August 31 - Ezekiel 37:1-39:29 | Ezekiel 32:1-16

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with more than just a vision given to Ezekiel by God, it was so much more that that. The Lord took hold of Ezekiel and actually transported him, took him on a bit of a trip, so to speak, to a valley of dry bones. Now, some skeptics may crinkle their brow, and say “Yeah, sure.” But really when you think about it …. God created this whole universe and everything in it, He had the sun stand still for Joshua and so much more, transporting Ezekiel would be a no brainer, easy peasy. God said it, I believe it and so should you :-) So, using your mind’s eye, see yourself in this valley, look upon all of the dry, disconnected bones scattered about, some piled high as you strolled through, an foot here, a skull there. I imagine if Ezekiel was wondering, “And …… what am I doing in this place?” Then God asked him, “Son of  Man, can these bones become living people again?” I see Ezekiel looking up at Him and wondering, “Ummm, is this is a trick question?” Then answers Him very diplomatically by saying, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” That would have been my answer too, right?

Then God gave him the most amazing prophecy, that the bones would come back to life and even while he was speaking the words, they did. Imagine your eyes darting about as the bones began to rattle and then come together. Tendons and flesh, we’re told, appeared on them and skin covered them, but get this, they were lifeless forms. Seriously, I read this and I thought, “Woe!! Crazy afternoon!” Then it gets better, as Ezekiel prophesied, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live,” get this, breath entered them and they came to life. A vast army stood on their feet. Amazing!

There is so much that can be written about today’s scripture, it is a well of information. What I would like to address, though, is just this; the very same way God breathed new life into those dead bones, God waits to bring new life to those who are spiritually dead. The Scriptures clearly testify to the fact that man is spiritually dead and lacks any spiritual life apart from salvation in Christ. Right? We’re told in 1 Corinthians that “For as in Adam all die.” but we’re also told that “so in Christ all will be made alive” and that life is eternal. John 3:15 says, “everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 

I would encourage you in that if your spiritual life is in need of some resuscitation, pray from Psalm 51 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me; Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” then claim the promise in Isaiah, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Then let, as in Ezekiel’s trip to the desert of dry bones, watch you own dry bones come back to life with the Spirit of our living God. Amen?

Have a super good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 30 - Ezekiel 34:1-36:38

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with God, through Ezekiel, calling out all the shepherds, which would refer to the leaders, for taking care of themselves  rather than taking care of the people. He named their sins, pronounced there judgement they would receive. Prophetically, this speaks to anyone and everyone who teaches God’s Word today, there is an accountability above others for accuracy in what they’re teaching and selfless behavior. However knowing we do not have a perfect track record, God promises to take over as shepherd for his scattered flock. How comforting is that?! When parents, teachers, leaders even pastors fail us we have the promise of  a God who agape loves us to always be there, He is always in control. Right?

In chapter 36 we read of God’s promise to restore a broken, scattered Israel to a healthy, thriving nation. “ I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor” says the Lord. Israel, for way too many years, had try to make a go of life in their own strength and they failed miserably. There was a consequence of choice to live through but God didn’t just write them off. No way! He was there for them but not only that, things were going to be so much better than before. Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” God is there for you too. Have you blown it, tried to live in your own strength and failed? The whole world seems to be crashing down on top of you? Well, fear not God still can and He will use you to do amazing things if you would but let Him. 2 Peter 3:18 encourages us in to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

Amen!

Have a great day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all …

August 29 - Jeremiah 42:1-44:30 | Ezekiel 33:21-33

Good morning everyone,

We begin today with the remaining Jews approaching Jeremiah and saying “ We know we were wrong, we should have listened to what God said through you, please seek His will for us now, we promise to do as he says whether we like it or not.” (paraphrasing) We are told in 42:7 that, “Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.” Now, I like that because even Jeremiah, a prophet who I see as having an open line to God, didn’t always get his answers immediately. Right? Sometime God says “Yes” sometimes “No” and sometimes “Wait.” We should be encouraged by this to be more patient in waiting on the Lord to answer our payers instead of giving up and taking the matter back into our own hands. Make sense?

So, after those ten days when God did speak to Jeremiah, His message was to stay in the land, they would be safe there, that if they stayed in the land, He would build them up and not tear them down; and He said, “I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.” Oh my word, if that’s me I am thinking “Yes!! Yes!! Yes!!” and I am getting my white picket fence put up, planting gardens, establishing a home for myself, life would be good, however ….. however we read, “all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.” You have got to be kidding me!! Even though they had asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord and had promised to do whatever, let me repeat that “whatever” the Lord said to do, they are now saying, “Yeah, no. We don’t like that option, we think you’re lying so we’re going to Egypt anyway.” (again, paraphrasing) Crazy fools, I say.

Even though Jeremiah’s entire ministry had been one of being ignored by the people he had to have been just shaking his head at this. I rather imagine it is like that for so many of our pastors and preachers, today; anyone who will boldly stand up and teach the truth of God’s Word. Week after week they teach the Word but so many of those listening are not hearing it much less obeying it. It’s like when they get to church they, (okay, use your mind’s eye here ) open the door to a box and step inside from “world” where everything is fast, swirling, often confusing and one huge contradiction to God, into that  box called “church” where the walls are lined with love, acceptance and joy, very opposite of the world they just stepped from. In this pleasantly nice atmosphere they hear the truth of what God has planned for them. Some will nod their heads in agreement, be encouraged. Some will be convicted and vow to do better. Some will have never known God and accept Him into their hearts, but then, (are you seeing this?) church is over and they walk right back out that door, leaving the truth of God’s Word behind, neatly folded on a shelf ready to pick up the next time they can get there, while entering into the whirlwind of a world where everything is status quo.

Friends, and for the most part I know I am speaking to the choir when I say, we have got to be doing more than just attending church once a week and reading our Bibles for thirty minutes a morning. We have got to be doing what God instructs us to do. We have got to be not just listening to our pastors but “hearing” them. Big difference! Right? 

Job 13:17 says, “Listen carefully to my words. Hear my declaration.” God is speaking to us through our devotions, pastors and Bible readings. Don’t be like those foolish remnant Jews, who blew off God’s will for their own. Look for what God has to say to you and then …. then choose to obey, for there’s no other way. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory!

God bless you all…

August 28 - Lamentations 5:1-22, Obadiah 1:1-21, 2 Kings 25:22-26, Jeremiah 40:7-41:18

Good morning everyone,

This morning we begin with the final chapter in Lamentations then on to Obadiah, the prophet, who brings a message of God’s judgement against the nation of Edom. But who are the Edomites? Well let me tell you :-) The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, twin brother to Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson to Abraham. They lived in a rocky area southeast of Israel which is modern day Jordan, their capitol was Sela, now called Petra. The Edomites were a proud and arrogant people who often would join forces with whom ever was fighting against Judah just because they did not like them, many times enslaving Israel’s fugitives. God will now have the last word on that. 

In verses 10-14 God lays out the exact reasons for Edom’s punishment and in verse 18 clearly states that there will be no survivors, the Edomites were the only ones not promised any mercy, however, God did promise to protect His people from complete destruction. Edom is an example to all the nations that are hostile to Israel, it will not end pretty for them. Similarly we cannot allow ourselves to become so self-absorbed that we neglect to help God’s people, this is sin. In Deuteronomy, God calls Israel the “apple of His eye” which is a term of endearment. God adds a blessing to those nations and people who bless Israel and a curse on those who curse Israel. Yikes! Do blessings and cursings still apply today? I, in my humble opinion, say yes to that since we read in Malachi, “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” God did not put a timeline or expiration date on His covenant with Israel.

As we have studied the Old Testament I have grown quite a heart for Israel, for Gods chosen. It hurts my heart that Jerusalem is anything but peaceful right now, that someone is always wanting to take a pot shot at her, however,the King of Peace is coming, even so, Christ Jesus come quickly. Right? Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.” Friends, that is my prayer and I hope you will join me in praying for His Kingdom to come and for the peace of Jerusalem and for Israel. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 27 - Lamentations 2:1-4:22

Good morning everyone,

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read that for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance, well the people of Israel were not dancing. As a matter of fact, Lamentations is a book of mourning, a funeral dirge so to speak that serves to teach the people that to disobey God is to invite disaster, there is consequence of choice and also, to show that God suffers when His people suffer. 

Lamentations chapter 3 is probably one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible. Why? It is one of faith, trust and hope. Jeremiah was a man who had seen some pretty tough days in his life. Beginning in verse 1 is an account of his torturous treatment, the mocking and betrayal of his own people and yet … yet, Jeremiah claims, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” Is that beautiful or what?! God had promised future restoration and Jeremiah knew that God would keep His promise. Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” Trusting God in the “little stuff” day by day secures a strong foundation on the Rock for when those raging, often relentless storms of life wear us down and all that’s left is blind faith and trust, we can continue moving forward in God knowing He will keep the promises He has made to us. Make sense?

But, what does it mean to have total faith and trust in God? I use to struggle with how to get there, if you know what I mean. Then I read something that really helped, and obviously it stayed with me. It is that faith is like floating in a deep ocean, if we panic and struggle we will tense up and thrash about and we will eventually sink. However if we would but relax and trust, take slow, controlled breaths, we will float, no matter how deep the water is. Right? It’s not about learning how to float on water but simply trusting its buoyancy. Well, trusting in God’s ability to sustain us works the same way. Whatever griefs we have all we need to do is drop them off at the cross, pray about them, allow faith to help us to relax and let go, to rest in God’s ability, then friends just kick back and know the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.  1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I say “Let go and let God.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 26 - Jeremiah 39:11-18 | Jeremiah 40:1-6 | 2 Kings25:8-21 | Jeremiah 52:12-27 | 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 | Lamentations 1:1-22

Good morning everyone,

Today as we begin in Jeremiah, just as the prophet had been telling them would happen,  king Nebuchadnezzar along with Nebuzaradan, the commander of the imperial guard, have come in to the city of Jerusalem and are effectively tearing it down. They set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem, reducing it to rubble while carting off anything and everything that had value. They used teams of soldiers to knock down the wall surrounding the city while Nebuzaradan corralled all the people who had remained in the city, which included the priests, the young, the old and those who had fled from Babylon seeking shelter in Jerusalem, marching them off into exile leaving only the poorest of people to work the land and vineyards. 

Jeremiah was among those who had been led away, but you’ll remember that God had promised to rescue Jeremiah from his troubles and so it was that because Jeremiah had been preaching to the Jews, “Babylon is going to win, surrender, go with them peacefully” that Nebuchadnezzar and company assumed he was a traitor. They freed Jeremiah, told him he could go anywhere he wanted, offered him protection and gave him supplies. Jeremiah chose to go back and live in with the people who were left in the land. 

What an incredibly sad time for God’s chosen people. For forty years Jeremiah had been warning them, over and over prophesying their fate should they not turn from false gods and the ways of the world. Encouraging them to once again worship God, to turn back to the one true God, but his ministry did not see even one convert. No one believed the words of the Lord and so their sin ultimately led to their death while Jeremiah weeps for them. 

In Galatians 6:7-8 it says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Much the same as the message Jeremiah was sent to give the nation Judah, over and over and over again our dear, loving Abba gives us a message through pastors and teacher using His God breathed Words of the Bible, “BE WARNED” stay away from the evil ways of the world, choose to live your life according to God’s plan. Don’t let Satan trick you into doing anything different. Do not let his wicked selfish attempt to take anyone and everyone down with him subtly charm you away from the God who loves you. Satan is called the father of lies for a reason, he knows the end of the story, you should too, we all should know the end of the story. The Bible tells us the enemy is going down. Enemy, by definition is, “a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something, a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.” This is Satan, this is misery and misery loves company. 

I wonder, have you gotten way too busy in your life, not going to church anymore and you’re maybe drifting back to the ways of the world? Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” and it is never too late as Isaiah 46:4 tells us, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” God loves you. In Lamentations we read how a broken hearted Jeremiah journals his way through his sorrow for a people he tried to save through the prophecy of the Lord. God has that same heart for us, he grieves when we are lost and He rejoices with the angels in heaven we find our way back. Amen?!

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 25 - Ezekiel 26:15-28:26 | 2 Kings 25:3-7 | Jeremiah 52:6-11 | Jeremiah 39:2-10

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with a look at the seaport town of Tyre, who dominated the sea trading routes while Judah dominated the land routes. After the fall of Jerusalem Tyre boasted, believing they would have control of all trading, however, their plans were quickly foiled when Nebuchadnezzar, fulfilling prophecy, attacked the city and after a long 13 years was eventually able to take the city down. Funny thing though, when the Babylonians finally did break through the walls they were shocked to find no one there. Those stinkers had spent all that time readying an island, building a brand new city about a half mile off the coast  where they sailed to and were safe …. for awhile. Ezekiel prophesied that “They shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her...and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water...And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD” These were some pretty bold prophecies.

In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great would, in his desire to conquer the world, used slaves to move the rubble from the destroyed city to create a road of sorts to the island enabling him to destroy Tyre and the rest is history. The Tyre prophecy is but one of about 1500 Old Testament prophesies of minute detail relating to cities or nations that have already been fulfilled.  You, me, anyone can validate them, right?, and check this out, the Bible contains over 2000 prophesies that have been fulfilled, many with very specific details. I am absolutely blown away by the nay sayers and skeptics who chalk them up to coincidence or chance. It hurts my heart at how blinded they are. There are no coincidences in life, everything is perfectly orchestrated by our God, a God of design and detail, we can believe, absolutely believe in what He tells us in His Word. Psalm 119:89 says, “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”  

I use to listen to the teachings of a man named Paul Harvey and during his program he would often say, “the rest of the story.” I would encourage you when you are wondering what God has a planned for us what’s “the rest of the story,” that you look at you Bible, God has it all planned and written out. He has assured the Saints, that is to say all who have accepted Him in their hearts a beautiful future. A prophecy we all can believe in. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 24 - Jeremiah 32:1-33:26 | Ezekiel 26:1-14

Good morning everyone,

Today we read that Jeremiah is confined in the courtyard of the guard. Babylon is besieging Jerusalem and Jeremiah gets this idea, a prompting from the Lord to buy a field, some property, in the territory of Benjamin, which had already been captured and was occupied by Babylon troops. Seriously, not a wise investment, logically speaking. However, the Lord validated the thought He had given Jeremiah by sending Jeremiah’s cousin, Hanamel, a knocking on the door saying, “buy my land” and while that would be an incredible leap of faith, it would also be an encouraging sign that God will be bringing His people back to their lands! Yes?

This story served as a great reminder for me to be patient, as I can and often do act spontaneously. Whenever I, or we, feel something in our hearts or get a thought to do something in our heads it is a good idea to wait on the Lord for confirmation before spending a lot of money or making a bold statement or promise. If it is God’s will He will pie the way for what ever endeavor, if not obvious doors will slam shut.

Chapter thirty three is a beautiful promise of restoration, not because the people cried out, oh no! there was still a consequence of choice to deal with, they owed God 70 years and that would be paid, but because it was a part of the bigger plan. Verses 14-17 promise, “The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior. For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel” These verses refer to both the first coming when he will set up His rein in the hearts of believers and the second coming of Christ when He will execute judgement and righteousness. 

If you believe in nothing else you need to believe that God keeps His promises, this is why we can be sure that the return of Christ is near. The Bible tells us that there will be signs pointing toward the return of the Lord, I do not stand alone in believing that with the increased number of earthquakes and other natural disasters, all these signs are evident today. Luke 21:28 says, When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

 Billy Graham who is now 94 years old was interviewed last October and was quoted as saying, “A new world is coming, Graham wrote. The paradise that humanity lost in the Garden of Eden will be regained. Christ is coming to conquer evil and establish his perfect rule over all creation. But until then God wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Christ through repentance and faith,” Graham wrote, “Regardless of what society says, we can’t go on much longer in the sea of immorality without judgment coming. We are at a crossroads, and there are profound moral issues at stake. It is time to return to biblical truth.”

I would encourage you to not be like the king of Judah who was eager to listen to the false prophets of his day assure him that all was well with the world and would be fine while Nebuchadnezzar marched in, took them all captive and destroyed the city , but instead bend a knee to God and listen to those who are trying to tell you we are living in the last days, time is short. Jesus will return; Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” I find that so exciting. Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory. 

God bless you all ….. 

August 23 - Ezekiel 24:15-25:17 | Jeremiah 34:1-22 | Jeremiah 21:1-14 | Ezekiel 29:1-16 | Ezekiel 30:20-31:18

Good morning everyone,

This morning we begin with Ezekiel receiving a message that said, “with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure.” Yet with the death of his wife he was not to mourn nor lament and when the people ask, “why are you acting like this?” He was basically to say, “Now that I have your attention, here is what God says.”

Ezekiel obeyed fully, amazing! We do not read where even one time he said so much as, “Did I hear you correctly Lord?” Or, “Why my wife Lord?” Very admirable! Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense to us, we have a tendency to see very in the moment and too we for get that He is almighty. Being a Christian committed to God can sometimes have a very high price but make no mistake, there is an even greater price to be paid if you live a life apart from God. 

In Ezekiel 25 we come to the prophecies against the nations surrounding Judah because while judgement may begin with God’s people, it is not limited to the house of God. God has always existed as judge over His creation. His purpose would be for all the peoples of the world to enjoy eternal life in the family of God.  Right? The good news is He is not judging everyone this very second, but there will come a time, and quite frankly it could be today, when Romans 14:11 tells us, “It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.” The question is, Do you want to hear “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” or “Well done good and faithful servant!” It is a choice between heaven or hell and there is no third option . 

Choose to know your God better with each day that goes by. Don’t let your knowledge of Him and His perfect ways for your life be diluted with the vile programming on radio and television. Enjoy a steady diet of the peace, hope and love Jesus longs to shower you with and with that I would encourage you to be dressed, ready to go with lamps burning as we’re told in Luke waiting for our Master’s return. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 22 - Ezekiel 22:17-23:49 | 2 Kings 24:20-25:2 | Jeremiah 52:3-5 | Jeremiah 39:1 | Ezekiel 24:1-14

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with the Lord giving Ezekiel another prophecy of what was to become of the nation Judah. Her many kings, over the years and all the people of Jerusalem had over and over again abused the love, the compassion of Yahweh. They were a callous people disregarding their covenant with God, breaking all the the vows they’d made, shattering God’s heart and forcing Him to have to follow through with the promise He’d made regarding judgement, the consequence of choice, should they not obey His laws. So, in our reading we see Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon march his men right up the city’s walls where they kept Jerusalem under siege, which means they surrounded the city blocking anyone from going in or getting out, which would in effect prevent them from receiving food, water, any supplies at all, for two years, their fall inevitable.

If you listen closely to the words you read today you can hear the love and the hurt God has for His people. How difficult it is for Him to have to follow through with the vow He had made to correct them. Ahhh, I clearly remember the first time I had to punish one of my children with a spanking for doing something that was wrong, something that they needed to be chastened for, I found it most difficult to follow through on the promise I had made, “if you ….. then I will punish you.” I clearly remember the words I had heard, I don’t know where, “This will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” and it did, and yet it had to be done to, hopefully, help them to grow to be responsible adults which I believe they all are. 

God’s heart is the same for us, His children, today. He loves us so much that it causes Him immeasurable grief when we are rebellious and He is forced to correct us. He will allow us free will to do what ever we want, but when that flies in the face of what He has determined is right and wrong, there will be consequence of choice, a lesson to be learned. What I love is that in Romans 5:2-9 we’re told, “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

Did you get that, very rarely will anyone will die for a righteous person, but while we were still sinners Christ died for us. He loves us enough to correct us, God loves us enough to send His only Son to die for us. There’s victory in Jesus, you guys know the song, right? It goes in part, “I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, how He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me; I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning. Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.” 

Friends, if you feel like your life is right now under siege, praise God and look for the sin He is working to cleanse you of. God loves you and will continually work to help you be, and thank you Jesus, help me be, all that we can be in and through Him. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 21 - Ezekiel 20:1-22:16

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with the elders of Israel coming to Ezekiel in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day. Don’t you just love the detail? I am a black and white kind of person and I love exact details.  Anyway, they wanted to have a sit down and discuss some difficulties they were having with the Lord. But God says, “yea ….no, I’m not hearing them and I’ve got nothing to say to them. ” (paraphrasing) but then He spends most of the rest of the chapter going over their history of rebellion, how over and over again, despite God’s pleading and warnings, they rebelled against Yahweh, hanging on to their idols, putting them before Him.

In chapter twenty-one the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to Jerusalem that her destruction was a done deal and was close at hand. In my mind’s eye, when I read verse 6, “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.” I could see an Eeyore wandering the streets sighing eminent doom only Ezekiel’s heart was not one of “Oh no, poor me” instead in his heart was pure grief and sorrow for what the future held for the people of Jerusalem, the judgement the Lord was going to bring down on them. 

Chapter twenty-two speaks to the mockery the jews would receive, we read, “Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.” They turned their backs on the Lord and for nearly two thousand years have paid the price. They have been attacked, persecuted, expelled, restricted, violated, exiled oh!, and then there was the holocaust of 1939 where millions were systematically exterminated, scattering those who were able to escape amongst all the nations of the world only to have anti-semitism arise again over the years. God, however, had made them an unconditional covenant when he gave them Israel so as prophecy predicted they are returning, more and more each year to the land God gave them to fulfill an even heater prophecy.

What can we take from all of this today? Well, what first comes to mind is our God is a very patient God, giving us every opportunity to live according to His commands but He is also a God of His word. His yes is yes, His no is no and at some point His patience will run out and a heavy consequence of choice will have to be paid for those who choose to live in defiance to Him. However, for those who choose to put their faith and hope in Jesus 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.’” Right? The road may get bumpy but keep looking up and keep a firm grip on your faith, God’s promise is that He is always right there for you. Paul tells us in Romans 8:35-39, “ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Friends, do you get that? There is nothing that can separate you or me or anyone from the love of Christ aside from our own poor choices. In antiquity the people of Jerusalem chose idols over Yahweh and they suffered greatly for it. I encourage you to choose Christ, as it says in Deuteronomy, “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 20 - Ezekiel 17:1-19:14

Good morning everyone,

This morning we begin with a parable about two eagles and a vine, referencing Babylon as the eagles and Jehoiakim, the king, as the cedar with the branches being his sons. The second eagle would be Egypt. It tells the story of how Nebuchadnezzar would go into Judah and pull Jehoiakim and his sons off the royal court and in their place put Zedekiah on the throne, who was basically no more than a “yes” man. However when Pharaoh came on the scene, despite God warning Zedekiah that Pharaoh would not be able to protect Judah, Zedekiah flipped and joined forces with Egypt which served to destroy both himself and Jerusalem. God expects us to keep out covenants, our promises whether it be in marriage, loans, work or whatever, God expects us to be an honorable people both to Him and to those we connect with.

Chapter eighteen had God forbidding the people to quote the proverb, “The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Why? What does that mean exactly? Basically what it all boils down to is that you are responsible for your own choices in life. Alright?! We do not get to play the “blame game!!” Just because your parents may have slapped you around, or screamed at you, had anger issues and abused you, or perhaps had drug or alcohol problems, does not give you a free pass to act that way yourself or claim their addictions. You do not get to say, “Well, my dad had a short fuse and would scream, that’s why I do it.” Oh no, no, no!! The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We are not held prisoner to the behavior patterns of our parents. The apostle Paul is a perfect example of a complete change of character. He was a persecutor of Christians, he hunted them down and he had them killed but when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, Paul totally changed his ways and spent the rest of his life preaching the Gospel. In Galatians Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” You too, we all can, have a complete transformation by the power of Christ.

By the same token, if your parents are loving, caring, God fearing people, living according to the will of God and you are a rowdy, lowdown, offender of all that breathes, who denounces God in every area of your life, you do not have a free pass to heaven. You don’t. You will need to drop to your knees confess your sins and ask God to forgive you and ask Jesus to be your Savior. 

So while there is is no question that God wishes to bring change to our lives as Christians, we’re clearly expected to exercise plenty of discipline and self-denial, right?, but we need to understand God isn’t concerned with changing our personality so much as our character. He doesn’t wish to radically modify our persona, but redirect it. We are to individually be the person He wants us to be in Him. Make sense? With the Holy Spirit we have the power to do just that. To overcome any childhood lifestyles that were engrained in us for nearly two decades or that we took on ourselves in rebellion or misdirection. God loves us and just wants the very best for us and when we know that in our heads and absolutely believe it in our hearts, well, then the rest is easy peasy, because from then on all you will ever want to do is live for Him. Our God is an amazing God who has great things planned for you, for me and for all who seek His face. He loves you, He absolutely loves, agape, loves you. I would encourage you to let Him. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all ….

August 19 - Ezekiel 14:1-16:63

Good morning everyone,

Today we begin with a group of elders, leaders in Jerusalem, who have called a meeting with Ezekiel to inquire what was going with on with God, however, they lacked sincerity, their motives were not pure as they were still heavily involved in idolatry. To look at them you would not know that they were anything but a God fearing people, appearing to do all the right things, but on the inside and in the quiet times of their lives they were dabbling with, some even deeply engulfed in, the worship of false gods and idols, their hearts were adulterated. The applications this has for our lives today is endless, but for now it will suffice to say, any preoccupation that turns your heart away from God is an idol, we all need to be checking our own hearts. Amen?

Chapter 15, is a parable of the useless vine, the vine being a symbol of the nation Israel. Apart from the vine’s ability to produce fruit it is useless. The wood of the vine is not good for anything, it’s unusable, so its single responsibility, it’s only purpose, is to bear fruit; when it stops doing that it it has no benefit. In Isaiah 5 we’re told a story is about a vineyard that had many advantages. It belonged to a loving person. It was planted on very fruitful hill where the ground had been carefully prepared. It was planted with the choicest vine stock, it was protected and provided for and yet, yet with all of these advantages, though expecting a good crop, instead the yield was wild grapes. God had made a huge investment in Israel, lavished them with riches and love, in return He got sour berries. 

  

Like Israel, we too are the branches on the vine.  Jesus said in the book of John that “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” We are suppose to be out there sharing God’s good news of salvation, right?, spreading the absolute truth of what Jesus died for, producing mega, rich, juicy berries. Joseph in Genesis, we’re told, was a fruitful vine, even a fruitful vine by a well; whose branches run over the wall. This is a great example of what Christians do, right?, we are fruitful, we live by the well of Living Water, we live a life that is pleasing to God. 

In the book of Colossians we’re told Paul prayed for the people of Colossae, continually asking God that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and that through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so too they would live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work. (paraphrased) Friends, that so needs to be our prayer. We do not want to be useless pieces of wood that will eventually get chucked into the fire. It is possible for the vineyard to produce two types of grapes. One pleasing to God, and the other pleasing to the flesh and the world. I would encourage you to be careful to please God. His Word will set you free from being held captive in the Babylon of today’s world. 

I just have to say one more thing, though a little unrelated, dude my heart breaks for God and how the people just turned their backs on Him not only in antiquity but today as well when all He wants to do is love us and bless us with a life that is beautiful beyond imagination. Put yourself in His position, if your own son or daughter, who you have sacrificed for and poured all yourself into were to reject you, walk away from your love, and all you desire to share with them, your heart would break, it would hurt to see them shun you, discard your offers. Well, God loves us more than we could ever love our own children and He simply asks we honor Him above all else. I would encourage you to take the time to learn God, not just read the words but feel His heart, know His desperate desire to have you be apart of His life, how deep His love runs for us, realize the sacrifice He made with His Son, sending Him to the cross so that He could be in company with us. It is amazing grace! He agapes, He unconditionally loves us. Amen?

Have a good day and to God be all glory, honor and praise.

God bless you all …..

August 18 - Ezekiel 10:1-13:23

Good morning everyone,

In chapter ten, just like in chapter one, I would encourage you to just slow it all down and let your mind’s eye, though you will not fully grasp what you are seeing, take it all in. Ezekiel is doing his best to describe heavenly visions in an earthly vocabulary. He describes seeing the likeness of a throne made out of a semi precious, rich blue, stone above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim. Then the Lord speaks to a man clothed in linen and instructs him to scatter burning coals over the city, representing their means of destruction. After which the glory of God departs from the temple and while He is doing this the sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard like the voice of God Almighty as far away as the outer courts. How amazing an experience would that have been? Even though Ezekiel was the son of a priest and familiar with what the description of a cherubim, all of this has got to have been somewhat jaw dropping for him, right? Every time. 

Okay a little bit about my life and where my mind goes, please do not judge. Where I live I am completely surrounded by very tall evergreen trees where from time to time, and this just happened a few days ago, the wind will whip whip through these trees and across our property at very high speeds that send my wind chimes crashing against the house, the windows will swell and recess, the doors, when not closed tightly, will burst open, and the trees will all be jiggling and wiggling a great big delightful “hi” to me. In my my mind’s eye, I can see God’s angels racing through on their lightening speed chariots chasing away and wicked demon in the spiritual world wishing to do me harm. It comes and goes so quickly, to me, it is the only thing that makes sense, and once gone, His angels resume their position, protecting all that goes on here. This had really nothing to do with anything in today’s scripture, just thought I’d share. Thank you for being patient with me :-)

So, back to today’s scripture, there is so much going on in Jerusalem at that time.The are the twenty-five men who were plotting evil and giving wicked advice, these are most likely the same men from chapter eight. God gave Ezekiel a message for them, and not a very favorable one at that.  Jeremiah is still preaching God will allow Nebuchadnezzar to be victorious, get right with God. Ezekiel is reiterating what Jeremiah is saying, not all are going to die, even though the city will burn, God will show favor on those who obey His commands. God said, “They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.” And He did. For over two thousand years the Jews survived scattered amongst different nations away from their homeland and then, then returned to Israel and reclaimed it as their nation. God is so good.

The more I study today’s scripture the bigger it grows, there is so much in it to glean from. In looking at the false prophets and the people who jumped on their band wagon and then the few people who held true to their faith, that would be spared with the crash of Jerusalem; what comes to mind is, like today, it can all just get so overwhelming. You know? Pastors, preachers, people say, “Believe this!” and others say, “No, believe that!” Which way should we turn? Who is telling the truth? It can get so … bewildering, and believe me when I say, friends, that is the enemy’s plan, because our God is NOT a God of confusion. No way! The enemy is subtle and will whisk you away before you even know what’s going on. Do not let that happen to you. Be grounded in God’s Word. What does that mean? Know your Bible so you can tell when someone is speaking an untruth to you. A lot of times the enemy will lace the lie with a bit of truth so you think you recognize it, but it is not the whole truth. He did it to Eve in the garden and he even had the audacity to try it on Jesus when he was fasting in the wilderness for forty days. You have got to know what God says in the Bible then stand firm, stick to your guns, dig in your heels and do whatever it takes to hold your position on your Rock of salvation.

Ephesians 6:10-18 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Right on?? 

And let all God’s people say …. Amen!

Have a good day and to Yahweh be all glory, honor and praise.

God bless you all. 

August 17 - Ezekiel 5:1-9:11

Good morning everyone,

Wow! This is some super powerful scripture we read today. For sure! We begin with God having Ezekiel shave his head and then divide the hair up three ways; each pile a sign as to what was going to happen to God’s disobedient people. First off, in antiquity, shaving of the head or the beard signified mourning, humiliation and repentance, but what Ezekiel was to do with his hair, and remember yesterday I said God was going to have him get creative, God will deliver a message of absolute destruction for all of the Jews who had chose to not listen to the prophets and continued to worship idols. Please notice that a few of the hairs were, indeed, tucked into the folds of his robe which stood for the faithful who would be spared.

Now, I have just got to say that while this scripture sounds so harsh we must remember our God is a God who loves us more than we can ever begin to fathom and furthermore understand that this is not a single act of defiance that the people are getting judged for. Oh no! It is years and years and years of an accumulated life behavior pattern. It started with a wife of a different belief and in an effort to please his wife the man allowed her to have her one single “idol” in the house. Then there was him saying “yes” to the, “oh honey, won’t you sit with me while I pray to my idol and ask for ….. whatever” and it snowballed from there despite the many, many warnings and pleads from God through the prophets which He sent to remind them. Then, too, there was the already established pattern of their forefathers, not following God’s plan, getting into trouble with life, begging for help, God sending someone to rescue them only to have them do it all over again; put those same idols up, praying to them instead of God. They totally did not learn from history. Well, Yahweh, though long-suffering, had had enough. God loved them so much that He could not and would not let His chosen people continue to live in such a destructive manner and longer. God had told them what would happen “if” and God does not lie. 

God knows our behavior too and He loves us so much that He sent He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, (a whole other devotional) but not only that He provided us with a Helper, Counselor, Comforter, the Holy Spirit. As a Christian, the Holy Spirit entered you, He entered me, when we decided to give our lives to Christ. We need to remember to continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, to guide us, to help us do the things God wants us to do. We do not want to become stagnant or stuck in complacency but we should allow the Spirit to take control over more and more areas of our lives so that we can grow in God, become all that He planned for us to be. Make sense?

It's important to remember, too, that the Spirit will not prompt us to do anything that goes against Scripture. Sometimes we may think things like, “Oh, I prayed and God said it’s okay to live with so-n-so while we think about getting married.” Ummmm, no way! We need to make sure we're listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, not the voice of our own desires. Right? So before you go shaving your head and beard, validate what you are hearing with the Word of God. 

Romans 8:14-15 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” And all God’s people said ….. Amen!!!

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 16 - Ezekiel 3:16-4:17, Jeremiah 27:1-28:17, Jeremiah 51:59-64

Good morning everyone,

Today we are going to take a look at Ezekiel. I kind of wanted to do this yesterday when we started his book but the Lord had other plans, so here we are today. The main theme of Ezekiel is that God wants the people to know that He is in charge. The phrase, “then will they know that I am the Lord,” appears over sixty-five times in Ezekiel, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Now, at this time there has been two invasions of Judah where Jeremiah, is an old man by now and is still preaching there, trying to get someone, anyone to see the light while Daniel, we have already read, was with the first group of Jews deported to Babylon, and is by now well established amongst the higher echelon of Nebuchadnezzar’s court, or as we would know them today, the “.com millionaires,” right? doing God’s work. Ezekiel was with the second deportation, he will work amongst the Jews who have been taken captive and are working to clear land down by the rivers of Babylon. 

Ezekiel is 30 years old and has been in captivity for five years when he starts his ministry. The Lord comes to him in the most amazing way, giving him a vision, a miraculous revelation of God’s truth, it was very much like what John describes in the book of Revelation. I love reading about the cherubim and the description of the glory of God. I know my mind’s eye can not begin to envision just how awesome all the wonder of God is, only when I get to heaven will I see just how much more it all really is. It left Ezekiel a changed man.

Now these people who Ezekiel has been charged with giving God’s message to, the message that their captivity was for real, already had hearts of stone. They were a stubborn, hard headed people who did not listen to Jeremiah, and they did not want to listen to Ezekiel either, in fact, they were quite content to listen to the false prophets tell them that their situation was but a mistake, that the king would have a change of heart and they will be out of there in no time flat. But that is, of course, a lie. So in an effort to get them to hear the truth, God is going to have Ezekiel get creative. God gave Ezekiel a hard head and thick skin to deal with these Jews then tells Ezekiel in 3:10-11, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.” And Ezekiel was obedient.

You know, Ezekiel was commissioned by God to preach truth to the people, and to challenge them to turn away from their sins. He often assigns us to speak and teach His truth to those whom He knows in advance will refuse to listen. He wants those people to know that they have been warned, that they have a choice, and you or I may be the only ones who will ever speak the Gospel to them. Sometimes I am not obedient to that call, I think to myself, “Ah, please not me Lord, I am so not qualified” I fear  I will stumble over my words or my mind will go blank and be left looking fool so while I stall and contemplate “MY” self, the moment, the opportunity slips away, and instead the fool I am left feeling like a crumb. Nowadays, though, more often than not, I am courageous and boldly speak out for God when asked, and I always feel so much better when I do and I never have to worry about what I am suppose to say, because almost always God takes over. It is a great feeling to be obedient to God’s call, even if rejected.  

Ephesians 6:1 says, “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” So it is my prayer that we would all be sensitive and obedient to the Lord’s leading, and that like Ezekiel we would go where God wants us to go, be creative when we have to be that Yahweh would give us the words that He wants us to say. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..

August 15 - Jeremiah 37:11-38:28 | Ezekiel 1:1-3:15

Good morning everyone,

Wow! What a great day of reading. We began with Jeremiah and if ever there was an opportunity for someone to cry, “life’s just not fair …” it would be here for this prophet, Jeremiah. He was just going through life, being obedient to God by delivering His message, preaching the word the Lord had given him to share with Judah. Then, when the Babylonian withdraw for the second time, he returns to Benjamin to get his share of the property and is met at the gate with hostility. They believed he had joined forces with the Babylonians and would not hear Jeremiah’s protests to the misunderstanding, rather they beat him and imprisoned him in a vaulted cell in a dungeon where, we’re told, he remained for a long time. 

At some point the king sent for him to find out what God was thinking. Jeremiah petitioned the king to allow him to remain outside of the dungeon. The king agreed to Jeremiah being placed in the courtyard of the guards where they stuffed him in a cistern to starve and rot in the mud. However, we’re told, Ebed-Melek, a Cushite went to the king to plead on behalf of Jeremiah and was granted permission to pull him out of the well. When he is out the king sends for him again and he asks Jeremiah to tell him what God says the future holds for him. Jeremiah lays the truth on the king, but is told to keep the information to himself, he would rather not recognize it as the truth.

There are so many life applications that can be taken from the scripture we read in Jeremiah today but the one thing I think we need to see today is, Jeremiah got beat and imprisoned for preaching God’s Words, God’s truth. The heart’s of the people were hardened, their actions hateful. Friends we are living in a time that is not so unlike that of Jeremiah’s, and with each day that goes by it will subtly get worse. There are already several arrests on record in the United States of America for someone, laymen as well as pastors, teaching God’s Word in a public place, or even preaching the Truth from a pulpit or handing out tracks on a street corner that flies in the face of “society”, or praying where prayer is deemed not acceptable behavior. People are going to jail in this great nation for doing God’s work. Then there are those who dare to take the Word to a third world country, now we’re talking the treatment Jeremiah got, if not worse. 

I personally know many who would go to prison and/or take a beating before compromising the truth of God’s Word in their teachings. God bless them! Friends, more than ever before we need to be praying for those who boldly stand before others and bring us the truth of what God’s Word says. Right?! These pastors and teachers all all have this big red target on their backs that the enemy is constantly firing arrows at in hopes of bringing them down, of crippling them discrediting them, doing anything possible to keep God’s truth from being shared by them. So pray! Pray for their health, wisdom, direction, strength. Pray for their minds, that they remain positive and focused. Pray for spiritual protection, pray for a boldness and confidence that they be empowered and continue to move forward with blind faith. Pray they have a great team of  deacons and/or support system who can lovingly keep them accountable and recognize when they may need a rest, then see that they get it. Pray for their families because if Satan can distract them with domestic problems or illnesses, then their message will not be as effective. Make sense?

I would encourage you, encourage us all, to be like Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, who pleaded on Jeremiah’s his behalf, and fall to our knees to lift up in prayer, as often as we possibly can, those who teach and preach God’s Holy Word. Amen!

Have a great day and to God be the glory!!

God bless you all ….

August 14 - Jeremiah 51:15-58 | 2 Chronicles 36:10 | 2 Kings 24:10-17 | 1 Chronicles 3:10-16 | 2 Chronicles 36:11-14 | Jeremiah 52:1-3 | 2 Kings 24:18-20 | Jeremiah37:1-10

Good morning everyone,

I totally love starting my morning with reading just how great and mighty our God is. Amen? We are reminded how He made earth by His power and that when He thunders the waters and heavens roar. can you hear it?? Our God is mighty to save. His hand is never too short, and nothing is too difficult for Him. All Things are possible with God! Great and mighty is He and to Him, our Abba, our faithful Yahweh, we give all glory, honor and praise!

Today we read the words God gave Jeremiah to put on a scroll, have delivered and read aloud by Seraiah who, when done, was to tie a stone to the scroll, toss it in the Euphrates River and say, “ In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.” Okay, here is a great “mind’s eye” opportunity to see what faith, obedience and bravery looks like. Picture Seraiah walking up to the great gates of Babylon, you remember how big they were, right?, and just like Daniel, Seraiah walked the tunnel with life sized pictures of lions, down main street past the gardens, up the palace steps to face the single most powerful man in all of the nation, perhaps even their world, with a message from God saying everything he rules over, the whole of Babylon is toast. Then, Seraiah boldly ties a stone to the scroll and tosses it into the river to drive home the point, adding insult to injury. Of all the reactions Seraiah may have predicted the king would have, I am fairly confident one of joy and happiness was not on the list. This kid showed amazing dedication to and trust in God and His plan.

Today we too can have that same trust. God loves, loves, loves you and me and has an incredible, amazing future planned for all of us. Do you remember not too long ago we read in Jeremiah 29, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." How encouraging is that? 

Jesus, Himself, when speaking about the people who belong to Him said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” So even when that life seems scary, intimidating, out of control, we can be sure of this, God has a perfect plan and a purpose for us and just like Paul, He gives us the power to work it. We can do all things through God who gives us strength. 

Remember, God chastened His people to cleanse them and bring them to their knees. So when you are faced with a challenge look for what ever it is God is trying to cleanse you of. Make sense? Memorize Philippians 4:6 it encourages us with, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Right?! Then what? Then, verse 7 promises, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer and petition will guard your heart and mind. Know this and claim it. We have not because we ask not … we need to pray! 

So when you are facing those challenges that are threatening I would encourage you to remember Seraiah and how he boldly moved forward in God. In your walk, reach up and grab hold of His hand while you keep putting one foot in front of the other down that straight and narrow road. I will be praying for you! Amen?

Have a good day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all ….