My Daily Wash

Hard Work

2012-02-02T05:54:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Proverbs 12:24 "Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave".

Observation:

Solomon had much to say about diligence, hard work and integrity. Here he tells us that the hard workers will become leaders and the lazy will become slaves. Those who work hard in life succeed in every area. Those who are lazy in one area, are also lazy in other areas. The lazy life causes you to live in slavery.

Application:

We must be people who are considered hard workers. Back in the day in the US people were taught these scriptural practices. There was the American dream which people worked hard for. They wanted to get ahead and would do anything to get there. They disciplined their lives and built something for themselves. They gave much to their descendants, who grew up expecting everything to be given to them without the hard work their parents put in. Now a generation is arising that does not understand hard work and principles of discipline. We must break this off our generation. We are becoming slaves to other nations who work harder than us.

Prayer:

Father, help me teach the benefits of hard work to all who I have any influence over. This generation in America needs to come back to its hard-working roots. Forgive me for not speaking up on the things I know in my heart to be true. Thanks for speaking to me this morning.

Yours,

Jeff

Finding Life

2012-02-01T05:48:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Proverbs 8:35 "For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord".

Observation:

The author is speaking about wisdom. He says that whoever finds wisdom, finds life and receives favor from the Lord. Enjoying life and having God's favor are huge in the Christian's life! We must be people of joy who see the blessings of God on our lives. If we represent the king, we must represent Him well.

Application:

Wisdom must be sought after. It is something you must pursue. It doesn't come quickly or easily, but when you get it, you get life and God's favor on that life. Wisdom in every day life is crucial if we are going to live lives that make a difference for eternity. We must know and understand more and more. God's promise to those who pursue wisdom is awesome. They will receive life and God's favor. When those two things come your way, you are living under the blessing of God which is the only place to be.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to grow in wisdom. I want to be a man of understanding, who walks in great wisdom. Help me to seek wisdom like a precious jewel and to grow in understanding. Teach me to communicate wisely and to walk in wisdom and revelation.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Guard Your Heart

2012-01-31T05:53:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Proverbs 4:23 "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

Observation:

Solomon is speaking wisdom as a father speaks to his son. In his wisdom, Solomon tells us to "Guard your heart above all else". He says that your heart determines the course of your life. In other words, if you heart is in the wrong place, your life will follow. If your heart is right, you will be headed the right direction in life.

Application:

Guarding my heart means that I seek the Lord and continually ask Him to purify my heart and ask Him to examine me to see if there are wrong motives, wrong attitudes, etc. in my heart. I need to ask myself that hard questions that deal with my heart and do everything possible to keep my heart pure before the Lord. When it is pure, I will be headed the right direction in life. Guarding your heart means not allowing bitterness, greed, envy, jealousy, etc into my heart. I must guard it from these things or I will get off course.

Prayer:

Father, search my heart and show me areas that need to change. Help me to guard my heart from everything that would hinder my relationship with You. I want to follow You with a pure heart. I want my motives to be pure. Help me father, I need You.

Yours,
Jeff

Seek His Will

2012-01-30T05:45:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Proverbs 3:6 "Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take".

Observation:

Solomon, David's son, is known as the wisest man to ever live. He was given wisdom directly from the Lord. I am blessed by this verse because it tells me how to determine which path to take in my life. It says that if we seek God's will in all we do, He will show us the paths to take in life. I think the determining question is: Am I seeking after my own desires or seeking God's will?

Application:

Seeking God's will in our lives is they key to making all major decisions. When we desire His will instead of our own, we will always walk in the blessing of God. Where He guides, He provides! Where He leads, He feeds! Many times we ask God to bless our will, when His will is always best for us and the decision that He will bless. "Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done" is the greatest prayer we can pray.

Prayer:

Father, I want Your will in my life. I know you have plans for me that are full of Your blessings. As I continue to seek Your will, keep me on the right path. You are amazing and I trust Your judgment for my life. I place my life in Your hands and seek Your will.

Sincerely,
Jeff

Ringing Out

2012-01-27T05:52:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

I Thessalonians 1:8 "And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it".

Observation:

I love this in the New Living Translation. It tells us that the people of Thessalonica were bold in their testimony of Jesus Christ. The word of the Lord was "ringing out" from them to to people all over the place. Their faith was being talked about throughout their region so much that Paul didn't feel he needed to say anything to the people because the gospel had been ringing out through the Thessalonians.

Application:

I have a picture of this in my mind. I want to see a church where the Gospel is "ringing out" into society and all of the society knows about Jesus because of the church. We must live lives that "ring out" for Christ. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel, but be fully persuaded of its power to save lives.

Prayer:

Father, let my life "ring out" to the world. Let them know about You through my life. I want to shine in this world. Let me light up my bus today. Let Your Spirit flow through me to someone else today. I want to represent You well on the earth. help me do today exactly what You want me to do.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Praise The Creator

2012-01-25T05:48:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 148:5 "Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued his command, and they came into being".

Observation:

The Psalmist tells everything created, which is everything we see around us, to give praise to the Lord. He then tells why, because He gave the command and they were created. Without Him, no created thing would even exist. Therefore, all creation should praise His name.

Application:

The Lord is our creator. He made the heavens and the earth, and He made us. We are the work of His hands, therefore He deserves the glory, honor and praise. Sometimes we look for a reason to praise God. We should praise Him simply because He created us. We don't need any other influence or miracle in order to praise Him. He is worthy of all praise and doesn't need to give us any further reason to praise Him than the fact that He created us.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, Lord of heaven and of earth. You are amazing and I praise You. You created me, therefore I will praise You. I will give Your praise, not only because of something wonderful You have done for me, but simply because You are God who created me. That's more than enough!

Thanks,
Jeff

Joy and Hope

2012-01-24T07:20:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 146:5 "But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God".

Observation:

I have never seen the link between joy and hope. In this scripture, the Psalmist says that those whose hope is in the Lord their God will also have joy because God is their helper. Joy comes from having our hopes, not in ourselves, our money, our brains, etc. Joy comes from having our hope in God.

Application:

From this verse I see that joy and hope are inter-related. They work hand in hand. When we are not joyful, we are probably losing hope. When there is hope, there is also joy. When our hope is in what we can accomplish, it is in the wrong thing and will let us down. When our hope is in the Lord of the Universe, our joy will follow because He is amazing in His love for His people.

Prayer:

Lord, my hope is in You. Thank You for sharing this with me. I feel like it will help when I am counseling someone. You are truly good and always on time. Bless the work of my hands and let Your kingdom grow more today. Fill the church with people who need You today and let them respond to You.

Yours,
Jeff

Remember

2012-01-23T07:22:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 143:5 "I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done".

Observation:

David was coming to the Lord for strength. He was depressed and felt his enemies were defeating him. He was discouraged, yet he demonstrates to us his way out of the depression he was in. He says he remembers the days of old and thinks about God's great works and all that God has done. This was David's cure for depression.

Application:

When you are down and feel like your enemies are eating you for lunch, it is time to look up and remember all that the Lord has done. When we follow David's pattern, we will see great results. We must think about our Lord and all He has done in his word, in history, and in our personal lives. As we think about the goodness of God, our faith rises and when faith rises, depression and discouragement leave.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for have real people in Your word. Thank you for giving us people like David and letting us see their strengths and weaknesses. You are always faithful to your people! You have done, and continue to do great things. Thank you for those who came to Christ last night. Let it stick and bring in more harvest tonight.

Jeff

Harmony

2012-01-20T05:49:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 133:3 "Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced His blessing, even life everlasting".

Observation:

David says here that harmony is refreshing like dew that covers the ground and that when there is harmony, God pronounces His blessing. When there is harmony, God blesses with life everlasting. God's blessing comes on us when we are walking in harmony with God and each other. On the other hand, when we are not is harmony with God and others, God's blessing doesn't have to follow.

Application:

Paul told us that as much as possible we should strive to be at peace with all men. Peace and harmony bring about the blessing of God. Therefore, we need to be people of peace and walk in harmony with each other. Whenever there is a situation of disagreement, we need to bring harmony as much as possible. Pride, jealousy, envy, greed and unforgiveness stop harmony and need to get out of our lives.

Prayer:

Father, I want to live a life that brings harmony. Nobody likes it when music is not in harmony. It doesn't flow right. Help me to walk in humility and be a person of peace and harmony in every part of life. Help me to help others and be a blessing to those around me.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Hope in His Word

2012-01-19T05:36:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 130:5 "I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in His word".

Observation:

The Psalmist writes this short and simple Psalm for those on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is a reminder that we can count on the Lord and put our hope in Him. He says that he is counting on the Lord twice for emphasis, then says he has put his hope in God's word.

Application:

This verse is powerful because it shows me a person who is totally dependent on the Lord. He is trusting God completely and counting on God to bring him through whatever he is facing. He has put his hope in God's word. We must begin to trust the Lord and put hope in His word. He wants to be a father for us and provide for our needs. We must come to Him as children and depend on Him to take care of us. We must also begin again to trust His word. Many times we don't want to get our hopes up on things we are praying for, but we must hope in God. He wants it that way.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to hope in Your Word. Let your word fill my heart and let me begin to trust it's promises more and more every day. You are trustworthy and I ask You to lead me, teach me, and help me to follow You better each day.

Yours,
Jeff

Unless the Lord...

2012-01-18T05:40:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good".

Observation:

In this verse, we see that the works of our hands are useless unless the Lord is in it. Builders can build and sentries can protect, but they are useless without the Lord. God wants to be the center of our lives. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to trust Him instead of leaning on our own understanding.

Application:

God wants us to work hard at things and be people of diligence, but He also desires us to trust Him more than ourselves. We are accustomed to doing things on our own and without help. In America it is a sign you are an adult when you take care of everything yourself. God wants to shift that thinking and wants us to be dependent on Him. He wants us to be God-reliant instead of self-reliant.

Prayer:

Lord, I want You to build the house and protect it. I want You to be my provider and my source. You are incredible and I trust You with my life, my family, my church, and my community. I look to You and ask You to work powerfully in my life. I give You control. May Your name be glorified.

Your Son,
Jeff

Surrounded

2012-01-17T05:41:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 125:2 "Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever".

Observation:

The Psalmist tells us in this passage that we are surrounded by the Lord. He says that God surrounds us like Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains. He goes on to say that it will be like this forever. God not only has our back, but our sides and front as well. He is our protector and shield. He surrounds His people and rescues them when they are in trouble.

Application:

This promise of Scripture lets me know that I can walk in confidence because God is my protector. He has me surrounded on all sides and is watching over me. I have no reason to fear anything because He is with me and all around me. When the enemy attacks, he is with me. When things go wrong, He is with me and has me surrounded at all times. God is my amazing protector and He is good at His job!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to this promise. Help it to move from my head to my heart so that I walk by faith and not by sight. I want to know you more and understand your ways. Thank you for teaching me this morning. Now, let it stick in my heart forever. You are with me and have me surrounded.

Thanks,
Jeff

Who is Like the Lord?

2012-01-12T05:49:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 113:5 "Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?"

Observation:

This simple verse is so powerful. The Psalmist asks a question, "Who can be compared with the Lord our God?" The answer is just as simple, nobody and nothing can be compared to the greatness of our God. He is awesome!

Application:

God is enthroned on high and is all-powerful. Nothing is too difficult for Him. He exceeds the most powerful thing we can think of and yet loves us incredibly as individuals. As believers, we must begin to see our God this way. We must realize that there is nothing impossible for Him and that He is enthroned on high, above every other person. As long as God is on the throne, there is hope for His children.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to live, pray and walk, like You are the all-powerful one and You are my father. Help me to see You correctly and to live accordingly. There is nobody like You and You are enthroned on high. Thanks for reminding me today of Your great power.

Jeff

Rescue

2012-01-10T05:35:00.003-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 108:6 "Now rescue you beloved people. Answer and save us by Your power".

Observation:

David knew the Lord and called on the Lord often. He knew where to turn when there was trouble. He knew, when he needed rescued, who to call on. David set us an example of how to call on the Lord when we are facing difficult times. Our first response should be to call on the God who rescues his people and saves us by His power.

Application:

This year, I want to see the Lord RESCUE His people and save them by His power. During this 21 days of fasting and prayer, I am calling on the name of the Lord along with our entire church body. David knew that God could rescue and save because he had seen it many times in his life. When we call out to Him for rescue, we must know that He is able to rescue and save every life.

Prayer:

Thank you for reminding me of our theme for the year. I want to see You rescue multitudes of people this year. I ask for Your power to save, heal and deliver. Rescue those who are perishing. As our Mega Force Crusade comes up, please rescue individuals and families by your power. Save those who don't know You. Let 200 people come to Christ for salvation in that four days.

Yours,
Jeff

Tests

2012-01-09T05:54:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 105:9 "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph's character".

Observation:

Joseph was tested more than anyone else I can think of except maybe Job. It was at least 17 years from the time of his dreams, until they were fulfilled. During that time it seems like his life was continually tested in different terrible situations. Joseph remained faithful to the Lord through all of them and his dreams came to pass. His life seemed to be one big test after another, but when his dreams came true, it was amazing.

Application:

Sometimes when we go through test and trials in life, we think it is the Lord punishing us. Maybe He is not punishing us, but preparing us to fulfill the dreams He has given to us. I don't like tests in the natural and I don't like tests in the spiritual, but they are important to let us know where we are along the journey. We must remember that the dreams God has given us will come to pass, we may simply be in a testing time right now. We must pass every test until His timing.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to be faithful in every test. You have given me many dreams and visions. Help me to be faithful in every test until the day of fulfillment. I want to be strong for You during the testing time. I am Yours and Yours alone. I trust You to bring about Your plans for my life.

Jeff

God's Promises

2012-01-05T05:41:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 91:15 "When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them".

Observation:

I see four promises from God to us in this passage. These promises are for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High. According to verse 14, it is those who love Him and trust in His name. He says to them 1. When they call, He will answer. 2. He will be with them in trouble. 3. He will rescue them. 4. He will honor them.

Application:

These four promises are powerful! When we live for Him, love Him and trust Him, He will hear us when we call. These promises are conditional. They are for those who are sincerely following the Lord, but they are also amazing promises that we need to stand on and claim as ours. To see them come to pass, we must "call on him". When we call on Him, we can expect that He will be with us in trouble, rescue us, and honor us. We must "call on Him".

Prayer:

Father, teach me to walk with You more intimately. I want to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I want to walk closer to You this year than ever before. Teach me every day to walk with You more deeply. I want to hear Your voice and fulfill Your will for my life. Thanks for Your promises to us.

Yours,

Jeff

Make Our Efforts Successful

2012-01-04T05:58:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 90:17 "And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful".

Observation:

Moses wrote this particular Psalm. It is a prayer from Moses to God. He asks God for two things in this verse. First he asks God to show His approval. Second he asks the Lord to make his efforts successful. He asks this twice for emphasis.

Application:

Just as Moses asked the Lord for His approval and to make his efforts successful, I want to ask the same. We are preparing for a crusade in which we need the blessing of God. We need for Him to make our efforts successful. We strongly desire to see fruit for the kingdom of God and want God's blessing on this outreach.

Prayer:

Lord, show us your approval. I know You put this outreach in my heart. Now make it successful. Let 200 people accept Christ as savior and Lord during this event. We are working hard, but unless You make it happen, we are just working and there will be no results. We need You desperately. As we do our part and work hard to make this work well, please draw people by Your Spirit and make it effective.

Sincerely,
Jeff

The Voice of Triumph!

2011-12-21T05:49:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 47:1 "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!"

Observation:

The Psalmist tells us to clap our hands and to shout to God with the voice of triumph. God is not afraid of a little volume! He asks us to clap our hands and shout to Him with "the voice of triumph". There is a sound to triumph. There is a sound of victory that is very real and the author tells us to shout to God with that victory voice.

Application:

Last night I was coaching a wrestling team and periodically, when a tight match was turned around or a defeat was turned into a victory, there was a sound that went through the gymnasium. God is not nervous and He enjoys hearing the sound of victory coming from His people. He wants us to verbalize our excitement about what He has done for us. We must give Him a shout of praise and victory. He loves seeing His children win.

Prayer:

Father, let Your people walk in victory and let the sound of their praise be like the sound of a gymnasium when a victory takes place. You have defeated the devil, death, hell and the grave! Help me to act like it and let my voice declare the sound of victory at all times.

Yours,
Jeff

The Source of Hope

2011-12-19T05:50:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 42:11 "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God."

Observation:

The author of this Psalm apparently had experienced being down, discouraged, and full of anxiety. He said his soul was "disquieted" within him. This would mean there was no peace in his life at that point. He realizes the depressed state he was in and reminded himself to place his hope in God. He realized that in God there is hope and that God is the source of hope. He also understood that this was a temporary thing he was going through because he said, "yet shall I praise Him".

Application:

When Satan tried his best to get us down and discouraged, we need to put our hope in God, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. We must be a people who don't allow discouragement to get a root in our lives. When we feel it coming, we must hope in God. He is able to deliver from every situation. He is our strength and source of hope.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and your love is everlasting. Thank you for adopting me into Your family. You are the source of my strength and the joy in my heart. You keep me from destruction and cause me to triumph. You are amazing! I put my hope in You this morning.

Yours,
Jeff

National Blessing

2011-12-16T06:08:00.003-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance".

Observation:

The Psalmist makes a declaration here about the nation whose God is the Lord. He says that nation is blessed and the people are chosen as His own inheritance. The blessing of God can come upon a nation that places their trust in Him and when it does, that nation is blessed! The United States once was blessed in that way. It's God was the Lord. It's founders trusted God and the nation was blessed with an amazing history. It became a superpower in a relatively short time. The problem is that our nation has turned away from God and written Him out of their history books.

Application:

America must turn back to God. We need a third great awakening. We need to turn back to the God of our fathers and get under God's blessing once again. We experienced God's undeniable blessing for many years, now we no longer place our trust in Him. The blessing of God has left our nation and the only way to get it back is to turn to Him as a nation.

Prayer:

Lord, let America turn back to You. Let the hearts of men be pierced with the truth of Your word. Let transformation come to our nation. We have seen the day of Your blessing, now we are no longer under the hand of blessing. Forgive us oh Lord for turning away from You.

Yours,
Jeff

Joy Comes in the Morning

2011-12-15T05:49:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 30:5 "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning".

Observation:

This Scripture lets me know that there are times of weeping in our lives, but morning is as faithful as it gets and joy will come again. There are phases we walk through where we don't feel the joy and we may even feel distanced from God, but weeping only lasts for a period of time, then joy returns. I hear the author saying that joy will come again if we just hold onto God. Weeping is not a permanent situation.

Application:

Sometimes during the hard times, it's hard to think that we will ever smile a real smile again. Many people get caught in the trap of the enemy that says life is terrible and it will never get any better. Life may not always deal us the best hand, but when we are faithful to God, joy will come again. We are never doomed to a life of despair and trouble. Joy will return if we hold on through the storm.

Prayer:

Father, thanks for reminding me this morning that joy always comes in the morning. As faithful as the sun rising in the east, so joy will return to those who serve You. Thank You for reminding me that there are seasons of life that are happier than others, but joy always comes again. We are never defeated in You. You are my rock and my fortress! You are amazing!

Yours Completely,

Jeff

Examine Me

2011-12-14T05:46:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Psalm 26:2 "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart".

Observation:

In this Psalm, David asks the Lord to examine him, prove him and to try his mind and heart. WOW! He is asking the King of Righteousness to examine him thoroughly all the way down to his heart and motives. David knew in his heart that he was living a life pleasing to the Lord. When there is nothing hidden and you know you have a pure heart, you don't resist inspection, you encourage it.

Application:

God wants us to live lives that are pure. In purity is power! When we ask the Holy Spirit to examine our lives, we may not like what we see. This process is extremely necessary. This desire David had should be the heart's desire of every Christian. We should constantly be asking God to examine us, prove us and try us. We should desire to be more like Christ every day and our lives should be growing closer and closer to the full image of Christ. In this way, we will begin to look more like Him every day.

Prayer:

Father, You are awesome! I love you with all my heart. You have been so good to me. Open up my heart and examine me this morning. Search me O God and show me the areas of my life that need to change. I want to be an excellent representation of You and Your kingdom. Help me to represent You well.

Yours,

Jeff

2011-12-02T06:02:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 37:14 "Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!"

Observation:

Elihu tells Job to pay attention, to stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God. This is great advice. We all need to stop and consider the miracles of God and all He has done for us. After these words, Elihu begins to tell of all the awesome things God has done in nature.

Application:

Stop and consider tells me that sometimes we need to stop everything and contemplate the awesomeness of God. Maybe at times we need to take a drive through the mountains and see His handiwork and simply think about God. We need to take time once in while to just think about the miracles we have seen in our own lives. Miracles are for today and we should see them regularly. Think on them and ponder the goodness of God.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to take the time to stop and consider the miracles of God. Thank You for letting me see the video last night of Your miracles and using it to increase my faith. Help me to stop and think about Your miraculous intervention in my life so many times in the past. You are truly amazing, but help me to renew my mind by thinking about those miracles I have seen in my life.

Yours,
Jeff

All Are Equal in His Sight

2011-12-01T05:47:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 34:19 "He doesn't care how great a person may be, and He pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all".

Observation:

Elihu, Job's friend had some good insight into who God is and what He is like. He has a healthy respect for the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. In this passage he brings out the fact that God is no respecter of persons. He does not pay more attention to the rich than the poor because He made them all. God does not give preference to anyone based on their economic level, looks, or other human measuring stick. He made them all.

Application:

It is easy to fall into the trap of respecting one person more than another because of their economic, political, physical, or social distinctions. In God's sight, all are equal. He loves all of His creation. All art doesn't look the same, some paintings are better than others no matter who the artist is. Most paintings are valuable, not based on their own excellence, but on who the painter is. Certain painters, no matter how bad a painting really is, will be purchased at great expense, simply because of the painter, not the painting. It is the same with God. The value of the individual is not shown by their bank account, but by their maker.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to be more like You. Help me not be a respecter of people based on anything except the fact that their maker is valuable, therefore they are valuable. Thank You for showing me this point about You this morning. You are amazing and have made us all!

Your Son and Creation,

Jeff

The Breath of the Almighty

2011-11-30T05:46:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 32:8 "But there is a Spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent".

Observation:

Job's friend Elihu is about to tell his version of why Job is going through the problems he is going through. As he starts his comments, he throws out this little saying that is totally true. He lets his friends know that God's Spirit is within people which makes them intelligent.

Application:

Man was made above the animals and is different than every other living thing. Into man alone did God breathe the breath of life. In giving man the breath of life, God gave him an advantage over every other living thing. Man is wise and intelligent because God breathed into him. Man is powerful because we have the breath of the Almighty in us. We were created in the image of God and then God breathed His life into us. God is powerful, if He breathed life into us, then we are powerful. God is intelligent, if He breathed into us, then we are also intelligent. We need to understand this better and we will walk differently.

Prayer:

Father, open the eyes of my understanding to see Your plan for us clearer. I want to fully understand being made in the image of God as well as being filled with Your Spirit. Help me to walk in the reality of being "filled with the Spirit". I want more of You in my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Wisdom

2011-11-29T06:03:00.003-05:00

Scripture:

Job 28:17 "Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold".

Observation:

Job declares how important wisdom is. He says it is more valuable that gold or crystal that people dig in the earth and work so hard to find and bring out. He is saying that wisdom is worth whatever it takes to get it. Wisdom makes life so much better and it is worth the work.

Application:

Wisdom is valuable to us in our everyday lives, but wisdom comes from God. He is the creator of everything we know. He is the one who is full of wisdom. In order for me to be full of wisdom, I need to be full of the Holy Spirit. Fill me today with Your Spirit and let me become more like You in wisdom.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be more like You in every way. I want to walk in wisdom and insight from You. I desire a closer walk with You. I want Your nature to become my nature. I want to become more like You every day. Fill me today with Your precious Holy Spirit.

Yours,

Jeff

A Clean Conscience

2011-11-28T05:44:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 27:6 "I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live".

Observation:

Job's friends believed that he must have done something wrong in order to have so much terrible stuff happen to him. He lost everything including his children, possessions and even his health and they were trying to figure out why. Though they were examining his life to see if there was a reason for all this bad to come upon him, he maintained his innocence and knew he had a clear conscience.

Application:

When you know you have done nothing wrong, it is a real blessing. Job's closest friends were looking for some reason why all this bad was happening and he was able to look them in the eye, knowing he had done nothing wrong. A clear conscience gives us confidence before God. When you know you have done nothing wrong, you have no feelings of guilt and condemnation, which hold back most believers. Living a life of integrity and a clear conscience is the only way to go.

Prayer:

Lord, I love You and Your Word is a blessing to me. I want to walk like Job who knew he had nothing wrong in his life. Purify me and cleanse me. Show me every area of my life that needs cleared up. I want a clear conscience in every relationship, every act, every thought, and every part of my life. Let me be more like You today.

Your Son,

Jeff

YET

2011-11-22T05:45:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 8:21 "He will YET fill your mouth with laughing and your lips with rejoicing".

Observation:

Job's friend Bildad is trying to comfort him after he has lost everything and is personally being attacked by Satan himself. Speaking of God, Bildad says, "He will YET fill your mouth with laughing and your lips with rejoicing". I see here the truth that, if we remain in the Lord, no matter what we are going through, joy will come in the morning.

Application:

The application of YET is HOLD ON. Many people give up just before the big breakthrough. Many people come right to the pushing and never bring forth the child. The word of the day today is HOLD ON, YET, God will bring the joy back into your life. He will fill your mouth with laughter again and your lips with rejoicing. We must hold on and be faithful, then we will see our joy return.

Prayer:

Lord God, I worship You and declare Your praise. You are magnificent and beautiful. You are radiant and you care for your children. Forgive me for complaining at times when things don't go like I want them to. You are the one who always brings our joy back and You love to fill the mouths of Your children with laughter. Help me to laugh more.

Yours,

Jeff

Reverence and Integrity

2011-11-21T05:46:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Job 4:6 "Is not you reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?

Observation:

Job's friend Eliphaz makes this statement to Job as he is going through incredibly difficult times. He tells Job that he can have confidence because he has had reverence for God in his life. He goes on to tell him that he can have hope because he had integrity in his ways. He relates reverence to confidence and hope to integrity. In other words he was telling his friend that his character would win against whatever came against him.

Application:

When you are living right, you can expect God's blessings and His promises to come to pass. When you reverence God, you can have confidence that He is with you and will see you through every situation you come up against. When you have integrity, you also have hope because you know that you have done nothing wrong. Living an honest life and honoring God brings confidence that God will take care of you.

Prayer:

Lord, You are incredible! Help me to revere You more each day and to live a life of integrity. I want to walk before you in purity every day. Let my life be a reflection of You and let me look more like my daddy every day.

Your Son,

Jeff

Haman's Friends

2011-11-17T05:55:00.002-05:00

Scripture:

Esther 6:13 "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will surely fall before him".

Observation:

Haman had plans to kill Mordecai. He hated Mordecai because Mordecai wouldn't bow down before him. He had built a gallows specifically for Mordecai the night before and now his luck was running out. When the gallows were finished, the king decided to honor Mordecai and made Haman do it. Haman told his friends and they understood what was going on. Apparently they had heard or seen how God works on behalf of His people. They knew that the Jews had a God that would bring about Haman's fall. They prophesied their friend's fall.

Application:

If Haman's friends, who were not Jews, nor followers of God, understood the power of God, how much more should we as God's children understand that when God decides to bless you, every enemy will fall around you. They could see it better than most Christians today. When God decides to bless you, there is no power, decree, or anything else that can stop His blessing. Haman's friends realized that Haman was going to fall simply because he was messing with God's child. We should realize how much God loves us and that He will fight our battles. We are in the hands of a great God who loves us immeasurably.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for showing me how awesome You are. Thanks for reminding me that nothing can stand against the person who is standing for You. You truly are amazing and your enemies should fear You. Let me see as clearly as Haman's friends how much you have my back.

Your Son,

Jeff

2011-11-01T05:49:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

II Chronicles 27:6 "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God".

Observation:

This scripture has something significant to say. The reason Jotham became mighty was simply because he prepared his ways before the Lord. The "ways" of a person are his basic mode of operation. Your "ways" are "how" you do things. Basically Jotham prepared everything he did and even how he did it before the Lord. He sought God in every decision and therefore became mighty.

Application:

We need to learn from Jotham that being mighty doesn't come through self promotion, it comes from seeking the Lord. Jotham prepared his personality, his way of doing things, his outlook on life, etc. before the Lord and was mighty as a result. What happens to the person who fully commits their "ways" to the Lord? We must become a people who submit every area of our lives to the King, even the way we do things.

Prayer:

Father, it sounds like You are looking for complete surrender and a heart of humility. You are looking for people who die to flesh and self, and live for Your purposes instead of our own. I want to be that person. I want to live a life that is completely surrendered to You. Let my personality, way of doing things, etc. reflect You in a very positive light.

Jeff

Victory Comes When We Rely on God

2011-10-28T05:50:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Chronicles 13:18 "Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers".

Observation:

Here I see two nations, both having their roots together in serving the Lord. Both have great history of God fighting their battles and destroying their enemies, but now Judah prevailed in battle against Israel "because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers". Victory comes through relying on God and not ourselves. Israel had a bigger and better army, but Judah humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God.

Application:

Victory comes when we fully rely on God in our lives. No matter what the battle looks like, when you are serving the Lord with all your heart, He will deliver from every enemy. The heart of the matter is in our "relying" on Him. Many times we say we rely on Him, but don't even call out to Him when we are going through a difficult situation. He wants us to express our need of Him, then He delights in bringing us the victory. We must stop relying on our selves so much and give ourselves to fully seeking God.

Prayer:

Father, I know that self-reliance is a dangerous place to be. Keep me depending on You. I love spending time with You and begin able to trust You completely and fully. You are my everything and this morning I reaffirm my need of You. I rely on You to defeat my enemies and bring victory to my family and my church.

Your Son Forever,

Jeff

Heart Preparation

2011-10-27T05:39:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

II Chronicles 12:14 "And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord".

Observation:

King Rehoboam, the son of the great king Solomon, didn't follow in the ways of his father. He went after other gods and did his own thing. He listened to his peers instead of listening to the wise counsellors of his father. In this piece of scripture, as the author is summing up his life, it throws in this little comment, "he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord".

Application:

Scripture is full of references about the heart. It is a powerful tool in our lives. We are to serve the Lord with all of our heart, but the heart can be led astray easily. This reference says that Rehoboam did evil because he didn't prepare his heart to seek the Lord. Heart preparation can make all the difference. If you don't lead your heart, your heart will lead you! Sometimes people fall in love and their heart tells them how wonderful this person is, when in reality wisdom would say RUN! the heart tells a different story and the person is miserable for life because they followed their heart instead of the wisdom of their elders. We must learn to lead our hearts, then serve the Lord with all our heart.

Prayer:

Lord, let my heart be pure before You. Teach me to prepare my heart to follow you and your voice. Don't let my heart take me where I don't want to go or get me in trouble. This morning I ask You to help me prepare my heart to follow You closely. I love You with all my HEART.

Jeff

When God Gives a Gift

2011-10-26T05:55:00.004-04:00

Scripture:

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

Observation:

God gave Solomon great wisdom, like no other person ever. When God gives a gift, it is awesome and others will covet it. Kings from all over the world came to Solomon just to hear his wisdom. He became world reknowned simply because God gave him a gift of wisdom.

Application:

DO the gifts of God in our lives bring that level of astonishment to those around us? When God gives us a gift, it should cause the world to stand in awe of Him. He has given the gifts of the Spirit to the church, maybe we need to use them as He intended and the world would look o the church for wisdom and direction. May our lives be so in tune with God that the world gets jealous of the lives we live as they did with Solomon.

Prayer:

Father, if You gave Solomon such wisdom that the kings of the world came just to hear his wisdom, how much more do You want to display your awesomeness to the world through the church. Help me to represent You well in everything I do. May my life bring You praise and cause others to be jealous of my relationship with You.

Jeff

The Cloud of His Glory

2011-10-25T05:38:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Chronicles 5:14 "so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God".

Observation:

This scripture has always blessed me. I see here that man's human work of ministry can't even operate when the true glory of the Lord comes. The priests could not even perform their functions because of the cloud of His glory. When human meets the omnipotent God, the human can't even function as they have always done.

Application:

I want the glory of God to come back to the church and the body of Christ. As members of the body of Christ, we are the dwelling place of the Most High God. Let His glory fill us to overflowing until we can do nothing apart from what He wants us to do. In the glory realm, works of the flesh die and works of the Spirit prosper. God should receive glory from our lives in everything we do.

Prayer:

Father, I want to walk in Your glory. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and I want Your glory to fill my life as it did on the day Solomon dedicated the Temple. I want to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. I want Your glory more and more at Word of Life. Come Holy Spirit in all Your glory and power! Help me not to get in your way.
I Love You,
Jeff Jacob

Asking for the Right Thing

2011-10-24T05:30:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

II Chronicles 1:11 "Then God said to Solomon, 'Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have asked long life - but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king - wisdom and knowledge are granted to you: and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the the kings have had who were before you, not shall any after you have the like'"

Observation:

Solomon had made a huge sacrifice to the Lord. After the sacrifice, God came to Solomon in a dream and spoke to him saying, "Ask, what shall I give you?" He could have asked for anything, but Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead Israel right. Because he asked for the right thing and wasn't selfish, God made him the richest king in history and honored him like nobody had ever been honored.

Application:

I have to ask myself the question; "what am I asking God for?" Am I praying selfish prayers, or am I asking God to enable me to do what He is calling me to do? AM I asking for the right reasons? God honors a person who is willing to sacrifice for him and who asks for the right things from Him.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to have right motives in prayer at all times. Guide my prayers into asking for the right things. Let me fulfill Your will and not my own. Never let me get out of Your will. Help me follow You more fully and completely every day. I want to lay down my life more each day.

Seek the Lord

2011-10-20T05:41:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

I Chronicles 16:11 "Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!"

Observation:

David is writing and singing a song of praise when they set the ark in the tabernacle he had prepared for it. He wrote a song for the special occasion. Verse 11 tells us to "seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore". David saw the Lord defeat his enemies, crush armies, do the supernatural. He saw God's work before his very eyes. He realized that his own strength came from the Lord and from seeking the Lord. He knew he couldn't run the country without the Lord.

Application:

I have spent years in self-sufficiency. At this point in my life, I just want more of Him. In my Spirit He is saying "seek Me and you will find me when you seek Me with all your heart". He is pulling me closer and drawing me to Himself. I have realized recently that my strength comes from Him and not my own works. He is my source of everything. I must know Him more.

Prayer:

Father, I want to know You more intimately than ever before. I want You to direct my every step. I desire to live a life that represent You well. I want to see the will of heaven enforced on the earth. I want to walk with You destroying the works of the devil and lifting up the name of Jesus. I seek You and your strength this morning.

Your Son,
Jeff

Vibrant Praise

2011-10-19T05:21:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

I Chronicles 15:28 "Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps".

Observation:

I love Davidic worship and praise. David wasn't afraid to shout, dance, crank up the music in worship of his God. As the ark was coming back to the place prepared for it, they come with shouting, horns, trumpets,cymbals and stringed instruments. David gave the Lord "emotional" "loud" praise, and apparently God loved it.

Application:

Today most people want their worship to be controlled, not too loud, not too emotional, and definitely don't dance. David was a man after God's own heart and the Lord loved his "wild" praise and worship. We need to learn that praise and worship is not about us feeling good, but making God feel good. It's not about us doing it the way that is comfortable to us, but about us making Him feel comfortable. Heaven is going to be a noisy place. Let's practice by making our praise vibrant and uninhibited.

Prayer:

Lord, let my worship be true. Let me bless Your name with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want my worship to come from my whole heart and everything I am. Teach me to praise the way You want to be praised and not the way that makes me feel good. Let my praise grow stronger and stronger because You are Lord!

Sincerely,

Jeff

Like the Army of God

2011-10-18T05:47:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Chronicles 12:22 "For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God".

Observation:

Many times in the Old Testament we hear references to "the commander of the Lord's army" or some reference to the army of God that doesn't appear to be a physical army. I believe God's got an army in heaven that can defeat any army of the earth. In this verse David's army was great "like the army of God". I have never seen God's army physically, but I know He has a magnificent army.

Application:

The spiritual life is a battle sometimes. At times we may feel like we are in a battle against the forces of darkness all by ourselves. When we feel this way, we can know that there is an unseen army at our God's disposal and we can walk in victory at all times. We can be more confident because our God has a massive army that he can deploy on our behalf at any time. David's army was great, but God's army is greater. No enemy can stand when they are deployed.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to realize that You have an amazing army who follow Your orders at all times. I want to walk in confidence and faith. Thank you for showing me that there is an army ready to fight on my behalf. Help me to see like the servant of Elijah, the chariots of fire that can destroy every enemy. I am yours! Thank you for defending me and deploying your army on my behalf.

Your Son,
Jeff

Generational Ministry

2011-10-17T05:50:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Chronicles 9:19b "...were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord".

Observation:

The Levites were chosen of the Lord as those who would be totally dedicated to worship and the things of God. They were set apart for ministry. As I look at this section of Scripture I see how the Levites each had a part to do in the service of the Lord. I also see that the gatekeepers of the tabernacle were the sons of the gatekeepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord. Generational ministry is seen here in that the sons of the gatekeepers became gatekeepers.

Application:

I love the idea of generational ministry. I love when fathers teach their sons how to minister to the Lord. Today, there is a movement in the body of Christ where we see a generational ministry taking place. Many sons are taking over their fathers ministries and continuing the legacy. I am blessed by this and want to see my sons, no matter what their vocation, be servants of the Lord first and foremost. I want to be a father to my sons that makes them want to be like dad and for them to see that serving the Lord is the only way to live.

Prayer:

Father, let me be a dad who passes on generational ministry. Let my kids see the blessedness of serving You. May they see that there is no other way to live except in service of the Lord. Let them see You working in my life and ministry and help me to train them in the work of the Lord. Let me be a father who prepares my sons for ministry to the Lord. I want to pass everything God has placed in me to my sons. Teach me Holy Spirit and let my sons see Jesus living big in dad.

Jeff

Called to Liberty

2011-10-14T05:56:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Galatians 5:13 "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another".

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Galatians, who had been falling back into a "works based" faith in God. He is letting them know that the Law brought death, but the Spirit brings life. He brings balance to things when he says, "you have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another". He says that really following Jesus is more about serving one another through love than following the letter of the Law.

Application:

Most of us are pre-wired into a works based salvation. It seems that the better we do at following all the Law, the more God will love us. God loves us because He chooses to love us. We are called to freedom, but we don't use that as an excuse to live however we want. When we will by the Spirit, He will lead us to live excellent lives in which we love God and love our neighbors. We will live more and more like Christ did when He was on this earth. Our goal should not be to follow every Law in the bible, rather, it should be to be like more and more like Jesus, which fulfills the Law.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be more and more like Jesus. I want to partner with the Holy Spirit to produce the results You want in my life. I want to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Help me to do things Your way and not my own.

Sincerely,
Jeff

Man-pleasing

2011-10-13T05:37:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Galatians 1:10 "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still please men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ".

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Galatians about falling back into a works-based salvation. In doing so, he is cautioning them about people coming and preaching any other gospel than that which he preached to them. As he is presenting his argument, he puts in this phrase, "if I still please men, I would not be a bond servant of Christ". Paul understood that a bond servant of Christ does what Christ wants and is not concerned what men think about it.

Application:

Most of us are more concerned about what people think of us than what Christ thinks of us. If we are going to become who He wants us to be, we must get beyond being controlled by what people think of us. People didn't like Jesus because He wasn't religious enough, but He didn't give in and become a people-pleaser. He was committed to doing what His Father wanted Him to do and only what His Father wanted Him to do. How much of what we do is because we feel it is what people want and how much is because it is what we think God wants? That's a huge question!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for leading me down this path of hunger and desperation for You. I feel You working and drawing me closer. I know that a big step for me is getting over pleasing people because I love people and want them to like me. What You mean to me is more important than what people think. Strengthen me in this area. I want to please You more each day. Let me live a life that brings You praise and that honors you above every other thing.

Yours,
Jeff

Turning to the Lord

2011-10-12T05:34:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

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

Observation:

Josiah is seen here as a King of Judah like no other king in their history before or after him. It says that he "turned to the Lord" with all his heart, soul and might. When Josiah turned, he really turned. He read the book of the Law, repented, and turned away from his old lifestyle. He tore down the altars of other gods and destroyed their places of worship. He didn't intermingle with them, it was God or nothing.

Application:

I want to see more and more people "turn to the Lord" with all their heart, soul, and might like Josiah did. I want to see the power of the Gospel transform hearts and lives. I long for the day of true revival where there is a strong conviction of sin and a turning to the Lord with everything we have. May it begin today in our hearts. Now is the time to seek Him and turn to him completely.

Prayer:

Lord, I turn to You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want you to work in my life. Draw me closer and strengthen me to live how You want me to. Increase my passion for You and let my life shine for Your glory. You are amazing and I love you.

Jeff

Do Not Be Afraid

2011-10-11T05:45:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Kings 19:6 "And Isaiah said to them, 'Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says the Lord: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the King of Assyria have blasphemed me"'"

Observation:

As I noted yesterday, the Rabshakeh, ad representative of Assyria had come to boast about how they were going to destroy the people of Israel and how their God would not be able to help them. King Hezekiah went to the Lord and God sent Isaiah the prophet with the above word. I have noticed through the years that God continually has to tell His people not to be afraid. God wants His children to know that there is nothing to fear when they are serving Him.

Application:

Where fear exists, there is a lack of faith. Where faith exists, there is a lack of fear. Satan is a master at making things look worse than they are. He wants us to have fear about our lives because he knows that when we fear, our faith level is diminishing. We must be people of faith and live lives of faith. God told His people many times in the word not to fear. We must move from fear to faith and when we do, we will see God work stronger on our behalf.

Prayer:

Father, increase my faith and decrease my fears. Help me to walk by faith and not by sight. Thank You for Your incredible blessings recently. You are showing me how much You love me and how much I can trust You. Thank You for loving me, caring for me, providing for me. You are the best! Help me to live a life that fears nothing but You.

Jeff

The Voice of the Enemy

2011-10-10T10:41:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Kings 18:30 "nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, 'The Lord will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria'".

Observation:

The Rabshakeh, a representative of Assyria, was coming against God people and trying to get them to compromise with him. As he was speaking to them, he spoke loud enough for all the people to hear him and told them not to believe Hezekiah when he said that God would deliver them. It was a pure attack on their faith. He knew the God of the Hebrews was powerful and could deliver them, but he wanted the people to doubt their God.

Application:

Satan works exactly like this in our lives. He wants to destroy our faith. He doesn't want us to believe that God would step in and fight our battles. He doesn't want us to believe that God is going to work on our behalf. We are people of faith and faith conquers our enemies. Therefore Satan wants to attack our faith more than anything else. We must hold onto God and walk by faith and not by sight, then we will defeat the enemy.

Prayer:

Father, Help me to walk by faith and not sight. You have delivered me many, many times. You are my strength and my deliverer. You are the one I trust. Thank you for working in my life in the past and thank you for keeping me in the future. You are faithful and I won't listen to the voice of the enemy that tries to bring doubt.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

God's Promises

2011-10-07T05:37:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Kings 8:19 "Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever".

Observation:

King Joram and his father Ahab were terrible kings in Judah. They did evil in the sight of the Lord. Even though they did awful things and took Judah into idolatry, God didn't turn His back on them. He continued to love and forgive them. God had made a promise to David and was fully intending to keep that promise. He does not lie.

Application:

Sometimes people get frustrated when God doesn't meet their needs, heal their sick, take great care of them, on their time frame. We tend to blame God for our problems and never give Him the credit when something goes well for us. We must come to the understanding that God keeps His promises. If He said it, it will come to pass. This would bring us into a stronger trust relationship with the Father. He completes His tasks and finishes what He starts. We must learn to trust His promises instead of our own rationale.

Prayer:

Lord, You didn't give up on Judah, even when their kings were terrible and angered you. You are quick to forgive and full of mercy. You always stand by Your word. You are amazing! Help me to trust Your promises fully instead of doubting. You are the faithful on. Help me to worship you as that.

Yours,

Jeff Jacob

What Do You Have in the House?

2011-10-06T05:54:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Kings 4:2 "So Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?' And she said, 'Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil'".

Observation:

Elisha was approached by a woman who was the widow of one of the sons of the prophets. She had nothing and the creditor was coming to take away her sons to pay her debt. When she approaches Elisha, he asks her what she has in her house. God usually starts with what we have and performs the miracle from that. All she had was a little oil. All the disciples could come up with was 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed a multitude. When both gave the little they had to the master, the miracle happened.

Application:

We must give all that we have in our house to the Lord and ask Him to bless it and multiply it. In His hands, it is enough for a miracle. Many times we may feel like we don't have anything in the house to give, but we have the person of the Holy Spirit living in our "house". This lady had little, we have the all-powerful one, living inside of us. She had little in her house and God blessed and multiplied it. We have the Holy Spirit in our house, nothing is impossible!

Prayer:

Father, teach me to pray faith-filled prayers. Let me become a man who realizes exactly what it means to be "filled" with the Holy Spirit. Help me understand what is truly in my house and to be able to release it to others. Show me how to let You flow through me in a greater measure.

Yours,
Jeff

Man of God

2011-10-05T05:50:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Kings 1:10 "So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, 'if I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.' And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty".

Observation:

I love the prophet Elijah. He was one of the boldest prophets in history. He depended on the Lord to back him up. He was a man of faith and a man of God. He knew he was a man of God and he knew that God would honor his faith and the words he spoke. He says to the people, "if I am a man of God", then fire will fall. He knew who he was in God and that God would see him through.

Application:

I want a relationship with God like Elijah had, one full of faith and confidence in the Lord God Almighty. If we are ever going to see God really move in power in our region, we must become people of God who through faith, do great exploits for our King. We must abandon self-pursuit and seek the face of God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. I desire more God-confidence. I want to know that He will back up my prayers like He did for Elijah.

Prayer:

Lord, I want more faith to make bold declarations like Elijah did. I probably would have been so concerned in this situation that I was being presumptuous, that I would never have spoken the words, even if they were burning in my heart. Help me to know when it is You and when it is me. I want to accurately represent You on the earth and I want to advance Your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Teach me to walk with You stronger each day. Use me today to build Your kingdom.

Jeff

Repentance and Forgiveness

2011-10-04T05:49:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

I Kings 21:29 "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house".

Observation:

In this passage I see the Lord stopping judgment that He had said would come to Ahab due to Ahab's repentance and humbling himself. Just a few verses before this the Lord tells Ahab that dogs will lick his blood and how there was nobody who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord like Ahab. God is declaring that this man was one of the worst men in history, then after verse 27 when Ahab mourns, fasts, and lays in sackcloth, God removes the punishment that was coming to him.

Application:

God loves when people humble themselves and repent of their wrongdoing. He is gracious and compassionate. He is longsuffering and full of mercy when people repent of their sins. When we mess up, God is simply looking for a repentant heart. He wants us to humble ourselves before Him and ask His forgiveness, then He will cleanse us and make us pure again. Repentance must be true and not just an act, but when it is true, God will honor it every time.

Prayer:

Father, Your lovingkindness is better than life. Your forgiveness and restoration are amazing. When your people mess up, you just look for a heart of repentance. You forgive and erase the penalty of a person like Ahab who you said was one of the worst people ever. Teach me to be more like You.

Your Son,
Jeff

Gratitude and Sacrifice

2011-09-30T05:48:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

I Kings 8:63 "And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the Lord, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord".

Observation:

King Solomon had just completed the construction of the temple. He had worked for years to build the temple his father had desired to build for the Lord. He was so blessed by the Lord in seeing the glory of the Lord at the dedication of the temple that he decided to offer the Lord a sacrifice. His gratitude to the Lord caused him to offer 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep. I cannot even imagine seeing that many bulls and sheep, let alone sacrificing them. This was an incredible and huge undertaking, even for the richest man who ever lived.

Application:

Solomon's response to God for God's blessing and favor on his life was to offer the Lord the largest sacrifice possible. Many people today expect the blessing of the Lord and, because it is expected, they don't offer thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. God has done so much for us. We should continually be offering Him the best sacrifice we can give. We need to demonstrate a thankful heart to God.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in thanksgiving for all You have done for me. You have provided for me every day of my life. You have taken care of me, rescued me, healed me and preserved my life. You are amazing and I offer you myself as a living sacrifice this morning. Use my life for Your glory. I don't have much else to offer, but You can have all of me. I am yours.

Your Son,

Jeff

God's Wisdom

2011-09-29T05:45:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Kings 4:34 "and men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon".

Observation:

God gave Solomon supernatural wisdom. He became the wisest man who ever lived. From this verse I can see that kings from all over the world came to hear Solomon's wisdom. People all over the earth had heard about his wisdom. This wisdom doesn't come from studying harder, but from seeking the Lord and hearing His voice more and more.

Application:

God has all wisdom. He has all knowledge. He is all powerful. Therefore, we, as His people, should stand out from the crowd as having wisdom, knowledge and power. Wisdom comes from God and we must seek God. As we seek Him, we become more like Him and wisdom fills our lives. Solomon was extremely wise and the whole world knew it. God has been around since before the beginning. He possesses all wisdom.

Prayer:

Lord, Once again I tell you, I want to know You more. I want to hear Your voice of wisdom clearly. Whenever I have a decision to make, let me not lean on my own wisdom, but on Your wisdom, guidance and direction. Open my ears to hear Your clearly and give me a heart to respond in obedience to whatever Your call me to do.

Yours Forever,
Jeff Jacob

God Rewards Sacrifice

2011-09-28T05:57:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Kings 3:4 "Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar".

Observation:

The verse following this verse tells the story of Solomon's being asked what God could do for him. Of course Solomon replied that he wanted an understanding heart and discernment to lead Israel well. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord and the next thing you see is the Lord asking Solomon what he wants. It appears that God rewards sacrifice. I can't even imagine what a thousand burnt offerings looks like, but Solomon offered them as a sacrifice and was rewarded for it.

Application:

God sees every sacrifice we make for Him and He is faithful to reward those who are willing to sacrifice for Him. When we give sacrificially and serve God and others sacrificially, God sees it and keeps good records. Solomon made a huge sacrifice and received a huge blessing from the Lord. Instead of being afraid to sacrifice for the Lord, we should be giving Him our all and trusting Him in the fact that He does reward sacrifice. When we lay it down, He can pick it up and bless it.

Prayer:

I love you Lord! Thanks for working in my life lately. Show me Your Kingdom! I want to build Your kingdom in Your way. Help me to lay down my life for You and give myself completely to Your cause. You are my Lord and I will follow You all the days of my life.

Sincerely,
Jeff

Besides all this

2011-09-27T10:11:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

II Corinthians 11:28 "Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches".

Observation:

In this passage, Paul was trying to prove his apostlic authority because some "super apostles" had come in and were saying he was not truly an apostle. As part of his defense, he tells amazing details of what he had been through for the Gospel, then he says "besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches". He went on to say that he felt what each person felt.

Application:

Sometimes I feel like Paul in this way. "Besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches". I am a very busy person with a lot of commitments and things on my schedule and besides all this, there is a constant weight of the church here and ones I have helped to start elsewhere. This verse helps me understand somewhat of the heaviness that comes on me at times. Understanding helps!

Prayer:

Lord, You said to cast my care on you because you care for me. I cast my care this morning on You. This is Your church and Your Kingdom. Thank you for allowing me to be part of Your great plan. When I feel overwhelmed, speak peace into my heart and help me to live above the burdens of life. I want to walk in Your Spirit and be led by You. I want to see Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Seed to the Sower and Bread for Food

2011-09-26T05:44:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Corinthians 9:10 "Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness".

Observation:

Paul was thanking the Corinthians for their giving. He was asking for another offering to be prepared for the work of the ministry. He had just told them that those who sow bountifully would also reap bountifully and the same for those who sow sparingly. In verse 10 he talks about the Lord who is our supplier. He supplies seed to those who are givers and bread for food. In other words God will give you what you need to eat and more to give away.

Application:

God is our source of everything in our lives when we are fully and completely surrendered to Him. He will take care of our daily bread and give us what we need to be a blessing to others. I must realize that it is God who supplies everything in my life and I must worship Him for it. He has given me so much and always provided for me. I must be ready to sow when the time comes.

Prayer:

Lord, help me in my finances to bring You glory. I want to have enough so that I can sow into mininstries, lives and the poor. I want to extend Your kingdom! Help me to be wise with my finances and use them the way You would want me to. Convict me when I spend unwisely and continue to show me the way into the blessed life.

Yours,
Jeff

The God...In Whom I Will Trust

2011-09-23T05:39:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Samuel 22:3 "The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence".

Observation:

David has had a good and pleasant rule over Israel for many years. He fought many battles and saw the faithfulness of God over and over. As he talks about the Lord, you can hear how much he depended on the Lord for everything. David was the greatest king in Israel's history and in the place of leadership that he had, you could still see the secret to his success. His secret to success was his simple trust in the Lord as his all in all. David saw God as the source of all his needs.

Application:

Though David had amazing leadership qualities, the greatest quality of David was his total dependence on the Lord. We need to learn this lesson today. David never became proud, but fully leaned on the Lord for everything. God was his "all in all". Today we operate so much from our mind and rational thinking that we don't even act like we need God. We must become as dependent on the Lord as David was, then we will see God work like He did for David.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to lean more and more upon You. You are my Rock and my Defence. You are my deliverer and shield. You are my everything! Teach me not to move unless You say go. Help me not to speak except what I hear You speak. I want to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-led and Spirit-empowered.

Yours,
Jeff

A Mighty Man

2011-09-21T05:52:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Samuel 17:10 "And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men".

Observation:

David was running and hiding from his own son Absalom, but even while hiding, he was considered by all Israel to be a mighty man and his men were known as valiant men. David had a reputation for being a mighty man and his men for being valiant. His reputation made enemies hearts melt completely. They knew they were no match for David and his mighty men.

Application:

We may not be valiant warriors in the natural, but we can make a spiritual application to this. Am i living a life that causes my enemies to fear God? Am I living the life of a mighty man spiritually so that Satan doesn't want to mess with me because I have a reputation for defeating my enemies? I must live the life of a mighty man.

Prayer:

Lord, I have often said, "there is no such thing as a mighty man of God, only men of a mighty God". You are mighty and I ask You this morning to live through me. Fill me. Saturate me. Use my life for Your glory. I offer You my life and ask that you strengthen me to defeat every enemy. Let those around me be valiant as well.

Yours,

Jeff

Absaloms in Life

2011-09-20T05:50:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Samuel 15:6 "In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel".

Observation:

David and his son Absalom had serious relational issues due to some terrible events that had occured in their past. David had brought Absalom back to Jerusalem, but really wouldn't have anything to do with him. When Absalom realized that David was not going to promote him, he began to work a plan to be king. He stood at the gate and talked to the people who had problems about how he would solve them if he were king. He began to plant seeds in people's minds about how great it would be if he were king. He used trickery to win the hearts of the people away from his father who had been a great king.

Application:

There are always Absalom's around when you are in leadership. There is always someone who is disgruntled and who begins to tell others about how disgruntled they are. They even make themselves look good in everyone's eyes by telling them how they would do so much better if they were in charge. They will be quick to point out the areas that are not good. We must be aware of Absaloms who talk a good talk, but are destroying us behind the scenes. We must not be ignorant of Satan's schemes.

Prayer:

Father, help me to be more like David and less like Absalom. Help me to treat people right and with integrity. Help me to walk humbly before You and treat people as I want to be treated. I want to be more like You every day. Show me the way.

Jeff

Doing the Right Thing

2011-09-19T05:47:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

II Samuel 11:11 "And Uriah said to David, 'The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my Lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing'".

Observation:

David had slept with Uriah's wife and got her pregnant. He brought Uriah home from the battle so that he would sleep with her and later would think that the child was his. Uriah was such a man of honor that he would not go home and eat, drink or sleep with his wife while his men were still in battle. David, the king, was ordering him to go home and relax from the battle, but his integrity would not let him do it. He chose to do the right thing instead of the easy thing.

Application:

We may not be faced every day with the exact same circumstances, but very often we have choices to make between what is right and what is convenient. People like Uriah impress me as they choose to do the right thing over the easy thing. Like Uriah, we may be tempted with things that are not sin at all, just things that are not best for us. Good leadership does like Uriah and thinks about the others serving with them instead of only focusing on selfish pleasures.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to always do the right thing over the easy thing. I want to live a life that You can bless. Thank you for people like Uriah in whom we can see true integrity that goes deeper than what is right or wrong. Thank you for examples of self-sacrifice instead of self-indulgence. You never cease to amaze me!

Jeff

No Fear of God

2011-09-16T05:52:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

II Samuel 1:14 "So David said to him, 'How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?'"

Observation:

David had just been told of Saul's death by the person who killed him. Saul asked the man to kill him and he did so. Saul had been chasing David for quite a long time trying to kill him, but David refused to fight back because he understood that God places people in positions of authority. He had a healthy fear of God that said, "if God put that person in that position, who am I to try to remove them?" David immediately had the man put to death because he did not fear killing the Lord's anointed.

Application:

It seems today that there is no fear of God or no trust in God. If we fear God, we will trust that He knows what He is doing and that He placed us under the authority He wanted us under. I don't believe in blind submission when someone is messing up, but I also think we are far too quick to judge God's servants and accuse them. A healthy fear of God must come back to the church.

Prayer:

Father, I have seen this verse abused in the past. I have seen this verse misused, but I want to fully understand it. I love David's fear of God and, though anointed king, how he wouldn't put forth his hand against Your anointed even when your anointed was doing wrong and trying to kill him. I want to trust You at that level. Treating people right, even when they are trying to destroy you. Help me be more like David and more like You.

Jeff

No Fault

2011-09-15T05:46:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 29:3 "Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me".

Observation:

King Achish had been with David for a long time. He had seen David under incredible pressure and difficult times. As people questioned whether David should fight with them, Achish says of David, "And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me". David was seen as a man of integrity and character, even when he was hiding out from Saul who was trying to kill him.

Application:

I think it would be amazing to have the testimony of others that says, "I have found no fault in him". Many times I say that I want to live a life in which "those who know me best, respect me most". I want to live like David so that unbelievers around me say "I can find no fault in him". I want to live so that my fellow bus drivers say, "I can find no fault in him".

Prayer:

Father, let me be more like Jesus today. Shape me into Your image and let my light shine among men. Give me opportunity today to share Your love with someone. Let me live a life that others may say "I can find no fault in him" as they said of David. Show me the way.

Yours,
Jeff

Let God Fight Your Battles

2011-09-14T05:44:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 26:24 "And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation".

Observation:

David has been running from Saul for his life as Saul was trying desperately to kill him. Just before this verse, David had the opportunity for the second time to kill Saul. David would not because he didn't want to touch the Lord's anointed. I see a total trust in God instead of in self here. He has opportunity to kill the person who is trying to kill him and David decides to let the Lord fight his battles and win his victories.

Application:

As humans, we are geared naturally to fight our own battles. We like to defend ourselves and destroy our enemies. David wasn't like that. He had much power and could have destroyed Saul twice, but didn't do it. He sought God to be his protector and defender. We must come to a new level of trusting the Lord and allowing Him to fight our battles. He is much better at it than we are.

Prayer:

Lord, here I am once again asking you to help me trust You more. I want You to fight my battles and defend me. Teach me to trust You more instead of taking things into my own hands. You are amazing! Help me to trust You over self in every situation of my life. I want to be fully dependent on You.

Your Son,

Jeff Jacob

The Voice of Deception

2011-09-13T05:46:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 23:21 "And Saul said, 'Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have had compassion on me'".

Observation:

Saul was searching for David that he could kill him. Jealousy had invaded Saul's heart and he was on a search for David. At this point in the search, the Ziphites came to him and told him where David was and that they would deliver David into his hand. At this comment Saul calls them blessed of the Lord for doing what was wrong.

Application:

Deception is a powerful force. Satan is a master of deception. He will make you think you are doing God a favor when you are doing the opposite of God's will. In this story, Saul calls the people who are in the wrong "blessed of the Lord" and probably really thought the Lord had delivered David into his hand. The voice of deception will make you think God is working on your behalf when it is not God working at all. In these last days, we need to make sure we are hearing, not the voice of the flesh, but the voice of the master. We must seek Him out on all things and follow Him closely. We cannot afford to be deceived into thinking we have the favor of God just because something goes the way we wanted it to.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to walk in truth and integrity of heart. I want to hear Your voice and be pure in heart. Keep me from deception and let my heart be true. I want to hear Your voice more than ever. I want to know You intimately. Speak to me today Lord, then confirm it so I know it is from You. I don't want to miss what You speak to me.

Jeff

Knowing Where to Go in Trouble

2011-09-12T05:54:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 19:18 "So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth".

Observation:

When David was in trouble and figured out Saul was after him, he went to the man of God he knew he could trust. By running to the man of God, David was running to God in his trouble. He was seeking out a word from God for his life and what to do from here.

Application:

When we are in trouble and don't know what to do, we need a man or woman of God to be able to run to for direction, strength and help. Everyone needs a man or woman of God who they can trust will direct them in the way God would want them to go. David knew who he could trust spiritually and he ran to him when in trouble. We must build relationships with people who we trust spiritually and who we can run to with any problem in our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, show me how to better implement this in my life. I thank you for men like Pastor Garcia who You have placed in my life. Teach me when to run to them as David knew to run to Samuel.

You are the best :)

Jeff

Consider what Great Things He has Done for You

2011-09-09T05:53:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider what great things He has done for you".

Observation:

Samuel the prophet was speaking to the people of Israel after Saul had been installed as their king. Samuel knew it was not God's will for them to even have a king. He knew that God wanted to be their king, but because the people wanted a king, God gave them one. He warns the people to "fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart". He goes one step further and tells them how to do it "consider what great things He has done for you".

Application:

We must take advice from this wise prophet. In order to serve the Lord best, we must remember what great things He has done for us. Many don't feel like God has done much for them, therefore their commitment level is low. We must realize that God has done everything for us. He sent His son to die so we could have a relationship with Him. He sent His Spirit to give us power to serve Him well. We would do good to take time each day to consider what great things He has done for us.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to never take for granted all you have done for me. You have provided for me in amazing ways. Even this week, You have shown yourself strong in my life. Help me to never take Your blessings for granted, but to consider what great things you have done for me. Thank You for looking out for me and taking care of me.

Yours,

Jeff

They Have Rejected Me

2011-09-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 8:7 "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them'".

Observation:

Israel had told Samuel that they wanted to have a king over them like every other country. Israel was designed by God to be a theocracy where God was their leader and they were to follow Him. He fought their battles, provided for them, etc. He did an incredible job, but the people still wanted to be like the other nations. They rejected the Lord and the way He wanted to rule them.

Application:

Today we do the same thing to the Lord. We say we want Him to be our Lord, but we really want to run our own lives. We want to be king and when we do, we are rejecting the Lord from leading us, guiding us, providing for us, etc. As long as we are on the throne of our lives, Christ is on the cross, but when Christ is on the throne, we are on the cross. We must give Lordship of our lives over to the King and let Him reign over us. He has been around much longer and knows everything!

Prayer:

Lord, forgive me for rejecting You and Your leadership in my life. I'm sorry for the "I've got this, I can do this on my own" attitude. I want to rely on You more and more each day. Teach me to walk with You and yield to You in every area of my life. Jesus, be Jesus in me. No longer me, but thee. Resurrection power, fill me this hour. Jesus be Jesus in me.

You're the best,
Jeff

Who is Able to Stand?

2011-09-07T05:46:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 6:20 "And the men of Beth Shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?'"

Observation:

The ark of the Lord had been captured by the Philistines. When they brought it into the temple of their god Dagon, he fell on his face during the night. The next night he fell again in the presence of the true and living God. The people broke out in plagues and realized it was because the God of Israel was in their midst. They sent the ark away to Beth Shemesh and the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark and fifty thousand seventy men dropped dead. Finally they said "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?"

Application:

Sometimes the enemy knows the power of God better than His own people. These non-believers came to believe that the God of Israel was more powerful than their gods. Nobody can stand against the power of our God. He is amazing and able to defeat every foe. Nobody and nothing are able to stand before Him. May we realize the awesome power of our God and submit our lives completely to Him.

Prayer:

Lord, even the Philistines saw Your power and believed in You. They saw the demonstration of your power when you were in their presence. Arise oh Lord and demonstrate your great power that the world may see that you are God! Move strongly in this region and let the skeptic and the scoffer see the power of God in action. May Your name be lifted up forever.

Jeff

I Will Build Him a Sure House

2011-09-06T05:32:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

I Samuel 2:35 "Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever".

Observation:

God says that He will build a sure house for the priest who does according to what is in His heart and mind. Eli's two sons were living terrible lives as priests, causing Israel to stumble. God told Eli that he was going to kill both sons in a single day and that He would raise up a faithful priest who would do what was in His heart. God is still looking for a people who will do what is in His heart instead of what is in their own hearts.

Application:

When we put God's priorities before our own, He will establish us and build us a sure house. He desires to be first place in our lives. He wants us to have His priorities instead of asking Him to bless our priorities. He wants us to be on His agenda instead of creating our own agenda. He is still looking for a people who truly want "His kingdom to come and His will to be done". We must make the transition from asking God to bless our plans to asking Him for power to accomplish His plans.

Prayer:

Thank You once again for confirming Your word to me. Help me to convey correctly what is in Your heart. Let me be more concerned with what You want in my life than what I want in my life. I want to live a truly "Christ-centered" life. Help me to put your priorities above my own and establish my house.

Yours,
Jeff

God's Provision

2011-08-30T05:42:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Ruth 2:16 "And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let he pick them up, and don't give her a hard time!"

Observation:

Ruth was gleaning the fields after the harvesters had gone through picking the harvest. This allowed the poor to have something to eat. It was the leftovers after the harvest that would go to waste. Here I see Boaz telling his people to purposefully drop some heads of barley for her to get. He also protected her by telling them not to give her a hard time.

Application:

In Boaz's treatment of Ruth, I see how God provides for us, His people. He makes sure there is enough to take care of us through every situation. He not only gives us the leftovers, but purposefully drops blessings on us when we don't expect it. Boaz didn't have to do this for Ruth, but he did. God doesn't have to take care of us, but He does. He is a faithful father!

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you that you always have a plan for my benefit. You always provide enough and more. Thank you for taking care of me all of my life as I have tried my best to serve You. Thank you for being my provider and giving me what I don't deserve. You are amazing and all I can say is thank You.

Your Son,
Jeff

Build an Altar

2011-08-29T05:48:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

Judges 21:4 "Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it".

Observation:

The Israelites had just defeated one of their own tribes who had sinned terribly. They had just wiped out the tribe of Benjamin. Though they had victory in the battle, they were upset because they realized they had just destroyed one of their own tribes. They lost a lot of people on both sides in this battle and wanted to honor the Lord after the victory was won so they built an altar.

Application:

When Israel was victorious, they built an altar. When they suffered defeat, they built an altar. Building an altar was an act of humility before God in which they would offer sacrifices to Him and ask for blessing and cleansing. Today, we need to build altars in our lives to honor the Lord. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit so we don't need to build literal altars, but we must offer our best to the Lord in prayer, giving and sacrifice. He is our foundation for life. He is our strength. We can do nothing without Him.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to build altars again in my life. I want to become a true man of prayer. I want to know you more each day. I want to hear Your voice and respond immediately and quickly. Help me to build an altar today and every day in my life.

Jeff

Never Quit

2011-08-25T06:57:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

Judges 8:4 "Gideon then crossed the Jordan river with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy".

Observation:

Gideon and his men had fought with all they had and had pretty much defeated an arm that was massive compared to them. When we get to this verse we see an awesome statement, "though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy". Gideon and his small army were not willing to give up or slow down until their job was completely finished and the enemy totally defeated.

Application:

Many times in life I see people who quit or give up just before the breakthrough. Many times in life we fight hard, then get tired of not seeing complete victory, and we throw in the towel. We need to be more like Gideon who would not rest until victory was complete. He was exhausted, but still pursuing the enemy! We need that same determination in our walk with God. We must not give up until God says to.

Prayer:

Father, help me to press on when exhausted. Help me to no give up on things until You say stop. Help me to finish the tasks You have given me and to fight the enemy until he is totally defeated. Give me strength to route the enemy in Ashburn, VA, Northern VA and the world.

Yours,

Jeff Jacob

Thorns in Your Sides

2011-08-23T06:47:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Judges 2:3 "So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you".

Observation:

God had told the people of Israel to kick out every other inhabitant in the land so that the land would be free from ungodly influence. When they got into the land, it was a lot of work to drive them out so they compromised with them and allowed them to live with them instead of driving them out of the land as God had told them to do. When God gives a clear order with consequences, it must be taken seriously.

Application:

Many people today are living with thorns in their sides and constant temptation for the very same reason the Israelites lost the blessing of God on their lives. Many times people today come to Christ, but don't want to totally walk away from their past life of sin. The "unconquered" areas of life come back to haunt them later. Instead of taking the time and energy to become pure and get rid of all uncleanness, people are satisfied to live with their enemy instead of kicking him totally out of their lives. The enemy must go with all his stuff if we are going to walk in victory.

Prayer:

Lord, let a generation arise that is serious about doing things Your way and not ours. Let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh. Let us walk in purity and not compromise with the enemy in any area of our lives. I want to walk in Your blessings and in the holiness you have made possible for us.

Sincerely,

jeff

Paul's Evangelism Technique

2011-08-22T08:51:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Romans 15:19 "They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum".

Observation:

Paul is speaking here about the conversion of the Gentiles on his missionary journeys. Paul was definitely one of the greatest missionary evangelist, church planters ever. How did he build the kingdom and convince people about the Good News of Christ? "They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God's Spirit". Today we tend to steer away from the supernatural because people might think we are weird or something. We need the supernatural to confirm our message.

Application:

We need the power of the Spirit back in our lives. We need to be plugged in to the power of the Holy Spirit. When He empowers us and moves in our midst, people will notice and come the Christ. Much of America today has walked away from Christ because they were promised power, but never received and walked in it. They think the claims of Christ are not real because all they have seen is a week church that can't back up what it preaches. We need power back in our lives, back in our churches, back in our evangelism, back in every area of our lives. We need the power to be turned on.

Prayer:

O, Lord send the power just now. O Lord send the power just now, O Lord send the power just now and baptize everyone. I think this song says my heart this morning Holy Spirit. Empower us to be the powerful church You designed us to be.

Sincerely,
Jeff Jacob

Overwhelming Victory

2011-08-19T07:10:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Romans 8:37 "Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us".

Observation:

Just before this section, Paul was talking about the love of Christ and how nothing can separate us from His love. He says that trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger and even the threat of death cannot separate us from God's love. After this, he says, "despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ". Overwhelming victory is pretty strong language, but it describes how we can live when we are surrendered to Christ.

Application:

Overwhelming victory implies that there has been a contest of some sort. Many times we think of our victory in Christ meaning that there is no contest we and that we have no opponent. Victory, by definition, means there has been a contest or something to overcome. When we have problems, we must realize that there can be no victory if there was no problem. In this verse we have the promise of overwhelming victory at the end of the contest or fight. The only way that we are not guaranteed victory in this scripture is if we quit too soon. Hold on, victory is coming!

Prayer:

Father, help me to realize that overwhelming victory belongs to those who don't faint and grow weary. Help me remember that if there is no test, there can be no testimony. Help me when I'm weak to have the mind of Christ. I want to walk in overwhelming victory.

Yours,
Jeff

Day and Night Prayer

2011-08-17T06:52:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Romans 1:9 "God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son".

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Romans. In his opening comments to them he tells them, "God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring your needs in prayer to God". Paul not only spoke to people about God, but spoke more to God about people. He was a man of prayer who sought the Lord on behalf of his people.

Application:

The greatest thing we can do for someone is to pray for them. As Paul prayed day and night for the Romans, and many other people as well from his other writings, I need to spend more time in prayer for the people I am associated with. I want to become a man of prayer who intercedes on behalf of the people around me. I don't want to say "I'll pray for you", and not do it sincerely.

Prayer:

Lord, I repent for my lack of prayer for those around me. I want to learn to pray like Paul did for the people around him. Teach me to not only have good prayer times, but to truly be an intercessor who bring the needs of people to You effectively. Let me prayers be led by the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Personal Experience

2011-08-16T07:08:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 24:31 "The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him - those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel".

Observation:

God had done amazing things for the people of Israel. HE brought them out of Egyptian slavery, provided for them supernaturally for 40 years as they wandered in the desert, and defeated all of their enemies as they took possession of the Promised Land. They had seen God do so much, yet the stories of what God "HAD" done were not enough to keep the next generation seeking and serving Him. Personal experience with God is crucial to our faith.

Application:

Teaching a generation about God is a good thing, but, no matter how good your teaching is, unless they experience God for themselves, it will not last under pressure. Doctrine can be argued and scriptures debated, but nobody can take away a personal experience with God. As we raise the next generation, we can teach them everything about God and have them quote most of the Bible, but if they don't have a personal experience with God, it will not be valued. We must seek ways for our children to experience God in personal ways. stories of what He had done are great, but seeing Him working in their lives will change them forever.

Prayer:

Lord, let this generation experience your power. Let them see the awesomeness of my God. Thank You for the incredible experiences you have given me which I could never deny, but give my children some of those same experiences. Let them see how incredible You are. Let them have encounters with God from which they could never turn away.

Sincerely,

Jeff

All God's Promises

2011-08-15T06:53:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 21:45 "Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true".

Observation:

In Joshua's time the people of Israel came over the Jordan river and into the promised land. The conquered many people and "possessed" the land the Lord had promised them. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the people of God inherited everything the Lord originally promised. In this verse we see that, though it may have been 45 or more years, not a single promise the Lord gave was left unfulfilled.

Application:

Sometimes we get weary in well doing and begin to faint before the promise comes to us. God wants us to be faithful, then He will do His part and fulfill every promise He has made to us. We can look back to the family of Israel and realize that God's promises may take a while to inherit, but they will come to pass. Everything the Lord has promised will come to pass if we walk in faith and patience. "By faith and patience, you inherit the promises".

Prayer:

Father, You are amazing! Always have been. Always will be. You fulfill the promises You make and leave not one of them undone when we as Your people walk in faith and patience. Help me walk in faith and patience. Thank You for reminding me that Your promises come true and that You are faithful to leave nothing undone that You promise.

Thanks,
Jeff

There Remains Very Much Land

2011-08-13T10:09:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 13:1 "Now Joshua was old, advanced in years, and the Lord said to him: 'You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed'".

Observation:

Joshua felt like he had been fighting for years, which he had, but God reminded him in his old age, "There remains very much land yet to be possessed". He was probably ready to retire and call it quits, but God said there was still much work to be done. Joshua won an incredible number of battles, but when he was old, there was still much territory to be taken for the Lord.

Application:

I fell like I have worked hard for a long time at this point in my life, but God has reminded me that there is still a huge number of souls that need Christ and the good news of the Gospel. I have enjoyed my Sabbatical so much, and needed the rest, but there is much land in Ashburn, Loudoun, Northern VA and the world to be possessed and I can't wait to get back at it. There is very much land to be taken from the enemy and the battle is not over.

Prayer:

Father, make me like a Caleb, who at 85 years of age said "give me the mountain you promised me when I was only 40. I want to fight until the end for my Lord. ZGive me strength to fight for the long haul. I will take rests periodically as I have just done, but let me finish strong.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wood Choppers and Water Carriers

2011-08-11T07:08:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 9:27 "But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodchoppers and water carriers for the people of Israel and for the altar of the Lord - wherever the Lord would choose to build it".

Observation:

The Gibeonites had lied to Joshua and the leaders of Israel. They said they had come from a long distance to make a peace treaty with Israel after hearing how powerful their God was. They knew Joshua would destroy them if he knew they lived nearby. Joshua was commanded to take every city in the promised land by force and kill every living thing. They lied about wherer they lived so Joshua would make a peace treaty with them and said they would serve him. He and the leaders of Israel signed it, then found out they had lied. When Joshua found out he had been lied to, he would not kill them, but felt God would hold him more accountable for breaking an oath with them than with killing them. He would not kill them even though they had lied.

Application:

Sometimes we have to make decisions in which there is no clear answer and we have to know God well enough to know what He would want us to do. God has told them to kill every living thing in these cities, but Joshua felt God would punish him more for breaking an oath with the people, even though they lied about it, than for obeying Him and killing every living thing. God takes oaths very seriously! We also need to take oaths very seriously. When there is no right answer, we must know God and what He would want us to do.

Prayer:

Father, when decisions are hard to make, help me to lean on You and to know You well enough to make the decisions You would want me to. Help me be led by Your Spirit every day. Let my life reflect Your goodness and let my light shine brighter each day. You are amazing!

Yours,
Jeff

The Lord was with Joshua

2011-08-10T07:20:00.003-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 6:27 "So the Lord was with Joshua, and his name became famous throughout the land".

Observation:

After crossing the Jordan river on dry land and seeing the walls of Jericho fall before their very eyes, Joshua became famous for the right reason. Many people seek fame and fortune, but people like Joshua get it the right way. The scripture says, "The lord was with Joshua". There is no better reason to become famous than because the Lord is with you.

Application:

When God begins to work in a persons life, others take notice. When God began to raise up Joshua, everyone noticed, but they noticed more about what God was doing than they did about Joshua. We must remain humble before the Lord and not seek fame and fortune. We must remain submitted to Him and all Him to raise us up. He is awesome and we are His servants. I want the words "the Lord was with Joshua" to be said of my life. I want to live a life that makes the Holy Spirit look good.

Prayer:

Father, be with me like you were with Joshua. I want to walk with You and talk with You. I want to serve You out of a sincere heart. Help me to obey You in all I do and to walk with you. I want to serve with You and to co-labor with You at an increased level. I don't want to lead without You leading me.

Yours,
Jeff

Lead These People

2011-08-09T06:56:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Joshua 1:6 "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them."

Observation:

Joshua was getting ready to step up and take leadership of the people of Israel. Moses had just died and God was ready to promote him. The Lord spoke to him and told him, "you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them". God goes on to tell Joshua that He would be with him and that He would take care of his enemies.

Application:

This morning I feel this is a Rhema word for me. "You are the one who will lead these people into the promised land" jumped off the page at me. God spoke to Joshua in order to give him the confidence he needed to do the job of invading the promised land and taking it over. He knew he was going to lead the people, but having God speak to him helped tremendously.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for speaking to me this morning. As with Joshua, so with me, I will lead your people wherever You want them to go. I need to hear Your voice clearly so the I can lead properly. I want to lead people into their land of promise and out of the land of bondage and out of the wilderness. Show me the way and I will follow. Let me lead Your people well. Make me a leader who is worth following and that others want to follow.

Your Son,

Jeff

Oh, that You would choose life

2011-07-27T09:10:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 30:19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

Observation:

God set blessings on obedience for the people of Israel and He set curses on disobedience. In Deut. 28 we see those blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. The blessings for wholly following the Lord were incredible, but the curses for disobedience were terrible. In chapter 30 you can hear the voice of God as He says, "Oh, that you would choose life". He really wants to bless his people, but he can't unless they choose like His way.

Application:

God's heart wants to bless us tremendously! He wants to bless our socks off, but we with hold our own blessings by our disobedience. Hear the heart of God that says, "Oh, that they would choose life!" He desperately wants us to make right choices so that He can bless us. The problem is our disobedience. He wants our obedience so He can bless us, but we choose not to obey. Therefore we don't see His blessings. We must hear the voice of God today that says, Oh, that you would choose life".

Prayer:

Father,
Help me make right choices today that You can bless. I want to follow You wholeheartedly and want my life to reflect Yours. I choose life and desire Your blessing.

Yours,

Jeff

Give Generously to the Poor

2011-07-22T08:28:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 15:10 "Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do".

Observation:

God cares about the poor. It is demonstrated all through the Bible. He wants His children to take care of the poor. In this scripture, He shows us that He not only wants us to give to the poor, but to give generously and not grudgingly.

Application:

Many times today we see people in need, but are very reluctant to give. We talk about how that person could have a job if they wanted to or how they are abusing the system. We talk about not giving to them unless we give them a financial seminar. The Bible tells us to give generously to the poor and not grudgingly. As believers, we should be givers to God and to the poor. This doesn't sit right in people's hearts today because we are taught that people are poor because they have made bad decisions or something like that. We talk about "enabling" that person by giving to them. The word of God says "give generously" to them. There is a blessing to be received when you give to the poor

Prayer:

Father, let me be a giver to the poor. You love the poor and your heart is constantly with them in the Word of God. Help me to be more like You in this area. Teach me not to give grudgingly to the poor, but to help them with a clear heart.

Your Son,
Jeff

Living Long and Prosperous

2011-07-19T07:35:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 5:33 "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy'.

Observation:

When the children of Israel were on their way into the promised land, God gave them a simple plan to follow so they could have long and prosperous lives. His plan was to "stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow". He said when they did that simple thing He would bless them and cause them to be prosperous.

Application:

Obedience is better than sacrifice! God loves it when His children obey Him fully and completely. When we obey Him we are trusting Him with our lives and He loves this. God is not hard to please. Just do things the way He wants you to and he will bless Your life and make you prosperous. We have many teaching about how to get prosperity today, but the crux of the matter is simply, "obey God in every area of your life". As I tell my children often, "obedience brings blessing".

Prayer:

Lord, I want to obey You fully and completely. Help me to follow you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. You are my God and I want to be the best servant I can. Be my master. Speak to me and I will follow You.

Yours,
Jeff

This Great Wilderness

2011-07-18T07:49:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 2:7 "For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. he has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing".

Observation:

In the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses is recounting Israel's wandering in the wilderness. He is re-telling the story of all God did for His people. It should have only taken 11 days to walk through the wildness into the Promised Land, but the people of God took forty years because of their disobedience. Even during this time of God's punishment, it says, "He has watched your every step through this great wilderness". It says "the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing". Even during the time of their punishment and 40 year wilderness excursion, God was with the people of Israel and prospered them.

Application:

God sees everything. He knows all! Even when we feel like we are in a wilderness, He is right there with us. He provides for us, even when we don't deserve it. This morning I feel like this was a Rhema word for me personally. It was a reminder to me that He is with me and has watched everything that has ever happened in my life. He knows every detail and He has been with me through every difficulty. He has had His eye on me through every step of my life!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for speaking to me this morning. You are faithful! You are good and I love you. Help me to always see the positive in every situation. Help me to be a person of faith. Thanks for reminding me that You are with me and I have never once slipped out of your sight. You are amazing!

Your Son,

jeff

For Lazarus Sake

2011-07-14T07:46:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

John 12:9 "Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there: and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead".

Observation:

In John 11, Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from being dead four days. It is an amazing story! In chapter 12, people are coming to Jesus by the droves to see Him, but also to see Lazarus, the one who was raised from the dead. I see here that one simple testimony has great power. This story says that "A Great Number" of Jews came because of Lazarus and his testimony.

Application:

When a great miracle happens, we need to be carriers of the story. We need to let the word spread about what God has done for us. Most people won't be convinced about Jesus through an apologetic debate about His divinity or a scholarly speech about who he is. Most people come to Jesus because they heard through a friend what Jesus had done in their life. We need to be better about sharing our stories because multitudes will come out to hear a miracle testimony.

Prayer:

Lord, let my light shine. Let me share the story today of something You have done in my life. Help me be better at sharing my faith with others. Let people come to Christ today "for Jeff's sake", because of the story I share with someone about what God has done for me. Help me tell my story that others may know You better.

Your Son,

jeff

What are We Working For?

2011-07-12T07:34:00.002-04:00

Scripture:

John 6:27 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on Him".

Observation:

The multitude had followed Jesus because He fed 5,000 men, not including women and children, with five loaves and two fish. He sees right through it and tells them that they were following Him because He put food in their stomachs and not because of who has was. He goes on to talk about what we labor for and what we are after in life. He tells them not to work for food that perishes, but for food that is everlasting.

Application:

Most of what we work for in life is only temporary. We work hard for cars that will die after a few years. We work hard for houses that we can lose with a downturn in the economy. We work for "things" that are not eternal and spend little time working on eternal things. The only "things" that are eternal and going to heaven or hell are people. Jesus is saying that our lives should be about people and about the importance of our own souls. Are we working so hard for the wrong stuff?

Prayer:

Father, help me keep the main thing, the main thing. Help me to work for eternal rewards instead of temporary. Teach me to spend my time wisely for the Kingdom of God. Let me work for You completely. may my life be consumed by the things that You are consumed by. I surrendur to Your will in my life. I want to be about Your business and not my own busyness.

Love,

Jeff