The chosen ones!!!

Reading: Nehemiah 13, Malachi 1-2, and 1 John 4

Scripture: 1 John 4:19, We love because he first loved us.

Thoughts: There are days when I need the reminder that no matter what I have done God loved me before I chose to love Him. He chose me before I knew Him. As we make our way into the new year, remember you are loved, you are liked, and you are chosen.

Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for choosing me, I thank you for loving me even when I do not deserve it. I thank you for sending your son to give us the ability to have a right relationship with you. I thank you for this year and the lessons you have been teaching me. I ask that you continue to refine me and mold me into the Husband, father, and leader you call me to be.

What are we practicing?

Reading: Nehemiah 11-12 and 1 John 3

Scripture: 1 John 3:7-8, Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Thoughts: As I struggle with lust and all the things that come with that, verses like these hit me and make me think. Growing up in the Church and being a believer in Christ and the work He did on the cross, there are so many messages out there on how it all works. There is the once saved always saved, there is the must confess to a priest regularly and many more that I can’t think of. As I struggle with seeking God and not striving after the desires of my flesh I wonder if I am practicing my sinning or am I falling into temptation. That is the question that we need to ask God and ourselves. I long to not have these desires except for toward my wife. We all need to seek God to understand where we are in our relationship with him and to gain insight into whether we are practicing righteousness or sin.

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for your Son, I thank you for filling me with your Holy Spirit. I thank you for the blessings you have poured out on my life. The ones seen and the ones not seen. I thank you for calling me into a relationship with you. I ask for help in rooting out the lust and the anger in my life. Lead me into the loving man you have called me to be.

Who is the AntiChrist?

Reading: Nehemiah 9-10 and 1 John 2

Scripture: 1 John 2:22, Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Thoughts: Most of the time when I hear about the antichrist, it is in reference to a single person. This single entity in Revelation is referred to as the Beast. Here in 1 John he is saying that the antichrist is not a single entity but anyone who denies Jesus as Christ or anyone denying the Father and Son. Does not matter what political affiliation you have, what you believe about sexuality or race relations, if someone denies Jesus as Christ or the Father and Son, they will lead you astray. We need to remember that Matthew 7:22-23 talks about those who say, " Didn’t I do these things in your name? And he will declare I never knew you. We need to be in a relationship with God that he knows us and we know and seek Him when the last days come we will not be told to leave. Careful who you listen to and verify everything through the Word of God.

Prayer: Father God you are the beginning and the end, Jesus is the Christ, The Way, the Truth, and The Life. The only way to the father. I thank you for sending your Son to make the way for a sinner like me to be forgiven and grafted into the family. I ask that you help me find the root of my anger so that it can be removed Help me to be more like you and walk in your ways.

BE Prepared!!!

Reading: Daniel 7-8, Psalm 116, and Hebrews 1

Scripture: Daniel 7:25, He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

Thoughts: This passage is from one of Daniel’s visions of the end times, He had been speaking about a kingdom that will cover the earth, I have been hearing and watching different groups that could be this kingdom that will cover the earth. They come in peace and then start forcing their views on those around them. Growing up I heard about their peacefulness and today I hear about plans that were in place then on how to take over by infiltration and rewriting of the law. I have already heard these groups speaking against God and His servants. We are the saints of the Most High. Not sure what Daniel means by wearing out the saints but the Hebrew word for wear out is bᵊlā meaning to wear away, wear out, or to harass constantly. To me, this sounds like some of those groups that are very vocally against Christ and His Ecclesia. Every day we move closer to the return of Christ and His eternal reign. No matter if it's in our lifetime or generations from now we need to live as if it is tomorrow. Be prepared to be ground down, worn out, and harassed for who we put our faith in.

Prayer: Father God, you are worthy of all our praise you are worthy of all our worship. You are worthy of all the pain and suffering, the wearing down and harassment that will come. I thank you for sending your Son to save me. I thank you for the ability to work with the provisions you provide. I thank you for the strength you are providing for us for the day we will be worn down. Open the eyes of those who do not know you and help me to speak your love to the world.

Don’t give me that!

Reading: Daniel 5-6, Psalm 13, and 2 Timothy 4

Scripture: Daniel 5:17, Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.

Thoughts: We all enjoy when we are recognized for a job well done. Yet are we pointing to God when He is the one who did it? Even though from what I understand of Daniel is that on top of the blessings of God he was intelligent and trained, yet nobody else who was trained as he was could read the writing on the wall. Before giving the interpretation, he told the king to keep his gifts, and he pointed to God as the one who showed him what it meant. Several years ago, sitting in a prayer meeting, I had the urge to go pray for my aunt who had been diagnosed with cancer. I struggled with what I thought I heard, after the meeting I went to work, and I did not even make it through half a day before I could not deny what I felt and knew I had to leave work and drive about 300 miles to pray for my aunt. My father and I both left work early, got in the car, and drove up to where my aunt lives. We had dinner and visited and later we sat down and got to pray with her and for her and God did a work and healed her cancer. I could have denied the call; I could have prayed for her over the phone, but I felt led to go. I do not brag that I did a miracle but that I was a part of what God was doing calling my aunt back into a relationship with Him. I do not need the accolades and congratulations. I know there are people out there who have been part of many more miracles that we do not know of because it is not about us. God wants to work through you not to raise you up but so that you can point to the one who saves us. Be a part of pointing to the light of the world.

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for letting me be a part of your plan. I thank you that I get to see your miracles and the glory of your presence. I am your servant, I say here I am, send me, speak I am listening. But I also confess that I do not always listen as well as I should and allow myself to fill my ears with other things. Help me allow your spirit to flow through me. Help me to walk in your ways.

Don’t judge me!!

Reading: Ezekiel 47-48, Psalm 26 and 2 Timothy 3

Scripture: Psalm 26:8-9, O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

Thoughts: David starts this Psalm by asking God to judge him. I have not met anyone who wants to be judged, let alone by someone with such authority as God. Then we get to verses 8 and 9 where David is saying he loves to be where God is, but what struck me was that David who was called, “a man after God’s own heart” was sitting there crying out to God, “don’t cast me away with the sinners and don’t let the bloodthirsty men kill me.” In the United States, we get an overinflated sense of importance and can easily put our wants and needs before our devotion to God. In David’s time God dwelt in the Tabernacle and later the Temple, but today through the sacrifice of Jesus and the filling of the Holy Spirit into us we are that tabernacle in which God dwells in each of us. Yet we still allow ourselves to put earthly things before Him even to the point that we create a god out of things in our lives. Let us ask God to show us where we have gotten out of order.

Prayer: Lord God, you are above all things, your ways are higher than my ways. You are worthy of all praise and honor. You are worthy of all obedience and I admit that I allow myself to get distracted and focus more on things that are not you. You deserve my devotion. I ask that you help me see what is taking me away from the place you have for me. Help me see the places in my life that I have allowed to get out of order.

Dry bones

Reading: Ezekiel 37-38, Psalm 44, and 1 Timothy 4

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:10, So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Thoughts: Ezekiel saw the valley of bones and was told to prophesy to the bones. We have all been called by God to do something that is beyond our power. Sometimes it is as big as raising an army from dry bones and sometimes it is as small as forgiving and letting go of bitterness. I have been a part of a miracle, and I still struggle to release things. What are the dry bones that are before you that God has told you to come alive?

Prayer: Lord God, you are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the end, yet you see me and call me by name. I thank you for being willing to use me to touch others even though I still have a lot of sanctification to work through. I thank you for our house and the ministry we will get to do in it. I thank you for the opportunity to do your work and be a part of your plan.

I Have Spoken

Reading: Ezekiel 35-36, Psalm 77, 1 Timothy 3

Scripture: Ezekiel 36:36, Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.

Thoughts: As a bit of a nerd/geek the thing that caught my eye and made this passage stand out is toward the end of the passage. “I have spoken” drew me in with a saying I recognized from the Star Wars show The Mandalorian. Kuiil would answer almost every question of direction with this quote “I have spoken.” Yet, as I looked at this passage and those around it Ezekiel is speaking of the promise God is making to restore the things that were stolen but this would not come about until we are cleansed of our iniquities. I’m sure there are many thoughts on when that is and if that is referring to Israel or all of creation. This promise will be a light to the world that they can not deny, saying He has rebuilt ruined places and also talked about desolate places being like Eden. Then closes this entire thing with the declaration “I Have Spoken.” Are we listening and believing that He is Lord God and that what He says will come true? No matter if it is a Word for the nation, for the state, for the county, for the city, or just for you if God spoke it, it will be so. Number 23:19 talks about how God is not a man that he lies or a son of man that he may change his mind. He has spoken and it will come to pass.

Prayer: Lord God, your ways are higher than my ways your knowledge greater than any on earth. You spoke all things into existence; you knew us before we were born. I thank you for seeing me and knowing me. I thank you for the blessings and provisions that are coming. Your love knows no bounds. I thank you for being here with us leading and guiding. Fill us to overflowing that we can pour out your love and grace on those around us.