Trust God Over Self

 Scripture:

“Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.””  ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭25:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Bible records that Amaziah did good, but that he didn’t follow the Lord wholeheartedly.  Later, in this verse, he had paid a hundred talents to each of the Israelite troops to fight.  The man of God told him not to go against them at this time and his reply was that he had already paid the men.  The man of God told him, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”  

Application:

Sometimes we make decisions on what we think and do things in our own flesh instead of relying on God and listening to His voice.  God can do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask, think, or even imagine, but we need to look to Him instead of trying to do everything ourselves.  I need to learn to trust God over trusting myself and doing what I think I can do instead of what God says I can do.

Prayer:

Father, help me to trust You over myself in every are of life.  You are incredible and it is an honor serving You.  Teach me to trust You more and more.  Help me to live a life of faith that impacts those around me and those around the world.  Show me Your ways and lead me on Your paths.  Let my decisions reflect Your will and Your will alone.

Your Son,

Jeff

To No One’s Regret

 Scripture:

“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”     ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭21:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

This is one of the saddest epitaphs you will ever read.  When Jehoram died, it says he died, “to not one’s regret.”  Nobody regretted that fact that he had dies.  He was a king, but wasn’t even buried where the kings were buried.  This is such a sad statement, but many people end up there.

Application:

When you live a totally selfish life and don’t honor anyone else but yourself, nobody will miss you when you are gone.  We should live every day with the stark reality that we could die today or tomorrow.  When we die, we don’t want it to be to no one’s regret.  I want to live a life that will make people miss me when I’m gone.  I want to live generous and be a blessing to as many people as possible while I have life on this earth.  I don’t want to live a selfish life where nobody regrets my death.

Prayer:

Father, let my life count for you and your kingdom.  Let me make a difference in other people’s lives.  Help me to lead Your people well and let my life be a blessing.  Enable me to help more people every day. Let my life make a positive impact on everyone who knows me.  I give myself to You once again and ask You to work in my life.

Yours,

Jeff

Seek God First

 Scripture:

“But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.””  ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭18:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Jehoshaphat was asked by the king of Israel to go to war with him against an enemy.  Jehoshaphat told the king, “First seek the counsel of the Lord”.  They went and asked the prophets and they all said go for it.  Jehoshaphat had enough discernment to realize that the prophets were saying what he wanted them to say instead of what God was saying.  They finally found a prophet who was telling the truth.

Application:

The first thing I need to do in every decision of my life is to “first seek the counsel of the Lord.”  Before I step into anything new, I need to seek God’s counsel.  I have always longed to hear the voice of the Lord clearly so I can obey clearly.  I truly want to be led by the Spirit and not get entangled in things I’m not suppose to be doing.  I want to seek first the kingdom, and then let all the other things work out.

Prayer:

Father, as I start my Sabbatical, please help me to seek you first in all things.  Speak to me during this season and let me hear Your voice clearly.  I love You and want to serve you well in my generation.  Help me to always come to You first and foremost concerning everything.  I don’t ever want to make You look bad because of decisions I’ve made without Your input.

Yours Always and Forever,

Jeff

Rely on God to Fight Your Battles

 Scripture:

“Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.””  ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭14:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

King Asa knew what to do when his enemies began to attack.  The first thing he does is tell the Lord there is no one like Him to help the powerless against the mighty.  He knew God could help the powerless defeat the mighty.  He then asked the Lord to help them and said they were relying on the Lord and not themselves.  Lastly he says that God is their God and asks God not to let mere mortals prevail against Him.  He told the Lord, “You are our God… don’t let mere mortals beat you.”

Application:

When the enemy tries to attack, we must be quick to call on the name of the Lord rather than try to defend ourselves.  It is God who fights our battles and defeats our enemies and not us.  We must come to the place where we rely on the Lord God instead of relying on ourselves.  Yes, He gives us wisdom, but our reliance must be on Him and Him alone.  Lastly, we must declare that we are his children and He is our God.

Prayer:

Father, help me to fully rely on You instead of trying to fight battles on my own.  You are my God and I will seek You every day.  Teach me to rely more heavily on You when battles come my way.  I am completely Yours without reservation.  You have proven Yourself to me over and over.

Your Son,

Jeff

Wisdom From God

 Scripture:

“All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.”    ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭9:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Solomon had asked the Lord for wisdom to lead God’s people well.  He received so much wisdom that the kings of all the earth began to come to him to learn.  It says here that all the kings of the earth sought audience with him because they wanted to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

Application:

God has all wisdom and can give all wisdom.  Our God is greater than any other entity.  His wisdom exceeds the heavens and brings great men to their knees.  When God gives you true wisdom from Him, world leaders will take note.  We should seek God’s wisdom as Solomon did.  When asked for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom to lead well.  I want to walk with the wise and demonstrate true godly wisdom.

Prayer:

Father, help me to know You better and better.  Teach me Your word.  Speak to me and show me how to live a wise life.  Show me Your ways and Your principles.  Empower me to lead Your people well and to extend Your kingdom throughout the earth.  Help me to be effective in doing what You want done.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Sacrifice

 Scripture:

“and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.”  ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Solomon had built the Temple of the Lord and was ready to bring the Ark of God’s presence to it from it’s resting place.  David had moved the ark a couple times and one of those was not successful   The final time David had it moved, he sacrifices a huge number of sacrifices to the Lord before transporting it.  Here it says they sacrificed so many that it could not be recorded or counted.  In the following chapter, at the dedication of the Temple, Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 20,000 sheep.  If those were counted and recorded, how many did he sacrifice in this instance?

Application:

Solomon understood that sacrifice was important to God.  Today, we don’t sacrifice animals because of the blood of Jesus, but the idea of sacrifice still exists in the New Testament.  Paul said he presented himself as a sacrifice to the Lord.  Rather than bringing goats and bulls, we offer our lives to the Lord.  We must live in such a way that God knows we are serious about Him and His ways.  No cost is too high for God.  Unlimited sacrifice is the life we give to the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, I offer my life once again on the altar of sacrifice.  Let my dreams, desires and motives, be purified and let my will be sacrificed.  Let Your will be done in my life.  I desire more of You every day.  Help me to live a life of sacrifice.  Help me to live in the area of unlimited sacrifice.  You are worthy of my very best.  I lay my life on the your altar, for Your glory.  Your way forever.

Yours,

Jeff

Greatness Comes From God

 Scripture:

“Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.”  ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage Solomon is seen as increasing in his new role as king.  He is preparing for the construction of the Temple and before he starts, the offers 1,000 sacrifices to the Lord.  It is then that God asks him for whatever he wanted and Solomon chose wisdom to lead God’s people.  Just before all that, it tells us that Solomon established himself, but that God was with him and it was God that are Solomon exceedingly great.

Application:

We can, and should, move fro good to great.  We should do everything we do for the Lord with greatness because He is great, but when we really get down to it, it is the Lord that makes anything great.  Just like God made Solomon great, it is God who makes great people out of whoever will let Him work on them.  Our job is to offer Him our lives, His job is to make greatness.  We should pursue excellence and great things, but really it is not possible without the Lord.  We desperately need Him.  He is the definition of GREAT!

Prayer:

Father, You are amazingly great and I love You more each day.  You have blessed my life over and over again.  Help me to follow You well and to continually offer You my life.  You are great and greatly to be praised.  Let Your greatness be seen in my life.  I offer myself to You today and every day.  Let my life reflect Your glory.

Your Son,

Jeff

Wealth and Honor Come From God

 Scripture:

“Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭29:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

David was blessing the Lord because the preparations for the Temple were coming in and everyone had given sacrificially to make it happen.  He wasn’t able to build it because he had shed too much blood, but his son Solomon would build it.  David was honoring the Lourdes for making provision for David’s heart and for the Temple of the Lord.  He realized it was that Lord who gives power, wealth and honor.

Application:

We can learn from David that it is the Lord who gives us power and strength to do the things He wants us to do.  When God asks us to do something, He will make sure we have the resources to do it.  Wealth and honor come from the Lord because He is ruler over all of it.  I believe the Lord has asked me to do some things that will take a lot of money and resources, but I also believe He will take care of it as I pursue Him and keep Him at the center of my life and ministry.

Prayer:

Father, help me to keep my heart and focus on You.  You are the source of everything I need.  When I need wisdom, You have it.  When I need money, You have it.  When I need direction, You have it.  You have everything I need in my life.  Help me to look to You and not myself or my resources, but to You.  

Fathering

Scripture:

“All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭26:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In I Chronicles 13 it tells us that the Ark of God rested in the home of Obed-Edom for three months and that the Lord blessed him and all that he had.  He hosted the presence of God well and he was blessed for it.  Other places the Ark came to rest, there were terrible results.  Obed-Edom must have been a man who walked with God.  The results: his descendants were capable men with strength to do the work.  Strong men raise strong men.  Good men raise good men.  Fathers who host the presence of God will produce descendants who are strong in the Lord.

Application:

I want to host the presence of God well.  I want to be a God-seeker, who values and honors the presence of God.  I also want to raise up spiritual sons and daughters all over the earth.  I want to be strong so they can be strong.  I want to be capable so they can be capable.  I want to lead well so those coming behind me can stand on my shoulders and go farther than I can and do more for God than I can.

Prayer:

Father, help me to lead well and to set an example to others of how a man of God should live his life.  Help me to live so that others can be blessed and do more than I ever could.  Let my life count for Your kingdom.  Enable me to produce spiritual sons and daughters who will change the world.  Let me live in Your presence and value and honor Your presence more than anything.

Your Son,

Jeff

Success

 Scripture:

“Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭22:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

David was speaking to Solomon about building a Temple for the Lord.  David wanted to build it, but the Lord said he had too much blood on his hands from battles fought.  God said Solomon was to do it.  Knowing this, David made all the preparations, plans, designs, and bought the material Solomon would need because it was in his heart.  David told his son, “you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel.  He also told him to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid of discouraged.

Application:

David understood the qualities of success.  He knew that real success couldn’t be found by reading another management or leadership book, but by doing what God says and then watching Him deliver you from every enemy and fight your battles.  David knew that God’s blessing would make you successful and not anything else you can do.  Success comes from God.  When we do things His way, we get His results.

Prayer:

Father, I want to live a strong and courageous life that is doing what You are speaking at all times.  Help me to follow Your decrees and commands.  Enable me to be strong and very courageous in everything You call me to do.  Show me Your ways and teach me Your paths.  I don’t want the world’s success, but Your success.

Yours,

Jeff

Always

 Scripture:

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

David was in the process of bringing the ark of God back into Jerusalem when he told the priests and Levites that they should worship in this manner.  He proceeded to sing a beautiful Psalm of the goodness of God.  He sang this song on the way into Jerusalem.  This simple couplet in the Psalm tells us two things we must do.  Number one is to look to the Lord, and then to seek His face always.

Application:

When we do these two simple things, God is honored and continues to work in our lives.  When we look to ourselves, our spouses, our money, our position, or anything else, we are not looking to the Lord.  We must look to God, not just when we need Him desperately, but every day of our lives.  We must seek His face always, and not only when we feel like it.  Seeking God and looking to Him needs to be our lifestyle and not our life raft.

Prayer:

Father, I want to live my life as a God seeker.  I want to always be in pursuit of You.  You are the source of my life and of everything good things in me.  You are my everything.  You are the one who takes great care of me and who deserves my praise.  I will worship You and honor You with my life.  I want to live in such a way that I ALWAYS seek and look to You.

Yours Always,

Jeff

Training for Battle

Scripture:

“they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):”. ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

King Saul had just died and David was being raised up to become the next king of Israel.  David’s mighty men and king Saul’s warriors began to come to him to make him king.  Here it talks about some of these warriors.  It says they were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed.  This doesn’t come easily for anyone.  It takes an incredible amount of time and practice to be able to shoot both ways and to throw with both hands.

Application:

When God asks you to do something, you have to work at it with all your might.  We have to train ourselves in godliness and practice hard at what we do.  We have to be like these men who wanted to be able to fight both right-handed and left-handed.  We must work at our skills in whatever God has given us to do until we are masters at doing our job.  We shouldn’t despise training, but get as much training as we can get.

Prayer:

Father, train my hands for battle in your kingdom.  Help me to work hard at the things You have given me to do.  Teach me to be diligent in everything You have laid before me.  Help me to get things done and not make excuses.  Let me accomplish much for Your kingdom in my lifetime.  I am fully Yours and want to serve You well in my generation.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Strong Spiritual Descendants

 Scripture:

“All these were descendants of Asher—heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭7:40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The descendants of Asher were described as “choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders.”  Asher must have done a really good job of training leaders for God’s kingdom.  They were set apart from other leaders of the other tribes because they were excellent men.  It says they were outstanding leaders.  Leadership doesn’t just happen, somebody trained them well.

Application:

I want to see my spiritual descendants become strong leaders who are choice people, brave warriors and outstanding leaders.  I want to leave a legacy behind of spiritual leaders who are making a difference in the world.  I long to see my spiritual sons and daughters impact the world.  In order for this to happen, I realize I must give myself to training sons and daughters.

Prayer:

Father, I want my spiritual descendants to be men and women of God who make a difference in the world.   Help me to live a life they can follow and help me to lead them well.  Teach me to be an impactful leader whose descendants turn the world upside down.  Empower me to lift others and pull the best out fo them.

Yours,

Jeff

Cry Out to God in Battle

 Scripture:

“They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.”   ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭5:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

This passage tells me that God loves it when we sry out to Him for help and deliverance.  It says that they cried out to Him during the battle and their prayers were answered because they trusted in Him.  Our job is to cry out and trust, God’s job is to fight our battles.

Application:

When it seems like the enemy of our souls is fighting hard against us, we don’t have to fight back.  Our job is to cry out to God and let God fight our battles.  Our trust in God activists the hand of God.  When we cry out to Him, things begin to change.  Many times we don’t like to get to the place where we cry out to God, but God loves to save and deliver those who cry out to Him.  We must learn to cry out more and more.

Prayer:

Father, I cry out to You.  Guide, guard and protect my life and my family.  I cry out to You for Your strength and to know Your voice.  Show me the way forward each day.  My life belongs to You.  I am yours.  Teach me to know You better each day.  Help me to cry out to You first, instead of trying to fight my own battles.  I want to see some victories in my life.

Your Son,

Jeff

Taking What Belongs to God

 Scripture:

“The son of Karmi: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things.”  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Achar, also known as Achan, is only remembered for violating the ban on taking devoted things.  He took spoils from battle that were committed to be given to the Lord.  They had been devoted to the Lord, but he was found with them in his tent and his disobedience caused Israel loss.  He took what was devoted to God and brought punishment on all Israel.

Application:

It is important for us to understand that things devoted to God, must be reserved for God alone.  Also to remember that our actions don’t only affect us, they affect everyone around us.  God doesn’t share His glory with anyone and we should never take any glory that belongs to the Lord.  It will affect us, and also those who are around us.  When we take what belongs to God, we are in a very dangerous place.  We should seek to honor and glorify God always.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for blessing my life.  Thank You for working in and through me.  Help me to always remain humble before You and to realize as Jesus said that He could do nothing apart from the Father.  Help me to live in constant remembrance that I can’t do anything apart from You.  help me to live depending on You at all times and for all things.

Your Son,

Jeff

Abundantly

 Scripture:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:8‬ ‭NIV‬

Observation:

Paul tells the Corinthians here that God is able to bless them abundantly enough so they have everything the need and they can abound in every good work.  Paul doesn’t see God as stingy or that God doesn’t take good care of His people.  Paul sees God as giving you more than enough for yourself and engough to help others.

Application:

God has the ability to bless us abundantly, but we must believe that He wants to and that it is part of our walk with Him.  For years, I never asked God for anything because I thought I needed to be content with whatever little thing He gave me.  I began to see verse like this and I began to ask God to bless my life, my ministry, and my church.  Since I started this, each of the above has been blessed in beautiful ways.  God has “abundant” supply, our faith reaches out and believes it and walks in it.  He is able, we just need to ask Him and trust Him to take care of us.

Prayer:

Father, bless my life abundantly so I have more than enough to help in every situation.  I am not concerned with having awesome stuff, but I do want enough to live well and to help every time I see a need.  I also want enough to be able to do missions work around the world.  I desire to be blessed, so I can do more for You.

Your Son,

Jeff

I Have a Deposit

 Scripture:

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:21-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Paul tells the Corinthians here that it is all about God and what God has done for us.  It is God who makes us stand firm in Christ.  We can’t take any credit for it.  He makes us strong!  It is God who anoints us, sets His seal on us, and puts His Spirit in us as a deposit.  It is He who guarantees what is to come.  All of this is God’s doing, not ours.

Application:

We need to realize that we have a deposit of the Spirit, guaranteeing what is to come.  The fulness of the Spirit we will see when we see Christ face to face.  Until then, we have a deposit.  That deposit is valuable, usable, and works her on this earth now.  When we use the deposit Christ died to give us, the glory is all God’s because He gave it.  All that happens in and through our lives by the Holy Spirit is fro God’s glory and not ours.  He gets the praise and honor, because we can take no credit.  Everything we have been given, was given by Him.  We have nothing to boast of in ourselves.  

Prayer:

Father, I have a deposit of what is to come, but even that deposit, You gave.  You are my life source and strength.  You are my salvation.  You are my shield.  You are my life and light.  You are my everything.  Help me to never take the glory, but to realize that You gave me everything I have.  You are the source of every good thing in my life.  Yours is the glory.  Help me to make You look great!

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Trustworthy

 Scripture:

“But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.””  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Josiah was in the process of cleansing Judah from it’s idols and restoring the Temple in Jerusalem.  There was a lot of work to be done so he hired people who were skilled to do the repairs and restoration project for the Temple.  They were so trustworthy that nobody required an accounting of the money because they knew it was being spent properly and that the people were people of integrity.

Application:

It says a lot about someone when they can be trusted with God’’s finances.  It says that they won’t take the money for personal gain or use it for some other purpose.  We should live our lives so that those who are around us absolutely know we are trustworthy and that we won’t take for ourselves whatever we need or want.  I believe in contracts because we cant’t trust people anymore, but it would be nice to be as it was once before where a man’s word was his bond and a simple handshake was enough to o hire someone to do their work because you knew they were trustworthy.  

Prayer:

Father, help me to be trustworthy with everything You put in my hands.  I want to live a life of excellence in every area and a life that makes You look good.  Help me today to walk in integrity and excellence in every area.  Help me to do the right thing, even when that is not convenient.  

Your Son,

Jeff

Lay it out Before the Lord

 Scripture:

“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.”  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Hezekiah received some bad news from his enemies that they were coming to attack and overthrow his kingdom.  Hezekiah knew what to do with news of your enemies, you take it to the Lord and spread it out before Him.  When the enemy threatens God’s people, they must bring it to the Lord instead of trying to retaliate on our own.

Application:

Rather than defend ourselves, fight our own battles, and get beat up by the enemy of our souls, God’s people must learn to lay it out before the Lord and let the Lord deal with it.  Hezekiah could have sent troops or done something else, bringing it to the Lord caused the Lord to slay 185,000 enemy troops in one night, which caused them to retreat.  We don’t have to retaliate or fight for ourselves, God will fight for us, but we must trust Him and take our needs to Him instead of trying to fight on our own.

Prayer:

Father, You are amazing and I worship You.  Help me to take my problems to You instead of trying to fix them myself.  You are more than able to deliver me from my enemies.  You are more than able to fight my battles.  Help me to rely on You instead of myself in every situation.  Teach me to stand strong in faith, even when it looks like the enemy is coming in.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God is the Deliverer

 Scripture:

“Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.””     ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭17:39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The surrounding nations were creeping in oh God’s people and the people of God were starting to worship their idols.  The enemies were trying to overthrow them and then we are told, “worship the Lord your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”  God is the deliverer from all the power of the enemy.

Application:

Many times we don’t realize the power of our worship.  In this passage, we see God saying that we Ar to worship Him, because he is the one who will deliver us from our enemies.  Our job is to worship, God’s job is to deliver us.  Our job is to lift Him up, His job is to take care of us.  Rather than looking at our enemies and what they can do to us, we must learn to worship our God who is greater than any enemy.  Worship is powerful, when we are worshiping the right God.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, let my life be a life of worship.  Teach me to worship my way out of every circumstance and situation.  Help me to keep my focus on You and not on the enemies around me.  Let my gaze be upon You at all times.  Let my heart be fixed on You and help me to live a life of worship and praise.

Your Son,

Jeff

Exceed Expectations

 Scripture:

“The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.””  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭13:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Jehoash, king of Israel came to see Elisha near the end of Elisha’s life.  Elisha told him to shoot an arrow, which he did.  Elisha then told him to take his arrows and strike them on the ground.  He didn’t say how many times to strike the ground with them.  He struck the ground three times and then Elisha said he wished he had struck it more because the number of times he struck was to be how many times Jehoash would strike and defeat the Arameans.

Application:

When you don’t know what your limits are, always press a little farther than you want to.  When God asks you to do something, take it a little farther than what you thought.  Exceed the expectations of what You said you would do for God.  We should always exceed, even what we think is adequate.  Go a little farther, strike a little harder, work a little more diligently than is expected and we will be prosperous.  We should always go the extra mile for God.

Prayer:

Father, help me to never settle for second best for You and Your kingdom.  Help me to strike hard and strong on anything You give me to do.  Teach me to give You my very best.  I don’t want anything You give me to do, not to be done and done better than expected.  I want to serve You well all the days of my life.

Yours,

Jeff

Not A Word

Scripture:

 “Know, then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he announced through his servant Elijah.””  ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Jehu was taking out all of the family of King Ahab, as the prophet Elijah had spoken previously.  Jehu was a wild man, a zealot, but God used him to bring about the will of the Lord.  Even though his didn’t serve the Lord wholeheartedly, God blessed his generations because he helped the Lord fulfill the words of Elijah.  What God said would happen, took place, even though He had to use a man who wasn’t the greatest to do it.

Application:

Sometimes God uses people we don’t expect to bring about His will in leadership positions.  When God speaks a prophetic word, it will come to pass.  Not a word of what Elijah spoke failed to come to pass.  God used a man who wasn’t even fully committed to God to bring about the words spoken by the prophet.  My application is that God does what He says He will do.  Also, He might use someone we don’t expect in the process.

Prayer:

Father, help me to trust You and Your word more every day.  I love you and want to serve You well in my generation.  Thank You for blessing my life over and over again.  You are amazing!  Enable me to prophesy accurately the word of the Lord and then see it come to pass.  Help me to allow You to use those who I may not use.  Help me not to judge who You choose to use and who You don’t.

Yours,

Jeff

Leftovers from “Not Enough”

 Scripture:

““How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ””. ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭4:43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

There were about 100 people in the school of the prophets.  The servant of Elisha was given 20 loaves of bread and told Elisha about it.  A loaf is one person’s bread.  Elisha told the servant to give it to the people to eat and then told him that they will all eat and even have some left over.  The servant saw 20 loaves, but Elisha saw in the Spirit that God would multiply the loaves.  The servant trusted his counting, Elisha trusted God’s accounting system, which is always multiplication.

Application:

We tend to look at what we don’t have instead of what we do have.  It is natural to focus on not having enough of what we need, but God always multiplies what we have.  Earlier, Elisha took a small amount of oil in a woman’s house and filled lots of jars with it.  He asked her what she had, not how little did she have.  Miracles usually start out small and not meeting the need, but with God, any amount is enough to get things started, then the miracle of multiplication starts.  He multiplies, then there are leftovers.

Prayer:

Father, help me not to only see what is in front of me, but what You can do with what is in front of me.  Help me to see leftovers when others see not enough.  I want to live a life of faith and see Your multiplication.  When others see a 12 million dollar need in the building I believe You want us to have, help me to see leftovers.  You are truly the God of multiplication.  Help me to believe You will meet the need and give us leftovers.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Seek the Counsel of the Lord

 Scripture:

“But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.””  ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭22:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The King of Israel had asked Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the Arameans.  Jehoshaphat told him, “first seek the counsel of the Lord.”  They went to a bunch of prophets who told them go for it because God was with them.  Finally, they went to a true prophet who told them not to do it.  Jehoshaphat had the right advice.

Application:

Whatever we do in life, we need to seek the counsel of the Lord first.  Before we make major decisions.  Before we make major changes, we need to seek God’s counsel.  I never want to be out of the will of God for my life.  I don’t ever want to step out of His guidance.  I want to always hear His voice and proceed where He says proceed.  It’s God’s way or no way for me.  I need His counsel daily in my life.

Prayer:

Father, show me the path to take each day.  Let me truly be led by Your Spirit.  Help me to hear Your voice clearly and seek Your counsel on every detail of my life.  I want to do Your will above all else.  Help me to hear it and then to obey it at all times.  

Your Servant,

Jeff

God of the Hills and Valleys

 Scripture:

“The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ””. ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Israel was preparing to fight the Arameans.  They believed that they could take Israel in the valleys and in the plains because they understood that the Lord God Almighty was the god of the hills, but not the god of the valleys.  They quickly found out that the Lord God is God of the hills and the valleys.  

Application:

God is not only the God of the hills and mountaintop experiences.  He is the God of the valleys as well.  When things are not going well in our lives and we feel helpless in the valley, He is still God and still works in our lives.  God is above all and over all.  No matter whether we are on a hill or in a valley, God is till God and He works on behalf of His people.  He is both the God of the hills, when everything is gong great, and the God of the valleys, when we feel like nothing good is happening.

Prayer:

Father, help me to keep the perspective that You are the God of the hills and the valleys.  You are God in the good times and God in the difficult times.  Let me never believe the lie that, because things are not going my way at any given time, that You are not with me.  Let my perspective be that I will praise You on the high hills and the deep valleys.  Let me walk stable every day of my life.

Your Son,

Jeff

Three Times

 Scripture:

“Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “ Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!””  ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The boy’s mother came to Elijah, the man of God, and told him that her son had died.  Elijah carried the boy up into an upper room and began to pray for him.  HE didn’t pray once, but three times he stretched himself out on the boy and prayed earnestly for him.  On the third time, the boy resurrected and he tool the boy to his mother.

Application:

Most of us give up too early on our prayers and acts of obedience.  If God told us to stretch myself out on a dead child, I would most definitely do it, but would I do it three times?  The question in my heart is, would I do it three times or just in obedience, then figure God didn’t want to raise him up.  Would I give up too early on the breakthrough?  When we hear from God, we need to keep praying and believing and walking in obedience until the miracle happens.

Prayer:

Father, help me not to give up too quickly when you want me to pray about something.  Help me to ask and keep on asking according to Your will.  When You give me something to do, don’t let me settle with obeying once and stopping, but help me to do it over and over until results come.  Help me to stand on Your word and continue instead of simply obeying and then figuring I missed God.

Your Son,

Jeff