1 Peter 5:10 NIV – And the God of all grace, who called – Bible Gateway https://share.google/iyWvXuUaBUsdfnXAd

This morning, I had the privilege of attending a Women’s Bible Study/Breakfast.  The topic was built off of Nehemiah 1 and 2, God calling us to rebuild walls in our lives. It spoke on how Nehemiah responded to the news of the torn down walls in Judah. He first of all went to God about the issue, with prayer and fasting. King Artaxerxes, King of Persia, noticed Nehemiah was downcast and inquired what was wrong. The wine-taster explained the shape of Judah was saddening, and asked if he could go to help in rebuilding it. God gave Nehemiah an affirmation.

The affirmation from God was mentioned to those who would rebuild, and they joined in the acceptance of the job of rebuilding. They mentioned that God would make them successful. That is so important, that we get God in focus. In Nehemiah’s prayer, he reminded God of what His character was. He stated that the Lord had promised Moses that the people of Israel would be restored to the land when they repented.

In Nehemiah’s prayer, he confessed that he and the people had gone astray; he was interceding for himself and his people.  What a blessing God has given His children, that they would not be cast off if they repented (1 John 1:9)! Let us remember how faithful and merciful Christ is! This week, let us make ourselves right when the Spirit leads. We should be encouraged that our hardships and discipline will only last for a little bit, and will result in our becoming stronger.

This is the message Blessing Offo sang about, in “Brighter Days.” What an encouragement, that the bad times in our bodies and on Earth will not go on forever.  Let us seek Jesus to help rebuild our walls. Since we have Him, we will never be left torn down.  God bless as we seek His face! As always, please feel free to comment below and to leave donations!

Psalm 9:10 NIV – Those who know your name trust in you, – Bible Gateway https://share.google/0l52nivRyyY0VOCKI

Psalm 9:10 shares an awesome truth that I am trying to state each week. When you truly know Christ, you find out that He does not change, and that He is good. The Psalmist declares this in Psalm 34:8. Each day I enter the office, I ask the Lord to fill my heart with His goodness and wisdom. There is a lost generation out there!

When I am doing my work, I am observing the younger people trying to figure life out.  I can tell they are hurt by parents and people who have let them down. Their response is one of believing they are the only ones to hold their answers. In doing so, they mislead themselves and show how they are actually foolish. The Spirit brings this up in Romans 1:22.

Chris Brown and Elevation Worship sing of the fact that seeking God is the wisest place to remain. I do not know why it is easy to find oneself being impatient with not getting speedy answers from the Lord? I can testify that God has been my ” Fourth Man in the Fire, “ every single time.

Let us all be in the attitude of gratitude this week, mindful of everything the Savior has done in our lives. Dad reminded me of the fact that there is a reason the Children of Israel have been brought up for us to read… in otder for us to learn of Christ’s faithfulness. Please take a minute and share of God’s goodness with me and the group. If God leads, please give a donation. God bless us as we wait on Him, Isaiah 40:31. Let me leave you with a poem my dad, Michael Honeycutt, wrote:

Coming into the Kingdom

While apostles of doubt
Argue at the Door
And sophists with analysis
Make a gift obscure,
Children enter in and live,
As Abram did before.

2 Timothy 1:7

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV – For the Spirit God gave us does not – Bible Gateway https://share.google/JzIayBrSyaI6bA18D

I would love to start this week’s devotional with the idea of God enabling us with power to be everything we are supposed to be, 2 Timothy 1:7.  In Matthew 28:20, Jesus gives us the promise of being with us to the end of the age. He is there to lead us through life to face the different battles.

In actuality, He is the one who leads us through them. After all, He is the commander of the Lord’s hosts, stated in Joshua 5:13-15.  As I was thinking on this passage in Joshua, it reminded me that our fight is not against flesh or blood but against the spirit realm, Ephesians 6:12. When we are facing this, we need to turn to Jesus as our leader.

This week, may we experience His rescue in His timing!  We are His children, so we have an awesome heritage (Isaiah 54:17).  He is there to be our protection and vindication.  Hallelujah! 

The last thing I want to leave you with is that you are welcome to leave a comment below, or a donation if led to.  God would love us to be a people willing to reach out to those who are suffering through what we have been delivered from!  May we be blessed by Him, our captain!

1 Kings 20:28 NIV – The man of God came up and told the – Bible Gateway https://share.google/pkGqAjmfARcU0RAh4

In 1 Kings 20:28, it tells of a man of God coming to the king of Israel. He mentioned that Jehovah was going to allow His people to prosper in the valley over the Arameans. These people were convinced that Israel would only win in the mountains, that God was only powerful in those areas. Due to this restricted belief about God, Israel won over 100,000 soldiers.

The Spirit reminded me about the time Satan appeared with a group of angels before the Lord. At that time, God asked the Devil whether he had seen Job and how he put the Lord first and served Him. The Enemy’s response was that he attributed the faithfulness to Job’s being blessed. The answer to that claim was Jehovah allowing Job to be afflicted, tried. Please read Job 1:6-12. Job remained faithful, despite His friends and wife discouraging him.

My encouragement is for us to come to the place of asking the Spirit to keep us unwavering in our devotion to Christ. I know that Scripture tells us of Daniel purposing in his heart to not disobey God, Daniel 1:8. When we allow this to happen, we will be testimonies of Christ. This is sung about in Tasha Layton’s, “Meet Me in the Valley. “

I pray we will be singing about meeting our Lord in every situation life brings. May we be in close fellowship with the Savior, this week and always!  May our hearts have the same burning desire of drawing close to Christ, as the deer pants after water, Psalm 42:1. How He loves us and desires the communication. Let us be those sheep who know Him and follow His direction/voice, John 10:27.  Blessings! Please remember to scroll down to comment or donate! 

Psalm 62:6-7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2062%3A6-7&version=NIV

Psalm 62:6-7 is an important reminder of where our peace and strength originate from. The answer is Jesus! Anything from personal to the world, God is truly the real covering! While we are relying on Him, we will experience stability and the motivation to carry on.

The song by Danny Gokey, “Jesus Over Everything,” gives the message of Christ being the one to handle all areas of life. The Creator is there to make all things right. The name of the song, to me, signifies the fact that true liberty is found in the Lord. He will not let us down, because we are Children of God.

When I am going through times that I feel bound by oppression and despair, His Spirit is there to remind me that those things related to God’s character will be upheld. The reputation of things is not bound up in anything else but God.  If what He says, or people He has saved, don’t prosper it ruins His name’s sake. 

Since the Father is all powerful and is eternal, He is greater than any physical stronghold we look up to.  This supersedes those things we have put our full trust in.  Let us come to the place of letting God be our rock, and accepting of His removing the items we have placed in the center of our lives.  If you don’t mind, please scroll down and share the things God has revealed have been placed too highly in life. Also, if led, please give a donation.  God bless us as we give first place to the Savior!

James 1:5

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:5&version=NIV

This week was one of conversing with God and asking Him to increase Alan’s and my faith. It has been discouraging and tiring.  His Spirit reminded me that courage is shown when we show up to do our jobs without any appearance of being rewarded. That inspiration can only come from abiding in Him.

As we continue to find shelter in Him, He will be faithful and answer our prayers. The Lord will give an answer of yes, wait, or no.  When we are asking for wisdom, He will most definitely give us our request, as James 1:5 mentions. Lamentations 3:25 encourages us that when we have to wait on God, we can be assured that He will be good.  Let us ask His Spirit for the patience.   Isaiah 41:10 is reminding us that God is there upholding us, so we should not be afraid of an answer of no.   

Leanna Crawford’s, “Thank God,” describes what our response should be when God doesn’t answer yes to prayer.  We should be grateful that God is protecting us and writing our life story for the best, Romans 8:28. Let us remember those times that God has saved us from things that would have happened if He had answered in the affirmative.

I feel led to have you share about any time God has protected from unseen consequences of getting desires met. It will be an inspiration for others who presently feel they have been overlooked. In addition to scrolling down to leave comments, know there is a button to give a donation.

Psalm 94:19

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2094:19&version=NIV

This week, the Lord ministered to me the importance of focusing on what God represents; I don’t want to drown the consultation God freely offers. Sometimes, we as humans think we can run the whole show in our own strength.  When we take on things we weren’t meant to carry, we will end up missing out on the peace only Jesus gives.

In Psalm 94:19, the psalmist gave a testimony of how Christ quieted anxiety and gave joy.  That was basically what the Spirit was trying to share with me; He was saying, even in the midst of Alan hunting for a job and working on a non-profit there was joy in Him.  My husband and I need to periodically stop ourselves, when the joy of the Lord has been drowned out by our busyness.  I recall what Nehemiah 8:10 says, that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Tasha Layton’s song, “Look What You’ve Done,” is one of joy that comes from realizing whose children we are. When we are truly saved, we are God’s!  As our pastor mentioned today, in prayer we should remember we belong to the Heavenly Father.  The beliefs we have of ourselves, or what we have been told about ourselves, they need to be dug up by the work of the Spirit.

We have the wonderful experience of seeing our disabilities and problems overcome by Him! Life isn’t about what a person can accomplish, but is in seeing the Spirit accomplish what He purposed to do. This is brought up in Philippians 1:6.  God made us, so we need to let Him finish the work in our lives. In Genesis it pinpoints the fact that God creates what is good.  He has finished His work on the cross, and now we are able to rest in Him, in His joy.  God bless us as we let Him take the reigns this week!  As usual, please either leave a comment as you scroll or feel free to give a donation.  Thanks!

Psalm 71:15-19

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2071%3A15-19&version=NIV

Psalm 71:15-19 beautifully expresses how much praise God is due, in many ways that we do not know how to express.  The Psalmist mentioned how from his youth God had instructed him, which is true in my life also. Yes, even today, He is still there leading me in what path to take. God, I ask that you help myself and the readers to have the wherewithal to proclaim your goodness to every generation.  There is nobody like you! Amen!

The provisions of God were sung about in King and Country’s song, What If I Told you. It mentioned how even though life is hard to handle, Jesus is there being closer than our own brothers. In Proverbs 18:24, it gives the excellent fact that Christ remains with us even when all of our acquaintances have failed us.

I have had many situations and times where I don’t personally have the ways or words to help individuals. God has shared that the best thing I can do is to point everyone to Him.  He has created each of us, and He knows how to meet our needs through the Spirit.

May Jesus fill our week with moments of being able to share of His goodness! I pray that when you and I go to work, we will be that perfect testimony of His greatness! If you don’t mind, please scroll to share with us how God has worked in your lives.  Also, please remember there are donation buttons, if led.  God bless, as we make Him first and glorify Him!

Isaiah 55:6-7

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2055:6-7&version=NIV

Isaiah 55:6-7 is a beautiful word of the Lord to us all; a word of encouragement to lay everything down and seek Him. I find it so much like the Lord to give a word at different times in a person’s life.  Yesterday,  He pointed this section of scripture out to me to  show how God is always there to hear us; what we need to do is to stop trying to take everything on our shoulders.

Today my pastor was speaking on the time Jesus joined Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. Jesus lovingly shared with Martha that she was missing out by not spending time at His feet. She was busying herself with too much, things that interfere with a relationship with the Father. I fully agree, that communication with Jesus is the center of our lives. It doesn’t matter how many times we come to God, He is always there to hear us and to give deliverance and direction, Matthew 7:7-8 and John 11:22.

In Cody Carnes song, Run to the Father, it beautifully expresses how essential the Maker is in our lives. Before we were even here, He was waiting for us.  He is gracious, like a perfect father, to have considered our every need before we asked. We can draw on the encouragement from past experiences with God. We can be assured that His nature is constant. He hasn’t turned His children away yet; so, let us not quit knocking on the door. We will find He has been there to answer all the time.

To finalize everything, I wanted to encourage all of us to stop carrying burdens alone. It is not what we were meant to do. Let us approach His throne with confidence, knowing He has held out His scepter, Hebrews 4:16 and in Esther.

Psalm 42:5-11

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042%3A5-11&version=NI

The Lord is with us and is our rock, as Psalm 42:5-11 states. We are not going to lose with God on our side! You and I need to remember that the only thing we accomplish by being discouraged is to agree with Satan and the world. Lord, please help us to put our trust in you!

That is the answer, you guys, to be honest with the Lord about feeling that we are weak and uncertain. In Leanna Crawford’s “Honest,” when we are upfront with Jesus, He ends up reminding us that He always lives His promises/word.

He is perfect, not like us as humans. In our insufficiencies, Christ is there to make up for the failures. He is the “I AM.” That is so encouraging that God would care enough to meet us where we fall short!

This week, let us take our doubts and fears to the Almighty. Let us let the Spirit remind us of His faithfulness and holiness/perfection.  I was listening to something today from Joni Earekson Tada, and she encouraged us to dwell on the different promises of God each and everyday. How wise!