Always on Top

 Scripture:

“The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28‬:‭13‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

As the children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land, God told them how to have His favor and blessing on their lives and their country. He said that if His people would obey Him completely and wholeheartedly, He would bless them in every area. This verse says they will always be the head and not the tail, the top and not the bottom. In other words, God will cause favor to rest on your lives if you live them according to His ways.

Application:

When we live completely for the Lord our God, He still blesses His people and causes His favor to rest on their lives. When we obey Him, He takes care of us. God is looking for people who wholeheartedly follow Him. When He sees that, He pours out His blessing and favor on their lives. They always end up on top and never on the bottom. Bad things may happen, but God always turns it around for a testimony for them. 

Prayer:

Father, I want to live in Your complete and total blessing. I want to always end up on top and never on the bottom. I want to see the good hand of God touch everything I touch. Thank You for the many blessing You have given me throughout my life. Let my life honor You and let me be blessed.

Your Son,

Jeff

Honoring God’s House

Scripture:

“For the Lord your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭23‬:‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This passage is actually referring to doing your business outside the camp and using a spade to dig a hole for your excrement and covering it. The bottom line is that God wanted the place He works to be holy and unblemished. Because God walked in the middle of the camp to deliver and work among His people, He wanted the place to be holy and undefiled.

Application:

In the Old Testament you can hear the heart of God and His seriousness about holiness and purity. In the New Testament we see less regulations and more relationship with the Spirit, but at the same time, we should honor the Lord in the place where He is worshiped. We should preserve the place of worship as a place where God is honored. He doesn’t live in tabernacles made by hands anymore, but out of honor and respect for God, we should maintain purity in our walk with Him and in the place He is worshiped. 

Prayer:

Father, I long for Your presence. Help me to do better at honoring the place of Your presence. Help me to walk in purity. My body is the temple of Your Spirit and I want to live a life that brings honor to Your name. Let my life bring You glory. Let my church facilities bring Your glory. Let all that I do bring You glory. You are worry of the very best. 

Forever Your Son,

Jeff

Don’t Be Afraid… God is With You

 Scripture:

“When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry and troops who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, God tells the people of Israel not to fear when they see enemies that are far bigger than them in weaponry and numbers. He told them not to fear because He was with them. God was letting them know that, no matter how big their enemies were, He would take care of them and defeat their enemies. This gave God’s people great confidence. 

Application:

When things happen in our lives, we must remember that God is greater than whatever is happening to us. Every enemy is under His feet and He is able to deliver His people out of the worst situations. He is faithful and takes care of what is His. Our job is to walk by faith and trust Him rather than always trying to fight the battles on our own. No matter how big the problem… our God is bigger!

Prayer:

Father, let me see You in all Your glory. You are incredible and I worship You. Help me to not fear when things don’t seem to be going as I thought they would. Help me to trust You more and more. Fight my battles and deliver me from every attack that comes against me. Let me fulfill everything You have in mind for me. Let my eyes always be open to see You and let my ears be attentive to Your voice. I want to serve You well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Prophesy Accurately

 Scripture:

““But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In this verse, we see how serious God is about prophets who represent Him and His word. He wanted to make sure prophets accurately represented Him and clearly spoke what He was speaking. They could not prophesy on their own volition. If they prophesied in God’s name, something God hadn’t authorized them to speak, they were to be killed.

Application:

God takes prophetic words very seriously. We operate in a season of grace right now, but under the Law we see the heart of God and how serious He is about certain things. He doesn’t like to be inaccurately represented. He takes is very seriously. When we give prophetic words, we need to make sure God is speaking and not our own flesh. Prophecy is powerful and is used by God to accomplish His purposes, but we must seek accurate and articulate prophecy.

Prayer:

Father, help me to speak Your words powerfully and accurately. I want to represent You well in my generation. Teach me to hear Your voice and communicate accurately and clearly what You are speaking. I love prophetic ministry and know You use it strongly, but I want to operate in it with accuracy and integrity. I want the genuine gift to flow in and through my life. I want to be a vessel that You can use.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Loyalty

 Scripture:

“You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

As God’s people were about to enter the Promised Land, He reminded them about how they were to live and how to be blessed in the land they were entering. In this passage, He told them they must revert Him, observe His commands, obey Him, serve Him, and remain loyal to Him. God expected total devotion and loyalty to Him for all He had done for His people.

Application:

The word that stood out to me today was loyalty. God expects loyalty from His people. He has done so much for us, we need to be loyal to Him. Loyalty means that God is first in our lives and that we don’t stray for any reason. Loyalty infers that we remain faithful to Him, when things are good and when things are not good. Loyalty means He can count on us. I want to live a life that is loyal to the Lord, a life He can trust and depend on. Loyalty infers that God doesn’t have to compete with other things in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me to remain loyal to You at all times. You are awesome and have done great things in my life. Teach me to follow You completely and to remain loyal at all times. Let my life be completely devoted to You. Thank You for all You have done in my life to this point. Help me to reflect You and Your will to those around me. Let Your light shine through my life. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Humility When Blessed

 Scripture:

“Be careful not to say, “My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.” You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, even as he has to this day.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Moses, as he is approaching the end of his life and God’s people were about to enter the promised land without him, told them that when they became prosperous and eliminated their enemies, they should never forget God. He told them to never forget that it is God who gave them the power to get wealth and it was God who brought them into the land and fought their battles. It is God who gives us the ability to get wealth. Every good thing we have, has come from God. 

Application:

We must never walk in pride and arrogance, thinking we have made ourselves rich and prosperous. As God’s children, we don’t take credit for the things we accomplish. Without Him, we can do nothing and He is the reason we have everything we have. We must always walk in humility before God and let Him raise us up. He deserves all the credit and honor, not we ourselves. He can bless us and He can take it away. Our trust must never be in ourselves or our hard work, but in the Lord. Everything we accomplish is because He has been good to us.

Prayer:

Father, You have been so good to me. Thank You for always taking care of me and providing for my every need. You have always provided for me and my family. Let my life bring Your praise and glory. Let all that I do and all that I am bring You the honor for Your name. You are the source of every good thing in my life. I am Yours, and I don’t take Your blessing lightly.

Thank You,

Jeff

Chosen and Adopted

 Scripture:

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭6‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking through Moses at this point and tells him that the people of Israel had been chosen to be God’s people and that they are prized above all others on the face of the earth. In the New Testament, we gentiles are grafted into Abraham’s family. We are chosen, just like the people of Israel, and inherit the promises of Abraham. 

Application:

I need to see myself as God’s chosen. He chose me when I was still unloveable. He chose me when I wasn’t very valuable. He chose me to be His and that gives me great confidence. God has chosen me to do His work on the earth in this time. I must be confident in the fact that I am chosen of God and therefore, have privileges that come with that. He is my father and I am His son.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible! Thank You for choosing me. Thank You for adopting me into Your family. Help me to follow You well and to live according to Your ways. I want to serve You well in my days and finish all You have prepared for me to do. I want to leave nothing undone that You desired for me.

Your Son,

Jeff

Run TO God When You Mess up

 Scripture:

“But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This passage comes just before the people of Israel came out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. The Lord told them that if they disobeyed Him, they would be scattered around the world. Then He added, “but if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find Him, if, indeed, you seek Him with all your heart and soul.” God promised them that if they turned to Him wholeheartedly, no matter what they had done, He would be found by them.

Application:

When we mess up, often we try to run away from God. This passage reminds us that God knew the Israelites were going to mess up, but gave them a prescription for when they did. God doesn’t expect perfection, but He does require a heart and soul that seek Him. Even under God’s judgment, He made a way of escape. We should run to God when we mess up. We can trust Him!

Prayer:

Father, help me to always run to You when I mess things up. Rather than running away because I feel like I let You down, teach me to run towards You with all my heart and soul. In good times and in bad times, I want to be a pursuer of God. I want to live a life that pleases You above all else.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Encourage Them

 Scripture:

“However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭1‬:‭38‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Moses was describing why the people of Israel had to wander in the wilderness for forty years. It was because they didn’t want to go in due to fear of the people in the land. God told Moses that they would wander for forty years because of their unbelief, but Joshua would be enabled to lead Israel to inferior the land promised to them. God told Moses to “encourage” Joshua. The next forty years, Moses encouraged and trained Joshua for what was coming.

Application:

When you see leadership on someone’s life, encourage them. Speak into their lives. When you realize that someone has leadership potential, they will need spiritual fathers and mothers. They will need someone to help train them, encourage them, and prepare them for what God will do in and through their lives. We must be people who encourage the next generation.

Prayer:

Father, help me to serve You well in my generation. Help me to see who You are raising up and show me how to encourage them. Help me to put courage into next gen leaders. Teach me to lead well, but also to prepare and raise up the next generation of people who will lead Your church. Help me to speak into lives that will one day be in ministry. Help me to train them well.

Yours,

Jeff

Eliminate the Old

 Scripture:

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭33‬:‭55‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

When the people of Israel were going into the Promised Land, God told them to drive out all the inhabitants of the land. He told them that if they didn’t, they would be irritants in their eyes and thorns in their eyes, and would cause them trouble in their land. God told them exactly what to do, but they compromised and have paid a heavy price for that compromise.

Application:

What we don’t eliminate of the enemy in our lives before Christ, will always irritate and be like thorns to us. When we come to Christ, we have to put to death the old man. We have to remove from our lives the things that are not pleasing to the Lord. What is not removed becomes a hinderance to our walk with God later in life. I would rather deal with it and eliminate it early in my walk, than to fight with the ramifications of it later. Better to have strong discipline now, then to have issues later.

Prayer:

Father, cleanse me and me the person You want me to be. Let my life be pleasing to You at all times. You are worthy of my very best. Teach me to walk with You in sincerity and truth. Help me to live life You can bless. Let my life bring Your praise and glory.

Yours,

Jeff

Humility

 Scripture:

“(Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.)” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Miriam and Aaron had just spoken against Moses because Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. God placed leprosy on Miriam for judging and speaking out against Moses. God’s defense of Moses was this verse, “Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.” God always defends the humble.

Application:

Humility is one of the most godly character traits observed in Scripture. God always blesses the humble and raises them up. Pride, on the other hand, is always rejected by God. God likes us to be in a place where we walk in humility, depending on Him completely. I want to be a person who walks in true humility before the Lord. He is awesome and to be respected by all. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to live like Moses before You. Let my heart be full of humility and let pride be far away from me. Teach me to live in dependence on You at all times and not be self-reliant. Help me to trust You more and self less. I want to walk humbly before You and accomplish all You have prepared for me.

Your Son,

Jeff

Releasing God’s Blessings

 Scripture:

““Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and protect you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The above blessing is the words given to Aaron to bless God’s people with. God told him that when he blessed them with this language, God would put His name on them and would bless them. It was his benediction that caused the blessing of God to come upon His people. He gave specific instructions about how to bless people with God’s blessing. 

Application:

As I often say, “when we do things God’s way, we get God’s results.” I want to be blessed and I want the people around me to be blessed. In the New Covenant, we are a kingdom of priests and all of us are able to release the blessing of God over people. I want to become a source of blessing to many. I want God to bless those under my care. Therefore, I must bless them according to God’s ways. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk with You in clarity. Leroy my life bring Your honor and praise. Teach me to be a blessing to those in my care. Let my heart be pure and my ears attentive to You and Your words. I want to be a conduit of Your blessing. Help me to do it well.

Yours,

Jeff

Fully Obedient

 Scripture:

“So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled, each with his clan and family.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭2‬:‭34‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

At the end of chapter one and chapter two of Numbers is the phrase, “So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.” They had seen God do some of the most incredible miracles ever recorded in getting them out of Egypt and it caused them to be very obedient. They had also seen what their disobedience brought in a few situations. They realized that the fear of God was the beginning of wisdom. 

Application:

I want to live in a healthy fear of God that would cause me to obey Him in every detail of my life. I want to serve God well in my lifetime. I don’t want any unfinished business that He has given me to do. I don’t want anything left undone of all He has required of me. I want to live a life of obedience in every area of life. I need His strength and  power to do all of that. I also need an open ear to hear what He is speaking at any given time. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to serve You completely and to accomplish all You have given me to do. Help me to have a healthy fear of You and to serve You well. I want to represent You with integrity and character. I want to make Your name great in all the earth. Go before me and lead me with Your voice. Help me to know what to do in every situation. Teach me to follow the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire so I end up at Your destination and not one of my own making.

Yours,

Jeff

Clothed With Power

 Scripture:

“And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭49‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus had died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day. After the resurrection, He met with His disciples and opened their minds to the Scriptures. He confirmed with them that He had risen from the dead, then He commissioned them to take the Good News of His resurrection everywhere, but told them to go to Jerusalem where they would receive the promise of the Father. They were to stay in the city until they had been clothed with power from on high. 

Application:

Jesus didn’t want His disciples to go out and speak on His behalf until they have been clothed with power from on high. There is a big difference between being filled with something and being clothed by something. One is internal and one is external. I want to be filled and clothed. I want the Holy Spirit inside my life to change me and upon my life to change the world. I want to be clothed with God’s power and to walk in His presence. 

Prayer:

Father, apart from You, I can do nothing. Fill me with Your power and clothe me with Your power.Leet my life be consumed with You, inside and out. Pour out Your Spirit in and through my life. Let me be a vessel You can clothe with power and one that is filled with power from on high. I don’t want to minister without You and Your presence. I don’t want to preach without being clothed with Your power. Take me deeper Lord.

Yours,

Jeff

Sacrificial Obedience

 Scripture:

“He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus called attention to an offering time where some such people were putting a good about of money into the receptacle. He pointed out a little widow woman who put in a very small amount, but Jesus praised her because they had given out of their wealth and she had given out of her poverty. Jesus recognizes what is leftover after we have given more than how much we give.

Application:

Jesus isn’t very impressed with how much we give. He is more impressed with how much we have left after we have given. He wants to know that we are all in and will ask us at times to confirm that through our obedience. In our lives, we need to walk in surrender to the Lord in every area. We must be willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ.

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of it all! You have Your very best for me and You are worthy of my very best. Help me to live in a constant state of obedience. Let my life bring You honor. Let my gifts be sacrificial and my offerings be complete. Let my ears be open to Your voice and let me hear clearly what You want me to do, then give me strength to do it.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Never Give Up in Prayer

 Scripture:

“yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them?” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NET‬‬ 

Observation:

Jesus told this parable about a woman who came to a judge and continued bothering him until he ruled on her decision. She bothered him until he was worn out by her constant pleading. Finally, he gave up and gave her what she requested, not because he wanted to, but because he was tired of hearing her. At the end of the story, Jesus said, “Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” 

Application:

Sometimes, we have to continue bringing certain things to God until He answers. There are times we need to be persistent in prayer. Some things we must cry out for day and night until God answers our prayers. I don’t want to give up on anything God has prepared for me. I don’t want to miss out on anything God has for me because I quit asking too soon. First, I must pray in accordance with His word and will, then, I must stand in faith and bombard heaven until He answers.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Your word. Teach me to never give up in prayer, but to continue in faith when I believe there is something You want to do. I pray this morning for the land and building our church needs. We want to go from renting to owning this year. Show me how to continue steadfast in prayer until I see the deliverance. I pray for Cheryl to be completely healed and strengthened. Restore her youth I pray. Let my sons serve You faithfully all the days of their lives. Build Your kingdom through Word of Life and Hearts for the Harvest I pray. Renew my strength as well. Heal my voice that I may declare and sing songs of praise again.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Helping Those Who Can’t Repay You

 Scripture:

“But when you host an elaborate meal, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus was teaching here about taking care of the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. He tells us that we will be blessed if we invite this group of people into our lives and our homes because they can’t repay us. He closes with the words, “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Sometimes our reward comes immediately, sometimes it is delayed, and sometimes it will happen when we see Him, but we will be blessed for doing right things.

Application:

The poor are always on the heart of God. Throughout the entire Bible we see God’s heart and words telling us to take care of the poor. There are also promises for those who take care of the poor. He promises blessings for those who take care of the poor. When we take care of the poor, we are taking care of Jesus. We cannot look away when we see someone in need.

Prayer:

Father, help me personally to see what You see. Let me see people as You see them. Help me to not look away from the poor, but to bring them dignity and blessing. Let Word of Life do better at taking care of the poor. Help me to have a right perspective on giving to the poor.

Yours Forever,

Jeff