Curtis Tumicki

There are times in our lives where we feel like we are alone.  I have felt that before.  Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of friends who I could hang out with.  For the longest time, I felt like I was going to be alone and I thought that I was going to be like that for the rest of my life.  Maybe it was because I was autistic or some other reason.  Regardless, I could not get that feeling out of my head.  I have come to the realization that I was never alone even when I felt like it.  I learned that God is always with me.  It wasn’t until I was in high school and met some incredible teachers who showed me that I was never alone no matter what.  Ever since then, I have felt a sense of confidence knowing that God is always with me.  

In today’s passage, the prophet Isaiah says that God loves Zion.  And because He loves Zion, He will never abandon it nor turns its back on it.  The word “Zion” means “holy place” or “kingdom of heaven.”  One of the names of God is Jehovah-Shammah which is Hebrew for “The Lord is There.”  What we need to understand is that God is always going to be there for us.  Scripture says that we will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8).  Even when we feel like we are alone, the reality is that He is always there for us and is with us.  Psalm 23:4 says that when we go through the darkest valley, He is with us.  Throughout the Bible, we see on multiple occasions that He says that He is with us.  In other words, we have the confirmation.  Because we have the confirmation, we can have the assurance that no matter where we go or what season we go through, He is always going to be there for us.  

Isaiah 62:1 NLT- “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still.  Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent.  I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.”  

Dear Heavenly Father, continue to remind us that You are always with us.  When we go through seasons of hardship and seasons of difficulties, remind us that we are never alone.  Pour out Your love and Your grace onto us and help us to receive it with open hearts.  In Jesus name, amen.  

One of the many names of God is Jehovah Rapha, which is Hebrew for “the Lord Who Heals.”  One of the things that we need across our land right now is healing.  Healing from what?  Healing from all the division and turmoils that rings across the country and around the world.  People are divided over the simplest of things such as favorite sports teams, fast food joints, kinds of movies, and people are even divided over where they stand politically.  While I believe that it is getting out of hand, we need to understand that God is the only one who can heal and bring restoration to our land as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  

In today’s passage, we see that there is a choice to make.  God has given us a choice between life and death as well as blessings and curses.  In the next verse, we see where Moses says that we can make that choice by loving the Lord.  Not only loving the Lord but also obeying Him and committing ourselves to Him.  While we make choices in terms of what we eat, who we see, and what activities we do throughout the day, there is no bigger choice than whether we follow Jesus or not.  I want to challenge you with making that choice to say that I will follow Jesus.  Only He can bring healing to our spiritual lives.  All we need to do is make that choice and obey what He has for us.

Scripture

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT- “Today I have given you a choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.  Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.  Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!  You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him.  This is the key to your life.  And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for Your forgiveness.  Forgive us when we have made the choice to not obey You.  Help us to always stay committed to You and You alone.  Help us to not get twisted by what the world is doing.  Help us to stay focused on You.  Only You can keep us in alignment with You.  Help us to obey You when You have called us by name.  In Jesus name, amen.  

One of the names of God is Jehovah-Ra’ah, which is Hebrew for “The Lord is my Shepherd.”  If there is one thing that God knows how to do is to lead His people through difficult seasons of life.  One thing that a shepherd does is look after his sheep.  When one sheep goes off the property, they do everything that they can to bring them back.  In the gospel writing of John, He speaks about how He is the Good Shepherd.  In other words, He looks after His flock with the best intentions.  It is because of Jesus that we have freedom.  

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia saying that we are called to live in freedom.  We have freedom because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  If it wasn’t for Jesus, we would become slaves to sin.  He did not call us to be slaves to sin, but rather children of heaven.  Like how Paul says that we are citizens of heaven in Philippians 3:20, He has called us to live a life to serve others.  At the end of the verse, he tells us to use our freedom for service in love.  When it comes to the word “joy,” it is an acronym, which stands for “Jesus, Others, Yourself.”  

Galatians 5:13 NLT- “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.  But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”  

Prayer 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for setting us free from sin.  It is because of Your sacrifice that we are free from sin.  Help us when we fall away.  We know that we are human and we are prone to make mistakes, but help us to get back towards You.  Forgive us when we stumble and fall.  Help us to learn from our mistakes. In Jesus name, amen.  

If there is one thing that we are lacking in terms of having a better relationship with God, it is the act of worship.  One thing that we know for certain is that God can see everything.  There are times where we think that God cannot see what we are doing, but the reality is that God can see all things.  It is like when we enter into a public place like a mall or a stadium.  When we do, we see that there are security personnel to make sure that there is no shady or suspicious activity or behavior.  If someone does something that falls into the realm, then they are taken to an office or a station of some kind and play back the security camera footage from the incident in question.  God watches us to make sure we do not make mistakes.  All of us are going to appear before the judgment seat of God.  When we get there, He is going to replay the footage from our lives.  I say this not to intimidate or frighten anyone.  I say this because this is how He corrects us when we make a mistake.  

In today’s passage, we see the apostle Paul addressing the people of Rome saying that God is the God who sees.  He also says that we need to wake up.  This is absolutely necessary for all of us today.  We have to wake up.  We need to wake up and start being proactive for the Kingdom of God.  If we don’t, then we will be the cheerleaders.  I want the church to be actively engaged, involved, and participating in Kingdom work.  There is a difference between getting exposure and getting involved.  Exposure is like you stepping your feet in the shallow end of the swimming pool.  Involvement is you going deeper into the pool.  If the church is active and involved, then we will see the Holy Spirit move not only within us but within the church and beyond.  

Romans 13:11-12 “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out.  Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” 

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to wake up.  Help us to wake up and see the direction You want us to go and the instructions You want us to obey.  Without Your direction, we would be lost and be pulled in different directions.  Help us to be in tuned with You.  Let our actions ad our words be an image to what others are going to see.  Help us to show You to them.  In Jesus name, amen.  

As we continue to strive through our 10 days of prayer, we will look at the different locations around the world that is need of prayer.  Today’s location is Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.  In regards to this specific location, there are 110 cities regions throughout the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.  We need to be praying for the leaders who are overseeing their respected communities and their people.  Not just the political leaders, but also the spiritual leaders as well.  Let the people of God rise up and bring the people back to God.  What is unfortunate is that people are worshipping the creation instead of the creator.  One preacher says that people get wrapped up in the blessing instead of thanking the blesser.  How many times have we been in that position?  How many times have we been wrapped up in the blessing instead of thanking the creator?  This has to change.  

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul addresses the church in Colossae by saying God is supreme.  In verse 16, it says that everything that was created is through God and for God.  In verse 17, it says that He holds all of creation together.  Much like how glue and tape hold different items together, God is greater than those things.  It is because of God that we have creation being held together.  While man is trying to destroy creation, God is still working to make sure that His creation is perfect.  What we need to do is to keep His creation alive as much as possible.  

Colossians 1:16-17 NLT Translation “For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see-such as thrones, kingdoms, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we do not destroy Your beautiful creation.  Help us to acknowledge Your creation wherever we go.  We know that there are people and different natural causes that are destroying the earth, but we ask for You to give us a wake up and a reality check.  In Jesus name, amen.   

For the next ten days, we are going to go on a prayer journey.  As we embark on this journey together, we need to keep God at the center of it all.  In life, there are going to be times where we are called by the Holy Spirit to rise up and obey the call that He has for us.  Sometimes, we make decisions where we do not obey.  This can hurt our testimony down the road when we do not obey His call.  The one person that most people think about when it comes to not obeying God is Jonah.  Jonah was called by God to preach the truth of God but decided not to obey because he was filled with fear.  One other person that comes to mind is Esther.  She became the queen of Persia and was called to save her people from death in the hands of Haman.  While there was no doubt she was fearful, she obeyed the call to rise up and save her people.  

In today’s passage, we see where Esther’s cousin Mordecai is trying to encourage her to not give up despite the circumstances surrounding her.  In Esther 4:14, Mordecai was doing his best to encourage her to keep going.  Basically, he was telling her that if she keeps quiet, then the deliverance of their people will occur at another time.  He was telling her that God has placed her in a time such as this.  We, as God’s children, need to understand that we are in that place of such a time for a reason.  We cannot question the why behind what He does.  What we can do is trust and obey Him for there is no other way.  

Scripture 

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who know but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to be receptive to Your calls to us.  Help us to rise up and obey.  Father, we know that this world is a dark place, and we ask for You to help us grow and to help us shine Your light.  Let Your children rise up and call to You for deliverance and forgiveness.  Help our neighbors, our communities, our state, and our nation to turn to You.  Help all of us draw closer to You each and every day.  Let Your word resonate within us so that we can take it, receive it, and learn it.  

In Jesus name, amen.  

One thing that is happening in this world today is evil.  Satan is stirring the pot of evil and causing all these tensions and turmoils among the people.  In other words, spiritual warfare is among us.  It is real and it is causing more violence than physical warfare.  While both kinds of warfare are incomprehensible, we need to understand that we can be physically alive but be spiritually dead.  We cannot live a life where we are surrounded by all this evil and mayhem.  In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul writes to Timothy explaining that there are people who are going to be boastful and arrogant and selfish.  At the conclusion of verse 5, he tells Timothy to “stay away from people like that.”  Much like how we need to stay away from boastful and puffed up people, we also need to stay away from people who bring about evil.  

In today’s passage, David writes this prayer of deliverance.  In Psalm 140, David starts off by asking and praying for a rescue.  Rescue from what?  Rescue from those who are pouring out and displaying evil and violence.  David is praying from deliverance from these kinds of people.  Not only is he praying for deliverance, but he is also praying for protection.  In verse 4, it says “O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.  Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.”  David goes on to. Say that God is the only One who listens to me when I cry out.  He is the strong One.  He is the God of deliverance.  In verses 9 following, he prays for his enemies to be defeated by whatever they have planned.  He concludes this psalm by saying that the righteous people are praising His name.  That is what we need to do.  We need to praise Him at all times, no matter what season we are in.  I realize that it is easier said than done, however, God is the only One who will give insight into our situations and how we can move forward instead of dwelling on the things that have occurred.  

I want to challenge you by saying to praise God through all seasons of life.  From the good times, to the bad times, and everything in between, continue to praise God.  He’s got you and He loves you.  He knows what is best for us and what is necessary for us.  When we go through different seasons, it is easy for us to take control of the situation ourselves.  The truth of the matter is that God is always in control.  Do not take away His authority.  To put this in tennis shoes, never kick God out of the driver’s seat.  It never goes well.  He knows the plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11).  Because He has the plans for us, we need to have faith in Him knowing that He is always going to be with us no matter what.  

Psalm 140 (NLT Translation)

1.  O Lord, rescue me from evil people.  Protect me from those who are violent, 2. those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.  3. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.  4. O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked.  Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.  5. The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way.  6. I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”  Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!  7. O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle.  8. Lord, do not let evil people have their way.  Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.  9. Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me.  10. Let burning coals fall down on their heads.  Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.  11. Don’t let liars prosper here in our land.  Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.  12. But I know the Lord will help those they prosecute; he will give justice to the poor.  13.  Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for Your will to be done and not my own.  I know that this world is messy and confusing and pulling us in many different directions, but help us to be rooted in Your word and in Your truth.   Only You know what is to come and You know all things.  Help us to have a solid foundation in You.  Without Your firm foundation, we will crumble like sinking sand.  Help us to not let the evil people come near us nor let the evil spirit known as Satan’s demons have access to our hearts, minds, and souls.  They have no place among us so help us to not give them the access nor the authorization to come into our lives.  You are strong and You will deliver us from evil.  Help us to be prepared and be aware of the enemy’s attacks.  Lord, give us the strength and wisdom to turn away from him and turn towards You without any fear or timidity.  

In Jesus name I pray, amen

Here is an interesting fact about me: I don’t like clothes shopping.  For some odd reason, I don’t like shopping around for clothes.  Then I found out about a company that would send clothes to you to try on and would keep what you want to keep and send back what you want to send back.  This company is called Stitch Fix.  It truly is a blessing for sure because you are not forced to purchase anything if you don’t want to buy anything and it is not a subscription service.  That company is successful because people have the same issues.  While I am discussing about physical clothing, we wear spiritual clothing.  We ought to be clothed with the grace and love of God. 

In today’s passage, Paul writes to the church in Colassae about how we ourselves must clothe ourselves with different characteristics: mercy, kindness, humility, patience, gentleness.  He mentions that we must wear love.  Love is something that we, as a society, are lacking every day because of what we see and hear through our television screens and our phones.  Matthew 5:16 says to let our lights shine before others in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  In other words, we need to let others see Jesus through our words and our actions.  I want to challenge you to put on the characteristics that will resemble Christ.  Much like how we put on the armor of God everyday, we need to wear these traits everyday.  

Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT Translation)

“12. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

When I was in college, I was enrolled at both the University of Tampa and the Crossing Bible College.  I did two schools simultaneously for four years to earn my bachelor degree in philosophy and ministry.  During my time at UT, I had taken many different courses on philosophy and religion and ethics and logic.  One of the things that we have discussed in almost every single class was the idea of God’s existence.  Time after time, this topic is brought up because this argument or debate has been carried on for centuries since the time of Aristotle. Majority of the time, I was the only Christian sitting in those classrooms while other were antagonizing at the fact that God does not exist.  In 2014, there was a movie that was released titled “God’s Not Dead.”  To this day, it is still within my all time favorite movies.  Not just because I could relate to it, but because of the message that it presents.  

In today’s passage from Psalm 14, it talks about how there are people who believe that God does not exist.  There are some who acknowledge His existence, however, they do not necessarily have a relationship with Him.  What we need to understand is that God is always active and is always there for us.  I challenge you to take a look around and see God through the small things.  People only think of God through the major things but not necessarily in the small things.  God is active through all things.  

Psalm 14

“1. Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!  2. The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.  3. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt.  No one does good, not a single one!  4. Will those who do evil never learn?  They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.  5. Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him.  6. The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord will protect his people.  7. Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?  When the Lord restores his people, Jacob will shout for joy, and Israel will rejoice.”  

I don’t know about you, but I do not like the idea of being lost.  In other words, I don’t like being in a fog and not knowing what I am going to do next.  For one thing, it is a scary thing and it is something that a lot of people tend to deal with on a regular basis.  When people tend to go on a hiking trip or an excursion, there are some incidents where they become lost and they don’t know where to go or what to do next.  Time has passed and eventually they receive the help from the proper authorities to help from being lost to being found.  

While people can be lost in terms of their physical and human nature, how about people who are lost in the spiritual sense?  What is unfortunate is that people would turn to psychics or anyone else like that to bring them a sense of spirituality to their lives.  Psychics don’t know what is best for you.  Only God knows what is best for you.  He brings us out from being lost to being found.  Much like how the father rejoiced over the unification of him and his son (Luke 15:11-32), God wants us to be found and He rejoices over the fact that we are found and brought into His kingdom and His family (Philippians 3:20).  

In today’s passage from Luke 15:1-7, it speaks about Jesus telling a parable.  A parable is a story with a deeper meaning.  He tells a parable of the lost sheep.  He states that a shepherd has 100 sheep but yet he only had 99 in his flock.  So instead of forgetting about the one and leaving it behind, the shepherd decides to pursue after the one and bring it back to their flock.  When are feeling lost, we can have the assurance that God will always bring us home.  Are there times where we do get distracted and start to slip from God?  Sure there is, however, we cannot continue to slip further away from God.  As James 4:7-8 says, we need to submit to God.  When we submit to God, we must resist the devil.  How can we resist the devil when we are still drawing closer to him?  It is so important that we draw closer and closer to God.  

Challenge 

I challenge you to always draw closer to God.  He will always be there for you and He knows what is best for you.  

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I thank You for always being there for us.  Thank You for always pursuing after us and bringing us into Your family.  We recognize that this world is trying to bring us further away from You.  Help us to submit to You and what You have for us.  Open our eyes to see You and our ears to hear You.  Help us to be obedient to You and Your instructions.  May we all be blessed by what You have for us.  In Jesus name, amen

Luke 15:1-7

“1. Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.  2. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people-even eating with them!  3. So Jesus told them this story: 4. ‘If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?  Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?  5. And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.  6. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’  7. In the same way, there is Moore joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine other who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!’”