Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Not Ashamed

Scripture:

Romans 1:16  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile".

Observation:

Paul, as he was opening up his letter to the Romans, tells them he is eager to preach the gospel to them.  He was longing to preach in Rome, the seat of power in that day.  He tells them that he is "not ashamed of the the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes".  He was not ashamed because he knew the power of the gospel to change lives.  He knew it's power and knew the results of preaching the gospel.

Application:

Do we preach a powerful gospel?  Are we ashamed of the gospel because we haven't seen the power of the gospel work as strongly in our day as it seemed to in Paul's day?  Paul knew the gospel was powerful because he had seen it in action as it was preached.  We need to step out and be unashamed because the gospel we carry is absolutely powerful.  It does change lives.  As we do, we will have more confidence in the gospel being powerful.

Prayer:

Lord, let me preach Your word with power.  Let me not be ashamed of you or the gospel as I run into people in the streets.  I want to lead more people to Christ this year than ever before.  Help me walk in greater conviction that the gospel can provide all a person needs.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

No King

Scripture:

Judges 21:25  "In those days Israel had not king; everyone did as they saw fit".

Observation:

Chapter 20-21 demonstrated what happens when there is no king on the throne and everyone does what they think is right.  Everyone doing what they think is right brought about rape, massive amounts of death from battle, and almost the entire destruction of the tribe of Benjamin.  People get out of control when there is not king to bring order.

Application:

King Jesus wants to reign and rule our hearts.  We cannot live without someone on the throne of our hearts.  We will self-destruct.  We have a wonderful King, but a king who does not impose His will on us without our consent.  He wants to bring order to our lives, but we must be open and ask Him to direct us and lead us.  Left to ourselves we will end us in destruction.  We must desire the Lord to rule over our lives and we must walk in a way that pleases Him.  We need a king!

Prayer:

Lord, Reign over my life.  Rule over my heart.  I want you to run my life and not myself.  I am a terrible master of my life on my own.  Give me daily direction and help me to follow Your voice at all times.  Provide for my life as I serve You.

Yours,
Jeff

Friday, April 25, 2014

Honor and Loyalty

Scripture:

Judges 8:35  "They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them".

Observation:

Gideon had defeated the Midianites and brought peace to Israel for forty years.  We was an excellent judge who took great care of God's people.  No sooner had he died than Israel began prostituting itself with foreign gods and did not remember the God of Israel.  In speaking negatively about Israel, this phrase came up, "They also failed to show any loyalty" to Gideon's family.

Application:

The Word of God is very clear about honor and loyalty.  We are to honor those who serve well, in whatever capacity.  In this instance, Israel is rebuked for not honoring Gideon's family after his death.  We need to be people who honor those who work among us and speak well of them.  We should "give honor where honor is due".

Prayer:

Father, help me to honor You with my life and honor others for the service they have given.  Help me to have a thankful heart which gives honor.  Show me the importance of being loyal to the family of someone who served well.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Spirit Coming Upon You

Scripture:

Judges 6:34  "The the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him".

Observation:

All throughout the Old Testament the Spirit of the Lord would "come upon" a person and they would do great exploits for God and His Kingdom.  When the Spirit of the Lord "came upon" someone, everything changed.  They became powerful, invincible, people of courage with faith that was amazing.  When the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, they would subdue kingdoms and wipe out their enemies.

Application:

Back then the Spirit of the Lord "came upon" them, but since Christ, the Spirit of the Lord is within us as believers.  The same Spirit that came upon leaders in the OT now resides within His people.  Just as the Spirit made the people of the OT powerful, invincible, people of courage with amazing faith, so the Spirit of the Lord should operate in our lives.  When the Spirit of the Lord came upon someone, they went from backward and shy to bold and aggressive.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come upon my life with your power.  Fill my life to overflowing and cause me to be all Your desire for me to be.  Help me be a man of faith and victory.  Teach me to walk in Your Spirit continually and see the greater works Jesus talked about.  I want to see revival in my generation.  I want to see Your Spirit move in the U.S. in my lifetime without measure.

Yours,
Jeff

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Test

Scripture:

Judges 3:4  "They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses".

Observation:

God told the Israelites to go into the Promised Land and totally eliminate everyone there.  They were to completely annihilate their enemies and God was going to back them up and make it happen.  They chose rather to make treaties with their enemies, leaving them in the land God had promised them.  They did everything God had told them not to do.  They were left there to test the Israelites through the years to see if they would fully follow God.

Application:

What is not fully removed from our lives will remain a test to us.  Sin, that we know needs to be removed, will become a test to us.  God will allow it as long as we allow it.  He will leave it alone to see if we will choose Him or the sin when trouble comes.  His desire for us is a life of no compromise that He can bless.  He wants a people who will truly put Him first, but leaves tests for us, wanting us to choose Him above all else.

Prayer:

Father, help me wipe out every part of me that holds onto the past and relies on my flesh.  Help me fully obey You in every area.  Help me to grow more like You each day.  I need You Lord..  Help me be a reflection of You to the world around me.

Your Son,
Jeff

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Shake it Off

Scripture:

Acts 28:5 "But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects"

Observation:

The scripture just prior to this said that a viper, a very poisonous snake had bitten Paul and was hanging from his hand.  Everyone thought Paul was going to die, but Paul just shook the snake off into the fire and was fine.  Sometimes we get bit by the enemy of our souls.  We need to learn to shake it off and keep going.

Application:

Whenever I would get hurt or mess up in football or one of the other sports I played growing up, my coaches would say, "shake it off".  That meant, forget about it and focus on what is coming next.  When Paul was bitten, he didn't spend a lot of time fasting, praying and coming against the power behind the snake, he just shook it off and kept going.  Sometimes we need to fight, sometimes we just need to shake it off.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to hear Your voice more clearly.  I want to know when to shake it off and when to fast and pray.  I want to walk in alignment with You at all times.  In the heat of life, help me to know when to shake it off and when to pray harder.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Filled with Joy

Scripture:

Acts 13:52  "And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

Observation:

Throughout the book of Acts and the Gospels, we read these words over and over again.  "and the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit".  It apparently was normal for God's people to be filled with joy.  Today, so many of God's people have lost their joy.  Life's problems have overtaken us and we lose one of the fruit of the Spirit.  As Spirit-filled people, we should also be filled with joy.

Application:

It's time to get our joy back!  It's time to let this fruit be manifested again in my life.  I know I don't laugh as much as I did in the past.  I know I don't smile as much as I have in the past.  One of the main evidences of the Spirit being at work in us is joy.  As we spend time with God, His Spirit will fill us more and more.  When we are filled, our joy level will move back to full.  We must also make a conscious decision to laugh sometimes, it is good for the soul and gives us strength.

Prayer:

Lord, I want my joy back.  I want to walk in the fullness of Your Spirit and for Your joy to fill my life again.  I come to You this Resurrection season and ask You to resurrect my joy.

Your Son,
Jeff
 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Holy Spirit Fall

Scripture:

Acts 10:44 "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message."

Observation:

Peter has gone into a Gentile home and is declaring Jesus to them.  The entire situation was God ordained and angelic intervention brought it together.  As he was preaching to these Gentiles, who he shouldn't have even been hanging out with, the Holy Spirit fell on them and they began to speak with other tongues.

Application:

I long for the day when the Holy Spirit falls on people like this in the middle of my sermons.  I long to see God move in ways that are beyond our comprehension and we can only say, "it had to be God".  I want the Holy Spirit to fall on "all" while I am preaching.  I know this is a significant event that required Divine intervention because it caused the Gospel to spread beyond the Jews and to the Gentiles.  Even so, I want God to work like this again in my generation.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit fall on people this weekend while I am preaching.  Help the sick in our Good Friday service.  Baptize people in the precious Holy Spirit while I'm preaching.  Come and move powerfully and in ways we can't imagine.  Work in our midst in ways that are undeniably God.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

God's Chosen Instrument

Scripture:

Acts 9:15  "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel'".

Observation:

Saul had been persecuting the church and traveling around taking them captive.  God encountered him in a powerful way and Saul became Paul and was blind for three days.  Ananias was told by God to pray for Saul and Ananias didn't want to because Saul was killing Christians.  God speaks up and says, "This is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name".  God calls a Christian-killer His chosen instrument.

Application:

God never looks at your past when He is determining your future.  He doesn't look at your record of rights and wrongs or your history of living a perfect life.  He can do whatever He wants and can choose whoever He wants to carry His message.  We would not have chosen this guy as a candidate for apostleship, but God did.  God has chosen some terrible people to lead in His kingdom.  The calling of God cannot be earned and doesn't come because we deserve it.  It comes by God's choosing.

Prayer:

Father, your chosen instruments are not usually the ones I would choose.  You are God and You are in control.  Help me never determine whether someone is called into ministry by their past, but simply by the true call of God.  Help me see things like You do.

Your Son,
Jeff

Friday, April 11, 2014

All God's Promises

Scripture:

Joshua 21:45  "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to Israel failed, every one of them was fulfilled".

Observation:

Joshua was just finishing up dividing all the land God had given them.  God had given every piece of land He had promised them and driven out every enemy, fought battles for them, and gave them possession of the land.  After dividing the land and seeing the goodness of God, Joshua says, "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to Israel failed, every one of them was fulfilled".

Application:

God is not a human that He would lie to us.  When He makes a promise, it will come to pass.  The problem is, it usually doesn't come to pass on our time table.  Moses sent Joshua and the spies into the Promised Land 40 years before they actually entered it, then it was at least five years of fighting battles with the people of the land before the inheritance was actually theirs.  God's promises are always fulfilled when we walk with Him and do what He wants us to.  Sometimes they don't come as soon as we would like.  With faith and patience we inherit the promises.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are amazing and You are a keeper of promises.  Nothing You promised Israel fell by the wayside.  You fulfilled all Your promises.  You don't change, therefore I thank You that I will inherit all the promises You have put into my heart.  Increase my faith and help me to persevere.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, April 10, 2014

How Long Will You Wait?

Scripture:

Joshua 18:3  "So Joshua said to the Israelites: 'How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord God of your ancestors, has given you?'"

Observation:

The children of Israel had been in the Promised Land quite a while fighting battles and kicking out enemies, but at this point, they had not yet taken possession of the land they were battling for.  Joshua came to them and said, God gave you this land and you have fought for it, now you must possess it.  You must inherit it and begin living in it.

Application:

We, as God's children, have an amazing inheritance.  He has already paid the price for our joy, peace, forgiveness, restoration, healing, freedom, etc.  Sometimes we continue fighting battles for what is ours through inheritance.  We must do what Joshua told the people of Israel and take possession of what is ours.  We need to stop fighting and begin living in the Promised Land.  We do this through faith.

Prayer:

Lord, increase my faith to truly inherit Your promises.  You have promised us so much and we work so hard to receive it.  Help us receive by faith what You have already battled for.  You have done everything necessary for us to walk in freedom, joy, peace, prosperity, etc.  Help me to receive it and walk in it.

Yours,
Jeff

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Give Me This Hill Country

Scripture:

Joshua 14:12 "Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.  You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said".

Observation:

Caleb is now eighty five years of age.  At forty, God promised him and Joshua that they would receive an inheritance in the Promised Land.  After forty years of wandering in the wilderness because of the people's disobedience and five years of conquering city after city, Caleb says it's time to receive his inheritance.  He says, with the Lord's help, he would drive out the inhabitants who were giants.  Caleb knew his God and was fully persuaded that if God was with him, he could do anything.

Application:

We tend to give up on things way too fast.  When God doesn't answer our prayers immediately, we get frustrated and give up asking.  Forty five years after the promise, Caleb was still asking for his inheritance.  He never gave up and finally received his promised land.  By faith he was as strong at eighty five as he was at forty.  We must learn to walk in faith, perseverance and tenacity like our father Caleb.

Prayer:

Father, Your word says that with faith and patience, we inherit the promises.  Help me with the patience part of this.  Help me to realize that Your timing and my timing are not always the same and to trust you more in it.  I want to inherit all Your have promised me and fulfill all you have called me to do.

Your Son,
Jeff

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Never a Day Like it

Scripture:

Joshua 10:14 "There has never been a day like it before of since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being.  Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel".

Observation:

Joshua and the people of Israel were going through the Promised Land wiping out cities and taking down kings.  While they were defeating the Amorites Joshua asked Lord to make the sun stand still for a day and God heard his prayer and it was sunny for 24 hours.  This is seemingly impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Application:

God can still do the scientifically impossible whenever He wants.  He is all-powerful and the universe must listen to His voice.  At any time, God can make a day that is described like "there has never been a day like it before or since".  I want today to be a day like no other in my life.  I want today to be a day of miracles.  It says the Lord listened to a human being.  He is  listening... are we talking and asking.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I ask You for today to be a day like no other in my life.  I ask You to hear my cry and deliver my family financially.  Thank you for working in Josh's life.  May he be all You desire Him to be.  Continue to guide my family daily I pray and let today be a day like no other.

Your Son,
Jeff

Monday, April 7, 2014

Remove the Devoted Things

Scripture:

Joshua 7:13b "There are devoted things among you, Israel.  You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them".

Observation:

Joshua had just led the people of Israel across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.  They had an incredible victory at Jericho and then were defeated by a small group at Ai.  When they were defeated, they cried out to God and asked why they were defeated when He was their God.  He answered with the verse above.  Achan had taken some of the plunder, when God had told them not to.  He hid it in his tent.  The result... defeat.

Application:

We cannot stand against our enemies when we are disobedient to the Lord.  We can't expect God's protection when we are breaking His commands.  We cannot stand against an enemy when we have stuff in our lives that God doesn't want there.  Achan's disobedience affected the entire nation of Israel.  Likewise, our disobedience affects those around us.

Prayer:

Lord  God Almighty, help me to serve You well and do all You ask me to do.  I don't want the enemy to be able to have any victory in my life.  Forgive me for times I haven't obeyed completely all You have asked me to do.  You are amazing and you deserve my undivided attention.

Yours,
Jeff

Friday, April 4, 2014

The Life of Jesus

Scripture:

John 21:25  "Jesus did many other things as well.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written".

Observation:

John lets us know very clearly at the end of his gospel that he only recorded a small fraction of the things Jesus did while on the earth.  He lets us know that Jesus did many other things as well.  There apparently were tons of lives touched, healed, delivered, etc. which are not recorded in our gospels.  Jesus did a huge amount of building His Father's Kingdom in a short while on earth.

Application:

As followers of Christ, our lives should reflect His.  Volumes should not be able to hold the things that God does through our lives.  If Christ is in us, then we should have lots of stories to tell of how God worked through our lives.  Each day should be filled with wonderful stories of God's amazing power and grace.  We should be living lives that are worth Christ dying for.

Prayer:

Lord, let my life be filled with wonderful stories of Kingdom Expansion.  Let my life story be more like Yours.  Help me to live like Jesus, doing what He saw the Father doing and speaking what He heard the Father speak.  Let my life fill books with great stories of my amazing God.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Peace in Trouble

Scripture:

John 16:33  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

Observation:

Jesus is preparing for His death, burial and resurrection.  He is speaking to His disciples about going away and preparing a place for them and coming again to receive them to Himself.  In this He says He wants His people to have peace in the midst of trouble.  He told them directly, "In this world you will have trouble".  He didn't deny it, but He told them to take heart because He had overcome the world.

Application:

Jesus is the one who has overcome the world.  Our peace comes from walking with Him, listening to Him and following His ways.  Trouble will come!  There's no doubt about it, but we don't have to let trouble destroy our lives and leave us faithless.  He said "in Me" you will have peace.  When we are "in Christ", there is a peace that passes understanding.  We need to focus on living our lives "in Christ".  He has overcome the world and therefore He can and will bring us peace.

Prayer:

Father, in these last days, trouble is increasing all around us.  Help me to hold onto You and walk intimately with You so that I can have Your peace in my life in increasing measures.  Help me to live by faith and to realize my life is in Your trustworthy hands.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Whoever Believes in Jesus

Scripture:

John 14:12 "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father".

Observation:

Jesus is nearing His death and is talking to His disciples.  He tells them He is going away and they want to know how to get where He is going.  He relates to them that they know the way by knowing Him.  He says if they had seen Him, they had seen the father.  Then He tells them that He would be one with them like He is one with the Father.  He told them that when they believe that, they would do the works that He did and even greater works.

Application:

Can we really do the works that Jesus did and even greater works?  We read verses like this and really don't believe them.  We don't really believe deep down that we can do the works Jesus did.  We must begin to walk with Him as one and the signs will follow.  If He is truly in us, then He will continue His work through us.  Our job is simply to believe.  He does the rest.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Live in me.  Talk through me.  Work Your works through my life.  I want You to live big in me.  I want You to fulfill Your will in and through my life.  Help me believe that You are truly living in me and that You are going to fulfill Your plans in my life.  I believe..Help my unbelief.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Loving God Above All

Scripture:

John 12:43 "for they loved human praise more than praise from God".

Observation:

This comment is made about many of the leaders of the Synagogue in Jesus day.  Just before this verse it says that many of the them believed in Christ, but because of their fear of the Pharisees, they wouldn't acknowledge their faith publicly.  These leaders loved human praise more than praise from God.  They wanted to impress the Pharisees more than they wanted to impress God.

Application:

How many times do we shy back from doing something God has put in our hearts because we are afraid of what other people will think?  How many times have I backed down from something I really believed in because of the opinions of people?  God wants us to love Him above all else.  He wants us to honor Him at all times and to listen to His voice, when others are with us and when they are not.  We must be more concerned about the praise of God than the praise of man.

Prayer:

Father, help me be more bold for You.  Help me fulfill all You have called me to do.  I want to fear You more than man and I want Your praise more than man's praise.  I like people to like me and have been influenced by the opinions of man at times for that reason.  Give me strength to live for Your praise, even when that makes others dislike me.

Your Son.
Jeff