The Fear of God

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 32:41  "When I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment' I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me".

Observation:

Moses is singing a song here that the Lord gave him before he was going to pass away.  In the song, he has this verse that speaks about the judgment of God.  God says through Moses that He will take vengeance one day on all His enemies and those who hate Him.  He says He will take His flashing sword in judgment one day.  God is not only the loving God we talk about today, but He is also a God who will one day judge the living and the dead.  He is holy and to be feared.

Application:

Sometimes today we focus so much on the love of God, which is accurate, that we lose sight of the fear of God.  He is definitely to be feared.  When I read through the Old Testament, I see the anger of the Lord and His righteous judgment and think, is this the loving God we preach about?  The answer is yes.  He is loving and full of grace and mercy, but He is also holy and will one day stand in judgment.  He is to be feared.  We should fear Him who has the power to throw us into hell's fire.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, teach us to see You correctly.  Help us see you in Your awesomeness.  Help us to see You as the one who loves us, but also the one who is holy and righteous and who wants no other gods before Him.  Help me to see You as You are.

Yours,
Jeff

The Things Revealed

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 29:29  "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

Observation:

This passage let's us know that there are things that are revealed and there are secrets God has that are not revealed.  The secret things belong to the Lord, the revealed things belong to us.  Some things God has chosen to reveal, some things He keeps secret.  He reveals things to us..."that we may follow all the words of this law".

Application:

God loves to reveal things to His people.  How do we increase our revelation knowledge?  "follow all the words of this law".  We must follow what has been revealed, then God can give us more.  If we are not doing what we know, why should He reveal more to us?  We must live in the revelation we have, then our understanding will grow.

Prayer:

Father, help me to do You known will, that I might be ready to receive more revelation.  Open my mind, my heart and my ears to hear from You more clearly.  Help me walk in obedience and inherit the blessings of Deuteronomy.

Your Son,
Jeff

All These Blessings

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 28:2  "All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God".

Observation:

As Deuteronomy 28 opens, the Lord says that is His children obey Him, many blessings will come their way.  He then lists many blessings including prosperity, provision, protection, and anything else they would need as they go into the land He promised them that flows with milk and honey.  The thing that stands out about these blessings, which are constantly preached and taught, is that they are dependent on our obedience.  There is a whole list, which is much longer, for those who don't obey the Lord.

Application:

We can't claim all the blessings unless we walk in obedience.  If we walk in disobedience, we can expect lots of curses.  Obedience brings blessing!  Disobedience brings the curse.  We must become people who walk in obedience, not just when it feels good, but at all times.  We must walk in obedience to our God, then we can expect incredible seasons of blessing.

Prayer:

Father, you are amazing.  You want to bless Your people with every blessing.  You delight in raising your people up.  You also want a people who listen to Your voice and obey.  Help me to hear and obey what You ask me to do at all times.  I want to live under the incredible blessing of my Father.

Yours,
Jeff

Focus on the Family

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 24:5  "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him.  For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married".

Observation:

God set in order for His people to focus on the family.  In this passage He tells the people that when a man gets married, he is not to have any duties laid on him for a year so he can focus on bringing his wife happiness.  God wanted them to get their marriage strong before he would need to carry any other big responsibilities.

Application:

If God wanted his people to do this, it must be important.  He knows what He is doing.  It is somewhat impossible today, but to keep it fresh in your memory is good.  Young couples need to focus on getting their marriage strong before getting loaded down with lots of other responsibilities.  Older couples need to learn the balance of life and family so the family knows that life must be dealt with, but the family is number one priority.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to be a better husband to Cheryl.  Help me be more focused at home with her and the boys.  Help me not to carry the weight of life and ministry into my home, but let my home always remain a place of love, joy and peace.  Let my home always be filled with laughter.

Yours,
Jeff

Leave Nothing Alive

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 20:16, 18  "In the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes...they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods."

Observation:

As the children of Israel were preparing to inherit the Promised Land, God spoke very clearly to them about putting to death every living thing in the cities they would conquer.  He told them that if anything or anyone was left alive, they would teach Israel to worship their gods which was detestable to the Lord.  God wanted nothing left alive.  He wanted no competition with the gods of the other nations.  He wanted nothing to pull the heart of His people away from Him.

Application:

In the New Testament, we are not told to take over land areas and cities by force, but there are some concepts that are true in both situations.  We are not to kill our enemies, we are to love them.  But God still wants to be first in our lives.  He still wants nothing in our lives that will pull us away from Him.  We are to die to the flesh and live to the Spirit.  We must put to death the practices of our old lifestyle before Christ so we won't be tempted to go back.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk after You completely and fully.  Help me to kill the flesh and live to the Spirit.  Teach me to live completely under Your influence and fulfill all You want in my life.  I offer you my life as a sacrifice this morning.  I am Yours.

Forever,
Jeff

No One Will Be Able to Stand Against You

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 11:25 "No One will be able to stand against you, The Lord your God, as He promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go".

Observation:

God is speaking to His people and telling them that they are about to go into the Promised Land and that when they go, it is important that they worship and serve Him only.  They could choose obedience and blessing or disobedience and cursing from God.  If they chose obedience, the above promise was theirs.  No one would be able to stand against you and God would put terror and fear of you wherever you go.  God promised that if the people kept Him first, He would promise complete and total victory.

Application:

In the New Testament we are considered children of Abraham.  Therefore the promises that go to his descendants, also come down to us.  When we are truly following God with all our heart and doing our part of serving Him only and not having any other gods, we can expect God to bless our lives such that our enemies are even fearful of us.  They should look at us and think, "I don't want to mess with them, their God is incredible".  May we choose obedience and victory more and more.

Prayer:

Father, help me walk in the way You want me to walk.  Raise my faith level to truly believe that since I have served You with my whole heart, that You will bless me indeed and works the miraculous in my life.  Help me to know deep in my heart that You have my back in every situation because I have diligently sought You.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Purpose of Testing

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:2  "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart".

Observation:

This scripture reminds us why God tests us.  He told the children of Israel that He had led them for forty years in the wilderness for a purpose.  He wanted to humble them and to know what was in their heart.  What is in the heart comes out when there is testing and things don't go right for us.  His purpose...to know what is in your heart.

Application:

Sometimes we go through tests that we don't understand.  God may be testing us to humble us and to know what it in our hearts.  When the pressure goes up, the heart gets revealed.  Hidden motives get revealed when testing takes place.  Before God can trust us with more, He has to know we are humble and that our inside matches our outside.  He wants to know what is in our heart.  Let's not despise testing.  Let's realize that God tests us, then when we pass the test, we walk into a new season of His blessing.

Prayer:

Lord, let me see every test as a preparation for blessing.  Help me pass my tests as well and not get frustrated in the process.  Let my heart be pure before You and when it is tested, let there be pure gold.

Yours,
Jeff

God's Incredible Provision

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:11 "houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant"

Observation:

God speaks to the people of Israel and tells them that when they enter the promised land, that they would live in houses they didn't build, drink from wells they didn't dig, and eat from food sources they didn't plant. He was telling them that He was going to provide incredibly for them as long as they worshiped and served Him only.  He wanted their hearts and He would more than take care of their needs.

Application:

Is God still able to provide for His people like this?   Is God still able to cause His people to inherit houses they didn't work for and lands they didn't plant?  God is still able and still works on behalf of those who trust Him and are completely sold out to Him.  God is an amazing provider for His people.  As we put Him first, everything else works out well.  He loves us and loves to provide for us.

Prayer:

Father, help me to trust You more in this area of provision.  Help me to walk with You and know You will give me the desires of my heart.  I ask You today to make it possible for me to buy a home this summer that my family may be established in this area.  I believe You gave me a word that this year we will go from renting to owning.  Make it possible I pray.

Yours,
Jeff

The Lord Your God Has Blessed You

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 2:7  "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand.  He knows your trudging around through this great wilderness.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing".

Observation:

God is speaking to Moses and helps him remember how good God had been to them.  He reminds Moses that He had been with them and that they lacked nothing throughout the forty years in the wilderness.  When the children of Israel should have definitely been dead in the wilderness, they lacked nothing.  They were under God's judgement, yet never lacked anything.  He still provided every meal for them.

Application:

When we are in a desert place in our lives and we don't feel God's presence as much, we must remember and recount all the good things He has done for us in the past.  We must remember how He has saved us, delivered us and blessed us.  We must remember how we have lacked nothing and we are still alive and well.  We must be a people of thanksgiving.  He has truly blessed us.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are amazing and You have blessed my life over and over again.  You have taken care of me and walked with me through many battles.  You have been faithful to me and I appreciate you.  You have always provided enough for us to make it.  You have always given a way of escape and we have never gon under.

Love You,
Jeff

Commissioning

Scripture:

Numbers 27:18-19  "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him.  Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence."

Observation:

God had Moses commission Joshua in front of the priest and in front of all the people.  He set Joshua apart in front of the people so that they would follow him after Moses was gone.  God also said of Joshua that he had a spirit of leadership.  This brought confidence to the people that he was worthy to be followed when Moses had to leave.

Application:

Commissioning people is very important even today.  People who are given a position of authority need to be commissioned in front of those who they will lead.  This allows the people under their leadership to recognize that this is coming from a higher authority and they are not self-promoting.  We need to  do this better.

Prayer:

Father, show me how to honor upcoming leadership and to set them up for success.  Teach me to lead well and to empower others who can lead well.  

Yours,

Jeff

I Can't Say Whatever I Please

Scripture:

Numbers 22:38  "I can't say whatever I please.  I must speak only what God puts in my mouth".

Observation:

Balaam had to have a donkey speak to him and crush his leg before he really go the point.  God was concerned that Balaam would speak words that God wasn't speaking.  Finally Balaam realized that God was speaking to him, he made it clear that he couldn't speak a curse if God wasn't speaking a curse and he couldn't speak a blessing if God wasn't speaking a blessing.  He finally determined he would only speak what God put in his mouth.

Application:

Very often we say things we wish we had not said.  Many times words come out of our mouths that are not pleasing to God and destroy others.  Jesus only said what He heard the Father say.  Balaam learned that he was only to say what God was saying.  We must learn this same lesson.  We can't say whatever we please.  We must speak the words God wants us to speak.

Prayer:

Father, help me not to say whatever I please, but to speak what You desire me to speak.  I want to be your voice in my generation.  I want to speak Your words and not my own.  Help me with my mouth Lord.  Let my words be few, but powerful because they are really Your words.

Your Son,

Jeff

Complaining and Murmuring

Scripture:

Numbers 21:5-6  "They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  There is no bread!  There is no water!  And we detest this miserable food!'  Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died".

Observation:

God had brought His people out of slavery and bondage, provided for them miraculously, protected them continually, yet they continued to complain.  God brought water out of a rock when they were thirsty and performed many mighty miracles.  God gave them food every morning, but they didn't like it.  When they complained, God sent snakes among them to let them know He wasn't happy.  They were complaining about their situation, yet their situation was their fault.

Application:

It is much easier to complain than to have a good attitude.  It is easy to find fault in God or others, but hard to point the finger at ourselves and admit we are the problem.  Complaining and murmuring only made things worse for the children of Israel and it only makes things worse in our lives.  We need to look at what God has provided for us and be thankful.  A thankful heart gets blessed, and unthankful heart gets bitten.

Prayer:

Lord, help me walk in thankfulness for Your incredible blessings.  I don't want to walk in the company of the complainers.  Help me to see what we do have instead of what we don't have.  Thank You for putting up with me when I do complain.

Yours,
Jeff

Leadership Struggles

Scripture:

Numbers 16:3  "They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them.  Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?'"

Observation:

Moses and Aaron were set apart by God to do a work for Him.  The people began to think they were no different and that there was no reason why these men should be set apart.  They accused Moses and Aaron of pride and "setting themselves apart", when it was God who set them apart.  Really it was pride in the people that caused them to think that they should be able to come into the Lord's presence.  God ended up setting everyone straight and showing everyone who He had chosen.

Application:

It is really difficult to lead people, especially today.  God still calls people to lead and some to follow.  Today we have the most educated laymen probably in the history of the world.  Many times they think they know better than the leader what the leader needs to be doing.  Many times leaders are belittled by those who think they know more and may even know more scripture.  Yes, we are all equal at the cross, but God still calls some to lead in His kingdom and some to follow.  Be happy where you are and let God raise you up.

Prayer:

Father, help me see that the reality of leadership struggles goes back at least as far as Moses and Aaron.  We still face very similar situations.  Give our century a better understanding of how mot to let pride fill or lives.  Teach me to lead well and love well.

Yours,
Jeff

The Size of the Problem or the Size of God?

Scripture:

Numbers 13:32  "And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.  They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it.  All the people we saw there are of great size'".

Observation:

The ten spies who came back with Joshua and Caleb spread a bad report about the promised land. They were telling the people how huge the people of the land were and how the Israelites would never be able to defeat them.  They concentrated on how huge the obstacle was instead of how awesome God is.  They were able to influence all the people of Israel because bad reports always travel faster and are believed stronger than good reports.

Application:

The focus of the ten spies was how huge the enemies were.  The focus of people of faith us how huge our God is.  We must remember that the God we serve is all-powerful.  He is amazing and nothing is impossible for Him.  As people of God, we must shift our view from the size of the problem to the size of our God.  There is no enemy that can overpower the living God and we must continually remind ourselves of this thought.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.  All-powerful God, You are worthy!  Help me to see Your incredible abilities instead of my own inabilities.  Help me see Your size and not the size of my enemies.  Help me keep my eyes on You and not the problems that confront me.  Help me focus on You and allow You to work Your plan for my life.

Yours,
Jeff

Bless You and Keep You

Scripture:

Numbers 6:24  "The Lord bless you and keep you".

Observation:

God gave this phrase to Moses as the beginning of how he was to bless the people of Israel.  In verse 27 the blessing finishes with "so they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them".  When we say things like, "The Lord bless you and keep you", we are pronouncing a biblical blessing on that person.  By doing this, we are putting God's name on them and where God's name is, there is blessing.  Notice it is the Lord who blesses and keeps us.  Our trust must be in Him.

Application:

Sometimes we randomly say, "God bless you" when someone sneezes, coughs etc.  What if we started intentionally blessing people?  What if we started putting God's name on people?  What if instead of cursing people, we began blessing them?  Out of our mouths flow rivers of death or rivers of life.  Which river will flow today?  I want the river of blessing to flow through my life, therefore I want to speak God's blessing on His people.

Prayer:

Lord, let my words be a blessing to someone today.  Let the river of Your blessing flow through my life.  You are amazing and I want the world to know You.  Thank You for giving us the ability to bless in Your name.

Yours,
Jeff

Given Wholly to Him

Scripture:

Numbers 3:9-10  "Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him.  Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death".

Observation:

The Levites were set apart for the service of the Lord.  Aaron and his sons were to serve as priests and anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.  The Levites were "wholly given" to Moses to serve his and the priests needs in the Tabernacle.  They didn't have a choice when they grew up what they wanted to be.  If you were a Levite, you were wholly given to the ministry and the Lord.

Application:

In the New Tesatment we are seen as a kingdom of priests who are to serve the Lord "wholly".  The Levites were "called out" from among their brethren to serve in the Tabernacle.  The Greek word for church is Ekklesia which means, "called out".  We have been called out of the world to serve in the kingdom of God.  We are to be wholly God's.  We are to do his will and not our own.  We are to serve His purposes and not our own.

Prayer:

Father, help me to see my life as an offering to You.  Help me to live according to your plans for my life and not my own.  I want to do Your will above all else.  Help me not get off track.  I want to be wholly yours!

Yours,
Jeff

In All Nations

Scripture:

Luke 24:46-47  "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem".

Observation:

Jesus had been with His disciples for 3-1/2 years.  He had walked with them, talked with them and simply been with them day and night, yet they still didn't understand completely until Jesus had died and resurrected.  Before ascending to His Father, Jesus told them that repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations.  He then told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power from heaven to accomplish this great work.

Application:

Jesus' desire and commission still stands today.  He wants repentance for the forgiveness of sins to be preached in all nations.  As post resurrection Christians, our commission still stands until Jesus comes again.  We are to take the Gospel to the entire world.  All nations need the Gospel and our job is to pray, give and go until every nation has been reached for Christ.  This is why we live!

Prayer:

Lord, I want to take your good news to the ends of the earth.  I want to preach Your Gospel throughout the globe.  I want to reach as many for Christ as possible in my life.  Empower me with the Holy Spirit.  Anoint me to preach Your word afresh.  Help me to live a life pleasing to You and Your kingdom.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Watching and Praying

Scripture:

Luke 21:36 "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you will be able to stand before the Son of man".

Observation:

Jesus had been talking about the last days to His disciples and what that would look like.  He described many things from signs in the heavens to sign on the earth.  As He is completing this thought, He tells them that they should watch and pray so they can escape all that is coming.

Application:

All of the signs Jesus spoke of in Luke 21 are happening now around the world.  I believe the end of things as we know them is soon to be over.  Jesus tells us, when we see these things, to always watch and pray.  Lately, I have had a sense of looking up while I pray.  I find myself on my prayer walks, looking up into the skies more and more.  One other verse said that Jesus is coming for those who are looking for His appearing.  As for me, I'm looking for His appearing any day now.  He is coming soon!

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to keep looking up and live each day as if it was my last on this earth.  Help me lead more souls to Christ.  Help me reach out to more people to demonstrate your love.  Help me advance Your causes in the earth.  You are amazing and I love You!

Yours,
Jeff

Persistent Prayer Day and Night

Scripture:

Luke 18:7 "and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He keep putting them off?

Observation:

Jesus just told the parable of the persistent widow who kept coming to a terrible judge who didn't care about God or people.  In the story, the unjust judge gave her what she wanted because she wouldn't give up and continued to bother him.  Jesus then said, "will God not bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night?"

Application:

Sometimes we don't get the answers we need in life because we give up too quickly.  Like the persistent woman, we need to keep our requests coming to the Lord.  She got her answer because she bothered the judge so much by continually coming to Him.  Jesus gave us permission here to continually pray until we get answers.  Persistence demonstrates faith and faith gets answers.  Most people give up and feel like it must not be God's will.  People of faith keep asking and believing and never stop until their needs are met.

Prayer:

Father, increase my faith.  Help me cry out to You day and night, day and night, until prayers are answered.  I have asked you for some things is 2014.  I am going to continue to ask until they are answered.  I believe they are things you delight in doing, therefore I'm going to continue to ask.  Teach me persistence in prayer.

Your Son,
Jeff