Seek The Lord Wholeheartedly

 Scripture:

“Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you can bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple built to honor the Lord’s name.”” 1 Chronicles‬ ‭22‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

King David, as he was getting older and was ready to transition the kingdom to his son Solomon, told him to “seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.” He continued to tell him to build God a temple for the Ark of the Covenant and all the utensils David had made. He knew if his son would follow the Lord completely, he would be blessed in all he was going to do.

Application:

Seeking the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is the key to so much in the Kingdom of God. God looks at our heart. He wants to bless His children, but He wants His children to want Him. I have always been a passionate pursuer of God, but I want to go deeper at this point in my life. I want to truly give Him my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I want to walk all-in. I want to wholeheartedly follow the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord God, I love You and want to follow You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Teach me wholeheartedly followership. Teach me how to live a completely Christ-controlled life. Let me hear Your voice and give me the courage to do what You ask. I am Yours. Let my life bring You the honor You deserve.

Yours Completely, 

Jeff

Giants Still Fall

 Scripture;

“These Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

David and his men defeated the giants of Gath. Once David killed Goliath, confidence arose that giants could be defeated by humans. What they once feared, they were now continually defeating. Sometimes our people need to see us as leaders slay some giants, then they will have the courage to do the same. 

Application:

As a leader in God’s kingdom, we must defeat some of the giants in our lives, our region, our church, etc. When our people see some victories, they will be encouraged to do the same. I want the people I serve to see true victory in my life. I want them to realize that real giants still fall. Then I want them to eliminate the giants in their own lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me to become a giant-slayer. Help me to set and example for our people of how to overcome giants in our lives. Increase and strengthen my faith and let me be an example to others. Pour out Your Spirit in my life, my family, my church, and our world. We need to see You move again. Come Holy Spirit and move in power. Be glorified and let Your people see lives transformed for Your glory. Give us many more souls for Your kingdom!

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Strength and Joy

 Scripture:

“Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

David had just brought the Ark of God back into Jerusalem. He made sure they moved it correctly on his second attempt. When it arrived in the city, he wrote a beautiful Psalm that speaks of the majesty and greatness of God. This verse speaks of God’s presence and where He dwells. It tells us that honor and majesty surround Him and strength and joy fill His dwelling. 

Application:

When we come into the presence of God we should expect adoration with honor and majesty. He is great and glorious! In His presence we will find what the Psalmist found, strength and joy. As believers, we should be strong people and we should be filled with joy. People often think that Christians are weak and no fun. In reality, strength and joy are in God’s presence. We must learn to walk in His strength and His joy.We need to represent God well on the earth. Therefore, we should be filled with strength and joy. We need to laugh more.

Prayer:

Father, Your word tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. In Your presence there is strength and joy. Help me to walk in strength and joy today and every day. Teach me to represent You well in the earth and let my life demonstrate Your goodness to those around me. 

You Are Awesome,

Jeff

The Ark of God’s Presence

 Scripture:

“The Ark of God remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and everything he owned.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Ark of God was the resting place of God in the Tabernacle. It was where the presence of God rested. In this passage, David had tried to bring the Ark back into Jerusalem, but Uzzah touched the ark and dropped dead for touching it improperly. At that point, David sent the Ark to Obed-edom’s house until he figured out how to transport it without problems. While the ark was at his house, everything Obed-edom had became blessed. God blessed him and his household because the housed the Ark of God.

Application:

The Ark is a symbol for us of the presence of God. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. We house the precious Ark of God in our physical bodies. Where God resides, things get blessed! God resides in me, therefore I should expect the blessing of God to rest on my life. If God can bless Obed-edom because he hosted the presence of God, He can bless my life for hosting Him well. I want to host the Spirit well in my life and make room for Him.

Prayer:

Father, let my life be a temple for You to live in and operate through. Let me live walking in step with You. Bless my life and make me a blessing. Help me to hear Your voice and do what You want. Fill me to overflowing with Your precious Holy Spirit. Help me to honor Your presence daily and to be a person You can work in and though. Teach me Lord.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Gatekeepers

 Scripture:

“They would spend the night around the house of God, since it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Some of the Levites were gatekeepers. They had the responsibility of making sure the gates were opened each day and closed at night. They were considered Temple guards. They were to make sure nothing entered that was not right in God’s eyes. This verses says of the gatekeepers that they would spend the night around the house of God because it was their responsibility to open the gates each morning. 

Application:

These Temple Guards had the opportunity to spend the night around the house of God so they could be there to open the gates in the morning. Rather than go home at dark, they would spend the night around the presence of God. They chose God’s presence over convenience and even rest. I want to have a heart after God and spend time in His presence often. It has been a while since I had an all-night prayer gathering. I feel convicted this morning to spend more time in the presence of God.

Prayer:

Father, throughout my life there have been seasons where I would feel You draw me near and invite me into Your presence. I feel a stirring once again to draw near to You. Help me to live like the gatekeepers, spending time Your presence and not rushing through to the next event. Let me hunger and thirst for more of You at all times. Show me Your ways and teach me Your paths. I long for Your presence this morning. Come Holy Spirit and work in my life.

Yours,

Jeff

Bless Me Lord

 Scripture:

“There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Jabez, we are told in this passage, was honorable above his brothers, but his birth was painful. He had a reputation for bringing pain to his mother. He decided that he didn’t want to be known for bringing pain, but for being blessed. He prayed that God would bless him and expand his territory. He prayed that God would be with him and keep him from trouble and pain. We wanted to turn his hurt into blessing.

Application:

It’s not wrong to ask God to bless us and multiply our effectiveness. We serve the God who can take pain and turn it into praise. We serve the God who take take hurt and turn it into healing. There are times in my past when I didn’t think I should ask God to bless me because that seemed selfish. The fact is, if I am not blessed, I cannot be a blessing. I want to be a blessing to those around me so I must be blessed.

Prayer:

Father, I join with Jabez today and pray that You would be with me, bless me and my family. Bless my church and my city. Expand my territory and keep me from trouble and pain. Let my life be a blessing and a source for joy to those around me. Help me to walk in step with You at all times and to fulfill Your will in my life. Bless the meeting I must lead today and let churches be planted as a result.

For Your Glory,

Jeff

The Ministry of Giving

 Scripture:

“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Paul is speaking here about sending an offering to a place that needs it. He is asking the Corinthians to be generous in their giving toward that need. He tells them here that because of their ministry of giving, the receivers will give glory to God. First, this shows a ministry of giving or a gift of giving. Second this shows that our obedience in giving proves we are obedient to the Good News.

Application:

Generosity is a very godly characteristic. As believers, our lives should be generous because we serve a very generous God. He sent His own Son to die on a cross for us. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He has demonstrated a generous heart over and over in the Scriptures. As Christ followers, we must learn to live generous lives. Our lives should be marked by our generosity, not our stinginess. As believers, we are to be givers and not getters.

Prayer:

Lord God, teach me to live with a generous spirit. Help me to walk in obedience at all times and to give generously as You call me to give. Teach me to walk in obedience in this area. Bless my life as You did Abraham, so that I may be a blessing to others.

Yours,

Jeff