Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Whole Heart Matters

Scripture:

II Chronicles 25:2  "He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart".

Observation:

As we read about the kings of Judah and Israel, we read many times that they followed the Lord or they didn't follow the Lord.  When we get to Amaziah, it says of him, "He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart".  Apparently, he did the right things in honor of the Lord, but god always knows the heart and why we do what we do.

Application:

Walking with God is always a heart issue.  He wants us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength.  He knows when we are doing things whole heartedly because of our relationship with Him and when we are simply doing it because of religious purposes.  We need to continually ask God to examine our hearts so that we do the right thing, for the right purpose.  It's a heart-check.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to serve You with all my heart and not with a part of it.  Search me today.  Speak to me and show me areas that need to be surrendered to You.  Forgive me for the times when I have not been fully committed to You and Your purposes.  I want to serve You with my whole heart and not just part of it.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Monday, June 29, 2015

Faith Seen Through Fear

Scripture:

II Chronicles 20:3  "Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah".

Observation:

Jehoshaphat had a relationship with God and knew that when fear stepped into his life, that he needed to seek the Lord.  When fear came in, he knew where to turn.  He didn't allow fear to stop him, rather, fear pushed him closer to God, who he trusted to rescue him from his fears.

Application:

Most of us allow fear to paralyze us in our relationship with God.  Usually fear causes us to focus on the problem and how big it is instead of on God and how big He is.  Fear is a part of life.  It comes to all of us.  We must use fear to cause us to seek God instead of allowing fear to weaken our faith.  God loves it when we turn to Him in total faith and trust because we are afraid.

Prayer:

Lord, help me turn fear into faith.  Instead of letting my emotions run my life and my fears, help me to turn toward seeking You in prayer and fasting when bad things happen.  Teach me to walk in stronger faith and to run to you when I am afraid.

Yours,
Jeff

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Conquering Through Trust

Scripture:

II Chronicles 13:18  "Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers".

Observation:

Israel and Judah didn't even survive a generation before there was fighting between them.  At this point Judah was trusting the Lord and "because they trusted in the Lord", they conquered.  There is a direct correlation here between trusting God and conquering your enemies.

Application:

Judah could trust God because they were in a covenant with Him.  They knew that as long as they did their part, He would do His part.  If they broke the covenant, He didn't have to follow His end of the covenant.  We are also in covenant with God.  If we do our part, He always does His.  His promises are for us and when we trust Him enough to follow and do things His way, He will defeat our enemies.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk according to Your ways and to walk in covenant with You.  I trust You!  Help me to trust You more as my source, resource and the amazing God that You are.

Your Son,
Jeff

Friday, June 26, 2015

God's Wisdom

Scripture:

II Chronicles 9:23 "And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart".

Observation:

God literally gave Solomon so much wisdom that the kings of the earth sought him out and came from all over the world to hear it and to bless him.  When they came, they brought great gifts of wealth from all over the world.  They also understood that his wisdom was not of this world, but from his God.  They saw the awesomeness of God in Solomon's life and because of that, they honored his God.

Application:

Can you imagine being so blessed that the world come to you looking for your wisdom and deciding to honor your God because of the way He treated you?  May our lives be so full of God's wisdom that people travel great lengths to hear it.  May God so bless His people again, that the world would honor Him because they want that same blessing on their lives.  May God bless us so much that the world gets jealous and decides to follow Christ.

Prayer:

Father, bless my life.  Increase my borders and move out my tentpegs.  Let my life shine before the world and may they see Your hand of blessing so great that they run to You.  Let Your glory be seen in all the earth as You bless Your people.  May the world get jealous because of how You bless Your people.

Your Son,
Jeff

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Overwhelmed By His Glory

Scripture:

II Chronicles 5:14  "so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God".

Observation:

When Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple like a cloud and the priests could not stand to minister because of it.  The priests were not able to stand in the glory of the Lord.  They were overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord.  His presence was too much to handle.  They couldn't even stand up.

Application:

There's a song that has come out in the past few years called "Holy Spirit".  In the song it says, "Holy Spirit You are welcome here.  Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.  Your glory God is what our hearts long for, to be overcome by Your presence Lord".  I love when God manifests His presence in tangible ways that are so powerful that you cannot stand.  I love when the glory of God gets so thick that my human frailty can't stand anymore.  I want God to fill me afresh with His glory.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for letting me sense Your presence more since yesterday.  Let it continue and let it increase.  I want to be overwhelmed by Your presence and Your glory.  I want Your presence so think in our church that people literally can't stand, but have to bow before Your great name.  I want You to come in such power that there can be no denying by any skeptic who the God of power really is.  Come Holy One, and move at Word of Life and in my personal life in greater and greater dimensions.

Yours,
Jeff

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

God Deserves Our Best

Scripture:

II Chronicles 2:5  "The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all other gods".

Observation:

Solomon had learned from his father David, that God was greater and more powerful than all other gods.  He had great respect for the Lord and wanted to give God his very best.  When it was time to build a house for the Lord, Solomon desired to give God his absolute best.  Second best wouldn't do because he was doing it for the Lord.

Application:

Do we really honor God in the way we do things?  Do we really give Him our very best?  Do we go out of our way to make sure what we do for Him is done with absolute precision?  Do we honor Him by giving all to Him?  Today, especially when we build, we try to do it as cheap as possible so we save the Lord's money.  I know God doesn't dwell in buildings built with human hands, but I do love the way Solomon honored Him and wanted to give God the very best.

Prayer:

Lord, let me do what I do for You to my very best. Help me to serve You with excellence and to walk in integrity in every area.   I want to make Your name famous in the earth and for the world to know You.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Lord Searches the heart

Scripture:

I Chronicles 28:9  "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you reject Him, He will reject you forever".

Observation:

As David was making preparations for Solomon to take over and build the Temple, he had some words for His son about leading God's people and how to keep the blessing in his life and over his country.  He told him, "the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts".  He let Solomon know that God went beyond actions and looked into the intentions and why you do what you do.

Application:

God still knows our hearts and examines them to see if there is right intentions and reasons for the things we do.  We must begin to examine why we do what we do.  God is just as concerned about our intentions as He is about our actions.  He is the God who searches the hearts.  We must live our lives like David told Solomon, "with a whole heart and a willing mind" to do whatever God wants us to do.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to walk with a pure heart, a whole heart and a willing mind.  Sometimes my heart is pure, but my mind won't let me put into practice the things I feel I should.  Give me a whole heart and a willing mind.  Give me strength to live the way You want me to live.

Your Son,
Jeff

Monday, June 22, 2015

God's Blessing

Scripture:
 
I Chronicles 26:5  "Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him".

Observation:

Here we see a listing of the sons of Obed-edom.  This is the guy who had the ark resting at his house for a period of time.  It says that God indeed blessed him by giving him eight sons.  God considers children a blessing and more you have, the more blessed you are.

Application:

I feel like our society looks down on large families as if they were just not using wisdom or something because now they have to care for such a large family.  God looks at children as a great blessing and the more you have, the more blessed you are.  We need to see things like God does and not call a blessing a curse or a curse a blessing.

Prayer;

Father, thank You for blessing me with two sons.  They are a blessing and I love them with all my heart.  Let my generation change the way we see children.  Let us see them as a blessing and not a burden or an inconvenience.

Your Son,
Jeff

Saturday, June 20, 2015

When Giants Fall

Scripture:

I Chronicles 20:8  "These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants."

Observation:

David, when he was young, defeated Goliath, the giant from Gath.  Once he did this, it paved the way for everyone else and for him to do it again as well.  Once a victory has been won, there is faith that arises which tells us that we can do it again.  Once the first giant falls, it becomes easier for everyone to believe giants can be defeated.

Application:

For countless years, they thought it was impossible for anyone to run a four minute mile.  Once that time was broken, it opened the thoughts of everyone and now it is common for people to run a four minute mile.  Victory has a way of opening our minds to believe that something can be done.  We know, giants can fall and therefore we will see them fall.  We know that there have been two great awakenings in America and I know that we will see a third.

Prayer:

Father, send forth revival on this land one more time.  You have done it twice, now do it again.  Send a country changing revival that shakes this nation to it's core and changes the hearts of people   Open up the heavens and let the giants in our country be defeated.

Yours,
Jeff

Friday, June 19, 2015

Seeking the Lord

Scripture:

I Chronicles 16:11  "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually".

Observation:

King David had just brought the ark of God into its resting place in Jerusalem.  There was a great celebration because the presence of the Lord was with the people of Israel again.  David had worshiped so hard that he embarrassed his wife.  He breaks out in song as a result of this and in that song he makes this simple statement that was really the key to his very successful life.  He said, "Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually".

Application:

I believe the secret to David's incredible leadership was not his leadership training, but his seeking of the Lord.  He sought the Lord before every battle.  He would ask the Lord, "should I go against this army", and the Lord would respond and tell him exactly what to do".  He tells us here to seek the Lord's strength and His face continually.  We often are told, "seek His face, not His hand".  David would say seek both his power and His presence.  We get what we seek for.  We must begin seeking God again.

Prayer:

Father, I feel such a desire lately to seek You deeper again.  Help me to set aside the time to seek your strength and your face.  I want Your presence with me, upon me and around me all the days of my life.  I seek You this morning, but help me to seek you continually like this Psalm says.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Blessing in His Presence

Scripture:

I Chronicles 13:14  "Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months; and the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had".

Observation:

When David became king, one of the first things he wanted to do was to bring the ark of God back to Jerusalem.  He tried to bring the ark back and on the way, Uzzah reached out and touched the ark to stabilize it and was struck dead instantly.  At that point, David stored the ark at the home of Obed-edom for three months while he investigated how to transport the ark back to it's rightful place.  During that three months, God blessed Obed-edom.

Application:

The ark was where God's presence was manifested during David's time.  Obed-edom honored and cared for the ark and was blessed for it.  Today, the veil is torn and we all have access to the ark of God, but not all honor and care for that.  Those who honor the presence of the Lord and fear Him, will still see His blessing.  As God's blessing came on Obed-edom, it will come on us as we seek Him and desire His presence.

Prayer:

Father, I need Your presence in my life.  I need to hear Your voice and know Your will at all times.  I honor You and want You to work in my life, my home and my church.  Let Your presence be honored in my life, my home and my church.  I want more of You each day.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Raising Strong Sons

Scripture:

I Chronicles 7:40  "All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers' houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes.  And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men".

Observation:

The sons of Asher were some pretty awesome guys.  They were described as choice, mighty men of valor and heads of princes.  These guys were powerful in battle, but also were well trained in leadership.  Out of his descendants, Asher produced 26,000 strong men like this.  What a powerful word about Asher.

Application:

I have two sons.  I want my sons to be heads of houses, might men of valor, and heads of princes.  I want my sons to be strong leaders and valiant men who will raise their families well.  I want to see them raise sons who will raise sons to be strong in faith and character.  I need to invest more in them and help them become mighty in every way.

Prayer:

Father, my sons are getting older and I feel like I haven't invested enough in their lives.  Help me to make the most of the coming weeks, months and years that I have left.  I want to see our home and the homes of our descendants be great in following You.  Let my generations serve You and be strong.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Call Out to God For Blessing

Scripture:

I Chronicles 4:10  "Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!'  And God granted him what he requested".

Observation:

Jabez stands out in a long line of genealogies.  Most of the references just say so and so begat so and so, but here the author takes a moment to describe this one individual in the midst of tons of others.  Jabez stood out from the crowd because he called on the Lord and asked God to bless him.  He asked God to enlarge his borders, to let God's hand be on his life, and God would keep him from pain.  It simply says, "God granted him what he requested".

Application:

We need to be more like Jabez and call on the name of the Lord.  We need to ask God to bless us!  If we have an all-powerful God as our heavenly Father, why do we not ask for Him to bless us indeed?  We should be asking God for His blessing in every area of our lives.  God didn't rebuke Jabez for asking, He granted him his request.  We should not be afraid to ask God to bless our lives and expand our territory.

Prayer:

Father, bless my life and family.  Bless my finances and let my family prosper.  Let us be free of debt and become lenders instead of borrowers.  Show me Your ways and lead me into a life of Your blessing.  You are amazing!  Keep us from harm and bless us indeed.

Your Son,
Jeff

Monday, June 15, 2015

Heritage Means Everything

Scripture:

I Chronicles 3:1  "Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess..."

Observation:

The first three chapters of I Chronicles tell the genealogy of the kings and leaders of Israel.  Over and over it tells us who begat who and who was the father of who.  It thoroughly covers the history of every family, where they ended up and who they were related to.  Heritage and genealogy matter to God.

Application:

From this morning's readings, I see that heritage and genealogy mean a lot to God and should mean a lot to us.  Family is important!  My father always let us know that shouldn't disgrace or bring shame to the Jacob name.  It was important to him that his descendants  followed in his footsteps.  What family you are born into is important and this morning I am thankful to be a Jacob.  I have the best parents in the world.

Prayer:

Lord God, thank you for my parents.  Bless them today and strengthen them in their latter years.  Let me be a great father to my sons and help me to pass on the blessing of being a Jacob to them.  Let me live a life that they will want to imitate.

Yours,
Jeff

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Perfecting Holiness

Scripture:

II Corinthians 7:1  "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God".

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Corinthians about how they conduct themselves.  He just finished talking about our earthly bodies and eternity.  He then tells them that "having these promises we should cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit."  Because we have an eternal home we should cleanse ourselves and perfect holiness.

Application:

The blood of Jesus cleanses us totally, but we have a part to play in walking out holiness.  Many preach today that holiness is only through Christ and that we don't have to change anything in our lives or stop sinning because Jesus blood cleansed us.  Here we are told to "cleanse ourselves".  the blood of Jesus totally and perfectly cleanses us, but we have to work on how we live.  It's like soap, soap is a cleanser, but it has to be applied and scrubbed into dirt.  It is the cleanser, but we have to do some scrubbing.  We must perfect holiness in the fear of God and start doing some scrubbing of our lives.

Prayer:

Father, cleanse me and give me the power to cleanse myself.  Let me walk in the fear of God and be one who perfects holiness.  Help me apply the cleansing of Christ to every area of my life.

Yours,
Jeff

Friday, June 12, 2015

Transformed

Scripture:

II Corinthians 3:18  "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

Observation:

Paul has been speaking here to the Corinthians about the difference between the Law and it's glory being seen fading away from Moses, and the New Covenant where glory increases instead of decreases.  He says that as we behold God's glory with unveiled face, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

Application:

I want to behold God's glory with unveiled face and to be transformed into the same image from glory to glory.  If we are transformed into His image and are to reflect His glory, then we must do our part.  Our part is to behold His glory with unveiled face.  We are to behold, reflect on, think on, ponder, His glory and awesomeness.  As we do, we will be transformed.

Prayer:

Father, I want to see Your glory.  I want to meditate on You  and behold Your glory.  Teach me to do this.  Help me learn to walk this way.  I want to see you with unveiled face and spend time in Your presence.  Fill me completely with Your Spirit and let my life reflect Your glory.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Thursday, June 11, 2015

All In

Scripture:

II Kings 23:25  "Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him".

Observation:

When King Josiah read the law of the Lord and figured out why his people and land were under the judgement of God, he turned to the Lord with everything.  He was never a halfhearted leader.  When he went after God, he went "All In".  With him, it was all or nothing.

Application:

If you are going to serve God, it is best to go "All In".  God loves it when His people turn to Him with all their heart, all their soul and with all their might like Josiah did.  We must choose who we are going to serve and serve with all our strength.  Halfheartedness never got anyone anywhere.  When you go for it, you've got to go for it.

Prayer:

Father, help me to live a life that honors You completely.  Let there be no compromise in my heart.  Fill me with Your Spirit and let my heart long after You completely.  I want to serve You well and see Your glory fill the entire earth.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Don't Mess with the Power of God

Scripture:

II Kings 19:35  "Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead".

Observation:

God is all powerful and should be honored and feared in that way.  Here we see the armies of Assyria being struck by the angel of the Lord.  God wiped out 185,000 in a single night with one angel!  That is incredible, powerful, and scared off the rest of the entire Assyrian army.

Application:

Sometimes as believers, we tend to act like God is not powerful and can't deliver his people.  We need to see him for who He is, the all-powerful, majestic, awesome God who can wipe out entire armies in a second if He so chooses.  When we have problems, we must realize that we also have a God who can change anything and is greater than whatever is before us.  He truly is amazing!

Prayer:

Father, help me to honor and respect You for who you are.  Help me to see that You are greater than anything and everything I face.  Teach me to fear You more each day and to walk humbly before You.

Yours,
Jeff

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

God Gets His Point Across

Scripture:

II Kings 17:25  "At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them".

Observation:

God has always wanted His people to serve Him wholeheartedly.  He desires a people who are completely His and do things His way instead of the ways of man.  He had told them to worship and serve Him alone, yet they didn't do it.  When they didn't, God sent lions among which killed some of them.  They still didn't get the point.

Application:

Sometimes, even when God makes His point very clear, we do our own thing.  God shouldn't need to send lions into our lives to get us to do things His way.  He is good at getting His point across, but we are not good at doing what He says.  We need to learn to fully and completely follow the Lord.  his way is best and our understanding is lacking.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to follow Your voice at all times and to do what You say.  I don't want You to have to send lions or any other thing to get my attention.  Let my attention be on You alone.  Open my eyes to see and my ears to hear Your voice.  You are amazing!

Your Son,
Jeff

Monday, June 8, 2015

No Halfheartedness

Scripture:

II Kings 13:19  "So the man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it.  But now you shall strike Aram only three times".

Observation:

Elisha was prophesying to king Joash about an upcoming battle with Aram.  In the process, he told the king to strike the ground with some of his arrows.  The king only struck the ground three times.  Elisha told him he should have struck it more times because the number of strikes was the number of strikes they would deal to Aram.

Application:

When God tells you to do something... do it with all your heart!  No matter what God gives us to do, we should do it with all our heart and never allow halfheartedness into our lives.  Joshua and Caleb were blessed because they wholly followed the Lord.  We will be blessed when we live a life with no compromise and fully follow the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, let me live out my days following You wholeheartedly.  Help me to give my best at all times and never lack in zeal for serving You.  You are amazing and I love You completely.  Teach me to be bold.

Yours,
Jeff

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Asking for the Right Thing

Scripture:

II Kings 2:9  "When they  had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from  you'.  And Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me'".

Observation:

When Elisha was given the opportunity to ask for anything he wanted from Elijah, he asked for a double portion of his spirit to be on his life.  Elisha knew what he wanted and asked for it clearly and precisely.  He had seen something on the life of his master that he wanted.  When given the opportunity, he knew immediately what to ask for.

Application:

James tells us that sometimes we don't receive because we don't ask or because we ask with the wrong motives.  May we be like Elisha, who knew what to ask for and had the right motives when asking.  We must know what we are asking God for.  He wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but we often don't even know what those are.  we should always have something we are specifically praying for.

Prayer:

Father, help me to know what to ask for.  Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit and it was given to him.  Let me have the right answers when You ask me what I want and let me have the right motives for the things I ask for.

You are Awesome!  Thanks for gracing us with Your powerful presence last night.  I look forward to much more of the same and greater.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

God Responds to Humility

Scripture:

I Kings 21:29  "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me?  Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son's days".

Observation:

I see from this passage how much God honors humility and brokenness.  Ahab was a terrible king and person in general.  He worshiped other gods and did evil in the sight of the Lord, yet when in a bad situation he humbled himself with fasting and wearing sackcloth.  God responded by averting the punishment from him and placing it on his children's generation.  God really responds to humility.

Application:

God's word tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will raise us up in due season.  God loves humility and brokenness before Him.  We need to humble ourselves more often and look to Him instead of trying to do everything on our own.  Humility and calling on the name of the Lord causes the Lord to respond and bless us.

Prayer:

God, we are a prideful and arrogant generation.  Teach me to walk in humility and to call on Your name.  Help me to realize that only You have the resources I need and that unless You bless me, I am finished.  I desperately need You Father.

Your Son,
Jeff

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

God Can Provide For His People

Scripture:

I Kings 17:4  "It shall be that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there".

Observation:

God told Elijah, who had spoken His word and did as He said, to go to Cherith and there He would provide water and ravens would bring him food.  Later it says that Elijah went and was brought bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening.  He went into the wilderness with no provision and had two nice meals a day.  God knows how to provide for his children!

Application:

God knows how to provide for His children.  Sometimes in our flesh, we don't know how God is going to work in our lives and how we are going to make it.  Sometimes in our mind, we can't see all that God is doing in providing for us.  We must learn to trust that our provider will provide.  We must do our part, then watch Him do His part.  I was young and now I'm older and I have never seen the righteous forsaken.  God will find a way to take care of those who are His.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, thank you for loving us and caring for us.  Thank You for not letting us go hungry or allowing us to fall.  You are the Lord our Provider.  Help me to trust You more in this area of life.  I like to know ahead of time everything You are going to do to provide and You want me to trust You more and more.  Help me to trust You more every day.

Yours,
Jeff