Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord

Scripture:

Exodus 14:13 "Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will see again no more forever'".

Observation:

With a massive Egyptian army in behind them and a large body of water in front of them, Israel thought they were dead for sure. They were complaining to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?" Moses stands up with incredible confidence and tells them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. He knew God well enough to know that God did lot lead them there without a plan of escape. He probably had no idea what God was going to do, but he knew God well enough to know He would do something.

Application:

Sometimes when I am in a situation where things look really bad, I find myself working harder to fix things rather than standing still and seeing the salvation of the Lord. God had proved himself to Moses ten times in a row and Moses was realizing that there was nothing impossible for God. He may not have known how, but he knew God well enough to know that God would get them out of this. Confidence comes from seeing victories in the past.

Prayer:

Lord, give us little victories to look back at and to know that You are always going to pull through for Your people. infuse me with faith this morning that You are the great deliverer. Increase my faith to be able to tell others, "Stand still and see the salvation of our God".

Yours,
Jeff

God Delivers with Style

Scripture:

Exodus 12:35-36 "Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians."

Observation:

God had spoken to Moses before the 10th plague and told him to tell the people of Israel to ask their neighbors for their gold, silver and clothing before the Exodus. The people of Egypt saw the hand of God in the plagues and were willing to give them anything they wanted as they were leaving. When Pharaoh finally let them go, the people had plundered the Egyptians and went out with incredible amounts of wealth. God delivered them with style and they were able to walk away, plundering the Egyptians without a fight.

Application:

God is God! He doesn't change and He stills delivers in style. He still sets His people free and blesses them incredibly. One of the beauties of this story is that the people listened to the voice of Moses, who spoke on God's behalf, and acted accordingly. God always gives us the way of provision, but many times we either don't hear His voice, or just don't want to do what we fell Him telling us to do. I have told my children a thousand time "Obedience brings blessing". I want to be obedient to all God speaks to me and then see His blessing in my life.

Prayer:

Lord, first I want to hear Your voice clearly, then I want a heart to do all You put in my heart. I want to honor You all the days of my life. You have been too good to me! You are faithful to Your word and I want to be faithful to You. I need a financial miracle Lord and I look to You to give me a word about it.

Sincerely,
Jeff Jacob

God Knows How to Protect His Own

Scripture:

Exodus 9:6 "So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died".

Observation:

All through the plagues of Egypt I see how God would send a plague on Egypt, but Israel, living right there among them, would not be affected. It is amazing to think that cattle all over the entire country were dying, but the cattle of the children of Israel were fine. God knows how to protect His own and even in the midst of His judgment.

Application:

We can rest assured that God know how to take care of what is His. He can cause terrible plagues to come on His enemies and you can live right next door and not be affected. We must trust the Lord and lean on Him for our protection. He WILL take care of those who belong to Him. What He did for the children of Israel, He will do for us. The world may be falling apart all around, but it does not have to affect the children of God. He can provide for you in famine and cause Ravens to bring you food if He needs to. We must simply trust Him.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for showing me how awesome You are at taking care of your people. You are amazing! Thank You for you Father's heart that takes care of and provides for His children. Thank you for teaching me to trust you more each day.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Rise Up and Take Action!

Scripture:

Exodus 4:13 "But he said, 'O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send'".

Observation:

God had spoken to Moses and told him to go and speak to Pharaoh. He had demonstrated signs and wonders that Moses would have in order to convince Pharaoh and the children of Israel that God was with him. God gave him everything he needed for the job, but Moses still felt he couldn't do it. He tells the Lord to send someone else because he felt he didn't have what it takes to do what God was putting in front of Him.

Application:

When God tells you to do something, don't argue with Him about your feelings of inadequacy. Rather, stand up and say "yes Lord", then deal with your own feelings of inadequacy. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. God reluctantly allowed another person to go and be the spokesperson for Moses, but it was not God's first choice. I don't want anything the Lord has given me to do ending up done by someone else who said "yes Lord". We must rise up and take action when He calls and leave timidity and fear behind.

Prayer:

Father, I struggle with not feeling adequate many times. As Moses, I feel like someone else could do a better job. Help me to walk in confidence and not waiver about the call of God on my life. Teach me to serve You better and work with me when I want to say "send someone else".

I Love You,

Jeff Jacob

God's Blessing

Scripture:

Exodus 1:12 "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel".

Observation:

The children of Israel were in bondage and had become slaves to Egypt, but God's blessing was on their lives. They multiplied and multiplied until they were more and mightier than Egypt according to verse 9. God's blessing was on their lives and even though the Egyptians tried to make life more and more difficult for them, they continued to increase. I love the words, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew". When God blesses something, it will prosper no matter what you do to it.

Application:

When will we realize that God can prosper and bless us in a bad economy, in a bad work place, in a bad family situation, etc. We must trust Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. When God decides to bless you, the gates of hell cannot stop His blessing! When God's blessing is on your life, "the more" the enemy tries to do to you, the more you will prosper and grow. We must be people who seek out the blessing of the Lord and live lives that He would choose to bless. He is not bound by the present economy, nor the location we live in. He is God and can bless His children wherever and whenever He wants.

Prayer:

Father, help me today to see Your hand at work in my life. I want to walk in the blessing of the Lord and see Your miraculous provision in my life on a daily basis. I love You and know that You are with me. Help me to see You at work when it doesn't appear to be true. Teach me to trust You more.

Yours,

Jeff

Be Ready all the Time

Scripture:

Matthew 24:44 "You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected".

Observation:

Jesus is talking about the last days and what will happen in the end times. His disciples wanted to know the timing of when He would return and Jesus told that that nobody knows the day or the hour, but when it was least expected, He would return. Jesus drives home the point that we don't know the timing, but should live "rapture ready" at all times.

Application:

As God's children we are to live our lives looking for the coming of our Lord. Currently there is a prediction from a man who believes the rapture will take place tomorrow, May 21st and people everywhere are wondering if it could be true. many have asked me about it and my reply is "I seriously doubt it is going to be May 21st, but the signs of the times are everywhere, are you ready if He did come today or tomorrow?" We need to live our lives with the rapture in sight. We must live today as if we were going to be judged tomorrow.

Prayer:

Lord, let the urgency of Your message work in my heart. Let me see the importance of living realizing Jesus could come at any moment. Let me win someone to Christ today. I love You and want to represent You well.

Jeff

Faith in God

Scripture:

Matthew 17:20 "'You don't have enough faith,' Jesus told them, 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible".

Observation:

Jesus had just come off the mountain of transfiguration and there was a large crowd of people. One of them told Jesus that he had a demon possessed son and wanted Jesus to cast it out. He told Jesus that His disciples couldn't cast it out. Jesus replied to their inability to cast out this demon by saying, "You don't have enough faith". He went on to say the famous words about faith like a grain of mustard seed and that if they had that much faith, nothing would be impossible. Faith is the key ingredient in everything we do as believers and when we have it, nothing will be impossible.

Application:

Many times Jesus made statements like this in His time here on earth. The question is not about what He said, but about how we apply what He said. He made some really bold statements about answered prayer and faith. For many reasons, most believers don't pray in faith. They pray in hope! We need to move from praying in hope to praying in faith. Most of us pray and hope something will happen, but Jesus wants us to pray in faith, knowing something is going to happen. We need a faith infusion!

Prayer:

Lord, You made some pretty bold promises to us concerning praying by faith. Teach me to walk in faith and not by sight. I know we are missing the mark somewhere on this because I know the problem is not You or what you said. I want to grow in faith.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Unbelief and Dishonor

Scripture:

Matthew 13:57-58 "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometowm and among his own family. And so he did only a few miracles their because of their unbelief".

Observation:

Jesus himself was only able to do a few miracles in his own hometown because of the unbelief of the people. Everywhere He went, incredible things happened, but in His own hometown, He could not do any mighty works. This is sad, but true. The people who could have and should have been Jesus greatest helpers were full of unbelief. I do notice that it was their unbelief that stopped the miracles from flowing. Their unbelief was the result of knowing Him and seeing Him grow up.

Application:

I believe the same reaction happens today in a big way. A minister can go out into all the world and preach the gospel with incredible results, then come home to his own people and it seems like nothing happens. We must not limit God because we know a person too well. We must come believing that God can use this person even though we know their flaws. We must mature to the place where we can see people's faults, yet receive from their ministry. We must learn that God uses all kinds of people.

Prayer:

Lord, don't let me miss something You are doing because I have an issue with the delivery person. Help me to honor your servants and believe that You can use them for Your glory, even when I don't like something about them. Help me not to be critical and judgmental of others in any way. Help me Lord, I want to be a believer and I want to see all that You can do!

Love,

Jeff

Acknowledged in Heaven

Scripture:

Matthew 10:32 "Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will acknowledge before My father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my father in heaven."

Observation:

Jesus is sending out His 12 disciples to spread the word, to preach, teach, heal and cast out devils. As He is sending them, He makes this statement, "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly on earth, I will acknowledge before my father in heaven". This statement is so powerful as it tells us we will be acknowledged before God by Jesus when we step out and share our faith in Him with others.

Application:

If we want our names recognizable in heaven, we must not be afraid to be recognized for Christ here on the earth. As we are bold for God before men here on earth, He will get bold before the father on our behalf. We must become more bold witnesses for the Lord. I want to share my faith more in the coming months than I ever have. I want to spread the good news of Christ to the world.

Prayer:

Lord, take away the timidity of speaking to others about You.Help me be bold for you, that you may be bold for me. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, but sometimes I whimp out on sharing it, even when I feel You leading me to do it. Forgive me for not obeying in times like that and give me strength to witness to someone every day.

Yours,

Jeff

Let it Shine with Good Works

Scripture:

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".

Observation:

Jesus is speaking and telling his followers that they should be like cities set on hills that cannot be hidden. He was letting them know that they were the light of the world and that they should not hide that light. I notice here that it does say to let it shine "before men". It also shows us that the demonstration of the light is in our good works, which in turn glorify our Father in heaven.

Application:

God wants us to demonstrate good works in our lives because our good works bring Him glory. He also wants those good works to be apparent before the world. People all around us should see us as people of good works, good attitudes, good helps, etc. They should see God's people as people who are lighting up the world by doing good deeds for others. People are won to the Lord by our love and good works more than by our preaching. We must work on being good at living our lives, then proclaiming why we live our lives that way.

Prayer:

Lord, let Your light shine through my life today. Put me in a place where I can do a good deed for someone and be a blessing to them. Let me be a good reflection of my Father and bring Him glory!

Amen

I Will Bring You Back Again

Scripture:

Genesis 46:3 "I am God, the God of your father, the voice said, Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes".

Observation:

Abraham and Isaac had been promised the land that Jacob was leaving behind as he was going to Egypt where his son Joseph was ruling. The text says that in the night he had a vision and God spoke to him through it. God made a promise to Jacob here that was powerful. He said Jacob was going to die in Egypt, but that one day his descendants would go back to the land they were promised by the Lord. I also observe how clearly God spoke to him before he journeyed. I would love to be led by the Spirit this way.

Application:

Sometimes God let's us go through trying circumstances and even provides a way out that doesn't seem right to us. If God had promised me a land, and famine came, I would probably stay where God planted me and not think of leaving. God still speaks to His people. He wants to lead us and guide us on the journey of life. We must seek Him until His voice is as clear as it was the Jacob that day. God leads them out of the promised land with a promise, "I will bring you back again". In other words, "don't get use to it all, you're not staying."

Prayer:

Lord, I am intrigued by the way the OT men of God heard Your voice so clearly as they made decisions. I want to be led by the Spirit more every day. Teach me to listen to Your voice and to obey immediately. I want You to guide my life and show me what is coming. Open my ears to hear what you are saying to the church.

Your Son,

Jeff

It Was God!

Scripture:

Genesis 45:5 "Don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives".

Observation:

Joseph had just revealed himself to his brothers and he knows that they feel terrible about what they had done to him. He tells them not to be angry with themselves because God had His hand in the whole situation so that He could bless the family through Joseph. Joseph had an amazing ability to see God working in absolutely terrible situations to bring about good. When most people would be ready to kill their brothers, he forgives and blesses them. He sees God's hand in all of his personal suffering. What an amazing attitude!

Application:

Joseph said, "It was God" who allowed me to be put into slavery so that I could bless you guys now. We need to see things more like Joseph. Truly trusting God means that I trust He will give me what I need and will only allow in my life things that will one day be a blessing. Instead of taking things into our own hands, God wants us to trust Him and to realize that the very things in our lives that don't seem to be working out well, He will use to become a blessing to us. When bad things happen, I want to respond like Joseph.

Prayer:

Lord, help me with my attitude. When bad things happen to me, let me see your hand at work. When good things happen, I feel blessed. When bad things happen, I don't. Help me to see Your hand of providence going before me and working out the details of my life. Help me to trust that You know what is best for me and you know my tomorrow and what I will need to walk through it. Once again I put my life in your hands.

Jeff

Can we find such a one?

Scripture:

Genesis 41:38 "And Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?'"

Observation:

Pharaoh had just seen Joseph interpret his dreams and give him a game plan to survive the famine that was coming. God had used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dream and now Pharaoh was looking for someone to implement the plans Joseph gave him to save Egypt. He noticed Joseph's wisdom, discernment, and ability and realized the Spirit of God was on Joseph's life.

Application:

Can people see the Spirit of God in my life? Am I living in such a way that an unbelieving Pharaoh would look at my life and know that the Spirit of God was in my life? I love the way Pharaoh describes Joseph, "a man in whom is the Spirit of God". I want to be a person who the ungodly people would say, "he is a man in whom the Spirit of God lives". I want to live a life that makes unbelievers jealous.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me Your ways. Help me grow in you every day. I want Your Spirit to be seen in my life by those who don't know You. Help me live a life you can bless in front of this world every day. Let my testimony be real and powerful among those who don't know You. I love the story of Joseph and want to live a life as honorable as his.

Your Son,

Jeff

Angels of God

Scripture:

Genesis 32:1 "So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him".

Observation:

Jacob has left Laban after 20 years of service in which God multiplied Jacob's possessions incredibly. Laban has just come after him because he was leaving with Laban's daughters and grandchildren. Jacob had just come through that encounter and was ready to face seeing his brother whom he had cheated and whom he had fled from 20 years before for his life. In the middle of the two confrontations, "the angels of God met him". This apparently gave him the strength to continue and face his brother once again.

Application:

I love how simply it states "and the angels of God met him". Like it was a simple everyday thing. It seems to me that in the Bible it was very normal to see angels and received messages from them. I want to meet some angels! I read about them in the Bible continually. I have had a few encounters that I know were angels, but I want to walk with God closer and see more in the spirit realm what is going on. I want God to open my spiritual eyes because I believe we entertain angels unaware.

Prayer:

Lord, open my spiritual eyes. I want to see into the spirit world with more clarity. I would love to be traveling and have a meeting with "the angels of God". I know that your angels are working overtime to keep me safe, but it helps when we see these things. I know I am blessed because of believing and not seeing, but seeing really helps. Let me see into the spirit realm more than ever before.

Love You,
Jeff

Love and Service

Scripture:

Genesis 29:20 "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her".

Observation:

Jacob ended up serving Laban for 14 years in order to get his daughter Rachel to be his wife. The first seven years "seemed like only a few days because of the love he had for her". Seven years is a long time. They say "time flies when you're having fun". I would say it differently. I would say, "time flies when you are working for something you love". Love is a strange emotion. It is powerful and will cause you to do things you would not do otherwise.

Application:

People are driven by many different things, but the best thing to be driven by is love. When love drives your heart, you will walk easily through difficult times. When love drives your heart, you will last longer and stay stronger. Jesus told those around Him that the greatest commandment was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength". He said the second commandment was "Love your neighbor as yourself". Love is a powerful force and we should learn that being led by love is crucial to walking with Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, Jacob served Laban for seven years and they seemed like only days because of his love for Rachel. Help me to live life out of love for you and others. Let my love for You grow each day and let my love for others increase exponentially. Let me be passionate about the right things.

Yours Completely,

Jeff

And He Shall be Blessed

Scripture:

Genesis 27:33 "The Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, 'Who? Where is the one who hunted game for and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him - and indeed he shall be blessed'".

Observation:

Isaac understood the power of his blessing and the power of his words. Most of us, in this same situation, would simply say, "I made a mistake, come here and I will bless you also". Isaac knew that when words are spoken, they are powerful and cannot be taken back. What he had already spoken would come to pass. Even though the blessing came through trickery, Isaac knew that the blessing would stand because God would honor the words of his mouth.

Application:

We need to be careful of what we say. "death and life are in the power of our tongues". When we speak, we put into motion the power of God. May we come to the place where we understand how powerful our words are and may we begin to use them wisely to bring blessing. Speak life, love and liberty, and blessing will follow! Let our words be filled with blessing and not cursing.

Prayer:

Lord, let me understand better the power of our words. Let me use my words wisely. help to think about my words and not just say the first thing that comes to my mind. Let my words bring life and not death to anyone. Let my mouth be a river of blessing to those around me and let my words be used to say what You desire. Let me be your mouthpiece to bring forth the word of the Lord.

Sincerely,
Jeff Jacob

The Lord will Provide

Scripture:

Genesis 22:14 "And Abraham called the name of the place, The Lord Will Provide; as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord is shall be provided'".

Observation:

Abraham had just obeyed the voice of the Lord by taking his only son Isaac to the mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord. He had bound his son and was ready to sarifice him when the Angel of the Lord stopped him and a ram was provided. God saw the willingness and obedience of Abraham and provided the offering for him. When God sees a willing heart to sacrifice for Him, He provides!

Application:

Abraham was willing and ready to offer his son, then God stopped him and provided the sacrifice. One of the great names of God is "The Lord our Provider". He takes care of his own! God provided the sacrifice "after" He saw the obedience of Abraham. Many times we want God to provide for us and even get mad at Him when He doesn't, but we haven't been obedient in the things He has called us to do. Why should God provide for us if we are not going to do what He asks us to. Obedience is the key to having the provision of God in your life.

Prayer:

Father, obedience in better than sacrifice has a whole new meaning today. Thank You for speaking to me this morning. You are great and awesome! I love you with all my heart. Help me to walk in obedience to all You call me to do. I don't want to cry out for Your Provision while I'm not in obedience. I want to hear Your voice clearly every day and to do exactly what You want me to.

Yours,

Jeff

Looking Back

Scripture:

Genesis 19:26 "But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt".

Observation:

When God was going to send judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, He told Lot's family to get out of there and not look back. Lot's wife did good in that she was fleeing the city, but on her way out, she turned and looked back. She disobeyed what she was told by the angels and was turned into a pillar of salt. There is nothing in our old lives worth looking back at.

Application:

It is not easy to leave Egypt or Sodom or our old life and not look back periodically. Jesus told us that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of God. We must never look back at our "Before Christ" lives and long for them. There was nothing there worth looking back at! We must look forward to what God has for us in the future. He has prepared a place for us in His kingdom that is amazing and something we have to look forward to. You can't look backward and forward at the same time. Let's look forward to what God has for us and leave the past in the past.

Prayer:

Lord, help me look to the future and have a future orientation. You have prepared so much for us in the present and in the future that I don't want to look back. Help me to forget those things which are behind and reach forward to what is ahead as Paul told us to do.

Your Son,

Jeff