Trust in God

Scripture:

 “So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭8‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This passage reflects Ezra’s trust in God. He needed to have his people carry thousands of pounds of silver and gold back to Jerusalem. There would have been bandits and attacks along the way, especially when word got out that they were transporting lots of gold and silver. He didn’t feel right asking for help so he leaned on God. He led the people to fast and pray that God would take care of them, and He did. God saw his faith and showed up to help.

Application:

When we feel like there are impossible situations around us that we have no way of winning, we must fast, pray, and seek the Lord for His guidance and protection. He is able to help us and to guard us along life’s journeys. He still takes good care of those who trust in Him. The problem is, we tend to trust ourselves and our way of doing things rather than trusting the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to trust You more each day. Help me to You over my own thoughts and wisdom. When things are difficult, let me always turn to You and not to my own understanding. My understanding is limited, Yours is unlimited. Help me to see through Your eyes and to trust Your strong right arm.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

The Gracious Hand of God

 Scripture:

“And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Ezra had been sent by the King of Persia to make sure the Temple had been built correctly and to dedicate it to the Lord. It is so interesting the three kings of Persia thought it was important to build the Temple and let God’s people go back to Jerusalem and worship Him there. Ezra felt honored to be honored by the king and his nobles. He was encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord was on him and he gathered some leaders of Israel and returned to Jerusalem. Ezra could sense that the good hand of God was on him and this was God’s doing.

Application:

I love it when the favor of God and His good hand comes upon my life. He has opened doors and done things in my life that are beyond belief. It is only God who can put you in places like that. It is His hand on your life that makes all the difference. When You are fully submitted to the Lord, He will put you on special assignments. He will open doors that seem impossible to open. You will stand and know that the good hand of God was on your life. It is very humbling.

Prayer:

Father, let Your good hand be upon my life. Let Your presence guide and guard me. Show me each step and help me to follow You well. I want to walk in step with You. I long for Your presence and Your touch on my life. Let You special favor rest on my life and help me to walk in obedience to whatever You open before me. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

What Counts

 Scripture:

“It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The entire letter to the Galatians is about people coming into the church and trying to push circumcision and following of the Jewish Law onto believers. They were making the Gentiles feel that they were not going to make it to heaven if they were not circumcised. Paul stood vehemently against this and told the Galatians that what matters is your relationship with God, and not the works of the Law. In this Scripture, he says what matters most is having been transformed into a new creation.

Application:

What matters most isn’t whether we follow certain Laws, but that we are made new in Christ and transformed by the power of His blood. The goal of the Gospel is new life. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory. It is about being led by the Spirit so we don’t fulfill the desires of the flesh. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and to show us how to live in this powerful Kingdom.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to walk in step with Your Spirit and. Transform my life more and more into the image of Christ. Let my heart, mind, soul, and body be submitted to Your Spirit at all times. Teach me to walk closely to You and not be legalistic. Let me be relationship driven. Show me where to draw lines. As a leader, show me the to walk the legalism and grace walk gracefully and effectively. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Independence Day

 Scripture:

“But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

In Galatians, Paul writes to them to confront the fact that they were falling out of grace and back into the Law as a way to be holy. In this passage, he says that we are all prisoners of sin and that God’s promises of freedom comes, not by the Law, but by believing in Christ. It is interesting that Paul fights this so hard because he was a Jew of Jews at one point in his life. He was truly set free from the silvery of the Law.

Application:

Today is Independence Day in America. It is the day we celebrate our independence from England and our freedom as our own country. On this special day, I am reminded that freedom always costs something. For the United States, it has cost many lives who have fought to protect our freedom. In the spiritual, Christ died so that we could be set free from the slavery of sin. Freedom brings an obligation to defend it. As believers, we must walk in our freedom and defend our freedom from sin. It no longer has power over us!

Prayer:

Father, You are great and glorious! You are incredible! Help me to walk in step with Your Spirit and to accomplish all You have for my life. Teach me to live in obedience and freedom. I want to live free from the power of sin and death. Help me to follow You completely in every way. Thank You Jesus for paying the price for my freedom.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Can Use Your Enemies to Bless You

 Scripture:

““This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭36‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God’s people in Judah had rebelled terribly against Him and worshiped and served other gods. Because of that, God sent the Babylonians to take them out of Judah and to destroy the Temple. God had told them they would be deported for 70 years. While they were in exile, God spoke to a pagan king named Cyrus and told him to build the Temple back at Jerusalem. God used the ungodly to build a place for Him to be worshiped and to send His people back to their homeland.

Application:

God’s blessings don’t always come like we think they will. God can use our enemies to be a blessing to us. He can turn the hearts of leaders and cause them to work for His benefit. We can rely on our God. He is worthy of honor, praise, and glory. I need to be reminded this morning that God can use our enemies to become our blessings and that nothing is impossible for Him.

Prayer:

Father, You have been good to me all my life. Thank You for healing me, saving me, and cleansing me with the blood of Jesus. Thank You for answering my prayers. Thanks for letting me see You high and lifted up this morning. You are incredible! Operate in and through my life and teach me to trust You more. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Wholehearted Obedience

 Scripture:

“In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭31‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

King Hezekiah re-established worship of God Almighty by refurbishing the Temple, cleansing and appointing priests, and destroying the altars of all other gods. He reinstituted the sacrificial system and worship of the one true and living God. This passage says of him that in all he did, he sought the Lord wholeheartedly and, as a result, he was very successful.

Application:

This word “wholeheartedly” keeps coming up in my readings lately. I hear the Lord saying He doesn’t want me halfhearted in my walk with Him. He is drawing me closer and deeper in this season into wholehearted obedience to Him. I don’t want to give God part of me. I want to give Him all of me. I want to live a life that is a sacrifice to God. I don’t want to live 99% sold out to God. I want to be wholehearted in my walk with Him.

Prayer:

Father, let my life be one of wholehearted devotion to You. Remove anything that hinders my wholehearted walk with You. Let my life be a sacrifice for You and Your honor. Help me to walk in submission in every area and obedient even when I don’t understand. Help me to say yes when You want yes and no when You want no. Let me give you my wholehearted best in every area. Also let me see the results of wholehearted obedience, Your blessing.

Your Son,

Jeff

Work Hard and Pray

 Scripture:

“And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had done for the people, for everything had been accomplished so quickly.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Hezekiah had a heart to refurbish the Temple of God in his day. When he became king, at a pretty young age, he went to work restoring the Temple. He quickly finished the work and dedicated it in a way that was acceptable to the Lord. The people rejoined and gave offerings of their cattle for the sacrificial offering to the Lord at the dedication. This passage says that the people rejoiced  because of what God had done for the people and for everything that was accomplished so quickly. 

Application:

It is interesting that, after all the hard work the people did, and the sacrificial giving they did for the dedication, they said it was the Lord who had done these things for the people. The reality is, we can work as hard as we can, but unless the Lord helps us, it is useless. The best combination is us working hard and the Lord working with us to accomplish His purposes. As we give Him glory for what He has done, we see great things accomplished for Him. When we work together with God, we accomplish amazing results. When we work hard in our flesh, we get tired.

Prayer:

Father, help me to work like it all depends on me and pray like it all depends on You. Teach me to be effective as a leader and to walk in Your authority. Let my life bring You honor and praise. Do things in my life and ministry that are unexplainable with human words. Do things so that we can say, “We worked hard, but it was impossible without the Lord.” I want You to get all the glory Lord.

Yours,

Jeff