Ready and Watching

Scripture:

Revelation 16:15 "Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief!  Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed".

Observation:

Jesus is talking here about His return.  He tells us that it will be unexpected, yet we should be watching for it.  He tells us there are two things we need to be doing: 1. We must be watching.  2. We must keep our clothing ready.  He is coming for those who are watching for Him!  Most believers today are not really watching for Him because they don't fully understand that He will come again.  Our clothing generally speaks of our actions and the way we live our lives.

Application:

Jesus is coming again!  I'm not one for arguing theology and debating pre-trib, mid-trib or post trib, yet I know He is coming and I am looking for His return.  I am just crazy enough to believe that He will come in like manner as when He left that we must be watching for His return.  I must also prepare for His return be clothing myself in His righteousness.  I must become more and more like Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, I know You are coming and have no doubt.  Help me be prepared and ready so that I can hear the words I long to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant".  Find me watching and ready for your return.  You are amazing.  Thanks for all you are doing in my life right now!  Help me be more like You every day.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Endurance and Faithfulness

Scripture:

Revelation 13:10 "Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison.  Anyone who is destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.  This means that God's  holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful".

Observation:

Bad things happen to good people.  How we react to persecution and problems tells much about who we are.  In this verse, God's people are told they must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.  The persecution John is speaking about is in a whole new dimension from anything we have seen here is the United States, yet we are told to endure patiently and remain faithful.

Application:

A true walk with the Holy Spirit is the only way to remain faithful and endure persecution.  He will give us what we need at the  right time.  He will let us know how to respond and what to say to whom.  Remaining faithful and enduring also takes incredible amounts of discipline.  God's people must be people of discipline.  We must discipline our lives so that we can do the right thing, even when the right thing is hard.  I believe persecution is coming in a way we have not known before and that now is the time to prepare ourselves by living disciplined lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me prepare for what is to come.  Help me discipline my life more and more.  I want to be a person of endurance and faithfulness to all You ask me to do.  Help me to finish the course You have set out before me.

Yours,
Jeff

Angelic Prayer Help

Scripture:

Revelation 8:3 "Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar.  And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God's people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne".

Observation:

John sees an angel standing by the altar who was given a large amount of incense.  He was taking this incense and mixing it with the prayers of the saints as an offering to God before His throne.  Incense is a sweet smelling aroma that God enjoys.  The angel mixes our prayers with the sweet smelling incense and offers them to God, that they may be pleasing to Him.

Application:

Our prayers are powerful!  Even when we don't feel like we are the best "prayers" in the world, angels take our prayers, mix them with incense, and offer them to God the Father as a sweet incense.  God loves when we pray, it is like a sweet incense to Him.  Angels actually work with our prayers to make them presentable to God.  We need to keep the angels busy mixing our prayers with incense and we need to fill the throne room with incense.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to pray!  I want to fill heaven with sweet incense.  Thank you for meeting me yesterday morning in such a powerful way.  You make me want to pray more and more.  I long for You presence and want to know You more each day.  Fill my church with the precious power of the Holy Spirit and let our people turn the world upside down for You.

Yours,
Jeff

As For Me

Scripture:

Micah 7:7 "As for me, I look to the Lord for help.  I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me".

Observation:

Micah had great understanding of God.  He knew God is the god who saves and delivers His people.  He knew he could be confident about this because he knew his God.  Here he is basically saying, "You can do whatever you want, but as for me, I am looking to the Lord".  He knew that, if he looked to the Lord that he would be saved.  He knew God would hear his prayer.  He understood how God operates and had confidence because of it.

Application:

Sometimes when things get difficult or don't go the way we want them to, we have to trust God and look to Him.  We must develop our faith in Him to where we look to Him in every situation of life, knowing that He will save and rescue us.  We must know that we will be heard by God when we cry out to Him.  No matter what people say about us, we must say, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".  We must learn to wait confidently as this verse says.  We give up too easy and must learn the art of waiting confidently or in full expectation that the Lord will come through on our behalf.

Prayer:

Lord, once again, develop my faith.  Teach me to wait confidently because I know who You are and how Your operate.  Let me understand You more and more so that I know how Your respond in each situation.  I want to know your heart on issues.  The better I know You, the more confident I will be in Your response.  Help me to know You more.

Sincerely,
Jeff

False Hope of Protection

Scripture:

Micah 3:11 "You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid.  Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.  'No harm can come to us,' you say, 'for the Lord is here among us'".

Observation:

God sent Micah to deliver the word of the Lord to Samaria and Jerusalem.  He is prophesying destruction on Jerusalem when this passage comes forth.  In it you can see God's heart toward those who minister for money or cheat people in the name of the Lord.  These same people who are "fleecing the flock" claim to depend on the Lord and feel they are being protected by Him because His presence is with them.  They don't realize they have been deceived and that the Lord is not with them any more.  They actually feel what they are doing is right and that the Lord is okay with it.

Application:

True spiritual growth could be seen as "loving what God loves and hating what God hates".  I've never thought of it this way before, but many people who think they are right with God are not.  Many today have a false hope of His protection, when they may actually see His judgment and wonder why.  To be like Christ means that we love what He loves and hate what He hates.  We cannot live any way we want, then ask God to bless it.  We must live according to His ways, then He will bless it.

Prayer:

Father, keep me on the right track.  Help me to follow You completely.  I don't want false hope, but a real relationship with my father.  I want to love what you love and hate what you hate.  Let my heart be transformed and become more and more like Yours.  Help me to never preach, teach, prophesy or minister with a paycheck in mind.  Keep me pure in heart.

Yours,
Jeff

Him Who is ABLE

Scripture:

Jude 24 "Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault".

Observation:

Jude is writing to warn believers about those who were coming in and telling them they could live however they wanted because of God's grace and mercy.  He reminds them to be faithful to the Lord, then gives them this verse that is so powerful.  He says God is able to keep us from falling and bring us to Himself without a single fault.  That is powerful!  God is able, are we willing?!

Application:

God is able to bring us to Himself without a single fault and keep us from falling.  Why is it that so many people fall all around us?  Why do so many ministry leaders fall into sinful behavior?  I believe it is because they get their eyes off the one who can keep them from falling.  God will empower us to do everything He asks us to.  He is able, are we willing?  God doesn't go against our will.  He is a gentleman.  He won't push His ways on us.  He wants us to seek them out.  When we want His will, He will empower us to live it out.  He is able!!!

Prayer:

Father, my trust is in You.  It is You who keep me from falling.  It is You who saved me from the junk of this world.  It is You who empowers me to live right.  Help me keep my eyes on You, the author and finisher of my faith.  You are amazing and I want to serve You well.  You are able, let me be willing till the end.

Your Son,

Jeff

Jonah's I Problem

Scripture:

Jonah 4:3 "Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen".

Observation:

Jonah was used of God to bring an entire city to repentance. This was one of the greatest revivals ever recorded in history, yet Jonah is upset because God, seeing their humility and repentance, was going to let them live and Jonah's prediction would then not come true. In this sentence, Jonah uses "I" 2 times and "me" once. He would rather die than to be seen as wrong in his prediction. You can see he was more interested in being right than in seeing an entire city saved from destruction.

Application:

When our ministry becomes about how we look instead of about the glory of the Lord, then we need to fall on our knees and repent. Just as Jonah was more concerned about his reputation than about God saving a city, sometimes in ministry we can get more concerned about our position, title, reputation, etc. than about the God we serve. Pride and self-centered lifestyle are the opposite of what God wants us to be like. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, therefore, we should be more concerned about His glory than about our reputation.

Prayer:

Father, forgive me for the times I have been self-centered and worried more about my reputation than about the people you have sent me to serve. Keep my heart right and pure before You.  I want to lead our church in giving You glory at all times.  Thanks for reminding me how easy it is to get concerned about reputation of self instead of glory of God.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Lord Himself Will Be King!

Scripture:

Obadiah 21 "Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the Lord Himself will be king!"

Observation:

Throughout Israel's Old Testament history God wanted them to be His people and He wanted to be their king. He was crushed when they decided that they wanted a human king, but because of their whining about it, He gave them King Saul. This was not His first choice. Still today, God wants to be king in our lives. He strongly desires a people who are fully and completely surrendered to Him.

Application:

God doesn't force Himself on anyone. He is a gentleman. He wants to be king of our lives, but won't force himself into leadership in our lives. In order for His will to be accomplished in our lives, we must submit ourselves to His will. He wants to be king in our lives, but He gives us the option. As king, His intentions are nothing but good and blessing for His people, yet we struggle to give Him complete control. We must let Him be king! It has always been Him desire.

Prayer:

Father, I submit myself to You will in my life. I want You to be king and for Jeff to step off the throne of my life. I trust You completely and want You to rule my life. You are amazing and as I read Your word, it appears clearly to me how You work in our lives. Reign in my life King Jesus!

Yours,
Jeff

Love One Another

Scripture:

II John 5 "I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning".

Observation:

John is writing to remind God's people to love one another. He follows it up with "This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning". Loving one another is foundational and was the root of Christ's teaching. Jesus said the two greatest commands were love God with everything and love your neighbor as yourself. He said that the world would know we were His disciples by the love we have for one another. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit. It is what should come from those who belong to Christ.

Application:

From the beginning, the teaching of Christ would lead us into loving one another. We must learn to love everyone as Christ loves them. We must love those who hurt us, use us and walk out on us. We must love those who are unlovable as Christ did. His example of loving those who were killing Him is amazing! Find someone to love today. Mend a relationship, build new friendship, show the love of Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to love like Jesus loved. Increase my love for the people you died for. I want to be known as a person who loved people. Help me to demonstrate that love in real ways today. Let the love of Christ flow through my life as I reach out to people today. Fill me with Your love.

Yours,
Jeff

Restoration is on God's Mind

Scripture:

Amos 9:11 "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory".

Observation:

Most of the book of Amos has been God speaking of judgment to come because of Israel's sin. Even in today's reading, He was speaking of disaster, yet as we come to the end of the book, He promises restoration. Even in judgment, God has restoration in mind. God's goal is always to bring people to Himself,cause them to trust in Him, and then bless them exceedingly. It is when man decides they don't want to live according to God's ways, that trouble starts. Even when they mess up restoration is always on His mind!

Application:

God desires to bless His people. He loves to restore the broken, heal the sick, mend the brokenhearted, etc. He loves to put lives back together again. No matter what you have gone through in life, God loves You and wants to bring you to Himself, restore you and bless you exceedingly. When we mess up and fall into things we shouldn't and open doors in our lives to the enemy, He is always there, calling us back to Himself so He can restore us. We must determine to trust Him, live His way, and quickly repent when we get off track. He is faithful to us, may we ever be faithful to Him.

Prayer:

Father, I love You. You never cease to amaze me. Your loving kindness is better than life. Let me have your heart for people. I want to be a restorer of people. I want You to work through my life to restore broken relationships, people and plans.

Yours,
Jeff

But Still You Would Not Return to Me

Scripture:

Amos 4:11 "I destroyed some of your cities, as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like charred sticks pulled from a fire. But still you would not return to me says the Lord".

Observation:

In this fourth chapter of Amos, you hear over and over again these words, "But still you would not return to me". God would allow some calamity, then it would say, "But still you would not return to me". In this you can hear the heart of God crying out for His people to return to Him. His intention from the beginning was to have a people and to be their God, but people have a will and often make wrong choices. Instead of turning around, they continue to go farther and farther in disobedience.

Application:

As I read about all the different problems God had brought on His children, yet they would not return to Him, I realize the heart of God once again. He is, and always has been, looking for a people who will follow Him completely. A people He can bless and demonstrate His love and power to, yet we continue to do our own thing. He wants to be the center of our lives and He wants us to quickly return to Him when we do mess up. We must learn to be quick repenters when we mess up and we will stay in the blessing of God.

Prayer:

Lord, I hear Your heart through Amos. I see that You have always wanted a people who would be completely Yours. I see how you tried to get them to come back to You, yet they still would not return. Help me to be one who returns quickly and walks in step with You. I want to be a person who You can trust.

Sincerely,
Jeff

Intimacy and Expectations

Scripture:

Amos 3:2 "From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins".

Observation:

God tells Israel, through His prophet Amos, that they were the only nation he had been intimate with. He didn't show His love to all nations, but chose Israel to be His very own people. Because He had been intimate with them alone, there were some expectations that came along with intimacy. He had chosen them above all, yet they had gone after other gods. The punishment would be severe because of the intimacy and commitment of God toward them.

Application:

In our everyday lives, intimacy brings with it expectations. When we are intimate with someone, there are expectations placed because we are intimate. Trust is important because in intimacy things are shared. The closer you get to God, the more will be expected of your life. The more You know Him, them greater the expectations placed on you. The more intimacy with Him, the more judgment as well. God has chosen us all and wants us all to be His, but those who have grown closer, will have more expectations on their lives. Don't run from it, but to it. The intimacy is worth the expectations.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to know You more each day. I want to hear your voice whisper in my ear. I want to be touch by what touches You. I want to see Your face and know You will at all times. I want to walk with You as friend with friend.

Yours,
Jeff

Call the People Together

Scripture:

Joel 2:15 "Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting".

Observation:

In the first and beginning of the second chapter, God is warning Israel about coming destruction that is not from any other source except Him. He talks about how he will devastate Jerusalem with judgment, then he gives the prescription to turn away his wrath. He says, "Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting". He tells them to cry out to Him for mercy and let's them know that if they do this, He will restore them.

Application:

Today's word, I feel is a direct word for me from the book of Joel. Our nation is in a mess and we need to blow the trumpet and call God's people together to a solemn meeting to repent, pray and seek His face. He has been asking me to assemble the intercessors for a long time and I am finally beginning to answer. I feel like God is speaking directly to me through this word. I will answer yes and call the people together.

Prayer:

Lord, I am stepping out in faith, believing I have heard Your voice. Honor this step and cause the churches of Ashburn to respond quickly and completely. Help me assemble your people from all the different churches in this area to call on Your name. Give me favor as I step into this. Let us see a great multitude of people crying out to God with one voice. Let it arise!

Forever Yours,
Jeff

My Love will Know No Bounds

Scripture:

Hosea 14:4 "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever".

Observation:

In the midst of God's incredible rebuke of Israel, His love is still seen. He is in the process of telling them that they are going to be punished horrifically for the sins they had committed and He tells them that if they return to Him, He will bless them. God loves to bless His people, but He also needs them to be walking in obedience to Him. When His people walk in obedience, His love knows no bounds and His anger is gone forever.

Application:

God is worthy of all our obedience and submission to Him. He desires to bless His people and offers it willingly to those who follow after Him. He wants no other gods before Him. This is huge in God's eyes. He does not want His people following other gods. He wants to be the source and sustenance of all Him people. When we live in that state, His love knows no bounds and we walk in His blessing.

Prayer:

Lord, help me eliminate anything in my life that looks like a god. Show me the areas that I have disobeyed in. Help me walk in complete obedience in a way that is pleasing to You. You love for me has always been "without bounds" and you have always taken such good care of me. Thank You!!

Your Son,
Jeff

He Met God Face to Face

Scripture:

Hosea 12:4 "Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him".

Observation:

This is a description of Jacob. He is saying that God is about to punish Jacob, Judah, for all his ways. He talks about how Jacob fought in the womb, when he grew, and even fought with God. In the midst of this I see that at Bethel, Jacob wrestled with an angel and met God face to to face. This guy had some audacity and tenacity! He wanted a blessing and he wasn't going to stop wrestling the angel until he got it.

Application:

We generally feel like, "if God wants to touch me, He will come down and touch me". We need to be more like Jacob who wrestled with God and won. He was determined to be blessed by God and would do whatever it took to get it. He wept, pleaded and wrestled with an angel before he saw God face to face. If we are ever going to see God come down in power and true revival break forth, we are going to have to wrestle with God until He comes down and blesses us. There must be effort on our part of seeking Him. He says if we seek Him with all our heart, He will be found by us. It's time to wrestle!

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to see revival in my generation. I want You to come down and sweep multitudes into Your kingdom. I want you to reign and rule over Ashburn, Loudoun, and Northern VA. You are God and seek You with all my heart. I want to see You face to face. I want Your presence to fill the earth like waters cover the sea. Give me the strength to continue the fight and give me others who will join in until You come in Your power.

Your,
Jeffs

Everywhere Except

Scripture:

Hosea 7:16 "They look everywhere except to the Most High. They are as useless as crooked bows".

Observation:

Hosea is talking about Israel's unfaithfulness to God. As one of the complaints God has about them, He uses this phrase, "they look everywhere except to the Most High". I see this as true of mankind everywhere and throughout all times. When we are in trouble, we look everywhere except the Lord and when we are in a terrible situation because of our disobedience, we turn our eyes to the Lord. Hosea says that this type of person is as useless as a crooked bow, it won't do what it was designed to do. It never hits its target.

Application:

When we don't look to the Lord Most High with problems in our lives, we become like a crooked bow. We never hit our target. Everything we try seems to miss the mark. God has always desired a people who would look to Him as their all-sufficient savior. He desires a people who will turn to Him in every situation, yet most of us are content to continue looking everywhere else except the Lord when we are in trouble. I don't want to miss the target of my designer, therefore I will look to the Lord.

Prayer:

Help me Father to look to You in every situation I find myself in. Teach me to depend on You more and rely on myself less and less. I want to hit the target and not be a crooked bow that never hits its intended mark. You are the answer to my life, my family, my finances, my church and my city. You are the answer! Thanks for reminding me.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Pay them back with a blessing

Scripture:

I Peter 3:9 "Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it".

Observation:

Peter strongly encourages us not to fight back like the rest of the world does. He tells us to be more like Christ who went as a lamb to the slaughter, not saying a word. Jesus made very similar statements in the Sermon on the Mount. We are taught today to fight for your rights, fight back when you are done wrong, and make the wrongs right. Scripture tells us to be like Christ who paid them back with a blessing.

Application:

This is not easy to apply to life because it is so against the natural man. When we are done wrong, we naturally want to fight back and right the wrongs. Peter and Jesus tell us to pay them back with a blessing. We must learn to respond how Christ would respond in every situation so that the world can see that we are different from them. We are told that God would bless us for it and God's blessing is worth a little humility. I want God's blessing instead of getting back at those who hurt me.

Prayer:

Lord, Make me more like Jesus today. Help me to respond the way Christ would in every situation I find myself in.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Time of the End

Scripture:

Daniel 12:4 "But you Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase".

Observation:

Daniel was given visions about the end of time over 2500 years ago and he describes with great accuracy what is going on in our world today, which is a confirmation that the end things as we know them is coming soon. The angel was delivering this message to Daniel and told him to seal it up until the time of the end. Here we are today and the end of this verse describes us today. Like never before in history people are rushing here and there. Like never before in history, knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate. It is unbelievable when you watch how fast technology is changing around us. There has never been a time like this.

Application:

I am convinced we are living in the last days. I am convinced we are living in the days Daniel spoke about. Therefore, what we do for the kingdom of God, must be done quickly. Time is short and God has me here on earth for the establishment of His kingdom in the earth. As it is fun to watch technology and to run here and there, these are signs that tell us that the end is near. Now is the time to look up, our redemption draws near. I must live every day knowing that it could be my last and do every possible thing to advance God's kingdom in my time here.

Prayer:

Lord, I look to You. I need your help. I want you to lead me every day to accomplish all you want me to each day. Help me to fulfill Your will in my life. Open doors and I will walk through them. Time is running out. Help me keep focused on that instead of being focused on running here and there and watching knowledge increase.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Pleading with the Lord

Scripture:

Daniel 9:20 "I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, His holy mountain".

Observation:

When Daniel was shown what was to come in the world, he began to cry out to God on behalf of his people. He put on sackcloth and ashes and came to God in brokenness, repentance, and a humble heart. When he saw what was coming in the future to his nation, he began to repent on their behalf and cry out for the mercy of God. He was an OT intercessor, praying to avert the judgment coming to God's people.

Application:

When we hear the state of things in our country and world, we should be driven to our knees much like Daniel was. We need to humble our selves and cry out for the mercy of God. America needs dramatic change, but God's people need to be humbling themselves before Him and repenting for the sins of the nation. We need to be pleading with the Lord as we see things happening in our land. As we walk with God, He will teach us the details.

Prayer:

Father, You are amazing! Teach me the true ministry of intercession. As I pray for my region, the nation and the world, show me how to pray effectively. Help me become a person who stands before God on behalf of others. As Daniel pleaded with You, help me know how to pray in difficult times. I want to pray Your prayers, the prayers You want to pray. I want to partner with You in prayer.

Yours,
Jeff