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Who You Really Are!

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But Moses said to the LORD, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” Exodus 6:12, NIV Who You Really Are  Moses had God’s promise that he would deliver the nation of Israelite slaves from Pharaoh. But the Israelites were too discouraged through hard labor to listen, and Pharaoh refused. Moses’ words were met with resistance, and he made the mistake of immediately talking defeat. He was on the verge of letting his negative environment change his identity from deliverer to defeated. Fortunately, God spoke to Moses and promised again that by signs and wonders He would bring the Israelites to freedom. You may be in an environment now that contradicts what God promised you. The circumstances look just the opposite of the dream He put in your heart. That’s a test. The enemy would love for you to lose who you really are, to see yourself as limited or a victim. You can let it change you, adapt to the environment, water do...
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We are Pilgrims and Strangers in This World!

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  We are Pilgrims and Strangers in This World Scripture: Psalm 84:5–7, NIV “ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. ” Because we live in a temporary, perishing world, we need to constantly remind ourselves we are on a pilgrimage here. We are blessed to realize our sufficiency is in God alone, and that all we need is sourced in him. Most of us find ourselves in the Valley of Baca from time to time. That is a place of drought or need. It is then we find our provision in the Lord himself as we allow him to teach us. Many times these “valleys” can be places of blessing where we can experience revelation from God and sense his presence. Of the heroes of faith it is said, “ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the thi...
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Calm and Quiet Your Soul!

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  Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2, NKJV Calm and Quiet Your Soul King David faced constant dangers, enemy attacks, and betrayals. He had a lot of reasons to live worried, afraid, and panicked, but he gives us a secret to live above today’s noise—the bad news, the economic rumors, the divisiveness, our own worries. King David said, “I have calmed and quieted my soul.” On a regular basis, you need to quiet your soul. Still your emotions. Come back to a place of peace. That’s a powerful place. When the battle is all around you, thoughts tell you to panic, to worry and be afraid. That’s when you have to take charge and quiet your soul. The enemy would love for you to live noisy and troubled, but the Scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God.” This infers that if you’re not still, if you don’t quiet your soul, you’re not going to know He’s God. You’re not going to feel His presenc...
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The Christian Life is a Giving Life!

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  The Christian Life is a Giving Life Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7–8, NIV “ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8, NIV) The Christian life is a giving life. This is the direct opposite of what the world dictates to us in order to be happy. Most of the messages of the world are directed at self-consuming activities saying you need to have certain possessions and experiences in order to be fulfilled. These messages tend to make us “getters” instead of “givers.” When we speak of giving, we are not talking about just money. We have the 3 Ts:  Time, Talent,  and  Treasure . Time and talent are just as important as any treasure we might have. God loving the cheerful giver is a statement of God’s action. By giving, b...
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In All Your Coming and Goings!

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  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:6, NIV In All Your Comings and Goings If you follow the life of Joseph in the Scripture, you can see that the blessing of God was on him, and nothing could take it away. His brothers threw him in a pit to die, but the blessing caused the brothers to change their minds and sell Joseph to slave traders. The blessing caused Joseph to excel as a slave in Potiphar’s household, but a lie sent him to prison. The blessing helped him to not be bitter and keep doing his best. After thirteen years of hardship, the blessing elevated Joseph out of the prison and into being the prime minister of Egypt. The blessing was with him wherever he went and in whatever he did, and it sustained him and caused him to rise to the top. People may do you wrong and put you at a disadvantage, but nothing that happens to you can take God’s blessing. Wherever you are, the blessing is there. Keep doing the right thing, and God will ...
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Giving: Your Investment for Eternity!

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  Giving: Your Investment for Eternity Scripture: Matthew 6:20, NIV & Matthew 6:33, NIV “ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ” (Matthew 6:20, NIV) “ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ” (Matthew 6:33, NIV) The world gets it backwards.  It says to earn as much as you can, save as much as you can, and then sit on your can. Spend it on yourself and have a good time while you can. Jesus Christ came to reveal the opposite: “…But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  (2 Timothy 1:10, NIV) He has revealed to us true life in addition to the reality of eternity or immortality. He tells us to prepare for eternity. Eternity is the real world and the one lasting forever! We can actually stor...
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Ezra 7:1-10!

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  Introduction Ezra 7:1–10: In today’s reading, the story has now moved forward from the completion of the Temple around the end of the sixth century (516 B.C.) to the middle of the fifth century (458 B.C. ), and we are introduced to Ezra, a priest and expert in the Law. He was also in a position of high favor in the court of the Persian emperor, Artaxerxes, during the time after the Babylonian captivity when Jerusalem was rebuilt. Artaxerxes gives Ezra permission to return to Jerusalem along with many Jewish leaders and their families. Today’s Key Verse: Ezra 7:10 GNT Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the LORD, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel. Read 7 Many years later, when Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He traced his ancestors back to Aaron, the High Priest, as follows: Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,  2  son of Shallum, son of Zadok, so...
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