Friday, October 28, 2011

Victory Comes When We Rely on God

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

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Heart Preparation

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

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

When God Gives a Gift

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

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Cloud of His Glory

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

Monday, October 24, 2011

Asking for the Right Thing

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.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Seek the Lord

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

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Vibrant Praise

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

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Like the Army of God

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

Monday, October 17, 2011

Generational Ministry

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

Friday, October 14, 2011

Called to Liberty

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

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Man-pleasing

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

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Turning to the Lord

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

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Do Not Be Afraid

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

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Voice of the Enemy

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

Friday, October 7, 2011

God's Promises

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

Thursday, October 6, 2011

What Do You Have in the House?

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

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Man of God

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

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Repentance and Forgiveness

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