 Exodus 14:14 “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” ~KJV
Children playing in a playground seem to be at their happiest. They are running, playing and utilizing all the tools of the playground without a care in the world. They seem to have freedom from fear. I remember that feeling of fun and freedom. If I ever felt something begin to bother me, I’d look over to my mother or my father and I would feel better because my parents were watching over me. I knew that they would not let anything happen to me. This comfort of safety is how we protect ourselves from fear when we are children. So, what do we do when we are adults? There are times when we cannot help the fear that comes over us. When the world and its dark influences throw obstacles in our paths. Those situations that affect us and make us afraid. As adults we feel we do not have anyone watching over us anymore because we are now in that position of protecting others. Well, we can either remain under the covers of stress, worry and doubt and try to depend on our own power to fight a fight that is not ours. Or, we can throw off those ‘covers’ and get out of that bed of self-destruction and look to the Lord for our help! There are two stories in the Bible that point us in the direction God wants us to go when we struggle through these experiences. By almost the same statements and words. The first comes in Exodus Chapter 14. The Israelites were being pursued by the Egyptians and they came to a place where they could not do anything further under their own power. The Red Sea appeared to have blocked their freedom. The fear inside them was great, until Moses said to them, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you today…” Verse 14 continues, “...The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” The other statement comes in 2 Chronicles 20:15 where God instructs, through Jahaziel, as a battle is coming their way, “...Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” It is confirmed again in verse 17 where He continues to say, “You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” Both testaments remind us of our salvation. God is telling us that He is the parent as we play in this ‘playground’ of a world. Anything that tries to come for us will have to deal with our Father in heaven. As long as we continue to live our righteous lives, God will forever protect His children. As He fights for us, we need only to hold onto that peace given to us by God. May God continue to bless and keep you in His mighty love and protection in Jesus’ name. Amen
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 John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ~CSB
This time of year is not so good for those of us who have lost a loved one. Especially those of us who have lost a loved one recently. We miss them so much. The weather, the food, the lights of the holidays, all remind us of those good times we will never have with them again. It hurts and we continue to suffer a pain we cannot get rid of. When we forget the reason why we celebrate this time of year, it is easy to allow our feelings and emotions to get the best of us. We neglect our spiritual feeding of God’s Word and our spirits become weak from starvation. We must always, (especially during this time of year), starve the flesh and feed the spirit. In other words, we must stop feeding our flesh our self pity, stress and sadness. And focus on feeding our spirit with God’s promises. An example of a great meal for our spirit is found in the book of John. Jesus told Martha that He is responsible for all of us in being able to receive the gift of everlasting life. Without the Word of God in our lives it is hard to find comfort during our times of suffering. But when we stay in verses like these, we find that all we have to do is believe. When we believe that even when we die we live! What does this mean about our loved ones? It means they live. Just as Jesus Christ lives, (the conquer of death). He has made it possible for our loved ones to live as He does. This means instead of wrapping ourselves in blankets of sadness and sorrow, we must allow our loved ones to live in us. Those of us who lost our mothers; let them live in us and guide us to treat others with love as they did with us. Those who have lost their siblings, let them allow their siblings’ personalities help guide them into making godly decisions on their journey in this world. Our loved ones are not lost. They are found and our Father in heaven is taking care of His children. “...Do you believe this?” Jesus asks. If you do, then you accept and embrace our Savior’s words when He says, “...Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die…” Our loved ones may not be with us physically. But let us allow ourselves to believe in the ‘LIFE’ Christ has provided for us. And let our loved ones live in our hearts, making us better Christians through our memories of them. May God continue to bless and keep you under His umbrella of love and protection as you journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  1 Chronicles 29:12-13 “Wealth and honor come from you. You are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power. You can give honor and strength to everyone. Our God, we give you thanks. We praise your glorious name.” ~NIRV
There are a couple of ways we give thanks. There are times we know a ‘thank you’ is required and we just say it ‘to say it’. In fact, we forget about it as soon as it is given. “Hey, that's a nice jacket!” (Thank you). “Hey, you did a great job!” (Thank you). There is nothing genuine about it. But then things happen in our lives that make us speak a bold ‘Thank You’! For example: you are walking down the street by yourself and a shadowy figure is walking behind you. It’s dark and you do not know the intentions of your stalker. At the height of your fear, out of nowhere a police officer’s patrol car comes from around the corner. You wave him down and he pulls over. His presence is enough to cause the shadowy figure behind you to flee. Because you are now safe, the ‘thank you’ the officer receives from you is genuine, sincere and from the heart. This is a 'thank you' you are grateful to give. We should have this same genuine feeling of thanksgiving for the Lord everyday. Whether things are going great in our lives or the sad times and suffering are going on, we should be grateful to God always. The text tells us that in His hands are strength and power. Everything we need to get through our circumstances. It also tells us of His wealth that He has available for those of us who love Him and have faith in Him to care and provide for us. It also speaks of the honor He places on us to show all around that He exists in our lives. It is because of all these blessings; it is because of His love, His sacrifice of His One and Only Son; that we must be extremely grateful to Him. Not just today but everyday we must be genuine in our thanksgiving to the Lord as He is the Savior that is always with us. Making the dark opposition that tries to follow us in our dark times, turn and run away at the sight of God's magnificent presence. That presences in our lives that we do not deserve, but have, as a result of God’s love for us. Thank you God, for loving us first and loving us always. Happy Thanksgiving!  2 Corinthians 9:10-11 “God supplies seed for the person who plants. He supplies bread for food. God will also supply and increase the amount of your seed. He will increase the results of your good works. You will be made rich in every way. Then you can always give freely. We will take your many gifts to the people who need them. And they will give thanks to God.” ~NIRV
It is amazing to know that God says in His word that when we seek His kingdom first, He will provide all we need to live, prosper and work in His will in this world, (Matthew 6:31-34). Think about a farmer and his faith in God. The farmer plants the seed and waters it. God is the one that performs the miracle of growth for the farmer’s harvest. When the time comes, the farmer can reap his harvest and have enough supply for himself, his family and others. God does this for us daily. That is, when we allow Him to. We must realize that God is not only the supplier of our needs and provision. He is also the provider for the seeds we need to plant and prepare for our future and those provisions. A future that includes His purpose for our lives. We cannot live our lives without God being a part of it. We need Him because there will be obstacles we can’t climb or get through without Him. There will be obstacles of suffering that we cannot cross without His peace. Obstacles of pain we cannot get through without His healing power. And obstacles of memories, habits formed and addictions out of control, that we will not be able to get through without His miracle of transformation. Right now, there are those of us who are praying for a miracle in our lives. 2nd Corinthians shows us that we should pray for the preparation of God’s miracle. He will provide the seeds for us to plant. So that through our righteous walk and actions we will be able to water those seeds. And one day, just as God provided the miracle for the farmer’s growth of his field, God will also provide the growth of the miracle we pray for. Once that miracle comes and blesses us with grace, mercy, and abundance, “...we will be made rich in every way…” As we continue our righteous walk in faith and endurance, God will, “...increase the amount of your seed…” Then He will, “...increase the results of your good works…” so that through those blessings of talent, gifts and testimony, we will be able to give to others freely. And they will go out and tell the Gospel because of what they witnessed being saved by God. That miracle from God that came from our actions through our faith and righteous walk in God’s purpose for our lives. May God continue to bless and keep you always as you journey in Jesus' name. Amen  James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” ~CSB
We have all heard and are aware that we go through tests in our lives. As we go to church, read the Word of God, and receive the sermons preached, we feel good when we praise God. But when we go back into the world, we grow weary of the tests that constantly occur in our lives. We question the purpose of our Christian walk by saying, ‘I thought things are supposed to get better!’ ‘Why are these things still happening to me?’ We forget the meaning of the word ‘test’. Test is defined as ‘The means by which the presence, quality or genuineness of anything is determined’. It is like going to college for the years of study. Learning from an instructor and then taking a test to see if what we have learned has taken root in our minds. When we pass that test in school and graduate, we are now qualified for a duty or duties required by a job based on our knowledge of being tested and passing. It is the same for God’s purpose in our lives. God has places He needs us to be. There are things He will need us to do. But to receive the wisdom, strength and courage we will need to perform our Christian duties as we should, we must be tested before we are qualified. It is the test that will confirm our readiness to work for the kingdom. It is our commitment to the endurance of our trials that please God and allow Him to use His full power of healing, peace and transformation in us and through us. That power will do all those miracles for us and for others around us. The understanding of trials will come as our relationship with God becomes stronger. Once we begin to understand the tests that constantly come to us, we will understand that for each blessing God has for us, there is a test to take before we get that ‘diploma’. In other words, what we go through are tests until we ‘get it’. Once we ‘get it’, the tests become our job. That job is our duty as Christians to follow God’s commands and follow the servant-hood of making disciples. When we endure and stand the tests, we will receive the crown of life that God has promised to us. May God bless and keep you as you walk in Jesus’ name. Amen  Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know Him and He will make your paths straight.” ~CSB
When it comes to the action of ‘understanding’ we must be aware that in situations that dictate, we need to be on one side of understanding and not the other. This sometimes varies on which side we should be on. For example, there are some people who have been conditioned by the world to reject pain and suffering. They disregard what Paul says when he tells us to ‘embrace’ those emotions. These individuals do not understand the purpose of our trials. So instead of enduring, they reject it all together. This causes them to reject the understanding of ‘God’s purpose in trial’ along with their failure to understand Him. In this case we need to be on the side of ‘understanding’ in learning more about trials. Trusting in what we do not see. The Word tells us that we may not know the path of the wind, but we know the wind is there. We may not know how the body is formed in a mother’s womb but we all witness life in people. We may not understand these things but we do know that the results we do witness are the work of God, (Ecclesiastes 11:5). He is the maker of all things. We must pray for the wisdom needed to understand in what we cannot see and trust in God, who sees all. On the other hand, there are things that go on in this world that we should try not to understand. For instance, In my line of work I have had to venture into some dark places. I have to interact with some dark individuals in these situations. In my law enforcement career I have learned that some situations need to be prayed for instead of understood. One of the reasons for this is that sometimes venturing to seek understanding about ungodly, dark situations, may cause our flesh to get confused and begin to take on some of those dark qualities. We do not want this. This is why we must lean on God, instead of our own ‘understanding’. We must put more effort into understanding and building a relationship with Jesus Christ rather than following curiously about areas in this world that we don’t even need to be a part of. God has insight for us. He has a purpose He wants to work through us. Let us leave room in our hearts for divine understanding and allow God to strengthen us spiritually so that He can help us discern what is good and useful for us on our journey. The Word says we must trust God, “...in all our ways know Him, and He will make our paths straight.” Amen Psalm 139:1-4 “Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord.” ~CSB
In our younger days we remember ‘acting up’, (as my mother used to call it). We did this when our parents weren’t around. In other words our best behavior was only reserved for them. In school we would talk and joke with our friends and it didn’t matter how many times the teacher said, ‘Be quiet!’. But take those same days in the classroom and insert our mother or father in that room, our innermost thoughts to our teachers were, ‘Please don’t tell my parents what I do in your class!’ As grown men and women in Christ we should still experience this feeling. We do not become aware of this same ‘hiding’ situation until our spirits show us that there is no hiding from God. When we know this, we must become more cautious when it comes to doing the right thing. Hiding what we do is totally different with God than with our parents. They cannot see or hear everything we do. But our heavenly Father knows all. We cannot hide from Him. We cannot deceive Him like we used to do with our mothers and earthly fathers. It is God who created us, blew breath in our bodies and searched our hearts and minds. He knows us. There is nowhere we can hide when we choose to give in to the flesh and do things that are not pleasing to Him. So why do we stray and fall to the desires of the flesh? That is the question that separates life and death. If we know that God knows every move we make; from sitting down and standing up, to the words formed in our spirit before they come out of our mouths when we know He knows; then why do we still hold on to ungodly actions? God is like that parent standing in the classroom watching their children. And if that child chooses to be disrespectful and disruptive in front of their mother or father, the measure of disrespect for that parent from the child can be unmeasurable. It is the same unlimited measurement of disrespect to God. When we know God is there, watching over us to protect and provide for us, doing anything short of righteous actions should be further from our agenda. We must search ourselves and figure out what is more important, pleasing ourselves or pleasing God. For me and my house God comes first. All of us should wake up every morning hopping out of bed embracing the righteous acts we will perform throughout the day. Do this for God and all those he is going to bless through you as you continue your journey in Jesus’ name. Amen  Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” ~CSB
To sustain means to ‘bear the weight of’. This is what God is telling us. He is saying that He will do this for us when we allow Him to. When it comes to the trials and tests we go through, the journey of endurance that continues throughout our lives is necessary because it is what is needed for us to become stronger in God’s purpose. But the necessary struggle in our lives, will sometimes be infected by obstacles of 'stress' that have nothing to do with God's main purpose. For example, moments that require our attention at work involving co-workers. Differences involving our family members. Even dealing with finances, wondering how we will pay our mortgage. All of these situations engage our spirits in order to strengthen us in our faith and purpose for God. These struggles, as the Word says, should be embraced as training for our upcoming blessings. But the distractions of stress and worry sometimes cloud our focus and weaken our faith in God’s power when it comes to believing in Him delivering us. These emotions are considered ‘burdens’ and should be taken off our shoulders and discarded. This is why God wants us to ‘...cast those burdens…’ on Him. He knows we have our hands full when going through our trials. There is no need for us to add to our spiritual struggle with the pain of ‘stress and worry’. These are emotions and feelings we do not need in our spiritual growth and should not be considered tools in our suffering. God is telling us we do not need to worry because He will bear the weight of the things that cause us this stress. He will take the burden that we lay at the altar so that we do not have to carry that weight of worry any longer. He will not let His righteous children be shaken by the fears produced by the world. Instead He wants us to focus on Him. He is our protector, provider and sustainer. With Him, nothing will keep us from His purpose and power in our lives. His purpose of victory, through His Son Jesus Christ. May this devotional keep you covered, guided and protected in Jesus' name. Amen  John 10:10 “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (CSB)
In the past, my life had its ups and downs. Back then, sometimes everything was great. Then a few days after the ‘great’, things would drop to ‘not-so-great’. I used to wonder ‘why’ this happened. When my relationship with God became strong, I understood those times better. My ‘ups’ back then were from the victories I acquired under my own power. Or at least I thought that was the case. I realize that the ‘world’ allowed me that happiness. It did that because it knew I wasn’t strong enough, by myself, to keep the world from taking that happiness away from me. In other words, the world could always beat me under my own power. Then as a Christian I learned that the world cannot beat God’s power. God created us and equipped us to conquer this. Knowing that the world was stronger than us, God created in us the tools that He would use when we allowed Him to. This allowance comes from us when we seek the relationship with Him so that He can give us His ‘peace’ and ‘joy’. These two gifts are everlasting and will help us to endure our trials. The world may allow us happiness. But the gifts from the world always have an expiration date. This is where the ‘downs’ come from in our ‘ups’. There is no expiration date on God’s gifts. How do we receive these gifts? We find it in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In John Chapter 10, Jesus has a conversation with His disciples about a shepherd and his sheep. Jesus tells His disciples that the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow his voice only. All others who come for the sheep are thieves. Jesus says that He is our Shepherd, and all who come to Him will have everything they need. The world, the devil, or thief, (however we may make reference), may be able to steal our happiness, because under our own power we can only go so far in protecting ourselves. But with our ‘Shepherd’s’ power of protection and provision, we will have victory. Inside that victory is everything we will ever need. The scripture above gives us the warning about staying close to Jesus. Because as sheep we cannot stray away from the Protector. Outside of this powerful protection, the world only comes to steal our faith. The devil only comes to kill our hope. And the thief only comes to destroy our relationship with God. But if we keep that hope in our hearts strong, and believe our Savior when He says in scripture, “...I have come…” so that we may have, “...life and have it in abundance.” We realize the thief cannot steal from God. And he cannot steal from God’s children. God, through His Son Jesus Christ, has given us everything we need to keep the thief from being successful in his attempts at the destruction in our lives. God’s peace and joy are everlasting as we continue to walk in our strong relationship with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Amen  Mark 9:23 (CSB) “Jesus said to him, “If you can? Everything is possible for the one who believes.”
This beautiful story of a miracle of Jesus Christ starts at verse 14. Jesus has approached a crowd where a man has brought his son to be healed. The man runs to Jesus and tells Him that his son is possessed by a demon. And this demon host has attempted to kill the son it possessed many times. In this text, the man says two specific things. One: he says, “...if you can do anything, have compassion and help us…” In response, Jesus repeats the man’s request. Like a teacher demonstrating how the ‘student’s’ action looks. He says, “...If you can?” Here the ‘Teacher’ demonstrates that there is no belief in the man's request for his son. Oftentimes we come to Jesus with an ‘IF’ in our prayers. It is like we second guess, or we are not sure if God can do what He says He can do. Or we may think that God will bless others, but when it comes to our own prayers, we may not be worthy. Jesus cuts this short by continuing the verse with, “...Everything is possible for the one who believes.” The next thing the father of the possessed son said is, “...I do believe; help my unbelief.” This is a good prayer. The world has shown us so much of its ugliness. The world has taken us through so much suffering and pain that it is sometimes hard to fight the emotions of fear and doubt that our flesh brings to our attention. But we must lean on the strength of our spirits in order to maintain and strengthen our belief. When those hard times come and test our belief systems, pray to God, “Help me with my unbelief, Lord!” In our story, Jesus went on to rebuke the demon from the man’s son and heal him. God’s power and love will do the same for us when we believe in that love and power. In verse 29, Jesus tells His disciples that some situations can only be worked out by nothing but prayer. Allow that prayer we pray to be in 'thanksgiving', like we have already received from God, for the deliverance of what we are going through. Trust God by knowing that ‘He can and He will’ deliver us and protect us. May God continue to keep you healed, protected and loved as we journey in Jesus’ name. Amen |
Authors Billy & YolandaThis is the place where we share our heart through God's Word in faith that will inspire and empower you to live in peace. Archives
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