The Breath of the Almighty

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

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

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

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

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

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

Took Her as His Own

Scripture:

Esther 2:7 "When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter."

Observation:

Mordecai was the cousin of Esther. When her parents died, her cousin took her in and provided for her as he would his own daughter. Mordecai demonstrated love and concern for Esther. We don't know how old she was when this happened, but she was a homeless young lady that needed cared for. Mordecai stepped up to the plate and gave her his best. Esther became the woman who is probably the most revered woman in the Bible because someone cared enough to step in and adopt her.

Application:

When we step out to provide care for the broken and hurting, we never know who we are ministering to. As in this story, we may be taking care of the future queen. When we care for others, especially those with needs, we should treat them as royalty. We should take them in as our own and treat them as we would want to be treated. Mordecai invested in a young struggling life and a nation was saved because of it.

Prayer:

Father, help me to treat people as royalty before they get there. Help me to do everything possible to heal the broken and hurting around me. Teach me to reach out and show love to those who have nobody else. You are a father to the fatherless. I want to be like You.

Jeff

No Confidence in the Flesh

Scripture:

Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh".

Observation:

Paul is speaking to the believers in Philippi and he uses a statement that jumped out at me this morning, "no confidence in the flesh". Paul had many personal accomplishments, but his confidence was not in his great accomplishments. His confidence was in Christ and Christ alone.

Application:

Many times today we talk about self-confidence, Paul talked about God-confidence. Without Christ, we are nothing but sinners on our way to hell. When Christ comes on the scene of our lives, everything changes. Our confidence is no longer in ourselves. It is in Him! He is what gives us confidence and not our personal accomplishments. Fleshly confidence brings about pride, God confidence brings about humility and God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. I want to remain humble before Him.

Prayer:

Lord, I want my confidence to be in You and You alone. Help me to trust You more and self less. Help me to train others to receive their confidence, not from themselves, but from God. Help me to train my sons to walk in God-confidence and not self-confidence.

Yours,

Jeff Jacob

Rallying God's People

Scripture:

Nehemiah 4:20 "Therefore, wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us".

Observation:

Nehemiah and his people were working incredibly hard with one hand and fighting with the other. They realized they were getting weak in the battle and the build. Nehemiah gave an instruction that is powerful, "wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us". I see that he understood that when God's people rally together, God fights their enemies.

Application:

Unity is one of the most powerful forces in our universe. Put God in the picture and nothing is impossible. God's people sometimes need a rallying cry to pull them together so God can fight their battles. When there is unity, God commands His blessing! No enemy is too difficult when God's people rally to each other and call out to the Lord. We must learn the art of a rallying cry, unity, and calling on the name of the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be person who rallies people together, brings unity, and defeats enemies. I want to see the body of Christ at it's best, destroying the works of the devil in our region. Teach me how to rally the troops effectively for the advancement of Your Kingdom.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Will Prosper Us

Scripture:

Nehemiah 2:20 "So I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem".

Observation:

I love Nehemiah's response to the enemies of God's people. There is no record of doubt or unbelief. He knew God was going to help them accomplish this thing and that what God started, He was going to perform. He says, "the God of heaven will prosper us". I hear no doubt in that statement, rather, I hear total faith and belief that God was on their side, they were on His agenda and He would see them through. You can't fight against a person with that kind of faith in God.

Application:

The key words to me in this verse are "God will". Many times when we are faced by our enemy, we say things like "God can heal me" or "God can help me". There is a huge difference in the words "God can" and "God will". "God can" is a wonderful statement of belief in the all-powerful God and it is true. "God will" is a faith statement that will move mountains. Most believers know He can do anything, most doubt that He will. I want to be the one who knows that He will work on my behalf.

Prayer:

Father, I want to walk by faith and not by sight. I want to be a "God Will" person and not a "God can" person. I want to be on Your agenda, filled with Your power, knowing You will defeat my enemies and that your will prosper us. Help me step into that level of faith.

Your Son,

Jeff

God Did Not Forsake Us

Scripture:

Ezra 9:9 "For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem".

Observation:

God never gives up on His people. Ezra receives incredible favor from the king to go back and rebuild God's temple in Jerusalem. He was in exile because the people of God had done wrong in His sight, yet God gave gave mercy in the sight of the kings of Persia to go back and rebuild His temple and His city. Ezra says it this way, "God did not forsake us in our bondage".

Application:

I love the fact that God doesn't forsake us in our bondage. Though we get ourselves into messes of our own making because we chose to do things that God wouldn't have wanted us to, He still does not forsake us, but orchestrates a way for our deliverance. God never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is faithful! God is merciful and full of compassion. He is amazing!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for Your faithfulness to us even when we don't deserve it. Thank you for bringing us back when we mess up. You are amazing in your love for your people. Help me to be more like You and to demonstrate the same kind of loving kindness to those around me.

Yours,

Jeff

Leadership Challenges

Scripture:

II Chronicles 34:33 "Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers".

Observation:

The beauty of Josiah's leadership is in the fact that he was more concerned about what God thought than with what people thought. As a leader, he set the bar high on following God and doing things His way. He removed every idol and worship of other gods from Judah. This doesn't set well with those who worship those gods, but it does sit well with God and God blessed him for it. As king, he basically ordered the true worship of Jehovah. Everyone had to follow the word of the Lord.

Application:

When Josiah set the bar high, the people rose to the occasion and served the Lord under him until his death. As leaders, the challenge of pleasing people instead of pleasing God is always a hot spot to be watched out for. Josiah did what was right and pleasing to the Lord and expected the same out of his people. We must please God first and let Him deal with the people.

Prayer:

Lord, make me a great leader of Your people. Help me to pursue You above all else, then set the bar high for your people. You are amazing and deserve our fullest dedication and devotion. I want to do things Your way and not just operate from my mind concerning the things of God. Renew my thoughts and transform my life. Help me to see Your perspective on all things and do what You would have me do.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

When God is Silent

Scripture:

II Chronicles 32:31 "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that is in his heart".

Observation:

Hezekiah was a great king who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He fully relied on God in every situation, yet we see here that God at one point, withdrew Himself from Hezekiah. He did this, not to punish him, but to test him and see what was in his heart. Sometimes when God feels far away, it is nothing more than a test to see how we will respond.

Application:

Feeling distant from God is not always a bad thing. Sometimes the heavens feel like brass and it seems no prayers are being answered. In those times, it may simply be a test of God checking all that is in your heart like king Hezekiah. When it seems God isn't there and nothing is going right, it is in those times that you prove your relationship with Him. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and sometimes He pulls away a little just to check our faithfulness level. Will you do what He wants even when it seems He is distant?

Prayer:

Father, find me faithful. Help me stand strong through the tests, trials, and temptations of life. Let me be found faithfully doing what You have called me to do when things look good and when things looks bad. Teach me to walk in obedience and not be led by my feelings. Help me not be frustrated when it seems You are distant.

You are Awesome! Thanks for the download this morning.

Jeff

Single Heartedness

Scripture:

II Chronicles 30:12 "Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the Lord".

Observation:

God gave the word of the Lord to the king and leaders, then He gave Judah singleness of heart to follow the command. Notice it was God's doing all the way. What God chose to give the people was awesome. Nothing will get a job done like singleness of heart. Singleness of heart means that the people had one heart, to follow what God was saying to the leaders.

Application:

When singleness of heart is reached in any group of people, the results will be amazing. No matter what you are trying to accomplish, singleness of heart is a necessary ingredient. When a group of people has one heart, they can turn the world upside down for God. Unity brings God's commanded blessing. I also see here that it is God who gave them the singleness of heart. They didn't work it up themselves. God gives us all we need to follow Him fully.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to be single hearted about the things of God. Help me to keep the main thing the main thing. Teach me to walk in single hearted obedience to You. I want to follow You totally and completely. You are my God and I want to serve You well.

Yours,

Jeff

Preparing Your Ways Before the Lord

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