped, when she heard of Jesus’ true greatness?
The true Son of God raised from the dead. No, we don’t pray to Mary, but we thank
God for her. For the way God used her and for her steadfast love of our Savior.
Friday – Psalms 90:1-2 Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation…from
eternity to eternity. Humanity from God’s perspective? We are moving through our time
in this world to determine our eternal destination. Before time began, God planned our
time so that we would have the best opportunity to accept Him, and move into the next
eternity. There was an eternity before time. There will be an eternity after time. And in
between… You have been our refuge in every generation. He is always willing for any
of us to take refuge in Him at any time in our lives. And He is willing to do that for
milennials, Gen y, Baby Busters, and Baby Boomers. So whoever you are and
wherever you are in your journey, God loves you. Take a few moments and consider
the love of God. Thank Him for His mercies and grace toward you and your family.
Saturday – Col. 1:17 The next time you see a sunrise, think about this. Jesus existed
before the very first sunrise. And when you next get a chance to see a beautiful, clear
starry night, consider this. Before that light began it’s journey, to travel across light
years of empty space, Jesus existed. He is before all things… means that He existed
before anything was spoken into creation. And by Him all things hold together. He is
the “theory of everything” , that scientists today seek. They seek one scientific
discovery, one law, that pulls every other law together and explains the universe. They
call it the “theory of everything”. Yep, that is a term you can look up. It is the holy grail
of science. But the Bible says that Jesus is that. By Him all things hold together.
Everything that you seek today, is in Jesus. All you need now or ever will need, is in
Jesus. So this Christmas, take your Bible and read the Christmas story from Luke 2 to
your family. Then read them Col. 1:17. Begin a Christmas tradition that truly makes
Jesus, the reason for the season.

Monday – Is. 43:19-21 When the God who created everything old, says He is about
to do something new, we better listen. Look at the world. If you see a stream flowing,
it has been carving it’s path for ages. The layers of erosion are very, very old. There
is not much new under the sun. Everything man invents comes from something God
created a long time ago. It is old. But here, in Isaiah God says He is about to do
something new, even now it is coming. What is He doing? A way in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert. He is talking about Jesus, the living water of life. Jesus, our way
when we are lost in the wilderness. Jesus, our river when we are stranded in the
desert. 700 years before Christ, God was telling the people of the Old Testament that
the New Testament was coming. A covenant based on mercy and grace. Why is that
new? Just look at the religions of today. They are all violent and cruel. They all will
resort to violence to make their point, especially Islam. These are the same old tired
ways man has used for centuries to approach God. What is the new way? Read
Romans 7:6. We may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old letter of
the law. Indeed, we have been released from the law. Rather we are now justified in
God’s sight by faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside
out. That is God’s something new that He talked about in Is. 43:19. Take a few
moments and thank God for the new way…Jesus.
Tuesday -Isaiah 49:8–9 It’s all good. Every word of this passage resonates in our
Spirit. I will answer…I will help…I will keep you…I will appoint you. Notice the
progression? When we call out to Him, He will answer. Not only that, He promises
that He will help. That means that our prayers will move Him to action on our behalf.
Then it says I will keep you. That’s really good news, because I tend to wander. I
tend to lose my focus. I need my God to keep me. The Psalmist says that God has
hemmed him in, before and behind. That means that God has fenced us in. Aren’t
you glad? He will answer…help…keep, and then, He will appoint. You who are
walking with the Lord will become someone who will say to prisoners: Come
out…Show yourselves. Your testimony of how God has answered…helped…kept…
and appointed you is the most powerful spiritual weapon in God’s arsenal. A believer
who has been with God, daily, is powerful in the battle for men’s souls. God promises
that you will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren
heights. Take a few moments and think about these promises. How will you apply
them in your life today?
Wednesday – Isaiah 49:1-12 When I first got to Tennessee I began to notice the
rock cliffs beside the roadways. Tons of rock and earth had been blasted apart and
moved to make the road’s foundation perfect. In doing so, the road never was too
steep, so that it was not dangerous to travel. It was also done, so that it would be
straighter and easier to get to your destination. In the same way, concerning spiritual
things, God says I will make My mountains into a road, and My highways will be
raised up. The plain and clear message is that God wants us to be able to come to
Him. Read Matthew 7:14. There is only one way to God, Jesus. There is no other
gate, door, or road that will get us to Him. Therefore He wants that one narrow road
to be straight and clear. He wants us to be successful in our journey toward Him. It is
very important that we understand just how much God loves us. He made the way
straight, and the road without too many curves. It’s Jesus. Nothing more, nothing
less, nothing else. Pray with me. Lord Jesus, You are Lord. You are God. You are
the Compassionate One. Please guide us and lead us to springs of water. May Your
highways be raised up. May the Nations of the world see a clear path to you for you
alone are God. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Thursday – Isaiah 49:14–16 We have all felt at times as though God has
abandoned me. The Lord has forgotten me. This prophetic passage says that Zion
(Israel) would someday feel that way. Have you ever seen a photo of the Jews
praying and weeping at the wailing wall in Jerusalem? They pray for the rebuilding of
the Temple. They are a people surrounded by millions of Arabs who hate them.
Many of the nations of the world would remove them from Palestine, if they could.
Just as prophesied, they feel abandoned, because they missed the visitation of the
Messiah. And yet, God says of Israel that He could never forget His chosen people.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands, your walls are continually
before Me. The Bible teaches us that Jerusalem will be restored. It will become the
city of God. And both the Jews who accept Christ and those Gentiles, who are born-
again, are not abandoned. Our future and our hope is secure in Christ. Our names
are literally written on the palm of His hands. That’s how much He loves us.
Friday – Isaiah 57:14-15 Remove every obstacle from My people’s way… This is
not just a statement, it is a command. God is speaking His heart, to His creation.
God has a plan for the nations. He rules the nations with an iron scepter. He moves
kings and presidents to follow His plan. And as God speaks His will to the nations,
His goal is to remove every obstacle from My people’s way. He wants to revive the
spirit of the lowly, and revive the heart of the oppressed. God has a special place in
His heart for humble, hurt people. The Bible communicates that love on nearly every
page. Isn’t it amazing that the God who created this world and steers it toward His
conclusion, is so plain-spoken? He speaks plainly when it comes to His love for the
unloved and the un-cared for. The more broken-hearted we are, the more He wants
to remove every obstacle from our way. Pray with me. God, I humble myself in your
mighty hands that you will lift me up in Your time. I am Yours. I submit myself to you
this day. In Jesus Name I pray, Ament
Saturday – Malachi 3:1–3 Do you feel like you are being purified? If you are a
believer in Christ, you are being made into something better and more useful for
Him. It is not a choice. If you are walking with Him, He will purify you and make you
change your mind about your life. It will become His and not yours. If you are not yet
a believer, then He will constantly be purifying the path you will take, to come to Him.
He will constantly be reaching out to you to call you and make you capable of
presenting offerings to the Lord in righteousness. He will place obstacles in your
path, that make you have to consider Him and His promises. He is not content to be
less than a refiner and purifier of silver. He may turn up the heat, in our lives, but He
will purify us and make us more like Him. Pray with me. Lord Jesus you are coming
again. You are coming to receive those who belong to You. I submit myself to you
and pray with all of my heart, purify me. Make me pleasing to You and Your
purposes. I need more of you in my life and less of me. Purify my heart and mind. I
want to know You and I want to make You known in Your world. Be exalted. In Jesus
Name I pray, Amen.

12-1/2-2018 Take It Through The Week
Monday – Exodus 34:29–30 There is something different about someone who walks with
the Lord. Yes, Moses literally shone with the presence of God when he descended from the
Mountain of God. No, God doesn’t expect you and I to shine like that. That was a totally
unique occurrence in the history of mankind. It marked the beginning of God writing
down exactly what He expected of us, and what man most needed of Him. Mostly, we need
time with God daily. Partly for our own spiritual well-being, and partly because we are
God’s message of light and love to a dark and empty world. How you spend time with God
is up to you. The study you are reading now, is one way. The main thing is to not let
yourself be distracted by the daily grind. Religion without relationship is not relevant. It
will never satisy. It is not what God requires. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments
and then built a system of relationship that ultimately, required the blood of Jesus to
complete. Man’s right to pray daily, and walk with God is precious to God. Don’t be
distracted from it. Do it daily. When you do, the people you love will know that something
is different about you. And you will be a blessing to them. Stop right now and pray for God
to help you walk with Him daily.
Tuesday – Job 36:7 He does not remove His gaze from the righteous. Do you ever feel
alone? Do you ever feel like no one understands you? There is a promise here that we can
take heart in. He does not remove His gaze from the righteous. He sees you. He knows what
you are going through. He understands what you feel and how you hurt, when you hurt.
He laughs with you, when you laugh. You are a terribly important part of God’s creation
that He is intimately aware of. Oh but wait, you don’t feel righteous? Good! If you felt
righteous, then you wouldn’t be. Our righteousness comes to us by faith, not by our own
efforts. Read Romans 5:1. Who has declared we are righteous? God Himself. Why? It is
because we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray with me. Thank you
God, for watching me and caring for me. You see me as righteous in Jesus Christ. He
is my Lord and my Savior. I love You and ask You to watch over me and my family. In
Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday – Psalms 34:15-16 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and… Did you
ever just need to cry out for help? We all get overwhelmed sometimes. Have you ever
screamed into a pillow? You just needed to yell, or you were gonna bust? We all have that
feeling sometimes. In that moment, God’s Word reaches down through the centuries and
becomes very real to us. His ears are open to their cry for help… The God who originated
everything that exists, is listening for your cry for help. In the midst of everything that is
happening, everywhere in the universe, He is ready to hear you before anything else. Is
there a planet colliding with a star trillions of light years away? That is secondary to the
cry of your heart, when you need help. Is there star becoming a super-nova, somewhere in
God’s universe? You are more important to God. Moreover, those who frustrate you, those
who do what is evil, God is aware of them. In His own time He is moving to erase all the
memory of them from the earth. You are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. You are God’s
highest and most important creation. God is someday, going to do away with evil and He is
going to do away with evil-doers. Until then, He sees you. He hears you. He loves you. Take
a few minutes and express your gratitude to Him. Tell Him you love Him.
Thursday – Proverbs 4:18-19 I am not necessarily an early riser. Well…I am not at all an
early riser. I have done it and will do it, but I don’t like it. But if I do get up at the crack of
dawn, I rarely miss the moment of first light. Many times I have been hunting and watched
breathlessly as the darkness becomes light. It is the best show on earth. Learning God’s
Way is like watching the sunrise. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining
brighter and brighter until midday. As you walk with the Lord on the path of the righteous,
life becomes more clear. That is called a Christian Worldview. We view all of the events of
life through the pages of the Holy Scriptures. We consider God’s plans more important
than ours because, in reality, we don’t have any. With a Christian Worldview, we are
constantly seeking God’s plan. And as we do, things become clearer to us. Pray with me.
Lord, I choose to see everything in life, through Your Word. Help me learn it and apply
it in my life. Help me to understand. Give me spiritual eyes and ears to get what You
want me to get. Then help me to give it away to others. Help me lead others to want to
see this world through Your Word. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Friday – Proverbs 20:7 We all want our children to be happy. And we all learn along the
way, that perhaps what we thought would make them happy, really didn’t do that at all. Is
there a parent among us who hasn’t been amazed to see our children open their
Christmas packages and then when the “new” has worn off, want something else? Many
times, the things we think will make them happy, actually has the opposite effect.
Sometimes, they just wind up wanting more. So let’s set our sights on giving them
something that will always bless them. The one who lives with integrity is righteous; his
children who come after him will be happy. Integrity is the gift that keeps on giving,
generation to generation. What is integrity? In the Bible, integrity is doing what God says
to do. Let me illustrate. Years ago, God opened up a passage of scripture for me that has
plagued/blessed me ever since. While it often plaques me by confronting how I feel at the
moment, it always blesses me when I curb my feelings and choose God’s Word. Read
James 1:19-20. Here’s what it means. Every time I get angry and loose my temper it’s my
fault, no matter what “made” me mad. Every time I get angry and loose my temper, it is
sin, regardless of my “reasons”. That is something I have communicated to my children. So
neither of my children has a bad temper. If they do have a bad day, they consider it to be
sin and apologize for it. That’s the perfect illustration for what integrity is in the Bible. It
will always bless and never cause unhappiness, long-term. Take a few moments and pray.
Ask God for integrity. Ask Him for yourself and two other people you know.
Saturday – Romans 8:15-17 God doesn’t want us to be enslaved. Freedom to live and
grow and be victorious was God’s idea. Slavery is man’s idea. The greatest evils this world
has ever known, have been associated with men who were willing to take other men’s
freedom away from them. Many who don’t know God, think Christians to be foolish. It’s
because to become a Christian, means you lose your “freedom”. Christians have to go to
church every Sunday. Christians tithe. Christians can’t get drunk. Christians can’t
participate in sex as a recreational sport. Rather marriage should be only between one
man and a woman. Christians can’t go about randomly fathering children by multiple
women and procreating as much as possible. Rather they are called to be a husband and a
wife. Together they are to give their children a stable home and raise them in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord. But those of us who understand what we gain by giving up
the world, are happy, because we receive so much more than we ever gave up. For you did
not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption…
As Christians, we are not slaves to sin, but we are adopted into the family of God, as sons
and daughters. Pray with me. Father, I thank You that I have lost nothing, in becoming
Your child. Thank You Jesus for all You gave up, so that I could have everything. I love
You and I want to serve You all the days of my life. Holy Spirit, move me to know I am
an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. Help me to endure and persevere in anything
that comes my way in this life. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Monday– Colossians 3:14–15 Everyone loves the holiday season because it brings the entire family together to celebrate, whether it be Christmas or Thanksgiving. It is always a time to see some of your extended family that you have not seen for some time. However, at times the joyous occasion can turn frustrating and bitter because with that same extended , you might not see eye to eye with on every issue.  Maybe that football game has stirred up some old rivalry, or Aunt Betsy will not stop talking about politics. In Colossians, Paul talks about the opportunity for unity in the church. As believers, we have been given the tools to keep or restore unity with other believers. We are instructed to “put on love” and “let the peace of the Messiah… control our hearts”. With this instruction, the perfect bond of unity will be formed. Lastly, we are instructed to “Be thankful.” There is nothing more encouraging and beautiful in this life than being perfectly unified as a body of believers through Christ.
Tuesday– Psalms 105:1 Through our thankfulness, we proclaim His deeds to the world. Our thanksgiving is actually a testament to everything that the Lord has blessed us with. God has provided us a means of salvation, something that we should constantly be in thanksgiving about. That thanksgiving can proclaim the Gospel that saved us. Take a moment to think about what you have to be thankful for in your life. Now, think about how those things can be a testament to what God has done in your life. Jesus has provided the ultimate source of thanksgiving, through the cross. We all go through hard times in this life; the physical is fleeting and does not last forever. But, God’s love for humanity will never fade. We will never be snatched out of his hand. No matter how hard this life gets, we will always have something to thank God for in our lives. The consistency of the cross will always trump the vanity of this world. In your life today let the gift of salvation be a proclamation of thanksgiving to the earth.
Wednesday – Colossians 3:17 What did you do yesterday? Think back on what you accomplished. Was it done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God.  It is difficult for us to think in terms of whatever you do, in word or in deed it should be done as though we were actually serving Christ. Did you clean the kitchen yesterday? Change the oil in your car? Did you take your kids somewhere? Did you work all day at your job? Whatever you do in your everyday life, should be done as well as you possibly can. Why? It is because He has done so much for us. It is because He has been so good to us. It is because we have been given everything that really matters, through the sacrifice of Christ. That changes everything we do, everyday. Pray with me. Lord I love you and I serve You in everything I do. Even the most menial things are holy and precious when given to you and done for you. Be exalted in my life. Be exalted in my job. Be exalted in my home. You are everything to me. IN Jesus Name, Amen.
Thursday – 1 Timothy 4:3-5  There has been a trend in recent years to treat certain food, as though it were inherently evil. Not eating meat can be a spiritual statement and there are those who today would say it is wrong to eat meat.  There is also a trend to discourage a man and woman from marrying, but rather to live together. It is much more common, in Hollywood, to see someone living together, than choosing to get married. It is interesting that God said almost 2000 years ago, that this will be a sign of people departing from the faith and embracing “the doctrine of demons”.  Both marriage and various types of foods were created by God to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth. But you can be sure that all the forces of evil in the world have tried and will continue to try to get people to see the world through jaded eyes. Measuring how food is produced by counting “carbon credits” is a radical approach only developed in recent years. Treating homosexual “marriage” as though it is normal and even approved by God is contrary to the Word of God. God calls marriage between a man and woman good and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. Remember, anything God tells us is good is given to make our lives a blessing and to give us what we need to make it through this life. If He calls something bad 2000 years before it actually begins being accepted by the whole world, then we should pay attention. Take a few moments and find something in your life to thank God for. Pray to Him. God blesses a thankful heart.
Friday – Hebrews 13:15 So many believers have sacrificed so much for the Good News to be passed on to you and I. First the Catholic and then the Calvinists, were quite comfortable with persecuting any believer who believed in being baptized as an adult. Infant baptism was enforced for hundreds of years. Also, thousands of believers died so that you and I could have a Bible in our own language. That was opposed in Europe and also in Great Britain. At one point even owning a Bible was considered heresy.  There have been great sacrifices so that you and I could worship freely. So how are we to sacrifice? We are called on to continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. That God would consider our praise a sacrifice is pretty incredible. That the fruit of our lips would be a blessing to Him is so easy for us to do. Simply praise Him. Simply confess His name. Call out to Him and tell Him He is your Savior. Know that your prayers right now, ascend to heaven and please Him. Think about one place in your life you would normally complain about. Then offer it to Him. And instead of complaining about it, in the future, offer up a sacrifice of praise. 
Saturday – Hebrews 13:16 Don’t neglect to do what is good… For the most part, we know the difference between good and evil. We who have been raised in a Judeo-Christian culture, know the inherent evil in aborting a baby, or abusing a child. No one had to spell it out for us, we know it. When we choose to do good and to share we are pleasing to God. We have freewill and we can choose to do good. We have all heard the term a “do-gooder”. Most of the time that was considered a negative term. But God is pleased with such sacrifices. Pray with me. Lord help me to know and to do good, in Your eyes. I sacrifice my today to your tomorrow. I want to be a missionary to a lost world in everything I do. I want them to see You in all I do. Help me today to invest in eternity, by the way I see all those around me. I want to be the bright spot in their day, because You Lord are the light of the world. In Jesus Name I pray, amen.

Monday – Psalms 110:1–2   It ‘s a bit of an odd turn of words. Who is talking to who and why?  This is the declaration of the LORD to my Lord… How can both of them be Lord? Our English simply can’t convey everything the Hebrew says. There are two different terms being used here. To simplify it, it reads like this… this is the declaration of Jahweh (Father God) to my Lord (Jesus the son)  When we understand what the Hebrew says we understand this is God the Father, telling Jesus that it is only a matter of time, before Jesus rules over all of creation. God the Father will make all Jesus’  enemies his footstool. God will take all those who hate God and Jesus now in this life, and make them Jesus’ footstool. Jesus will be victorious over everything we have ever seen or known in this world. Every hater and liar who has demeaned and disrespected the Sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ will be revealed to all creation, as being haters and liars. But we who have fallen on our knees at the cross and cried out for mercy, will share in the total victory of Jesus’. We will see Him, victorious and exalted. David saw the day when this would happen in the future. God showed it to Him. And because God shared this victory with David, and David shared it with us, we too are looking forward to the day. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday – Colossians 1:25–28  Paul was amazed that He was being used to start the church by spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. Yes, Paul knew that it was a mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.  That God was allowing Him to see it unfolding, was a privilege He constantly wrote about. God not only revealed the mystery of his love to His saints, He also wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery…  He wanted the world to know the mystery. What is the mystery? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Not the hope to somehow survive day by day,  on and on in this broken world. Not the hope to somehow live longer and better than those around us. No, a hope that is so much more than what we see everyday. We will see the day when the glory of God will be revealed in Jesus Christ. We will see the glory that will restore this fallen world back to the heights for which it was intended. Because Jesus lives in us, we will see what no man has ever been able to see, the glory of God. We will see Him as He is. That is why We proclaim Him. That is why we teach and search out God’s wisdom. Our goal is that  we may present everyone mature in Christ.  Who are you praying for today so that they might receive Jesus and have that hope?
Wednesday – Isaiah 64:4  Whatever you may believe, wherever you may be in your spiritual journey, one thing is absolutely imperative that you understand and embrace. There is only the God of the Bible. From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You… God is very, very definitive. He is not a God of many different names in many different cultures. He is a God who has told us His Name and has declared to the nations who He is.  He is not interested in  man’s theories of how to worship Him. He has told us. Read John 4:23-24. Notice the last phrase of verse 23, Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. He wants us to come to Him and know Him. He wants us to know that He alone is God. And He wants us to know something else too. Go back to Isa. 64:4. Not only did He say that from the beginning of time, there has only been one God, He wants you to know that He acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him. Pray with me. Father, from the beginning of time there has only been You. You alone are God. You have expressed yourself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We wait for You. We want to know You. We want to know Your ways. Move in our lives, as we wait for You. IN Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Thursday – Romans 8:10–13  At some point in our lives, we become aware of human mortality. You probably remember the days when you felt ten feet tall and bulletproof. Then something happened to you or someone else that changed how you think. The solution for man’s temporary existence is God promise of eternity. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Notice it did not say the body will die, but Paul said the body is dead. Without Jesus, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Not, we will be dead, we are dead. And with Jesus the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Not someday, but now. Our life in Christ is such a certainty that the change should begin now. We already eternally alive in Him and his righteousness is already working in us to change us now. We are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh… We need to see every day differently. We need to love every moment of our lives in this life, because for us eternity has already begun. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  The Holy Spirit of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, helps us to say no to the devil and yes to the Lord. Helps us to live today by the power of the Spirit while longing toward eternity.
Friday – 1 Corinthians 2:7–10  Given the miracles that Jesus did, why did they not declare him King? The blind could see, the lame could walk, demons were cast out, the masses were fed miraculously. At the very least, why did they masses turn on him and cry out for His crucifixion? None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for it they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  At the time, the wisdom of God’s plan for man’s salvation was a mystery. Who could have known what God was doing? That is why Paul acknowledged it as a mystery.  What eye did not seek and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind…  Who could have imagined God would send His Only Begotten Son to die on a cross for our sin? Who could have dreamed God would do such a thing? But God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has convicted you of your sin, and through God’s power has prepared you for the Kingdom of heaven. This is the hidden wisdom in a mystery. This is a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. God loves you so much that He prepared this for those who love Him.  You have a hope and a future in Him that defies the wisdom of man and rests fully on the wisdom and promises of God. Pray with me. Father, thank you for Your wisdom and mercy. What man could have never planned or thought of, You forced upon man’s history and ordained by the strength of Your will. Thank you for the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that takes away our sin and prepares us for Your coming Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Saturday – Philippians 4:19–20  I don’t know what your needs are. We all have them. I am not talking about just wants or human desires. Paul was completely assured that the needs of believers would be provided. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Paul understood poverty, hunger and needs. He even gives a list. Read 2 Cor. 11:24-27. Quite a list of difficulties, isn’t it? And yet through all of that, Paul was completely convinced that God had, and would still, supply all your needs.   Does that mean that Paul didn’t experience great difficulty? No. He had incredible difficulties. But they didn’t matter to Him. Because all He needed was to know that He was doing what God had called  Him to do. All Paul needed to know was that He was investing in the coming Kingdom. To the believers of the day, Paul assured them that God will supply all your needs. How can He do this? …according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Everything we need is in Christ Jesus. Yes, He will hear our specific prayers and yes, he will give us our needs. But our greatest need is fulfilled by knowing Jesus and serving Him all the days of our lives. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Monday – 2 Chronicles 29:5 In the Old Testament, the Levites were the ones who were called to prepare the people for worship and also to lead them in worship. It is important for us to remember today that worship is not to be taken lightly or not to be treated as the last thing on our list. It is not something we stop our lives for it is the thing we live for. It is what makes life make sense. So we are to come prepared to set aside everything that encumbers us. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of Yahweh. Set this time aside, prepare for it. Prepare to meet with Him. Long to know Him. Make each time we worship the Lord together, the most important part of your week. Remove everything impure from the holy place. Before worship, examine your heart. Ask God to show you anything that is sin. Confess it to Him and because He is true to His Word, He will forgive you and cleanse you. Then worship the Lord. The unified, pure worship of God’s people together, is pleasing to Him. And there is nothing more important in this world than our prayers and praises ascending to His throne. Read Rev. 5:8-9.
Tuesday – Psalms 92:12–15  The Lord is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. And because He is just, because He is my rock, because there is no unrighteousness in Him, He will not leave us the way we are. He knows us completely and loves us unconditionally. The purpose of the Cross of Christ is to make us ready for the Kingdom of Heaven. After we are made clean by the Blood of Jesus, we will be sanctified (set apart) for the whole rest of our lives. By the time we are old, we should be made completely new. We should not get old and grumpy, we should be old and grateful. We should be ready to see Jesus and happy in the hope of seeing the Lord. At the end of this life, we should be ready to start real life. The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a Cedar tree . Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God.  Don’t you love the Word thrive? It is not just living, it is growing and expanding and living to the greatest possible degree. That is what happens when He is our rock. Even in our old age, they will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green. But notice, this thriving life is attached to Him, not to us.
Wednesday -Matthew 13:33  Ever seen 50 pounds of flour? That is a lot of flour. Why did Jesus say the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it? In our days of modern convenience, we miss the meaning of this parable. To grind 50 pounds of flour would be a huge amount of flour. It would be far too much for one family to use in one day. Mixed with yeast it would expand and when baked it would make dozens of loaves of bread. Now, remember there were no food preservatives like today. The bread would have to be used or it would ruin in only a few days. All the neighbors, everyone around would be offered bread because that much is far too much to allow to go to waste. So let’s add another passage of scripture to our thought process. Read Matt. 4:4. When Jesus talks about bread he is actually talking about God’s Word being bread and the only thing that can change our lives, from the inside out. In Matt. 13:33 Jesus is talking about the urgency of the Gospel and the need to share it. The massive quantity of bread the woman is making communicates that anyone and everyone who hears the Gospel may eat and there will always be plenty to go around. So you and I, we are bread distributors. Our job is to spread the Good News of the Gospel to all in our neighborhoods and everyone in our vicinity. And it will satisfy all who are it is given to, forever.
Thursday –  Luke 24:39 Jesus had no need to show off His resurrected body. Jesus had told them He would rise from the dead. By the time Jesus makes this appearance to Thomas, many had seen Him and testified to His resurrection. Jesus had already  established by appearing to many witnesses that He had indeed risen from the dead. When Jesus finally appeared to Thomas, it was specifically for Thomas’ benefit. To meet Thomas’ needs and to meet Thomas where He was. Look at My hands and My feet, that if is I Myself! Touch Me and see…  Why would Jesus go to that length to restore Thomas’ faith? The first reason is because Thomas was the farthest away, the most skeptical of the Apostles.  God still communicates His love to the most sinful and skeptical. The second reason is because Jesus loved Thomas, and knew his heart. Because of the way Jesus cared for Thomas we know there is no end to Jesus’ love and to the understanding Jesus has for our needs. He understood Thomas and He understands you and me. Touch Me and see is extended to you and I, as well. Take a few moments and think about Jesus. Ask Him to touch you and bless you. Ask Him to draw you close to Him. Think about your favorite bible verse about Jesus. What does it tell you about Him?
Friday – John 15:2 God is pretty serious about believers bearing fruit. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit, He removes.  Do I believe we can lose our salvation? No. But the Bible teaches that any believer that will not change the way they live and set their sights on Jesus, never really was a believer. It’s a bit more complicated than that and a longer conversation, but it is impossible to be a true believer and live like the devil. We live to produce fruit…period. We produce more fruit by being pruned. You may have experienced it. If you haven’t then you will experience it. You will encounter a situation where you are challenged. The challenge will always come down to, “do I choose me or do I choose God?” Under trials,  you will have to choose to give up more of yourself to Him. Be ready for it. If you allow God to be God, then you will produce more fruit. If you make yourself God, then God will discipline you. Read Hebrews 12:5-6. If you resist God’s pruning then He will give you a spanking. Why? Because He loves us enough to make useful to Him. It can happen the easy way or the hard way. Pray with me. Lord Help me to product the fruit you want in my life. Fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit. You are God and I am not. I need more of you and less of me. May the people I meet see You in everything I do. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Saturday – 2 Corinthians 4:16–17 Christians don’t give up. We don’t quit. We keep on serving and loving others in the Name of Jesus. However we are all subject to the same things. Knees that are wearing out. Hair that might be falling out or turning gray. …our outer person is being destroyed. Yes, we all will feel the sting of time. But because of Jesus, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.  It may not feel like it’s momentary. But in terms of eternity anything in this life will fade into… momentary. And I long to actually find out what weight of glory means. But it has to be pretty awesome. Keep on keeping on, it won’t be long.

Monday – Psalms 27:12–13 It’s not a statement about the character of God. Do not give me over to the will of my foes…  David has no doubt that God will protect Him. He isn’t concerned God would abandon Him. No, this a cry of the heart about a harsh reality. David realizes he will be tempted to be like his foes. He realizes if he acts like the  false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence, he will be just like them. And He probably knows in his heart, that he wants to do just that. You see, even though David has to fight evil and has to go to war to protect the nation, he realizes he cannot go to war for the wrong reasons. The will of my foes in our lives always has to do with us being reduced to their level. David is asking for God’s help in not being like them. There is a lesson for us in that. We are called to walk daily with an expectation for good. We are called to be certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Verse 13 is a choice. David has prayed and asked God to protect him from the false witnesses. Now David must exercise faith in God’s intentions for David’s life. He must choose to think about God’s goodness, rather than dwell on man’s evil intent. The challenge is the same for you today and everyday. Take a moment and write down three ways God has been good to you. Then thank Him for His goodness.  
Tuesday – Psalms 42:9–11 Do you have a rock? Do you have somewhere to stand when all is crumbling around you? Sometimes David displays hidden personal character traits that are weak and frail. This passage is one of those moments. In his heart, David believes God is his rock. However, at the moment David is paying more attention to Why have You forgotten me. We all do that at times. I want you to notice a progression. The scripture eventually goes from why have You forgotten me to why am I so depressed. If we are wise, we can learn a valuable lesson here. Yes, life is hard at times, but it is not because God has forgotten me. It is because I have not forgotten myself. As a pastor, virtually everyone who has ever come to me telling me about being depressed, had given up on controlling their thoughts. They were thinking about themselves all the time. The Holy Spirit came to change our minds about us. To help us think of Jesus, Others, and then You. Notice the acronym? JOY. Jesus, Others, You. Some folks get it wrong two different ways. The most depressed people practice YOJ. The second most depressed people I practice OYJ. The most consistent, most joyful, most respected, most beneficial believers I know practice JOY. Read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. What does it mean taking every thought captive? We control our emotions and think of faith and eternal things. We refuse to put ourselves first. Remember, David, concluded his little selfish diatribe to God with Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.  David purposefully came back to God and refused to continue being selfish. Take a few minutes to think about these scriptures and then pray to God about it. Confess any sin, and claim any promises.
Wednesday Romans 8:22–25  So continuing the conversation from yesterday, am I saying that we should never be depressed? No, not at all. In this life we will deal with ups and downs and even sideways, at times. We can’t avoid that entirely. Most depression issues stem from us constantly thinking about ourselves. Me, me, me, me, me, me, me is no way to live. We have to have our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus because the Bible says He is the author and finisher of our faith. But we also have to understand that we are not living where we were intended to be. the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Because of sin, the whole world is slowly spinning, decaying, and crashing down around us. There are spiritual pressures we are each subject to and we must understand that we are closer everyday to a New Heaven and New Earth. If we only look at the broken one we live in now, it will depress us. If you are human, you feel this pressure. If you have not yet come to Christ as Lord and Savior, you are being pressed by the present world. God is using it in your life to pressure you to be born again. If you are already born again, God is using this pressure make you more useful to Him. The only place you can go is to the Word for relief. Nothing else will satisfy you. Don’t want to be depressed? Seek God. You will find Him and He will fill you with all you need. That is what we are all looking for . That is the only thing that satisfies us. Seek Him now. Pray in your own words. Tell Him about how you feel. Ask Him to change you.
Thursday – Romans 10:17 How do we get more faith? We know that we don’t have enough. We are challenged regularly in it. We would all say, as the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.” The beginning of increased faith, is accepting Christ as your Savior and being born again. That begins a lifelong process for believers that began with hearing the Word and you receiving enough faith to accept salvation. But that process will occur over and over, as you grow as a believer. You will encounter situations where you have doubts and you need more faith. You have two choices. Either you will shrink back and think the old way, based on your fears and habits from the past. Or you will increase your faith by what is heard.  That may be next sunday’s worship service, it might a Lifegroup. Or it might be you opening up the Bible yourself and feeding your spirit  with the Word’s beauty. Or it might be right now, with this Take It Through The Week. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If your faith is going to increase, your exposure to the Word of God must increase. It is a spiritual law and there is no other way. If you are going to move forward spiritually, it will happen by feeding on God’s Word. And no, simply coming to church is not enough, if has to happen daily. Pray with me. Holy Spirit of the Risen Lord, help me to set aside all the things that entangle me , and to open your Word. Help me to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Help me to be glad when they say unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord. I need you, the Living Word, to feed me. Lead me and help me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen. 
Friday – 2 Corinthians 4:16–18  What is one characteristic of a turned-on, filled-up, born-again believer in Jesus Christ? Therefore we do not give up. Perseverance is not only necessary, but vital in the life of a believer. How do we get more of it? We do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Why do Christians talk so much about heaven? We are commanded to. We are commanded to treat this world and even our present body as something that is temporary. We are told repeatedly thoughts like for our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So instead of living under the weight of a physical world that someday to be replaced entirely, we look forward to an absolutely incomparable weight of glory.  We never give up because no matter what happens to us, we are one second…, one moment closer to an absolutely incomparable weight of glory. The spiritual pressure that we feel is natural. The difficulties that we deal with are normal. But we have a date with the most supernatural moment in human history, when Jesus returns. In that day, all we see will become all we have hoped for. In that day all we have been promised, will become all we could never even have imagined. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. We will see what can’t be seen now. Therefore we do not give up.
Saturday – 1 Corinthians 13:11–13  Do you remember your child saying something really cute way back then, that he would never say today? It’s a little sad because back then it was so cute. We love to tell those stories about our kids. But aren’t you glad he doesn’t talk like that anymore? If he were stuck in that 5 year old mode, and in a 25 year old body, it wouldn’t be good. but when I became a man, i put childish things away.  Read 1 Cor. 3:1-3. Paul has been calling the Corinthians to stop acting like children. To grow up spiritually was not an option, it was a necessity. Back to chapter 13:11-13, Paul makes the same appeal as he did in chapter 3. Grow up. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Why must we grow and mature and have spiritual goals. Because in the future, we will know as we are fully known. Everything that God knows will suddenly become public knowledge. For those who rejected Christ, there will be no excuses, no accusations. They will know that their eternal fate is sealed and that it was fully their choice to reject Christ. For believers, we will suddenly know everything God knows. About us. About others. All unconfessed sin will suddenly become public knowledge. Why should we grow and mature? Our first moments in eternity, all the sin we have clung to and kept for ourselves will suddenly be revealed. But then, thanks be to God, believers will be cleansed and all that will remain will be faith, hope, and love. The deeds and words that will be fit for eternity will have been fueled by faith, hope, and love. These three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.  Pray with me. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, melt my sinful stubbornness and fill those voids with faith, hope, and love. Through Jesus, Amen

Monday –  Proverbs 3:9–10  I’d rather have 90% of my possessions blessed than have 100% of my possessions cursed. I guess at some point in our lives we think of all we make and all we do as ours. It’s our life and we’re making it our way. However, the more we know the Lord and the more we understand His ways, the more we understand what it means to belong to Him. As I said before, I’d rather have 90% of my possessions blessed than have 100% of my possessions cursed.  God promises to bless those who honor Him. And God is not into lip service. He is not impressed by givers who are stressed. He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Read 2 Cor. 9:7. God loves a cheerful giver. He blesses and favors those who honor Him with their heart and then their possessions.  Back in Pro. 3:9-10, God is very specific. He calls us to give Him the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.  The first act of faith is ours. First we honor him with the first tenth, then he blesses the other 90% more than we could have ever imagined. There was a time in my life when I “tithed” my time, but not my possessions. We never had enough and were constantly being buffeted by the world. But when I began tithing my possessions and giving the Lord all of heart, time, and love, my life has been changed. In every way possible, He has changed everything. And He will do the same for you, if you will let him.
Tuesday – Proverbs 11:25 Have you ever given someone a drink of water? Of course, to understand this scripture, we have to understand what that means in a desert. In a dry and thirsty land, there is nothing quite as refreshing as a drink of cool water. In the New Testament when Jesus told a parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus the beggar, Jesus said the rich man in hell wanted nothing more than just a drop of water. We live in a nation that is rich in our water resources, so we lose a lot of the meaning of the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. It’s a little easier for us to understand a generous person will be enriched. It’s a very simple statement. Only it’s more than a statement, it’s a promise. God blesses those who are generous. So today, try it. Try being generous simply because God said to. Next sunday, when the offering is given be generous. I dare you. And then I double-dog dare you to see what happens the following week. Count your blessings. Notice what God does. Be aware of the increase and give God the credit for it. I dare you.
Wednesday – Proverbs 11:27–28 You ever have one of those days when you wake up grumpy? No, I left her in bed. Sorry I couldn’t resist telling the old joke. But seriously, we all have those days when we wake up looking for trouble. Just plain moody. And from experience, we could all confirm what this scripture says, if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him. But aren’t you glad the reverse is equally true, the one who searches for what is good finds favor.   We are told we can’t trust riches. We know that riches alone, won’t make us happy, or healthy. Just look at Hollywood. Too many young lives wasted on what doesn’t satisfy. Who will be next? I don’t know, but before long there will be someone else who has everything to live for and yet they kill themselves with riotous living. But the one who searches for what is good finds favor.  Whose favor? God’s favor is available to anyone and everyone who will obey His Word. The New Testament expands on this principle. Read Phil. 4:8. We have a choice as to what we think and how we think. And if we choose to dwell on His Words rather than our words, we will think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. He will change our minds if we allow him to. We can think about moral excellence and if there is any praise-dwell on these things. Do you want to become a fountain of blessing? Do you want to be a person people want to be around? Do you want people to admire you and respect you? Memorize these scriptures and meditate on them. Carry them with you everywhere you go. Ask God to make these scriptures a part of your daily lives.
Thursday – Proverbs 11:30–31  I have two pear trees. I have apple trees, I have cherry trees, I have peach trees. And they produce fruit, sometimes. But those pear trees produce bumper crops year after year. Know what a bumper crop is? It’s when the truck is so filled up with fruit that the bumper is nearly dragging the ground. So much of a harvest that it can scarcely be carried. In the same way, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.  That’s quite a statement. There were two very special trees in the Garden. One of them was the tree of life. Anyone who ate of it, would have lived forever. So when God says here in Proverbs, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life… its a pretty large statement. Do you know someone who is truly good? Someone that you can always depend on to say the right thing and do the right thing? If you do, then I know that in your heart you smile when you think of them. That’s what God is talking about here. And as you pursue Jesus and try to be like Him, you will become more righteous. And you will become more like a tree of life. As you do that, as you become more righteous that will be repaid back to you. If you tithe, it will be paid back to you, in this life and in the next. If you pray for others, that will be repaid back to you. If you care for the physical needs of other, that will be repaid on earth. Pray with me. Dear Lord. Help me to be like You. Help me to display your character in my day to day. Help me to apologize when I am wrong. Help me to know when I am wrong. Help me to stand for what is right. Help me to kneel and pray for what is broken. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Friday – Proverbs 13:21  Have you ever had a recurring, silly dream? I had a dream when I was young that I big ugly man was chasing me. He was slow and I was fast. But he never would give up. About the time I would think I was safe, boom there he was again. It was silly and I eventually stopped having it. But when I did. I really wanted to wake up and not be dreaming anymore. Disaster pursues sinners. It’s a spiritual law and it never varies. There may be a time when it seems that those who purposefully sin are happy, but in their hearts they are separated from God. In their hearts, they are missing the only thing that will ever satisfy them. good rewards the righteous. Of course, you and I both know that only God is good. And that only He can reward you and I. His promise is that even as disaster pursues sinners… God’s good rewards the righteous.  He even has a storeroom of good for someone who is truly good in his heart. Read Matthew 12:35. What does it say about a storeroom of good? If you are a good manthen God has given you a storeroom of good in exactly the same way He has given an evil man…his storeroom of evil.  Yes, I know you are going to say what we all say. Or at least we should say. We are not truly good. We are not truly good men. That is, not until Jesus comes and gives us His goodness. Now read Phil. 1:6. God has started a good work in you and will carry it on to completion. Paul says he is sure of that. My prayer is that you too, would be sure of that and walk in the goodness of the lord. By the way, Read Gal. 5:22-23. Ask God for the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Ask Him right now.
Saturday – Proverbs 19:17  How are needs met in the church? How are the buildings and the lights paid for? How are the salaries paid? You tithes and offerings provide the basis for all we do and sometimes, limit what we can do. How sad it is that so many believers today don’t understand that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns everything that is anything because He created all things. And He can create all we need to meet our needs. That is why I tithe. He is faithful. But I don’t just tithe. I literally look forward to giving above and beyond the tithe. I look for opportunities to give that are spontaneous and unexpected. Because God rewards those offerings too. Have you ever given a loan to God? You might say, “Pastor, that’s a ridiculous statement, you just said God owns everything. How could I give Him a loan?” Well, I didn’t say it, He did. Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender. I believe that He is saying here that a random act of kindness to the poor, above and beyond the tithe, is a loan to the Lord. It is talking about things we do out of the generosity of our hearts that we know cannot be repaid. It is talking about open-handed giving. It could be monetary. It could also be kind words. It could be a genuine complement. It could be a smile when no one else is smiling. Whatever it is, He will give a reward to the lender. It is His promise. And it is a promise with a caution attached. If we add another passage of scripture, we have additional possibilities.   Read Hebrews 13:2. Something to chew on isn’t it?

Monday – Deuteronomy 6:6-12 What are the promises (given to the Israelites) associated with God’s Word? List them and think about them. As believers today the same promises extend to us. Those promises come from doing v. 6-9. Pick a favorite verse to memorize with your children and/or spouse. Tell them why Deuteronomy 6:6-12 says to memorize the Word.
Tuesday – Joshua 1:6-9 Joshua is told to “Be strong and courageous!” The children of Israel are entering the promised land. It is inhabited by strong people in fortified cities. What does God tell Joshua about His Word? Why? What is success according to God? How does that extend to us today?
Wednesday – Nehemiah 8:8-9 During one of the times when Israel was disobedient to the Lord, they were carried off in captivity. Nehemiah was given permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild it. In the rebuilding, there was a point at which The Word Of God was read aloud in Jerusalem for the first time in decades. Notice the people weep not just at the reading of the Word of God but because those reading it, read it in a way they could understand it. At LifeHouse Fellowship Church we long ago agreed upon this principle as vitally important among us. At LFC our Purpose Statement is “..to translate the Good News of Jesus Christ into terms that everyone can understand and then embrace…” What similarities do you see from Nehemiah 8:8-9?
Thursday –  Psalm 1 Where does this scripture say happiness comes from? Whose advice should we not follow? What is the secret to real prosperity?
Friday –  Psalms 19:7-11 According to this, how do we renew our life? According to this passage, what are the benefits of learning God’s Word? Why is the instruction in God’s Word likened to  being more valuable than gold?
Saturday – Palms 112:1-4 How might we take “great delight” in the Lord’s commands? List some ways that we might demonstrate delighting in the Law of the Lord?. Why does it say his descendants will be blessed? Why does it promise wealth and prosperity? We as a nation are blessed in this way. Is it important that we individually continue as Christians? That our children become Christian leaders? Why?

9-22/23-2018 Take It Through The Week

Monday- Romans 3:23–25  Aren’t you glad we are all in the same boat? Well, actually I mean they have all sunk. Big boats, small boats, all sunk to the bottom with no hope of recovery or salvage, without help, that is. …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all the same. God used the word all because He meant it. And for those who choose of their own free will to accept God’s solution for our sinking boat, we are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. All who chose to, can be justified. Why would God extend grace to anyone who will choose it? He gives grace to demonstrate His righteousness. God is just that good. God is just that faithful. He is just that merciful. He is just that unfair. What? Unfair? Yes, we who deserve no grace and are not that good sometimes, at extending it to others, don’t deserve the level of grace God has given us. God didn’t give us fair. He gave us grace. Aren’t you glad? I know I am. Take a few moments and thank God for His precious gift of Grace.
Tuesday – Acts 4:32–35 …great grace was on all of them.  The whole church was filled with God’s Grace and it was extended toward one another. It has been my experience in life that there is a point at which most believers will argue. I know, not you and not me, but everybody else. LOL. There is a point at which, if we are not careful and humble, that our goals and dreams for the church will become more important than God’s purposes for the church. Now the large group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own. Man, many a cult has been started with this verse. Many a commune has been started with it. Many misguided and evil leaders have duped and fleeced their flock with a verse like this, when the possessions were not what was important. What was really important was,  great grace was on all of them.  And it was, one heart and mind, that was important. When great grace was on all of them, and believers were of one heart and mind, wonderful things happened. That’s what happened back in Acts, and it can still happen today. Read Acts 2:44-46.  Again, not the part about possessions, but the part about their joyful and humble attitude praising God and having favor with the people. When the church is unified, people want to be a part of that. And more than anything else, God wants people in the church. Pray with me. Kind and gracious Father-God, thank you for Your grace extended to me. Thank You for Your favor and blessing extended to me. Help me to walk together with all the other believers and to meet their needs. Help us to encourage one another and build up one another. And together, to build up your Kingdom. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Wednesday – Zechariah 12:9–10 All of human history is slanted and pointed toward a day that is coming. It will come at a particular time, in a particular place, and will be about a particular person. Jesus. Of course it is not enough to say, person, because He was fully-God and fully-man. And on that day, He will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. It will be their intent to do away with Israel and usher in another kingdom. But it is the King of all Kings who will establish His Kingdom that will never end. Yes, it speaks of that day in Rev. 19:11-16. But it speaks of that day throughout the Bible. Here, Zechariah was shown (prophetically) the day when time ceases to be.  And when Israel is saved from all the satanic forces amassed against them. They will receive a spirit of grace and power, as they look at me whom they pierced. They will recognize their mistake in rejecting Jesus for all those centuries. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn.First they will weep, but then He will destroy every reason for tears and restore every lost joy as eternity begins and continues for as long as eternity can continue. Thank God, eternity means just that. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Thursday – Acts 20:22–26,32 As Paul was on his way through Ephesus for the last time, God had told him that he would not pass that way again. In town after town the Holy Spirit testifies to me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. For you or I such a certain fate coming our direction, would likely cause us to dread what is ahead. However that is not what is important to Paul. And what is important to him, is certainly a life lesson for us today. He wanted to make sure everyone knew that he had preached the Word and therefore he was innocent of everyone’s blood. That meant that in Paul’s heart he knew he had given the Gospel to everyone who the Spirit led him to. That serves as an inspiration for us today. Who are you praying for and have you taken the opportunity to tell them what Jesus means to you? Because you see, the message of His grace, has always been committed to the next generation and so it is passed along, person to person, age to age.
Friday – Romans 5:19–21  When Adam sinned, all men became sinners. He knew what God had said to stay away from, and yet he purposefully went after the one thing God had made off limits. Adam’s every need was met in the Garden and yet, the one want he had was his undoing. Yes, I know Eve was also at fault, but it has ever been the man’s duty to know what God has said. And that was Adam’s sin, he knew what God had said but he didn’t do it. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. The law was given to multiply the trespass.One sin was all it took to change the world forever. Sin multiplied.  And from there transgressions of the law have become the norm rather than the exception. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more. Aren’t you glad? Aren’t you thankful, that our many sins did not prove cause enough for God to condemn us, many times over. Rather the multitude of our sins, caused God to multiply grace even more toward us. Imagine that, God multiplied grace toward sinful men. He did not want us to die, rather He wanted grace to reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Pray with me. Righteous God of Grace and Glory, thanks and gratitude are given to You by all who know You. You know us and yet you choose to love us and to multiply Your Grace toward us. We worship You. We honor You. We love You. Be exalted in our lives and homes. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
Saturday – Romans 6:1–3, 12  It is so easy to become lax and lazy, when we realize all the grace that has been given to us. We are sinners and so sin comes easily. And there is no greater sin than sinning simply because we know God has given us His Word to forgive us, when we ask. So should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! We must continue to draw a line in the sand of our lives, that when crossed, is to be confessed. No one else can do it for us, and no one else should do it for us. Conviction of sin after salvation is a privilege reserved for the saints of God. It is that conviction that separates the Old from the New Covenant. The strength of the New Covenant is the indwelling by the Holy Spirit that moves us back into right relationship with God, and by it, we are not left to our own devices. The child of God must respond to conviction and confess or we are the most miserable, wretched people on earth. The lost drunk in the gutter is less miserable than a child of God who continues willfully sinning. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. It is not an option, it is a command. And it is for our benefit and for our growth. It is what keeps us safe toward eternity. Conviction changes us and blesses us. Take a few moments and thank God for His Grace and for the convicting gratitude that makes us holy and useful to Him.

Monday  –John 8:12  Jesus’ never claimed to be a light  or one of the lights of the world, but Jesus said he was the light of the world. In a world of mix and match religions and have-it-your-way faith, Jesus made some very specific claims. This passage of scripture is one of those very exclusive and specific claims. In saying that He is the light of the world, Jesus sets Himself apart from the “teachers” of other religions. And here in this one verse He actually makes the claim of exclusivity twice. At the  end of the verse He says that anyone who follows Him will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. Notice He doesn’t say a light or some light, Jesus once again says the light of life.  You may know someone who has made a very different statement, “We all serve the same God, it doesn’t matter what religion you are.” Just reading this one scripture helps us to understand that God sent Jesus to do something very specific, something that could only be done by Him in a very specific time and place. Read Isa. 60:1-2. Take a moment to ask the Lord Jesus to be your Light each and every day. Ask Him to make your way clear and plain.
Tuesday – John 12:35–36 Jesus regularly told His disciples that He was the light of the world. He also told them that light would be extinguished, for s short time.  He would die on the cross. In this passage Jesus is telling them to walk while you have the light. He wants them to learn as much as they can of Him, so that when the cross happens, they will be able to see past it, to the resurrection. He wants them to treasure the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light. Of course, you and I know the rest of the story. After the cross, after the burial, after the resurrection, Jesus will indeed become, not just the disciple’s light, but He will become the light of the world. The disciples will become sons of light and will carry the Gospel message to the world with such a conviction that nothing can stop them. That’s how we received the Light of Salvation, Jesus. Generation after generation has passed along the light. Who do you know that needs the light of salvation? Take a few moments to pray for those around you who need Jesus. Ask for them to be drawn to the Light of the World.
Wednesday – 2 Corinthians 4:6–10 The God who invented light has made a declaration in our lives. Just as He spoke light into existence in the beginning, He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our light. And when we asked Jesus into our hearts, we got more than we could have ever imagined. Not that we deserve it. No, we have this treasure in clay jars.  We are just plain, old, regular people with the extraordinary power inside of us. The God who spoke light into existence has shone in our hearts. Because of Him we can endure pressure and persecution, we can endure because He is living in us and lighting our way. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. Pray with me.  Thank you Lord, that You live in my heart and show me all I need to know to be able to live. You shine in my heart and all I ask of You, is for You to be brighter and more, day by day and in every way. Shine in me, Lord. Shine in my family. May Your life be so clearly seen in mine that nothing of me is visible. Only You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Thursday – 1 John 2:8–11 With Jesus’ resurrection, the old commands began to change. Not to go away, but to change. One of the changes is that much of the Old Testament has to do with acts seen outwardly. In the New Testament, the focus turns inward. The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness until now. It is not enough to say we love one another, we have to actually, love one another. If we don’t, we have no part in the true light  who is already shining. We are told here that if we hate our brother,  we are in the darkness,  we walk in the darkness, and we don’t know where we are going. If we hate our fellow believers and treat them with judgment and contempt then the darkness has blinded us. This passage teaches us that God requires us to forgive others just as God has forgiven us. If we don’t, we not walking in the light, but in darkness. Who do you need to forgive today?
Friday – Job 34:21–24 Good news! All the time, everyday, God’s eyes watch over a man’s ways, and He observes all his steps. We can trust Him to see us and guide us, if we will let Him. In addition to that , He also sees evil. For those who do evil and are evil, There is no darkness, no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves.  God sees the evil in this world and He is going to judge it. He knows how to keep the born again safe, and He knows how to judge evildoers. There will be justice, in His time and in His way. We can trust Him with our way. Read Ps. 9:9-10. What promises do you see there that comfort you and bless you? Write them down below and take some time to thank God for them.
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Saturday – Revelation 21:23–24  This week we have been reading scriptures that talk about our God as the Light of the World. It’s a beautiful image that only gets better, the further we read in the scriptures. Jesus said in Matthew, that He was the Light of the World. It was true the moment He spoke it, but it was also true for all eternity. It was immediately true for every sinner in the world. We are all drawn to Jesus’ Light of Truth, when we see it. It is eternally true, because one day, the city of God will not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it and its lamp is the lamb. Jesus will literally be The Light of the World.  God and Jesus will outshine the sun. They will outshine the moon. The Glory of God’s Radiance will fill the City of God. All the nations of the world will be illuminated by the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In that day the spiritual, “Light of the World”, will literally have become the visible, “Light of the World.”  And we will see it. With our own eyes we will see it. Pray with me. Dear Lord. I long to see You. I wait to see Your Glory and I dream of what it will be like to see You. I thank God that we will be able to see what no human has ever seen and lived. We will see Your face and Your Glory. We, and the nations will be healed by Your light and radiance. Thank you for the hope and the future that is eternally ours. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

9-1/2-2018 Take It Through The Week

Monday– Romans 7:15–16 Occasionally we see something in scripture that is not only a question but also an answer. Paul is asking a question about himself, but then answers, with the law is good. Paul’s underlying question expresses a frustration that we all feel sometimes. I do not practice what I want to , but I do what I hate. In other words, why am I not further along spiritually? Yes, even Paul looked into the mirror and was frustrated at himself. We all feel that at times, if we are growing in the Lord. We cannot look into the beauty of God’s Word without being convicted of our sin. And the fact that we are convicted means that we can agree with the law that it is good. When we became believers, we were never given a promise that we would be immediately perfected or that we would stop sinning. But the fact that we are convicted when we sin, means God’s plan is working. The frustration that Paul felt with himself, at times, confirms God’s Word and it’s power in his life. Read Gal. 5:17-18. It says almost the same thing as Rom. 7:15-16. But it gives more explanation. …the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh… So what is the solution to the age old dilemma? Be led by the Spirit. Take a few moments and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, to teach you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you agree with the law and follow God’s Word.
Tuesday– Psalms 19:12–13 Who perceives his unintentional sins? We all have places in us that we don’t see, but others do and God does. Can we see them? Not likely, unless we are purposefully in God’s Word, asking Him to show us what we need to do to mature. This scripture talks about unintentional sins…hidden faults…willful sins… And the Psalmists prayer is just like ours, do not let them rule over me. If we are mindful of the hidden places in our lives and regularly give them over to the Lord, then we will be innocent and cleansed from blatant rebellion. Pray with me. Holy Spirit of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, dwell in me in fullness. Show me the places I need to give over to you. Show me the things I cannot see but you can. I confess them to you and ask you to cleanse me. Help me to not justify myself, but rather to be justified by you. Exalt yourself in my life. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Wednesday– Psalms 65:1–4 It is right to praise God. It is right to praise Him even now as we worship together and He sits enthroned in Zion. We gather together to praise Him. You pause in your day to praise Him just like you are doing right now. We are assured that when we do this, He hears prayer. Even when our sins are literally overwheliming, He can atone for our rebellions. That is the reason we praise Him. Take a moment and praise Him right now. Make a list of praises and tell Him about it.
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Thursday– Romans 12:9–10 There are hypocrites in the church! It’s true. As a matter of fact, there are nothing but hypocrites in the church. Only Jesus was not. The rest of us are. So how do we solve it? Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil. Cling to what is good. God’s solution for hypocrisy is love. We have to love by showing family affection to one another. We are called to treat other believers like family. We are to outdo one another in showing honor. We do all of this because this is what God has done for us. We treat others the way God has treated us. Read 1 John 4:11-12. When we love one another, we show that God’s Spirit remains in us and His love is perfected in us. Pray with me. Lord help me to be sincere in how I live by loving You and loving others. May unbelievers be able to see You in me, because of Your love in my life. May other Christians see my love and be encouraged by it. You are love, and may my family and friends know you through my loving Spirit. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Friday – Philippians 3:12–15 I don’t know about you, but I have a long way to go. Paul says exactly that here in his letter to the Philippians. He says, I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Paul wants to grow and become more mature because He wants to forget what is past and is looking toward his future. Paul is firmly fixed on tomorrow and thoroughly convinced that his yesterdays, no longer matter. His sins are forgiven and He is pursuing the goal. What about you? Are you praying about being a mature believer? Are you asking Him to help you gain the prize? Paul is talking about appearing before Jesus someday and hearing the words that all believers long for, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” What about you? Are you longing toward eternity? Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. As you grow as a believer, you will think more and more about seeing Him and you will long for it. Take a few moments and think about heaven and seeing Jesus. Ask God to help you to keep eternity on your mind. Ask Him to help you win the prize.
Saturday– 2 Peter 2:4–9 the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials… It is enough that He can do it, but even more important is that He wants to do it. He wants to rescue us. He wants to rescue us from hell, from sin, and from ourselves. He loves us that much. He didn’t spare the angels who sinned. He didn’t spare the ancient world from the flood. He didn’t spare Sodom and Gomorrah. But He spared you and me. He literally rescued us. How does He know how to rescue us? How can He meet us at our point of need? God knows humanity. He knows who we are. He made us from the dust. He watches us every moment of every day, individually and personally. Don’t ask me how He can do all that, but the Bible says He can and does.
Read 1 Cor. 10:13. Anything you and I go through is common to all of us. Every temptation, every trial is common to all of us. And whatever the temptation is, God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able… He will give us an out. He will make us an escape, if we will but take it. He knows us and wants us to be victorious. He does not want us to walk in the guilt of sin but in the joy of victory. Take a few moments and think about these scriptures and how they can be applied in your life, the next time temptation comes your way.

8-26/27-2018 Take It Through The Week

Monday – Proverbs 13:20 You may have heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” But there are holes in the logic. Diet is really no indicator of who we are or what we can accomplish. But The one who walks with the wise will become wise makes sense, because it has a basis in the absolute truth of scripture. One of the most treasured afternoons of my life was spent in the company of a half-dozen pastors who, when all combined, had over 225 years of pastoral experience. I was the rookie in the room with only 10 years. But the other six ranged from 30 to 50 years each. No one had to say, now lets share some wisdom, it just happened naturally in the course of conversation. I just sat and listened. They had become wise by a lifetime of working with the Word. They had become wise through prayer and perseverance. They openly shared wisdom after wisdom. The few hours I spent with them was invaluable over the next few years. Who do you know that is biblically wise? Listen to them. Conversely, who do you know that seems to go from foolishness to foolishness? Do not allow yourself to be influenced by them. A companion of fools will suffer harm. How many people do you know that have been harmed… or worse, because they chose to be a companion of fools? The clear lesson here is that we need to walk closely with those who are wiser than we are. We need born-again mentors who improve our lives by sharing some of the wisdom they have learned in theirs. Do you have someone like that? Thank God for them and pray for them. Do you need someone like that? Ask God to bring wise people into your life. He will hear you.
Tuesday – Proverbs 27:17 Have you ever seen a chef using a sharpening rod to sharpen his cooking knives? In that way Iron sharpens iron. So it is when believers walk with one another and encourage one another. One man sharpens another, is a principal most of our spiritual growth is built on. Young believers are sharpened by more mature believers. That should happen in a worship service and a Lifegroup. When the Word of God is preached aloud, God causes it to carve truth into our lives and slice out the lies and deceptions we believe. Read Heb. 4:12. The Word of God is living…When believers hear the Word preached, it becomes alive to them. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. How does iron sharpen iron? God does it spiritually, when believers come together and share His Word with one another. What is amazing is that for 2000 years, the church has consisted of such meetings and that has been the source of radically changed lives. Iron sharpens iron, has been His method to change the world, and still is today.
Wednesday – Matthew 5:13 Salt is necessary for life. Only recently has modern man gained an appreciation for high quality, natural table salt. Sea salt or salt that is mined from underground deposits has become a gourmet necessity. Regular table salt that has been harvested using water pumped deep into the earth and then re-constituted at the surface has widely been acknowledged as harmful to your health. But Jesus knew that salt could be ruined. For me, this verse immediately communicates a truth. If the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? Salt that has gotten wet or been washed loses its taste, and consequently its usefulness. But just a bit of good salt improves the flavor of virtually anything. Believers in Jesus Christ are to change the world around them. 2000 years ago Jesus called his disciples to be “salty”. He calls them to have a quality of life that is pure. And still today, we are called to be good “Salt”, in a world that rarely gets a glimpse of what is truly good. Read Col. 4:6. Everything we say should be seasoned with salt. The focus is always to be sprinkling the salt of the Gospel everywhere we go and on everyone we see. Pray with me. Lord, you said, we are the salt of the earth. Help us to influence the world around us. Help us to be constantly aware of your presence in our lives. Help us to think of every person we meet or see as being a believer in You, potentially. Let us be salt. Let us be light in a dark world. Let us be holy and set apart for your purposes. Be exalted today in our lives. In Jesus Name We pray, Amen.
Thursday –Matthew 5:14–16 A light in a dark place gets brighter. Even though, at first, it might not be bright enough, almost immediately our eyes adjust and the room gets brighter, even though the light itself has not changed. You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men. Who are you praying for? Who can you bring to church? Who can you invite to our next special event? Pray about it and be intentional about being a light in a very dark world.
Friday – Romans 12:13–16 Pursue hospitality. It means to chase after treating people kindly. In particular, we are to share with the saints in their needs. When we tithe and give above and beyond the tithe, we enable the church to enlarge the circle of influence we are participating in. We are to use everything at our disposal to build up the Lord’s Kingdom. We are to rejoice, with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. All of these things are an expression of the Lord in us. The level of care we give others, is a reflection of our gratitude to the Lord, for the care He has given us. That also is the reason we humble ourselves, and purposefully agree with other believers. All of these things are an extension of our pursuing hospitality. We choose to chase after these things because God chased after us, and extended us the ultimately hospitality.
Saturday – Romans 15:1–2 To have an obligation is to owe something to someone else. And yes, we owe everything to Jesus. How do we repay? Now we who are strong…bear the weaknesses of those without strength. This pleases God. That is part of the reason we attend church with others. That is part of the reason we also divide into small groups and study the Word together, praying for one another. It is the reason we make new friends and commit to other believers. We have an obligation, not to people, but to the Lord who loves people. When we …please his neighbor for his good, to build him up, we are actually serving the Lord. And when we bear the weaknesses of others we are actually becoming stronger in our devotion to our Lord Jesus. Read Col. 3:12-13. We are told to put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… This is a purposeful action much like putting on a coat. It is done with intention and for a specific purpose. In Romans 15 the action-word was pursue. Here it is put on. Let’s pray specifically about that. Lord Jesus, help us pursue hospitality and put on compassion. Even though it might not be in our nature, help us to be supernatural and Spirit-filled. Help us to be a holy people who love you more than anything. We love you Lord. We love for you to be Glorified. May we be a blessing to you and to others. We worship You and humble ourselves in Your mighty hands. Be worshipped and exalted in our midst. In Jesus Name, Amen.