Jennifer A

For those of you who know me well, you know that today is the first day that I am back in Florida after moving my daughter to another state for college. I share this with you because as we prepared for that move, I found myself in an emotional place of tug of war. At times, I could literally feel the two realms (God’s heavenly realm and Satan’s earthly realm) both vying for me to hand over my emotional state (which as you know is a piece of my soul, since our soul is comprised of our minds, wills, and emotions).

Friends, last Tuesday morning, I read Pastor Mary’s devotion and the Spirit of Christ reminded me that “only those (of us) who have a relationship with Christ can cast down fear when it rises up in human emotion, because Jesus IS (OUR) Prince of Peace..” Pastor Mary had graciously offered to write today’s devotion, knowing that I would most likely be traveling back on the last leg of our return trip, but the Spirit nudged me early Tuesday morning to read today’s devotional passage. I know that “nudge” was to prepare my heart for the rest of what last week had for me. Jesus was showing me that I had a choice. I could allow my soul to press into the world and walk in fear (away from Jesus) or I could fully hand my fears over to Jesus and gracefully walk it out, hand-in-hand with Him in full trust by allowing Jesus to take dominion over my soul and take away my emotional fears.

In Psalm 130 the writer cries out to God from the depths of despair. Actually, the first couple verses of this psalm remind me of the first couple of verses of Jonah’s prayer when he cries out to the Lord from inside the fish and just before God releases him (Jonah 2). Think about where Jonah was when he cried out in prayer to God, he was in the dark depths of despair in the whale’s body. Friends, you and I can find ourselves in the dark depths of the earth’s despair as we suffer from fear, grief, anxiety, depression, illness, loneliness, and so many more places. During these times, Satan is vying, or competing with God, for our very souls. He wants us to lay down our mind (our psychological state), our will (our spiritual state), and/or our emotions (our physical state) so he can tug just enough on one or more of these places to move us closer to him and further away from Jesus. During these vulnerable times, we must cry out to Jesus like Jonah, like the psalmist, because our prayers penetrate all earthly things and places as they reach God’s ears. Remember, no whale body can contain them and no devil in hell can stifle them, because all of our prayers that are uttered, even from the deepest darkest places of human despair, reach God’s ears, are heard by God, and are answered by God. We must cling to Jesus within these places, wait on Him to bring us out, and trust He will reveal the plans He has to use these places. So, count on Jesus as you rest in His hands, trust in His comfort, allow His strength to fill you, His peace to wash over you, and call on His Spirit each moment to bring you His joy, mercy, grace, and love.

Psalm 130 (NLT)
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1 From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.

2 Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.

3 Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?

4 But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.

5 I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.

6 I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;
for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.

8 He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for hearing all of our prayers. Thank You for being there when we need You the most, within our places of despair. Thank You for keeping a tight hold on us and for standing against Satan when we are physically weak, psychologically weak, emotional weak, and spiritual weak. You are our Prince of Peace, and we cling to You, in Your Name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

In today’s passage, David does a wonderful job of describing the wicked. He points out how their sin, deception, and evil ways towards God and to their neighbor places them in a position as his enemies. The word “enemy” when speaking of a person might seem harsh. So, let’s take a moment to remember what Jesus says about those who refuse to welcome the Truth of His message.

When Jesus sends the Apostles out, in Matthew 10, He instructs them to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness, in His Name. He also tells them that they are not to accept money or anything of value, that they are to travel light, they are to accept hospitality, and they are to bless those households who have been a blessing to them. Jesus goes on to tell the Apostles that “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on judgment day.” (V.14-15)

Our hearts (or household) should be like David’s heart and long for the Truth of Christ to be seen, heard, and revealed to our neighbors through us. We cannot allow the enemy, Satan, to use our words, actions, or inactions to harm others. When this happens, we must quickly confess our sinful ways, immediately turn back to the Truth, and ask Jesus for His unfailing forgiveness. Far too often, Satan will use our neighbor in an attempt to stand against Jesus, and His Truth that is rooted deep within our lives. We must not meet our neighbor, who is blind to the Truth, within that place of sin. Rather we need to cry out to the Lord. Seek for Him to shield our hearts with His strength as He covers us with His grace and fills us with His mercy. Friends, we must be ready for Jesus’s return.

Psalm 28 (NLT)
A psalm of David.

1 I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
I might as well give up and die.

2 Listen to my prayer for mercy
as I cry out to you for help,
as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked—
with those who do evil—
those who speak friendly words to their neighbors
while planning evil in their hearts.

4 Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!
Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.
Pay them back for all their evil deeds!
Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

5 They care nothing for what the Lord has done
or for what his hands have made.
So he will tear them down,
and they will never be rebuilt!

6 Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

8 The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

9 Save your people!
Bless Israel, your special possession.
Lead them like a shepherd,
and carry them in your arms forever.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for shielding my heart from evil. I need for You to be my strength, today, and every day that follows, until we meet face-to-face in heaven. In the meantime, please help me to stand with You and against all evil. Holy Spirit, please guide me with Your wisdom to know when to brush the dust of those who are being moved by Satan from my feet. My feet stand on You, Jesus, Who is the Rock of my Salvation. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary reminded us that we are to be praying boldly, because we serve the Miraculous Creator of everything. She also nudged us to remember what Jesus commanded us to do, and that is that we must serve our neighbors. Jesus feels that loving our neighbors is so important that He put it right up there with loving God: “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Everyday, God places people within our path, whether it’s at home, work, school, or within the community who He wants to be able to reach…but, only by being able to move in and through us to bring those people His love. Are you spiritually open and aware that God is seeking to use you each and every day to love a neighbor, or two, or maybe even more?

In today’s passage, Paul exemplifies how we are to treat our neighbor, by how he treats his neighbors, who are the brothers and sisters of Christ in Rome. He is thankful for them, he prays diligently for them, he wants to spend time with them so they can grow in their faith and use their spiritual gift together, he wants to encourage them and to be encouraged by them (“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17), and he is eager to share the Good News with them.

Friends, we need to be in diligent prayer, and not only for ourselves, but for our neighbor, for all of humanity, and for the world. We need to come boldly before the Throne and ask our Creator for more and more miracles so that the Kingdom of God can keep growing here on earth, and we have to do it together, and alongside of our neighbor.

Romans 1:8-15 NLT

God’s Good News

8 Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. 9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.

10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

13 I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. Help us to be patient when our prayers seem to not be answered, and to trust that You are working what is good and You will bring forth the highest and best. Holy Spirit, please guide us to be a loving neighbor to someone today. Quiet our own thoughts so that we can hear what You need us to hear, let us see others through Jesus’s eyes, and guide our hearts to be in one accord with His heart. We ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

As followers of Christ, you and I should have a fear of the Lord, that means we choose to place Him in the highest position of honor within our lives and our hearts bow in reverence to Him. It makes sense to you and me because Christ is our wise Counselor, and we seek to be filled and guided by His Truth and wisdom. However, those who do not profess Christ often oppose much of what you and I stand for within Christ. Paul reminds us that we are to discard everything that is not of Christ, in fact we are to count it all as garbage:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

James goes on in today’s passage to give us specifics about what it means to live honorable lives led by the Spirit in Christ’s wisdom. He clearly points out how we are to avoid the world’s dark disorder and evil of every kind; and that we are to seek God’s wisdom to grow us in ways of being peacemakers.

Friends, I shared the challenge during yesterday’s time of worship at the end of service. I agreed with what Pastor Mary said during the sermon, that no one can take our salvation away from us, and that we have a choice to stand on the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus, each day and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with Christ’s righteousness, peace, and joy. Standing in this place of wanting more of what Jesus offers us is wisdom and it means we are in alignment with God as a part of His Kingdom of Heaven, and that we want to be peacemakers. It also means that we oppose the dark kingdom of this world that is ruled by Satan. You and I will not allow Satan to come anywhere near our most precious and pure treasure…our Salvation.

James 3:13-18 NLT
True Wisdom Comes from God

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your wisdom. Holy Spirit, please help to guide me with Christ’s wisdom. I choose to have more of His righteousness, peace, and joy operating in a through me, today. I am so grateful to be a resident of the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me, Lord, to remain focused on what you need me to do for Your Kingdom and please keep all of the darkness of this world away from me. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon Pastor Mary mentioned that she trembles with fear each time she allows the Holy Spirit to move through her to deliver God’s Word. This doesn’t mean that Pastor Mary is afraid of the Lord, it means that she serves the Lord with reverent fear, and that she rejoices with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

Friends, there will always be people (the weeds as Pastor Mary described in great detail yesterday) who will feel uncomfortable with the sovereignty of God. These people wish to rule their own lives and so they attempt to hide their sinful deeds, thoughts, and hearts from God within the darkness of this world. The Word of God reveals that there is no hiding from God, it is impossible for believers and unbelievers alike because God is all-knowing or omniscient. God has the perfect knowledge of all things, He does not have to learn anything, because He is the Creator of everything. He is also present everywhere at the same time, or omnipresent; and He has unlimited power or is omnipotent.

As believers, we should be filled with the highest level of confident hope that we serve a God Who is all knowing, Who is everywhere and in everything, and Who has infinite power. This Truth is revealed in today’s passage. Our God knows exactly what we need and what we do not need within our lives because He knew us before we were born. Think about it, God, the Creator of everything, knitted each one of us together before we physically entered this world. I don’t know about you, but today’s passage gives me great hope and allows me to see that I need to cry out for more of God’s power to manifest within my life because He clearly has it for me. God laid out every moment before I was born, and so I need to keep aligning my heart with that very special plan that He has for me and to keep moving forward with Him. Friends, He has a very special plan for each one of you, so cry out to Him today for more of His power and for His guidance.

Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT)

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for including me in Your creation. Please forgive me, Lord, when I try to make plans apart from the great plan that You have for me. Holy Spirit, please continue to guide my steps, and quicken my spirit to know when I am straying from God’s plan. Lord, please cover me with Your grace, fill me with Your power, and guide me by Your wisdom. Help me to see what You need me to see, to hear what You need me to hear, and may my heart be moved by only what You need it to be moved by. Protect me from the evil one, as I live out my days for You, Jesus. I ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Sanctification is a Biblical term that means: to make holy, to set apart, or to live according to God’s design and purpose. As believers, you and I choose to follow Jesus, so God graciously sanctifies our new lives by freeing us from sin. Thus, God calls us to shift our free will towards living out our new lives according to His design and purpose rather than for our own worldly desires and pleasures. Please note that sanctification is an ongoing process. It is impossible for anyone to sanctify themselves or anyone else, as only God can make us holy; and we must choose to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, so we can actively call on the Holy Spirit to help guide our every step as we walk out God’s intended plan for our future.

As you may recall from yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary held up three words: Hopeful, Helpless, & Ability. Without Jesus we are Helpless, with Jesus, He offers us the Ability to choose to be Hopeful. Remember, to sanctify is to set apart, which means that you and I, as believers, are priceless in the eyes of our Father. I don’t know about you, but that gives me the greatest hope! It also means, that I have a great responsibility because in this place of being highly valued by the Father, which is far greater than any high level this world can offer me, God gives me the ability to live in a way that honors His Name for His Kingdom and for my life. God knows that I now live for Him, that He is at the center of my life, and that I place Him above everything and everyone else within my life. It is within this growing relationship and right standing with Jesus, that I can be the best version of me, because I get to be who God created me to be as a daughter of the Most High, which makes me a better earthly daughter, wife, mother, family member, and friend. I know that worldly desires and pleasures are fleeting, and nothing is worth taking the place of the everlasting relationship that I have with Jesus, absolutely nothing.

“When God lives and breathes in you (and He does, as surely as He did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With His Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Romans 8) Friends, we have to choose Jesus over worldly desires and pleasures for our soul and our bodies. The devil will never stop tempting us. Remember, the King of all of Creation, created you and me, and His plan for us is the highest and best, more than any fleeting worldly plan that the devil can ever offer us. That means we have the ability, through Christ Jesus, to remain hopeful and to cast down helplessness at the foot of His cross.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 (NASB)

Sanctification and Love

1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no one violate the rights and take advantage of his brother or sister in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the highest example of how we are to walk out a holy life. Holy Spirit, we need You, all of the time, to help guide our steps. Please keep us moving on the plan that God has for our lives. May we be guided by Your wisdom to know when the devil seeks to tempt us with worldly desires and pleasures; and may we be quick to turn from those places and turn to You, Jesus. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

In today’s passage, Paul is very clear in his reminder to us that God truly hates sin. We must remember “God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)

Friends, when you and I sin we are walking in unrighteous ways, which is extremely upsetting to our Righteous Father because He knows that we know better. As believers we should be super concerned that sin suppresses God’s Truth in and for us. God has made His Truth obvious to us through His Word, and He has made it visually clear through His creation that is us and that is all around us. We must remain rooted in His Word, living a life for Christ and not for sin as we are to “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” (Phil 4:4)

Romans 1:18-25 NLT
God’s Anger at Sin

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for today’s honest Truth from our brother, Paul, about sin. Forgive us for when we minimize sin and allow it to take root over You in our lives. Cleanse us, Lord, and help us to walk closely with You today, and each day that follows. We want to be ready to serve Your Heavenly Kingdom, but we must be living for Your Kingdom now. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Every time I read about Abraham’s faith being tested in Genesis 22, when God instructs Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering, I am in awe of each obedient step that Abraham took to follow God’s instruction. It was days of what had to seem like pure torment. We know that as a result of Abraham’s faithfulness and pure reverence, or fear of the Lord, God does not allow Abraham to go through with this request; and we will see in today’s passage the many blessings that God bestows upon Abraham for his unwavering faith. But, before we look at those blessings, I want us to try to put ourselves in Abraham’s shoes for a moment. I honestly do not think most of us would make it past request #1:

1. God calls out to you tonight…“(Insert Your Name), tomorrow I will send further instruction, but go to this place and I would like for you to sacrifice your child or the person you love the most in this world.”
2. The next morning you wake up early, get your transportation ready, ask two people to accompany you, you bring your most loved one with you, and set out to sacrifice this person for God.
3. You get near the place, you chop wood, it has been 3 days, and you ask the two people who you brought with you to remain with your transportation.
4. You and your most loved one travel a little farther and that person begins to question what is going to happen.
5. You arrive at the place where God has instructed, you build an altar, you arrange wood on the top of the alter, you tie up your loved one, you lay that person upon the wood on the altar, then you take a knife and prepare to kill your loved one.
6. Before you can hurt your loved one, an angel of the Lord calls out to you from heaven and stops you.

We know that all of this transpired within the Old Testament, under the old sacrificial law, and as followers of Christ, He is our One and only sacrifice that replaced the old law. But truly, Abraham’s immense faith should be a never-ending example for you and me.

Today’s passage picks up after God stops Abraham from killing Isaac and after the ram is sacrificed as the offering to God. The angel of the Lord calls out again to Abraham, only this time God offers Abraham many blessings and promises of reward due to his faithfulness.

God wants our faith to be obedient and steadfast as Abraham. Obviously, each of us is different and so how He calls us is going to be different, but we need to be ready to answer God’s call. We see here, and throughout God’s Word, that blessings come as a result of our faithfulness. May Abraham’s example be an encouragement to your faith today, I know it has done a number on mine.

Genesis 22:15-18 (NLT)

15 Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for placing Abraham, and every other brother and sister of faith, within my path. I learn so much from their examples of living lives that are faithful to You. Holy Spirit, please move within me so that I can continue to grow in my faith. Help to open my spiritual ears to hear what I need to hear in order to grow closer and closer to the Lord. May my spiritual eyes fixate on that which is of eternity and steer clear of that which is of this world. Stir within my heart to connect to the heart of Jesus. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

We know that the Book of Revelation is a heavenly vision, that God gave to John, of events that are still to come. In today’s passage, John is instructed to write the first of seven letters to seven churches. This letter is “The Message to the Church in Ephesus”.

John addresses the angel who functions as the representative of the church, to remind the church of their heavenly existence. Friends, you and I are the church; and we are so blessed that our Pastor, Mary Haley, reminds us often that we are first and foremost spirit beings, who are temporarily here on earth in these bodies, but God calls us to lovingly operate with the growing understanding that we are living for His heavenly promise of eternity with Him now. That means that you and I need to speak and act as those we are in heaven, with Jesus, at all times. Jesus is the “One” who walks among the church or the gold lampstands, and He knows each of our hearts because He created each one. As our Creator, He not only wants to fellowship with us, but He wants us to remember that He is our first love.

Jesus is reminding the Ephesians, as well as you and me, of who we are as His followers and how our relationship with Him is the most crucial piece of our existence up until our very last earthly breath. We are not to grow weary. Rather, we need to be in His Word daily, gathering with His Family (fellow believers) all of the time, going to worship Him, attending Bible Study to learn more about Him, going out and being His hands, feet, and heart to others, praying, praying, and never stop praying because we are communing with Him. Let’s face it, you and I will find ways to get out of all of these things, and that’s because the enemy wants nothing more than to distance us from Jesus and His Family (which is our Family). Don’t let the devil speak lies to you, get up and be with Jesus and His (your) Family today and every subsequent day of the rest of your earthly life.

Revelation 2:1-7 NLT
The Message to the Church in Ephesus

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for this letter because it is for me and all fellow believers. You are my first love, and please forgive me when I have stepped aside or away from You and allowed other things, circumstances and/or people to take priority over You. I want to keep growing in my relationship with You. I want to continue to help to grow Your heavenly kingdom. Holy Spirit, please fill me with Your strength, the strength I need for today. Guide me with heavenly wisdom to do what it is You need for me to do today. Help me to rest tonight in Your peace and to wake tomorrow with renewed hope, faith, and joy, covered in Your grace, to do what You’ll need for me to do. For now, I am Your vessel to do with what You need for the kingdom of God today. I ask all of this in Your Holy and Precious Name, Jesus. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon, Pastor Mary spoke about allowing Jesus the proper spiritual authority within our lives. Although you and I reside on earth and our soul (which is our mind, will and emotions) wants to align with the ways of this world, we must stand in oneness with Jesus and allow Him the spiritual authority to move us (along with our soul) within the direction that He created us to prosper and to further grow His Kingdom.

In today’s passage, Moses has died and now the Lord has commissioned Joshua, who was Moses’ assistant, to lead the Israelites into the promised land. It is obvious even prior to reading this Word that Joshua would be experiencing sadness, fear, loneliness, and possible feelings of being in over his head. But you will notice that the Lord tells Joshua three times within this passage to “be strong and courageous”. In verse 8 the Lord specifically guides Joshua by instructing him to “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” The Lord goes on to tell Joshua that there is no need for fear or to be discouraged because He is with him wherever he goes.

Friends, this passage isn’t only for Joshua, and it isn’t only for those called into leadership, it is a calling for all of God’s kids. In the first few verses we are reminded of God’s promise to give to His people. In the middle section of this passage, God reminded us that in order to receive all that He has to give we must grow in our faith, and God is so gracious to give us specific instructions on what we need to do in order to grow. In the last few verses, God reminds us that He is always with us, with every breath that we take.

Joshua 1:1-11 (NLT)
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua’s Charge to the Israelites

10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Prayer: Jesus, please forgive me when I run ahead, fall behind, or step sideways from Your plan for my life. Holy Spirit, I need Your guidance each and every day. I submit my soul to You, as I want to continue to grow in my faith. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for always being with me. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.