Devotionals

Spirit-filled and courageous leaders always capture my attention. The boldness and confidence of these leaders to effectively and faithfully witness for the cause of Christ is absolutely inspiring to me. No matter what comes against them, these men and women of faith stay focused on the Truth and never waiver.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus promised to develop this kind of leader—ones who rested in the power of the Holy Spirit—to keep them focused despite their personal weaknesses. Peter and John demonstrated this type of Spirit-led leadership which should not surprised us, because Jesus promised to send the Helper (Acts 1:5).

Peter and John started out their faith journey with Jesus by actually having a default state of fear. They struggled to remain faithful to Jesus; the disciples abandoned him at the cross and hid after his death. This fear continued until the Spirit of God rested like tongues of fire upon them. Pentecost was a day of change. Courage took down fear!

In our passage today, Peter and John are being questioned by the Sanhedrin council, because a lame man—sitting outside the Temple begging for money—experienced healing; he began leaping and praising God (Acts 3:7-8). Peter and John were asked by the Sanhedrin to be silent; no more conversation about the saving grace of Jesus. However, Peter’s response is, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?”

Everyday in this fallen world we have a similar decision to make; who will have the highest authority over our lives. God, the fallen world, or our flesh? Will we ask God for more courage and continue to be a mouthpiece of Truth for the Lord? Or, will we cower in fear, step back, and allow evil to be the loudest voice to the nation? The battle with evil is real! Evil is anything that diminishes life with the Lord by rejecting the Truth of God’s Word. Make sure you listen to the Voice of Truth, because some leaders lie to promote their power.

Peter, John, and the rest of the disciples chose to pray and ask God to increase their courage. Please note they did not ask God to remove the challenges or to stop the political pressure from the Romans or the religious leaders. Instead, they wanted God to change and equip them to champion the challenges. Inspiring leadership! Amen?

Acts 4:13-31 NLT
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber [Sanhedrin] and conferred among themselves.

16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

The Believers Pray for Courage
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
    Why did they waste their time with futile plans?

26 
The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
    the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
    and against his Messiah.’[Anointed One—the Christ]

27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Prayer: Lord, there is so much going on in our world right now; things that seek to rob us of the peace you died to provide. Your peace is not of this world; it’s supernatural to calm the heart. Thank you for the peace you give—a peace the world cannot taste or understand. Believers can have your peace right now as we face a tropical storm, because you have promised to be with us and protect us. We can have your peace right now in the face of political rhetoric, because we know your Voice and we refuse to follow evil. Help us to take a deep breath and reach for you, Lord! And, while we reach for you, we pray for unbelievers to want you, be willing to turn from sin, and enjoy your peace, as well. In Jesus’ name.

Sometimes it is a wise thing to hesitate in doing or saying something and sometimes it is not. For example, it is wise to pause or hesitate in responding to a feeling of anger; most of the time we will settle down if we simply breathe and refuse to immediately react. In contrast, it is always unwise to hesitate in doing something we know God is calling us to do. We still need prayer, the guidance of the Spirit, and the counsel of mature believers, but we must do what God places before us. God created us and knows what he designed us to be, do, and say to multiply his Kingdom on earth.

In our passage today, the Lord selects Jeremiah to be a prophet for him—a mouthpiece to speak Truth to the nations. God communicates to Jeremiah through a vision. The Lord tells Jeremiah he knew him from the beginning—formed him in his mother’s womb—and his plan was to send Jeremiah with a message no one wanted to hear. Jeremiah heard the Lord’s message, he hesitated to receive God’s call, and responded, “I can’t speak for you!”

Just like Moses and others, Jeremiah found excuses why he could not serve according to God’s will. Jeremiah felt he was too young to speak to the elders and face them with hard truths. While all of this was probably true, this call was not about Jeremiah’s capabilities, it was about God’s plan and desire to save people from brokenness and bondage to sin.

God was going to judge Judah for her idolatry, corrupt leadership, and moral compromise. He was giving them a chance to turn things around. This meant the people needed to know about their sin against God and repent. The Lord promised to be with Jeremiah to accomplish what he could not do in his own strength. Jeremiah was to take a stand, uproot, tear down, and destroy before rebuilding for the honor of Almighty God. The Lord has promised to do the same for believers, today.

When human beings stand against the flow of evil in the world and speak the uncompromising truth of God’s Word, we also serve the Lord in a prophetic capacity. God does not use us because we are perfect or eloquent; however, if we serve as a prophet, everything we share must be judged by comparison with the written Word of God. God simply chooses to use whomever will receive his call to get his message out.

God wants to use us every single day to get his love and Word to people, because his judgment upon the earth is coming. We must be open to God’s will and employ the attitude of Christ the Lord because all things are possible in him (Mat 19:26). Don’t fall into the excuse pit by comparing yourself to others; we are all instruments of God from the womb to the grave in some miraculous way.

So, stay in the Word of God, because God will never send us to do something contrary to the Spirit of Truth who bears witness to our spirits. And share life with other believers, because you will find God’s grace continues to flow for each of us as we place ourselves in his righteous Hands. God will affirm our call through other believers, so we can be positioned for his glory.

Jeremiah 1:4-10 NLT Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions
4 The Lord gave me this message:
5
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,
“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
10
Today I appoint you to stand up
against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
and plant.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending us, protecting us, and putting your words in our mouths. We remain open to your daily call, because we desire to be a blessing to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God is never far away; by his design, we are connected to him. Sometimes it is easier to sense God’s Presence more than others, but that is not God being distant. Rather, it is when human beings become too focused on the things of the world to enjoy his supernatural Presence in the present.

This moment, God is with you. However, we can become so distracted by the good, as well as the challenging things in this earthly life, we exchange an awareness of the Eternal for the temporal. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36).

In Psalm 139, David knows he is connected to an all-powerful God; a Shepherd who is present to provide and guide his life into the good and righteous things God has prepared for those who love him (Ps 23; Ro 8:28). Now, that knowledge and assurance does not stop David from occasionally feeling alone. During times of loneliness, David chooses to remain in faith and “know” that God is present with him…maybe just silent for a reason. Perhaps God wants to gain a greater measure of David’s attention. I have wondered if God spiritually sits shiva [seven days/mourning] with his children as he heals the brokenness and loss that tests our faith!

In our passage today, David reflects over the entire span of life in connection to God in order to help us understand the divine Presence. Before you and I were born, God was designing you in your mother’s womb. Sometimes people want to think they are just some blob of random cells, tissue, and we become human when we breathe air at birth. But, friends, we have a heartbeat at 5-6 weeks of gestation and, although a gender is determined at the moment of fertilization, the visible evidence of that human gender starts between 7-12 weeks. An unborn baby is a human being!

David reminds us before birth, we began as God’s design and for his glory. When we are born, our lives have been uniquely laid out in the plan of God. From birth to death, God continues to reveal himself to us as we live out good, as well as challenging days. Finally, at death, we are still in the loving care of God. God’s fingerprints cover the creation and development of every human being, from the womb to the grave, and we must live to bring glory to his name!

Psalm 139:1-18 NLT For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 
O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!
7 
I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8 
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,[Shoel—house of the dead] you are there.
9 
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 
even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11 
I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12 
    but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.
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: Lord, please open our spiritual eyes and give us a deep conviction for the Truth, today. The Word reveals that your miraculous hand forms and develops human beings in the womb, and guides human life from the womb to the grave and beyond. Our lives are designed and directed by you as we listen and obey. Thank you for making us all so wonderfully complex. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s devotion picks up from yesterday’s sermon from Pastor Mary. If you were unable to worship with us, or as a reminder, Pastor Mary guided us through another portion of Truth from James in chapter 3, verse 13 through chapter 4, verse 7. Within this passage, James clearly defines the difference between living a faithful life versus living a faithless life. As believers, we should be growing in our faithful life which means growing to reveal more of God’s goodness.

So, how do we grow in God’s goodness?

Well, we humble ourselves as we put the Word of God into our hearts as a guide for our souls, and we do that each day, and we pray. Remember what Pastor Mary said yesterday about humility, it is birthed from the divine wisdom of God. While we are in our daily prayers, we need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, asking Him to impart His humility and wisdom into every aspect of our daily lives. The Holy Spirit wants God’s wisdom to work through us so we are operating in God’s goodness of being pure, peace loving, gentle, and willing to yield to others all of the time.

As we continue with James today, be sure to focus on how he tells us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor” (v. 10). Also, look at how James gives us two additional warnings, or wake-up calls. If we are operating in the Spirit, there is absolutely NO room for us to judge others or for us to be boastful. Keep in mind the Hebrew word for humility that Pastor Mary shared with us yesterday, anavah, which means to occupy your God-given space in the world.

Friends, if we are occupying our God-given space within this world that means we are humbly walking out God’s plan for our lives with His wisdom and not speaking evil or being boastful. We need to think twice today before we allow the enemy any room to move within our hearts or souls and out through our mouths. We belong to Jesus, and we stand firmly against the work of the enemy, today, to try and stifle the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.

James 4:8-17 (NLT)

8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Warning against Judging Others

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Warning about Self-Confidence

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Prayer: Jesus, we are so grateful for the work of the Holy Spirit to move within each one of us. Help us to lay down ourselves today, to take on a spirit of humility, as You impart Your wisdom to us. Guide each one of us to be pure, peace loving, gentle, and willing to yield to others all day. We want to look more like You, so put a watch over our mouths and filter everything that comes into our soul realm touches our hearts to be in oneness with You, Jesus. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

I am a planner; however, no matter how organized my day begins, something unexpected seems to find its way onto my lap of experience. I can only see so much when making my plans, but God is not bound by this natural realm we live in; he sees and views things—past, present, and future—all at once. Think of all the stages and aspects of God’s long-term plan to reveal his existence to his human creation throughout the millenniums. It’s unfathomable; all planned before time began.

In our passage for today, we hear from the Apostle Paul and we are reminded once again about the mysterious scope and expanse of God’s view. God’s plan started long before his Voice was heard at the creation of the heavens and the earth, long before the documentation of humanity’s struggle in relationship with him due to sin, and long before the witnesses experienced the God-Man and Savior—Jesus—in the New Testament.

God knew human beings would sin against his righteous rule, knew they would choose to be their own god rather than bow to his authority, knew their choices would take them into captivity to evil, and knew he would have to bring judgment to gain humanity’s attention. Therefore, God’s plan always included a Rescuer—Himself—to be the blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. God chose a people group and nation to begin his rescue plan; he would be the God of the Jews.

The world was to watch how God took care of his chosen people; blessed and provided for them. God sent the Rescuer first to the Jews; yet, many of the Jews rejected Jesus at his first coming. Because of this rejection, God temporarily handed off the stewardship—of making him known to the world—to the gentiles or non-Jews.

When the Lord Jesus returns at his second coming, the Jews will recognize their Messiah and pick up the torch of God’s plan to make him known. God’s merciful plan has always involved the salvation of his people and he will fulfill his promises to Israel. God has mercifully fulfilled amazing promises for believers already. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Romans 11:25-32 NLT God’s Mercy Is for Everyone
25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,
“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
27 
And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share [someday] in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the amazing plan you put into place to save your creation. Although we see in part, we praise you for seeing the whole. Help us, as believers, to continually place our faith in you as we pray for Israel. May every promise you made to them soon be fulfilled. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Because of where we find ourselves as a compromised and deceived nation [struggling to find and follow God’s standard of Truth], I spend a lot of time praying and seeking God for wisdom on how to bring loving and relevant spiritual guidance to the Lord’s people in my care. I have always held the conviction, by the Spirit, God’s plans for Israel and the United States are connected in divine righteousness; we share a vision to be a free society on the pathway to peace by honoring God’s standard and protecting the rights of our citizens.

In fact, history reveals the Jewish nation stood as an example upon which the early American colonists would build. The moral standard God provided Israel proved to produced a more civilized nation; manifesting God’s divine nature of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23 NLT). The righteous fruit of God’s character was produced in government leaders, released in policies, and revealed to individuals, as God was positioned before the people as the righteous Ruler.

This, of course, was always the plan and purpose of God for Israel; to be a righteous fruit-bearing example to other nations (Ex. 19:6). Keep in mind Israel was not more valuable to God than other nations, they were simply the ones chosen to be the model for the mission of God. The message was clear as nations listened: When God was leading the nation, the people would experience true freedom, as well as divine blessing. “The nation whose True God is the Eternal is truly blessed; fortunate are all whom He chooses to inherit His legacy (Ps. 33:12 VOICE).

However, human beings void of a dependent and devoted relationship with God, act upon the sinful attempts of evil to lure them from freedom into bondage. It happens one idolatrous and unrighteous choice against God’s standard at a time. In Scripture, we read about Israel’s struggle to remain devoted to righteous living in a sinful unbelieving world. Foolish choices cost Israel the blessing over and over again, but God still remained faithful to restore her as we saw in our reading from yesterday with the remnant enduring God’s judgment through the Assyrians (Isa. 10:20 NLT). Listen and learn.

In our Old Testament passage, today, Israel once again learns the consequences of compromise. God had position his daughter—the prophet Deborah—to bring guidance to Israel and for forty years they had experienced peace (Jdg. 5:31). However, the people chose to wander from God’s standard once again. In doing so, they lost control of their homeland; the Midianites [a nomadic tribe] were allowed and used by the Lord to oppress Israel for seven years in order to draw his people back to righteousness. Listen and learn.

The Midianites drained Israel’s resources and supplies. Because of Israel’s disobedience to God, they opened the door for the enemy to come in and rob them leaving the entire nation vulnerable to starvation and lack. Here’s some Good News…When the people finally unite and cry out—realizing and repenting from their sin against God—the Lord rescues them by bringing in Gideon [translates “warrior,” “destroyer,” “one who cuts down”] to walk Israel back to God, rid the land of invaders, and move the people out of their barrenness and back into blessing. God chose a very unlikely man, Gideon, and empowered him to become a hero of the faith in delivering Israel. Gideon told the people, “I will not rule over you…the Lord will rule over you” (Jdg. 8:23). Again, may we listen and learn from history.

As I started this post, I will continue and end with my prayers for this nation. This is our wakeup call. Our choices must be to follow the righteous standards of God. Government will not and cannot save us; government was created by God to lead people toward the righteous Ruler (Rom. 13:1 NLT). Oh, we might survive a bit longer with one human leader over another based on God’s will, but friends…Jesus is making us choose whom we will serve and be assured compromising with evil has temporal, as well as eternal consequences.

Judges 6:1-10 NLT Gideon Becomes Israel’s Judge
1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 2 The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, 4 camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. 5 These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. 6 So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

7 When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. 9 I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. 10 I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for reminding us about Israel and your plan for her and all nations. May we pray for Israel, America, and the world to recognize Jesus Messiah—the Rescuer of the human soul from sin, destruction, and death. There are so many ways to live that seem right in our human minds, but you are the only One who knows the righteous Truth; so we must follow your lead and rule without compromise. We bow before your authority and cry out for mercy. We repent and reach for grace and forgiveness. We pray for you to heal our lands and raise up leadership that will hold fast to your standard of justice; righteousness that leads to true freedom found only in the divine blessing. We praise you, Lord! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We begin this morning by pausing to recognize and praise the Lord who knows all things; only our self-existent God is Omniscient. I cannot imagine the weight of knowing all things, but it is remarkable to be able to know the One who does. I have to chuckle a bit when people act like know-it-alls; guess they will have a surprise one day when they actually meet the Omniscient One.

God is Truth and he is not hindered, concerned, or confused about who he is or the standard of righteousness he has set for his human creation. He is the Lord—the God of great mystery whom we can never fully understand with our natural minds, but also the God who is as close to us as our very breath. So, we can only imagine how God will one day respond to humanity’s desire and demand for self-autonomy; rather than bow to God’s Omnipotent—all powerful rule. Foolishness for sure!

In our passage today from the Prophet Isaiah, Assyria has been boasting over her military conquest and Israel’s exile. The Assyrians did not realize God was using them to judge Israel and Judah for their apostasy and rejection of God’s moral law. The King of Assyria’s victory over Israel was actually an act of God’s power not Assyrian power. It is unfortunate for the Assyrians, because all the boasting and gloating over their perceived power, was setting them up for a wrath-filled “humbling” from the Lord—God was going to terminate the Assyrian’s existence. Assyria faced God’s wrath first by the decimation of her leadership. Then, civil war finished off the nation.

Yet, hope was found in the remnant of Israel [God’s people] who never set aside their trust. Therefore, God grew that remnant and established his rule with them. There is a reward for remaining faithful to the Lord.

Believers must also be encouraged, because God sent the Righteous One to draw a remnant of people to himself; those willing to surrender to his rule. Christ’s followers are not in danger of God’s judgement, because we live for the King and his eternal Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. No matter what is going on in this world, remain faithful to God, because he has promised to be faithful to his own.

Isaiah 10:12-20 AMP
12 Therefore when the Lord has completed all His work [of chastisement and purification to be executed] on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, it shall be that He will inflict punishment on the fruit [the thoughts, words, and deeds] of the stout and arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the haughtiness of his pride.

13 For [the Assyrian king] has said, I have done it solely by the power of my own hand and wisdom, for I have insight and understanding. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples and have robbed their treasures; and like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones and the inhabitants.

14 And my hand has found like a nest the wealth of the people; and as one gathers eggs that are forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved its wing, or that opened its mouth or chirped.

15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him who wields it back and forth? As if a rod should wield those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift itself up as if it were not wood [but a man of God]!

16 Therefore will the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send leanness among [the Assyrian’s] fat ones; and instead of his glory or under it He will kindle a burning like the burning of fire.
17 And the Light of Israel shall become a fire and His Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour [the Assyrian’s] thorns and briers in one day.

18 [The Lord] will consume the glory of the [Assyrian’s] forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and it shall be as when a sick man pines away or a standard-bearer faints.

19 And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may make a list of them.

20 And it shall be in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more lean upon him who smote them, but will lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

Prayer: Lord thank you for using all things to bring about your plan and purpose for our salvation. We pray for humble leaders across the globe; those who will bow to your wise, powerful, and righteous rule. As believers, we pray for our hearts to remain faithful as we cling to your righteousness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I don’t always take the time to read the product labels while grocery shopping, but I have certainly become more and more aware of the ingredients in food items these past few years. There are ingredients I must avoid due to allergic reactions, fats I should restrict for maintaining healthy blood vessels, and added chemicals I need to identify and avoid because they are harmful to my overall health. Advertising makes everything sound so good, but is everything actually good for our bodies?

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul wants us to understand God has placed his label on his children; we are his offspring revealing the details and instructions for spiritual life with God. Believers bear God’s name and we communicate the life-giving details of salvation to others through our attitudes, words, and actions. We are sealed by the Spirit who desires to convey truth to us and through us. It is hypocrisy to say we believe and serve God and then follow the cultural standards of the world. Is living as an example of the world good advertising for God’s powerful Kingdom and rule?

Therefore, the ingredients we bring into our lives matter to our spiritual health. We cannot consume sin and be spiritually healthy. We cannot fill our souls with worldly ideas and still operate in the attitude of Christ. The Word of God helps to define Christ’s nature and character for us, so what we take in needs to produce Christlikeness in us. If what we take into our spirits and souls is not godly, it will not produce spiritual health.

Can you imagine God’s label of ingredients for believers reading: 50% anger, 20% immorality, 10% foul language, and 20% evil deeds to meet our 100% daily requirement for spiritual health? Ridiculous! I am so grateful for God’s grace, but I know it was not given as a gift to help me avoid the consequences of my sin. I need the power of grace to live righteously; Christ in me is all that matters for my spiritual health. He wants to help me make wise choices for what I consume…keeping me spiritually healthy.

Colossians 3:1-11 NLT Living the New Life
3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming [on those who disobey him]. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for placing your label upon our lives; we desire to honor your name in how we live in relationship with you and with others. Holy Spirit, help us to be honest with you about what upsets us and makes us experience anger toward others; we need you to help us get rid of anger. Our words can be so hateful and mean; our jesting can be slanderous and cruel. We can post things on social media that are just awful about others in order to demand our own way. Please forgive us; we claim to be believers in the Truth [the Christ] and we must grow up and live in him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Every time I write in reference to Psalm 119, I like to remind us, that it contains 176 verses which are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titles with the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Taw (tav or taf), which means mark, sign and signature.

Do you believe that you are marked as a servant of God? Let me ask in a different way. Do you believe that when Jesus saved you, He held your heart within His hands, He washed your sins away, He baptized you with His Holy Spirit, and said to all of heaven, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:1-7) and I have a new life for my beloved?

The last verse of Psalm 119 is something you and I, as believers, need to be become very familiar with, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me (Lord Jesus), for I have not forgotten your commands.” These words are a confession of our sin. Words that should come easy to believers. Why? Because we understand what it means to be lost, or in dead living, as we have wondering without Jesus and that is NOT where we want to be. An unbelieving heart or a heart filled with religious righteousness will struggle to confess verse 176. Why? Because they are unaware of their “lostness” or do not want to come out of their “dead living”. They enjoy their sinful way of life. You and I, as active and faithful believers, understand our desperate need to be connected to Jesus, Who is the Word of Life, and that means our thoughts, words, actions, inactions, and hearts must reflect the One Who is the Word, Jesus.

How do we allow the Holy Spirit to operate in and through us, in other words, how do we sanctify our thoughts, speech, actions, etc.? Well, we don’t sanctify ourselves, Jesus does that for us, and verses 169 through 175 point us to what we need to be doing in order to allow the Holy Spirit the room within us to produce sanctified thinking, which then produces sanctified speech, and so on.

We PRAY, we PRAISE, & we EVANGELIZE…wait, Jen…I am not good at evangelizing. Yes, you are! God created each one of us to share His Word, and that is all evangelism is, sharing God’s Word. Don’t over think it, just allow the Holy Spirit to move within you and through you to bring God’s Word, His love, into someone’s heart. Sure, some people will evangelize to groups of people, but others are called to evangelize one-on-one. Just remember to not over think it, allow the Holy Spirit to operate within you and by the Word of God, speak the love of Jesus into someone else’s life TODAY.

Psalm 119:169-176 (NLT)

Taw

169 O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.

170 Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.

171 Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.

172 Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.

173 Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.

174 O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.

175 Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.

176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being our Sheppard and for coming to save each one of us from our sinful life of dead living. Holy Spirit, be our Guide as we pray, as we praise, and as we share your Word with others. Help us to laid down our insecurities, those places that the enemy seeks to hold us back from praying, praising, and evangelizing. We want to be close with You, and we trust that You will break down those walls that keep us from growing with You. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Our attitudes and actions throughout our lives either validate or invalidate our faith. We cannot separate faith from obedient actions to God’s Word [prophetic guidance], because together faith and actions make a whole. It’s like the body and spirit coming together at creation; it’s worshiping God in Spirit and then living the Truth (John 4:24).

When a believer has genuine faith, they produce works of love and compassion; they manifest the heart of Jesus in the natural realm. If a person claims to be a believer, but never produces the righteous fruit of God’s love, then it is likely they have had a religious experience but not tasted an intimate relationship with Jesus. Religion based on Jesus’ work on the cross for salvation may connect people to God’s family which is good, but a personal relationship with Jesus calls for the applied Truth that brings new life and transforms the heart.

In our passage today, James presents several examples of faith in action, by highlighting the faith and deeds of a Jewish man, Abraham, as well as a Gentile woman, Rahab. Abraham was a man of faith; a wealthy and respected person [a friend of God]. Rahab was a woman of faith with a questionable reputation; an innkeeper and marginalized woman of little importance [but later is listed as a mother in the lineage of Jesus]. Yet, both of these people demonstrated their faith in God by their actions. Both Abraham and Rahab are biblical heroes of the faith; most assuredly both were affirmed as a part of God’s family in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, because they put their faith to action (Gen 12:1-3; Josh 2:8-11).

You and I must do the same each day. We want our faith in God to be genuine and powerful. Anyone can attend a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue; that takes only a decision and does not translate into a life that pleases God. Instead, like Abraham and Rehab, believers in Christ must not only verbalize the truth, we must put the truth into practice. I pray we take the opportunity by faith in the compassion of Christ, to share good deeds, today.

James 2:17-26 NLT
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the conviction of the Spirit who guides us into genuine faith and good deeds. Help us to remain stable, loving and humble in our actions. May the faith we proclaim honor your name and your compassionate mercy. May we continue to grow in this personal relationship with you, Jesus; to know the Truth that sets us free. In Jesus’ name. Amen.