Don‘t Be Ashamed or Fearful

 Scripture:

“Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame! Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated! You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah speaks to God’s people here saying that they will not be put to shame. He told them not to be intimidated because they would not be humiliated. He encouraged God’s people to forget about the shame of their youth and to forget about the disgrace of their abandonment. This promise comes to all of God’s children.

Application:

God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. As believers, we need to forget about our shame because we are cleaned by the blood of Jesus Christ. We need to stop thinking through a shame based mindset. He that the Son sets free, is free indeed. We are meant to live in freedom, not fear. We are to live by faith, not fear. We should never be intimidated, no matter how bad things look at the time because God will bring us out. We have nothing to fear because we have the Lord on our side.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to walk in faith and not fear. Teach me to trust that You know all things and that You have my nest interests in mind. Help me not to walk in fear, but to know I have heard from You and then be bold and confident. Help me to lead Your people well. Let me never lead from a shame-based mindset, but by a faith-based mindset.

Your Son,

Jeff

Overwhelming Joy

 Scripture:

“Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return; they will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭51‬:‭11‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah speaks to God’s people here saying that those whom the Lord has ransomed, will have a happy shout, and overwhelming joy. He says that grief and suffering will disappear from them. These are incredible promises for God’s people who are ransomed.

Application:

The cross paid our ransom as New Testament believers. Therefore, we can claim this promise as our very own. This morning I am claiming unending joy as a crown, and overwhelming joy as mine. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and Should be a significant part of our lives as Christians because of the Holy Spirit. Grief and suffering have to go away from our lives because we have been ransomed.

Prayer:

Father, I claim Your joy, happiness, and peace in my life. I thank You that Jesus paid the ransom for my life and therefore, I don’t have to live in suffering and grief. Help me to walk in the Spirit every day of my life. Teach me to follow Your ways and to live a full life. I want to represent You well in my generation.

Your Son,

Jeff

God’s Self-Description

 Scripture:

“This is what the LORD, your protector, says, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you in the way you should go.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭17‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking in this passage and He tells His people that He is their protector. God protects what belongs to Him. He goes on to say that He teaches us to succeed and leads us in the way we should go. We are never left on our own to figure things out. He is with us, protects us, leads us, and teaches us how to succeed.

Application:

God delights in blessing His people. He loves to prosper those who are fully committed to Him. He is faithful to His word and does what He says He will do. We can trust our God. He is the only one who can lead us into all truth and bless our lives with prosperity. We must learn to trust Him more and more each day. We must listed for His voice and follow Him completely. We can then walk in His abundant provision. 

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercies are new every morning. You are my strength and my shield. You are my help and my source. Thank You for loving me, caring for me, and showing me my next steps at all times. Continue to guide me into all truth. Lead me into a life that You can prosper. Help me to accomplish everything You put me in this world to accomplish. I am Yours.

Forever,

Jeff

Joshua and Jordan

 Scripture:

“For I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the dry land. I will pour my spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children. They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of water. One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD,’ and another will use the name ‘Jacob.’ One will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and use the name ‘Israel.’”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NET‬

Observation:

This is a word for Israel given by Isaiah. He says that God is going to pour water on dry ground and make streams flow on dry land. He said He would pour His Spirit on their offspring and bless their children. He said they would be like trees along the banks of a river. He said one would say, “I belong to the Lord” and the other would write on his hand, “The Lord’s”. My sons are Joshua and Jordan Jacob. 

Application:

I am taking this word today as a prophetic word for my personal direct descendants. I want to see God pour out His Spirit on my two sons. One of them already has “YHWH” tatooed on his hand (wrist). They are both “Jacob” by name. Joshua has a tatoo of Psalm 23:4 “I will not be afraid because You are with me.” 

Prayer:

Father, I thank You for this today. I claim that both my sons will have an outpouring of Your Spirit in their lives. May they walk with You and know You intimately. Let them follow You and grow into trees of righteousness.  Let them both be set apart for You and Your purposes.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

God’s Not Tired or Unwise

 Scripture:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah brings a powerful word to God’s people. He tells them that God does not get weary and there is no limit to his wisdom. He ten tells them that God gives strength to the tired and renewed energy to those who lack power. Basically, He gives us whatever we need to keep on going forward.

Application:

God is infinitely wise and powerful. Therefore, nothing is beyond Him and He can be trusted with whatever we give Him. When we are tired, He gives us strength. When we are faint, He restores us. We can trust God with every aspect of our lives. In our weakness, He is made strong. He is faithful, generous, kind, and powerful. He is able to defeat any and every enemy that we face. Our job is to humble ourselves before Him and glorify His name.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are incredible and it is an honor to serve You. Help me to serve You well and to never forget Your awesomeness. Help me to never forget that You are the source of every good thing in my life. You are my strength when I am tired, my joy when I am down. You are my peace in a storm and my fortress when under attack. You are my everything and I bless You this morning.

Yours,

Jeff

Intense Devotion

 Scripture:

““For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the LORD who commands armies will accomplish this.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37‬:‭32‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah gives King Hezekiah a word about the enemies of God and their overthrow of Judah. God told him that only a remnant would be leaving Jerusalem at this time and that survivors would come from Zion. He then reminds the king that “the intense devotion of the LORD who commands armies with accomplish this.” 

Application:

God is not only devoted to His people, He is intensely committed to His people. God’s devotion is intense! I love this picture. We can know that God is intensely devoted to us and that He will accomplish what He says He will accomplish in our lives. We can trust Him. He has proven Himself over and over again. Our job is to trust the commander of heaven’s armies to do what He says He will do.

Prayer:

Commander of Heaven’s Armies, You are worthy of praise and worship. You are my king, my rock, my fortress, and my God! You are everything to me. Help me to trust You more, even when the battles are raging against me. Help me to rely on You and Your intense devotion to me rather than trying to fight on my own. You are the commander I can trust.

Yours,

Jeff

Responding to Your Enemies

 Scripture:

“They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭36‬:‭21‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The king of Assyria was telling God’s people that they were going to be attacked and destroyed. He told them that their God would not be able to help them because none of the gods of the other countries had rescued them. King Hezekiah told them that God would fight their battles and defeat the Assyrians. When they were taunted by the Assyrians, the king told them not to respond. 

Application:

There are times when the enemy wants to taunt us and tell us we are going to fail. He wants us to think that God won’t rescue us. Sometimes silence is the best option. When we respond, it is easy to give into fear, panic, or thoughts of destruction. There are times when the best response is no response. Rather, we put our confidence in God and not ourselves. When the enemy can’t get a response, he gets nervous because he realizes that we are not going to be controlled by fear.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, show me when to respond and when to be quiet. Teach me to to battle well. Show me how to respond in each and every situation. Let my ears be open and my eyes be upon You. You are my help and my healer. You are my strength and my confidence. You are my everything.

Yours Forever,

Jeff