Refined to be His

Scripture:

Zechariah 13:9  "This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.  They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people', and they will say, 'The Lord is our God'".

Observation:

Just prior to this, the Lord was saying through Zechariah that He was going to wipe out two-thirds of his own people because they were following idols, etc.  It is a time of judgment in this scripture, but, even in judgment we see the heart of God.  The one-third left, He refines and purifies so that He can be theirs and they can be His.  He simply wants a holy people who He can have a deep relationship with.

Application:

God wants to refine and purify our lives.  He wants it, not to hurt us, but to help us walk with Him closer.  He has always desired a people who are fully and completely His.  He wants a people who are totally sold out to Him and who will do His will in the earth.  The cool thing about God is that He supplied His Son to make us righteous and His Spirit to help us walk the walk.  He makes is easier on us.

Prayer:

Father, you went out of Your way and sacrificed Your only Son so that I could have this special relationship with You.  You have blessed me with Your Spirit to show me how to live and to give the strength I need to live completely for You.  Thank You and help me to to follow You completely.  I want to know You, follow You, trust You and walk with You closer and closer.

Yours,

Jeff

Ask for Rain

Scripture:

Zechariah 10:1  "Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.  He gives showers of rain to all people and plants of the field to everyone."

Observation:

Zechariah makes a simple, yet very profound statement here.  He says, "Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime".  He goes on to give God credit for thunderstorms and showers that we need so much.

Application:

This verse causes me to think about some of the simple things I never ask God for.  In the springtime, we expect it to rain.  We simply expect that April showers will bring May flowers.  Sometimes we neglect to ask God for the simple things.  When it doesn't rain for a year, we begin to call on His name to rescue us, but do we pray every Spring for rain?  God wants us to ask for the simple things that we think are simply natural occurrences.

Prayer:

Father, sometimes I neglect to ask You for things because I feel like You already know my situation.  Remind me to ask for the simple things that I may take for granted.  Help me to ask You for the simple things and to rejoice when You provide.

Yours,
Jeff

Diligent Obedience

Scripture:

Zechariah 6:15  "Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God".

Observation:

In this passage, a prophetic word is given.  Usually, when a prophetic word is given, there is also a condition that accompanies it.  Here a beautiful promise is made about the rebuilding of the temple and how God would make it happen.  The promise is accompanied by the words, "This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God".

Application:

I have received many, many prophetic words throughout my life, and many of them have come to pass.  I have learned through the process that God can show you His will for your life, but if you stray away from following His voice and obeying His direction, He doesn't have to bring it to pass.  We must live in a constant state of diligent obedience to the voice of the Lord.  When we do, every word He speaks over our lives, will come to pass.

Prayer:

Father, I don't want to miss out on anything You have planned for my life.  I want to serve You completely and fulfill all of Your will for my life.  Help me to hear clearly Your voice and to obey with diligence, all you want me to do.

Your Son,
Jeff

At That Time

Scripture:

Zephaniah 3:20  "At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.  I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes, says the Lord."

Observation:

God had been speaking through Zephaniah about wiping out the whole world and destroying every nation for their disobedience.  He was speaking disaster that He was going to bring upon the earth.  Then He begins to talk about the remnant of Zion.  He says at that time He would restore their fortunes and give them honor and praise.

Application:

Generally, we give up on God just a little too early.  The word this morning is, "at that time".  God has set times when He is going to work.  We may have to put up with things for a while, but at the right time, God will intervene.  I'm sure the children of Israel thought He was way late when God decided to bring them out of Egypt, but it was at the right time.  We need to hold onto God and His promises and never give up.  At the right time, they will come to pass.

Prayer:

Father, there are many things I have felt in my spirit that have not yet come to pass.  Give me the strength to endure until, "that time" comes.  Help me to stay focused on You until "that time" comes.  I want to serve You well.  Strengthen my faith when I'm not seeing the results I would like to see at the time I would like to see them.

Your Son,
Jeff

Be Silent

Scripture:

Habakkuk 3:20  "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him".

Observation:

Habakkuk had been prophesying about Babylon and the judgment that would come on them because of the way they treated people and the gods they worshiped were made by their own hands.  Habakkuk closes his word to them by simply saying, "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him".

Application:

Sometimes when we are in the midst of trouble, confusion, or not knowing what to do, we simply need to realize that God is in his temple and be silent before Him.  Usually when we are in trouble, we give God every detail of what He needs to do to get us out of the situation.  We pray exactly what we think needs to happen.   Sometimes, we need to simply come to the place of worship and remain silent before him.  He knows our needs before we ask.  Sometimes we need to simply be quiet in His presence and let Him do what He wants to do in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me to cast my cares upon You because You are for me, and then simply rest in Your presence.  Teach me to be silent in Your presence, knowing that You are God of all the universe and that You love me and have my back.

Silently,
Jeff

The God Who Cares and Crushes

Scripture:

Nahum 1:7-8  "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness".

Observation:

Nahum shows us both sides of our Lord in one statement.  He shows us the loving compassion of the Lord; He is a god who loves us, is a refuge for us, and who cares for us.  At the same time he is a just God who won't put up with those who are opposed to Him.  He is good to those who are His, but He will judge those who are not.

Application:

Some people really struggle to understand how a loving god can send people to hell or allow bad things to happen in the world.  He will go to the ends of the earth to help those who love Him, but He will also bring trouble on those who refuse to follow him.  His love made a way for us to have an incredible relationship with Him, yet His justice will bring punishment on his enemies.  As a dad and husband I understand this.  I love my wife and sons and will go overboard to bless them, but if someone speaks bad about them, I will not be very kind in my response.

Prayer:

Father, You are amazing to me!  You have taken incredible care of me through the years and I am grateful.  One day every enemy of Yours will be defeated and You will reign over all.  Thank you for being my refuge and caring for me.

Yours,
Jeff

Loving life

Scripture:

Revelation 12:11  "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink back from death".

Observation:

John tells us in this passage about those who overcame the enemy.  He says that they did it by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.  The part most people leave off in this verse is that they also overcame the enemy by not loving their lives, even to death.

Application:

Loving Life, that is how I have answered many people through the years when they asked how I was doing.  I believe God wants us to love life, but to not love it so much that we are afraid of death.  We are to enjoy life on this earth, but we must be more tuned in to eternity so that we see things from an eternal perspective.  We can't love our lives so much that we are more concerned about this life than the life to come.  We must keep perspective while on this earth.  We must enjoy it, but not serve it.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to enjoy life, yet not be afraid of death.  Help me follow You through whatever may come my way.  Let my foundation in You never be shaken.  Help me to love my life less and less and love You and Your life more and more.  I never want to shrink back from death, but be an overcomer.

Yours,
Jeff

A Great Multitude

Scripture:

Revelation 7:9  "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands".

Observation:

John saw a multitude in heaven whose number was absolutely huge.  It was innumerable!  They were worshiping God around the throne and declaring that salvation belongs to Him and to the Lamb.

Application:

I love reading this because it demonstrates just how large the number of those who will make heaven is going to be.  It gives me confidence we are on the right team and it gives me strength to keep on going and sharing the Good News.  We must be about our Father's business of Kingdom expansion.  As we do, we will see heaven populated more and more.  Can't wait to see this awesome sight!

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of all praise and honor.  You are the victor over all, both in this life and in the life to come.  Help me to keep my focus on populating heaven with people from every tribe, language and nation.  Help me keep the main thing, the main thing.

Your Son,
Jeff

A Kingdom of Priests

Scripture:

Revelation 5:10  "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth".

Observation:

John was talking about Jesus being the lamb that overcame and brought salvation for people from every nation tribe and tongue.  He goes on to say that these people from every nation tribe and tongue were made a kingdom and priests who will reign on the the earth.  What are the qualifications?  Be one who was purchased for God by the blood of Jesus.

Application:

Many people feel that when we are saved, we are simply going to miss hell and go to heaven.  We are not only going to miss hell and go to heaven, here we see that we are in training for reigning as a kingdom and priests.  We will not just sit on the clouds worshiping God and playing our harps, we will be reigning and ruling with Christ in his kingdom.  We can lift up our heads and know that our future is bright in Jesus, both now and in the world to come.

Prayer:

Father, help me keep eternal perspective in my life.  Help me to walk with You and fulfill Your will each day in my life.  Teach me to say yes to You in every area of my life as you prepare me for all that You have for my life and future.  Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.

Your Son,
Jeff

I Stand at the Door and Knock

Scripture:

Revelation 3:19-20  "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me".

Observation:

Jesus tells John that He is standing at the door and knocking and that if we open the door, He will come in and eat with us.  We use this scripture often concerning bringing people to salvation and a relationship with Christ.  In it's context, we are told to be earnest and repent when He rebukes and disciplines us.  Repentance and obedience opens the door to a closer walk and relationship with Christ.

Application:

We need to always stay in a position where God can deal with us at any time concerning anything in our lives that is not pleasing to Him.  We must hear His voice, receive the rebukes and discipline, and change our ways, then we will have a more intimate relationship with Him.  We need to stay quick to repent and never think we have it all together.  This opens the door to walking with God.

Prayer:

Father, help me to hear Your voice and be quick to repent when you rebuke me.  Keep me on the right track and on Your path.  I want to know You more and more each day.  I want to dine with You more intimately.  Help me to walk in tune with You, hearing Your voice and responding appropriately.

Yours,
Jeff

My Disobedience Affects Those Around me

Scripture:

Jonah 1:12  "'Pick me up and throw me into the sea', he replied, 'and it will become calm.  I know that  it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.'"

Observation:

There was a terrible storm on the water and the boat Jonah was in was going to be destroyed.  The captain of the ship had everyone call out to their gods, hoping someone would get through and peace would come.  When they found Jonah, he told them that he was the problem and that when they throw him overboard, the sea would calm down.  He realized that they were in danger and it was because of his disobedience.

Application;

The decisions we make and whether we decide to follow everything the Lord speaks to us, directly affects the lives of those around us.  Those who are close to us will feel the effects of our obedience or out disobedience.  We must realize that our decisions not only affect us, but those around us.

Prayer:

Father, for the sake of those around me and for my own sake, help me to follow Your words whole heartedly.  Help me to walk in obedience and blessing rather than disobedience and destruction.  Open my ears to hear exactly what You are saying.  I want to hear as clearly as Jonah did concerning what I am to do and not to do.

Yours,
Jeff

While We Wait

Scripture:

Jude 1:20-21  "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life".

Observation:

Jude tells us that in the last days scoffers will come and people will come with all kinds of wrong teaching.  He tells us that we need to do two things that will keep us in God's love while we wait for eternal life.  He tells us to build ourselves up in our most holy faith and he tells us to pray in the Holy Spirit.  These two things, he says, will keep us in the love of Christ while we wait.

Application:

We need to take heed from Jude that, in these last days, we need to build our faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  We build our faith by being in the word of God daily.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  We need to be in God's word more and more as the end approaches.  We also need to be praying in the Holy Spirit.  When we pray in the Spirit, we are being edified and strengthened.  These two things are end time secrets that we have n our arsenal.  We must use them.

Prayer:

Father, let Your word dwell in me richly.  Let me meditate on it day and night.  Help me to stay in Your word daily and let my faith increase because of it.  Also help me to spend more time praying in the Spirit.  Let these things be a major part of my life as I wait for eternal life.

Your Son,
Jeff

Love Walk

Scripture:

II John 1:6  "And this is love; that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love".

Observation:

This scripture tells us what is important to God.  John tells us that God is love and that when we love, we are walking like Him.  This particular verse tells us that real love for God walks in his commands and that His greatest command is to love.  In other words, obey his command and love people.

Application:

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the little details of following God's commands.  Where does He want me to work?  Who should I talk to?  Should I go into ministry?  We have all the questions that demonstrate our desire to want to please God.  Really, we please Him when we love people.  He is most pleased and we are most like Him when we love people.  When we take care of the love part, He will open the rest of the doors necessary to bless our lives.  Let's walk in love.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to love like You love.  Help me to represent You well when it comes to loving people. I want to obey your commands and live a life worthy of the calling.  I know that is best done when I love others.  Fill my heart with love and make me more like You.  You are love!  Let me be love.

Your Son,

Jeff

Who Will God Use?

Scripture:

Amos 7:14-15  "Amos answered Amaziah, 'I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore trees.  But the Lord took me from tending the flock an said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel''".

Observation:

Amos here was letting Amaziah know that whatever message he delivered was from God because he wasn't a prophet nor the son of a prophet.  He was simply a shepherd and a tree-keeper, who listened to the word of the Lord and who God told to speak on His behalf.  He was able to say, "I didn't sign up for this and wasn't looking for it".  He was sent by God to give God's word.

Application:

No matter what your present occupation may be or where your income comes from, you can be mightily used by God.  When God is looking to deliver a message, He doesn't always use the most likely candidates.  He uses those who have made time to listen to Him and follow what He says to do.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for showing me Amos this morning.  Thank you for letting me see that You will use anyone who is willing and available and they don't have to be perfectly trained for the task You give them.  Help me never underestimate what You can do through my life as I walk in step with You.

Yours,
Jeff

Live as Jesus Did

Scripture:

I John 2:6  "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."

Observation:

John had been telling us that whoever keeps God's commands, is following Him.  He said that if we are not living according to His commands, we are not living in the truth.  Then he inserts this little, yet powerful phrase, "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did".

Application:

We are told to follow the commands of the Lord and to live according to the way He wants us to live.  In this passage we are told to live as Jesus lives.  This simple verse really struck me this morning.  We are to live as Jesus lived.  Jesus was totally led by the Spirit and did whatever he saw the father doing.  He only said what He heard the father saying.  He also lived a selfless life.  He defeated the works of darkness.  He walked above sin.  He healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead.  We should live like Him!

Prayer:

Lord, I want to live like You lived while You were here on this earth.  Help me to be totally led by the Spirit, to speak what the Spirit is speaking, to live a selfless life, and to do the works that You did while You were here.  I submit my life to Your purposes.

Yours,

Jeff

Cry Out to the Lord

Scripture:

Joel 1:14  "Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.  Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord".

Observation:

Joel speaks of God's judgement that was coming to Him people.  He tells them that, when they see things are going terribly, that they need to call a holy fast and a sacred assembly.  He tells them to call for the elders and all others to come to the house of the Lord and cry out to Him.

Application:

There is a time when we must call a sacred assembly, a time to fast and pray and call unto the Lord.  God told us to call unto Him and He would show us things we can't imagine.  For years now in the United States God has been calling sacred assemblies on behalf of this nation.  Now is the time for the church to "cry out" to God.  There is a time to pray and a time to "cry out" to the Lord.  Right now is a time to "cry out" to God on behalf of our nation.

Prayer:

Father, forgive me for my lax prayer life.  Forgive me for not crying out to You as I have in the past.  I need You more now than ever and want to see You move in my region and nation.  Help me to hear Your voice and respond appropriately.  Teach me to weep again between the porch and the altar.

Yours,
Jeff

Everything We Need

Scripture:

II Peter 1:3  "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness".

Observation:

Peter makes it very clear to his readers that there is no excuse for not serving God well.  He lets us know that God himself has already given us everything we need in order to live a godly life.  He says this comes through our knowledge of Him who called us.  It is God who gives us the power to live right, not us.

Application:

Many people struggle with trying to live a life that is pleasing to God.  We try to live better lives by working harder and harder to please God.  The power to serve God well doesn't come through our efforts in the flesh, but through our knowledge of God.  It is He who gives us what we need to please Him.  Our seeking must be after Him.

Prayer:

Father, you are incredible.  You don't ask us to live perfect lives in the power of our flesh, but You give us the power to live the lives You want us to live.  Our dependence is not on ourselves, but on You.  You are the source of everything we need to serve You well.  You have done all the work for us to be able to serve You well.  Thank You!  Thank You! Thank You!

Your Son,

Jeff

Who is Wise?

Scripture:

Hosea 14:9  "Who is wise?  Let them realize these things.  Who is discerning?  Let them understand.  The ways of the Lord are right; but the rebellious stumble in them".

Observation:

Hosea closes his book with a powerful comment about wisdom and discernment.  He says that "The ways of the Lord are right; but the rebellious stumble in them".  No matter how wise or discerning we think we are, unless we walk in the ways of the Lord, we will stumble.

Application:

God wants us to realize that His ways are better than our ways.  He wants us to understand that His ways are right and our ways will lead to death and destruction.  When we think we are wiser than God, we are full of pride and God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  We need to humble ourselves before God and begin doing things His way instead of our own.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty,  You are amazing and Your ways are right.  You take care of your people when we are not rebellious and trying to do things our own way.  Help me to walk in Your ways every day and to fulfill all that You have for my life.  I am Yours!

Your Son,
Jeff